The Twenty-Eighth Flash

The Fourth Subtlety

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحٖيمِIn the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

وَاَنْزَلْنَا الْحَدِيدَ فِيهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِAnd We sent down iron, in which there is great strength and benefits for mankind. — The Qur’an 57:25

The following is a concise answer to a question of considerable importance—a question by which a prominent figure well versed in the modern sciences had silenced several imams.

Question: It is said: “Iron comes from the earth; it does not descend from above. Why, then, does the Qur’an say anzalnāWe have sent it down. (‘We have sent it down’) rather than akhrajnāWe have brought it forth. (‘We have brought it forth’), employing an expression which, at first sight, does not appear fitting?”

Answer: The Miraculous Qur’an employs the expression “We have sent it down” (anzalnāWe have sent it down.) to draw attention to the great and exceedingly important blessing embodied in iron. The verse is not concerned merely with the substance of iron, for in that case it might have said, “We have brought it forth” (akhrajnāWe have brought it forth.). Rather, it calls attention to the immense blessing that iron represents and to humanity’s profound dependence upon it.

A blessing does not ascend from below; rather, it comes from the treasury of mercy. And the treasury of mercy, by its very nature, occupies an exalted and spiritually elevated rank. Thus, a blessing descends from above, while the human being who stands in need of it occupies a lower rank. The bestowal of a blessing is therefore exalted above the need that it fulfils.

Consequently, when a blessing comes from the treasury of mercy to meet human needs, the fitting expression is “We have sent it down,” rather than “We have brought it forth.”

Moreover, things brought forth gradually are often produced through human effort. The expression “bringing forth” would therefore not clearly disclose to the heedless observer the reality of Divine bestowal.

If the Qur’an were referring solely to the material substance of iron, then, from a physical standpoint, the expression “bringing forth” might indeed be appropriate. But the significance of iron and the meaning intended here—namely, its being a Divine blessing—belong to the spiritual order. This meaning concerns not physical location, but spiritual rank.

A blessing proceeding from the treasury of mercy, which manifests the infinitely exalted rank of the All-Merciful, naturally descends from a higher rank to a lower one. Hence, the fitting expression is “We have sent it down.”

Through this expression, the Qur’an reminds humanity that iron is among the greatest of Divine blessings.

Indeed, iron is the foundation of human crafts, a principal means of progress, and a source of human strength.

To emphasise the greatness of this blessing, the Qur’an speaks with majestic force in a context of Divine favour and bestowal. It is in this light that the Qur’an declares, concerning the great miracle granted to the Prophet Dāwūd (as)A prophet and king of the Children of Israel, known for his wisdom, justice, and devotion to Allah. He was given the Zabūr (Psalms), blessed with a beautiful voice in glorifying Allah, and granted the ability to soften and shape iron.:

وَاَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيدَAnd We made iron soft for him. — The Qur’an 34:10.

That is to say, the softening of iron was bestowed upon a great prophet as a mighty miracle and an immense blessing.