ভূমিকা

“And indeed We have explained in this Qur’an every kind of similitude for mankind, but man, of most things, is contentious.” 55.

“And naught prevented men from believing when the guidance came unto them, and seeking their Lord’s forgiveness, except that the wont of the ancients should come upon them, or that the chastisement should come face to face with them.” The Qur’anic term /sarrafna/, in this verse, means that ‘We have spoken to them in different statements and through any style and logic which may affect on them’. The Arabic word /jidal/ means ‘dispute’ in a form of conflict and demand of preference.

Beside the positive qualities the man has, like having a divine spirit, being superior to the angels with their prostration unto him, having the ability of penetration and subjecting the existence to himself, and the like of them, he has also many negative epithets, such as disputation, which have been referred to in the verses of the Qur’an. Then, in this holy verse: the Qur’an deduces a kind of conclusion from the last discussions, and it also hints to the coming discussions.

At first, it says: “And indeed We have explained in this Qur’an every kind of similitude for mankind…” These explanations include the shaking history of the old nations and the painful events of their lives, and that what happened before. They were described for the people whether they were sweet or bitter. The affairs were so much detailed that those hearts which were receptive and eager to receive the truth, might grasp the truth, and there remained no room for obscurity.

Yet, some rebellious arrogant people never believed, because man, more than anything else, tends to dispute. The verse says: “…but man, of most things, is contentious.” Then, in the next verse, it implies that with these many different examples and through some shaking statements and various logical reasoning, which must absorb any receptive person, again a great group of people did not believe.