Verily the word
Of an honoured messenger;
It is not the word
Of a poet:
Little it is
Ye believe!
Nor is it the word
Of a soothsayer:
Little admonition it is
Ye receive.
(This is) a message
Sent down from the Lord
Of the Worlds.
S.69 A.40-43
The word of God is truth. Its beauty comes from the truth it reveals. It is the simplest form of beauty, unadorned and honest. This truth is eternal - past, present, future. The word of God is not poetry, it does not dress the truth in creativity and playfully toss it about with oblique metaphors and vain tempo. It does not attempt to create a gilded message, a message deliberatly manipulated to be glib and vivid. We relate to the Koran because we don't have to wade through these aesthetic mechanisms.
God's word is also not some kind of carnival fortune attraction. It is not given so that we have some sort of advantage in future events, and His word doesn't change depending on who receives it, who pays more for it. God's word is meant for everyone, not intended to create benefit for one over the other.
This verse is a good reminder for me as I read - God's word is beautiful and it does point to the future for me. But it is truth expressed in an honest way, and it points to a future where I can thrive if I am true to its tenets. It promises me nothing that I do not deserve.
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