Correspondence with Maulana Abul Lais Islahi Nadwi

I objected to this reasoning, arguing that this interpretation of shahadah and itmam al-hujjah isn’t supported by the lives of any Prophet. All the Prophets we know of, and those mentioned in the Quran, fulfilled their shahadah through verbal preaching alone. No Prophet ever completed itmam al-hujjah by giving a comprehensive, practical demonstration of the entire Islamic way of life. In the Quran, there are dozens— indeed, hundreds—of verses describing the Prophets’ efforts to invite others, yet nowhere is there mention of “practical shahadah” or demonstrating the Islamic way of life to complete al-hujjah. Instead, the terms used always relate to “saying” and “conveying.” In response to my argument, Maulana Sadruddin Islahi Sahib: “They are misled by verses, without fully comprehending their background and the purpose of their revelation, that indicate that the prophets’ responsibility was only to deliver the message clearly (such as fahal-alar-rusulu illal-balaghul mubeen). However, such verses are not meant to determine the complete duty as God’s witness and the duty as a God’s messenger, but merely outline the initial stages of shahada (witness) and were intended only for those who adamantly refused the message.” Although this explanation applies only to verses that— in his own words—employ a ‘style of exclusivity’ it