The Fifth Premise
When passing from the hands of knowledge to the hands of ignorance, a metaphorical expression may change into a literal description and open a door to superstition. Thus, whenever the dark hand of ignorance usurps a metaphor or simile from the luminous hand of knowledge, it may be taken for a reality. Also, whenever a metaphor or simile enjoys a long life, it loses its freshness and taste. Just as a handsome youth may, with the passage of time, become old and ugly, so too a metaphor or simile, once a source of fresh drinking water, may become, with the passage of time, a deceiving mirage.
The transparency of a metaphor displays the glint of truth. But if a metaphor is taken for a reality, it then becomes dense and masks the truth it is meant to display. Actually, this change is something that has taken place throughout history and so can be regarded as natural. Consider how a language undergoes changes over the course of time. Since many words, expressions, narratives, and meanings that were addressed to the comprehension of earlier generations have gradually grown old and lost their luster and attraction, new generations, which do not see them as suited to their appetites and tastes, dare to make changes in them or even coin new ones to replace them. This occurs not only in language but also in images, meanings, and narratives. This teaches us that we should not judge everything according to its appearance. One who searches for truth should be like a diver, freed of the effects of time, able to dive into the depths of the past, weigh ideas on the scales of reason, and discover the source of everything. What led me to this conclusion is the following event: once during my childhood there was an eclipse of the moon. I asked my mother about it. She answered that a snake had swallowed the moon. I asked why I could still see it then. She explained, “The snakes of the sky are semi-transparent.”
See how a simile taken for a reality conceals the truth. For ancient astronomers the word “snake” referred to an indistinct shape that somewhat resembles a snake during the lunar eclipse. Over time the common people took this term of science, a simile to describe a reality, and thought that there really was in the sky a snake that sometimes swallowed the moon!
O you who are not tired of these jumbled words of mine! Pay attention to this premise! Look at it through a microscope. For it is the source of many superstitions and false beliefs. Thus, we should adopt reason and the sciences of rhetoric or linguistics as a guide.
CONCLUSION
A true meaning has the stamp of truth. This stamp in religious matters consists of the pure beauty formed by the accurate balance that is contained within the purposes of the Shari‘a. Using metaphors is permissible provided they conform to the rules of rhetoric and linguistics. Otherwise, there is risk that we will interpret or use a metaphor as reality or vice versa. This adds to the oppressive power of ignorance. Going to extremes by considering everything to be a metaphorical usage and looking for the truth in the esoteric dimension of the words and making an esoteric interpretation of every verse, even giving rise to a school of esotericism, is harmful. On the other hand, going to the opposite extreme by making an exoteric interpretation and looking for the truth only in the literal meaning of the words is also harmful. The middle, safe way, which prevents going to extremes, is the spirit of Shari‘a, that is, rhetoric, reason or logic, and wisdom.
Wisdom (which is based on the Prophetic practice of the Qur’an and also includes a rational approach to it) is pure good. There may be some mistakes in the rational human approach, but this does not detract much from the great good that is inherent in wisdom. It is an essential maxim affirmed by many that abandoning something in which there is greater good than evil is to commit a greater evil. Since in the past philosophy was polluted with superstition because of ignorance, blind imitation, and the narrow capacity of minds, the scholars of earlier generations urged that philosophy be avoided. However, philosophy embedded in and informed by reported knowledge based on the Divine Revelation, and which also takes into account scientific developments, will surely bring more good than evil.
Said Nursi