The Revolution of the Prophet

THE REVOLUTION OF THE PROPHET When an individual rejects the truth, they do so for a reason; they do so because something occupies such an important place in their lives that they cannot forsake it, even for the truth. The Quran tells us the nature of the attachment that alienates individuals from the true message of the prophets: When their apostles brought them clear signs, they exulted in such knowledge as they had; but (soon) the scourge at which they scoffed encompassed them.49 Knowledge means the corrupted form of religion, which people have been adhering to for so long that they have come to think of it as sacred. The faith passed on from one generation to the next in this manner becomes lodged in people’s minds. When they think of it, they think of the saints whose names are associated with it. It becomes a part of the establishment, the foundation of a people’s national infrastructure. Enshrined in elaborate tradition, it assumes a position of dominance in society. When prophets visit such people as adhere to established polytheistic religions, their teaching of monotheism is a lone voice in that environment. They assert the truth of their teachings, but their claim has yet to receive the ratification of history. They can only reason with their people, trying to persuade them to see the light. With the clamour of established religion on all sides, such quiet reasoning falls on deaf ears; the prophets appear insignificant compared to the grandeur surrounding the