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The Messenger of Allah, Muhammed Muhammad Mitwaly Ash-Sha'rawy (View All Articles by: Muhammad Mitwaly Ash-Sha'rawy)

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Dedication
Preparing The Universe For The Message Of Muhammad
Why Was The Messenger A Human
The Messenger And Divine Revelation
The Messenger Of Allah Invites His Tribe
And Came Support From Heaven
The Noble Quran An Eternal Miracle

 

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O Allah,


Send Your Salⴠ(Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Salⴠon Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-Worthy, the Most Glorious.


O Allah,

Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed Abraham and the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-Worthy, the Most Glorious.


This book is translated for the Love of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and Islam.


Chapter One
Preparing The Universe For The Message Of Muhammad




?Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall recite unto them Your Ayat and instruct them in the Book (this Qur'an) and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islamic laws and jurisprudence or wisdom or Prophethood, etc.), and sanctify them. Verily! You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.? (Al-Baqarah, 2: 129)



If we want to write about the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), we will certainly need many tomes because the biography of the Messenger of Allah ? may Allah bless him and grant him peace ? and the aspects of grandeur in it are endless. But we will try in this book to offer glimpses or thoughts about his scented memoir followed by rays of light as Allah may bestow on us to say, while summoning the greatness of the man most nobly mannered.



Before we start talking about the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) we shall discuss how the universe was prepared to receive the Message of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, prepared the entire universe to receive the Message of the Last of the Prophets (peace be upon them all) and His Law, which His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would convey to mankind, as established by the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?O Messenger (Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>)! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message. Allah will protect you from mankind.? (Al-M⒩dah, 5:67)



Since the beginning of creation and his name is Muhammad [literally, the worthy of praise and the highly praised, may Allah bless him and grant him peace] and then followed the preparation for his Message. Since Adam (peace be upon him) and Islam is the established Law; the doctrine that Adam came down to the earth with and he directly received from the Truth [Al-Haqq: one of the Beautiful Names of Allah], all praise and glory be to Him. Islam is the doctrine of totally submitting oneself and resigning one?s affairs to Allah, Alone. It is the heavenly doctrine since time began till the Last Hour befalls. Enjoining that which blesses humanity and forbidding that which harms it has been the Law around which revolved all the Divine Messages as states the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?And We said: O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Garden and eat you freely (of the fruits) thereof where you will; but come not nigh this tree lest you became wrongdoers.? (Al-Baqarah, 2: 35)



All the Prophets who came with celestial Messages followed the course of ?Do and Do Not Do,? and gave the glad tidings of the approaching Message of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that gathers all the heavenly revealed values.



When we recite the Noble Qur?an we find that Almighty Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):



?And (remember) when Allah took the Covenant of the Prophets, saying: ?Take whatever I gave you from the Book and Hikmah (understanding of the Laws of Allah, etc.), and afterwards there will come to you a Messenger (Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) confirming what is with you; you must, then, believe in him and help him.? Allah said: ?Do you agree (to it) and will you take up My Covenant (which I conclude with you)?? They said: ?We agree.? He said: ?Then bear witness; and I am with you among the witnesses (for this).?? (Âl-?Imr⮬ 3: 81)



Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, informs us through these glorious Ayat that He took the Covenant of all the Prophets that they should announce the glad tidings of the arrival of His Messenger, Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and that they should confirm his Message. And if Allah took that Covenant at one time from all the Prophets prior to birth on earth [i.e., when Allah extracted from Adam (peace be upon him) all of his descendants who would be born, generation after generation, until the end of the world and made them bear witness that He is their Lord], it is also confirmed that Allah took a Covenant from every Prophet that he should inform his followers and believers in his prophecy about the Message of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).



Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, brought forth from the loins of the Children of Adam (peace be upon him) their offspring, one of the other, that will continue to come till the Day of Resurrection, and made them testify that He is their Creator and the only true God worthy of worship, as says Allah in the glorious Ayah (what means):



?And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (or from Adam?s loin his offspring) and made them testify as to themselves (saying): ?Am I not your Lord?? They said: ?Yes! We testify.? lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: ?Verily, we have been unaware of this.?? (Al-A?r⦬ 7: 172)



A hadith narrated on the authority of Ibn Sa?d said that a man asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying, ?O Messenger of Allah! When were you a Prophet?? The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, ?While Adam was between the soul and body, when the Covenant was taken from me.?



Thus, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) testified to the Oneness of the Lordship of the Supreme Creator together with all the creatures, while Adam was between the soul and body [meaning: when Adam was in the state in which the soul was about to enter the body]. In the time between Adam (peace be upon him) and Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) came the procession of the Prophets, guiding to the path of Truth; so that none would come on the Day of Resurrection arguing that there was not a reminder of the Law of Allah or givers of glad tidings and warners of what man would meet in the Hereafter.



When Does Heaven Intervene?



Adam (peace be upon him) conveyed the Doctrine of Allah to the earth by the Command of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him. It was the duty of Adam to teach his Children the Divine Doctrine, and in turn his Children would teach it to their posterity and so forth. But negligence came upon the Children of Adam, who strayed from the Law, forgot it or distorted it. They prostrated themselves to others than Allah, so Heaven had to intervene with a procession of Messengers so that man awakes from his inattention and remembers that Allah is the only worshipped God and is the Sole Creator.



Therefore, all the celestial Massages came in one procession heralding Islam. All had Islam as their doctrine: that mankind should worship the one and only True God, Who has no partner, and that they should adopt His Law as the course of their life to save them from torment. In Surat Al-A?r⦬ Almighty Allah says (what means):



?Indeed, We sent N?oah) to his people and he said: ?O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him. Certainly, I fear for you the torment of a Great Day!?? (Al-A?r⦬ 7: 59)



?And to ?Ad (people, We sent) their brother H?bsp;He said: ?O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him. Will you not fear (Allah)??? (Al-A?r⦬ 7: 65)



?And to Thamud (people, We sent) their brother Salih (Saleh). He said: ?O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him.?? (Al-A?r⦬ 7: 73)



Thus, all the processions of Messengers came agreeing upon the summit of Faith, that there is no God but Allah, Alone, Who has no partner, the one and only True God, and none should be worshipped but Him, then they conveyed the Divine Law.



Ibrahim?s Glad Tidings Of Muhammad



When Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) stood raising the foundations of the Sanctified House (the Ka?bah at Mecca) he lifted his hands towards Heaven praying:



?Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall recite unto them Your Ayat and instruct them in the Book (this Qur?an) and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islamic laws and jurisprudence or wisdom or Prophethood, etc.), and sanctify them. Verily! You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.? (Al-Baqarah, 2: 129)



Answering the supplication of Ibrahim was the announcement made to mankind about the Last of the Prophets, and the glad tidings of his arrival are given in every Book that preceded the Noble Qur?an.



The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, informs in the Torah about Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The Almighty says, while addressing Musa (Moses, peace be upon him), what means:



?Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) whom they find written with them in the Torah and the Gospel, - he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So those who believe in him (Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>), honour him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur?an) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful.? (Al-A?r⦬ 7: 157)



Also, ?Issa (Jesus, peace be upon him) gave the glad tidings of the approaching Message of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), as states the glorious Ayah (which means):



?And (remember) when ?Issa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: ?O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you confirming the Torah [which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmed.?? (As-Saff, 61: 6)



Not only did the Prophet ?Issa (peace be upon him) give the glad tidings of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but also his descriptions were accurately stated in the Torah and the Gospel, in a way that permitted the Jewish rabbis and Christian monks to easily know the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) without a guide.



With regard to that, The Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, says (what means):



?Those to whom We gave the Scripture (Jews and Christians) recognise him (Muhammad, ա슇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) as they recongise their own sons. But verily, a party of them conceal the truth while they know it - [i.e. the qualities of Muhammad, ա슇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>, which are written in the Torah and the Gospel].? (Al-Baqarah, 2: 146)



The Monk Bahira Identifies The Messenger



We thus can see that the Message of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), even his outward appearance, was known and heralded in the celestial Books. Furthermore, the Jewish rabbis and Christian monks recognized him even before his mission; they knew the time of his Message and were sure of his birth.



Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), traveled with a trade caravan to Syria, having in his company the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who was still a boy. The caravan reached Busra [which was a part of Syria, in the vicinity of Howran under the Roman domain], where lived a monk called Bahira, who devoted himself to worship in his hermitage. Many a time the caravans passed by his place, but monk Bahira never talked or socialized with them.



But this time he prepared for them a banquet, and then he descended from his hermitage and said to them, ?I prepared food for you, O people of Quraish, and I would love to entertain you all, the young and old, the slaves and the free.? So, the people wondered saying, ?We used to pass by often but you prepared for us nothing, so what has happened??



The monk replied, ?I liked to welcome you.?



So, all the people gathered around the table except the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) who kept sitting under a tree. Monk Bahira asked, ?O People of Quraish, did any of you miss my banquet?? They replied, ?None missed it except a boy, who is the youngest amongst the people.? He said, ?Call him.? Afterwards, Bahira went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), embraced him and then kept looking for the sign (the seal) of Prophethood in his body (which is found between his shoulders).



After the people finished eating and parted, Bahira said to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), ?I ask you in the name of Al-Lat, and Al-'Uzza [two idols of the pagan Arabs], to tell me what I seek to know from you.? Bahira used to hear the Quraish swearing by Al-Lat, and Al-'Uzza in their talk, but the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to him, ?Do not ask me in the name of Al-Lat, and Al-'Uzza, for by Allah, I have never hated anything more than them.?



Bahira said, ?Then in the Name of Allah, tell me what I seek to know from you.?



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ?Ask me about whatever you like.? Bahira kept asking and the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) answering, and Bahira finding all the statements of the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) exactly as in the Book, then he looked at his back and saw the seal of Prophethood between his shoulders.



Upon concluding his questions, his uncle Abu Talib arrived, so Bahira asked him, ?What this boy is to you??



Abu Talib replied, ?He is my son.? Bahira said, ?He is not your son, and the father of this boy should not be alive.? Abu Talib said, ?He is my nephew.? Bahira asked, ?What happened to his father?? Abu Talib replied, ?He died while his mother was pregnant with him.?



Bahira said, ?You told the truth and I have seen the clouds shading him while he was sitting in front of the hermitage and that is why I invited you. Return with your nephew to his country and guard him against the Jews, for by Allah if they saw him and learned from him what I did they would seek to harm him. This nephew of yours will be a person of great importance and influence.?



When Abu Talib heard these words he hurried back to Mecca with the precious child, Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).



Another hadith, on the authority of Ibn Salam2 ? one of the Jewish rabbis ? narrates that he came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) after embracing Islam and said, ?Ashadu ana La ilah illa Allah, wana Muhammadan rasul Allah [I testify that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah]. By Allah I know that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah as I know my own son and my knowledge of Muhammad is even greater.? Then he said to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), ?The Jews are a people (inclined to) slander and falsehood, and if they should come to know about my reversion to Islam before you ask them about me, they would tell a lie about me.?



When Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked the Jews, ?What kind of man is Ibn Salam amongst you?? They replied, ?He is our master and the son of our master, and he is our venerable rabbi.? Then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked, ?What would you say if ?Abdullah bin Salam embraced Islam.? They replied, ?May Allah protect him from this!? Whereupon, ?Abdullah came out and said, ?I testify that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.? Thus, the Jews said, ?He is the evilest among us, and the son of the evilest amongst us,? and disparaged him. On that ?Abdullah said, ?That is what I was afraid of, O Messenger of Allah.?



The Jews of Medina even knew the time at which Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would be commanded to deliver the Message. They used to tell Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj [two tribes in Medina, later two sections of the Ansar (Supporters)], ?There has come the time of a Messenger whom we shall follow, and we, along with him, shall exterminate you, just as the nations of ?Ad and Iram (people) were exterminated.?



Preparing The Universe For The Message Of Islam



We can see that the entire universe was spiritually being prepared to receive the Message of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). But some may ask, ?What good will it do to herald the arrival of the Message of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to people who will die before his birth??



We say that Allah willed that none of the believers, who did not live during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), should die without being given the glad tidings of his arrival and being trustful of his coming. That spiritual preparation of the universe to welcome the Message of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also mirrors the honorable status of the Last of the Prophets in the Sight of The Lord, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might.



That spiritual preparation was part and parcel of preparing the entire universe for receiving the Message of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The last act in preparation came on the birth year of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, willed by it to inform the entire earth that the last of all Prophets would be born and He Himself would guard his Message. That this Prophet would knock down the pillars of injustice in the entire universe, and if his doctrine is justly followed, it would leave no trace of oppression and bring about absolute justice.



There was a sign in the year of his birth and another on the day of his birth. As for the sign that happened in the year of his birth, it was the Elephant Incident. Abrahah ? one of the Abyssinian leaders ? wanted to destroy the Ka?bah, the Sacred House of Allah in Mecca. It is narrated that Abrahah was a powerful tyrant who invaded Yemen. When he heard that people made pilgrimages to the Sacred House of Allah, he wanted to build a house in Yemen that people would visit instead of Mecca.



It happened that an Arabian came and threw garbage in that house, which wildly enraged Abrahah. He decided to retaliate by destroying the Ka?bah and Satan adorned that heinous deed in his eyes. For that is the diabolic stratagem in adoring falsehood, which the Noble Qur?an illustrates to us through the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?Remember Satan made their (sinful) acts seem alluring to them, and said: no one among men can overcome you this day, while I am near to you: but when the two forces came in sight of each other, he turned on his heels, and said: Lo I am clear of you; lo I see what you see not; Lo I fear Allah; for Allah is severe in punishment.? (Al-Anf⬬ 8: 48)



Satan And Abrahah



The Noble Qur?an shows us through this glorious Ayah how the devil adorns evil to mankind, a solemn warning to us against him. The devil whispered to Abrahah saying, ?You are strong and brave, and those are merely nomad Arabs, with neither might nor power. Go and destroy the Sacred House, you will find no one to defend it.? So, Abrahah prepared a powerful army built of elephants and mighty men, and he marched on to destroy the Sacred House of Allah, filled with pride at his strength.



When they arrived at Mecca and its people saw that mighty army and its force of elephants they fled to the mountains, deserting the House, undefended. There was a Divine wisdom behind this desertion, because if the people of Mecca surrounded the House to defend it and defeated Abrahah, it would have been said that a heroic minority defeated Abrahah?s army. Furthermore, if only one defender remained in front of the House, legends would have been fabricated about him.



But Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, wanted that all people leave His House unprotected. Thus, Abrahah stood with his huge army and no human rose to defend the Sacred House.



There the miracle happened and the sky was covered with birds, and suddenly the birds started to cast small stones that annihilated Abrahah?s army and crushed it. Thus, the mighty army perished in no time. The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, relates this event saying (what means):



?Have you (O Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) not seen how your Lord dealt with the Owners of the Elephant? [The elephant army which came from Yemen under the command of Abrahah Al-Ashram intending to destroy the Ka?bah at Mecca]. Did He not make their plot go astray? And sent against them birds, in flocks, striking them with stones of Sijj(baked clay). And made them like an empty field of stalks and straw, (of which the corn) has been eaten up.? (Al-F 105: 1-5)



Some scientists tried to account for the destruction of the elephant and Abrahah?s army by hypothesizing that the birds might have been carriers of infectious diseases that caused the destruction of the marauding army, which is absolutely false! Because the mission of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) started when he was forty and the Elephant Incident happened in the year of his birth. If Surah Al-F[The Elephant: 105] was revealed without the real occurrence of this incident, the people of Mecca who were fifty, sixty, seventy years old or more, amongst whom were disbelievers who heatedly desired to impugn Islam, those would have said, ?We have lived the year of the Elephant Event, but we neither saw flocking birds nor stones of perdition.?



But the birds did come and threw stones of clay, baked with Hellfire, and none could deny what the glorious Ayat narrate. We have to believe that Allah is mightily Able to do anything, so we should neither introduce interpretations that belittle the Might or Power of Allah, Whose Majesty reigns supreme, nor subject the Divine Miracles to the worldly principles of cause and effect, nor to what is within our limited reasoning power for they are enormously higher above it.



The Straight Course



But what is the meaning of that incident? It clearly signifies that Almighty Allah wants us to carefully bear in mind that His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) who would be born in that year would bring a doctrine mightily guarded by Heaven, even if all mankind deserted him. No human would be able to remove, change, replace or conceal anything from the Noble Qur?an?the doctrine of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Because it is a doctrine mightily guarded by the Power of Allah, The Most Exalted and Ever-Majestic, and what Allah guards can never be within reach of humans.



With real wonder, we ourselves witness that at the time the strength of faith is in decline the curve of preserving the Noble Qur?an is rising up. We even find that Almighty Allah is subjecting to the service of preserving the Noble Qur?an those who do not believe in it. So, we may find a Japanese scholar writing the whole Qur?an in one page, and a Japanese institution producing luxurious Copies of the Noble Qur?an. All over the world are non-Muslims serving the Noble Qur?an, who do not offer the same as to their books.



We also find that some of those who are rivaling for enhancing the Copies of the Noble Qur?an and publishing them in beautiful designs only memorize few Ayat from the Noble Qur?an. This upward curve of faith is from Allah Who will guard His Noble Book against the abuse of mankind till the Day of Resurrection, as declared by the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur?an) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption).? (Al-Hijr, 15: 9)



The Birth Of The Light



Now we move to the birthday of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). On that day the strongholds of injustice were shaken all over world, and all of a sudden the sacred fire that the Magi worshipped died down; Lake Sawa, which the Persians sanctified, sank down; and Kisra?s palace, the fortress of oppression and disbelief, cracked and its balconies fell down.



Was there an operating hand behind these events? Or did they happen by the Power of Allah, Alone?



Of course, they happened by the Power of Allah, Alone, for us to learn that the truth whose Prophet was born on that day would destroy the strongholds of injustice in the whole world. And the Law that this Noble Messenger would be sent with, if followed truthfully and out of sincere faith, would leave no trace of injustice on the earth. They served as universal signs to the monotheistic religion, and the sublime message it bears to this universe.



And marvels truly happened, for at the time of the revelation of the Noble Qur?an the Arabs were a disunited nation, warring tribes with neither might nor power, killing one another and feuds were unabating between them. They lived in a barren desert, coveted by none. Then, Islam came to make the Arabs master the whole world and defeat the greatest two powers at that time: the Persians and the Romans.



But how was all this realized? Did the Noble Qur?an give the Arab an atomic bomb, or a new secret weapon? Or a scientific discovery that none has ever known before?



Nothing of that, but the Noble Qur?an brought a Law from Allah, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might, if man follows it, he will surely govern the whole world and be the master of this universe. The Arabs followed the Law of Allah; therefore, in a few years they became the masters of the earth, owners of civilization and power. Their word obeyed and their force feared, pioneers of progress and civilization in all domains.



That is the Law of Allah, whoever truthfully follows it will be superior, and whoever abandons it will miserably fail.



The Universality Of The Message



After the spiritual preparations that Allah has made in His Universe to receive His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), through the glad tidings given by all the Prophets (peace be upon them all) about his arrival, and after stating his full description in the celestial Books that preceded the Noble Qur?an, and after the Elephant Event that captured and directed the attention of the Arabs at the time of its occurrence, to the Mighty Power of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, and the entire world as well by depicting it in the Noble Qur?an, and after the highest strongholds of injustice on the face of the earth were mightily shaken, we must answer two important questions:



The first question: Why was the Message of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) sent to the worlds or to the entire universe, and was not sent particularly to his people? Because, the Prophets who came before the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) were sent to their own people in order to remedy certain vices in the world. Moreover, at one time there was more than a Prophet. Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him), the father of the Prophets, and Lut (Lot, peace be upon him), both of them were sent at the same time: Ibrahim to remedy the vice of idolatry and Lut to remedy sodomy that spread among his people.



Communities during the times of the preceding Prophets lived in isolation from one another. In addition, means of transportation were slow and difficult, almost nonexistent. People living anywhere, knew nothing about those living in other distant places.



The Wisdom of Heaven dictated that every Messenger was sent to his own people to remedy a certain vice or vices in a particular community. Surely, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, eternally possesses absolute knowledge about His universe and how it would be unified. How the Most Exalted would reveal to mankind from the secrets of His Universe what would render transportations easy and distances short, in a way that unifies the problems of the world, and that is exactly what we now see.



In seconds the whole world knows about any incident that takes place in whatever spot on the earth. A disease that appears in America is quickly transmitted to Europe, and in a quicker pace to Africa, Asia and the rest of countries, until the problems from which the world suffers became almost one. For instance, the entire world suffers from violence and terrorism. Drugs not only threaten the youth of a certain country, but their evil also extends to all the countries of the world. Diseases became one in the whole world, which necessitated the appliance of one remedy. Because the problems of the world are one, it follows that the medicine should be one.



Therefore, Islam, the Message of the Last of the Prophets and Messengers, came to remedy the diseases of the entire world. After all these preludes people should have appreciated the value of Islam, and the Law brought by the Noble Qur?an. Regretfully, instead of that many people on the earth, who hear about Islam and the Noble Qur?an, never seek an enlightening reading about them that may shine within and show the way before them.



Any tourist is so caring about the trip he will undertake, reading the smallest details about the country he is going to visit and asking those who have visited it before, but he never tries to learn about his religion (Islam) or understand the teachings of Islam on which life is established.



Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, created this universe and prepared it for man before creating him. He made man the master and made the entire universe serve him, and subjected it to him. But many never question themselves about He, The God, Who has subjected and created.



The second question: Why was Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) the Last of the Prophets? Because, his mission (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the completion of all Messages and the perfection of all blessings, and in these two lies utmost contentment. For by their grace the canopy of Islam flies over the Worlds. Allah, the Almighty, has perfected the religion, completed His grace and Favour upon those who follow guidance, and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has conveyed the Message. Allah says in the Noble Qur?an (what means):



?This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.? (Al-M⒩dah, 5: 3)



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ?My similitude in comparison with the other Prophets before me, is that of a man who has built a house nicely and beautifully, except for the place of one brick in a corner. The people go about it and wonder at its beauty, but say, ?Would that this brick be put in its place!? So I am that brick and I am the last of the Prophets.??



Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, made the miracle of His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) his very doctrine, to keep the doctrine guarded by the power of the miracle till the Day of Judgment. In the past, Allah entrusted His servants with the duty of guarding the previous celestial Books, but what did they do with them? They forgot them, and the parts unforgotten were distorted, and those undistorted were hidden and those unhidden were substituted and changed.



Therefore, mankind was untrustworthy of guarding the Law of Heaven, because whims and caprice interfered and worldly greed changed and substituted the Divine Law. Hence, it is Almighty Allah Himself Who guards the Noble Qur?an against any change or corruption.



The Noble Qur?an? A Miracle Ever-Renewing



Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, made the doctrine of His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) an everlasting miracle. To every generation the Noble Qur?an has something new to offer. There are matters that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has accurately clarified, explained and detailed, which are the matters connected with worship. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) left no rule related to worship without explaining it in detail.



But there are Ayat that were beyond the grasp of the contemporaries of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), which the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) left as Qur?anic miracles to every generation. Thus, no time passes without the manifestation of a new Qur?anic miracle, which we have not known before.



Almighty Allah says (what means):



?Say (O Muhammad ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span> to mankind). ?If the sea were ink for (writing) the Words of my Lord, sooner would the sea be exhausted than would the words of my Lord, even if we brought (another sea) like it for its aid.? (Al-Kahf, 18: 109)



When they discovered that the earth is globe-shaped, it became evident how the Noble Qur?an was the first to clearly indicate that truth in the creation of the night and day. The Noble Book indicates the spherical shape of the earth and its rotation on its axis in one glorious Ayah, in which The Most Exalted says (what means):



?And it is He Who made the Night and the Day to follow each other: for such as have the will to celebrate His praises or to show their gratitude.? (Al-Furq⮬ 25: 62)



A thing that succeeds another means to exactly follow close upon it like patrols, one after another; or as work shifts in a factory, each succeeding the other. But there is always a beginning in all this, where the first night patrol does not have a preceding one, and the first shift upon start of work in a factory, does not come after another shift, simply because it is the beginning of work at the factory. But The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):



?And it is He Who made the Night and the Day to follow each other.? (Al-Furq⮬ 25: 62)



Night must follow day from the moment of creation, which cannot be unless night and day were together created on the face of the earth, which also cannot be unless the earth is globe-shaped. At the moment of creation, night and day both existed on the earth at the same instant, so that each becomes the successor of the other. Night and day cannot succeed one another unless the earth rotates on its axis. Had the earth been still, the part subjected to light would have remained day forever and the dark part would have remained night forever. Therefore, the axial rotation of the earth is a must-be fact. Another marvel found in the Noble Quran about the rotation of the earth, is the glorious Ayah in which Almighty Allah says (what means):



?And you see the mountains and think them firmly fixed; but they pass along as the clouds pass: (such is) the Artistry of Allah, Who perfected all things.? (An-Naml, 27: 88)



After the revolution witnessed in science, scientists became able to film the baby within its mother?s womb, but the Noble Qur?an has already scientifically depicted the phases of embryonic development with amazing accuracy. Then medicine discovered that the sensory-perception in man is the skin, because nerve endings (receptors) lie directly beneath the skin, and again they find the Noble Qur?an stating that truth, in the glorious Ayah speaking about the eternal torment that the inhabitants of Hellfire will taste:



?As often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for other skins that they may taste the punishment.? (An-Nis⒬ 4: 56)



The Noble Qur?an is richly plenteous in miracles, some Allah has willed to be unveiled, and many others are to be revealed to the future generations. All this serves to keep the Noble Qur?an an everlasting rejuvenating miracle, in a way that offers to every age a new miracle.



The whole universe rejoiced at the birth of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), because he came with a doctrine that would bring back the harmony man lost with the universe and with his own self. Although, the whole universe is made to obey, except mankind and the jinns who are given free will, none should think that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, imposed such subjection on the universe. But the Justice of Allah dictated that such subjection be of its own choice. Had it been a compulsory matter, Allah would not have given the universe the freedom to choose.



In this regard, The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):



?Truly, We did offer Al?-Am⮡h (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah?s Torment). But man bore it. Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of its results).? (Al-?Ahz⢬ 33: 72)



Thus, we see that Almighty Allah offered the trust or freedom of choice to all His creatures, but these creatures, other than mankind and jinns, feared lest they should not be able to fulfill and honor the trust and said, ?O Lord! We have chosen to be subjected.? But as for man he was misled by his reason and asked for free choice.



The Universe And Mankind



So, the whole universe is a glorifier of Allah except mankind, as some are glorifiers and others are not. In this regard, The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):



?See you not that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and Ad-Daw⢼/i> (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), and many of mankind? But there are many (men) on whom the punishment is justified.? (Al-Hajj, 22: 18)



The glorious Ayah shows that upon mentioning mankind obedience varied, but as for the rest of creatures they are all glorifiers. True indeed, for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) heard the glorification of the pebbles; and the longing of the date-palm trunk on which he used lean while preaching, and the moan it uttered when a pulpit was built for him to deliver sermons from, instead of it. Also, the clouds that used to shade him and the camel that complained to him of man?s cruelty and the water gushing forth from his fingers.



All these glorifiers rejoiced at the Message of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but man whom Allah made the master of this universe and created for him all these blessings, is the one who opposed and disbelieved. Therefore, all what exist in the universe from inanimate beings, plants and animals curse the disbeliever, even the human body that Allah has subjected to serve man, whether an obeyer or a disobeyer.



The tongue can utter the Shahadah [The Testimony of Faith: There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah)] or the word of disbelief, Allah forbid. Similarly, the hand obeys its owner when it assaults people and also obeys him when helping someone rise on his feet, or helping a cripple or a blind man cross the road.



But on the Day of Resurrection all the organs of the human body will come to testify against the sinner and curse him, as substantiated by the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their legs or feet will bear witness against them as to what they used to do.? (An-N?4: 24)



The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, willed that the Islamic Message should be send down in Mecca, that blessed stretch of land, which Allah has chosen as His House. Although it is a small spot from the spacious land that Allah has created, man with his disbelief stubbornly insisted on defiling that Sanctified House and worshiping in it others than Allah. Within the House of Allah, chosen by Allah Himself, man set up idols that were worshipped instead of The Most Exalted.



The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, willed that Islam starts with purifying His House and that the first Call of Faith be cried within the ears of the chiefs of the Quraish, to whom the House had given mastery over all the Arabs; those chiefs who were the leaders of disbelief and the establishers of the idols within the Sacred House of Allah; who tyrannized over the world. Their society was widely estranged from the Worship of Allah, a society that approbated sins, disbelief and polytheism. Then came the Cry of Faith to mightily shake them all and restore to life the eternal values springing from this very blessed place that is connected with the continents of the earth by land and sea, for it constituted the outset and from its land the Message was conveyed to the Worlds.



Before discussing the Message, we have to talk about the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and his descriptions as given by his contemporaries, and why was he of superb manners? And why did Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, chose him a human? And why illiterate? And why an orphan?


Chapter Two
Why Was The Messenger A Human


?Say: ?If there were on the earth, angels walking about in peace and security, We should certainly have sent down for them from the heaven an angel as a Messenger.?? (Al-Isr⧬ 17: 95)



Mecca that witnessed the birth of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and the events that encircled his Message, holds a special honorary place in the Sight of The Almighty, because the first House placed to mankind for worshipping Allah was that at Sanctified Mecca. Allah says (what means):



?Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Mecca), full of blessing, and a guidance for all kinds of beings.? (Âl-?Imr⮬ 3: 96)



The angels built it and showed it to Adam and Eve (peace be upon them) to worship Allah there. It is a place dedicated to worship only and to offering Salah (Prayers) that embodies the spiritual relationship and communication between Allah and His servants.



Adam (peace be upon him) received the doctrine directly from Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, and was entrusted with conveying it to his Children. But with the passage of time the Children of Adam made distortions and substitutions in the Law of Allah. They worshipped idols, stones, stars, animals, the sun, and other false gods. Born of the negligence that befell the Children of Adam, there had to come a Messenger who would remind them of the Law of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, and restore them to the worship of Allah, Alone.



With the passage of time and people?s negligence of the House, the landmarks that used to pinpoint its place were obliterated. The House of Allah is the piece of land on which rise the Sanctuary and the space above it. The expanse of air above the Sanctified Ka?bah till the highest sky is an extension to the House of Almighty Allah [Al-Baitul-Ma?m?pan>: the House over the heavens parable to the Ka?bah at Mecca, continuously visited by the angels]. Therefore, a second and a third floor were built in the Sanctuary. And the same applies to every House (Masjid) of Allah.



The space that rises over a Masjid is an extension to it, and from there the angels descend on the prayers. Therefore, the Masjids or Houses built at a corner below the buildings are not considered Masjids, except if exigency impelled to offer Salah in them. Because above such Masjids that are constructed under buildings and within apartments are people perhaps in a state of impurity.



It means that angels do not descend there, and the Prayers offered in such corners are like the Congregational Prayers offered in any ordinary room, except if necessity dictated so, because dire necessity sanctions the prohibition [?But if one is forced by necessity without willful disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then there is no sin on him? (Al-Baqarah, 2: 173)].



The Sacred House of Allah is the only Masjid on the face of the earth chosen by Allah, all praise and glory be to Him. All the Masjids on the earth are places of worship chosen by the creatures of Allah. But the Sacred Masjid of Allah in Mecca is the selection of Allah Alone. Therefore, it became the Qiblah [Direction faced in Prayers] of all the Masjids and prayers all over the universe. The Masjid that Allah Himself has chosen as a place of worship. Therefore, the whole earth has been made a Masjid (a place for praying) to the Muslims as established by the Prophetic hadith saying, ?And the earth has been made for me a place for prostration (masjid) and its soil a purifier [Tayammum: The ablution which is performed when no clean water is available, it involves using clean earth (i.e. dust or soil)].?



Ibrahim And The Place Of The House



It is reported that when the Children of Adam sank into a state of negligence, erosion and natural forces effaced the special landmarks of the Sacred House. It is also reported that the flood, which drowned the whole earth during the era of Nuh (Noah, peace be upon him), wiped the signs that marked and showed the place of the House to people.



When we wish to mark a spot on land and make it known to people there are two basic factors: a place and a sign. The place is the stretch of land that we want to mark and show to people, whereas the sign is what guides people to that place. Therefore, the place of the Sacred House has remained as it is, affected by nothing. But the sign that guides people was gone or effaced, so in turn the place became unknown to people.



Thereupon, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, guided Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) to the place of the House and showed it to him, but why? To raise its foundations so that people would be guided to its place. It follows that the place of the Sacred House is present on earth since the world was made, but the guiding sign is the factor that was effaced, as substantiated by the glorious Ayah in which The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):



?And (remember) when We showed Ibrahim (Abraham) the site of the (Sacred) House (the Ka?bah at Mecca) (saying): ?Associate not anything (in worship) with Me, and sanctify My House for those who circumambulate it, and those who stand up for prayer, and those who bow (submit themselves with humility and obedience to Allah), and make prostration (in prayer, etc.).?? (Al-Hajj, 22: 26)



Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, showed the place of the House to Ibrahim (peace be upon him) who raised the foundations or the part raised above land, i.e., the Holy Ka?bah, which served to indicate the place of the House. Al-Masjidul-Haram [The Sacred Masjid at Mecca] is not the Holy Ka?bah ? rather the Ka?bah is the sign that guides people to the place of the Sacred Masjid.



Purity Of Al-Masjidul-Haram



Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, established His House at that place on earth for worship, therefore when man enters Al-Masjidul-Haram [The Sacred Masjid at Mecca] he should only occupy himself with worshipping his Lord and detach himself from this world. He should take it off with his shoe and throw it outside the Sacred House of Allah. He should devote himself only to bowing, prostration and glorifying Allah.



But the dereliction that man fell into made him set up in the House of Allah that which was worshipped instead of Him. It made man place idols inside the House of Allah, which are but stones that he himself had shaped. None thought how could a creature create a god! Or how could the god be of stone, with neither might nor power! But the cause is absence of mind and alienation from the Law of Allah.



People want to live their lives according to their own desires: to tyrannize, steal, commit every vice and give free reign to their desires. The supreme wish of a disbeliever is to find a god without a law; in other words, a god that does not impose on him any action according to a law.



He will then act as he pleases in life and at the same time will think that he satisfies the instinct of piety and faith that Allah has created mankind with, without which the life of people will never be right. The Message of the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) came to purify the House of Allah from any trace of polytheism and restore the purity of man?s heart, soul and mind so that worship becomes purely to Allah, Alone, till the Day Allah inherits the earth and whatsoever is thereon.



Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), came to the universe after Allah has fully prepared to his arrival, through the Prophets who heralded the blessed news of his advent. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, stated his descriptions in the celestial Books that were revealed before the Noble Qur?an, so that the people of the Book (the Christians and the Jews) would recognize him and none on the Day of Judgment would have any excuse for not believing in him. Therefore, the Torah and the Gospel embrace the descriptions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).



Certainly, believers at any time or place thirst for knowing the features of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace); we will relate what ?Ali bin Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) has said, to water the thirst of the love that the believers have to the Last Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).



The Description Of Muhammad



?Ali bin Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) is the fourth successor to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). He was the first to believe in the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) from the boys. It is known that Abu Talib was the Prophet?s uncle and guardian, and ?Ali?s father. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to send ?Ali to the people of Yemen to invite them to Islam. A Jewish rabbi used to attend the assembly of people who used to listen to ?Ali?s speech about the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).



The Jewish rabbi once asked ?Ali saying, ?Describe to us the Messenger of Allah, Abul-Qasim, Muhammad bin ?Abdullah.? The Jewish rabbi was holding a book in his hand and every time ?Ali talked, the Jew leafed through the book, as if reviewing (in his book) the descriptions that ?Ali gave.



?Ali bin Abu T⬩b said, ?The Messenger of Allah was neither short nor very tall.? In other words, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was of medium height, neither short nor conspicuously tall.



?Ali added, ?His hair was neither curly nor completely straight.? In other words, his hair was black, in between straight and curly.



?Ali bin Abu Talib said, ?He had large eyes, long eyelashes, and his eyes had a tinge of red. He had a thick beard and a rosy complexion.? In another narration ?Ali said, ?He was white-skinned, having a reddish tinge. His eyes were large with jet black pupils and his eyelashes, long.? In other words, his face was rosy, bright and glowing of a whiteness tinged with red.



?Ali bin Abu Talib said, ?The Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had big hands and feet, and broad shoulders.? In other words, he had great bones at joints, i.e. the knees, elbows and shoulders, a sign of bodily strength. The hands and feet of the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) were also big and his fingers strong.



?Ali continued saying, ?When he walked, he would walk briskly as if descending a slope. When he turned, he would turn his whole body2 and between his two shoulders was the Seal of Prophethood. He was the Last of the Prophets; he had the most generous hand and open heart of all people; he was the most truthful of all people, the best of them in temperament, and the most sociable amongst them. Whoever unexpectedly saw him would stand in awe of him and whoever accompanied him and got to know him would love him.?



As though the land beneath him lowered itself out of awe, so he leaned forward in his movement.



?Ali completed his portrayal of the graceful picture saying, ?I have never seen anybody like him, neither before nor after him.?



The Rabbi Declares His Islam



Then ?Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) fell silent, whereupon the Jewish rabbi continued the narration from the book he held in hand, saying, ?His eyes have a tinge of red, he has a graceful beard, a handsome mouth, perfectly shaped ears, and comes with his whole body and goes with his whole body.?



?Ali bin Abu Talib answered him, ?By Allah this is the very description of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.?



The Jewish rabbi added, ?He leaned forward in his walk.?



?Ali bin Abu T⬩b said, ?My very words, as if descending a slope,? means as if the land is lowering itself before him.



The Jewish rabbi said, ?These qualities are written in this book that belonged to my forefathers,? pointing to the book he held.



Then the Jewish rabbi added, ?Also written: His glory would be send forth from the Sanctuary of Allah, His Safe Land and the location of His House. Then, he would migrate to a Sanctuary that he himself would sanctify (would make it a sanctuary), i.e., the Prophetic Sanctuary in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah [Medina, The Luminous City]. This sanctuary would be of the same inviolability as the Sanctuary Allah declared inviolable.?



The dialogue continued between ?Ali bin Abu Talib and the Jewish rabbi about the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the statements of the Torah. Then, the Jewish rabbi declared his Islam saying, ?I testify that he is the Prophet of Allah and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to all mankind.?



The Majestic Appearance Of The Messenger



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) looked majestic and highly honored. His face shined as the full moon on a moonlit night. If something pleased him his whole face glittered with joy. His eyebrows were fine with a space between them revealing a vein that manifested itself at time of anger at something.



A light hovered above the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), a luminous halo above his head. He had very black eyes, a broad mouth and smooth cheeks i.e., none of his cheeks protruded or had on it pimples. His teeth were slightly set apart i.e., his teeth were even with little delicates spaces, and when he talked light was seen shining forth his front teeth. He had a broad chest between the shoulders and a neck as pure as sliver.



On his back was the seal of prophethood, which the celestial Books before the Noble Qur?an specified. Of all people, the face of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was the handsomest and his manners the noblest. When he sat his shoulders were higher than all those sitting around him and if anyone shook hands with him the hand of the greeter was generously scented with a sweet fragrant.



The scent of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was pleasanter than perfume and his sweat as well. His scent often heralded his arrival wherever he went.



The honorable Companion Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said about him, ?We used to know that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had arrived by his sweet scent, for his pleasant scent used to precede him wherever he went and when he sat the place was filled with his fragrance.?



The son of Lady Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her), Hind bin Abu Halah (may Allah be pleased with him), described the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) before he married Lady Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) saying, ?His gaze is always lowered down, the time he spends looking to the ground is longer than that towards sky. He is the first to greet whomever he meets. Of continuous grief and thoughts. His smell is pleasant. Never speaks without need.? Means that the noble Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) grieved for those people in whose hearts the light of Islam, that came to please mankind, did not enter.



Among The Gracious Attributes Of The Messenger



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was never bored of contemplation. Never had usual habits that mastered him and thus he weakened before them. He never engaged himself in anything but truth. His words were precise, none spoken more or less. He never spoke embarrassing or unfriendly words. He glorified the Blessings and never dispraised nor praised any food he tasted, so that none would say that he favored some kinds of food over others, for all the Blessings that Allah bestows deserves glorification. He never felt angry for his person (when wronged) or sought to heal it with an answer back. When he talked He well articulated the words to be understood by those listening to him.



Al-Hassan (may Allah be pleased wit him) asked his father ?Ali bin Abu Talib (may Allah honor his face), saying, ?How did the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) enter any place??



?Ali replied, ?Allowing himself to enter was after taking leave,? which means that before entering any place the noble Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to ask permission from people inside, whether they were ready to receive him or not, though the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was dearer to the believers than their own selves.



When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) stayed at home he used to divide his time into three: a time dedicated to Allah, a second to the family and a third to himself. The first was spent in a retreat for worship, the second was a place for his family and a third where he used to sit alone or meet his Companions. The closest people to him were the most virtuous, based on their superiority in following the Religion of Allah. When the needy knocked his door, his heart and mind were to them, engaged with their cares, and endeavoring to engage them in what may set aright all their affairs.



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ?A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He should neither oppress him, nor desert him (to oppression or oppressors). Whoever fulfills the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs. And whoever relieves a Muslim of a distress, Allah will relieve him of one of the distresses of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screens (avoids exposing the faults of) a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection.?



Al-Hussain (may be pleased with him) asked his father ?Ali bin Abu Talib (may Allah honor his face) about the departure of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the manners he observed in it, and he answered, ?The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) talked but little, and only in matters concerning him. He brought the hearts he met into harmony and never severed between them. He used to honor the noble among every group of people and charge him with the task of watching over them. He used to call on his friends and ask about those absent among them. He used to ask people about what troubles people and he used to praise the good thing and correct the bad and weaken it.?



?He was temperate, never neglect paying heed to any conversation, statement or matter so that people will not be heedless. He never stepped away from or beyond rightness. He never favored someone over others in his assembly. He loved the man who excelled others in giving good advice and showing compassion and cooperation. He only talked in what may do good. His words called people?s hearts and minds together, and he loved that hearts be one with love and not separated by hatred.?



?Ali bin Abu Talib added, ?The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) entrusted the leadership of people to the most generous among them, meaning the one most free-handed in dealing with people. Because the generous would give of his own self to others and his success to rule them is won by how much he can do for their sake. He would never enforce upon them something against their will. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to teach his Companions insight. He used to weigh people with the scale of respect. He used to warn against having someone slandering his brother. He never liked backbiters and gossipers.?



?The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to receive people with love, compassion and cheerfulness. He used to better good things and forbid things evil. He was always vigilant and attentive without nervousness or anxiety, and he never neglected a matter lest negligence should be an adopted course. He used to balance matters by the scale of justice and never disagreed with someone for the sake of disagreement. He never allowed hypocrisy in his assembly. He never sat in a particular place but in the place he reached, seating himself there amongst people. He used to divide his attention on all the attendants of his assembly, so that none would believe himself better than the others. When meeting someone, he was never the one to end it, but left it to the one who bid to see him. His assembly was that of clemency, patience, modesty and honesty. His voice was never higher than what was needed to allow his audience to hear him. He was always cheerful, lenient and good-natured. He used to overlook a behavior that he disliked, as though he did not see it no to embarrass anyone in his assembly.?



Ungracious Manners The Messenger Never Had



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) forbade himself from three: hypocrisy, excess and concerns not his. And turned away from people in three things: never to dispraise or taunt anyone, or seek to know the faults or defects of others. When he talked those sitting with him kept silent, and when he stopped his Companions talked, each by his turn, not his standing. None interrupted the other nor did the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) ever interrupt anyone.



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to laugh at what his Companions laughed at and used to admire what they admired. When there came a stranger ignorant of the noble standing of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), he (the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to tolerate his coarseness and was kind to him. And if it happened that the coarse manners of those strangers aroused the anger of some of his Companions, the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to bid them show tolerance.



Once a Bedouin came asking from the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) gave him and then asked, ?Have I been good to you?? The Bedouin answered, ?No, and you have done me well either,? which enraged the Muslims and they rose to punish him. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), however, signaled them to stop. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) then rose and entered his house. He sent for the Bedouin and there he gave him something over and above what he had already given him, then he asked him, ?Have I been good to you?? And the Bedouin replied, ?Yes. Indeed! May Allah reward you well, for you are a good kinsman and a good tribesman.?



Upon that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to him, ?You said what you have said and in the souls of my Companions is some sense of injury from that. If you like, you may say before them what you have said before me to clear what is within their breasts against you.?



And the Bedouin agreed.



The following day, or in the evening of the same day, the Bedouin came over. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ?This Bedouin said what he has said so we gave him more, and he claims now that he is satisfied. Is it so?? The Bedouin answered, ?Yes. Indeed! May Allah reward you well, for you are a good kinsman and a good tribesman.?



Upon that, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ?The parable of me and this Bedouin is that of a man who had a she-camel that ran loose, so people pursued it, but they only increased its flight. So its owner called on them saying, ?Clear the path between me and my she-camel, for I am kinder to it than you and know best its temperament.? Then he approached it from its front side, having picked for it from the waste of the earth. He turned it back (gently) until it came and knelt down. He then saddled it and mounted it. Verily, had I let you alone when the man said what he said, then you killed him he would have entered Hellfire.?



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was patient and meek, patient in the face of anger and meek in the face of ignorance. He was firm against hypocrisy, blessed with a bright face and a sweet voice.



The Humanity Of The Messenger



?Is it wonder for mankind that We have sent Our Inspiration to a man from among themselves (i.e. Prophet Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) (saying): ?Warn mankind (of the coming torment in Hell), and give good news to those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah and in His Prophet Muhammad) that they shall have with their Lord the rewards of their good deeds?? (But) the disbelievers say: ?This is indeed an evident sorcerer (i.e. Prophet Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>, and the Qur?an)!?? (Y? 10: 2)



The Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, chose an honorable human to be His Messenger, a choice which the hypocrites and disbelievers would oppose till the Day of Judgment. Every messenger who came before the Messenger Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was a human and every messenger his people attacked for being a human.



Recite the glorious Ayah in which The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):



?The chiefs of the disbelievers among his people said: ?We see you but a man like ourselves, nor do we see any follow you but the meanest among us and they (too) followed you without thinking. And we do not see in you any merit above us, in fact we think you are liars.?? (H?1: 27)



This glorious Ayah was revealed regarding the People of Nuh (Noah, peace be upon him), the first Messenger sent after Adam (peace be upon him).



There is also the glorious Ayah in which The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):



?Has not the news reached you, of those before you, the people of Nuh (Noah), and ?Ad, and Thamud? And those after them? None knows them but Allah.? (Ibr⨮m, 14: 9)



What did the people of Nuh, ?Ad, Thamud, and those after them say to their Messengers?



The Noble Qur?an narrates to us, saying (what means):



?They said: ?You are no more than human beings like us! You wish to turn us away from what our fathers used to worship. Then bring us a clear authority i.e. a clear proof of what you say).?? (Ibr⨮m, 14: 10)



When Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, sent Shuaib (peace be upon him) to his people to tell them that they should give full measure, and weigh with the true and straight balance, they answered:



?You are but a human being like us and verily, we think that you are one of the liars!? (Ash-Shu?ar⒬ 26: 186)



And Thamud who said to their Prophet Salih (Saleh, peace be upon him) (what means):



?For they said: ?A man! Alone from among us, that we are to follow? Truly, then we should be in error and distress or madness!?? (Al-Qamar, 54: 24)



Also, the people of Pharaoh belied Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) and his brother Aaron (peace be upon him) saying:



?They said: ?Shall we believe in two men like ourselves, and their people are obedient to us with humility (and we use them to serve us as we like).?? (Al-Mu?min?3: 47)



Afterwards the Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, presented the issue in its entirety in the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?Has not the news reached you of those who disbelieved aforetime? And so they tasted the evil result of their disbelief, and theirs will be a painful torment. That was because there came to them their Messengers with clear proofs (signs), but they said: ?Shall mere men guide us?? So they disbelieved and turned away (from the truth), and Allah was not in need (of them). And Allah is Rich (Free of all wants), Worthy of all praise.? (At-Tagh⢵n, 64: 5-6)



Similarly, the humanity of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was seized as basis for raising doubts about his Message. Recite the glorious Ayah in which The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):



?With their hearts occupied (with evil things) those who do wrong, conceal their private counsels, (saying): ?Is this (Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) other than a human being like you? Will you submit to magic while you see it??? (Al-Anbiy⒬ 21: 3)



Obeying Allah And His Messenger



We can see that the humanity of the messengers is an issue attacked by the hypocrites and disbelievers since the earliest celestial Messages and still is to this very day. We also find people who take the humanity of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as a pretext not to follow his Sunnah [The way of life prescribed as normative in Islam, based on the teachings and practices of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and on exegesis of the Noble Qur?an], or keep his commands. Others claim that the Sunnah is not obligatory; those who follow it are to be rewarded and those who abandon it are not to be punished? to the end of what we hear up to now.



Those people have certainly forgotten the glorious Ayat saying (what means):



?O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>).? (An-Nis⒬ 4: 59)



?Say: ?Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger (Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>): but if you turn away, he is only responsible for the duty placed on him and you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on right guidance. The Messenger?s duty is only to preach the clear (Message).?? (An-N?span> 24: 54)



?So establish regular Prayer and give regular Charity; and obey the Messenger (Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>); that you may receive mercy.? (An-N?span> 24: 56)



And the glorious Ayah in which The Almighty says (what means):



?And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it).? (Al-Hashr, 59: 7)



And the glorious Ayah in which The Exalted and Ever-Majestic King says (what means):



?Say (O Muhammad ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span> to mankind): ?If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur?an and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins.?? (Âl-?Imr⮬ 3: 31)



?Say (O Muhammad ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>): ?Obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>).?? (Âl-?Imr⮬ 3: 32)



And the glorious Ayah in which The Most Exalted says (what means):



?He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) has indeed obeyed Allah.? (An-Nis⒬ 4: 80)



From the aforementioned glorious Ayat we can surely see that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, orders us to obey Him and His Messenger (Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Allah gave His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in the seventh Ayah from Surat Al-Hashr the authority of legislating to people.



We can see that following the Sunnah is an obligation on the strength of the Qur?anic texts. Furthermore, many matters revealed in the Noble Qur?an outlined the principles, whereas giving the details was entrusted to the Messenger Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).



As-Salah (offering Prayers) was stated as an enjoined duty in the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?So establish regular Prayer and give regular Charity; and obey the Messenger; that you may receive mercy.? (An-N?4: 56)



But the Noble Qur?an did not state the number of Salat (Prayers(, nor their fixed times, nor the number of rak?ahs [The Prayer of Muslims consists of Rak?ⴼ/i> or Rak?ahs (singular-rak?ah). Rak?ah represents a unit of the Prayer and consists of one standing, one bowing and two prostrations with a sitting in between] making up each Prayer or the way of offering Prayers. But the Sunnah details all. So, how can we manage without Sunnah? If we abandon it how can we offer Prayers? How can we perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) without being taught all Hajj rituals by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)?



Attempters or callers to non-observance or abandonment of the Sunnah are actually calling to abandon As-Salah and Al-Hajj, besides desertion of many other religious matters. We can only understand Islam, as decreed by Allah, through the interpretation given by the Sunnah, and we can only worship Allah as should be by following the Noble Qur?an as Law, and the Sunnah as an interpreter and an expounder.



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ?I have received (of Revelation) the Noble Qur?an and as much again therewith (Sunnah).?



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ?I have left with you what, if you follow, you shall never go astray: The Book of Allah and my Sunnah.?



Therefore, the Sanctified Prophetic Sunnah should be followed and certainly it suffices alone the glorious Ayah in which Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):



?He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) has indeed obeyed Allah.? (An-Nis⒬ 4: 80)



Angels Are Not Fit To deliver The Divine Message



We now return to the humanity of the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). When Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, chooses those who are to convey His Message, He chooses a messenger belonging to the same race of the recipients. If the messenger is sent to humans he must be a human likewise, because angels cannot serve as messengers to mankind but are sent by the Command of the Supreme Ordainer regarding certain issues, and here we can pose a question:



Why should the messenger be human?



The messenger conveys the Law of Allah, meaning he is to inform people about the Divine Message, so he must be one of the people, speak their language and know their habits to be able to convey the Message. People must have known him before the mission: known his honesty, truthfulness and noble manners. He should not be known among them by lying or have bad manners or other evils. If so, none would believe him. His honesty, noble manners, and truthfulness must gain people?s respect and trust, to be certain that this messenger who never lied to people would never utter falsehood against Allah.



Not only would the messengers convey the Divine Law but they would also teach people how to apply it. The Law of Heaven is theoretical and must be practically applied so that people would see their messenger offering Prayers, performing Hajj and applying the Divine Law before them in a practical sense in order to follow him. Therefore, the humanity of the messenger is a must and his call is divine, either communicating revelations, divinely inspired utterances or upright behavior.



Still we demand why a human? Because if Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, sent down angels as messengers, people would not know them, being angels not living on the earth. Even if we assumed that the Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, has made them known to people, they would say, ?Such angelic messengers could not be an example to us, because they are created from light, fast and agile, and we are created from clay, slow-moving. They are angels created infallible and execute the Commands they receive from Allah. But we are humans may do right or err.?



Therefore, angels could not be messengers to humans, because their powers and nature differ from those of humans. Allah willed that His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) be a human just as his people to whom he was sent, so that none would dare argue on the Day of Judgment, saying, ?O Lord, you have burdened us beyond our power and enjoined on us what we could not do.? The answer would simply be that your messenger was a human like you. In spite of that he was able to faithfully apply the Divine law without feeling burdened beyond the capacity of humans.



Furthermore, Allah has sent you people a messenger you knew already and you used to admire his person and manners before being assigned the trust of conveying the Message, so you have no excuse on the Day of Judgment.



Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, brings forward this issue in the Noble Qur?an and settles it by saying (what means):



?And nothing prevented men from believing when the guidance came to them, except that they said: ?Has Allah sent a man as (His) Messenger?? Say: ?If there were on the earth, angels walking about in peace and security, We should certainly have sent down for them from the heaven an angel as a Messenger.?? (Al-Isr⒬ 17: 94-95)



The aforesaid glorious Ayat mean that angels do not live an earthly life like humans; therefore they could not be messengers. In addition, with our human faculties we cannot see the angels, how then can we follow the example of something unseen to us?



Then comes forth the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?Had we appointed an angel (Our messenger), We assuredly had made him (as) a man (that he might speak to men); and (thus) obscured for them (the truth) they (now) obscure.? (Al-An?⭬ 6: 9)



The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, draws our attention that had He sent an angel He would surely have made him a man clothed the way we are to see him, and in that case we would have before us the image of a human.



In conclusion, the humanity of the messenger is a must and his Call is divinely inspired, for his people to know him and he can apply the Divine Law before them, so that they would be able to follow him and receive from him the correct application of the Law of Heaven. Also, before the start of his prophetic mission he should serve as the perfect exemplar of all nobleness, worthy to be followed, and he should be known among the people to whom he is sent. All these conditions are an intrinsic part of delivering the message to mankind and if any is disturbed so will honoring the Message.



The Honesty And Truthfulness Of The Messenger



When Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, chose His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) He chose him a human and sent him to his people among whom he lived for forty years before being entrusted with the Message. People never heard him utter a single lie but he was known amongst them as the honest truth-teller. If anyone feared for the safety of a valuable object he would entrust it to his care. People used to believe him and take him as a judge in all disputes between them. Even after the revelation of the Message, the disbelievers who rejected the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) found none other than him for safekeeping of every precious possession.



Therefore, when the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) migrated to Medina, he asked ?Ali (may Allah honor his face) to hand back the trusts. Such was the humanity of the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), about which the hypocrites and the disbelievers argued, which only embodied an inherent condition for delivering the Message and the Justice of Judgment on the Day of Resurrection. The messengers are humans and the people to whom they are sent are humans as well, so none is justified to claim that messengers are creatures capable of what is beyond human power, who brought them a doctrine they cannot fulfill.



When the Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon, peace be upon him) asked his council to bring him the throne of Balqis (the Queen of Sheba), he summoned mankind, jinns and others, and asked them to bring him the throne before she would arrive. The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):



?A stalwart from the jinns said: ?I will bring it to you before you rise from your place (council). And verily, I am indeed strong, and trustworthy for such work.? One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: ?I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!?? (An-Naml, 27: 39-40)



Though eager to fulfill the request of Sulaiman none from ordinary mankind dared to say, ?I will bring it to you.? But the first to speak was one of the strong jinns, why? Because humans are governed by certain laws, and bringing the throne of Balqis with the speed Sulaiman desired is something normally beyond human power. Therefore, they all observed silence and abided by the laws of their humanity, except the Righteous Servant with whom was knowledge of the Scripture, because he was favored with special bestowments and preparation that allowed him to challenge the proposal of the jinns. And the Righteous Servant who had knowledge of the Book was truthful. He honored his word and was able to bring the throne within the twinkling of an eye. That man was a close pious servant, who transcended in belief and thus won an honorable status. He deeply responded to worship and revered the Divine Attributes, so he was granted special bestowments that empowered him to control what he wanted as the stalwart from the jinns.



All celestial messages never burdened humans beyond their power but with what lies within their power.



In the next chapter we shall discuss the Divine Revelation and the meeting of the Angel with the noble human.







Chapter Three
The Messenger And Divine Revelation


?Say (O Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>): ?I am only a human being like you. It is inspired in me that your God is One God, therefore take Straight Path to Him (with true Faith Islamic Monotheism) and obedience to Him, and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe to those who join gods with Allah.? (Fussilat, 41: 6)



If we are to talk about the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the Divine Revelation, we have to clearly know what is an inspiration. Inspiration is informing in secrecy. Meaning, to inform a person with something and none else perceive it except you and him. It is a revelation in secrecy between the inspiring person and the person inspired. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, inspired all His Prophets, in other words, all celestial messages were revealed through Divine Inspiration.



In this regard, The Truth [Al-Haqq: one of the Beautiful Names of Allah], all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):



?Verily, We have inspired you (O Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) as We inspired Nuh (Noah) and the Prophets after him; We (also) inspired Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma?il (Ishmael), Ishaque (Isaac), Ya?qub (Jacob), and Al?-Asbat [the twelve sons of Ya?qub (Jacob)], ?Issa (Jesus), Ayub (Job), Yunus (Jonah), Harun (Aaron), and Sulaiman (Solomon), and to Dawood (David) We gave the Zabur (Psalms).? (An-Nis⒬ 4: 163)



And the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?Then We inspired Musa (Moses) (saying): ?Strike the sea with your stick.? And it parted, and each separate part (of that sea water) became like the huge, firm mass of a mountain.? (Ash-Shu?ar⒬ 26: 63)



Meaning Of Divine Inspiration



But was Divine Inspiration limited to prophets and messengers alone? No, Allah inspired angels, mankind and bees, as well as inanimate objects as informs the Noble Qur?an. Allah inspired the angels at the Battle of Badr, when Allah wanted to give firmness to the believers and grant them victory on the first battle fought against the chiefs of disbelief. The Most Exalted says (what means):



?(Remember) when your Lord inspired the angels, ?Verily, I am with you, so keep firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks, and smite over all their fingers and toes.?? (Al-Anf⬬ 8: 12)



Allah also inspired the mother of Musa (may Allah be pleased with her) when He commanded her to cast her son into the river. The Most Exalted says (what means):



?And We inspired the mother of Musa (Moses), (saying): ?Suckle him [Musa (Moses)], but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river and fear not, nor grieve. Verily! We shall bring him back to you, and shall make him one of (Our) Messengers.?? (Al-Qasas, 28: 7)



At receiving Divine Inspiration it completely masters the mind and admits no room for human deliberation. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, inspired the mother of Musa, who was terrified lest Pharaoh and his soldiers should kill her infant son. Pharaoh ordered that every son born to Banu Israel should be killed, after the fortunetellers told him that a man from Banu Israel would put an end to his sovereignty.



Had human reason interfered, the mother of Musa would not have done it. How could she throw an infant son in a box into the sea to save him from death!! What if the tumultuous waves rolled and tossed about the box carrying the child and overturned it. What if a strong wind or a storm raged, or rain filled the box and it sank down. Or the sea carried it away at a distant place and he perished of hunger and thirst.



Reason and logic dictate that the mother of Musa should hide her son away from people?s eyes, or move him to a remote place to hide him there, or seek a cave in a mount or any other refuge where she may hide Musa from the eyes of Pharaoh?s men. But casting him into the sea would seem as though saving him from a looming death to a certain one.



But when the Divine Command came, and the Almighty said (what means):



?Behold! We sent to Your mother, by inspiration, the message: ?Throw (the child) into the chest, and throw (the chest) into the river: the river will cast him up on the bank, and he will be taken up by one who is an enemy to Me and an enemy to him.?? (T⭭H⬠20: 38-39)



The mother of Musa did not think about all this, but only executed the Command given by Divine Inspiration. But after executing it and the Inspiration had gone away from her, she awakened; therefore she hurried to his sister asking her to follow the box carried by the river.



When the river carried the box to the palace of Pharaoh, the mother of Musa was greatly distressed: instead of hiding her son away from Pharaoh?s men, she actually handed him over to Pharaoh himself. But Almighty Allah has a Wisdom, which shows us that by His Might and Majesty that reigns Supreme, He made the enemy, Pharaoh, bring up and shelter the son who would end his sovereignty.



The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, inspires the angels, the Messengers and whomever he wills from his servants just as He inspired the mother of Musa. He also inspires His righteous servants, as He inspired the Disciples, who were not prophets but faithful followers of the Prophet ?Issa (Jesus, peace be upon him). In this regard, Almighty Allah says (what means):



?And when I (Allah) inspired the Disciples [of Jesus] to believe in Me and My Messenger, they said: ?We believe. And bear witness that we are Muslims.?? (Al-M⒩dah, 5: 111)



Almighty Allah also inspired the bees, as informs the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?And your Lord inspired the bee, saying: ?Take you habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect.?? (An-Nahl, 16:68)



Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, also inspired inanimate beings in the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?When the earth is shaken with its (final) earthquake. And when the earth throws out its burdens, and man will say: ?What is the matter with it?? That Day it will declare its information (about all what happened over it of good or evil). Because your Lord has inspired it.? (Az-Zalzalah, 99: 1-5)



It follows that Divine Inspiration is not restricted to Prophets only, but to whomever Allah, the Exalted and Ever-Majestic, wills to inspire.



Inspiration is a Mercy of Allah towards His servants. Allah does not convey His Law directly to His Messengers, because human nature cannot bear it, unless it is an Inspiration. About Divine Inspiration, Almighty Allah says (what means):



?It is not given to any human being that Allah should speak to him unless (it be) by Inspiration, or from behind a veil.? (Ash-Sh?42: 51)



When Musa (peace be upon him) wanted to see his Lord, he said (as relates the Noble Qur?an):



?O my Lord! Show me (Yourself).? (Al-A?r⦬ 7: 143)



The Truth, all glory be to Him, replied (saying what means):



??You cannot see Me, but look upon the mountain if it stands still in its place then you shall see Me.? So when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He made it collapse to dust, and Musa (Moses) fell down unconscious.? (Al-A?r⦬ 7: 143)



We can see that human nature and the nature of man?s creation from clay make him unable to endure the Light of Allah. The request of Musa to see his Lord could be probable, if he wanted his Lord to prepare him in a special way so that he could see Him. Without this, it will not be possible in the life of this World. But as to the Hereafter, Allah changes the nature of His Creation to grant them eternal life.



The Wisdom Of Choosing The Prophet Illiterate



Before divinely inspiring His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, cleared him of any suspicion that the Revelations he would receive from Heaven pertain to any human knowledge, whether to the civilization of previous nations or could have read them in books or other sources.1





Therefore Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, chose His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) illiterate. To be illiterate means to remain as his mother gave birth to him, without receiving any knowledge from humans. This illiteracy was an honor bestowed upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Why? Because Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, Who chose him to be the Last of the Prophets, wanted to teach him by Himself. He wanted His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to receive heavenly knowledge only.



Therefore, Allah chose him to be illiterate. It is from the excellence of the preparation that the Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, conferred on His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). If the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) knew how to read or write they would have claimed that he received knowledge from what he read, or the books of the ancients, or the civilizations of contemporary nations. Therefore, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, chose him to be illiterate, with pure instinct, so that the acquisition of knowledge is through his Almighty Lord, Alone, and all the knowledge and teachings he possesses are from Allah, so that all people learn well that the entire knowledge of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) came from Heaven.



But in spite of that Divine Choice and its wisdom, disbelieving minds remained blind to it and claimed that only a human taught him, and further claimed that the knowledge he brought are only tales of the ancients.



Allah, Blessed and Exlated be He, answers by reminding them of the illiteracy sign in His Messenger, saying (what means):



?Neither did you (O Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) read any book before it (this Qur?an), nor did you write any book (whatsoever) with your right hand. In that case, indeed, the followers of falsehood might have doubted.? (Al-?Ankab?9: 48)



Thus, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, is informing the entire humanity that He chose His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) illiterate. An answer back to the false accusations made by the advocators of falsehood and the enemies of Faith, who spitefully alleged that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) forged this Qur?an. Therefore, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says to His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in this Ayah what means: Had you known how to read or write before Prophethood, the supporters of falsehood could have claimed that you forged this Qur?an, but you neither can read nor write; you have never read a single word in your whole life before the Message, nor written a single word. For Words are conveyed to you uttered by the Voice of Heaven, as proven by the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?And be not in haste (O Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>) with the Qur?an before its revelation is completed to you, and say: ?My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.?? (T⭭H⬠20: 114)



Therefore, their dispute is sheer falsehood. It is only a stubborn resistance to faith and a vain pretext for disbelief, but their lies recoiled upon them. Bearing on that, Almighty Allah tells His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to answer back the false allegations of the followers of falsehood saying (what means):



?Say (O Muhammad, ա젇ᡥ ڡ�擡㼯span>): ?If Allah had so willed, I should not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you. Verily, I have stayed amongst you a life time before this. Have you then no sense??? (Yunus, 10: 16)



The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, told His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to answer them saying that he stayed amongst them for forty years, which is quite a long time, during it he never said that he was divinely inspired or brought up words of his own. Had they thought of the long years that the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had spent amongst them before being divinely inspired, and that he never invented anything, it would have sufficed as a conclusive proof for believing him. If someone still claims that genius might appear in a servant of Allah, though uneducated and cannot read, we wonder saying: what kind of genius may suddenly appear at the age of forty?



Genius usually appears at young age and does not wait for forty years to manifest itself. If someone claimed that genius might have appeared at young age but was suppressed by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) till the age of forty, we answer by saying that Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was not certain the he would live till the age of forty, especially that his father died before his birth and his mother died while he was still a child, and he was brought up an orphan of both parents.



The idea he conceived of death would be its seizure of people at young age, just as it had seized his parents, so would it be plausible that he would suppress his genius till the age of forty? Had his parents, who are the dearest to him, lived till the age of sixty or forty we would have said that he might have expected to live as long as they did, but such an early death of his parents could not leave within his soul any trust that he would live till he attain that age.



Therefore, illiteracy was an honor to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and a necessity to answer back false allegations, and an assurance to the believers that all what the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had brought is a Divine Revelation. Regretfully, these false allegations still revolve in the minds of some freethinkers for the purpose of detested fame and repulsive arrogance that quickly dies away because they are ways of falsehood, and falsehood is of no avail against the truth.



Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, willed that Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) be raised an orphan, so that none would dare say that he availed himself of his father?s authority or was backed by some power other than that of Allah. While still a child his mother brought him before the wet nurses to have him raised as a strong man in the desert life; but the women who came to choose the children they would nurse looked for a child who had a living father, to be generously paid by him. Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was offered to all wet nurses, but as soon as they were told that he was fatherless, they refused to take him, because each wished for the reward the father would give them. So, the moment a wet nurse learned that he was fatherless she withdrew, all except Halimah As-Sa?diah (may Allah be pleased with her), who was among the wet nurses and did not find a baby whom she could suckle.



When Halimah found herself the only one who did not win a child to nurse she said to herself, ?By Allah, I hate to return amongst my companions without a baby. By Allah, I will return to that orphan and take him; it may be that Allah will grant us blessings through him.? Halimah added, ?What made me take him is that I did not find another child.?



Halimah took the orphan boy and after that her house was filled with blessings. Her cattle grew fat and strong, whereas other people?s grazing cattle found no pasturage on the barren ground of Banu Sa?d. The sheep that belonged to Halimah gave milk abundantly, whereas other people?s sheep hardly gave a drop of milk, which made people say to their shepherds, ?Go to the pastureland where the sheep of Halimah graze.?



Marvels and miracles continued to manifest themselves. One day two men dressed in white clothes came while the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was playing with ?Abdullah bin Al-Harith, the son of Halimah, the wet nurse of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and his brother by suckling. They took the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and opened his stomach and chest, and then extracted from his heart something that resembled a black clot. Then they washed his chest with something that resembled snow. Then one of them said to his companion, ?Weigh him against ten people of his nation.? And the scale of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) outweighed. Again he said, ?Weigh him against one hundred of his nation.? And the scale of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) outweighed. And again he said, ?Weigh him against one thousand of his nation.? And the scale of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) outweighed. Finally he said, ?By Allah, if you weighed him against his whole nation, still his scale would outweigh.?



It is said that the two angels purified the heart of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) while still a child from Satan?s share that is in every human, so that in his heart there only remains belief in the Oneness of Allah. Thereupon, ?Abdullah hurried to his mother and father extremely terrified and told them that two men dressed in white took his Quraishy brother and opened his stomach and chest. Upon hearing that, Halimah and her husband hurried terrified, but they found the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) standing safe and sound. After that incident Halimah feared lest something might happen to Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), so she decided to return him to his mother.



God?s Elect, Chosen From The Choicest Descent



This way Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was raised fully prepared to receive the Message and the Divine Revelations. Allah made him a human because the humanity of the Messenger is a necessity to convey the Divine Law to his people. He sent him as a Messenger from amongst his own people, to be well known amongst them by his noble manners and honesty. And he made him an orphan so that none would claim that he used his father?s authority or high standing. He made him illiterate so that none would claim that he received his knowledge from human culture. And He chose him from the best, of the noblest descent.



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:



?Verily, Allah has created His creatures and chose from the creatures the Children of Adam, and chose from the Children of Adam the Arabs, and chose from the Arabs Mudar, and chose from Mudar the Quraish, and chose from Banu Quraish Banu Hashim, and chose me from Hashim. So I am the chosen from the choicest (origins) from the choicest (descent). Thus, whoever loves the Arabs by loving me loves them and whoever hates the Arabs by hating me hates them.?



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also said:



?Verily, Allah has selected from the Children of Ibrahim (Abraham) Isma?il (Ishmael), and selected from the Children of Isma?il (Ishmael) Banu Kinanah, and selected from Banu Kinanah the Quraish, and selected from the Quraish Banu Hashim, and selected me from Banu Hashim.?



Here we must stop at the statements of some orientalists who claimed that there exists contradiction between the sanctified hadith and the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) said to his father Azar: ?Do you take idols as gods? Verily, I see you and your people in manifest error.?? (Al-An?⭬ 6: 74)



The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was descended from the family of our Prophet Isma?il (peace be upon him), the son of the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), Khalilu Allah (i.e., the close dear servant to Allah). Some people think that Azar was the father of our Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). The answer we give is that among the customs of the Arabs is that the son used to call his uncle: ?My father so and so? but when calling his father he only said, ?Father? and did not mention his father?s name. When Khalilu Allah, Ibrahim, called Azar he did not just say, ?Father? but he said, ?My father Azar.?



The Noble Qur?an stated the name ?Azar? to clarify that he is not the father of Ibrahim, but his uncle. The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, further clarifies this to us through the glorious Ayah saying (what means):



?Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya?qub (Jacob)? When he said unto his sons, ?What will you worship after me?? They said: ?We shall worship your God and the God of your fathers, Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma?il (Ishmael), and Ishaque (Isaac). The One (True) God: to Him we bow (in Islam).?? (Al-Baqarah, 2: 133)



We can clearly see from the aforesaid Ayah that Ibrahim was the grandfather, whereas Ishaque was the father of Ya?qub, and Isma?il was the uncle of Ya?qub, but the glorious Ayah stated together Ibrahim, Isma?il and Ishaque and described them all as fathers. Therefore, the nephews used to call their also uncle by father; but they differentiated between the real father and the uncle by adding the uncle?s name when calling him, saying: ?Our father so and so.? Accordingly, Azar was the uncle of Ibrahim and there is no contradiction between the sanctified hadith and the Glorious Qur?an.



The forty years that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) lived before the Divine Revelation marked God?s election, for as a child his behavior was characterized by equanimity, not fun and playing. When he was a child the grown people were pleased to hear his wisdom. His grandfather, ?Abdul-Mutalib, used to favor him over his children, saying, ?This son of mine will be a man of great importance.? And he loved him more than his own children, and used to say, ?Truly, Muhammad is blessed.?



Of all people he was the most chivalrous, the most armed with patience and the most truthful. He use