Prophecy in General
God, the All-Wise, has chosen certain exalted persons to guide mankind, entrusting them with His messages for all peoples. These are the Messengers and the Prophets, through whose mediation the current of grace and guidance flows down to earth from the divine empyrean. This grace has been flowing from His presence since the dawn of humanity, right up to the age of the Holy Prophet. It is necessary to understand that each of the particular religious' dispensations brought by the Prophets was the most complete form of religion for the time and the people concerned. Were this flow of divine grace not perpetual, mankind would never be able to attain perfection.
Reasons for the Necessity of Prophecy
Since the creation of man is brought about by God, the Wise, it follows naturally that there is a goal and purpose for man's creation. Now, given the fact that what man, and man alone, possesses is intellect and wisdom, it follows that the goal and purpose of his creation must be intelligible. From another angle, however much the intellect of man is useful and necessary to him in his quest for the path of perfection, it has not been sufficient. Were he to remain satisfied with his intellect alone, he would never be able to find an integral path, one that can really lead him to his own perfection. For example, one of the most compelling of all intellectual challenges is to comprehend the mystery of man's origin and his final destination. Man wishes to know from whence he came, why he came and whither he will go. But the intellect, acting alone, cannot clarify or resolve such issues.
The incapacity of the human intellect and its researches is not restricted to the domain of the origin and the end of humanity, but extends, rather, to many other questions of vital importance to life. The various and conflicting perspectives of man as regards economics, ethics, the family and other matters, all testify to the inability of the intellect to arrive at an infallible conclusion in these domains; and for this same reason, we observe the emergence of conflicting schools of thought. Considering these points carefully, the intelligence makes the sound judgement that divine wisdom has required that divinely guided leaders and teachers be sent in order to establish clearly the path of right guidance.
The incapacity of the human intellect and its researches is not restricted to the domain of the origin and the end of humanity, but extends, rather, to many other questions of vital importance to life. The various and conflicting perspectives of man as regards economics, ethics, the family and other matters, all testify to the inability of the intellect to arrive at an infallible conclusion in these domains; and for this same reason, we observe the emergence of conflicting schools of thought. Considering these points carefully, the intelligence makes the sound judgement that divine wisdom has required that divinely guided leaders and teachers be sent in order to establish clearly the path of right guidance.
Those who believe that the guidance offered by the intellect can replace the guidance bestowed by God must address the following two questions:
1. Human intelligence and learning, as applied to the comprehension of man himself, of the mysteries of being, the past and the future of his existential journey, are inadequate; whilst the Creator of man, on the other hand-in accordance with the principle that every creator knows its creation-is completely aware of man, and all the dimensions and mysteries of his being. In the Qur'an, we have this argument referred to thus:
Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted?(Sura al-Mulk, 67: 14)
Human intelligence and learning, as applied to the comprehension of man himself, of the mysteries of being, the past and the future of his existential journey, are inadequate; whilst the Creator of man, on the other hand-in accordance with the principle that every creator knows its creation-is completely aware of man, and all the dimensions and mysteries of his being. In the Qur'an, we have this argument referred to thus:
Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted?(Sura al-Mulk, 67: 14)
2. Out of a compelling instinct of self-preservation, man consciously or unconsciously applies himself to the pursuit of his personal benefit, and in his planning he is unable to leave out of account the benefit accruing to his personal or group interests. However, he will never be able to take into account the totality of the human collectivity; he will always be, to some extent, prejudiced in favour of his own self-interest. The guidance given by the Prophets, on the other hand, because it derives from the divine reality, is devoid of such partiality and the deficiencies that flow therefrom.
Taking these points into consideration, one must conclude that mankind has always been in need of divine guidance and prophetic instruction, and always will be.
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