10 Preface وَقالوا لَو كُنّا نَسمَعُ أَو نَعقِلُ ما كُنّا في أَصحابِ السَّعيرِYusuf AliThey will further say: “Had we but listened or used our intelligence,1 we should not (now) be among the Companions of the Blazing Fire!”Man has himself the power given to him to distinguish good from evil, and he is further helped by the teachings of the great Messengers or World Teachers. Where such Teachers do not come into personal contact with an individual or a generation, the true meaning of their teaching can be understood by means of the Reason which God has given to every human soul to judge by. It is failure to follow a man’s own lights sincerely that leads to his degradation and destruction.