The Arabic text escapes me because I’m not a scholar of Arabic. What is it meant when Allah referred to Moses and said that those who are in the fire and near it will receive my protection? Blessed are those who are in the fire and near the fire. I understand, you’re quite right. You know, there the fire is described, that fire which was shown to Moses, peace be upon him. Less people should take it to be ordinary material fire.
The Holy Qur’an has further explained the qualities of that fire which protected Moses. That was the fire of love of God because it is that fire alone in which those who are involved in it, who are surrounded by it or who have it in within them, they are blessed. So the Holy Qur’an mentioned this particularly, less people should take it to be ordinary material fire and if you take that fire to be that, I mean material fire, then there is no significance, religious significance to that.
Then the whole concept of God would become materialized. Then you would think that God has real burning fire of coal or other carbonious matters and things and he is found in that fire. This is obviously absurd and meaningless. So to attract the Muslim’s attention to the higher values attached to these symbols, this has been explained.
