The Message of the Quran

The Message of the Quran

1986 12 December 4-5 The Message of the Quran (588) “And when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House (with this prayer): ‘Accept this from us, Lord. You are the Hearing, the Knowing. Lord, make us submissive to You; make of our descendants a nation that will submit to You. Teach us our rites of worship and turn to us mercifully; You are the Forgiving, the Merciful. Lord, send forth to them an apostle of their own people who shall declare to them your signs and instruct them in the Book and in wisdom and purify them. You are the Mighty, the Wise One (2:127-129).’”

God ordained that the focal point of the worldwide Islamic mission should be in Hijaz: Mecca was to be the axis on which the struggle for truth on earth would rest. Almighty God chose Abraham and his family to establish this centre and make provision for its functioning. The words which Abraham and Ishmael (may peace be upon him) uttered when they were building the house of God in Mecca were, in addition to being supplications to God, an indication of their unhesitating fidelity to God’s scheme of things. It is prayer of this kind that is most pleasing to God, so He accepted their prayer and a permanent fountain of spiritual life for the whole world, gushed forth from the barren desert of Arabia. The name of this fountain was Islam. As for the people who inhabited this desert, the offspring of Ishmael, God made them enthusiastic proponents of the Islamic cause: He enabled them to propagate His word far and wide. Through them, he informed mankind how they could please their Lord, so that He might turn to them in mercy; It was among the Children of Ishmael that the final prophet was sent, and for the first time in history the entire prophetic pattern was recorded in history for posterity, so that future generations could follow it.

A prophet’s first task is to make known to mankind the signs of God. God’s signs are those things which enable people to come to know God. These signs are to be found both within man and in the outside world; but without guidance man is blind to them. What prophets do is throw light upon these signs, showing them for what they are: indications of the power and glory of God placed by Him in the world for the edification of mankind. Secondly, prophets are a medium through which God communicates His message to the world.

Thirdly, prophets pass on the insight, they are endowed with to those who mould their lives in accordance with the word of God as taught by the prophets. Their vision becomes clear and they are able to interpret God’s signs correctly. They can experience God’s presence, His manifestation in His creation. This wisdom of the prophets is another word for enlightenment – that sublime level of consciousness in which truth and falsehood are seen for what they are, in which one is only pleased with what is pleasing to God. Their wisdom is equalled only by their purity, a state in which all incompatible elements have been eliminated so that, in a compatible atmosphere, they may reach their natural perfection. The end aim of the prophets is to fashion souls that are absorbed in the love of God; who serve no other besides Him; individuals whose minds are untarnished, free of all complexes and prejudices; who derive spiritual nourishment from the world around them – something which God Himself has made available to all without prejudice.