The Call of Dawah in the Modern Age March-April

controversy down the centuries. The praise heaped upon him— during his lifetime and re-echoing down the ages—reflecting the sincere appreciation of his followers—gave a sure indication of the unique place which God intended him to occupy in history. The Prophet’s predecessors, who had been sent by God to each and every nation at intervals throughout the ages, were all true emissaries bringing the same divine message to mankind. Yet, in the annals of history, for a variety of reasons, their prophethood never became historically established, so that across the centuries, as well as for the modern man, their prophethood has remained controversial. The call to Islam was easier to give when emanating from an established prophethood than when issued by prophets who were not able to gain general recognition due to the lack of support from their people. The Prophet’s status during his lifetime, and for all posterity, was defined in this verse of the Quran: “Your Lord may exalt you to a position of praise and glory.” (17:79) Dr. Nishi Kant Chattopadhdhyaye (Muslim name: Mohd. Azizuddin) was a highly educated Hindu, born in Hyderabad at the end of the nineteenth century. Urged on by his quest for truth, he learnt Hindi, English, German and French and studied all the religions and faiths. But none of these could satisfy him. One of the main reasons for his dissatisfaction was that none of these religions stood up to the test of history. Thus, there were no grounds for regarding them as authentic. Finally he resorted to the study of Islam. And he was astonished to find that the teachings of Islam were still preserved in their original form. The Islamic personalities, far from being mythological characters, were genuinely historical figures. He writes: In the Prophet of Islam there is nothing vague and shadowy, mythical or mysterious, as, for instance, in