In the name of Allah
the Beneficent the Merciful
THE TRUE REPRESENTATIVE
OF ALLAH
When Allah announced to the angels that He will be sending a
representative on the earth, they did not know what His plan was. They taught
that Adam would not be able to shoulder such a sacred responsibility, due to
human weaknesses. They said:
Will You place therein
one who will make mischief and shed blood? (2:30)
The angels did not know that from Adam's progeny there was to
come one who was to reflect the Light of the Lord so perfectly, that he would
be called the full moon. And as we know that the light of the full moon is
reflected light from the sun.
Because Prophet Muhammad (pboh) was to come from the progeny
of Adam, Allah forgave Adam the sin he committed out of forgetfulness. In a
Tradition it is recorded that Allah said:
Adam, I have pardoned
you and your wife for Muhammad's sake.
No creature has the capacity to comprehend the extent of
knowledge and wisdom of the Lord. He made this known to the Angels when they became
confused and amazed that the representative of the Lord on the earth was to be
a creature called man who is made from clay. So Allah said to them:
Verily, I know that
which you do not know. (2:30)
What the angels did not know was that Allah was making man a
unique and special creature; as He was putting in man a special creation of
light with the capacity to penetrate the cells of the physical body and making
it possible for man to reflect the Light of the Lord here on the earth.
Every divinely appointed Messenger was given knowledge of the
one who was to be the best representative of the Lord on the earth long before
they were sent down to their respective people. Allah took a covenant from them
that they believe in his coming and that they will help his mission. This
incident is recorded in the Holy Qur'an in the following verse:
Behold, Allah took a
Covenant of the Prophets, saying: I gave you a Book and Wisdom, then comes to
you a Messenger confirming what is with you. Do you believe in him and render
him help? Allah said: Do you agree and take this My Covenant as binding on you?
They said: We agree. He said: then bear witness; and I am with you among the
witnesses. (3:81)
The question that may come to one's mind is: What makes
Prophet Muhammad (pboh) special?
In order to understand the status of his personality in the
entire universe, one must know three important things about him. These are:
- Allah says about Himself that He loves purity. Because of this He says:
Allah loves those who
make themselves pure. (9:108)
Wrongdoing is a form of impurity. As a result, Allah does not
love any form of it. Wrongdoers are removed from near to the Lord, e.g. Satan
was expelled from the Garden.
Also shirk is a form of impurity. Allah says that the
mushriqs are impure. As a result they are prohibited from entering Makkah. Even
believers are required to purify themselves when they are to read the Words of
Allah.
Prophet Muhammad (pboh) never committed any wrong. He allowed
himself to be guided by the Lord in every matter. Allah says about him:
He (Prophet Muhammad)
never said or did anything on the basis of his lust or desire. (53:3)
Because he was pure and clean morally and spiritually he was
invited to meet with the Lord in the night of the Miraj. There was no impure
barrier between him and his Lord.
As he is our model, we need to make every effort to cleanse
ourselves by seeking repentance and doing good. That is the Straight Way.
- The soul of the Prophet (pboh) was very bright and shining. This was because of his righteousness. Allah says about the righteous the following:
Those who believe and
do not clothe their belief with wrongdoing.(6:82)
Because of the brightness of his body and soul, he is given
the title in the Holy Qur'an as the "lamp that gives light". Allah
says:
As the one who invites
to Allah by His leave; and as a Lamp spreading light. (33:46)
He was called the full moon by the people of Madinah when he
was entering the City, and he did not object to being called by that name.
Because he was the only human being that is the beloved of
Allah, if we should follow him Allah will love us. Allah says:
Say (O Muhammad), if
you want to love Allah, follow me and Allah will love you. (3:31)
Allah tells us that He has conferred a great favor on the
believers by sending to them a Messenger who is Prophet Muhammad (pboh). He
says:
Allah has conferred a
great favor on the believers by sending to them a Messenger from among
themselves. (3:164)
- Prophet Muhammad (pboh) has been the best representative of Allah on the earth. He practiced all the Sunnah of Allah. Man as the Lord's representative is also required to. Allah says:
The practice (Sunnah)
of Allah which He did in the past (remains constant). No change will you find
in the practice of Allah (48:23)
Because the Prophet (pboh) did everything on the basis of
Divine Guidance, Allah says that His (Allah's) hands are on the hands of the
Prophet's hands. The Qur'an tells us about this as follows:
It is not you who slew
them; it was Allah . When you threw (a handful of dust)it was not your act but
Allah's; in order that He might confer on the Believers a gracious benefit from
Himself; for Allah is He Who hears and knows all things. (8:17)
Allah gave to the human beings the
capacity to represent Him in the physical world by cultivating and culturing
His Divine Attributes in their lives, and by keeping their souls free from all
forms of stains, so that it can be like a clean mirror reflecting the Lord’s
Light as the Prophet (pboh) did.
