The Wisdom Behind The Termination Of The Prophethood In the 7th Century
By S.
Arshad, New Age Islam
30 March
2024
Prophet
Mohammad pbuh was the last prophet.
Main
Points:
1. Jesus Christ
was the prophet preceding him.
2. More than
one hundred thousand messengers were raised on earth.
3. No prophet
was raised since the 7th century.
4. 1400 years
have passed since the raising of the last prophet.
-------
Science
says that the human beings have inhabited this earth for millions of years.
Skeletons or skulls of human beings have been found that are believed to be
millions of years old. Religious scriptures say that Adam and Eve were the
first man and woman raised on earth. Different scriptures give different names
for the first man and woman on earth but all agree on the fact that the human
species originated from a man and woman. According to the Muslim belief, the
first man and woman Hadhrat Adam a.s. and Hadhrat Hawwa a.s. were created by
God.
According
to the Muslim belief, one lakh and 24 thousand messengers were raised on earth
to teach them and make them civilised. Initially, many prophets were raised in
different parts of the earth simultaneously and were assigned to a particular
community inhabiting an area. For example, Prophet Moses was the prophet of the
people of Egypt while prophet Shuaib a.s. was the prophet of the people of
Madyan. Prophet Abraham a.s. and his nephew Prophet Lot a.s. were prophets of
two different communities simultaneously. Similarly, there were prophets
spreading the message of God in different parts of the earth from the East to the
West and from the North to the South. God says in the Quran that He raised
messengers for every linguistic community on earth so that it gets His message.
However, as
the human civilisation advanced and man became more and more intellectually
developed, prophets were sent in long intervals and for large regions. For
example, Jesus Christ was raised for the people in Palestine but his followers
spread his message to distant lands. After Jesus Christ, the tradition of
proselytisation came into existence. According to the Quran, there was a
cessation of the line of prophets after Jesus Christ. About the last prophet
Mohammad pbuh, the Quran says:
"O People of the Book! Our messenger has
indeed come to you making things clear to you after an interval between the
messengers, so you do not say, 'There has never come to us a deliverer of good
news or a warner."(Al.Maidah:19)
This verse
suggests that no messenger had been sent after Jesus Christ and before Prophet
Muhammad pbuh. We can therefore, infer that no messenger was sent to earth for
more than five hundred years after Jesus Christ and the religious teachings of
Jesus Christ were the universal teachings meant for the entire humanity.
We can also
infer from the universality of Jesus Christ that from then on, God sent
messengers who were sent for the entire humanity, not for a particular
community and for five hundred years, his teachings assumed universal
significance. The last prophet Muhammad pbuh was born in 570 A.D. and was
blessed with prophethood in 610 A. D. He was given the divine book Quran that
was also for the entire humanity. The Quran was called the book for the entire
humanity till the end of the world. Prophet Muhammad pbuh was declared the last
prophet in the Quran. The Quran and the teachings of the last prophet will
remain valid for the entire humanity till the Day of Judgment. No man is
permitted to claim prophethood after the final prophet.
Now the
question as to why God stopped the line of prophets after 7th century arises.
Earlier, prophets came in quick succession and prophets worked in different
parts of the world simultaneously but with the arrival of Jesus Christ the
series of community prophets was stopped and universal prophets were raised.
Jesus Christ was the first universal prophet and no prophet was sent for five
hundred years after Jesus Christ as per the understanding of the above quoted
verse of the Quran.
After Jesus
Christ, came the next universal prophet, Hadhrat Muhammad pbuh and according to
the verse 40 of Surah Ahzab, no prophet will come after him. 1445 years have
passed since the passing of the final prophet.
The reason
behind the termination of the line of the prophets after prophet Muhammad pbuh
seems to be the advanced stage of humanity. After aeons of training and teachings,
man has grown matured and intellectually developed. Therefore, after aeons of
training and teaching, God wanted man to use his own brain and intellect to
shape his own life and society. If God kept sending prophets to them who taught
them the ways of life till the Day of Judgment, it would mean He had created
someone who could not stand on his own and wanted to be dictated at every step
till the end of the universe. Therefore, after sending teachers and warners for
him century after century, God wanted to see Man behave on his own. He gave man
the Quran in which the teachings of all the previous prophets were summed up
and the lives and teachings of some prominent prophets were summarised so that
the followers of all the prophets considered themselves a family and not
opponents. The teachings of all the previous divine scriptures were also summed
up in the Quran after clearing the apocrypha and deviations inserted in the
previous books, so that all the communities accepted the Quran as their final
divine book. The Quran narrates the stories of Jesus Christ, Mother Mary,
Prophet Moses a.s., Prophet Abraham a.s., Prophet David a.s. and other prophets
to drive home the point that the Quran is not meant only for Muslims but for
all the followers of God.
The humanity
witnessed scientific developments since the 8th century. The Middle ages saw
the emergence of a scientific community that saw the universe from a scientific
point of view. The Quran anticipated the future generation of man possessing
scientific temperament. God worked miracles for the primitive people to make
them see reason but God wanted man of the modern world to work miracles through
his knowledge. That is why, the Quran has the mention of so many scientific
facts and phenomenon that keep evolving with time. God wants man to advance
with scientific knowledge because if man delves deep into the scientific roots
of things and phenomenon, he will be guided to the truth and will not need a
prophet. His knowledge will lead him to the realisation of truth.
Modern man
has reached the moon, is researching on the sun and other planets. He has the
first hand knowledge of the universe and can see into the electrons and protons
of matter. He can fly to other planets and can establish contacts with other
species of the universe in future. In such a highly sophisticated universe and
society, man is expected to shape his own moral values without the help of any
divine teacher or guide. The cumulative teachings of the previous prophets
summed up in the Quran will serve them as a common guiding light in times of
confusion.
-----
S.
Arshad is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
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