The Quran contains divine words and the purpose of the bi`that is to bring down this Great Book (for us) to recite and ponder upon this grand divine sign. Even though the entire universe is a sign of God Almighty, the Noble Quran is the essence of the entire creation and all that needs to be accomplished through the Bi'that. The Noble Quran is like a grand dining cloth, spread out through the Messenger of God for all mankind, for each person to pick from it according to his own capacity. This Book and this grand dining cloth has been sent for all mankind- the common man, the scholar, the philosopher, the gnostic, the jurist- from the East to the West and from the time of its Revelation until the Day of Resurrection, to employ to the best use. In other words, even though this is a Book that has been descended from the Unseen for the benefit of humankind in the material world, and although it has descended from the height down to a position in which we can benefit from it, it contains matters that everyone- the common man, the gnostic, and others- can make use of, while at the same time, containing matters that are exclusively for great scholars, philosophers, Gnostics, the prophets, and saints. Some of the verses in this Book can be understood by none save the divine saints and friends of God Almighty except through the means of the interpretations presented by such people, and that too, only to the extent of the capacity of each individual. There are matters that can only benefit the great Gnostics of Islam and there are certain matters that can only benefit the philosophers and sages and there are certain matters that can benefit great jurists and this Book serves as a general dining cloth from which all these various groups can reap benefits. This Holy Book contains political, social, cultural, military, civil, as well as other matters. The purpose of the descent of this Book and the purpose of the Bi`that of the Noble Prophet) s (is to make this Book available to one and all, so that everyone can benefit from it according to the capacity of his own being and intellect. Alas! Neither has mankind and nor have the Islamic scholars been able to tap the potential of this Book to its fullest. Everyone should employ his mind and intellect to be able to benefit from this Book to the best of its and our own capacity. The Quran has been sent for the benefit of all strata, each to the extent of its own aptitude. However, it does also contain certain verses that can be understood by none but the Noble Messenger and the ones who have been tutored by him and it is only through them that we can gain access to their true meanings. There are yet many verses whose meanings are accessible to everyone and we can all employ our minds for gaining welfare both in this world and the hereafter through this Holy Book. Thus, one of the purposes of the Bi`that was to descend the Quran from the unseen that was hitherto unknown and unseen and lay only within Divine Knowledge and was in the hidden realms of the unseen, through this grand being, who underwent great trial and because of his pure monotheistic nature and through the connection that he has with the unseen, could bring down this Book from the unseen realm through various stages, until it has reached the stage of physical manifestation, and has appeared in the form of words. And these words can be understood by all of us and all of us can benefit from their meanings to the extent of our personal capacity. So this has been one of the purposes of this Book and the Bi`that through which the Divine Messenger was appointed to Prophet hood so that he could recite and interpret the Quran and the divine verses for all of mankind.
Sahifeh, vol. 14, Page: 333-334
Speech, June 1, 1981