80 Preface وَقُل رَبِّ أَدخِلني مُدخَلَ صِدقٍ وَأَخرِجني مُخرَجَ صِدقٍ وَاجعَل لي مِن لَدُنكَ سُلطانًا نَصيرًاYusuf AliSay: “O my Lord! Let my entry be1 by the Gate of Truth and Honour, and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honour; and grant me from Thy Presence an authority to aid (me).”2The entry and exit here referred to may be interpreted in four senses: (1) entry into death and exit at the resurrection for the righteous, who have purified their souls by prayer (last verse) and spiritual teaching from the Qur-ān (next verse), there is on each occasion a fuller and fuller realisation and enjoyment of truth and honour: for those who are estranged from God, the effect is the opposite: the truth becomes bitter ant there is ignominy and exposure instead of honour; (2) entry for the Holy Prophet into the new life at Medīna which was still in the womb of futurity, and exit from the life of persecution and the milieu of falsehood, which surrounded him in his native city of Mecca still given up to idolatry; (3) referring to the impending Hijrat again, the prayer may mean, “Let it be from pure motives of truth and spiritual honour, and not from motives of anger against the city of Mecca or its persecutors, or of ambition or worldly power from the city of Medīna, which was ready to lay everything at the Prophet’s feet”: (4) generally, entry and exit at every stage of life.All prayer must be for God’s aid and authority. However much we may plan, our success must depend on His aid. However noble our motives, we have no right to imperil any lives unless there is authority in the Word of God. The Prophet only acts on God’s commission and inspiration.