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wa-lawi ttabaʿa l-ḥaqqu ʾahwāʾahum la-fasadati s-samāwātu wa-l-ʾarḍu wa-man fīhinna bal ʾataynāhum bi-dhikrihim fa-hum ʿan dhikrihim muʿriḍūna
Had the truth followed their desires, the heavens and the earth would have surely fallen apart [along] with those who are in them. Indeed, We have brought them their Reminder, but they are disregardful of their Reminder.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah al-Mu’minun - Verse 71
71. “And if the Truth had followed their low desires, certainly the heavens and the earth, and whoever therein would have perished! Rather, We have sent them their Reminder (the Qur’an), but they turn away from their Reminder.”
If the Truth accorded with people’s desires, the order of existence would be destroyed for people’s desires, even the desires of one person, never remain constant in different points of time. Therefore, this noble verse says:
“And if the Truth had followed their low desires, certainly the heavens and the earth, and whoever therein would have perished!...”
This situation is because reason is not the only factor that determines people’s motivations and desires for, in many cases, people also follow their evil passions. If the rules of existence were in conformity with these deviant drives, chaos, anarchy and corruption would prevail over the whole world! In order to emphasize more this matter, the verse says:
“...Rather, We have sent them their Reminder (the Qur’an), but they turn away from their Reminder.” 33
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