Allegorical
Sir: One hesitates to take issue with Islamic experts, but the statement (Diary, 10 February) that there is nothing in Islam to imply that the meaning of the Scripture is not wholly or only literal cannot be allowed to pass.
The Koran says of itself (3.vii), `God it is who has sent down to thee the Book: in it are verses basic or fundamental; they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical.' Indeed, it is hard to imagine why the Koran tells so many times the stories of earlier prophets, from Noah and Abraham onwards, if the stories are not also intended to apply allegorically to the hearer. Thus, a propos of Joseph and the other apostles, the Koran says (12.iii), `There is, in their stories, instruction for men endued with understanding. It is not a tale invented, but. . . a detailed exposition of all things, and a Guide and a Mercy to any such as believe.'
David J. Critchley
38 Longlands Court, Winslow, Buckingham
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