The Physical, Moral and Spiritual States of Man (part 4)
(continued)
The Advent of the Holy Prophet at the Time of the Greatest Need
Our lord and master, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was raised at a time when the world had been thoroughly corrupted. As God Almighty has said:
(10)
Corruption has spread over land and sea. This means that the People of the Book, as well as those who had no experience of revelation, had all been corrupted. The purpose of the Holy Quran was to revive the dead, as is said:
(11)
Know that Allah is about to revive the earth after its death.
At that time the people of Arabia were steeped in barbarism. No social pattern prevailed and they took pride in every type of sin and misconduct. A man married an unlimited number of wives, and they were all addicted to the use of everything unlawful. They considered it lawful to marry their mothers, and that is why God Almighty had to prescribe:
(12)
That is, today your mothers are made unlawful for you. They ate carrion and some of them were even cannibals. There is not a sin of which they were not guilty. Most of them did not believe in the after life. Many of them denied the existence of God. They killed their female infants with their own hands. They killed orphans and devoured their substance. They had the appearance of human beings but were bereft of reason. They possessed no modesty, no shame, and no self respect. They drank liquor like water. The one among them who indulged indiscriminately in fornication was acknowledged as the chief of his tribe. They were so utterly ignorant that their neighbouring people called them the unlettered ones. At such time and for the reform of such people, our lord and master, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, appeared in Mecca. This was the time that called for the three types of reform that we have just mentioned. That is why the Holy Quran claims to be more complete and more perfect than all other books of guidance, inasmuch as the other books had not the opportunity of carrying out the three types of reforms which the Holy Quran was designed to carry out. The purpose of the Holy Quran was to elevate savages into men, and then to equip them with moral qualities, and finally raise them to the level of godly persons. The Holy Quran thus comprehends all those three projects.
(to be continued)
Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmat
The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam (English translation: Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan),
Islam International Publications Ltd., Printed in UK 2010, p.19-25.
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(10). Corruption has appeared on land and sea (The Holy Quran, ar-Rum 30:42)
(11). Know that Allah is now quickening the earth after its death. (The Holy Quran, al-Hadid 57:18)
(12). Forbidden to you are your mothers, (The Holy Quran, an-Nisa’ 4:24)
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You can also read:
Philosophy of Teachings of Islam: The Soul is created
The Physical, Moral and Spiritual States of Man (part 2)
