28 Preface وَمِنَ النّاسِ وَالدَّوابِّ وَالأَنعامِ مُختَلِفٌ أَلوانُهُ كَذٰلِكَ ۗ إِنَّما يَخشَى اللَّهَ مِن عِبادِهِ العُلَماءُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزيزٌ غَفورٌYusuf AliAnd so amongst men and crawling creatures and cattle, are they of various colours.1 Those truly fear God, among His Servants, who have knowledge:2 for God is Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.In the physical shapes of human and animal life, also, we see variations in shades and gradations of colours of all kinds. But these variations and gradations, marvellous though they be, are as nothing compared with variations and differences in the inner or spiritual world. See next note.In outer nature we can, through colours, understand and appreciate the finest shades and gradations. But in the spiritual world that variation or gradation is even more subtle and more comprehensive. Who can truly understand it? Only God’s servants, who know, i.e., who have the inner knowledge which comes through their acquaintance with the spiritual world-it is such people who truly appreciate the inner world, and it is they who know that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. For such fear is akin to appreciation and love-appreciation of all the marvellous beauties of God’s outer and inner world (“God is Exalted in Might”) and love because of his Grace and Kindness (“Oft-Forgiving”). But God’s forgiveness extends to many who do not truly understand Him.