“And verily We have raised in every nation a messenger, (proclaiming): Serve Allah and shun false gods. After that, Allah guided some of them while deviation proved true against the others….”(Qur’an;16:36)
Introduction:
The root of affirmation of ‘Islamic Faith’ is based on the conviction upon unity of God (Allah) (Tawheed). The six ‘Articles of Faith’ are orally confessed by the Muslims (believers), which should also be deep rooted in the heart:
1) To affirm his/her belief in Allah (Single God).
2) To believe in His messengers (from Adam, Noah, Abraham to Moses and Jesus, 25 are mentioned by name in Qur’an), and Muhammad (peace be upon him) to be His Last Messenger for humanity.
3) His books, Qur’an and all scriptures revealed to His Messengers which also include the original Torah, Psalms (Zabur) and original Gospel (Injeel) to Jesus Christ (pbuh).
4) To believe in Al Ghaib [metaphysical, hidden creatures] like the angels, Jinns, etc.
5) Resurrection after death on the Day of Judgment, accounting and the scales, hell and paradise.
6) The good and evil of destiny are in the power of Allah, the Most High.
In this series an effort is being made to dilate upon each article faith in Islam. In the previous issue of DJ, first article of faith was explained, here the second about the Messengers of God is being dilated upon:
Why Guide Humanity?
God has created the mankind to live in this world for the trial which he (or she) undergoes by either leading the life in accordance with the commands of God, hence becoming His obedient servant by totally surrendering to the will of God (in Arabic known as Muslim) or follow the footsteps of Satan by disobeying his Creator:
“God has created the heavens and the earth to manifest the truth and to reward each human being according to its deeds, and none of them shall be wronged” (Qur’an;45:22).
“He who created death and life, that He may try which of you is best In deed: and He is the Exalted In Might, Oft-Forgiving;”(Qur’an;67:2).
He has not left the humanity in lurch, He has provided the guidance and freedom of choice resulting in individual responsibility and accountability. God has provided the guidance essentially through three ways: Firstly, the natural Guidance (instinctive cognition), secondly, through grant of intellect and providing Signs (ayah). Man is endowed with forms and faculties exactly suited to what is expected of him, and to the environment in which his life will be cast, giving due order and proportion to everything. He has ordained laws and decrees, by which humans can develop themselves and fit into His whole scheme of progression for all His Creation. Thirdly, direct guidance through His Messengers and scriptures. However being Merciful, He forgives minor sins:
“Those who avoid great sins and shameful deeds, only (falling into) small faults; verily Thy Lord is ample In Forgiveness. He knows you well when He brings you out of the earth and when ye are hidden In your mothers’ wombs. Therefore justify not yourselves: He knows best who it is that guards against evil.” (Qur’an;53:32 also 4:31).
Each mode of guidance needs some elaboration.
Natural Guidance:
Much earlier than the creation of humanity, God first created all the spirits of humanity which testified Him to be their Lord, this was the ‘First Covenant’ which is binding accordingly on each individual, then they were put to sleep. Allah says: “O Prophet, remind mankind about the incident when your Lord brought into existence the offspring from the loins of Adam and his descendants (virtually each single individual of mankind) and made them testify about themselves. Allah asked them: “Am I not your Lord?” They all replied: “Yes! We bear witness that You are.” This We did, lest you mankind should say on the Day of Resurrection: “We were not aware of this fact that You are our Lord and that there will be a Day of Judgment.”(Qur’an;7:172). He brings humankind into this world in succession, each one at an appointed time, spirit is breathed in to him. This spiritual heritage, the individual covenant with God, is part of his nature of every human being as human consciousness. The Quality or state of being aware is termed as consciousness. As applied to the lower animals, consciousness refers to the capacity for sensation and, usually, simple volition. In higher animals, this capacity may also include thinking and emotion. In human beings, ‘consciousness’ is understood to include “meta-awareness,” awareness that one is aware. The term also refers broadly to the upper level of mental life of which the person is aware, as contrasted with unconscious processes. Levels of consciousness (e.g. attention vs. sleep) are correlated with patterns of electrical activity in the brain (brain waves).
The three states of the development of the nafas (human soul, conscious) are: Firstly Nafs Ammara (Qur’an;12:53), which is ‘Prone to Evil, if not checked and controlled will lead to perdition; Secondly; Nafs Lawwama: (Qur’an;75:2) which feels ‘Conscious of Evil’, and resists it, seeks Allah’s grace and pardon after repentance and tries to amend with the hopes to attain salvation; Thirdly; Nafs Mutmainna (Qur’an;89:27), the highest stage of all, when it achieves ‘Full Rest and Satisfaction’. The second stage Lawwama may be compared to Conscience, except that in English usage Conscience is a faculty and not a stage in spiritual development. Allah has granted certain powers and faculties (intellect) to the human, which stipulate special spiritual obligations, they must faithfully discharge: “Say: “It is He Who has created you (and made you grow) and made for you the faculties of hearing seeing feeling and understanding: little thanks it is ye give.”(Qur’an;67:23). The Covenant is fulfilled by humans to acknowledge that Allah is the Creator, Cherisher, and Sustainer, therefore they should acknowledge their duty to Him. When people testify concerning themselves, the obligation is as it was assumed by them, for it follows from their very nature when it is pure and uncorrupted. Knowledge of right and wrong is ingrained in human nature, Allah says: “by the soul and Him Who perfected it and inspired it with knowledge of what is wrong for it and what is right for it: indeed successful will be the one who keeps it pure, and indeed failure will be the one who corrupts it!”(Qur’an;91:7-10). Some remain conscious of it while others tend to suppress this awareness.
In addition to giving form and nature, Allah has also given guidance to all the creations (Qur’an;20:50). The humanity is expected to be steadfast in the belief of natural faith, part of human conscious. Allah says: “Therefore, stand firm in your devotion to the upright faith the nature made by Allah, (hanefa fitr’ah) the one on which mankind is created and the laws of Nature ordained by Allah cannot be changed. That is the ‘Standard True Religion’, but most among mankind do not know.”(Qur’an;30:30). The ‘True Nature’ (hanefa fitr’ah), “true” is used in the sense in which it is said, “the magnetic needle is true to the north”, the ‘First Covenant’ is part of human nature. Those who have been privileged to receive the ‘Truth’ should never hesitate or swerve but remain constant like the men of knowledge. As turned out from the creative act of Allah, man is innocent, pure, true, free, inclined to right and virtue, and endowed with true understanding about his own position in the Universe and about Allah’s goodness, wisdom, and power. That is his true nature, just as the nature of a lamb is to be gentle and of a horse is to be swift. But man is caught in the webs of customs, superstitions, selfish desires, and false teachings. This may make him pugnacious, unclean, false, slavish and hankering after what is wrong or forbidden, thus getting deflected from the love of his fellow-men and the pure worship of the One True God. The problem before the messengers and prophets had been to cure this crookedness, and to restore, (hanefa fitr’ah) human nature to what it should be under the Will of Allah; the uncorrupted pure nature. The “standard True Religion,” or the ‘Straight Way’ is thus contrasted with the various human systems that conflict with each other and call themselves separate “religions” or “sects”. Allah’s standard Religion is the one, based upon total surrender to the Will of God (Islam).
The man has been endowed with intellect so that he could use this faculty to differentiate between right and wrong, truth and falsehood. If someone does not make use of this God gifted power then the position of such a person is no better than that of the animal. The main difference between humans and animals is that humans have the capacity to raison d’être and ponder. An animal cannot argue, it behaves by instinct. Ability to think and reason are the main faculties which differentiate man from the animals. Even the existence of God, the Truth may be arrived at through a process of reasoning. The case of Prophet Abraham [PBUH (peace be upon him)] is the case in point (Qur’an;6:74-79). Blind Faith, cannot stand the test, the blind fumble and does not know the way. Only those who have eyes can enjoy the colour and beauty of their surroundings. This is the essential difference between those who adhere blindly to their creed and refuse to see the light of reason, and those whose ‘eyes of reason” are wide open and can judge truth from falsehood.
The human intellectual power of rational thinking and reason is further facilitated by the teachings of the great Messengers or teachers sent to every nation. Allah says:”…And there never was a people without a Warner having lived among them (in the past). “(Qur’an;35:24). Where such teachers do not come into direct contact with an individual or a generation, their revealed scripture is available to them which is conveyed by the preachers (dai). Even if someone does not receive the message through direct means then the true faith can be revived through means of the ‘Intellect and Reason’, His ‘signs’ spread all around and true nature (hanefa fitr’ah) part of human consciousness (the 1st Covenant). This is the reason that even some of African tribes cut off from the civilized world worship One God without images. It is the failure to follow a man’s ‘inner light’ sincerely that leads to his degradation and destruction. And yet, such is the human self-will, who use these faculties for wrong purposes and thus show ingratitude to Allah, resultantly he would find himself in Hell, but his repentance will then be in vain. Allah says: “For those who reject their Lord (and Cherisher) is the penalty of Hell and evil is (such), destination. When they are cast therein they will hear the (terrible) drawing in of its breath even as it blazes forth, almost bursting with fury: every time a group is cast therein, its keepers will ask, “Did no Warner come to you?” They will say: “Yes indeed, a Warner did come to us, but we rejected him and said, ‘(Allah) never sent down any (Message): ye are nothing but an egregious delusion!'”. They will further say: “Had we but listened or used Our intelligence, we should not (now) be among the companions of the Blazing Fire!”. They will then confess their sins but far will be (Forgiveness) from the companions of the Blazing Fire! As for those who fear their Lord Unseen, for them is forgiveness and a great reward. (Qur’an;67:6-12). Hence whoever disbelieves is therefore rebellious by not responding to all modes of guidance, even his own conscious, primordial nature. (Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number; 298, volume 4, linked with Qur’an;30:30). Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been reported to have mentioned that every human child is born in true nature (Al-Fitra) which is obedience to Allah (Islam) and then his parents make him Jewish, Christian or Magian. The scholars stipulate that, if the message of ‘true faith’ (complete obedience, surrender to God – Islam) does not reach to someone then in the hereafter he will be judged by the (hanefa fitr’ah), the human nature conscious of One God (monotheism- Tawhid). Allah says: “We charge no soul with more than it can bear; We have a Book of record which shall clearly tell the truth, and they shall not be treated unjustly. ”(Qur’an;23:62).
Signs and Miracles:
Something that suggests the presence or existence of a fact, condition, or quality is called ‘sign’. Sign could also be in the form of miracle as evidence of the existence of supernatural power or authority. Miracle is an extraordinary event attributed to a supernatural power. The ancient people considered Miracle to be an event in the external world brought about by the immediate agency or the simple volition of God, operating without the use of means capable of being discerned by the senses, and designed to authenticate the divine commission of a religious teacher and the truth of his message. It shows the intervention of a power that is not limited by the laws either of matter or of mind, a power interrupting the fixed laws which govern their movements, a supernatural power. One force counteracts another: vital force keeps the chemical laws of matter in abeyance and muscular force can control the action of physical force. When a man raises a weight from the ground, the law of gravity is neither suspended nor violated, but counteracted by a stronger force. The simple and grand truth that the universe is not under the exclusive control of physical forces, but that everywhere and always there is above, separate from and superior to all else, an infinite personal will, not superseding, but directing and controlling all physical causes, acting with or without them. God ordinarily affects. His purpose through the agency of second causes. but he has the power also of effecting his purpose immediately and without the intervention of second causes, i.e. of invading the fixed order, and thus of working miracles.
An atheist or a pantheist must, as a matter of course, deny the possibility of miracles but to one who believes in all powerful Supreme God, Who in his wisdom may see fit to interfere with the ordinary processes of nature, miracles are not impossible, nor are they incredible. Belief in miracles exists in all cultures and nearly all religions. The Upanishads assert that the experience of religious insight and transformation is the only “miracle” worth considering, but popular Hinduism attributes miraculous powers to the ascetic yogis. Confucianism had little room for miracles. Daoism, however, mingled with Chinese folk religion to produce a rich crop of miracles. Though Buddha Gautama deprecated his own miraculous powers as devoid of spiritual significance, accounts of his miraculous birth and life were later woven into his legend and into those of later Buddhist saints. Miracles are taken for granted throughout the Hebrew scriptures and were fairly common in the Greco-Roman world.
The Bible mentions that the miracles are performed with the power of God: “Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:”(Acts;2:22); “Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.” (John;10:25); “The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” (John;3:2, also Exodus; 8:19; Act; 14:3; 15:12; 19:11). The miracles are not the final test, to establish the truthfulness of claimant, Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) said: “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Mathew;24:23). The Bible mentions that the wonders can also be performed through the power of the devil (2-Thessalonians; 2:9; Revelation; 16:14); Wrought in support of false religions (Deuteronomy;13:1-2); By false prophets (Revelation;19:20). The examples of the Witch of Endor (1-Samuel;28:7-14); Simon Magus (Acts;8:9-11) and Magicians of Egypt (Exodus;7:11; 8:7) have been mentioned.
Islamic Perceptive:
The peculiar feature of Muslim theology is that it does not accept the idea of nature as an entity operating according to fixed laws ONLY, as against Deists, who assert that God created the world and then left it to operate under the natural laws He had devised. The laws do exist as ordained by Him but being the Supreme Creator He is not bound, though the creatures adhere to His laws. Allah says: “So, from this creation, He formed the seven heavens in two periods and to each heaven He ordained its laws…” (Qur’an;41:12). God is actively involved in the affairs of His creations: “We are never unmindful of Our creation. ”(Qur’an;23:17), He may do whatever He Wills (Qur’an;3:189, 82:2).
The universe is constantly being re-created by Allah in successive time atoms, natural regularity is nothing but the regularity of Allah’s practice in re-creating the universe. Thus, a miracle is the omnipotent Allah’s departure from his practice but no different, in principle, from the latter. It was generally believed that when people see a miracle, they were more likely to believe in God and the messenger. Therefore, a miracle may be the shortcut for making people believe in Allah and implement His law. However, historical facts show otherwise. When miracles were given to earlier prophets, their communities accused them of sorcery and were even more determined to reject the faith preached by those prophets. Allah says: “To Moses We did give nine Clear Signs: ask the Children of Israel: when he came to them Pharaoh said to him: “O Moses! I consider thee indeed to have been worked upon by sorcery!” (Qur’an;17:101); “They said: Moses, have you come to us with your sorcery to drive us out of our land? We will certainly come up with sorcery equal to yours. Fix, then, a date for us to be attended by us and you in a mutually suitable place.” (Qur’an;20:57-58). Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was also not accepted by his people: “(Jesus said to Israelites) I have brought you signs of my appointment from your Lord. I will make for you the likeness of a bird from clay; I will breathe into it and, with Allah’s leave, it will become a living bird. I will heal the blind and the lepers, and raise the dead to life, by Allah’s leave. Furthermore, I will tell you what you have eaten and what you have stored in your houses. Surely these are the signs to convince you if you are believers. I am appointed to confirm that which is before me from the Torah and to make lawful to you some of the things forbidden to you. Now I have brought you the signs from your Lord, therefore fear Allah and obey me.” (Qur’an;3:49-50).
Despite all these wonderful miracles the Israelites declined to believe in Prophet Jesus calling the miracles as sorcery, they even tried to kill him but (according to Islamic traditions) Allah saved him: How I protected you from the violence of the Children of Israel when you came to them with clear signs and the unbelievers among them said: “This is nothing but a clear sorcery.” (Qur’an;5:110).
In many places the Qur’an stresses the fact that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), despite his being the last Messenger of God, was not empowered to perform miracles similar to those with which the earlier prophets are said to have reinforced their verbal messages. Allah says: “They swear their strongest oaths by Allah that if a miracle (sign) were shown to them, they would indeed believe in this (divine writ). Say (O’ Muhammad): Miracles are in the power of God alone. And for all you know, even if one should be shown to them, they would not believe.” (Qur’an;6:109). Being the last messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been provided with the ever living miracle, The Qur’an a message perfect in its lucidity and ethical comprehensiveness, destined for all times and all stages of human development, addressed not merely to the feelings but also to the minds of men, open to everyone, irrespective of race or social environment, and bound to remain unchanged forever. While the earlier prophets invariably appealed to their own community and their own time alone, their teachings were, of necessity, circumscribed by the social and intellectual conditions of that particular community and time. Moreover the people to whom they addressed themselves had not yet reached the stage of independent thinking, those prophets stood in need of symbolic portents or miracles in order to make the people concerned realize the inner truth of their mission. The message of the Qur’an, on the other hand, was revealed at a time when mankind (and, in particular, that part of it which inhabited the regions marked by the earlier, Judaeo-Christian religious development) had reached a degree of maturity which henceforth enabled it to grasp an ideology as such without the aid of those persuasive portents and miraculous demonstrations which in the past, only too often gave rise to new, grave misconceptions as Allah points out: “We refrain from sending signs (miracles) only because the men of former generations treated them as false. For example, We sent the she-camel to the people of Thamud a manifest sign but they laid violent hands on her. We send the signs only by way of warning, and if people reject the sign after receiving it, they are doomed.”(Qur’an;17:59).
The miracles therefore are not the answer for people’s rejection of the faith. History proves that while the people were shown the clearest of signs and miracles and yet they continued to deny Allah and His message. According to the tradition of Allah, whenever a community was shown a miracle through their Messenger ‘on their demand’, they continued to disbelieve, that community was destroyed. That was because they actually condemned themselves to destruction by their continued rejection, there are examples in history of nations: “Hath not the fame of those before them reached them the people of Noah, A’ad, Thamud, the people of Abraham, the dwellers of Median and the disasters (which befell them)? Their messengers (from Allah) came unto them with proofs (of Allah’s sovereignty). So Allah surely wronged them not, but they did wrong themselves.”(Qur’an;9:70).
There are various arguments as proof for the existence of God i.e. ‘Cosmological’, that there must be a First Cause of all things; ‘Teleological’, or the argument from ‘Design’ seen all around the operations of an intelligent Cause in nature; ‘Ontological’, that proceeds from the idea of God to the reality of God. The Moral Argument also called the ‘Anthropological Argument’ is based on the moral consciousness and the history of mankind, which exhibits a moral order and purpose, which can only be explained on the supposition of the existence of God.
The Religious experience of existence of God must be understood against the background of a general theory of experience, the reports of the world received through the senses. Qur’an emphasizes the Signs (ayah) of Allah, present all around the world at every moment in life. One need only to open his mind to observe what takes place in the universe, in human life, and within himself, but only the people who think and ponder can benefit from them. Allah says in the Qur’an: “Verily in the heavens and the earth are Signs for those who believe” (Qur’an;45:3). Galileo (1564-1642, the Italian mathematician, astronomer, physicist and philosopher, who due to his scientific views was tried through Church), said in 1623: “Philosophy is written in that great book which always lies open before our eyes, the universe. But it cannot be understood unless one learns to understand the language and to know the letters in which it is written. It is written in mathematical (scientific) language and its letters are triangles, circles and other figures. Without these means it is humanly impossible to understand a word of it and it remains idle roaming through an obscure labyrinth”. The faith and reason are inextricably linked, Faith reinforced by reason and reason is propelled by faith.
Science is the link between the seen and the unseen and between known and the unknown. The unknown cannot be understood without firmly grasping the known. The birth of every child reflects on the process of conception, creation and development of a human being from the moment a female egg is fertilized by a male’s sperm to the moment of birth, it continues reflection to encompass human life in this world. The miraculous aspects are so numerous and clear in other aspects of human existence and the world around them that, anyone using his intellect is bound to acknowledge them as the work of God. The fine balance which Allah has created to make sure that life continues without one side overwhelming the rest, all this is miraculous! Through the last Messenger (peace be upon him), Allah has provided an extended chance to believe in Him. The means to win over humanity to faith are already in place. He has provided humanity with perfect guidance embedded in the Qur’an, the miracle of miracles. People only need to approach the Qur’an with a clear and open mind to ponder over it rationally, they are bound to accept the logical argument and believe in the message. At any time in man’s life there are moments of clear vision. If a person makes use of such a moment, he is sure to accept Allah’s guidance and believe in Him.
The Muslims believe that the miraculous signs (mu’jizat) bestowed on the Prophets are established as true, (they are the works of God, Qur’an;29:50 & 6:109). Ennobling wonders (karamat) are reportedly made manifest through the genuinely pious people (auliya). As for apparently miraculous and wondrous deeds performed by Allah’s enemies, like Iblis, the Pharaoh and the Dajjal, (anti-Christ) whatever is mentioned in tradition as having been performed by them in future is neither miraculous nor wondrous. Rather it is a question of their needs being fulfilled by Allah Most High; this is done in order to lead them toward destruction and to chastise them, they increase in rebelliousness and unbelief. All of the foregoing is possible and contingent upon Allah’s will.
The Messengers:
Apart from natural instinctive guidance, Allah due to His Mercy and Justice, bestowed His guidance to the people: “It is not the way of Allah to confound people after He has guided them, until He makes clear to them what they should guard against; surely Allah has the knowledge of everything.” (Qur’an;9:115);“..God draws unto Himself everyone who is willing, and guides unto Himself everyone who turns unto Him” (Qur’an;42:13). The guidance has been provided in the form of Revelations through especially chosen men, the Messengers (Rasool or Nabi). The Hebrew word for prophet is navi, usually considered to be a loan word from Akkadian nabu, naba`um, “to proclaim, mention, call, summon”: The title has a general application to all who have messages from God to men. Some scholars describe that a Rasool (Messenger) is the Nabi who has delivered the written revelations (scripture). Every Rasool (Messenger) is also Nabi, whereas every Nabi is not necessarily Rasool. Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been addressed as Rasool (Qur’an;3:144) as well as Rasool (Qur’an;7:157,) and The Seal of Nabi, The Last Nabi/Prophet (Quran; 33:40).
The English words ‘Messenger’ and ‘Prophet’ have been used here for both i.e. Rasool or Nabi. The messengers and prophets were sent throughout history for the guidance of mankind. Allah says:
“For We assuredly sent amongst every People a Messenger (with the Command) “Serve Allah and eschew Evil”..”(Qur’an;16:36)
To every people (was sent) a Messenger: when their Messenger comes (before them) the matter will be judged between them with justice and they will not be wronged.”(Qur’an;10:47).
Allah says: “And there never was a people, without a Warner having lived among them (in the past)” (Qur’an;35:24).
Beginning with the first human and prophet Adam (peace be upon him), there has been many messengers and prophets from Noah (peace be upon him) through Abraham (peace be upon him) for their respective nations. According to Muslim traditions there have been more than 1,24,000 prophets sent to different nations at different times, it includes 315 Rasool (Messenger) granted scriptures (law). Allah says: “We did aforetime send Messengers before thee (O’ Muhammad) : of them there are some whose story We have related to thee and some whose story We have not related to thee” (Qur’an;40:78). Some of the well known Messengers mentioned in Bible and Qur’an are: Adam, Salih (Methuselah), Noah, Idris (Enoch), Hud (Heber), Lut, Abraham (early 2nd Millennium BC), Isma’il (Ishmael), Ishaq (Isaac), Ya’qub (Jacob), Yusuf (Joseph), Musa (Moses, 14-13th Century B.C), Harun (Aaron), Shu’aib (Jethro), Shammil (Samuel, 11th Century B.C), Dawud (David, died 962 B.C), Sulaiman (Solomon, 10th Century B.C), Al-Yas’a (Elisha, 9th Century B.C), (Elijah, 9th Century B.C), Shia (Isaiah, 8th Century B.C), Yunus (Jonah, flourished around 785 B.C at Nineveh), Aramaya (Jeremiah, 7-6th Century B.C), Ayyub (Job, the Book of Job, 6-4th Century B.C), Elias, Dhul Kifl, Hizqeel (Ezekiel, 6th Century B.C), Daniel (6th Century B.C), ‘Uzair (Ezra, 5th Century B.C, also considered a saint), Zechariah, Yahya (John the Baptist, 1st Century C.E), ‘Isa (Jesus, 4 B.C-28-30 C.E) and Muhammad (571-632 C.E) (peace be upon all of them). The status of three pious respectable persons i.e. Luqman (The Wise, sage), Dhul Qarnain (Two Horned Conqueror) and the one, referred as ‘one of his servants’ (Qur’an;18:65), customary called Khizar is unknown.
All the Messengers conveyed good news to mankind and admonished them so that, after conveying the message through the Messengers, people should have no excuse to plead against Allah.(Qur’an;4:165). The Muslims do not discriminate against any one of His Messengers (Qur’an;2:285) and follow the eternal guidance provided to all of them being the same. Allah says: “(O Muhammad) those were the (prophets) who received Allah’s guidance: Follow then their guidance;..”(Qur’an;6:90). The Revelations were protected from the tempering of Satan in transmission (Qur’an;22:52). The Revelations were given in different ways: “it is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration of from behind a veil or by the sending of a Messenger to reveal with Allah’s permission what Allah wills: for He is Most High Most Wise”(Qur’an;42:51). Three ways are mentioned: (1) Inspiration (Wahyun); (2) from behind a veil; and (3) by the sending of a Messenger. Angel Gabriel has been mentioned in the Bible and Qur’an as messenger (courier) of Revelations: “And the angel answering said unto him (Zechariah), I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings.” (Luke;1:19, similarly in Qur’an;2:97, 3:39,81:19; also Daniel; 8:16; 9:21-23; 10:11 & 12:6-7; Isaiah;42:19; Haggai;1:13). It was Gabriel, who announced the birth of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) to Mary (Luke;1:26-35, Qur’an;3:45 mentions him as an angel).
Inspiration is interpreted to be of two kinds: (1) a suggestion thrown by Allah into the heart of man by which man understands the substance of the Message, whether it is a command or prohibition, or an explanation of a great truth; and (2) verbal or literal inspiration by which the actual words of Allah are conveyed in human language. Vision (dream) is also another method (Qur’an;17:60, 48:27) which is also mentioned in the Bible: “And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.” (Numbers;12:6); “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram (Abraham) in a vision saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (Genesis;15:1); “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,”(Hebrews;1:1).
It is through these forms that God revealed His scriptures to the messengers and prophets, which remained available for the guidance even after the messengers had left this world. The Bible is the sacred book of Christianity, including the books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The first of the two main divisions of the Christian Bible, corresponding to the Hebrew Scriptures, the covenant of God with Israel which is also the sacred book of Judaism containing remnants of Torah, (Law of Moses). As distinguished in Christianity, the New Testament forms the record of the new dispensation belonging to the Church. The gospels are claimed to contain the revealed scripture to Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him). Even the Biblical traditions accept the doubtful authenticity of these books. Previously the messengers were sent for a particular nation or community for particular time. Once a new messenger or prophet came it was obligatory to follow him, denying one messenger means denying all the messengers. Once Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) came he showed the way to God, when Jesus (peace be upon him) came, he provided the way. However this system of messengers came to an end with the last Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Muslims while believing in all previous messengers of God and scriptures, adhere to the message preached by the last Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and The Qur’an as the final uncorrupted holy scripture not restricted to any particular race but for the guidance of entire humanity, while superseding all the previous scriptures.
Sphere & Traits of Messengers:
Chosen People:
The messengers were chosen people of God who were men of high virtue and character. They remained steadfast in their duties towards Allah and fellow humans. They bravely faced opposition and sometimes it even cost them their lives. They did not err in conveying the message of God to their people and practically demonstrated the implementation of message, thus they were the role models for their respective communities.
Messengers are not restricted to a particular race:
Contrary to the belief of Israelites, Allah may choose any one as His Messenger whom He may like: “Do not follow anyone except the one who follows your own religion.” (O Muhammad), tell them: “The only true guidance is the guidance of Allah.” These (people of the Book Jews & Christians) do not believe that revelation could be sent to anyone besides themselves, like that which has been sent to you; or that they will ever argue with you in the presence of your Lord. Tell them: “For sure, grace is in the hands of Allah: He bestows it on whom He pleases; Allah has boundless knowledge.” He chooses for His mercy whom He pleases, Allah is the Owner of mighty grace. (Qur’an;3:73-74); “Possessor of the Highest Rank, the Master of the Throne of Authority sends down the Spirit by His command on those of His servants whom He chooses, that he (the Prophet who received the revelations) may warn mankind of the Day when they shall meet Him.”(Qur’an;40:15 and similarly also at 28:68, 42:13, 16:2).
The Messengers Were Required to Convey The Message:
The messengers of God were not required to force the people. Allah says: “Obey Allah and obey His messenger; but if ye turn away, then the duty of Our messenger is only to convey (the message) plainly.”(Qur’an;64:12 also 36:17); “O children of Adam! Whenever there come to you Messengers from among you and recite to you My revelations, those who will become righteous and mend their ways will have nothing to fear or to regret;”(Qur’an;7:35). This aspect is further highlighted in Qur’an: “Mankind was one single nation and Allah sent Messengers with glad tidings and warnings; and with them He sent the Book in truth to judge between people in matters wherein they differed; but the People of the Book (Jews & Christians) after clear Signs came to them did not differ among themselves except through selfish contumacy. Allah by His Grace guided the believers to the truth concerning that wherein they differed. For Allah guides whom He will to a path that is straight.”(Qur’an;2:213).
There are glad tidings for the believers and warning of punishment in hell for disbelievers. ‘Who so shall follow My Guidance, on them shall come no fear, nor shall they grieve. But those who will disbelieve and treat Our Signs as lies, they shall be the inmates of the fire and they shall abide therein.” (Qur’an;2:39, 40). There is freedom of choice available to man; as such he cannot blame anyone but himself for making a choice of evil against truth: “There shall be no coercion in matters of faith. Distinct has now become the right way from (way of) error: hence, he who rejects the powers of evil and believes in God has indeed taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way: for God is all hearing, all-knowing”(Qur’an;2:256). The Qur’an alludes to the inevitability of dissension among human beings: in other words, it is the will of God that their way to the truth should be marked by conflicts and trial by error:
Allah says: “If We had so Willed We could certainly have imposed Our guidance upon every soul but (We have not willed it thus-and so, to let them exercise freedom of choice) that word of Mine has come true: “Most certainly will fill hell with jinns as well with humans, all together!”. (Qur’an;32:13); “If We wanted, We could send down upon them a sign from the heaven before which they would bend their necks in submission, but that is not what We want.”(Qur’an;26:4); “And if it were Our Will We could make angels from amongst you succeeding each other on the earth.”(Qur’an;43:60); “And Allah doth advance In guidance those who seek guidance..”(Qur’an;19:76);“to you be your religion (Din), and to me mine.”(Qur’an;109:6).
Leaders as Role Model for the Believers:
While messengers conveyed the message of guidance, their life was a role model for the believers in execution of commands of God. Mere conveying of revelations are not sufficient, the practical performance of good deeds and worship by a human messenger prove the practicability of the faith. Allah says: “And We made them leaders guiding (men) by Our Command and We sent them inspiration to do good deeds to establish regular prayers and to practice regular charity; and they constantly served Us (and Us only)”( Qur’an;21:73).
Surrendered to God:
All the Messengers and Prophets of Allah are to be believed by a faithful Muslim without any discrimination (Qur’an; 2:136).They preached same religion from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus and by Muhammad (peace be upon them all). They remain steadfast in religion and make no divisions therein. All Messengers came with the same message and the same teachings. It came from one and the same source the One Allah, and It requires the people to submit to His will, worship no one but Him alone, not to associate partners with Him and to obey His law. Hence they had surrendered themselves to the will of God (in Islam). Later with the passage of time the people misunderstood, misinterpreted and corrupted the Divine message of guidance and got divided into various groups and sects.
Messengers were Mortal Humans:
Historically there is a tendency among the followers of Messengers to exalt the messengers to the level of supernatural beings, even sharing divinity thus becoming unbelievers (kafir). This has mainly been due to many factors like ignoring and misunderstanding the teachings of their Messenger or over enthusiasm in displaying the love and affection to the Messengers. The example of Christians is well known, who made Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), the son of Mary as son of God and then a Divine, part of Trinity. The Messenger were endowed with Divine revelations and appointed by Allah to guide their communities among mankind. They did not possess any divine qualities, however at times they performed miracles (supernatural acts) with the grace of Allah as His signs. They were chosen and exalted among the human being as Messenger of Allah, He tells His prophet; “Say: “I am but a human (ana bashar um misl u kum) like yourselves (but) the inspiration has come to me that your God is one God: whoever expects to meet his Lord let him work righteousness and in the worship of his Lord admit no one as partner.” (Qur’an;18:110). Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) told his people: “I do not say to you, ‘I possess the treasures of Allah.’ I do not know the unseen, and I do not say ‘I am an angel” (Qur’an;11:31). Allah says: “And they (pagans) say: What sort of Messenger (Muhammad) is this who eats food and walks through the streets? Why has not an angel been sent down to him to give admonition with him?”(Qur’an;25:7).
Allah directed Muhammad (peace be upon him), who is the last among them, to say: “I do not say to you I possess the treasures of Allah, nor do I know the unseen, and I do not say to you I am an angel” (Qur’an;6:50); “I have no power to hurt or benefit you. Say none can protect me from Allah, nor can I find any refuge besides Him” (Qur’an;72:91-2). Islam dispels the mythological tendency in strictest terms and declares that all messengers were mortals, human beings: “We did not give them (messenger) bodies which could survive without food, nor were they immortal.”(Qur’an;21:8).
Death is inevitable, every human has to die one day, even the prophets were not exempt from bodily death, much less the righteous, but they live in their beneficent work and the memories they leave behind. Allah says: “Every human being is bound to taste death”(Qur’an;3:185,21:35); “Every soul shall taste death, then to Us you shall all return.”(Qur’an;29:57);”We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.”( Qur’an;2:156); “Whosesoever you may be, death will overtake you, even though ye were in lofty tower. ”(Qur’an;4:78); “O Prophet (Muhammad), you shall die and they too shall die.”(Qur’an;39:30). During the battle of Uhad (625 C.E), the Muslims got demoralized and started dispersing in panic on hearing the rumor that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been martyred, God declared: “Muhammad is no more than a Messenger: many were the Messengers that passed away before him. If he died or were slain will ye then turn back on your heels? ”(Qur’an;3:144).
The incident which took place at the time of death (632 C.E) of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) further elaborates the reality of death and human nature of Prophets. Narrated by Aish’a: Abu Bakr came from his house at As-Sunh on a horse. He dismounted and entered the mosque, but did not speak to the people till he entered upon ‘Aish’a and went straight to Allah’s Messenger who was covered with Hibra cloth (i.e. a kind of Yemenite cloth). He then uncovered the Prophet’s face and bowed over him and kissed him and wept, saying, “Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you. By Allah, Allah will never cause you to die twice. As for the death which was written for you, has come upon you.” Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: Abu Bakr went out while Umar bin Al-Khattab was talking to the people. Abu Bakr said, “Sit down, O ‘Umar!” But ‘Umar refused to sit down. So the people came to Abu Bakr and left Umar. Abu Bakr said, “To proceed, if anyone amongst you used to worship Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but if (anyone of) you used to worship Allah, then Allah is Alive and shall never die. Allah said: “Muhammad is no more than a Messenger of Allah, like the Messengers that have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed will you turn back on your heels (become unbelievers)? He that turns back on his heels will do no harm to Allah; but Allah will reward the thankful.”(Qur’an;3:144).By Allah, it was as if the people never knew that Allah had revealed this Verse before till Abu Bakr recited it and all the people received it from him, and I heard everybody reciting it (then). Narrated Az-Zuhri: Said bin Al-Musaiyab told me that ‘Umar said, “By Allah, when I heard Abu Bakr reciting it, my legs could not support me and I fell down at the very moment of hearing him reciting it, declaring that the Prophet had died.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith: 5.733).
The Messengers are Among God’s Blessed Servants:
He blessed them with the message and described them as servants, in the context of praising and honoring them. He says: “Noah, he was a truly thankful servant” (Qur’an;17:3). Allah said about the last messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him): “Blessed be He who sent down the Qur’an to His servant, that he may warn mankind”(Qur’an;25:1). As for some other messengers, he said: “And mention Our servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, men of might and vision” (Qur’an;38:45); “And remember Our servant David who was a mighty and penitent man” (Qur’an;38:17); “And to David, We gave Solomon, he was an excellent and penitent servant” (Qur’an;38:30).”He (Jesus, son of Mary) is only a servant whom We blessed and We made him an example to the children of Israel”(Qur’an;43:59). Allah concluded the process of revelations with the final message for the humanity through Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Allah commanded him: “Say, ‘O mankind, I am Allah’s Messenger to you all. To him belongs the Kingdom of the Heavens and the Earth; there is no god but He. He ordains life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet who believes in Allah and His words. Follow him so that you may be rightly guided”(Qur’an;7:158); “he is also sent for others of them who have not yet joined them (including who live in other ages). He is the Mighty, the Wise”(Qur’an;62:3).
There is an implied covenant on all created things to follow Allah’s Law which is the law of their being; But there is a special implied covenant with all prophets, strict and solemn, that they shall carry out their mission, proclaim Allah’s Truth without fear or favour, and be ever ready in His service in all circumstances. Allah says: “O Muhammad, remember the Covenant which We took from all the Prophets from you as well as from Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary-We took from them a solemn Covenant:” (Qur’an;33:7). That gives them their position and dignity and their tremendous responsibility in respect of the people for whom they came to instruct and led to the right path.
Endowed With Gifts, Some Above Others:
Different gifts and different modes of procedure are prescribed to Messengers in different ages. [Perhaps their degrees are different though it is not for mortal humans, with their imperfect knowledge to make any difference between one and another of God’s Messengers, Qur’an;2:136, 4;152]. Allah says: “Those Messengers we endowed with gifts, some above others: to one of them Allah spoke; others He raised to degrees (of honour); to Jesus the son of Mary we gave Clear (Signs) and strengthened Him with the holy spirit. If Allah had so willed, succeeding generations would not have fought among each other, after clear (signs) had come to them, but they (chose) to wrangle, some believing and others rejecting. If Allah had so willed, they would not have fought each other but Allah fulfilled His plan.”(Qur’an;2:253).
Three illustrations are given from the past, how it affected God’s Messengers. To Moses God spoke in clouds of glory; he led his men for forty years through the wilderness, mainly fighting against the unbelief of his own people; he organized them to fight with the sword for Palestine, but was raised to God’s mercy before his enterprise ripened and it fell to Prophet Joshua (peace be upon him) to carry out his plan. Prophet David (peace be upon him), though a mere shepherd boy was chosen by God. He overthrew the greatest warrior of his time, became a king, and waged successful wars. Besides being a prophet, poet and sage, he was an excellent vocalist in reciting the hymns. Prophet Jesus was “strengthened with the holy spirit”: he was given no weapons to fight and his mission was of a more limited character. In the mission of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) all these characters were combined. Gentler than Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), he organized on a vaster scale than Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) and from Medina he ruled and gave laws, and the Qur’an has far reaching scope than the Psalms of David (peace be upon him).
To be continued …
References:
The Messengers
