Islam the Religion of Mankind

Evaluation of the Divine Messages

Where do the Messages Meet

".... and it is not in (the power of) an apostle to bring a portent save by Allah's leave; for everything there is a time prescribed. Allah effaces and establishes what He pleases, and with Him is the source of the Book." Sura Ra'd (13:38&39)

It is quite clear from the above verses of the Qur'an that Allah has the power and authority to efface, abrogate and change the divine laws according to what He thinks is best suited for a particular period and era as also the stage of human development. However these changes are only legislative in nature, and are firmly based on the unwavering fundamental principles, which are quite remarkably the same in all messages preached by all the prophets.

In other words the messages and laws advocated by the prophets and apostles throughout the course of history were based on the same principles, foundations and aims, though they differed in certain secondary points concerning certain legislations and duties, which were time-bound, depending upon the particular period of human history.

In order to clearly distinguish between the points where these messages and laws part and meet along the line of this unified religion - Islam - whose principles and foundations never change and are constant, it is necessary to trace back the aims of the divine messages, and to recognize the core of their call and the content of their structure, as related in the glorious Qur'an, and examplified by the lives and teachings of the prophets.

Principles Common in All Messages

1. All the messages have a common belief which is the major basis on which the entire structure of religion, as well as man's concepts and general thoughts about the universe and life are built.

The concept of the Oneness of Allah - monotheism - and the belief in His messengers, angels, scriptures, and the hereafter, is the meeting point around which the messages preached by the prophets gather - there was no prophet who had not called for believing in Allah, in worshipping Him and accepting His Oneness; and who had not announced reward and forewarned punishment.

The glorious Qur'an confirms this fact and relates several examples of the actual words and calls of the prophets addressed to their peoples, some of which are cited below:

"... and the Messiah said: O Children of Israel! serve Allah, my Lord and your Lord ... ." Sura Mai'da (5:72)

"And to (the tribe of) 'Aad (We sent) their brother Hud (the prophet). He said: O my people! serve Allah, you have no god other than Him ... ." Sura A'raf (7:65)

"Certainly We sent Noah to his people, so he said: O my people! serve Allah, you have no god other than Him." Sura A'raf (7:59)

"And to (the tribe of) Thamood (We sent) their Salih (the prophet). He said: O my people! serve brother you have no god other than Him; clear proof indeed Allah, has come to you from your Lord ... ." Sura A'raf (7:73)

"And to Midi an (We sent) their brother Shu'aib (the prophet). He said: O my people! serve Allah, you have no god other than Him; clear proof indeed has come to you from your Lord; so give full measure and weight, and do not diminish to people their things, and do not make mischief in the land after its reform; this is better for you, if you are believers." Sura A'raf (7:85)

"And (We sent) Abraham when he said to his people: Serve Allah, and be careful of (your duty to) Him; this is best for you, if you did but know." Sura Ankabut (29:16)

"And certainly We raised in every nation an apostle, (proclaiming): Serve Allah and shun false gods. So there were some of them (nations) whom Allah guided, and there were others upon whom error had just hold." Sura Nahl (16:36)

"And We did not send before you any apostle but We revealed to him, that there is no god but Me (Allah), therefore serve Me." Sura Anbiya (21:25)

2. All the messages have a single aim and advocate good conduct and behaviour, and call people to be righteous, to purify their souls, organize life on the basis of truth and justice, and to fight against injustice , transgression and corruption. The Prophets themselves embodied the highest ideals and the noblest manners and were worthy models of emulation as Allah the Exalted says:

"And we made them Imams (leaders) who guided (people) by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good and the keeping up of prayer and the giving of the alms, and Us (alone) did they serve." Sura Anbiya (21:73)

While discussing the elements common in all the divine invitations and messages, we should not forget to refer to an ambiguity which has been talked about a lot within the circles of the Orientalists and their followers whose skepticism is the result of their hostile attitude towards Islam. They allege that the Qur'an was authored by Muhammad (s.a.w.)'himself, and that he was influenced by the Torah and the Gospel,

and they point out a number of common concepts present in the Qur'an as a proof according to their ambiguity - that it has borrowed its ideals from these two Scriptures, due to Muhammad's (s.a.w.) contacts with Jews and Christians. The advocates of this absurd theory thought that they had discovered a grave defect which according to them questions the very authenticity of the Qur'an and its being a divine revelation.

But surely any one endowed with rational thinking needs no proof to refute this ambiguity about the Qur'an being influenced by the Jewish and Christian thought. It suffices just to remember that all the messages have actually sprung from the same common source - Almighty Allah - the aims of all messages are the same, and therefore the principle elements in the divine proclamations should be common.

This amity of principles, concepts and aims is the result of their single origin, i.e. the unbroken chain of Divine Inspiration which strived to guide man to serve Allah alone, and to liberate humanity from diverse superstitious servitudes to demi-gods and idols. Thus it is clear that these are neither the result of borrowing nor of personal affection, as the skeptics allege, but the proof of the continuation of the Divine Guidance.

Therefore, by recognizing these facts we reach the conclusion that the common similarities between the divine messages are a divine reality that gives unquestionable evidence to the truthfulness of Muhammad's (s.a.w.) prophethood, since it proves that the proclamations of Islam advocate the same goals and aims that had been advocated by the preceding prophets.

Where do the Messages Differ

In the previous chapters, we explained the basic concepts common in all the divine messages, since they originated from a single source. As to the points of difference among the divine messages proclaimed by the prophets these were necessitated due to the changing times and circumstances and concerned only certain secondary principles such as legislation, ways of worship and methods of organizing life.

Each message had its particular legislative form through which the teachings of Islam and its major goals in life were suitably expressed. It similarly had its particular way of organizing the society and style of worship, depending upon the period of revelation, the place, the comprehension of the people and the distortion done by the deviators to the previous message and scripture. The Qur'an explains and asserts this by saying:

"And We have revealed to you the Book (Qur'an) with the truth confirming whatever of the Book(s) was before it and a guardian over it, so judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their low desires (to turn away) from the truth which has come to you, for everyone of you We have appointed a divine law and a (traced out) way, and if Allah had willed, He would have made you (all) a single nation, but that He might try you in what He gave you, so vie one with another to hasten to virtuous deeds ..." Sura Mai'da (5:48)

This Qur'anic explanation is enough to make us realize that the differences of the messages merely concern points of legislation, ways of life, and methods of ruling according to a particular time, era or circumstances.

Here, the Qur'an stresses that it is a divine book confirming the previous divine messages, and at the same time 'guarding' their goals. The word .guardian used by the Qur'an is a clear reference to the havoc wrought on the previous scriptures, especially on the Torah and the Gospel, by Jews and Christians, who deviating from the messages proclaimed by Moses and Jesus ( a.s. ), changed, altered, added and revised these scriptures so frequently, that practically nothing divine is left in these books, except those points which are common to the Qur'an.

Hence the Qur'an's emphasis on its laws, regulations and teachings which are to be dominant and observed by all mankind, because these are the ones suitable for humanity in its final march, and these are the most perfect legislative forms ever devised, and are in perfect harmony with human progress and cultural growth.

Therefore, the differences between one message and the other regarding certain secondary principles was the result of the changing circumstances and situations and the stages of human cultural, mental, physical and psychological development, though basically all messages advocated the same common concepts and goals. Thus, the duties, the worshipping precepts, and the laws brought by the previous prophets were in conformity with, and in accordance to, the prevailing situation and conditions.

Why so many Messages

From the illustrative examples presented by the Qur'an of the lives of the prophets, the nature of their messages and their struggles against the disbelievers, it is possible to understand the reasons for the many messages and more exactly the reason for the coming of so many messengers and prophets.

Before persuing this subject further, we should know that not all the prophets brought messages or laws to the people they were sent to. Actually, a greater number of prophets had no particular message and were in fact sent only to preach and promote the message of the , Reformer - Prophet' who preceded them, because people had deviated from the original concept of the message or falsified it.

So, these prophets were not 'Law - givers' but mere 'Reminders' calling people to return to the true message and laws of the 'Reformer - Prophet'.

The questions may arise: Why so many messages?

Why had Allah the Exalted, sent so many messengers, and why wasn't He contented with just a single prophet to be followed by mankind generation after generation? To answer these questions we have to study the reasons which caused so many envoys, with as many messages to be sent. We must scrutinize the history of the nations, analyse the lives of the peoples, as well as the contents of these divine messages. By doing so we come to infer the following points:

1. The foremost cause of so many messages and messengers was human nature itself and particularly of those people to whom the messages were addressed. The intellectual, physical and psychological abilities of people are not equal and may differ due to such factors as the period of history, development of civilization and etc.

Therefore, religion had to pace along the stages of mankind's gradual progress and development, in harmony with its mental comprehension. The more mature man gets in his needs and understanding, the more perfect is the religion he is in need of. This is in fact, an aspect of divine wisdom and equity, because Allah the Exalted is Just and Wise, His Will never contradictory, His Aim never conflicting, and His Judgement never partial.

For this reason the laws and the duties had to be in accordance with man's abilities and capacities, in fullfilment of his interest and good:

"Allah does not impose upon any soul a duty but to the extent of its ability ... ." Sura Baqara (2:286)

On this basis, coordination has been made strong between the progress of man's existence and the rules of religious legislation, away from any sort of conflict or contradiction.

It is clear from the above cited reasons that the many messages are in proportional harmony with the progress of humanity and that each new message on the ladder of divine proclamations is on a higher rung, more progressive and more perfect than the preceding one.

2. The second cause explaining the number of messages was the ignorance and superstitions prevalent among the people, due to their particular living conditions and social and natural environments, plus the existence of imposters and hypocrites, who never missed an opportunity to twist the original meanings and exploit the peoples' ignorance for their own selfish interests, thus leading them astray. So in these circumstances a new message was necessary to cure and exterminate the prevalent moral disease.

It was an act directed to uproot deviation, and to restore the natural balance to the movement of the soul and the society, and to lead life towards its sound and humanistic direction.

The Qur'an tells us about the symptoms of these diseases of ignorance and superstitions which appeared in diverse forms along the course of history and across the space of human life, and presents them as selected examples of warnings and deterrent lessons. It tells us about the greed and corruption of the Nabateans; the decadence of sexual ethics in the people of Prophet Lot (a.s.) - Sodom and Gomorrah - and the covetousness of Bani Israel (Jews), etc. Hence, the sending of the prophets to uproot and exterminate these moral diseases.

3. Sending numerous prophets also implies a continual reminder and warning, and the unceasing reformative and social interaction with the new message. It also confirms the divine guidance of man and leading him along the right path, so that Allah may complete His blessings and kindness on all peoples, and the evidence of His benevolence may be nurtured among them, so that no one on the Judgement Day may offer an excuse for one's sins and disobediences, on the pretext of being kept ignorant of the truth and left unguided.

Allah, the Exalted says:

"(We sent) apostles as bearers of good tidings and as warners (of Allah's punishment), so that people should not have any excuse (on the Day of Judgement) against Allah after the (coming of) apostles; and Allah is ever Mighty, Wise." Sura Nisa (4:165)

4. Having reached mental maturity and psychological development, mankind was in need of a perfect and everlasting message, covering all aspects of the growth and progress of civilization, and possessing the ability to guide and direct its developing intellectual faculties and power; a message that would go in parallel direction with time and space and in perfect harmony with human life and nature.

Humanity at this stage, needs a message that addresses the mind, and takes into consideration its maturity and development.

In this stage the mind will be the observer and its role an argument against man, because it is the duty of the mind to rationally cope with the divine law and realize the importance of prophethood so as to understand and accept the invitations and in turn call the people to believe in them, to act according to their teachings and to uplift their mission.

Man, in this final stage of mental and scientific progress is qualified for comprehending this religion and its value, and strengthening his belief, by means of reason and conscience.

It is in this respect, the Prophet's traditions uphold the role of the intellect, its power of reasoning and hence its responsibility. A 'Hadith' (the Prophet's saying) says: "Allah has two arguments against man; visible and hidden. The visible argument are the Messengers, the Prophets and the Imams (the Prophet's infallible successors). The hidden argument is reason" 1

Thus, a sound and rational mind acts as an inner messenger of religion, perceiving and manifesting its greatness and value. It is the greatest justification for the continuation of the message, and during the absence of messengers it is an argument against man. Another proof justifying the argument of Islam are those people who propagate and spread the message of the Prophet, enjoining right and forbidding wrong; and enlightening people and delivering them from darkness towards the right path ordained by Allah the Exalted.

Consequently, Islam imposes "enjoining right and forbidding wrong" on its followers, especially on the learned men and women who enjoy intellectual superiority which enables them to assume the missionary role of guides in society and convey the call of Islam; to lead and reform.

Allah the Exalted says:

"And from among you (O Believers) there should be a party who invite to good, and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong, and these it is that shall be successful." Sura Aal Imran (3:104)

Therefore it is clear from the reasons cited above, as to why the messages were many, and how they finally culminated in the message of Muhammad (s.a.w.); the message which brought religion-Islam-to its highest degree of perfection and in complete uniformity with human progress and scientific development.

Amendments in Divine Messages

"Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and (in) that which has been revealed to us, and in that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and (in) that which was given to Moses and Jesus, and (in) that which was given to the prophets from their Lord, we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit (become Muslims)" Sura Baqara (2:136)

All the divine messages meet along the same line and march towards the same goal; to deliver man from the darkness of unbelief and guide him towards belief in Allah, the Exalted Creator, by means of the same supreme principles of faith. As we have already explained, the laws, legislations, ethics and ritual worship preached by the prophets, throughout the course of history, and across the expanse of human life were in stages and forms parallel with mankind's religious and cultural development, and its intellectual perfection.

Every prophet paved the way for the next, and endeavoured to guide the human mind, spirit and conduct towards maturity so that it may be prepared to receive the next divine message, and be on guard against deviation.

The successive divine messages adhered to the same course, destroying the corrupt beliefs, the deviated ideas, the distorted laws and the bad morals, which frequently cropped up in every time and place. They undertook the task of building a civilized community, by enlightening the mind and spirit of the individual and the society as a whole, on the basis of the sublime religious principles which guarantee goodness for mankind both in this world and in the hereafter.

They actualized the process of development and perfection by means of wise amendments concerning laws, legislations, rituals, etc.

Divine amendment means the cancellation of a certain law and its replacement by a more suitable one, according to the stage of human development, because the Creator best knows what better suits His creatures.

"... and it is not in (the power of) an apostle to bring a portent save by Allah's leave; for everything there is a time prescribed. Allah effaces and establishes what He pleases and with Him is the source of the Book." Sura Ra'd (13:38,39)

The divine messages passed through the gradual process of change and amendments, not by any mortal priest or rabbi who distorted scriptures for their own selfish ends, but by divine revelation, through 'Reformer Prophets' (Moses for example), according to the needs of the times - "for everything there is a time" - and in harmony with the developments, taking place.

The Qur'an refers to this by saying:

"Whatever of the verses We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring (in place) one better than it or like it. Do you not know that Allah has power over all things?" Sura Baqara (2:106)

This was in order to devise better rules and legislations and lay a perfect legal foundation, precisely covering all aspects of human activities and defining individual and social ethics and relations.

As we already explained earlier, each new message addressed to mankind surpassed the previous one in all its aspects, was of a wider horizon, and more exact in handling the growing human faculties.

Thus, the legislating process continued till it reached full perfection in the message of Muhammad (s.a.w.). The Qur'an profoundly expresses the unity of relations among the elementary principles of all divine messages as follows:

"And We have revealed to you the Book (Qur'an) with the truth confirming whatever of the Book(s) was before it, and a guardian over it, so, judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their low desires (to turn away) from the truth which has come to you, for everyone of you We have appointed a divine law and a (traced out) way, and if Allah had willed He would have made you (all) a single nation, but that He might try you in what He gave you, so vie one with another to hasten to virtuous deeds; to Allah is your return of all (of you), so He will let you know that in which you differed" Sura Mai'da (5:48)

In this way the evolutionary process of the divine messages continued, reaching its perfection in the last divine message revealed to the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (s.a.w.). Humanity had come of age, both spiritually and mentally and the message preached by the last great Prophet of Islam was the most perfect scientific version of Divine Laws and Legislations, that would flawlessly cater to the needs of all the future generations, till Doomsday.

"... This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favour on you, and chosen for you Islam as a religion; ..." Sura Mai'da (5:3)

"Surely the religion with Allah is Islam ..." Sura Aal Imran (3:19)

"And whoever follows a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah) it will not be accepted from him, and he will be one of the losers in the hereafter."

Sura Aal Imran (3:85)

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1. Al-Harrani Abu Muhammad Al-Hassan ibn 'Ali, "Tuhaful Uqool Un Aalir Rasool" P.285.