ALLAH SENT MESSENGERS AND
BOOKS
In
previous chapters, we provided examples and evidence that
help us to ponder and grasp something of Allah's might and
grandeur. The reason why Allah endowed us with the faculties
of thinking and reasoning is in order for us to come to know
Him. Allah has also sent us the revealed Books through which
He introduces Himself. He communicates what He expects from
us in these Books. Allah commissioned and sent messengers
who set examples for their peoples with their excellent conduct.
Through these messengers, the pure message and revelation
of Allah provide guidance for mankind.
The
only book revealed by Allah to have survived completely
intact is the Qur'an. |
It is difficult to know exactly how many messengers
Allah sent, although there are traditions relating that, for
example, there have been three hundred and thirteen messengers
and a much greater number of prophets throughout history.
We only know the names of the prophets mentioned in the Qur'an,
the last revelation sent by Allah. Allah provides us with
knowledge of the lives of the prophets to allow us to understand
their conduct. Through the messengers He sent, Our Lord conveys
to us the right way of living and how to conduct ourselves
correctly in this world. Only through Allah's communications
can we know how to conduct ourselves, and which types of behaviour
are better and more in compliance with the values of the Qur'an.
It is only through His communications that we can ever know
the behaviour that earn Allah's good pleasure and His infinite
reward as well as those that lead to punishment.
In the Qur'an, Allah informs us that throughout
history He sent His messengers to all communities, and that
they warned them. These messengers summoned their people to
worship Allah, to pray to Him and to comply with His commands.
He also made clear to them that otherwise they would be punished.
In brief, they warned the disbelievers and those who engaged
in wicked deeds, and they gave glad tidings to believers that
they would be rewarded. (The Garden and the Fire will be dealt
with extensively in the following sections.) The last prophet
Allah sent to mankind was the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace. The Qur'an is the last revealed
Book.
The earlier revelations from Allah have lost
their authenticity, since ignorant people and those with bad
intentions have incorporated their own words and extra pieces
into them. Therefore, their originals, the true revelations
that were initially sent to the peoples, did not survive to
our day. But Allah sent us the Qur'an, the Book that is impossible
to alter.
The
Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
and later Muslims preserved the Qur'an very well. The Qur'an
is so clear that everyone can understand it. When we read
the Qur'an, we can immediately understand that it is the Speech
of Allah. The Qur'an, which has survived completely intact,
is under Allah's protection and it is the only revealed Book
for which people will be responsible until the Day of Judgment.
Today all Muslims, wherever they are, read the
very same Qur'an; Not a single discrepancy can be found in
one word or letter. The Qur'an revealed to the Messenger,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and compiled by the
Caliph Abu Bakr and then later written out by the Caliph Uthman,
may Allah be pleased with them, who lived 1,400 years ago,
and the Qur'an we read today are identical. There is a one-to-one
correspondence between them. This means, from the day the
Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
him, it has survived intact. That is because Allah protected
the Qur'an from evil people who intended to alter it or incorporate
extra bits in it. In one verse, Allah informs us that He preserves
the Qur'an specially:
It is We Who have sent down the Reminder
[i.e., the Qur'an] and We Who will preserve it. (Surat Al-Hijr:
9)
With the word "We" in this verse, Allah refers
to Himself. There is no other god besides Allah, He has no
partner. He is the Almighty Allah, the Originator of everything
and the One Who encompasses everything in His knowledge.
In some parts of the Qur'an, Allah refers to
Himself with the word "I," and in some others with the word,
"We." In Arabic, which is the language of the Qur'an, the
word "We" is also employed to refer to a single person with
the purpose of arousing feelings of might and respect in the
listener. There is a similar case in English known as "The
Royal We." In the succeeding sections of this book, we will
give you examples of verses (of the Qur'an) and surahs (chapters
of the Qur'an). They are the most correct words because they
are the words of Allah, the One Who knows us better than we
do ourselves.
In the Qur'an, Allah wants us to take lessons
from the lives of the prophets. One verse reads:
There is instruction in their [i.e., messengers']
stories for people of intelligence... (Surah Yusuf: 111)
The type of person to whom Allah draws our attention
in this verse is a person who knows that the Qur'an is the
Speech of Allah and thereby thinks, exercises his reason and
strives to learn the Qur'an and live by its commands.
Allah holds the people to whom He sends His
messengers responsible for complying with His commands. Having
received Allah's revelations, people will have no right to
put forward excuses on the Day of Judgment. That is because
the messengers of Allah convey to their peoples the knowledge
of the existence of Allah and of what He expects from people.
Once a person hears this message, he is responsible for it.
This is related in the Qur'an as follows:
Messengers bringing good news and giving
warning, so that people will have no argument against Allah
after the coming of the Messengers. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.
(Surat an-Nisa: 165)
Allah created many groups of people on earth.
Some of these groups refused what their messengers brought
to them and denied that they were messengers at all. Because
they did not listen to their words and comply with Allah's
commands, they were punished. Through His messengers, Allah
also warned these rebellious people of a terrible life in
this world. Despite this, they continued to oppose their messengers
and slander them. Furthermore, they became so violent as in
some cases even to murder them. Upon this, Allah gave them
the punishment they deserved, and, in time, new communities
replaced them. In the Qur'an, the situation of such communities
is related as follows:
Have they not seen how many generations
We destroyed before them which We had established on the earth
far more firmly than We have established you? We sent down
heaven upon them in abundant rain and made rivers flow under
them. But We destroyed them for their wrong actions and raised
up further generations after them. (Surat al-An'am: 6)
In coming chapters, we will dwell on the exemplary
behaviour of the prophets who struggled against these rebellious
communities.
The First Human Being and The First Prophet:
Adam
In
this book, you can read about the falsity of the theory
of evolution, which asserts that living beings came into
existence by accident. |
As you will remember, while we were talking
about the creation of man, we said that the first man on earth
was Adam, peace be upon him. Adam was also the first prophet.
That is, Allah also sent a messenger to the very first community
He created on earth and taught them their deen (religion)
and how to become slaves devoted to Allah.
Allah taught Adam how to speak and all the names.
This is related in the Qur'an as follows:
He taught Adam the names of all things…
(Surat al-Baqara: 31)
This is surely very important. Among all living
things, only man has the faculty of speech. Speaking is a
feature peculiar to human beings. Thanks to the fact that
Allah initially gave this faculty to Adam, it became possible
for man to know the objects around him and to give names to
them.
The generations succeeding Adam could also speak,
had feelings, felt sorry or excited, wear clothes, used tools
and devices and had talent for music and the arts. Musical
instruments such as the flute, wall drawings and some other
objects that scientists have found with the remains of ancient
human beings prove that they were people like us. In other
words, contrary to the claims of some people, the first human
beings had never been wild creatures, half-ape/half-man.
There
is no difference between ants, frogs or fish living in
our day and their fossilised relatives shown in the pictures.
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You know that neither an ape nor any other being
can speak, think or act like a human being. Allah gave all
these faculties especially to man. (For further information
on this subject you can refer to the book, Wonders of Allah's
Creation by Harun Yahya).
But some people who are not willing to accept
the fact that the first human being was Adam put forward some
claims of their own: They fabricated a false identity for
the first human being. According to their imaginary scenarios,
human beings and apes sprang from the same living thing, that
is, they had a common ancestor, and evolved in time into their
current states. If you ask how this unusual happening occurred,
they give a single answer: "It happened by chance." When you
ask if there is any evidence to prove this claim, they provide
none. To conclude, there is not a single remain proving that
man evolved from another being.
If you ask, "What are these remains from the
past?," there is a ready answer: Some living things leave
traces behind when they die, and these traces, which we call
fossils, remain for millions of years without changing. However,
for this to happen, that living thing must suddenly be entrapped
in an oxygen-free environment. For instance, if a bird on
the ground had been abruptly covered by a heap of sand millions
of years ago, the remains of that bird could have survived
to our day. Similarly, there are substances secreted from
trees called resins. Sometimes, this honey-like substance
covers an insect and turns into the hard material called amber,
which preserves the dead insect for millions of years. This
is the way we gather information about living beings of ancient
times. These remains are called "fossils."
Those
who suggest that the first human being came into existence
from an ape-like creature can never provide any fossils proving
this claim. In other words, no one has ever found a fossil
belonging to an unusual creature that was half-ape/half-human.
But these people have produced false fossils, pictures and
drawings to cover up this falsehood, and have even put them
into school textbooks.
All these frauds were gradually uncovered one
by one and made public as scientific frauds. Because such
people are unwise and obstinate, it is almost impossible for
them to accept Allah's existence and to realise that He creates
everything. Although the number of such people is diminishing
steadily, there are still some who strive to disseminate their
flawed views through periodicals, books and newspapers, and
also in schools. To make people believe in their flawed views,
they insist on their arguments and assert that they have scientific
validity. However, each piece of research done and evidence
provided by intelligent scientists prove that the ape did
not evolve into man.
Adam, the first man, whom Allah specially created,
was in all ways the same as contemporary man; He was in no
way different. These are the facts Allah communicates to us
in the Qur'an. There is yet another very important issue Allah
informs us about Adam: The story of Adam and Satan, the enemy
of mankind.
Man's Greatest Enemy:
Satan
You may already know about Satan, but do you
know that he also knows you very well and resorts to every
method to tempt you? Do you know that the actual purpose of
Satan, who pretends to be your friend, is to deceive you?
Let's start from the very beginning and remind ourselves why
Satan is our enemy. For this purpose, we will turn to the
story about Adam and Satan in the Qur'an.
In the Qur'an, Satan is the general name given
until the Day of Judgment to all beings who have committed
themselves to lead man astray. Iblis is the principal evil
being who rebelled against Allah when He created Adam.
According to the Qur'anic account, Allah created
Adam and then called the angels to prostrate to him. The angels
complied with Allah's command, but Iblis refused to prostrate
to Adam. He impiously asserted that he was superior to man.
Because of his disobedience and insolence, he was banished
from Allah's sight.
Before leaving Allah's presence, Iblis requested
time from Allah to lead people astray. The purpose of Iblis
is to tempt people and thus to make them turn away from the
right path within the period of time granted to him. He will
try anything to make the majority of people subject to himself.
Allah proclaims that He will send Satan and his followers
to the Fire. These things are related in the Qur'an as follows:
We created you and then
formed you and then We said to the angels, "Prostrate before
Adam," and they prostrated-except for Iblis. He was not among
those who prostrated.
He [Allah] said, "What
prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you to?" He
[Iblis] replied, "I am better than him. You created me from
fire and You created him from clay."
He [Allah] said, "Descend
from Heaven. It is not for you to be arrogant in it. So get
out! You are one of the abased." He said, "Grant me a reprieve
until the day they are raised up." He [Allah] said, "You are
one of the reprieved."
He said, "By Your misguidance
of me, I will lie in ambush for them on Your straight path.
Then I will come at them, from in front of them and behind
them, from their right and from their left. You will not find
most of them thankful."
He [Allah] said, "Get
out of it, reviled and driven out. As for those of them who
follow you, I will fill up the Fire with every one of you."
(Surat al-A'raf: 11-18)
After being banished from Allah's sight, Satan
set upon the struggle that would last until the Day of Judgment.
Since then, he has cunningly approached people, schemed to
lead them astray and used unprecedented methods for this end.
As you now understand better, Satan is a foe that can approach
man very cunningly. For this reason, you have to be watchful
to escape him.
Never forget that Satan is lying in ambush right
now to scheme against you. He tries to stop you reading this
book and thinking over what you read. He is trying to hinder
you from doing good deeds, and to get you to become disrespectful
and disobedient to your elders, and to hinder you from giving
thanks to Allah, praying and always telling the truth. Never
allow Satan to deceive you and to hinder you from becoming
a person of good character and listening to the voice of your
conscience.
You must take refuge in Allah and ask help from
Him when an evil thought occurs to you or when you find yourself
unwilling to do a good deed, since all these are the cunning
tricks of Satan. Never forget that Satan can exercise no authority
over those who have faith.
The Prophet Nuh (Noah)
Nuh, peace be upon him, like all the other prophets,
summoned his people to the true path. He told them that they
must have faith in Allah, that He is the Creator of everything,
that they must worship none but Him, otherwise they would
be punished. This is related in the Qur'an as follows:
We sent Nuh to his people: "I am a clear
warner to you. Worship none but Allah. I fear for you the
punishment of a painful day." (Surah Hud: 25-26)
Despite all his warnings, only a few people
believed in Nuh. Upon this, Allah commanded Nuh to build a
great ship. Allah informed him that the people of faith would
be saved in that ship.
Nuh's building a ship despite there being no
sea in that area surprised those people who had no faith in
Allah, and they therefore ridiculed him. Those who had no
faith did not know what would happen to them, but Allah did.
When the ship was built, heavy rain poured for days and water
rose over the land, flooding everything. This historical disaster
has been confirmed by scientists. In the Middle East, much
evidence has been uncovered revealing that many of today's
mountains were once covered with water.
On television, you have probably seen many floods
in different corners of the world. In the face of such a disaster,
people generally get up on roofs and wait for help. In such
a situation only helicopters or boats can rescue them. In
the time of the Prophet Nuh, peace be upon him, however, it
was only the Ark that could have saved them. This disaster,
which is called "Nuh's flood," was actually a punishment specially
created by Allah to punish people who did not believe in Nuh.
Because they expected help from other than Allah, none of
the insolent people who turned a deaf ear to Allah's warnings
embarked on Nuh's Ark. They did not put their trust in Allah,
but relied on other beings.
Unless Allah wills it, nothing can protect us.
The people at that time who denied this, climbed mountains
or moved to higher regions, but still could not save themselves
from drowning.
A
very few people believed in Allah and put their trust in Him,
which led them to embark on the ship with Nuh and save themselves.
Complying with Allah's command, they took a pair from each
animal species with them. This is related in the Qur'an as
follows:
Before them the people
of Nuh denied the truth. They denied Our slave [i.e., Nuh],
saying, "He is a madman," and he was driven away with jeers.
He called upon his Lord:
"I am overwhelmed, so help me!"
So We opened the gates
of heaven with torrential water and made the earth burst forth
with gushing springs. And the waters met together in a way
which was decreed.
We bore him on a planked
and well-caulked ship, which ran before Our eyes-a reward
for him who had been rejected.
We
left it as a Sign. But is there any rememberer there?
How terrible were My
punishment and warnings! (Surat al-Qamar: 9-16)
All the prophets who were sent to their individual
communities communicated basically the same teaching and summoned
their people to worship Allah and to obey the prophets. In
return for their services, they asked for no wages since those
people sent by Allah to communicate His Words do not do so.
They render their services only because they love Allah and
fear Him. Meanwhile, they face many difficulties: Their people
slander them and subject them to cruel treatment. Furthermore,
some peoples plotted to kill the prophets sent to them, and
some even dared to do so. Yet because the prophets feared
only Allah and no one else, no hardship daunted them. They
never forgot that Allah would reward them bountifully both
in this world and beyond.
The Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham)
In
this section, we will dwell on various attributes of some
prophets to whom Allah draws our attention in the Qur'an.
Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was one of these
prophets. When he was young and there was no one around him
to remind him of Allah's existence, he examined the heavens
and that led him to recognise that Allah creates everything.
This is related in the Qur'an as follows:
When night covered him
he saw a star and said, "This is my Lord!" Then when it set
he said, "I do not love what sets."
Then when he saw the
moon come up he said, "This is my Lord!" Then when it set
he said, "If my Lord does not guide me, I will be one of the
misguided people."
Then when he saw the
sun come up he said, "This is my Lord! This is greater!" Then
when it set he said, "My people, I am free of what you associate
with Allah! I have turned my face to Him Who brought the heavens
and earth into being, a pure natural believer. I am not of
those who associate others with Allah." (Surat al-An'am: 76-79)
Ibrahim, peace be upon him, told his people
not to worship any other god than Allah:
Recite
to them the story of Ibrahim when he said to his father and
his people,
"What do you worship?"
They said, "We worship
idols and will continue to cling to them."
He said, "Do they hear
you when you call or do they help you or do you harm?"
They said, "No, but this
is what we found our fathers doing."
He [Ibrahim] said, "Have
you really thought about what you worship, you and your fathers
who came before?
They are all my enemies-except
for the Lord of all the worlds:
He who created me and
guides me;
He who gives me food
and gives me drink;
and when I am ill, it
is He who heals me;
He who will cause my
death, then give me life;
He who I sincerely hope
will forgive my mistakes on the Day of Reckoning." (Surat
ash-Shu'ara: 69-82)
The
enemies of Ibrahim attempted to kill him when he called them
to have faith in Allah. They lit a big fire and cast him into
it. But Allah protected him and saved him from the fire. This
is related in the Qur'an as follows:
The only answer of his
people was to say: "Kill him or burn him!" But Allah rescued
him from the fire. There are certainly Signs in that for people
who are believers. (Surat al-'Ankabut: 24)
We said, "Fire, be coolness
and peace for Ibrahim!" (Surat al-Anbiya: 69)
It is Allah Who creates and controls everything.
By Allah's will the fire did not burn Ibrahim. This is a miracle
of Allah and a manifestation of His might. Everything on earth
occurs by Allah's will. Nothing can happen without His Will
and control. If He does not will it, one can neither harm
nor kill another person. Allah informs us in the Qur'an:
No
self can die except with Allah's permission, at a predetermined
time... (Surah Al 'Imran: 145)
He did not die although he was cast into the
fire, since his time of death as predetermined by Allah had
not yet come. Allah saved him from the fire.
In one verse, Allah relates to us that Ibrahim
was a man of exemplary character:
Ibrahim was forbearing, compassionate, penitent.
(Surah Hud: 75)
Allah loves people who are wholeheartedly devoted
to Him. As the verse makes clear, not being rebellious, having
a good character, and being submissive to Allah's commandments
are favourable attributes in the sight of Allah.
The Prophet Musa (Moses)
After
Musa's death, some people with bad intentions changed
the Torah. That is why the Torah and the Old Testament
people read today are very different from the original
book revealed to Musa, peace be upon him. |
Musa, peace be upon him, is a prophet to whom
Allah frequently refers in the Qur'an. Allah revealed to Musa
the Torah. But today, the Torah of the Jews and the Old Testament
of the Christian Bible have lost their original authenticity,
since the words and interpolations of man have been incorporated
into them. But Jews and Christians today read these distorted
books assuming them to be from the original book revealed
by Allah. The Jews have turned from the right path because
the book in which they believe is no longer the revealed book
brought by the Prophet Musa, peace be upon him.
A
king in ancient Egypt was called a "Pharaoh." The majority
of the pharaohs were very arrogant people who did not
believe in Allah and who considered themselves divine.
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We know everything about the life and good character
of Musa from the Qur'an. As the Qur'an informs us, the kings
of ancient Egypt were called "Pharaoh." The majority of the
pharaohs were very arrogant people who did not believe in
Allah and who considered themselves divine. Allah sent Musa
to one of the cruellest of these rulers.
One important point we need to dwell on while
reading the verses about the life of Musa is "destiny." The
following events led him to the palace of Pharaoh:
At the time Musa was born, Pharaoh ordered his
soldiers to kill every male baby born in his land. Musa, peace
be upon him, was one of those who were in danger. Allah told
his mother to leave Musa in a chest in the river and assured
her that He would finally return to her as a prophet. His
mother placed Musa in a chest and left him in the water. This
chest floated randomly on the water and some time later reached
the shore at Pharaoh's palace, where Pharaoh's wife found
him. She took the baby and decided to bring him up in the
palace. Thus, unaware, the Pharaoh undertook to look after
the person who would later communicate Allah's revelation
to him and oppose his flawed views. Allah encompasses everything
with His knowledge, and He also knew that Pharaoh would find
Musa, peace be upon him, and bring him up in his palace.
The
children of Israel were enslaved by Pharaoh in Egypt.
Above you can see these people who were subjected to hard
labour.
Cruel
Pharaoh arrested those who believed in Musa, peace be
upon him, and enslaved them. |
When Musa was born, Allah knew that he would
be left in the river, that Pharaoh would find him and that
Musa would ultimately become a prophet. This was how Allah
predetermined Musa's destiny and He communicated this to his
mother.
At this point, we must pay attention to the
fact that every detail in his life happened according to the
destiny Allah had predetermined.
When he grew into a young man, Musa left Egypt.
After some time, Allah made him a prophet and messenger and
supported him with his brother, Harun, peace be upon them
both.
Both of them went to Pharaoh and communicated
Allah's message to him. This was really a difficult task since
without any hesitation they called on a cruel ruler to believe
in Allah and to worship Him. This call of the Messenger Musa,
peace be upon him, is related as follows:
And then, after them,
We sent Musa with Our Signs to Pharaoh and his ruling circle
but they wrongfully rejected them. See the final fate of the
corrupters!
Musa said, "Pharaoh!
I am truly a Messenger from the Lord of all the worlds, duty
bound to say nothing about Allah except the truth. I have
come to you with a Clear Sign from your Lord. So send the
tribe of Israel away with me." (Surat al-A'raf: 103-105)
When
it became clear that Pharaoh was thinking of exterminating
all the believers, they fled from Egypt under the leadership
of Musa, peace be upon him. |
Pharaoh was an arrogant and proud man. Assuming
that he held everything under his control, he rebelled against
Allah. Allah had granted all his possessions, his strength
and his lands to him, but because Pharaoh was unwise, he failed
to understand this.
Pharaoh opposed Musa and had no faith in Allah,
and he was, as mentioned earlier, a very cruel man. He made
the Children of Israel his slaves. When it became clear that
Pharaoh was intending to exterminate Musa and all the believers,
they fled from Egypt under the leadership of Musa. Musa, peace
be upon him, and the Children of Israel were caught between
the sea and the soldiers of Pharaoh who were pursuing them.
But even in such a desperate situation, Musa never despaired
or lost his trust in Allah. Allah miraculously divided the
sea in two and opened a path in the sea for the Children of
Israel to cross. This was one of the great miracles Allah
gave to Musa. Once the Children of Israel had reached the
other shore, the parted sea returned, drowning Pharaoh and
his soldiers.
Musa
and the Children of Israel were caught between the sea
and the soldiers of the Pharaoh pursuing them. But even
in such a desperate situation, Musa never despaired or
lost his trust in Allah. Miraculously Allah divided the
sea in two and opened a path in the sea for the Children
of Israel to cross. This was one of the great miracles
Allah gave Musa. Once the Children of Israel reached the
other shore, the parted sea returned, thus drowning Pharaoh
and his soldiers. |
Allah relates this miraculous event in the Qur'an
as follows:
Such was the case with Pharaoh's people
and those before them. They denied their Lord's Signs so We
destroyed them for their wrong actions. We drowned Pharaoh's
people. All of them were wrongdoers. (Surat al-Anfal: 54)
At the moment Pharaoh realised he would die,
he stated that he believed in Allah and thus tried to save
himself. We do not know whether this regret he felt at the
last moment was of any use, since Allah only forgives us when
our regret is sincere and when it is before the moment of
death itself. Allah is the All-Merciful. If regret is only
felt at the moment of death and, of course, if is not sincere,
such repentance will not save a person. This may have been
the case with Pharaoh. But only Allah knows. As this story
reveals, we must live to please Allah throughout our lives
and avoid falling into Pharaoh's error. If we fail in that,
feeling sorry at the moment of death may be of no avail.
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