22 Preface في لَوحٍ مَحفوظٍYusuf Ali(Inscribed) in a Tablet Preserved!1God’s Message is not ephemeral. It is eternal. The “Tablet” is not to be understood in a material sense, made of stone or metal. It is “preserved” or guarded from corruption: 15:9: for God’s Message must endure forever. That Message is the “Mother of the Book”: see first n. to 3:7.