braces it, an argument for whoever speaks for it, a wit١١ess for whoever fights for it, a sharp instrument for whoever bases his arguments on it, a support for whoever sup‌ ports it, a means of deliverance for whoever employs it, a sign for the discriminating, a shelter for whoever seeks healing, a source of know ledge for whoever has sense, and the best narrative for its transmitters, and a means for the one who sits in judgment. ١١
This brilliant oration reviews many important points which call for careful reflec- tion. For instance, by saying that the Quran is "a lamp whose flame shall not die," the Imam Ali means, as he does in many other statements in this oration, that the Quran is a book whose significations shall not be exhausted. It will remain fresh and new until the Day of Resurrection. A verse may have come down regarding a specific occasion or person or community, yet its relevance is not limited to that occasion, person, or community; rather, its signification and applicability are general.
Regarding the verse "For every people there is a guide" (Q. ١٣:٧), a!-Ayyashi
reports the following discussion with Abu Jafar [the Imam al-Baqir]:

The Imam said: "Ali is the guide, and the guide is always one of us." I said: "Then you-for whom may my life be a sacrifice-are now the guide." "You are right," said the Imam. "The Quran lives and will not die; the verses [of the Quran] Jive and will not die. If a verse were to die with the death of the persons concerning whom it came down, then the Quran would have definitely died. Rather, such a verse would con‌ tinue to apply to those who are alive as it did to those who died."
Another tradition reports that the Imam al-Sadiq said: "Certainly, the Quran lives, and has not died; and it is existent just as the day and the night and the sun and the moon are existent. And it will exist for the last among us as it has existed for the first."
[In volume ٢ of his] u, ill
in response to Umar b. Yazid, who had asked him about the meaning of verse ١٣:٢١, [which reads:] "Such as [the men of understanding (illil al-albab)] unite that which God has commanded should be joined": [The Imam said:] "This verse came down concerning the descendants of Mul)ammad-peace be upon him and his progeny. But it could also apply to your kinsmen. Be not one of those who say that the verse is related to only one thing."
The Tafslr al-Furat [as related by the Imam al-Sadiq]: "If a verse were to die
with the death of the people concerning whom it came down, undoubtedly nothing would remain of the Quran. But the beginning and the end of the Quran are in perfect harmony, and wili remain thus as long as the heavens and the earth remain. For every people there is a verse which they recite; its good and its evil apply to thcm." ١٢
In addition to this. there arc other traditions which also speak about the same subject. ١٣

[Returning to the Imam Alls description of the Quran}

As for saying, "A path which shall not lead astray," the Imam Ali meant that the Quran is a road on which a person does not lose his way. This is because God re‌ vealed it as a guidance for His creatures; therefore, He guards those who follow it from .straying.