The Message of the Quran

The Message of the Quran

1986 11 November 11-13 The Message of the Quran (1206) Chapter II, contd.

“Children of Israel, remember My favour which I have bestowed upon you and that I exalted you among the nations. Fear the day when no soul avails another; when neither ransom nor intercession shall be accepted from it, nor shall anyone be helped. When his Lord put Abraham to the proof with certain commandments, and Abraham fulfilled them, He said: ‘I have appointed you a Ieader of mankind.’ ‘And what of my descendants?’ asked Abraham. ‘My covenant,’ said He, ‘does not apply to the evil-doers” (2:122-124).

The Children of Israel were selected by God to perform a very special task: they were to call other nations to God, impressing on them the fact that they were answerable to Him for their actions. God sent innumerable prophets among them to help and guide them in the performance of this task – Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, Zakaria and John the Baptist, to name just a few. After a while, however, the Children of Israel went into decline. They took their privileged position, which was in fact due solely to the lofty task that had been entrusted to them, to be an indication of ethnic superiority. So it was that they lost their right to be representatives of divine religion on earth. The coming of the Arab prophet signified the replacement of the Children of Israel by the Children of Ishmael as God’s favoured people: it was they who were chosen to carry on the task of communication of God’s word to other nations of the world. Those among the Children of Israel who were truly pious and God-fearing soon realized that the teachings of the Prophet of Islam came to him from God. They recognized that the word he preached emanated from the same source as that preached by the Prophets before him. Those who denied him were acting out of prejudice alone: they refused to accept that any other nation besides their own could be selected for God’s favour.

These people were warned, through the Arab Prophet, that in the next world the only things of any value would be true faith borne out by solid actions. In this world one person is able to bear the burden of another; sometimes intercession is accepted; sometimes one can free oneself by giving compensation; sometimes a helper is at hand to see one through a difficult situation. In the next world, however, none of these things will be of any use. No particular ethnic group holds a monopoly over the next world. There, God’s justice will apply to one and all equally. Take the example of the Prophet Abraham, forefather of both the Arabs and the Jews. He was granted leadership of mankind only after he had been through very severe tests, and had shown himself to be faithful and true to God under all circumstances. God demanded of Abraham the supreme sacrifice – his son’s life – and when God finally intervened before Abraham could actually kill his own son, it was because Abraham had demonstrated his perfect willingness to make any sacrifice demanded to him by God, no matter how great or how terrible. The rule that applied to Abraham applied to every generation: only those who prove themselves worthy will be granted a share in God’s covenant; those who do not will meet the same fate as any other offenders in God’s sight, regardless of the nation to which they belong. One who is willing to make sacrifices for a cause shows his utmost ‘dedication to it: it is only just and natural, then, that he should become its leader.

“And when We made the Kabah a resort and a sanctuary for mankind saying: ‘Pray in the place where Abraham stood.’ We enjoined Abraham and Ishmael to cleanse My House for those who walk around it, who meditate in it, and who bow down and prostrate themselves. ‘Lord,’ said Abraham, ‘make this a land of peace and feed its people with fruits, those of them that believe in God and the Last Day.’ ‘As for those that do not,’ He answered, ‘I shall let them prosper awhile and then drag them to the scourge of the Fire – an evil destination (2: 125-126).’”

Every year, the Faithful come from all over the world to visit the House of God in Mecca, where no one is allowed to harm even the lowliest animate creature; for Mecca has been made into a sacred place of worship for all time. It is meant to be kept clean of all impurities and all activities that are contrary to its basic purpose. Here, circumambulation of the Kabah is performed. People come to this place to remember God in an atmosphere of peace and solitude. They bow and prostrate themselves before God. In ancient times Arabia was the most arid land on earth: its sandy surfaces and barren rocks were totally unsuitable for any kind of cultivation. Worse, it was totally exposed to attack from the outside world. Four thousand years ago Abraham was commanded to take his family into this “uncultivable valley”, and settle them there. Without the slightest hesitation, Abraham carried out this commandment. Once he had reached Mecca, in accordance with God’s commandment, he asked God to hear his prayer. “Make this town a place of peace,” he prayed, “and make special arrangements for their worldly provision; for the land that they inhabit is uncultivable.” Abraham’s prayer was answered: the land of Hijaz has remained an abode of peace and plenty up to the present day.

A believer’s whole life should be an act of worship. In whatever far-off comer of the world one lives, one should at all times remember that one day one will have to return to the Lord. One should cause no harm to one’s fellows. As for the earth one lives on, it should be thought of as a place of worship, and kept clean of all pollution. One’s life should be focused on God – it should revolve around Him alone. Though one has to live in the world, one’s heart and one’s mind should always be on God; one’s whole life should be one of submission to Him. True religion makes certain demands of a person. Sometimes one is even required to take one’s children to a place as arid and uncultivable as Abraham’s valley. Whatever is entailed, one should faithfully carry out God’s commandments. When one has done so, that is the time to pray to God that He should prosper one’s efforts. It may well be that God will make fountains gush forth from a dry desert, and lush crops spring forth from a barren land.

Whatever splendour and glory one is accorded in this life, these things in themselves do not signify that one is considered fit by God for the leadership of mankind. Everything given to man is a means of testing him and there is no one who is exempt from God’s trial. While Imamat (leadership) indicates that one has been selected by God to represent Him in the nations of the world, the highest form of leadership is only for those who have been found fit by God to represent His divine religion on earth.