Article appeared Friday, September 30th, 2016 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Revelation (444)

yousuf mahbubul Islam, PhD

Have we ever thought collectively about the prophets of mankind the prophets of all the
different religions? That is, have we ever analyzed their nature and purpose? For example, why
they were chosen as prophets or messengers, what role did they play, what exactly was their
mission and how most of mankind treated them? A lot of questions, indeed!
Before we look at the questions, let us first ask whether it is important to ask questions about
our prophets or messengers? If messengers had a purpose and we fail to fulfill the purpose,
what may happen? In the Holy Quran we find the following Verses,
Generations before you We had already destroyed when they did wrong, and their
messengers had come to them with clear proofs, but they were not to believe. Thus do
We recompense the criminal people. [10.13]
Then We made you heirs in the land to see how you would behave! [10.14]
Not unlike the destroyed generations before us, who, together with their descendants, have
disappeared, we have been given an opportunity to follow the guidance brought by the
prophets. The question asked by the subsequent Verse [10.14] above is, will we follow their
guidance and thus behave?
What was the guidance brought by the messengers? In the Holy Quran, Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) is told,
And We sent not before you (O, Muhammad) any messenger except We revealed to
him that, There is no deity except Me, therefore worship and serve Me. [21.25]
Nothing is said to you (O, Muhammad) except what was already said to the
messengers before you. Indeed, your Lord is a possessor of forgiveness as well as a
possessor of a most painful penalty. [41.43]
Essentially, all messengers carried the same message; there is no deity except the one true
God. What makes this message so important that it has been repeated again and again by
every messenger? And what does this message mean? To understand, let us contrast this with
the message given to Prophet Moses (pbuh),

17.2 We gave Moses the Book and made it a Guide to the Children of Israel
(commanding): "Take not any other than Me as a Disposer of (your) affairs."
Compare these words with the saying, man proposes, God disposes {1}. How does this
command translate to daily life? To work this out, lets look at a daily life incident. Imagine a
person badly needs a job. Knowing that it is God who provides, the person increases prayers
and supplications to God. Thinking this as insufficient, the man goes out to buy a lucky charm
and a ring, just in case the lucky charm or ring works. He also visits a religious sage who gives
him a sealed Tabij. Finally, just to make sure, the person approaches a member of the interview
board and attempts to use political muscle. Although the man started out believing that it is God
who disposes, i.e., God will arrange a solution, being impatient he approached a lucky charm, a
ring, a religious sage, a board member and a member of the political party. What has the person
done? Has he, in fact, demonstrated belief in God, who is the unique and singular Disposer of
all affairs? Or has he enlisted the help of other partner gods, just in case?

It is by eliminating all other gods, other than the Creator, that one develops proper faith in the
Disposer of all affairs. Approaching other gods is ingratitude for the favors of Allah and proof of
disbelief as it involves believing that partners can help in getting the job.
And remember! Your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): "If you are grateful I will add
more (favors) on you; but if you show ingratitude truly My punishment is terrible indeed."
And Moses said, "If you show ingratitude, you and all on earth together yet is Allah free
of all wants and worthy of all praise. [14.7 14.8]
Once we have eliminated other gods from our daily affairs, we then need to turn to Allah, our
Maker, Provider and Sustainer to adore Him and spread the word of His reality. To confirm this
most important commandment, Jesus (pbuh) said,
Jesus replied, This is the most important (commandment): Hear O Israel, the Lord our
God is One Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. [Mark, 12:29 12:30] {2}
On the purpose of human faculties, the following Verse is revealed in the Holy Quran,
But He fashioned him (each human) in due proportion and breathed into him something
of His spirit. And He gave you (the faculties of) hearing and sight and feeling and
understanding: little thanks do you give! [32.9]
If we fail to discover what He is doing for each of us and thank Him, and simply pursue our day
to day activities while using the Creator as just one of the partner gods, we will have failed in the
purpose of our creation and be in serious trouble with Allah. What is the Creator likely to do to
communities who constantly engage in self-serving activities while ignoring the purpose of the
life given as a gift?
Prophet Noah (pbuh) similarly warned his community to devote themselves to the one true God.
However, the ones who refused were all drowned in the great flood.

17.3 O you that have sprung from those whom We carried (in the Ark) with Noah!
Verily he was a devotee most grateful.
All the current people on earth are therefore descendants of those Allah carried on the Ark with
Noah.
We sent Noah to his people (with a mission): "I have come to you with a Clear Warning:
"That you serve none but Allah: verily I do fear for you the Penalty of a Grievous Day."
[11.25 11.26]
Allah drowned all the rebellious ones and saved those who were grateful to Him. When Allah
finally asked the flood waters to recede, He said,
The word came, "O Noah! Come down (from the Ark) with Peace from Us and
Blessings on you and on some of the Peoples (who will spring) from those with you: but
(there will be) Peoples (among them) to whom We shall grant their pleasures (for a time)
but in the end will a grievous Penalty reach them from Us." [11.48]
-----------{Notes}:
{1} https://www.englishclub.com/ref/esl/Sayings/M/Man_proposes_God_disposes_915.htm
{2} http://biblehub.com/mark/12-30.htm