The Final Message (1/2)

Allah (Mighty & Majestic) sent His prophet, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to the whole of humanity, sealing thereby all previous messages. He supported him (Peace be upon him) with miracles and wonders which bear witness to his prophethood and message (Peace be upon him) from Allah (Noble & Sublime), for no one but a prophet could have produced them.

Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) said that he was the Seal of the Prophets, so he (Peace be upon him) is therefore the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, because it is common knowledge that every messenger is a prophet, but not every prophet is a messenger. Allah Almighty has said, “Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets.” [Surat Al-Ahzab: 40]

Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) said,

“My likeness and the likeness of the prophets is that of a man who built a house, then finished it and completed it, except the place of one brick therein, so people took to circling around it and marveling at it, saying: 'If only this brick would be put into place!' I am that brick.”

[Reported by Sahih al-Jami` al-Saghir]

Allah's Messenger informed us that he was sent to the whole of mankind—to all people, everywhere, and for all times, until the Day of Judgment. Allah Most High has said, “Say, "Oh mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah…” [Surat Al-A`raaf: 158] and “And We have not sent you except as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner to all mankind…” [Surat Saba': 28]

Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) said, "I was sent to the red and the black." [Reported by Sahih Muslim]

In other words, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) was sent to all different types, meaning: to all mankind.

Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) fought the Jews and gained victory over them. He also went to fight the Byzantines in the Battle of Tabuk, and he returned victorious after they scattered and were too cowardly to face him (Peace be upon him).

All of this was for the sake of spreading the message of true monotheism (tawhid) which is pleasing to Allah (Mighty & Majestic), in order to establish an Islamic domain.

We would like to point to some aspects of the summarized proof that the prophethood and message of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to all people sealed the chain of prophecies and messages, among which is:

1- The fact that Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) informed us of that, as we have shown with the Noble Qur’anic Verses and Honorable Prophetic Hadiths. Because the prophethood of Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) has been confirmed to us by the miracles, wonders, testimony, signs, and evidence Allah (Mighty & Majestic) supported him with, among which is that he (Peace be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, and that he (Peace be upon him) was sent to the whole of humanity, and to all people.

2- That it is from the Ultimate Wisdom of Allah (Mighty & Majestic) that He made the message to seal all previous messages a global one, for all creation, and that He made the Prophet who is the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers a prophet sent to all mankind, for all times and in all places, since the seal of all messages must necessarily be preserved by Allah (Mighty & Majestic) from the corruption and alteration of human hands—because there will come no other Divine Message after it. In other words, this final message is appropriate for all times, for it must serve mankind in any location and in any age.

3- The many, many prophecies foretelling the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the Torah, the Gospels, the Hindu scriptures and other books of old:

Since these indicate that the message of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was not like any other message; rather it must necessarily be a universal message—for all mankind—and it must necessarily be a message to seal all previous messages, since it is preserved and protected by Allah (Mighty & Majestic) until the Day of Judgment.

That is why there is this great number of prophecies about Allah's Messenger, Muhammad (Peace be upon him), since there will be no prophet after him, for he (Peace be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers.

4- The message of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the sound doctrines he came with:

Allah (Mighty & Majestic) sent the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) at a time when the whole world was in great need of his (Peace be upon him) message, when the people had gone astray from the path which would lead them to their God and Creator (Noble & Sublime), and connect them to each other, when people had become corrupt and misguided, and had differed and broken off relations with one another.

Thus, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) came with a message from Allah Almighty to fix the corrupt their beliefs, to heal their souls, to connect people with each other, and to direct them to harmonious unity, in synch with their Creator and Maker.

Muhammad's (Peace be upon him) message came containing pure beliefs any less than which Allah (Mighty & Majestic) would not accept, and which man was created to accept from his God and Creator (Blessed & Exalted).

Muhammad's (Peace be upon him) message came with guiding rites of worship, noble standards of interaction, and upstanding laws based on goodness, truth, and virtue.

Allah Almighty has said,

“Oh Prophet! Verily, We have sent you as a witness, and a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner, * And as one who invites to Allah by His Leave, and as a lamp spreading light.” [Surat Al-Ahzab: 45-46]

Allah Most High has said,

“He commands them to do good and forbids them from doing evil; he allows them all good things as lawful, and prohibits all evil things as unlawful; he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the fetters that were upon them.” [Surat Al-A`raaf: 157]

The Almighty has said,

“Similarly We have sent among you a Messenger of your own, reciting to you Our Verses and sanctifying you, and teaching you the Book and the Wisdom, and teaching you that which you used not to know. * Therefore, remember Me. I will remember you, and be grateful to Me and never be ungrateful.” [Surat Al-Baqarah: 151-152]

The true, correct belief is what the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) came with.

The Wisdom of Allah (Mighty & Majestic) willed that the issue of belief is the issue that the call has undertaken since its first day, that Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) took his first steps on this path by calling the people to testify that there is no true god but Allah, and that he continued to call the people to know their true Lord and to worship Him to the exclusion of all others.

Let us contemplate the belief with which the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) came—the beliefs that were a cause of the improvement of the Muslim people who accepted Islam as their religion, who embraced and followed its directives, and who held fast to the Book which was sent down upon their messenger:

- Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) used to call people to unity of lordship and worship, he used to teach the people about their God and call them to submit to Him (Glorious & Exalted) Alone, and to single Him out for worship.

- He used to teach the people about their Lord Who created them, fashioned them from nothing, and provided for them, and he used to deny the existence of any peer or partner beside Him (Noble & Sublime).

- He used to call all those who denied His Existence (Glorious & Exalted) to believe in the Maker of this perfectly designed universe; he called them to have faith in Allah (Glorious & Exalted).

- He called for fighting idols, which the Arabs and others used to worship even though they knew that they could bring neither benefit nor harm.

- He called for fighting everything that was worshipped beside Allah (Mighty & Majestic), for the Arabs and others used to worship stones, the Persians worshipped fire, the Jews had taken their scribes as lords beside Allah (Mighty & Majestic) (since they permitted to them that which Allah had forbidden and the forbade for them that which Allah had allowed, and they followed them in that), the Christians worshipped a human being (the Messiah—a created being who ate, drank, and slept, and other things that human beings created by Allah (Mighty & Majestic) do), yet despite all that, they used to worship him and ascribe divinity to him.

- He called for the worship of Allah Almighty Alone, and for vindicating Him (Glorious & Exalted) of any attributes of imperfection, blame, or reproach which human beings had ascribed to Him due to their blind following of vain desire, arrogance and trivial passions.

- Let us take notice of the environment surrounding the Prophet (Peace be upon him) which used to swirl with blasphemy about the Creator (Noble & Sublime), since:

A- The Arabs used to falsely claim that Allah had taken angels as daughters, saying that the Angels were the daughters of Allah, may He be glorified high above all that.

B- The Jews made blasphemous claims about Allah as well. Some of them claimed that Ezra (Uzayr) was the son of God, may He be exalted high above such a thing! Also, the Jews corrupted their scriptures, denied their prophets and even killed them. They denied Allah's slave and messenger, the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, despite the miracle of his birth (Peace be upon him), his speaking from the cradle, and the miracles he produced thereafter by the Help of Allah Most High.

They insulted him and said ugly things about him, may Allah's Curse be upon them. They attributed to the Virgin Mary that which the tongue is shy to utter, accusing her of fornication, Allah's Curse be upon them, when she was a pure, blameless worshipper whom Allah (Blessed & Exalted) had supported with the miracle of her son, the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, speaking from the cradle and with his (Peace be upon him) other miracles after that.  

The Jews were not satisfied to do only what we have mentioned above. The prophets and messengers that the Jews believed in were not safe from the lies, slander, and defamation of their tongues. Among these prophets were those the Jews accused of drunkenness, incest, and even having children born of incest. They accused others of being on the verge of committing adultery and fornication, and others of performing magic, in addition to a host of other false accusations, lies, and slander.  

The Jews insulted their God and attributed to Him ignorance and poor decision-making. They did not give to Allah (Mighty & Majestic) His due estimation, when they said that (as they claim) He was ignorant of the condition of those He chose to deliver His message and that He chose poorly for what they did to him. All of this is imperfection and fault which should be recognized as being beneath the Creator. May Allah be exalted high above it.

C- The Christians perpetuate a lie against Allah, when a group of them say that the Messiah is God. Others say that the Messiah is the son of God, and still others say that God is one of three: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as we have discussed previously.

May Allah be glorified high above such blasphemy! They ascribed to Allah (Glorious & Exalted) the taking of a son, which is to attribute incompleteness to Allah (Glorious & Mighty), for Allah has no need to take a son, for were He to have a son, he would have to resemble Him; he would also have to be Divine, like Him.

He could then decide at any time to take another son, or yet another, and they would all resemble Him, being Divine, like Him, unto infinity. Such would also have to be true of the 'Divine Son,' may Allah be exalted high above all these lies!

There is none like unto Allah (Glorious & Exalted), as all people know by nature, and as their reason proves to them, for it is a logical impossibility for there to be two or more gods worthy of worship.  

Allah (Mighty & Majestic) was not born, and He did not take a son. As the Most High has said,

“And they say, "The Beneficent has begotten a son." * Indeed you have brought forth a terrible, evil thing. * Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth is split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins, * That they ascribe a son to the Most Beneficent. * But it is not suitable for the Most Beneficent that He should beget a son. * There is none in the heavens and the earth but who comes unto the Most Beneficent as a slave.” [Surat Maryam: 88-94]

That is why the doctrine and statements Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) came with concerning the Messiah, son of Mary (Peace be upon him) is that he is the slave and messenger of Allah. He was chosen by Allah (Mighty & Majestic) to deliver the message, as He chose other messengers.

This is the middle way between extremism and neglect.   

Without the exaggeration of the Christians, who ascribed divinity or some part thereof to the Messiah, son of Mary, according to the differences between their denominations that are misguided and misguide others, that differ in their beliefs, when they should have united on one belief, but how could that be when falsehood is multiple darkness, many forms, while the truth is only one, like the light that extinguishes the darkness, and no reasonable beings, with rational intelligence and sound nature, would differ over it.   

Without the denial of the Jews who rejected the message of the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, outright, who disbelieved in him and attempted to crucify and execute him, who tried to attack the honor of the Virgin Mary as they had polluted the story of every prophet that had been sent to them, and so on, may Allah's Curse be upon them.    

In general, the belief the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad (Peace be upon him), came with is the belief with which Allah (Mighty & Majestic) has wiped out all the darkness.

It is the pure belief which poses neither difficulty for the thinking, hardship for the mind, nor fatigue for the imagination, as is the case with these other corrupt belief systems.   

That is why Muhammad's message is the message that seals all previous messages, for all people in every place and every time, for there will be no other prophet or messenger after Allah's Messenger, Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

1- The Holy Qur’an is the Prophet Muhammad's (Peace be upon him) great, everlasting, perpetual miracle:

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said,

"Of the prophets, there has not been one who was not given signs that would make human beings believe him, and verily, what I was given was revelation revealed to me by Allah, so I hope to be the one most followed on the Day of Resurrection." [Reported by Sahih al-Bukhari].