18 Preface وَالصُّبحِ إِذا تَنَفَّسَYusuf AliAnd the Dawn as it breathes away the darkness;—1The slow “breathing out” of the darkness by the Dawn, shown us, by beautiful imagery, that these mysterious operations, of which people in their ignorance are frightened if they have to do with darkness, are really beneficent operations of God. They have nothing to do with evil spirits, or witches, or magic. For three questions were actually raised about the holy Prophet’s Ministry by the ignorant (1) Did his wonderful works come from himself and not from God? (2) Was he possessed of an evil spirit? In other words, was he mad? For that was the theory of madness, then current. (3) Was he a soothsayer, or necromancer, or magician? For he had virtues, powers, and eloquence, so extraordinary that they could not understand him.