THE PROPHET AND HIS MISSION — From The Quran

This state, in brief, may be called that of seeking the Truth. That is to say, before his being commissioned as a Messenger of God, he was a seeker of Truth, wandering hither and thither in search of it. In those days he used to withdraw to hills and deserts, and stay — engrossed in contemplation in the solitude of the cave of Hira. All this was a manifestation of this search for Truth welling up in his heart. This phase has been recorded in detail in the books of Hadith and Seerah. From this we learn that, as a preliminary to the discovery of Truth, the proper course for an individual would be to go in search of it. As we learn from the Quran, one who sincerely seeks the Truth will definitely receive guidance, just as the Prophet Muhammad did. The difference between the Prophet and the common man is that the former received guidance with prophethood, while the latter will receive only guidance. The Prophet as a Human Being The Quran describes the Prophet of Islam as a human being like any other. What distinguished him from others was not his being something other than human, but, rather, his being a prophet, in addition to being a human being. This is illustrated by the following verses of the Quran: Am I anything but a human apostle? (THE QURAN 17: 93) I am but a mortal like yourselves. It is revealed to me that your God is one God. (THE QURAN 18: 110) Their apostles said to them: We are nothing but mortals like you. (THE QURAN 14: 11) This gives credence to the practical example set by the Prophet for the benefit of all human beings. It is quite clear that his ability to convince people rested on his being a human like other people; on his having feelings of the same nature as other human beings; and on his being made of the same flesh and blood as others. If the Prophet had not shared all these things with other human beings, the commandment to follow the example of the Prophet would have been impracticable. The greatness of the Prophet of Islam lay in adopting a superior code of ethics as a human being, so that he should come up to the