ASK MAULANA — Your Questions Answered
Spirit of Islam, Dec 2014, p. 45
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.
spiritual adept is free of the limitations to which all men are subject. The obstacles, which prevent others from reaching a full understanding of truth, also block his path. No self-discipline can enable man to transcend these natural limitations and convey to him knowledge of absolute truth. So the stage is left to the Prophet. A prophet is a human being who asserts that God has chosen him and revealed true knowledge to him for the purpose of conveying it to others. Intrinsically, this is the only plausible claim so far, for only God, who is eternal and omniscient, can have actual knowledge of truth. God's divinity itself is proof of His allpervading knowledge of reality. The claim of one who asserts that he has received knowledge of truth from God is worthy of consideration. Here the question arises of there having been not just one prophet. There are many divine scriptures and many prophets have been sent to the world; which of them should be followed? A person who is really sincere in his search for truth, however, will have no trouble in finding the answer to this question. There is no doubt that in the past God has raised many individuals to the status of prophet-hood, but one can judge an event only by virtue of its historical credibility and only one prophet possesses credentials, which make his prophethood a historical certainty rather than just a belief. Of all those who have claimed prophet-hood, only Muhammad, on whom be peace and God's blessings, can be said to have achieved full historical credibility. Everything about him is established historical fact. We are just as well informed about the Prophet of Islam as we are about any contemporary person, or even more so. Apart from him, all prophets are legendary figures. No complete historical record of them exists, nor are the scriptures they left preserved in their original state. Only the life of Muhammad has been completely chronicled. The book, which was handed over to people, as the inspired word of God, is also present in its original form. So, looking at the matter rationally, there can only be one answer to the question. "What is truth?" From a practical as well as a theoretical point of view, we should accept the only realistic answer there is. We should not try to select a solution from a wide range of alternatives. This truth is the word of God and the word of God is immutable. God's commandments never change, either with respect to man or the rest of creation. The terrestrial and celestial orders have not altered despite the passing of billions of years. The principles, which govern vegetation and water in one location, are equally applicable in another. That is the

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