7. Surah Al-A'raaf

The Distinct virtues of the Muslim Ummah This verse speaks of the people who, in actual sense, deserve the perfect Mercy and complete favour of Allah asked by the Prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) for his people. It said that the people fulfilling the conditions, referred to in the previous verse, in real sense are those who follow the unlettered Messenger of Allah. The verse, while speaking of these people, described certain distinctive qualities of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Then the verse enjoined not only belief in him but also following the commands and practice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This makes us understand that in conjunction with belief in Allah, practicing the Sunnah (the practices) and the Sharl'ah (The Law) of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is imperative for eternal success in the Hereafter. The phrase الرَّ‌سُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ "The Messenger, the unlettered prophet", has mentioned three qualities of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . The Arabic word: أُمِّيَّ 'Ummi rendered as unlettered signifies a person who does not know the art of reading and writing. The Holy Qur'an has referred to the Arabs as: اُمِّیین 'Ummiyyin' because the Arabs generally had very little to do with reading and writing. Being incapable of reading and writing is, obviously not a quality, rather it is an indication of imperfection. No matter how unusual it may seem, the same sign of imperfection has come to serve the Holy Prophet ﷺ as a sign of his perfection of the highest degree, taking in view the unparallel erudition and exemplary wisdom and learning preached and demonstrated by him. A demonstration of perfect wisdom, showing wise practices and behaviour by a man of letters is considered to be a fruit of his education, but when these and many other attributes of perfections of the highest humanly imaginable degree come out of a personality, who did not even know how to read and write, makes it as bright a miracle as daylight. It is more surprising when we see him living in Makkah el-Mukarramah for forty years without ever having any opportunity to learn. Exactly when he is forty years of age, suddenly he starts speaking things of such great wisdom and, in such a linguistic style and diction that none in the world could produce a match of even the smallest part of this word - the Qur'an1. This is, indeed, a self-evident witness affirming that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was the true Messenger of Allah and Qur'an, the true word of Allah. The quality of being unlettered, therefore, may be a defect for others but for the Holy Prophet ﷺ it is a commendable attribute.2 1.-The author here, refers to a verse of the Holy Qur'an (2:23) throwing a challenge to the whole world to produce a surah (chapter) comparable to any of the Qur'anic Surahs. Inability in meeting this challenge by the Arabs who were as boastful of their oratory as to call the whole mankind excepting themselves, the Ajam signifying a dumb person is certainly a clear evidence of the miraculous character of the Holy Qur'an. (Translator) 2.-The verse under discussion has mentioned this attributes as Messenger and Prophet. This Qur'anic witness is enough to show that his being unlettered was equally a great attribute of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . (Translator)] claim, which is a witness of the truth that the Torah and the Injil current in that period contained transparent references to the Holy Prophet . Otherwise, the Jews and the Christians would have used it as against this Qur'anic claim. The fourth quality of the Holy Prophet ﷺ mentioned in this verse is that they shall find him written in the Torah and the Injil (Evangel). It may be noted that the verse did not say that they will find his attributes or indications written in the Books. It said that they will find him written in their revelations. It is an implicit indication that the attributes and qualities of the Holy Prophet ﷺ mentioned in the Torah or the Injil shall be so expressive and with as clear details as seeing them will be similar to seeing the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself. The mention of the Torah and the Injil, without a reference to the Zabur (The Book revealed to the Prophet Dawud (علیہ السلام) [ David ]) is because the Christians and the Jews believed in them, otherwise Zabur also contained the description of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . The Holy Prophet ﷺ in the early Books The Present versions of the Torah and the Injil, having undergone great changes and distortions have lost their essential quality of being original and trustworthy. Despite this fact, they still contain expressions bearing reference to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Besides, it is obvious that the Holy Qur'an had declared, in definite terms, that the Torah and Injil contained the descriptions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . The Jews and the Christians living in the period of the Holy Prophet ﷺ would have used this Qur'anic claim against the Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims, in case this claim could be proved as not corresponding to reality. We find that neither did the Jews nor the Christians ever try to refute this claim, which is a witness of the truth that the Torah and the Injil current in that period contained transparent references to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Otherwise, the Jews and the Christians would have used it as against this Qur’ anic claim. It may be noted that some of the attributes and qualities of the Holy Prophet ﷺ mentioned in these books have been reported in the Holy Qur'an with reference to the Torah and the Injil, while some other attributes have been reported in the Holy Traditions (Hadith) by those new Muslims who read them in these book themselves, and later they had converted to Islam after reading such descriptions. Al-Baihaqi has reported the following event in Dala'il-al Nubuwwah. The Companion Anas ؓ has reported that a boy from the Jews was in the service of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Once he was sick, the Holy Prophet ﷺ went to his house where he saw the father of the lad reciting some parts of the Torah beside his bed. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said to the father, "I bid you to tell me by the pledge of Allah if you find descriptions in the Torah indicating my coming as a prophet and referring to my attributes?" He negated it. The son instantly said "O Prophet of Allah, my father is wrong. We find you and your attributes mentioned in the Torah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah." The Holy Prophet ﷺ bade his Companions that they should perform his funeral ceremonies, after his death, according to Islam because he was a Muslim, after this witness. (Mazhari) Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ has reported that the Holy Prophet ﷺ owed some money to a Jew. He demanded the Prophet ﷺ to pay him the money back and said to him in a harsh tone that he will not let him go until he gets his money back. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said to him that the Jew had a right on him, and sat down by him saying that he will not go until he lets him go willingly. The Holy Prophet ﷺ remained there for the whole day and night. He offered the Zuhr, ` Asr, Maghrib and ` Isha', and Fajr of the next day (from mid day to the next morning). The Companions ؓ were greatly annoyed at this behaviour from the Jew. They were secretly admonishing the Jew so that he may let the Prophet ﷺ go. The Holy Prophet ﷺ having some idea asked them of what they were doing. They said that it was unbearable for them to see the Prophet ﷺ in the custody of a Jew. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said to them, "My Lord has prohibited me from doing wrong to anyone under the covenant." Next morning, the Jew who was highly impressed by this remarkable experience, came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and declared: اَشھَدُ اَنَّ لا إله إلا اللہ و اَشھَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّدَ رَّسُولُ اَلله "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah." Subsequent to this declaration of his faith in Allah he said that by detaining the Prophet ﷺ he meant nothing but to test the truth of his attributes mentioned in the Torah. He said that he had read the following description concerning him in the Torah. He also declared to give away half of his wealth in the way of Allah. The description given by him is this: "Muhammad, the son of ` Abdullah. He shall be born in Makkah. The place of his migration shall be Madinah. His country will be Syria. He shall neither be a man of harsh temperament, nor shall he speak roughly. He shall not make noise in bazars. He shall be away from the acts of immodesty." He said that he found out the truth of this description in him. He was a wealthy person, and half of his wealth was a considerable amount for the Muslims. (The above incident has been reported by Mazhari with reference to Da1a'il al-Nubuwwah by Baihaqi) Imam al-Baghawi has reported on the authority of Ka'ab Ahbar that the Torah contained the following description with regard to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . "Muhammad is the Messenger and chosen servant of Allah. He is neither a man of harsh temperament nor is he a man of disagreeable speech. He does not cry in bazars, nor does he return ill when ill is done to him. He forgives or ignores the wrong-doers." "His birth place is Makkah and his migration shall be to Taybah (Madinah). His country is Syria and his people shall be hammadin. That is they shall praise Allah when in comfort and when in trouble. They shall say Takbir when ascending in their travel.They shall watch the shadows in order to ascertain proper time of their prayers." "He shall wear a sheet of cloth round his waist and keep his hands and feet clean with ablution وُضُو (Wudu). His man calling for prayer shall raise his voice in the air. In battle fields they shall line up as closely as in prayers. At nights their recitations shall be heard like humming of the bees." Ibn ` Asakir and Ibn Sa'd have cited full chain of narrators saying that Sahl Maula Khuthaimah has informed that he had read the following description concerning the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the Injil (Evangel): "He shall neither be short nor shall he be tall. Colour shall be fair, hair in two locks. He shall bear a seal of prophethood on his body between shoulders. He shall not accept alms, shall ride on camel and by himself shall he milk the goat, and wear the patched clothes." He shall be in the line of Isma'il. His name shall be Ahmad: Ibn Sa'd in his book 'Tabaqat', Darimi in his Musnad and Baihaqi in his book Dala'il al-Nubuwwah have reported on the authority of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam, who was a great scholar of the Jews. He said that Torah had contained the following description with regard to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . "0 Prophet, We have sent you as a witness over all the nations of the world, as the bearer of good tidings to the righteous, as a warner to the wrong doers and as Protector of the Ummiyyin' the unlettered Arabs. You are My Messenger and servant. I have named you, 'Mutawakkil' (One who trusts Allah). You are neither a man of harsh temperament, nor quarrelling, nor crying in the markets. You do not return evil in response to evil, rather forgive or ignore the wrong-doers. Allah shall not let him die until he sets the crooked right and make them believe in Allah exclusively, until he makes the blind eyes see, dumb ears hear and sealed hearts open." Sahih al-Bukhari also contains a similar description on the authority of Sayyidna ` Amr ibn al-` As ؓ . Besdes, al-Baihaqi has reported the following statement in Dala'il-al-Nubuwwah, on the authority of Wahb ibn Munabbih, the great scholar and expert in the early books. "Allah revealed to the Prophet Dawud (علیہ السلام) (David) in the Zabur as follows: '0, Dawud, there shall come a Prophet after you. His name shall be Ahmad. I shall never be displeased with him, nor he shall ever be disobedient to me. I have forgiven all of his errors and omissions. I have enjoined upon his people, the optional as well as the obligatory prayers that I had enjoined upon the early Prophets. On the day of judgment they shall come before me having the light similar to the light of the early prophets. 0 Dawud, I have blessed Muhammad and his people with excellence over the people of other prophets. I have favoured them with six special concessions which I did not concede to the early people. They shall not be punished for their inadvertent omissions. I shall forgive their unintentional sins if they seek My forgiveness. The money they shall spend willingly in My way, I shall give them manifold in return in this world also." Those who shall say إِنَّا لِلَّـهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَ‌اجِعُونَ "We belong to Allah, and to Him we are to return," whenever they are faced with some distress, I shall turn their distress into blessing and mercy and a means of his guidance to paradise. I shall accede to their invocations, sometimes, by giving them what they asked for, and sometimes, by storing their prayers to be granted on the Day of Judgment." (Ruh-al-Ma` ani) The above are only a few out of hundreds of such Traditions which have been collected by the religious scholars in separate volumes, among them is Sheikh Rahmat Allah Kairanvi of India who has dealt with this subject thoroughly in his book 'Izhar al-Haqq'. He has given specific examples of such descriptions found in the current versions of the Bible, despite the fact that they have been robbed originality through innumerable changes and distortions by the Judo-Christian theologians. The Urdu version of this remarkable work has been published in Pakistan1. 1. By the grace of Allah, I have the honour of rendering this work into English. Three volumes of the English version have been published in London. (Translator) Some additional attributes of the Holy Prophet ﷺ have also been included in the descriptions found in the Torah and the Injil, among them is his attribute of bidding good to people and preventing them from evil. اَلامربالمعروف وَ نَہِی عنِ المُنکَر . The Arabic term Ma` ruf literally signifies something recognized, acknowledged or known, while the term: مُنکَر 'munkar' signifies strange, or unrecognized. That is, Ma` ruf refers to the acts which are known and recognized in Islam while Munkar refers to the acts which are not recognized or known. This has indicated that the act which was recognized by, or known to, the people of the first century of Islam shall only be considered as good-deed otherwise it shall be termed as 'munkar' or rejected. This, in turn, makes us understand that any act, not approved by the Companions and their disciples (صَحابہ وتابعین) cannot be considered as good-deed with no regard to how positive or agreeable it looks. The authentic Traditions have, therefore, termed the acts not acknowledged or approved by the Companions and their disciples as innovated acts (مُحَدِثَاتُ الاُمُور) or 'bid` ah' (innovation). In the next phrase of the verse the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been described as having the attribute of inviting people to good and preventing them from evil. The verse (7:157) said: يَأْمُرُ‌هُم بِالْمَعْرُ‌وفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ‌ "Who bids them the Fair and forbids the Unfair." This attribute has been, a common attribute of all the Prophets (علیہم السلام) ، as it had to be, because the very purpose of their being ordained by Allah is to guide people to good and prevent them from evil. There must be some reason in describing this attribute as a distinct feature of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . A little reflection on his effective way of preaching and speaking to people according to their state of mind is enough to show the distinction. The Arab bedouins who knew nothing except grazing the camels and goats were spoken to in such a simple and candid terms that made them understand effortlessly even complex and speculative ideas. He used to receive delegates from the world-powers of the time like Rome and Persia and from other tribes. They were greatly impressed by his ingenuous approach in making his point easily intelligible to them. His god-gifted capability of making impact on others by his speech was miraculously unusual and has been acknowledged even by his enemies. Another attribute described in the Torah was that through the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، Allah shall make the blind eyes see and dumb ears hear, and the sealed hearts open. This may also have a reference to his effective method of preaching and making things understood easily. The verse under discussion has described second attribute that he shall permit his people to eat pure things and shall prohibit impure things. This implies that many things which, in fact were pure and good, and had been forbidden for the Israelites as a punishment shall be permitted by the Holy Prophet ﷺ for his people. For example, the fat of permissible animals was forbidden for the Israelites as a punishment against their sinful deeds. For example, the fat of the properly slaughtered animal which was forbidden for them was made permissible by the Holy Prophet ﷺ for the Muslims. The example of impure things includes blood, dead animals, liquor and all the prohibited animals. This also includes impermissible means of income like gambling, interest and bribes etc. (A1-Sirai al-Munir) Some scholars have included immorality and ill manners also in impure things. Next the verse speaks of the third attribute of the Holy Prophet ﷺ saying وَ یَضَعُ عَنھُم اِصرَھُم وَ الاَغلَال الَّتِی عَلَیھِم “ And relieves them of their burden and of the shackles that were upon them. The Arabic word 'Isr' اِصرَ signifies heavy burden enough to stop movement, and the word 'Aghlal' is a plural of 'ghull' (غل) signifying inal handcuffs or shackle which binds the hands of a criminal with his neck. Both the words refer to punishment and were not, in themselves, a religious requirement. For example, the Israelites were essentially required to cut away the piece of cloth having impurity on it. They were not allowed simply to wash it away. Similarly the spoils of war acquired during jihad with infidels was not permissible for them. Reportedly, a heavenly fire used to come and burn it up. They were not allowed hunting on Sabbath (Saturday). The human organs involved in committing sin were required to be cut off. The murderer had to be essentially killed in retaliation with no regard to the nature of murder: deliberate or homicide by mistake. They had no legal concession of paying ransom. The arduous injunctions described above have been regarded to in this verse by the words burden and shackles. It is said that the Holy Prophet ﷺ shall abrogate such injunctions and replace them with easily practicable commandments. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has referred to this aspect of Islamic Shari'ah in a Hadith saying 'that he is leaving among them an easy and practicable law which is neither cumbersome nor susceptible to going astray'. In another tradition he said: اَلدِّینُ یُسرُ (Islam) is easy". Subsequent to the description of some attributes of the Holy Prophet ﷺ the verse has said: فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِهِ وَعَزَّرُ‌وهُ وَنَصَرُ‌وهُ وَاتَّبَعُوا النُّورَ‌ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ مَعَهُ ۙ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ "So, those who believe in him, and hold him in reverence, and help him, and follow the light sent down with him, those are the ones who are successful." This verse has stipulated the achievement of success with four conditions namely, belief in the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، having reverence for him, readily coming to his help and following the commandments of the Holy Qur'an. The word used for reverence in this verse is عَزَّرُ‌وهُ which is derived from 'Ta` zir'. Lexically it means 'to stop someone, with love and affection, from doing something, and to guard him. Sayyidna ` Abdullah bin ` Abbas ؓ has interpreted it as 'reverence. Al-mubarrad has commented that it denotes the highest degree of reverence. The implication of the verse is that the achievement of everlasting success is the destiny of those who, in addition to having love and respect for him, are always ready to help him against his enemies. In the life of the Holy Prophet ﷺ helping him was directly related to his person; but after his departure helping his message or supporting the Islamic Shari'ah is analogous to helping the Holy Prophet ﷺ . The Holy Qur'an has been referred to with the word 'light'. Since light does not require an external proof for its existence, similarly the Qur'an, in itself, is a clear proof of its being divine and the word of Allah, since the highest degree of wisdom and eloquence that it contains is as evident as the sunlight which requires no proof for its existence. Specially so when it was spoken by an unlettered man. Similar to light which is not only bright in itself, but has the characteristics of making the darks bright as well, the Holy Qur'an has enlightened the mankind which was lost in darkness. The significance of the Sunnah: The verse under discussion started with the wads, "Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet," and has ended on the phrase. "and follow the light sent down with him". The first phrase enjoins the obedience of the Holy Prophet ﷺ while the second phrase bids to the obedience to the Qur'anic injunctions. This has indicated that eternal salvation is dependent on the obedience of both, the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and that the obedience of the Holy Prophet ﷺ can be achieved only by following the way of his life – the Sunnah. Love and respect of the Prophet is essential The phrase عَزَّرُ‌وهُ وَنَصَرُ‌وهُ "And hold him in reverence and help him." has been placed between the above two sentences, implying that the obedience required for the Holy Prophet ﷺ is not like the obedience one has to show to the high ranking official out of some necessity. This has to be the obedience in true sense of the word which is a product of love and respect. That is to say, one should bear as much love and reverence for him as to make this obedience dearest to him. People have varied relations with their Prophet ﷺ . He is a Prophet, a master, a commander and an object of great love at the same time. Besides, the Prophet being superior to all his people in respect of knowledge, wisdom, and social and moral behaviour demands, deep respect or veneration on the part of his people. Our Messenger ﷺ has perfection in each of the above aspects making it essential for the Muslims to fulfill the demands of all his positions. He should be believed as a prophet, obeyed as a commander, venerated as a man of great knowledge and wisdom and deeply loved and cherished for being very kind to them. The obedience of the Prophet ﷺ has to be a religious requirement for the Muslims because the very purpose of his being sent down remains unfulfilled without it. In the case of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Allah Almighty has enjoined additional obligations upon the Muslims. In another verse of the Holy Qur'an we find the phrase: عَزَّرُ‌وهُ وَنَصَرُ‌وهُ "So that you assist him and honour him." (48:9) Yet in another verse people have been warned that they should not raise their voices above the voice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . The verse said: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَرْ‌فَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ "0 Believers! do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet." (49:2) In another verse the Muslims have been advised in these words: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّـهِ وَرَ‌سُولِ "0 believers, do not go ahead in the presence of Allah and His Messenger. (49:1) The verse has warned the Muslims that they should not start their speech before the speech of the Holy Prophet ﷺ in his presence. The Companion Sahl ibn ` Abdullah ؓ ، has taken it to imply that people should not start talking before the Prophet of Allah speaks, and should remain silent when he talks. Another verse of the Holy Qur'an has prohibited the Muslims from calling the Messenger of Allah in a manner they call each other. It said: لَّا تَجْعَلُوا دُعَاءَ الرَّ‌سُولِ بَيْنَكُمْ كَدُعَاءِ بَعْضِكُم بَعْضًا "Do not make the calling of the Messenger, among yourself, like the calling of one another." (24:63) The Holy Qur'an warned the Muslims that all their good deeds shall go waste if they show lack of respect to him. The companions, who availed the company of the Holy Prophet ﷺ most of their time, maintained the respect of the Holy Prophet ﷺ according to Qur'anic instructions. It has been reported that Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ ، after the revelation of the above verse, used to speak with the Messenger of Allah as stealthily as saying some secret to him. Same was the case with Sayyidna ` Umar al-Faruq ؓ . The companion ` Amr ibn ` As ؓ has said: "None on earth is as dear to me as was the Messenger of Allah but at the same time I was unable to cast my looks at him. If I am ever asked to describe him, I find it difficult since I have never seen him enough as to give out his description." Tirmidhi has reported Sayyidna Anas ؓ saying that whenever the Holy Prophet ﷺ came in the assembly of the companions, people kept their eyes down with respect. Only Sayyidna Abu Bakr and Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ raised their eyes and used to smile at them. ` Urwah ibn Masud was once sent to Madinah for spying on the Muslims. On his return to Makkah he reported, "I have seen the courts of great kings like the king of Rome and Persia and I have met King Negus but the respect and veneration I saw in the hearts of the Muslims for their prophet was unique, never seen anywhere in the world. I think you shall never succeed against them." The Companion Mughirah ibn Shu'bah ؓ has reported in a Tradition that the companions of the Prophet of Allah deemed it against his respect to call him from outside his house. They knocked at his door with their finger nails to avoid making a loud sound. Even after his departure the companions did not only avoid talking loudly in his mosque, they also avoided raising their voice while giving sermons in the mosque. A number of people could not help themselves from weeping when someone made a mention of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This exemplary love and respect of the Holy Prophet ﷺ let them share a considerable part of prophetic perfection and enjoy the highest religious status next to the prophets.

This verse speaks of one of the basic aspects of the prophethood which is among the fundamental tenets of Islam. That is, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been sent as His Messenger to the entire mankind and to the jinn (genies) coming into being upto the day of judgment. This verse has commanded the Holy Prophet ﷺ to make general declaration that he has been sent to all the people of the world, and that his prophethood was not limited to a particular people and place as was the case with the early prophets who came to a particular people and place and for a limited period of time. He is the last of all Prophets (علیہم السلام) The fact that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been sent down at the end of all prophets is an obvious reason behind the Islamic belief of Finality of prophethood. His being the last of all prophets and coming down for the guidance of all people of all future times leaves no room for any other Prophet. The same fact provides with an explanation to a characteristic quality of the Muslim Ummah. According to a Tradition of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، there shall always be a group among the Muslims who will keep defying the anti-Islamic forces and putting resistance in the way of sacrilegious thought and practice. It will also correct false interpretations of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. This group shall be favoured by Allah with His special help and thereby will, ultimately, win over the opposite forces. It is because these people are considered to be the real inheritors of the prophetic mission, faithfully discharging their duty after the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Imam al-Razi, under the comments of the Qur'anic commandment كُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِي (Be in the company of the truthful) has remarked that this phrase has provided an assurance that a group of the truthful shall always be available for people, otherwise the command of seeking their company made no sense. Imam Razi has inferred the principle of consensus (اِجمَاع) from this phrase. That is, the presence of the truthful people was enough to preclude the agreement of the Muslim Ummah on error. Ibn Kathir has inferred from this verse it has provided a proof that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was the seal of and for prophets (علیہم السلام) because his message was for all the people of the world the ages to come. According to some authentic Traditions, the Prophet 'Isa (علیہ السلام) will also follow the Law of the Holy Prophet ﷺ after his descent from heavens in the last age. Apart from this verse there are many other verses which speak in unmistakable terms of the Finality of Prophethood. For example the Holy Qur'an said: وَأُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ هَـٰذَا الْقُرْ‌آنُ لِأُنذِرَ‌كُم بِهِ وَمَن بَلَغَ "And this Qur'an has been revealed to me that I may warn you thereby, and whomsoever it may reach." (6:19) This, evidently, enjoins the following of the Holy Qur'an upon all the people coming after the Holy Prophet ﷺ and to acquire knowledge of the Qur'an. Some distinctions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Ibn Kathir has cited the Musnad of lmam Ahmad reporting by authentic narrators that at the occasion of the battle of Tabuk, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was engaged in the late night prayer (Tahajjud). The companions gathered around him in a circle to save him from any possible attack by the enemy. After completing the prayer the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "This night I have been awarded with five distinctions, not awarded to any prophet before. Firstly, my prophethood has been extended to all mankind while the message of the prophets prior to me was limited to their particular. Secondly, my presence creates a feeling of dread in the hearts of my enemy which overtakes him from a distance of one month's travel. Thirdly, the spoils taken from the enemy have been made permissible for my people, while it was prohibited for the early people. Fourthly, Allah has made the whole earth a place for our prayers like a mosque, and made it a purifier (in tayammum) for my people, while the prayers of the early people was limited to their churches or synagogues. They were not permitted to pray at home or out in the land. Besides, in the absence of water my people allowed to make use of soil, in place of water for tayammum (a substitute of ablution). The early people were not given this concession." Then, he said, emphatically that the fifth distinction was, above all, the most promising and helpful. He explained, "Every prophet was asked by Allah to make one particular supplication which was to be essentially acceded to, and every prophet made that invocation for their particular aim. Allah asked me too to make such invocation. I preferred to reserve my invocation until the Day of Judgment which will be of great use to you and to those who follow and bear witness that there is no god but Allah." Another Tradition reported by Imam Ahmad on the authority of the Companion Abu Musa al-Ash'ari ؓ has contained that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "Any one hearing the news of my appearance, be he a Muslim, Christian or Jew must believe in me, otherwise he will be placed in Hell." Sahih al-Bukhari has reported the following incident with regard to this verse: Sayyidna Abu Bakr and Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ once had severe disagreement on a matter. Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ left the place to express his dissent. Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ followed him in order to bring him round. Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ being angry with him entered his house and locked the door upon him. Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ having no choice went to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and related the whole story to him. Later, Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ had a feeling of regret for misbehaving Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ ، he too went to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and informed him of the incident. The Companion Abu al-Darda' ؓ عنہ has reported that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was annoyed at it. Seeing that Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ was going to be admonished for it, Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ said to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، "My fault was greater". At this point the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "Can you people not leave one of my companions alone and save him from the annoyance on your part? Do you people not know when I declared by the will of Allah يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَ‌سُولُ اللَّـهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا "0 people, I am a messenger of Allah sent to you all," you all belied me? It was Abu Bakr alone who testified to my Prophethood." In short, this verse is a clear evidence proving that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been sent to the whole mankind. His message is for all generations and for all times to come and for all places. No one can achieve salvation without believing in him, even if he is faithfully and devotedly practicing some other faith or book. The next sentence of the verse reminds people that he has been sent from the One to Whom the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth belongs and Who gives life to every living creature and brings death to it. That is, He alone is the Lord of the Universe. The last sentence of the verse said: آمِنُوا بِاللَّـهِ وَرَ‌سُولِهِ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّيِّ الَّذِي يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّـهِ وَكَلِمَاتِهِ وَاتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ "So, believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Ummi (unlettered) prophet who believes in Allah and in his words, and follow him so that you may get the right path." After establishing the fact that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was sent for all the people of the world and for all times to come, and that there is no other choice for anyone but to follow his law - the Islam, the verse enjoins the belief in Allah and in His Messenger, who is Ummi, the unlettered. He, himself believes in Allah and in His words. The people should, therefore, follow him to keep themselves on the right path. The 'words' کلمات refer to the word of Allah revealed to his prophets like the Torah, Evangel (the book revealed to the Prophet 'Isa (علیہ السلام) (Jesus) ) and the Qur'an. It may be noted that the command of believing in him is followed by another command of following him. This has indicated that sheer belief or making the verbal utterances of belief, is not enough for guidance or salvation. Practicing Islamic Shari'ah is essentially required for one's salvation in the Hereafter. The great saint and spiritual leader Sheikh Junaid of Baghdad has remarked that all the paths leading to Allah are closed except the path specifically defined by the Holy Prophet ﷺ .

The Truthful among the Israelites The verse 159 said: وَمِن قَوْمِ مُوسَىٰ أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ وَبِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ ﴿159﴾ '"Among the community of Musa there are people who guide to the truth, and do justice thereby." That is, there is a group among the Israelites who follows the truth and decides their controversies according to the dictates of the Truth - Islam. Which are the people referred to in this verse as following the truth among the Israelites? This refers to the people who faithfully followed the commandments of the Torah and the Injil at the time they were revealed, and those who readily accepted the faith of Islam after the appearance of the Holy Prophet ﷺ according to the predictions contained in the Torah and the Injil. The Holy Qur'an has referred to this group in a number of verses in commendable terms. There is a verse which said: مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللَّـهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ "Among the people of the Book there are those who are steadfast, they recite the verses of Allah in the night hours, and they prostrate." (3:113) الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِهِ هُم بِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿52﴾ "Those to whom We gave the book before this, they do believe in this (Qura'n) ". (28:52) Under the comments on this verse we find a narrative in the commentaries of Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir رحمۃ اللہ علیہما . A group of Israelites who greatly despised the corrupt practices of the Israelites had prayed Allah for having a separate land away from the other tribes so that they might practice according to the original faith preached by the Prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) ، Allah carried them to a land somewhere in the Far East where they faithfully practiced their faith. Another favour of Allah bestowed upon them was that in the time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ they were granted an opportunity to embrace Islam directly on the hands of the Holy Prophet. In the night of Ascension (شَبِ مِعرَاج ) the Archangel Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) (Gabriel) took the Holy Prophet ﷺ to these people on the way to heavens. They accepted the faith and the Holy Prophet ﷺ taught them some Surahs (chapters) of the Holy Qur'an. The Prophet of Allah asked them if they had some means of weighing and measuring and what other means of subsistence did they have? They answered that their usual practice was that they cultivated the land and collected the whole produce together in a heap. The people came and took from it according to their need. They said, "We do not, therefore, need any weights and measures." The Holy Prophet ﷺ asked them if any one of them ever told lies. They said that no one among them ever told lies because it was a usual practice that any person speaking a lie was burnt up by a heavenly fire. He asked them as to why all their houses were of the same type? They answered, that it was to avoid the possibility of showing off one's affluence as compared to others. He asked them why they had built up their graves in front of their houses? They said that this made them remember their death all the times. After the Holy Prophet returned from heavens to Makkah, this verse was revealed to him. Al-Qurtubi, under the comments of this verse has narrated this event along with other suggestions and has remarked that this narrative was not authentic. Ibn Kathir, however, has termed it as an unusual event but did not reject it. In short, this verse makes us understand that there has always been a group among the Israelites who followed the Truth. Be they the people described above or the ones who embraced Islam after the appearance of the Holy Prophet ﷺ .

The above verses have enumerated various favours that Allah bestowed upon the Israelites, and spoke of their deviation from the commands of Allah resulting in a heavenly punishment for their transgression. The translation of the verses given above is self explanatory and the relevant details have already been given in Surah Al-Baqarah (First volume of this book, translation and commentary under verses 57-59).

The detailed discussion of the events contained in the above verses have been produced in Surah Al-Baqarah (under verses 58-60). Those interested may refer to those verses for details. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has been asked to warn the Israelites present in his time by reminding them the events related in these verses. The events referred to in these verses are clear and require no explanation.

The first two verses (167 and 168) have referred to the two punishments given to the Israelites. Firstly, Allah will keep sending up to the Day of Doom, some individuals or groups of people who will punish and bring disgrace to them. In fact, this is what has been happening to them up to this day. They had been dominated and disdainfully treated by others as has been recorded by history. We may not be in doubt about their present government in a part of Palestine, as it is a common knowledge that the state of Israel is, in fact, a part of the world powers, created by them for their political objectives against the Muslim Ummah. They are still ruled over and dominated by the colonial powers. It is, in fact, a military base of America. The day these powers stop providing them with their aid they shall not be able to maintain their existence for long.