The Personality of the Prophet of Islam

that unfolds is never uniform; for it always varies according to circumstances. The first step is the recitation of the verses, to the madu. This means the general communication of God’s religion. The first and foremost duty assigned to a prophet was to convey God’s message to people, all the while observing every form of etiquette in demonstrating wisdom and well-wishing for the madu. He was to bring people abreast of the creation plan of God, which in the Quran is referred to as ‘bringing them from darkness to the light.’ (The Quran, 5:16) But the recitation of the verses did not mean that the Prophet had to recite the entire Quran to the people. For although this task began at the outset of his prophethood, at that time the whole Quran did not exist in the compiled form as it does today. What the recitation of verses meant was the communication of the basics of religion – that is monotheism, prophethood and shariah. The action of dawah is, in actual fact, a means of keeping people abreast of the basics of religion, whereas the detailed commands of the shariah are addressed to those who are already initiates, and not to those who have not yet entered the fold of Islam. Another part of the prophetic mission was that which in this verse is called ‘tazkia’ (purification). The act of purification meant the same as what is called instruction in present times. That is, man’s thinking and feelings should be so reformed that he should be enabled to follow the path of God whole-heartedly and with total concentration. The goal of the dayee in reciting the scriptures is to make people realize their ignorance and to convince them of the veracity of his message by putting forward cogent arguments. The goal of the Prophet in purifying people was to translate their thinking into action (those who had accepted the teachings of Islam were enabled to act accordingly) to awaken their spiritual feelings and to inculcate in them the real spirit of moral elevation. The third part of the prophetic mission is described in the Quran in terms of teaching the divine book to the people. The instruction of the divine book meant an explanation of the commands and laws of the shariah. For instance, in the first stage people were asked to say: “God is one and He alone deserves being worshipped.” In the second stage an attempt was made to inculcate the true spirit of worship. Later they were told what the practical form of worship was and how the etiquette of worship had to be observed. The instruction of the book is also an education in fiqh (law). What is known as Islamic jurisprudence began with the Prophet himself. When people accepted Islam, they asked the Prophet to explain the commands of Islam on different matters. When the Prophet answered their queries, he was actually training them in law. This task of instruction in fiqh continued during the period of the Prophet’s companions and the companion’s companions. But it was not until the reign of the Abbasids that all the material on Islamic jurisprudence was properly compiled. The fourth part of the prophetic mission is that which is described in the Quran as instructing in wisdom.