104 Preface يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا لا تَقولوا راعِنا وَقولُوا انظُرنا وَاسمَعوا ۗ وَلِلكافِرينَ عَذابٌ أَليمٌYusuf AliO ye of Faith! Say not (to the Messenger. words of ambiguous import1, but words of respect; and hearken (to him): To those without Faith is a grievous punishment.The word disapproved is Ra'ina, which as used by the Muslims meant “Please look at us, attend to us.” but it was ridiculed by enemies by a little twist to suggest some insulting meaning. So an unambiguous word “Unzurna,” with the same meaning is suggested. The general lesson is that we must guard ourselves against the cynical trick of using words which sound complimentary to the ear but have a hidden barb in them. Not only must we be plain and honest in our words. We must respectfully hearken to the words of a Teacher whom we have addressed. Thoughdess people use vain words or put foolish questions, and straightaway turn their minds to something else. (Cf. n. 566 and n. 5343).