of the religious, worldly, and hereafter-related sciences; of the manifold aims and beneficial purposes. It repeatedly presents these salutary meanings to people so that their knowledge may be perfected, their guidance completed, and their progress along the straight path be sound in both understanding and practice.

• Thus, reflecting on the exegesis of part of the Quran is of the greatest help in grasping the rest of it.

• Allah has made it mathānī—its beneficial sciences and lofty, comprehensive meanings recur time and again. This is part of His facilitation of His Book, for He says: “We have indeed made the Quran easy to remember; so is there anyone who will take heed?” (54:17).

• Another motive for this work lies in what this very introduction contains, as we shall state: