الجنه

 ان الذين امنوا و عملوا الصالحات لهم جنات تجري من تحتها الانهار ذلك الفوز الكبير

كل مؤمن و مؤمنه يتمني ان يفوز بالجنه

THE ESSENCE OF PROPHETHOOD

The greatest thing that man must know in this life is the knowledge about his Lord, Who created him from nothing and showered him with blessings. And the greatest purpose for which Allaah created the creation is to worship Him alone.

But how can man know his Lord as it is due? What are the duties and obligations binding on him? How can he worship his Lord? Man can find who will assist him during vicissitudes of life, provide for his needs like treatment for an ailment, giving some medicine, assisting to build a house and so on and so forth; but he cannot find among ordinary people who can make him know his Lord and explain to him how to worship Him. This is because human intelligence cannot independently know what Allaah intends, he cannot even perceive the intention of his fellow human being before he tells him what he intends. How can he then know what Allaah means? Further, it is also because, this matter is only restricted to the Messengers and Prophets whom Allaah has chosen to convey the Message and to those who come after them among the rightly guided leaders and the heirs of the Prophet, who follow their way, take to their Path and help to convey their message. For men cannot receive revelation from Allaah directly as they are unable to bear it. Allaah says,

 “It is not given to any human being that Allaah should speak to him unless (it be) by Revelation, of from behind a veil, or that He sends a Messenger to reveal what He wills by His leave. Verily, He is Most-High, Most Wise.”[1]

There should therefore be an intermediary and an envoy who can convey the law of Allaah to His slaves, Those intermediaries and envoys are the Messengers and Prophets. The angel will carry the message to the Prophet and the Prophet will convey it to the people. The Angels do not carry the message to men directly, for the world of angels is naturally different from that of human beings. Allaah says,

 “Allaah chooses Messengers from angels and from men.”[2]

The Wisdom of Allaah necessitates that the Messenger should come from the race of those whom he is sent to, so that they could understand him because of their ability to speak with him. If Messengers had been sent to mankind from among the angels, they could not have been able to face him or learn anything from him. Allaah the exalted says,

“And they say: Why has not an angel been sent down to him? Had we sent down an angel, the matter would have been judged at once, and no respite would be granted to them. And had We appointed him an angel, We indeed would have made him a man, and We would have certainly confused them in which they are already confused.”[3]

He also says,

 “And We never sent before you (O Muhammad) any of the Messengers but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets. And We have made some of you as a trial for others: will you have patience? And your Lord is Ever All-Seer (of everything). And those who expect not a meeting with Us (i.e., those who deny the Day of Resurrection and the life of the Hereafter) said: ‘Why are not the angels send down to us, or why do we not see our Lord?’ Indeed, they think too highly of themselves and are scornful with great pride.”[4]

He also says,

 “And We sent not (as Our Messengers) before you (O Muhammad) any but men.”[5]

SIGNS OF PROPHETHOOD

Since Prophethood is a means by which the noblest of all knowledge can be acquired and the greatest and most honourable deeds can be carried out; it is of Allaah’s mercy to give these Prophets the signs by which they could be known and through which they could be identified, though, every one of those who claimed to have a mission has some signs and conditions that could indicate his truthfulness if he is truthful or otherwise if he is a liar.  Theses signs are many, the most important of which are:

1.               The Messenger should call to the worship of Allaah alone and to the abandonment of worshipping others besides Him. For this is the purpose for which Allaah created the creation.

2.               The Messenger should call people to believe in him, and put his message into practice. Allaah commands His messenger, Muhammad to say,

 “O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allaah.”[18]

3.               Allaah strengthens him with various kinds of signs of prophethood. Among these signs are the verses that the Prophet Muhammad brought from Allaah and which his people could not repudiate or produce its like. Another example is the sign of Prophet Moosaa when his rod turned to a snake; the sign of Prophet Eesaa who healed the blind and the leper by the permission of Allaah, and the sign of Muhammad which is the Great Qur’aan, in spite of the fact that he was an illiterate who could neither read nor write among many other signs of the Prophets.

Among these signs is the clear and vivid truth which the Prophets and Messengers brought and which their opponents could not disprove or deny. Rather, their opponents knew that what the Prophets had brought was the truth that could not be resisted.

Among the signs also are perfect conditions, beautiful traits and magnanimous conduct with which Allaah distinguished the Prophets.

4.               His message should agree in fundamentals with the fundamentals to which all Messengers and Prophets called.[19]

5. He should not call others to the worship of himself or to direct any act of worship to him. He should also not call to the glorification of his tribe or clan. Allaah commands His Prophet Muhammad to tell people,

 “Say: I do not tell you that with me is the treasure of Allaah, nor (that) I know the Unseen; nor I tell you that I am an angel. I but follow what is revealed to me.”[20]

6. He should not ask from people any of the things of this world as a wage for his mission. Allaah says, informing us about His Prophets Noah, Hood, Saalih, Loot and Shuaib, that they told their people,

 “No reward do I ask of you for it (my message of Islaamic Monotheism); my reward is only from the Lord of all that exists.”[21]

Prophet Muhammad also told his people,

 “No wage do I ask of you for this (the Qur’aan), nor am I of those who pretend and fabricate things.”[22]

These Prophets and Messengers whom I have told you something of their qualities and signs of their prophethood, are many. Allaah says,

 “And verily, We have sent among every nation a Messenger (proclaiming): Worship Allaah (alone) and avoid all false deities.”[23]

These Messengers have made mankind happy; the history recorded their stories and the injunctions of their religion were repeatedly transmitted, that they are the truth and just. Likewise, repeatedly narrated is the victory with which Allaah honoured them and destruction of their enemies, like the destruction of the people of Noah with flood, drowning of Pharaoh, punishment for the people of Loot; and the victory of Muhammad over his enemies and the spread of his religion. Whoever knows this will know certainly that they brought for mankind good and guidance; that they directed them to all that could benefit them and warn them against all that could be harmful. The first of them is Adam and the last is Muhammad.

Islaam:

Its Foundations And Concepts  

When man grows and starts understanding things, many questions come to his mind like: Where am I from? What will be my end? Who created me and the universe around me? Who owns and controls this universe? And other questions like these.

However, he is unable to provide himself with answers to these questions. Even modern science is not capable of providing answers to them because these issues fall within religious domains. That is why there are numerous narrations and different superstitions and tales about them that only add to man's confusion and distress. It is impossible for man to get a satisfying answer to these questions unless he is guided by Allaah to the true religion that is capable of providing final decision on these and similar issues; for, these issues are among the divine secrets that only the true religion can give correct and accurate answers to and that is the only religion that Allaah revealed to His Prophets and Messengers. It is then incumbent upon man to learn the true religion and have belief in it in order to have his confusion and doubts removed and in order to be guided to the Straight Path.

In the following pages, I invite you to follow the Straight Path of Allaah and I present to you some evidences and proofs that you may carefully and patiently reflect on