Lesson Six
The End of Prophethood
„... Among them was either a predecessor who would name the one to follow or
the follower who had been introduced by the predecessor." (Sermon 1,
Nahj-ul-Balagha)
In the previous lesson, we mentioned that human beings have never suffered from
the absence of the Prophets or revealed Books. Here in the above statement, the
Commander of the Faithful points out that all the Prophets have had the same
direction, although their followers stand against each other today (Jews
against Christians and Christians against Muslims ... ) He actually means that
there have been no dispute or quarrel among the Prophets, all of them
traversing the same path, conveying the same message and knowing each other
quite well. Everyone of them introduced the Prophet after him and talked
honorably about the one before him. For example, Moses informed his followers
that Jesus Christ would be his successor and Jesus Christ mentioned, in turn,
the name of Moses. Thus, the disputes and wars running among the followers of
the Prophets are quite illogical, originating from egotism and selfishness.
We see, therefore, that this situation (the successive coming of the Prophets,
heavenly Books and the Prophets' followers such as the Imams) continued along
with history and humanity's evolution till God appointed Muhammad peace and the
mercy of God be upon him and upon his, descendants as the last Prophet.
In this regard, the Commander of the Faithful continues with the following
words: «In this way, ages passed by and time rolled on, fathers passed away
while sons took their places till God deputed Muhammad (peace and the mercy of
God be upon him and his descendants) as His Prophet, in fulfillment of His
promise and in completion of His Prophethood.»
What has God promised which should definitely be fulfilled? The answer can be
traced in the Qur'an where it gives good tidings, in the words of Jesus Christ,
of the advent of Muhammad, saying: „And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary,
said.- 0 children of Israel, I am the apostle of God(sent) to you, confirming
the Law (which came) before me, and giving glad tidings of an Apostle to come
after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. ...It is He who has sent His Apostle with
Guidance and the Religion of Truth, that he may proclaim it over all religion
... » (61: 69)
Thus, God's promise is the victory of Mohammed's religion (or prophethood) over
all of humanity's intellectual courses and social experiences. This does not
mean, however, that during the Prophet's lifetime this aim should have been
achieved (as it was not achieved in practice due to the Prophet's departure),
nor does it mean that the Prophet of Islam should, in the long run, overcome
all religions, nations and schools of thought (although this has been realized
many times in history and the Islamic government has approached a worldwide
extent)
The proclamation of truth actually has a more delicate significance. In fact,
the thought and mentality of human beings and their creativeness, initiative
and innovation increasingly provide them with new ways and manners.
Ideologies come into being, grow up and become widespread in this way, and
thinkers and philosophers (such as Plato Socrates and ... ) make their plans
for humanity's social life or the basis of these new ways and manners.
Now, the path (school) of the Prophets will gain absolute victory over all the
ways designed by human beings at a time when the whole content of the
prophethood is given to the people. The path of Moses was certainly the path of
God but no one claims that it was the most perfect path ever disclosed for
humanity. It was quite appropriate for the time of Moses but it lacked that
much capacity to encompass various necessities of human life at all ages and
times. It is likely that such man-made schools of thought shall appear in the
course of the coming centuries as to be more perfect than the school (religion)
of Moses.
Thus, Moses' religion was not the one to overcome all other schools and
religions because the line of prophecy had not come to an end and the cup of
prophethood had not overflowed. Moses filled a part of this cup and Jesus
filled another part but they could not go forward because human beings did not
have the capacity to absorb more. The people were, in effect, mentally weak.
Otherwise, God would have bestowed on them the whole message of prophethood
through His first appointed Prophet.
But when the people got the essential readiness, God deputed His Last Messenger
to provide them with all (the knowledge and awareness) that could be contained
in the human mind and to complete the culture of prophethood, fulfilling the
divine promise and overcoming all religions and man-made schools of thought.7
The completion of prophethood speaks of the end of the line through which
humanity connects itself directly with God, i.e. revelation. When this line
comes to an end by the appearance of the Last Prophet there is no further need
of revelation, Gabriel and so forth, because human beings themselves are
thereafter capable of understanding new ways and manners of life and extracting
them from what has been offered to them in a complete form by the Last
Messenger of God, who stands at the end of the chain of prophethood.
Now, going back once again to the Nahj-ul-Balagha, we see that all the Prophets
preceding the last, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and so forth, had a
commitment to believe in him, as they anticipated his coming: The Last Prophet
stood in effect at the peak of prophethood and other Prophets who were below
him in rank had to await him, believe in him (i.e. believe in his prophethood
and message) and love him.
The Commander of the Faithful says, „.. God deputed Muhammad (peace and the
mercy of God be upon him and his descendants) as His Prophet, in fulfillment of
His promise and in completion of His Prophethood. His pledge had been taken
from the Prophets, his traits of character were well reputed and his birth was
honorable."
There is, however, a subtler significance in these statements and that is that
the Prophet's commitment was neither a written or an oral one. They had,
rather, a natural and primordial commitment to heighten the thought and
understanding of human beings and to make them ready for the advent of the Last
Messenger. This commitment is similar to the commitment of the teachers of
lower grades towards the teachers of higher grades, although they may not know
one another. In fact, the former are responsible to train the students' minds
in such a proper way that the latter can make the more advanced matters and more
extended concepts easily understood.
The Commander of the Faithful continues that the Prophet's «traits of
character», i.e. his physical, familial, spiritual and behavioural signs and
characteristics were known to one and all and thus a few number of people such
as Salman of Fars could unprecedentedly, and without being exposed to his later
teachings and programs, know him an come to a perfect belief in his religion.
As to the birth of the Prophet, the Commander of the Faithful uses the
adjective „honorable" to indicate that there was not weakness regarding
this matter, i.e. the Prophet's father and moth (were both chaste and pious.
Also, his birth was honorable in respect to circumstances of time and place.
Questions and Answers
Q. Can people, other than the Prophets establish connection with God through
revelation? If so, can we conclude that after the end of prophethood too, God
inspires His pure beings with some mysteries?
A. The answer to this question lies in the different between revelation and inspiration.
Revelation is the descension of specific concepts together with their specia
wordings to a Prophet. The Holy Qur'an is, in the eyes of the Muslims, a
revelation sent down to the Prophet of Islam through Gabriel. It is completely
different from what ordinary human beings receive in their hearts or understand
in an unusual manner.
Theirs are inspirations that pure, faithful and sincere creatures of God
occasionally receive. Thus, revelation is far beyond inspiration and there is
no matter if some people are inspired with some secrets in the period after the
end o prophethood.
Q. If all the Prophets have had the same line and direction why have their
followers, who have to practice their, commandments, not followed the same way?
A. The reason is that the followers of the Prophets were gradually deceived,
that is, as time passed, malicious an( ignorant hands were put to work,
beguiling the followers and distorting the teachings of the Prophets.
Q. What is, vilayat-i-faqih (the guardianship of religious jurisprudents)? Is
it among the „Essentials of Religion" or among the „Secondary
Principles" of Religion?
A. „Vilayat" means the guardianship of the community and faqih» is a
jurisprudent or theologian. Thus, „vilayat-i-faqih" is the guardianship of
the Islamic community by the religious theologians or jurisprudents in the
period when the immaculate Imam is absent. It is one of the „Secondary
Principles of Religion", a ruling system, and those who do not believe in
it and deny it are disbelievers in Islam.
Q. What are common to monotheistic religions and what are their differences?
A. The doctrinal principles which they offer are common to all monotheistic
religions (i.e. heavenly religions, for we do not have non-monotheistic
heavenly religions), and the differences among them lie perhaps in the special
decrees and commandments, each of them provides for that specific era in which
it is founded.
Q. What is ijtihad?
A. Its literal meaning is «to try or endeavor» but in its technical sense it
refers to a theologian's effort in understanding Islamic rules and regulations
and deriving them from the Book (the Holy Qur'an), Traditions, etc. through the
special skill he has acquired in his long course of discipleship under great
Islamic experts and authorities. A person who has the ability to perform this
job is called a «Mujtahid.».
Q. Why did the Prophet of Islam appear among the Arabs and not among the
Persians, for example? Is it true that had he not appeared among the Arabs, the
Arabian civilization would have been forgotten?
A. There is no definite reason concerning this matter but perhaps it can be
argued that since Arabs were the most untrained and uneducated as well as the
most quarrelsome nation of that time, and since they could more easily be
affected and influenced than others, they possessed a proper background for the
acceptance of the Prophet's invitation to Islam. Their lack of education and
training was not, however, an obstacle to their acceptance of the invitation
but, rather, caused more trouble and distress for the Prophet in attracting
their attention. Perhaps if this religion appeared among other nations, it
would be more difficult to convince them. Arabs, though fastened to the chain
of superstitions, possessed certain privileges such as bravery, devotion,
tolerance (against hardship) and freedom (not being under the rule of satanic
powers) which made them the most deserving nation to be exposed to this
heavenly religion of Islam.
As to the Arabian civilization it should be said that the Arabs, having a
civilization, a culture and a history of their own, would not have been
forgotten, had the Prophet not appeared among them, in the same way as the
Turks, Tajiks, Spaniards and so forth have remained up to this day.
Lesson Seven
The Believer' Status Before, After and at the Time of the Prophets' Appearance
In another sermon of the Nahj-ul-Balagha known as „al-Khutbah al-Qasi'ah"
(The Sermon of Disparagement),the Commander of the Faithful lays down and
explains some of the matters which were quoted in previous from Sermon No. 1,
concerning the status of the people during the Age of Ignorance, conditions of
the time of the appearance of the Prophets and the situation of the people
after the appointment of the Prophets to prophethood.
He portrays, in effect, the conditions and circumstances which had naturally
cast shadows over the people's lives in the Age of Ignorance as well as the
victorious status the people gained after the appearance of the Prophets under
the light of their efforts, struggles and endeavors. A study of some of the
statements of this Sermon (al qasrah) which adds to our mind concerning what we
learned about the background to prophethood, the Prophets' responsibilities,
etc., in previous lessons, would bring us to a sound conclusion for this book.
In a part of this Sermon we read: «Think about the condition of people from
among the believers who passed before you. What distress and trials they
underwent:»8 It means that we should look deep into the circumstances of the
believers who lived before us, not treating them in a perfunctory manner
because we cannot learn much from the formal appearance of the past events.
Only when one traces the causes of these events and contemplates them deeply
will one perceive that the believers of the past have been under severe
pressure' and that they have been subjected to such hardships as hunger,
torture, imprisonment and so forth and greater hardships than those we suffer
today, i.e. facing political problems and happenings and recognizing the true character
of different groups and fronts and the stance they take.
The Commander of the Faithful continues with the following statements, „were
they the most over-burdened among all the people and in the most straightened
circumstances in the whole world?" The true believers have always been the
most overburdened, the most pain-suffering and the poorest creatures of God
before the advent of the Prophets and the realization of Islamic revolutions
(all the revolutions led by the Prophets have been Islamic in the sense that
they have all been primarily aimed at submission to God). Why? First, because
the believers have to provide for their own sustainance.
In fact, the true believers, those who have touched the spirit of the belief in
God, never compromise with oppressive powers. They usually refuse to enter
their service and to help them should they not be able to fight them."
Thus, under tyrannical governments, the believers are constantly face to face
with hardships and inconveniences as far as their economic affairs are
concerned. This can be traced in Islamic traditions.
On the contrary, disbelievers compromise with the oppressors very easily, enter
the service and thus enjoy a comfortable life. Second, in addition to providing
for their own living, the believers are usually obliged to shoulder the burden
of the oppressors' impositions concerning their luxurious life. As an example,
we all know that the overthrown regime (of Pahlavi) faced exorbitant expenses
which had to be paid by those who did not compromise with it. Those who
compromised with that regime were not subjected to such burdens and
impositions. They themselves took advantage of the prevailing situations as
well.
Third, the believers have to tolerate the political impositions of the
oppressive ruling powers with whom they fight. Such powers do not let them
express their beliefs and have their own free thoughts and opinions. They force
the believers to accept their own oppressive thoughts. Thus, the prevailing
strangulation in a society is a great burden on the shoulder of the believers
who refuse to adhere to the thoughts and opinions imposed by the oppressive
ruling powers. They are, in effect, the most combative people, always fighting
the oppressors in order to eradicate calamities and corruptions.
It is narrated that the believer is always in a state of struggling in some way
or other. Under unlawful and corruptive governments, he involves himself in
organized hidden and underground battles and lives in a precautionary,
dissimulative manner, and under lawful, legitimate governments, he deals with
political, ideological and military involvements or fights the enemy to
safeguard the way of God. Thus, the believer is always in a fighting state
which is very troublesome. Fighting does not necessarily mean receiving wounds
and bearing distress.
It includes, in addition to these, fears and failures, worries and anxieties.
The true fighter is thus the one who does not surrender to these and who only
fights for the sake of God and duty, not for the sake of victory. Accordingly,
fighting is more troublesome and difficult than all the trials of life. Finally
the Commander of the Faithful says, that are the poorest and the most
straightened people because they have to live in a state of strangulation,
poverty, force and precautionary silence. He continues to explain the
believers' status in the following statements: „The Pharaohs took them as
slaves.
They inflicted the worst punishments and bitter sufferings on them. They
continuously remained in this state of (spiritual) ruinous disgrace and severe
subjugation. They found no method for escape and no way for protection."
The first statement implies that the believers were forcefully made to obey
Pharaohs (holders of tyrannical power) or deities other than the One God,
although they were servants of God by nature. Sometimes, of course, such
deities or objects of worship believe in God themselves and, therefore
submission to them is submission to God.
But when they induce people to the worship of their own selves, submission to
them is submission to non-gods. It has been narrated that „he who listens to a
speaker, becomes his servant. If the speaker speaks of God, that person will be
the servant of God and if he speaks of Satan that person will be the servant of
Satan.» And Satan is sometimes the very human 'self' and 'concupiscence' to
whose obedience the Pharaohs forced the believers in God, who knew no way of
defending their human dignity and getting rid of such servitude. Such was the
status of the believers in God and followers of the Prophets who dealt with
satanic ruling powers before the victory.
The Three-Act Play of people's Status
The status of the people before, during and after the Prophets' appointment can
be likened to a three-act play, the first act of which shows hardship and
distress, the second speaks of resistance and perseverance and the third
pictures, victory and freedom. In fact, the believers will never gain victory
without resisting hardships and struggling for their aim. The Commander of the Faithful
continues, „Till when God, the Glorified, noticed that they were enduring
troubles in His love and bearing distress and of fear for Him, He provided
escape from the distress of trials. So, He changed their disgrace into honor
and fear into safety."
In these statements, the Imam shows that the direction of the believers'
struggles is towards God and they tolerate hardships and undesirable problems
such as hunger, torture, imprisonment, cudgel-punishments and so forth upon His
way and for the sake of His love so that God, seeing their patience and
perseverance, would reveal to them the ways of escape from nuisances and
calamities, maintain their convenience and tranquillity, change their disgrace
into honor and fear into security and finally their defeat into victory. It
should be added here that honor (i.e. not submitting to contempt) and safety
(i.e. not fearing any enemy) are the most important things the oppressed people
are concerned about.
Under the rule of satans (tyrannical powers) the people are not immune
concerning their lives, properties, morality and so forth, whereas under the
rule of God and the oppressed people such worries and anxieties do not exist at
all. The Commander of the Faithful continues his discussion with these
statements, „Consequently, they became ruling authorities and conspicuous
leaders, and God's favors over them reached limits to which their own wishes
had not reached," meaning that the whole community of believers, after
God, bestowed victory upon them, became leaders (Imams, guides and patterns)
and objects of imitation for other oppressed people and nations who followed
their ways and manners and made movements.
This is clearly observable in the world of today in which a nation of believers
(i.e. Iranians), after having struggled for a long time and gaining victory
over a tyrannical regime, has now become the leader of the whole world of the
oppressed, and achievement which had never been imagined by Iranians. They
thought, in fact, about victory but they never imagined to become leaders and
guiding patterns for all of the oppressed people of the world such as those of
Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Persian Gulf countries, Africa and America, who have
been greatly influenced and motivated by Iranians' achievements. And this is
nothing but God's favor as he says.
Conclusion
(Two General Points in the Sermon)
First, in this Sermon (No. 191) the emphasis is mostly on the spiritual aspects
of the people's calamities and adversities.. In fact, such factors as
strangulation, lack of security, the burden of mental impositions and the
burden of providing for the satanic wishes of illegitimate governments, all of
which cause humanity to suffer spiritually and invoke one to campaign, are more
emphasized than such material misfortunes (or trials) as hunger for which the
people rarely campaign.
To say the least, human beings' honor and dignity are the dearest things to
them, which stimulate them to seriously struggle and campaign. Hunger and the
like can be removed in other ways. These are the points of emphasis in this
Sermon. Secondly, the Imam emphasizes here that in a community of believers,
when the arrogant government is overthrown, it is the oppressed who take it
over another arrogant group.
As an example, after the revolution of Moses and destruction of Pharaoh, it was
the believers themselves and the masses who became rulers and established a
true government. Also, during the lifetime of the Last Prophet, as well as
during the reign of the rightly guided Caliphs, the people themselves were
masters of their own affairs and played significant roles in resolving the
rnatters which came about. They loved the Prophet and accepted what he said but
not blindly and under propagandic pressures.
They freely accepted his decisions and they themselves made minor decisions.
Unfortunately, as time has passed, people's participation in and contribution
to the ruling affairs of the Islamic communities have gradually decreased and
these communities have turned out to be, like the communities predominated by
ignorance, consisting of two classes of people - the arrogant and the deprived;
whereas a true Islamic community consists only of one class of people and they
are the believers.
FOOTNOTES
1)When Damascus was conquered by 'Umar, the second Caliph, he appointed Yazid
bin Abu Sufyan the governor of that region and when Yazid died, his brother
Mu'awiya took over. Thus, the people of the region came to know only Mu'awiya
and his family from the very beginning when they embraced Islam.
2) This title is still found in many books of our Sunni brethren.
3) Ash-Sharif Ar-Radi, the of Ali (Tehran: World Organization for Islamic
Services, 1979), part one, page 19.
4) Ibid. p. 20.
5) Ibid. p. 30.
6) Ibid. part two, page 406. parenthesis is the translator's.
7) For a better understanding of this matter, refer to Martyr Murtada
Mutahhari's The End of Prophecy
8) Nahj-ul-Balagha of Ali, part two, page 410.
9) In the terminology of the Qur'an and in Islamic usage „trial" (bala)
comes to mean a bitter a and severe incident. Through these incidents, the
human heroes have always been tried in the course of history and one cannot
claim to be a perfect human being unless one exposes.
10) Akhavan-i-Thalith, one of the forerunners of modern Persian poetry, wrote a
poem entitled „Wolves and Dogs" in which he pictures the status of
rebellious believers with all hardships and calamities they suffer and their
battle against oppressors as well as the status of the peace-seeking
disbelievers and hypocrites who compromise with tyrants and do not refuse to he
subjected to rneanness. Akhvan likens the believers to wolves which keep
distance with the affluent and expose themselves to great sufferings for a loaf
of bread, and compares the disbelievers with dogs which always serve faithfully,
collar on the neck, in order to receive what is left over the master's table.