The Changing Era

This was not exclusive to the Children of Israel; in ancient times, this was the case with all nations. The Prophets of each nation were responsible for overseeing and managing their affairs. Consequently, Prophets were sent continuously in those times (Quran, 23:44), until the appearance of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), after whom the chain of Prophethood was brought to an end. Now the question arises: who is responsible for the supervision and guidance of the vast Ummah of the Prophet Muhammad, spread across the world? The answer is that this responsibility does not lie with political rulers but with the scholars of the Ummah. This is articulated in another Hadith: “Indeed, the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets.” (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 243). Another narration states: “The scholars of my Ummah are like the Prophets of the Children of Israel.” Although this Hadith is weak in terms of its chain of transmission, its meaning is strengthened by other narrations. It is now the responsibility of the Ulama to perform the same work for which earlier prophets were sent. Broadly speaking, this entails two primary responsibilities: guiding the people in the light of the Quran and the Sunnah, and introducing Islam to the world at large. A question arises here: this is a monumental responsibility. When Prophets fulfilled this role, they were aided by the divine assistance of angels, which guaranteed their success. Now that such assistance is no longer forthcoming, how can this immense responsibility be carried out? The answer was provided in advance by the Quran: “So do not fear them, but fear Me.” (Quran, 5:3)