Blogging the Qur'an by Ziauddin Sardar- Part 35: Models for Humankind: Part 1
By Ziauddin Sardar
June 16, 2008
Prophecy is one of the major themes of the Qur'an. The
entire premise of the Qur'an is that God guides humanity away from error and
sin towards goodness and justice, and prophecy is the principal agency through
which this guidance is made manifest.
Prophecy brings "good news", it makes us aware of
humanity's potential for advancement, to be uplifted and ultimately even
perfect our existence while it warns of the possibility that we can sink, as
individuals and communities, into the depths of ignorance and barbarity. The
function of prophecy is to keep humanity on the right track, both physical and
morally, to inspire nobler and higher sentiments and instil in men and women
virtues that take them closer to the divine.
Prophecy is thus not only the method through which God
communicates his message to humanity; it is also a sign of his mercy and
favour.
The Qur'an makes it clear that prophecy is a universal
phenomenon and one that was recurrent in human history before its revelation.
Both aspects are important as instructive elements of the worldview set out by
the Qur'an. God is the creator of all humanity and "we have dispatched a
messenger to every nation" (16:36).
Just as our created human nature includes the capacity to
recognise and respond to our origin, God, so all people are included in the
historic process of receiving guidance from God. Prophecy is not the special
possession of any one people but belongs to all people. Furthermore, together
these universals point towards shared common moral principals and values in the
experience and ideas of all peoples and nations, which provide the potential to
work together to achieve human advancement.
The second aspect reminds us that prophecy exists within
history and depends upon the response of human beings caught in all the foibles
and failings of human nature as well as different historic circumstances. In
history people have both lived up to the challenge of God's guidance delivered
through prophecy and twisted and diverted the message to their own interests and
ends. Prophecy instructs us both in God's mercy and the record of human
frailty. To be in receipt of God's guidance does not automatically make a
society or individual righteous and good. Prophecy is a challenge to both faith
and reason that has to be met in each generation.
The prophets are
not just the bearers of the divine message; they also demonstrate how the
message is to be interpreted in daily life and practical detail. This is why
they are "only human beings" (14:11) who come from within the community.
They understand the suffering of the community, are anxious about its turmoil,
and are trusted by all (9:128-9).
They are chosen because of their pure character and special
personalities, and endowed with knowledge and wisdom to "recite his
signs" (3:164) to their communities. They become guides and leaders, and
communicate the revelation from God to their people without fear and with
resoluteness and patience.
The Qur'an distinguishes between two types of prophets:
Rasul and Nabi. Although both are divinely inspired, only Rasuls, or
messengers, are recipients of revelation in the form of a book: "These
were the men to whom we gave the book, and authority, and prophethood"
(40:78). Thus, while every Rasul is a Nabi, not all Nabis are Rasuls. And we should
note that the resolute warners, who by their faith, submission to God's word,
and exemplary character in holding to their charge from God despite the
opposition of their society, provide role models for all humanity in the Qur'an
and include both men and women.
As communicators of revelation, both Rasuls and Nabis serve
as "witnesses" to the divine message. On the Day of Judgment, these
witnesses will be called and truth will be clear from falsehood: "We shall
call a witness from every community, and say, 'produce your evidence', and then
they will know that truth belongs to God alone; the gods they invented will
forsake them" (28:75).
Adam was the first Nabi and Muhammad is the last Rasul. All
prophets are one community; and they communicated the same message of unity of
God and the importance of upholding justice and equity (42:13).
The common core of the message delivered by all prophets
reinforces the concept of universality and oneness of God. It also requires
Muslims to respect all prophets, named and unnamed in the Qur'an. Between Adam
and Muhammad the Qur'an mentions 23 other prophets, many being familiar names
from the Bible: Idris (Enoch) (19:56-57, 21:85-86); Noah (6:84); Hud
(11:50-60); Saleh (11:61-66); Abraham (6:83, 11:69-76); Isma'il (Ishmael)
(6:84, 19:54-55); Ishaq (Isaac) (11:70-74); Lut (Lot) (7:80-84); Ya'qub (Jacob)
(11:71); Yousef (Joseph) (6:84 and the whole of Sura 12); Shu'aib (7:85, 11:
84); Ayyub (Job) (6:84); Moses (6:84, 20:9-99); Harun (Aaron) (6:84, 20:90);
Dhu'l-kifl (Ezekiel) (21:85-86, 38:48); Dawud (David) (6:84); Sulaiman
(Solomon) (6:84); Ilias (Elias) (6:85); Al-Yasa (Elisha) (6:86); Yunus (Jonah)
(6:86); Zakariya (Zechariah) (6:85); Yahya (John) (6:85) and Isa (Jesus) (3:
45-48; 43:57-59; 19:88-98; 5:116-117; 19:16-36; 5:46-47; 5:72-75; 43: 63-65).
Naturally, the Qur'an focuses attention on Muhammad, the
prophet who received the last revelation from God. His critics accused him of
being a fortune-teller, a madman, and a poet - poets were thought to be invaded
by spirits when they delivered their poetry. He is none of these things, says
the Qur'an, but the last prophet: "Muhammad is not the father of any of
your men, but he is the messenger of God and the seal of the prophets"
(33:40). He is "the unlettered prophet" (7:157) who is endowed with
an "exalted character" (68:4). He is loving, kind and gentle:
"had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from
about you" (3:159).
The Qur'an describes a specific event in the life of the
Prophet Muhammad known as the "night journey". It is a journey that takes the Prophet Muhammad from
Mecca to the mosque in Jerusalem: "Glory be to him who made his servant
travel by night from the sacred place of worship to the furthest place of
worship, whose surroundings we have blessed, to show him some of our
signs" (17:1). This part of the night journey, known as isra, is the first
stage of the journey followed by the Meraj, the prophet's ascension to heaven.
Here, Muhammad "soared up and stood, poised on the highest point of the
horizon; then he approached and came on down, and stood two bow-lengths off or
even closer"; and "he saw some of his Lord's greatest signs"
(53:1-18).
Muslims scholars differ in their opinion about whether the
ascension was a bodily journey or a spiritual experience. Mythology even has
the prophet riding a white mystical beast, Buraq, taller than a donkey, but
smaller than a mule. Its step is said to cover a distance equal to the range of
its vision. The prophet tied it up in Jerusalem and then went up through the
seven heavens, meeting other prophets as he went, culminating with Abraham.
Myths even have Muhammad bargaining with God about the number of times Muslims
are supposed to pray during the day!
But the Qur'an makes it clear that Isra and Meraj are
spiritual journeys, a vision. Later on in Sûrah of the star, which contains the
description of Meraj, the event is clearly described as a vision: "the
vision we showed you was only a test for people" (17:60). Muhammad saw
"Lord's greatest signs" with a spiritual eye. The experience gave him
hope at a time when his situation in Mecca was one of utter helplessness.
Source:
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/quran/2008/06/models_for_humankind_part_1.html
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A Man from Among Us
By Madeleine Bunting
June 16, 2008
The verses referring to the Prophet Muhammad seem like a
very important set so I will be reading Zia closely, because it seems that here
is the Qur’an’s representation of who he is and how he should be regarded.
We are told he is "unlettered" more than once; he
has been chosen "from among yourselves". This echoed for me the
parable in the New Testament that God chooses the stone thrown away by the
builder for the keystone in the arch. The prophet is not someone exceptional or
out of the ordinary.
But he becomes extraordinary, and I think, a puzzling figure
for Christians with their own tradition of a prophet who is both human and
divine. When I read and hear of the deference to the prophet, I hear resonances
in it of the Christian worship of Christ. Now, I know this is a Christian
projection but it makes it hard for anyone with a Christian heritage (and that
covers much of the west) to understand how Muslims both revere this man and yet
insist they don't worship him. Perhaps Zia can help shed more light on this.
The next problem is how to understand the Prophet Muhammad
in relation to previous prophets. Muslims see him as the final and complete
revelation from God and this of course is something that Christians can never
accept. Can Zia explain more here about the Islamic understanding of Christ and
he relates to Muhammad?
I notice one of the verses (40:78) refers to
"messengers sent before you - some we have mentioned and some not". I
presume those mentioned are the Old Testament prophets but I'm particularly
intrigued by the idea that there are more prophets that have not been mentioned
in the scriptures - is that correct?
Finally, I'm greatly impressed by another set of verses -
80:1-12. As I read them, they are essentially a reprimand to the prophet in
which God rebukes him for not continuing to focus on the disbelieving notables
rather than on the blind believer. They have "gone out of their way"
to talk to those whose self-satisfaction has stunted their spiritual growth,
but ignored the blind man who could have "grown in the spirit." Not
only is there a message here of real significance - don't allow yourself to be
impressed by status, don't indulge the ego talking to people who will never
listen - but also, I like the idea that the prophet makes a mistake here. A
prophet who makes mistakes is indeed "from among" us
Source:
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/quran/2008/06/a_man_from_among_us.html
URL of Part 34: https://www.newageislam.com/books-and-documents/blogging-the-qur-an-by-ziauddin-sardar--part-34---peeling-back-the-layers/d/13285
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