Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!jarthur!nntp-server.caltech.edu!bes
From: mmirza@grumpy.eng.ohio-state.edu (Muhammad Mirza)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Message of Islam (part5)
Keywords: Islam's Fundamentals, Belief in Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
Message-ID: <1990Dec13.071104.20066@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 13 Dec 90 07:11:04 GMT
Sender: bes@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Behnam Sadeghi)
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Lines: 103
Approved: bes@tybalt.caltech.edu


             FUNDAMENTALS OF ISLAM (continued)

2. THE PROPHETHOOD OF PROPHET MOHAMMED (PBUH)

     ALLAH conveyed His message to man through Mohammed (pbuh).  This
     took two forms:

1. ALLAH revealed the Quran to the Prophet (pbuh) in his own
   language.
 
2. The Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) which is an unerring guide to man
   in respect of all that is permissible and all that is prohibited in
   the eyes of ALLAH.  Without this belief in the Prophet (pbuh), belief
   in ALLAH would become a mere theoretical proposition.  It is the
   example of practical leadership, and the ideological guidance provided
   by the Prophet (pbuh) which transforms belief in ALLAH into a culture
   and a civilization, and enables man to evolve a way of life.  We get
   through the Prophet (pbuh) not only the rules of guidance, but also a
   complete scheme of values and a practical code of conduct.  No one can
   be a practicing Muslim unless he believes in the Prophet (pbuh) as He
   believes in ALLAH.

        THE POSITION OF PROPHET MOHAMMED (PBUH) IN ISLAM

The position of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) has been clearly defined in
Islam that we can know what Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was and what Prophet
Mohammed (pbuh) was not.  The Prophet is no more than a servant of
ALLAH.  He was to make people servants of ALLAH and not servants of
himself.  At least seventeen times a day Muslims recite in their
prayers.
         "I bear witness that Mohammad is a servant of ALLAH
          and is His prophet."

The Quran leaves no doubt that the Prophet (pbuh) is but a human
being and has no share whatever in Divinity.  The Prophet (pbuh) is
neither superhuman nor is He free of human weaknesses.  He owns no
treasure of ALLAH, not does He possess knowledge of the unknown that
He should become all-knowing like AllAH Almighty.  Leave alone being
able to benefit others or cause them harm, the Prophet cannot do so
even in respect of himself.  The precise task of the Prophet is to
communicate the message of ALLAH.  He has no powers to make people
righteous and faithful.  Nor can he call to account those who refuse
to believe, and he certainly has no power to punish them for their
disbelief.  Should the Prophet himself choose to defy ALLAH or
fabricate things on behalf ALLAH or make any change in the message
revealed to him, he will incur divine displeasure and punishment.
Mohammed (pbuh) is one of the Prophets of ALLAH, and above that he has
no status.  He cannot by himself prohibit or permit anything.  Without
a mandate of ALLAH he cannot legislate for the people.  He has to
strictly conform to Divine commandments.  Islam ensured that the
believers should not turn Prophet into a demi-god.  Some of the
earlier prophets suffered this fate at the hands of their followers.
They attributed all kinds of supernatural powers to their leaders and
made them into ALLAH'S equals or progeny or incarnation.  By
discouraging such exaggeration Islam has established the true position
of the Prophet as follows:

No one can claim to be a believer without believing in the Prophet
(pbuh).  He who obeys the Prophet (pbuh), in fact, obeys ALLAH.  ALLAH
has not designated any Prophet except to be obeyed according to His
will.  The path of the Prophet (pbuh) is the path of the Divine
guidance.  Whatever the Prophet (pbuh) ordains must be accepted, and
whatever He instructs to avoid, must be avoided.  The Prophet (pbuh)
clarified this when He said: I am mortal like you.  In matters
revealed to me by ALLAH, you must obey my instructions.  But you know
more about the worldly affairs than I do.  So my advice in these
matters is not bindings.  The Sunnah of Mohammad (pbuh) is, in fact,
an exposition of the purpose of the Quran, and this exposition too
was conveyed to the Prophet (pbuh) by ALLAH himself, as the author of
Quran.  The explanation of Prophet (pbuh) of the Quran enjoys divine
sanction, and no one else can interpret Quran which may be in conflict
with or repugnant to the explanation given by the Prophet (pbuh).
ALLAH declared the life of Mohammad (pbuh) as a model life.  No one
can be a true believer unless he accepts the decision of the Prophet
(pbuh).  Muslims do have not an independent position in a matter
determined by the Prophet (pbuh).  Before deciding any matter Muslims
must first ascertain whether any analogous matter was decided earlier
by ALLAH and His Prophet (pbuh), and if a precedent exists they must
follow it.

I hope I have clarified that ALLAH conveyed, through the Prophet
(pbuh), to mankind not only a supreme law, but also a permanent scheme
of values.  That which is good, according to the Quran and the Sunnah,
is good for all times, and that which is evil, shall remain evil
forever.  That which is enjoyed as duty, in the Quran and the Sunnah,
shall always be a duty.  What is declared permissible is permissible
forever, and what is prohibited is prohibited for all times.  In this
law no amendment, deletion, addition, or abrogation, is possible
unless some person of community decides to renounce Islam.  So long as
Muslims remain Muslims, it is impossible in their social and legal
system that something which was evil yesterday turn into good today,
and revert to evil tomorrow.

    (to be continued ......)

Muhammad Javed Mirza

-- 
Me
The Ohio State University 
Electrical Engineering Dept.
Room 204 Dreese Labs