Man’s Pride
I do not wish to discuss here in any detail why then, despite this, man denies God and disregards His communication with man. Suffice to say that the cause must be seen in man’s self-perception, his arrogance and false pride. Having discovered that he and his kind constitute the peak of ‘creation’, he thinks himself autonomous, self-dependent, absolutely free and fully equipped to be master of the universe. Somehow, this self-perception too has been with man from his early days. He has always thought himself better than anything else.1
Guidance for Man
Muslims, referring to the Holy Qur’ān, also conclude that from the beginning of his life on earth, man has received communication from God, to guide him and protect him from such self-perception and deceit:
‘We said: Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comes to you guidance from Me, whosoever follows My guidance on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve’ (2: 38).’2
This message and promise has been communicated by God to all mankind, all children of Adam, as the Qur’ān explains:
‘O ye children of Adam! Whenever there come to you apostles from amongst you, rehearsing My signs unto you – those who are righteous and mend (their lives) – on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve’ (7: 35).
The Messengers
The guidance from God comes through the apostles or messengers, and they bring with them the scripture from God:
‘We sent beforetime Our apostles with clear signs and sent down with them the book and the balance (of right and wrong) that men may stand forth in justice…’ (57: 25).
The basic message of all prophets from God, and hence of all scriptures they brought, is one and the same message from God to man:
‘And verily We have raised in every nation a messenger, (proclaiming): Serve Allah and shun false gods…’ (16: 36).
The Names of the Prophets and their Number
The Qur’ān mentions the following prophets by name: Ādam, Nūḥ, Ibrāhīm, Ismā‘īl, Isḥāq, Lūṭ, Ya‘qūb, Yūsuf, Mūsā, Hārūn, Dāwūd, Sulaimān, Ilyās, Al-Yasa‘, Yūnus, Ayyūb, Zakarīyā, Yaḥyā, ‘Īsā, Idrīs, Hūd, Dhul Kifl, Shu‘aib, Ṣāliḥ, Luqmān, Dhul Qarnain, ‘Uzair, Muḥammad.
This does not mean, however, that only these have been God’s prophets. Indeed the Qur’ān is very clear that the number of prophets is much larger and that to each community from among mankind God has sent His messenger:
‘We did aforetime send apostles before thee: of them there are some whose story We have related to thee and some whose story We have not related to thee…’ (40: 78).
‘To every people (was sent) an apostle…’ (10: 47).
The Names of the Scriptures and their Number
Just as there have been numerous prophets so there were numerous written records of their messages. The Qur’ān mentions the following revelations in particular, which are sometimes called sheets or leaves (ṣuḥuf) and sometimes book or scripture (kitāb):
— The ‘sheets’ of Ibrāhīm and Mūsā.
— The Torah (taurāt) of Mūsā.
— The Psalms (zabūr) of Dāwūd.
— The Gospel (injīl) of ‘Īsā.
— The Qur’ān of Muḥammad.
The Contents of the Former Scriptures
All the teachings contained in the former Scriptures that were meant to be of lasting value and importance are included in the Qur’ān. The Qur’ān also gives some specific accounts, although selective, of what the pre-Qur’ānic scriptures contained and it is worthwhile to look briefly at this material:
A reference to the ‘sheets’ (ṣuḥuf) of Ibrāhīm and Mūsā:
‘But those will prosper who purify themselves, and glorify the name of their guardian Lord, and (lift their hearts) in prayer. Nay, behold, ye prefer the life of this world; but the Hereafter is better and more enduring’ (87: 14-17).3
A reference to the Torah (taurāt) of Mūsā:
‘It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light…
We ordained therein for them: life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth and wounds equal for equal, but if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity it is an act of atonement for himself and if any fail to judge by (the light of) what God has revealed they are (no better than) wrongdoers’ (5: 47-8).
A reference to the Psalms (zabūr) of Dāwūd:
‘And verily We have written in the Psalms, after the Reminder: My righteous slaves will inherit the earth’ (21: 105).
A reference to the Gospel (injīl) of ‘Īsā:
‘Muḥammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. Thou (O Muḥammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate (in worship) seeking bounty from Allah and (His) acceptance. The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers – that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them. Allah has promised, unto such of them as believe and do good works, forgiveness and immense reward’ (48: 29).
The pre-Qur’ānic scriptures, besides carrying the same basic message about Allah, the Master of the worlds, and man, His creation, also brought specific instructions addressed directly to particular communities of people at given points of time in history and in particular circumstances, such as the Jewish or Christian communities. Revelation before the Qur’ān, and hence scriptures before it, were in many of their details situation-oriented in nature and therefore confined to their particular frameworks. This also explains the continuity of revelation. With changing circumstances and in different situations new guidance from Allah was required. As long as the revelation and scripture were not completely universal in nature, revelation would not reach its finality.
The Final Revelation
Muḥammad was the last messenger from Allah to mankind, and he brought the final revelation from God to man. Therefore the scripture containing this revelation is the last of the Holy Scriptures.
The basic message of the Holy Qur’ān is the same as the basic message of the previous revelations and books, and the directives and instructions, by which it provides guidance for man are of a universal nature. They apply for all times to come and in all situations. This revelation corresponds to man’s position on earth and in history. Man has reached, in his development, the stage when universal principles need to be applied to safeguard his purposeful existence.
