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ABOUT
KNOWING THE PROPHET
Someone
has set out an intellectual journey through the world to find
and know the Creator of the universe. After traveling in the
realms of kinds of creatures, he said to himself: ‘I am
seeking the Creator and Owner of this universe amidst these
creatures. I should therefore before all else visit Muhammad,
upon him be peace and blessings, and seek from him the answer to
my quest.’ He enters by imagination the blessed age of the
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, and sees that
that era really was an era of happiness for mankind by virtue of
that being, who, as confirmed even by his enemies, is the most
blessed of the whole creation, the greatest and the most
accomplished commander, and the most celebrated ruler among
them, the most exalted in speech and the most brilliant in
intellect, and who has enlightened fourteen centuries with his
virtues and with his Qur’an.
The
traveler, after his investigation, realizes how that being had
turned, by means of the light he brought, a primitive and
illiterate people into the masters and teachers of the world
within a very short period, and found numerous decisive proofs
in his character and mission of the existence and Oneness of the
Creator. Out of these proofs, we will briefly point out only
nine of the most general:
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All
laudable virtues and excellent characteristics, as affirmed
even by his enemies, were to be found in that being.
Besides, hundreds of miracles were made manifest at his
hands. For example, he satisfied the thirst of an army with
water flowing from his fingers; the moon split with a
gesture of his figure, as explicitly mentioned in the verse
of the Qur’an, And the moon split; and, again as the Qur’an
points out in its verse, It was not you who threw when you
threw, but God threw, he caused a great multitude to flee
with a handful of earth that he cast toward them. The
traveler, after learning about all these facts, or even
witnessing them, says to himself: ‘A being who, in
addition to all his good moral qualities and perfections,
has such manifest miracles to demonstrate, must certainly be
the most truthful in speech of all beings. It is
inconceivable that he would lower himself to resort to lies
and trickery, which are the vices of the vile.’
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That
being holds in his hand the decree of the Owner of the
universe. This decree, the Glorious Qur’an, which has been
accepted and affirmed in every century by more than three
hundred million people, is miraculous in seven different
ways and has forty aspects of miraculousness. The traveler
thinks: ‘One who is the translator, expounder and
proclaimer of such a Decree of pure truth could never tell a
lie, which would mean a violation of the Decree and
treachery towards its Owner.’
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That
being brought into history such a Law, a religion, a code of
worship, a way of prayer, a message, and faith that the like
of them has never existed, nor will or could exist. For the
Law brought by that unlettered being is matchless in that it
has administered one fifth of mankind for fourteen
centuries, in a just and precise manner through its rules
and injunctions. The religion of Islam, which originated in
and is represented by the sayings, precepts and example of
that unlettered being, is also peerless, for in each
century, it has been for at least three hundred million
people a guide and a competent authority or source for
whatever matter is referred to it. It has also trained their
minds, illumined and purified their hearts, trained and
refined their souls, and perfected their spirits.
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Also,
that being is the foremost in practicing all the forms of
worship prescribed by his religion and the most God-fearing
of people. He observed the duties of worship with the utmost
care and attention down to their minutest details even in
most perilous circumstances of his life which passed in
constant struggle and activity. He never imitated anyone in
his worship and combined in a perfect fashion the beginning
and the end of spiritual evolution.
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That
being is also unparalleled in prayer and gnosis, for, with
the Jawshan al-Kabir, one from among his thousands of
supplicatory prayers, he describes his Lord with such a
degree of spiritual Divine knowledge that all the saints
since his time have never been able, although those coming
after have made use of the heritage of the preceding ones,
to attain a similar degree of gnosis and description of God.
The one who takes a glance at the meaning of even a section
of the Jawshan al-Kabir from among ninety-nine will
conclude that there is no form of supplicatory prayer like
the Jawshan.
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In
his preaching of the message and in his calling people to
the truth, he displayed such steadfastness, firmness and
courage that, in spite of the antagonism of big powers and
great religions, and of his own people and tribe, even of
his uncle, he never showed even the slightest trace of
hesitation, anxiety or fear, and he successfully challenged
the world, and, as a result, made Islam superior to all
other religions and systems. This proves that there is not
and cannot be anyone like him also in his preaching of and
calling to the message of Truth.
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He
had in his faith so extraordinary a strength, so wonderful a
certainty, so miraculous an evolution, and such elevated and
world-enlightening conviction that none of the prevailing
ideas and beliefs of that time, and none of the philosophies
of the sages and teachings of the spiritual leaders,
although they were all opposed and even hostile to him, was
ever able to cause in him any doubt, hesitation or anxiety
concerning his certainty, conviction, and assurance.
Moreover, all saintly men of all times, his companions
primarily included, have all benefited from his fatih which
they admit to be of the highest degree. This fact proves
that his faith too is matchless. The traveler, that seeker
of God, therefore concludes, and his reason too admits that,
lying and deception can have no place at all in the one who
brought such a unique Law and such a matchless religion, and
displayed such wonderful worship, such extraordinary
excellence in prayer, such world-admired preaching, and who
possessed a faith of such miraculous perfection.
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Just
as the consensus of the Prophets is a very strong proof of
the existence and Oneness of God, soo, too, it is a firm
testimony to the truthfulness and Messengership of that
being, upon him be peace and blessings. For history confirms
that all the sacred attributes, miracles and functions that
indicate the truthfulness and Messengership of the Prophets,
peace be upon them all, were all to be found in that being
in the utmost degree. The Prophets verbally predicted the
coming of that being, that is, they gave the good tidings of
him in the Torah, the Gospels, the Psalms, and the Pages;
likewise through their missions and miracles they affirmed
and ‘put their signature’ to the mission of that being,
who is the foremost and most perfect in Prophethood. The
traveler perceives that all the previous Prophets bear
witness to the truthfulness of that being through the
unanimity of their actions just as they testify to the
Oneness of God through verbal consensus.
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Having
attained the truth and perfection, and the rank of working
wonders, and gained insight into the reality of things, and
spiritual discovery through following that being in all his
deeds and principles, thousands of saints unanimously bear
witness not only to the Oneness of God but also to the
truthfulness and Messengership of that being, upon him be
peace and blessings. The traveler realizes that it is as
bright a proof as the sun for the truthfulness of that being
that those saints witness, through the light of sainthood,
some of the truths he proclaimed concerning the world of the
Unseen, and that they believe in and affirm all of those
truths through the light of faith either to the degree of
certainty by knowledge, or certainty by sight, or of
certainty by experience.
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Thousands
of exacting scholars of purity, meticulous scholars of
truthfulness and believing sages, who have reached the
highest station of learning through the teaching contained
in the sacred truths brought by that being, upon him be
peace and blessings, despite his being unlettered, the
sublime sciences to which he gave birth, and the divine
knowledge he discovered, not only prove unanimously with
their strongest proofs and affirm the Oneness of God, the
foundation of his mission, but also bear unanimous witness
to the truthfulness of that greatest teacher and supreme
master, and to the veracity of his words.
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The
family and the companions of the Prophet, upon him be peace
and blessings, who with their insight, wisdom and spiritual
accomplishments are the most renowned, the most respected,
the most celebrated, the most pious the most keensighted of
mankind after the Prophets, after having examined and
scrutinized all the thoughts and states of that being,
whether hidden or open, with the utmost attention and
exactitude, unanimously concluded that he was the most
truthful, the most elevated, and the most honest being in
the world.
Such
unshakable affirmation of and firm belief in him from so many
of such quality, the traveler understands, is a proof, as the
daylight is a proof of the existence of the sun, for the truth
of the cause of that being, upon him be peace and blessings.
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This
universe indicates the Maker, Inscriber, and Designer Who
has made of it a palace, an exhibition, a spectacle. There
should then be someone, a truthful unveiler who discovers
the Divine purpose for the creation of the universe, an
exalted herald who announces the meaning of this great book,
and a discerning master and truthful teacher who teaches the
Divine Wisdom, and the meaning and outcome of the
transformations and purposeful motions in the universe. As
the traveler, the seeker of the truth, comes to know, it is
that being who carries out all these duties much better than
everyone else, and as a consequence, he is the most truthful
in his cause as the most exalted and trusted officer of the
Creator of the universe.
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There
is behind the veil of creation One Who wishes through these
purposeful and skilled works the perfection of His talent
and art; to make Himself known and loved through those
countless, adorned creatures; to awoke praise and
thanksgiving in return for his boundless invaluable
bounties; to encourage worship with gratitude and
appreciation for His Lordship, through His affectionate and
protective sustenance of life, and His provision of
nourishment and bounty in such a manner as to satisfy the
most varied of tastes and appetites; to demonstrate His
Divinity through such mighty and majestic creativity and
purposeful, awesome activity as observed in the changing of
seasons and the alternation of day and night, and thereby to
make men believe in, to submit to, and obey, His Divinity;
and to manifest His justice and truthfulness by always
protecting virtue and the virtuous and destroying evil and
the evil, by annihilating the oppressor and the liar with
heavenly blows. Certainly, with that Unseen Being will he be
the most beloved who, serving the Divine purpose to the
highest degree, discloses the mystery of creation, who acts
always in the name of that Being, his Creator, and who asks
Him alone for help and success, and who receives both: he is
Muhammad of the Quraysh, upon him be peace and blessings.
The
traveler says to himself in order to persuade his reason: ‘Since
these nine truths testify to the truthfulness of that being,
he must be the source of honor for mankind and the source of
pride for the whole world. Therefore he is worthy of being
called the pride of the world and the glory of mankind.
Moreover, the fact that the Qur’an, which is a miraculous
exposition ad the Decree of the All-Compassionate, which he
holds in his hand, has taken half of the world into its
magnificent spiritual domain, together with the Messenger’s
personal perfections and elevated virtues, shows that he is
the most important being in the world, and accordingly, his
are the most important words concerning our Creator.
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Come
now and see: All the cause of that extraordinary being, the
sole aim of all his life, based on the strength of his
hundreds of evident and manifest miracles and thousands of
sublime, established truths contained in his religion, was
to prove and bear witness to the existence and Oneness of
the Necessarily Existent Being, and to proclaim Him with all
His Attributes and Names. He is therefore the ‘spiritual
sun’ enlightening the world, and the most brilliant proof
of our Creator, and is called ‘the Beloved of God’.
There are three forms of great, truthful and unshakable
consensus each of which affirms and corroborates the witness
he bears:
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Thus,
the testimony of that being, upon him be peace and
blessings, to the Existence and Unity of God is not
restricted to himself as an individual; rather it is so
universal and unshakable that if all the demons The first:
the unanimous confirmation of that illustrious community
known and celebrated throughout the world as the Family and
Descendants of Muhammad, among whom are thousands of
spiritual poles and supreme saints of such keen sight as to
penetrate into the Unseen, like Imam ‘Ali, may God be
pleased with him, who said: ‘Were the veil to be lifted
from the Unseen, my certainty would not increase’, and ‘Abd
al-Qadir al-Jilani, who ‘saw’ the Mighty Throne of God
and the awesome form of Archangel Israfil while yet on the
earth.
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the
unanimous confirmation made with so strong a belief that
caused them to sacrifice their lives and properties, and
their parents and tribes, by a world-famous community known
as the Companions, who, although brought up among a
primitive people and in a climate of ignorance, devoid of
any positive notions of social life and administration,
without any scripture and immersed in the darkness of
uncivilized era after the Prophets, in a very short period,
became, in the footsteps of that being, the masters, guides
and just rulers of the most civilized and socially and
politically advanced peoples and states, and ruled the world
from east to west in a world-admired fashion.
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the
unanimous confirmation made with certainty of knowledge by
innumerable exacting and profound scholars of whom in each
age thousands have been brought up and extraordinarily
advanced in each branch of science and art.
Even the
diabolic beings were to unite, they could not challenge it. Such
is the conclusion also reached by the traveler.
In
reference to the lesson that traveler learned in the School of
Light when he visited in his mind the happy age of the Prophet,
upon him be peace and blessings, we will give a summary:
There
is no deity but God, the Necessarily Existent Being, the
One, the Unique, the necessity of Whose existence in Unity
is clearly demonstrated by the Pride of the World, the
glory of mankind, through the majesty of the sovereignty
of his Qur’an, the splendor of the inclusiveness of his
religion, the multiplicity of his perfections, the
sublimity of his moral qualities, as confirmed even by
enemies. Again, he bears witness and brings proof through
the strength of his hundreds of manifest and evident
miracles, which themselves are proofs of his truthfulness
and are unquestionably established; and through the
strength of thousands of evident and decisive truths
contained in his religion as affirmed by the consensus of
his illustrious family and descendants, the agreement of
his companions of insight, and by the unanimity of the
scholars of his community, the possessors of proofs and
enlightening insight.
Were
the ancestors of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and
blessings, devoted to a certain religion during the interregnum
- the period when no Prophet came?
There are
traditions that they acted according to what survived of the
religion of the Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, which
continued in some particular persons under the veils of
heedlessness and spiritual darkness. It is certain that the
members of an illustrious lineage beginning with the Prophet
Abraham and resulting in God’s Messenger, upon him be peace
and blessings, cannot have been indifferent to the light of the
true religion, or been overcome by the darkness of unbelief.
Besides, those who lived in the interregnum will not be called
to account for their faults in the secondary commandments of
religion and, as stated in the verse, We do not torment unless
We send a Messenger9, be exempt from Hellfire. Further,
according to Imam Shafi‘i and Imam Ash‘ari, they will be
saved from the torment of Hell even if they were in unbelief,
unaware of the pillars of faith, since God holds His servants
responsible for His Commandments only after He has sent a
Messenger and, what is more, responsibility is established after
people become aware of belief and Divine Commandments. So,
because the passage of time had covered the religions of the
preceding Prophets, the people of the interregnum can not be
held to account for not following those religions. However,
those who carried out some commandments of those religions
consciously or unconsciously will be rewarded, while the others
who did not will not be tormented.
Did
a Prophet appear among the ancestors of God’s Messenger, upon
him be peace and blessings?
It is not
traditionally certain whether there appeared one after the
Prophet Ishmael, upon him be peace. There were however, two
Prophets named Khalid ibn Sinan and Hanzala, but not from the
lineage of God’s Messenger. Nevertheless, the couplet of Qa’b
ibn Luayy, who was from that lineage,
The
Prophet Muhammad will appear in the time of heedlessness,
He will give tidings, in all of which he is truthful.
seems to
be miraculous and therefore belonging to a Prophet. Imam Rabbani,
based on both evidence and spiritual discovery, said: ‘Many
Prophets appeared in India, but, since no one or only a few
followed most of them, they either did not become famous or were
not recognized as Prophets.’
Thus,
from the viewpoint of that illustrious Imam, some Prophets
resembling those of India, might have appeared among the lineage
of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings.
What
is the most true and acceptable opinion concerning the belief of
the parents of God’s Messenger and of his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib?
I have
had no books, except the Qur’an, with me for ten years, and I
do not have enough spare time to make a thorough search in the
books of Hadith to find the most acceptable opinion on matters
like this one, relating to the details of the religion. What I
can here say on this point is that the parents of God’s
Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, are among the people
of belief and Paradise. God Almighty will certainly not hurt the
feelings of His most noble beloved of filial affection towards
his parents.
If you
ask why they were not allowed to live long enough to witness the
Prophethood of God’s Messenger to be able to believe in him, I
will give this answer:
In order
to please the filial feelings of His most noble beloved, God
Almighty may have willed not to make his parents indebted to
him. Since His Compassion required, in order to please both His
noble beloved and his parents, that the parents of God’s
Messenger should not be reduced from parental rank to the
position of being his children-in-religion, and that they should
only be indebted to His Lordship, not to any created being, God
Almighty did not make the grandfather and parents of God’s
Messenger among his community, but He granted to them the
virtues, merits and happiness shared by the community. If, for
example, a noble marshal’s father, who has the rank of a
captain, enters the presence of his son, that son will be under
the influence of paradoxical feelings. So, the monarch does not
include his father in the company of the marshal, who is his
honorable aide-de-camp, because of his compassion for him.
What
is the most accurate opinion about the belief of Abu Talib, the
uncle of God’s Messenger?
The Shi‘ites
are of the opinion that he believed, while the majority of the Ahl
al-Sunna hold the opposite. It occurs to me, however, that
Abu Talib sincerely loved God’s Messenger for his person, not
on account of his Messengership. That sincere and solemn love
and affection will certainly not go to nothing. Even if Abu
Talib would go to Hell because he did not actually believe for
such feelings as shame and tribal zeal, not for wilful denial
and sheer obstinacy, God Almighty could create a particular
paradise in Hell for him in reward for his good deeds, as he
loved God’s noble Messenger and protected and supported him.
As He sometimes makes people live in mid-winter a weather of
spring or even creates spring in some places, or He changes a
dungeon into a palace for some by means of sleep, He may change
a particular abode in Hell into a particular paradise.
Knowledge
is with God. No one but God knows the Unseen.
Glory
be to You! We have no knowledge save what You have taught
us. Surely, You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
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