Читать книгу The Qur'an: Essential Teachings - Abdur Raheem Kidwai - Страница 9

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Allah’s Messengers

Allah has certainly done a favour to the believers when He sent down among them a Messenger from among themselves, who recites to them His revelation, purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, while before that people had been in manifest error.

(Āl ‘Imrān 3:164)

THIS concise Qur’ānic passage states who is Allah’s Messenger, why he is sent down and what role and functions he performs. A clear understanding of this key Qur’ānic passage helps one grasp the Islamic concept of messengership and the important position of the Messenger in Islam, which is next only to that of Allah. Since the Messenger is central to faith, the Qur’ān spells out distinctly his status and the domain of his activities. This definitive Qur’ānic statement was also necessary in view of the prevailing misperceptions among the Arabs of the day about venerating their messengers beyond the permitted limit, even to the point of ascribing divinity to them. The most glaring such example is that of the Christians who mistook their Messenger Jesus, son of Mary as, God forbid, the Son of God. The Hindus too, have misconstrued messengers as the incarnation of God.

The Qur’ān dismisses such an outrageous proposition, asserting that it is beyond any messenger to lay claim to divinity:

It is not possible that a man to whom the Book has been given and wisdom and the Messenger’s office, should say to people: “Be you my worshippers, rather than Allah’s.” On the contrary, he would say: “Be you worshippers of Him Who is truly the Cherisher of all.”

(Āl ‘Imrān 3:79)

“Allah does not ask you to take angels and prophets for lords and patrons. What! Would He ask you to unbelief after you have surrendered to Him?”

(Āl ‘Imrān 3:80)

The Qur’ān makes a point of bringing out the humanness of all the messengers, especially the Prophet Jesus (peace and blessings be upon him). Take this statement as illustrative: “Jesus Christ does not disdain to serve and worship Allah,” (al-Nisā’ 4:172). He is seen declaring: “I am indeed a servant of Allah. He has blessed me with revelation and made me a Messenger,” (Maryam 19:30). Significantly enough, almost all the messengers are introduced in the Qur’ān as Allah’s servants, for example, Zakariyā (Maryam 19:2), Noah (al-Isrā’ 17:3), David (Ṣād 38:17), Solomon (Ṣād 38:30), Job (Ṣād 38:41 and 44), Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael (Ṣād 38:45) and Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) (al-Isrā’ 17:1, al-Baqarah 2:23, al-Furqān 25:1, al-Kahf 18:1 and al-Ḥadīd 57:9). In all these instances, the messengers are described as ‘Abd Allah (servant of Allah). Likewise, the Arabs of the Prophet Muḥammad’s day found it hard, rather impossible, to believe that a fellow human being could serve as God’s Messenger. For them, it was too elevated an office to be held by a fellow human being.

The Qur’ān recounts the unbelievers’ rejection of messengers on the grounds that they are ordinary human beings: “There came to them Messengers with clear signs. But they said: ‘Shall a mere human being direct us?’ So they rejected the Message and turned away,” (al-Taghābun 64:6). The same point features in their remarks reported in the Qur’ān elsewhere (see Ibrāhīm 14:10, Yā Sīn 36:15, al-Shu‘arā’ 26:154 and 186, al-Isrā’ 17:94, al-Anbiyā’ 21:3, al-Mu’minūn 23:24, 33 and 47). The messengers, however, always presented themselves as human beings: “Their Messengers said to them: ‘True, we are human like you, but Allah grants His grace to such of His servants as He pleases’,” (Ibrāhīm 14:11). Of a similar import are the following Qur’ānic verses: al-Isrā’ 17:93, al-Kahf 18:110 and Fuṣṣilat 41:6.

In sum, serious misgivings about the Messenger’s humanness, his office and his role had been in circulation when the Qur’ān declared the above. This statement dispels all the mental cobwebs about this important institution, clarifying who the Messenger is and what he does by Allah’s command.

The first and foremost point to be noted is that the Messenger represents Allah’s invaluable favour to mankind. For, without the Messenger, mankind would have groped in error and ignorance. Man would not, of course, have found his own way to Allah, and as a result, he would have missed for ever such everlasting bounties from Allah as divine guidance, an excellent role model for leading one’s life and deliverance in the Next. We must be thankful to Allah for having blessed us with His messengers in the same measure as we owe gratitude to Allah for providing us with the basic necessities of life, for example, air, water, food and parents.

That Allah’s Messenger constitutes a divine favour for believers signifies that believers show their readiness to derive numerous and abiding benefits from the Messenger. On the contrary, the unbelievers follow the path of self-destruction in rejecting him. The believers greet his message and so doing they improve their prospects both in this life and the Next. Allah’s Messenger, like any bounty of nature such as sunlight or rainfall is a source of immense benefit for everyone. However, only the believers make the most of his message. By opposing and rejecting him the unbelievers foolishly deny themselves a great bounty.

As to the Qur’ānic statement that the Messenger is “from among” the people whom he addresses, it stands out as yet another favour from Allah. Had the Messenger been from some other species, say an angel or jinn, it would have been impossible for people to follow in his footsteps. For, he would simply have been too different to be emulated in any degree. In his response system, his abilities and capacities, his performance level and his deportment, someone from another species would not have provided an inspiration for man to follow.

Likewise, if he had been from another community, ethnic, linguistic or cultural, it would again have posed problems. His “otherness” would have been a formidable barrier to accepting him. Nationalistic pride would have stopped people from paying any attention to him. Or the language barrier would have denied people’s ability to mix with him. Furthermore, his alien socio-cultural profile would have kept people away from him. Allah provided a great favour to mankind in selecting the Messenger from among the people whom he first approached. Otherwise, people would not have drawn any benefit from him.

Take the example of the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as illustrative. As a member of the leading family and tribe of Makkah and Arabia, and having lived for a full 40 years among his immediate addressees he was a thoroughly familiar figure locally. He knew first-hand the ailments afflicting his society. The Makkans enjoyed free, direct access to him and could communicate with him in their own language and at any time and place convenient for them. They could easily relate to him and in strict confidence. Likewise, they could verify his claims and conduct, without any difficulty. Unlike an outsider, he could not take them for a ride. That they could interact with him all the time was to their great advantage.

Under the Prophet Muḥammad’s care and guidance, man learnt how to lead a purposive life, which, in turn, benefited the larger society. His sending down by Allah, no doubt, constituted a major favour. He instructed his followers in excellent morals and manners, spiritual development and flawless conduct. The role model afforded by him is a blessing for mankind for all time and place. For, following his example, man can attain the highest rank imaginable in both worlds. Viewed thus, his advent signifies Allah’s immense favour.

What follows, in the Qur’ānic passage quoted at the outset of this chapter, is a pithy description of the Messenger’s assignment, demonstrating his central position both in matters of faith and in man’s individual and collective life. A messenger accomplishes, in the main, the following four life-enriching functions.

i. He preaches to man Allah’s revelations.

ii. He purifies man.

iii. He teaches man the Book of Allah.

iv. He imparts wisdom to man.

i. Presenting Allah’s message of guidance is his primary function, as is clear from his self-evident title of messenger. He conveys faithfully and vigorously the divine message to everyone. Transmitting the Word of Allah in its pristine purity is his main duty. This point is exemplified best by the Prophet Muḥammad’s illustrious life. Even in the face of all the obstructions and persecution faced by him, he made a point of preaching the Oneness of Allah throughout his career. He dismissed outright any compromise on this vital issue. It is on record that he paid no heed to the pleas of his affectionate guardian and uncle, Abū Ṭālib, who, swayed by tribal affiliation, asked him to soften his stance on idolatry and polytheism. With his unflinching resolve the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) communicated each and every word of the divine message, which is codified as the Qur’ān. It enabled both his immediate addressees and later generations to benefit immeasurably from divine guidance. This divine arrangement of conveying eternal guidance through the agency of a messenger and preserving it until the end of time may thus be regarded as an outstanding favour extended by Allah. For it helps mankind identify and follow the Straight Way and win His pleasure and abiding success, particularly in the After-Life.

ii. The Messenger’s other role consists in being a social reformer and spiritual mentor. Apart from preaching the Word of Allah, he sees to it that men imbibe its spirit in their individual and collective lives. Needless to add, this cannot be achieved without ensuring first their moral transformation and spiritual regeneration. These twin functions are performed by the Messenger. It is under his care that the believers manage to attain heights of moral and spiritual development. He instructs and guides them in every sphere of human activity, teaching them what is lawful and unlawful and instilling in them the belief that all their actions are closely watched by Allah. Since Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing and All-Knowing, they cannot escape Him in the slightest. Furthermore, since Allah embodies perfect justice, they are destined to be recompensed in all fairness and in full for their actions, both good and evil. Thanks to this pervading God-consciousness, believers make a point of thinking and acting only good. They thus turn into virtuous human beings, concerned solely with winning Allah’s pleasure which alone brings about their deliverance. As a result of these teachings persuasively articulated by the messenger, believers are likely to achieve moral and spiritual perfection.

This is what really happened in seventh-century Arabia, as is graphically recorded in history. When the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) embarked on his mission, calling men to accept Allah’s final and eternal message, the Makkan Arabs, his immediate addressees, enjoyed an unenviable reputation for their evil deeds, low morality and spiritual abasement. Under the Prophet’s able guidance and affectionate care, however, these notorious people turned out to be such paragons of virtue, the likes of whom the world has not witnessed since or before them. These early Muslims or the Prophet’s Companions stand out for their excellent character, their devotion to Allah, their commitment to truth, justice and equality, and their exemplary conduct. Their model behaviour, so to speak, cast a magic rather a magnetic spell on all those with whom they came into contact. It was one of the main reasons for the phenomenal spread of Islam even in far-off lands. Wherever these early Muslims went, they won over the hearts and minds of people, which resulted in the rapid expansion and consolidation of Islam. All this was possible only because of the model provided by the Messenger as an exemplary teacher. This underscores yet another of Allah’s favours. Had Allah not assigned this role to the Messenger, the believers, in particular, and mankind in general, would not have known or scaled such heights of moral and spiritual elevation. Without the unblemished role model of the Messenger, mankind could not grasp or emulate the description of excellent conduct as spelled out in the Qur’ān, and which is expected of man by Allah.

The Messenger’s function of purifying man resided in his instructing man to shun all that may pollute him physically, morally and spiritually. For he declared what is unclean for the body and asked the believers to avoid the same so as to ensure physical cleanliness and personal hygiene. More importantly, his teachings cleansed man of such abominations as idolatry, pride, this-worldliness and all other vices. He also instructed believers in attaining the sincerity and purity of intention. In sum, the Messenger discharged the function of a reformer of mankind.

iii. Another equally important function of the Messenger is his teaching and elucidating of the Word of Allah. His role is not of a mere courier who transmits the message. Rather, it is his assignment to elaborate the message in its finer details and to bring out clearly its import, dimensions and implications. This helps the believers grasp better its meaning. As men are of different intellectual calibre, it is important that the divine message be presented before them in an idiom best suited for them. Then, there are points in the Book in their abstract or theoretical form. It is the Messenger who demonstrates these to the complete satisfaction of people. Moreover, some points are open to more than one interpretation. Once again, the Messenger performs a key role in offering its correct interpretation, which saves people from falling into a trap or wandering in error.

The role of the Messenger as a teacher par excellence is illustrated by the Prophet Muḥammad’s distinguished career. Throughout his twenty-three year long assignment as Allah’s Messenger, his main preoccupation was the elaboration of the Qur’ān, the Book of Allah, for the benefit of those around him. His devotion to this task was so absorbing that on being asked to comment on the Prophet’s conduct, his wife and close associate, ‘Ā’ishah remarked that he exemplified in practice what the Qur’ān prescribes in theory. In doing so, the Prophet acted on the Qur’ānic directive issued to him: “We have sent down unto you the Message; that you may explain clearly to men what is sent for them”, (al-Naḥl 16:44).

Had the Messenger only delivered the Book to the people, without any elucidation, or without setting his personal example, it would not have benefited people much. His advent as teacher may, therefore, be reckoned as Allah’s favour to mankind.

iv. Besides expounding the Book of Allah, the Messenger imparts guidance and wisdom in a broad, general sense to believers, enabling them to mould their lives in accordance with the way prescribed by Allah. These instructions are rooted in the Book itself. As men face varied life situations and stand in need of divine guidance, the Messenger guides them at every step. This helps them follow steadily and consistently the Straight Way shown by Allah.

This life-enriching role of a mentor was accomplished by the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him). He guided thousands of Muslims in his lifetime and more remarkably, his wise sayings (aḥādīth) and exemplary practice (Sunnah) have helped hundreds of millions of Muslims down the millennia. Needless to add, this guidance embraces the entire gamut of man’s life. Thanks to the divine scheme of things, the wisdom imparted by the Messenger is characterised by such timelessness that it is as relevant and rewarding for mankind today as it was in the seventh century when he first presented these directives. His instructions have such a force and appeal as to transform the mindsets of believers even today.

To sum up, before Allah sent down His Messenger, who stands out as a perfect preacher, moral and spiritual reformer, teacher and mentor, mankind was steeped in error and ignorance: man must be thankful to Allah for this massive favour. For it is only with the help of the Messenger in transmitting, demonstrating and elucidating the divine message that man can follow the way approved by Allah.

Related Qur’ānic passages for self-study

al-Baqarah 2:129, 151, and 212

al-A‘rāf 7:29

al-Tawbah 9:33

Ibrāhīm 14:1

al-Naḥl 16:2

al-Isrā’ 17:92-95

al-Kahf 18:55

al-Mu’minūn 23:22

al-Furqān 25:20

al-Jumu‘ah 62:2

al-Ṭalāq 65:10-11