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From: hakim@bigq.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: On the Meaning of "Muhammad the Seal of the Prophets" (2 of 2)
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Date: 15 Dec 89 03:00:11 GMT
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Approved: naim@eecs.nwu.edu (Naim Abdullah)


Continuation from part I:

Furthermore, you have disagreed with my statement:

>>I'd like to emphasize that I am not, God forbid, saying this in a sarcastic way.
>>My sole purpose is to point out to a natural pitfall which forms with time in
>>any religion.
 
And have suggested;

>The ways to deal with the "natural pitfall" is make absolutely sure that 
>the original text of the Scriptures does not change, neither does the 
>meaning of the words that the Scripture is written in change.  In this
>fashion the Scriptures can interpreted by each and every generation 
>of scholars to the benefit of the society.

Such optimism is, from a spiritual perspective very dangerous. Since it does
not allow room for misinterpretation of an uncorrupted text to satisfy one's
selfish goals and desires. Since, misinterpretation of Scripture is not a 
matter of linguistics, cultural evolution or the corruption of the physical 
Text alone. Misinterpretation of Scripture is rather mainly a question of 
human nature. Please allow me to quote Ali-ibn Abu Talib in regards to your 
optimistic suggestion, given above and see if this approach is a safe one 
for a Muslim. Please understand that my goal in quoting this saying is not 
sarcasm, but to point out to a flaw in your approach. His Excellency Ali says:

"Verily, a time will come upon you [i.e. Muslims] wherein nothing will be more
 concealed than the truth, nothing more manifest than falsehood, and nothing
 more than lies about God and His Apostle [i.e. Muhammad]. The people of that
 time will possess no commodity more difficult to  sell than the Book  when it
 is correctly recited, or one more in demand when  its passages are
 misinterpreted. There will be throughout all lands nothing  more detested than
 good deeds, or more renowned than evil ones. The reciters  of the Qur'an will
 have cast it away, and those who memorize it will have  deliberately erased it
 from  their minds. The book and its disciples will,  on that day, be ostracized
 and outcast, two friends together on the road, to  whom no one will offer
 shelter. The Book and its disciples will be, in that  age, among the people and
 yet neither among them nor with them. For error  is incompatible with guidance.
 
 Even though the Book and its disciples might come together, the people would
 agree to keep separate [i.e. Muslims will be disunited  among themselves.].
 They would disperse from the community -as if they were  the leaders of the
 Qur'an rather than it being their leader. Nothing will remain of it [i.e. The
 Qur'an] among them  save the name; they will know nothing of it save its 
 calligraphy and script. Before, they had not made an example of the righteous 
 by maiming them, or  called their sincerity towards God a lie, or  punished 
 good deeds with the  penalties for crimes. They who preceded you  perished 
 because they  went on  hoping for too long and their allotted terms  expired. 
 Then the Promised One  [i.e. Mihdi or the Lord of the Age or the Qa'im] 
 descended, by whom excuses  are rejected and upon whom repentance has no
 effect,  and with whom are the  calamity and the affliction." 

			Imam Ali "Nahj-ul-Balagha" [The Path of Eloquence]
			printed by Hajj Sayyed Ali-Nagi Faydu'l-Islami, 
			6 vols, Tehran, Iran, Oftab press 1326 A.H. vol 3:438
			English trans. cit. Miracles and Metaphors  Abu'l-Fadl-i
			Golpayegani, p. 135 Kalimat Press USA

This saying of Ali is based on a well-known Tradition of Prophet Muhammad, where
He says: 

"A time will come upon my community when nothing will remain of Islam among
 them save the name, or of the Qur'an save its script. They will call others to
 faith but will be the most remote of peoples from it. Their mosques will be
 filled to capacity, but desolate of any guidance. The jurisprudents of that
 time will be the most wicked beneath the sky; they will be the cause of the
 tribulations and these will rebound them." 
						ibid.

Now, I will not attempt to prove whether this time has come or not. Let the
pure in heart among Muslims to judge for themselves, but, for the sake of 
argument let us say that such time must eventually come about.
You suggest that if we keep the words of the Scripture and their meanings 
intact, ">In this fashion the Scriptures can interpreted by each and every
generation of scholars to the benefit of the society." Yet, it is clear that
the saying of the Prophet of God must come to pass. What is the point of 
reconciliation between what you say and what Prophet Muhammad and Imam Ali
have suggested? Why should such a plain Scripture be treated by the Muslims
in such a way?

>>After the denials and denunciations which they uttered, (i.e. referring to Jews
>>and Christians),  they protested  saying: "No independent Prophet, according to
>>our Scriptures,  should arise after  Moses and Jesus to  abolish the Law of the
>>Divine Revelation.  Nay, he that is to be made manifest (i.e. the Promised One)
>>must needs fulfill the Law." Thereupon this verse, indicative of all the divine
>>themes,  and  testifying  to  the  truth  that  the  flow  of  the grace of the
>>All-Merciful can never cease, was revealed (i.e. by Muhammad): "And Joseph came
>>to you  aforetime with clear  tokens, but ye ceased not to doubt of the message
>>with which He  came to you, until, when He died, ye said, `God will by no means
>>rise up a Messenger after Him.' Thus God misleadeth him who is the transgressor
>>the doubter." [Qur'an 40-34] Therefore, understand from this  verse and know of
>>a certainty that the people in every age, clinging to a verse of the Book, have
>>uttered such  vain and absurd  sayings, contending that no Prophet should again
>>be made manifest  to the world. Even as the Christian divines who, holding fast
>>to the verses of the Gospel...have sought to explain that the law of the Gospel
>>shall  at no time  be annulled, and  that no independent Prophet shall again be
>>made manifest, unless He  confirmeth the Law of the Gospel.  Most of the people
>>have become afflicted with the same spiritual disease. 
 
>In other words, anyone who does not accept that there has to be a 
>successor to Mohammed has become afflicted to with a spiritual
>disease?  :-).

Yes. This is not my saying. This is the Word of God spoken for this age through
Baha'u'llah's revelation.

>You are trying to draw this parallel - the Prophets are similar to each
>other, eg. Mohammed and Joseph are similar to each other.  Now, if
>someone says that there is no successor to the Prophet, then he is
>lying.  A Muslim listener will accept this fact.  But, then you try
>to draw an analogy between people who do not accept Mohammad's successors
>and people who do not accept Joseph's successors.  Your analogy falls
>apart here.  There is no reason to make this extrapolation.
 
I am not sure if I follow your reasoning here. I respectfully request that you
reread the quotation I have presented. A close look at the Qur'an clearly shows
that Prophet Muhammad has in many occasions used the same parallels in 
comparing the previous revelation to that of His own, and the behavior of the
past generations to the behavior of His contemporaries.

>>Even as thou  witness how the people of the Qur'an, like unto the people of the
>>old, have allowed the  word "Seal of the Prophets" to veil their eyes. And yet,
>>they themselves testify to this verse: "None knoweth the interpretation thereof
>>but God and they that are well-grounded in knowledge." [Qur'an 3:7]'
 
>True enough.  But, with all due respect, there is no indication
>that people who accept Bahai'ullah are well-grounded in knowledge and
>those who do not accept him are not.  Neither is the converse true.
>As such, I fail to see the relevance of your above posting.

I am not sure if you have understood the underlying purpose of this quote, or
the verse of the Qur'an used in it.
The Holy verse: "None knoweth the interpretation thereof but God and they that
are well-grounded in knowledge." [Qur'an 3:7]; in my opinion speaks of the
mentality of a believer who think that he/she knows every thing that there is
to know about the Qur'an. This verse reminds the followers that there are always
others who are more knowledgeable than him/her. Moreover, the verse admonishes
the arrogant among the believers that ultimately none but God is fully aware of
the fullest meaning of every verse of the Qur'an. 
To recapitulate; this verse reminds the believer to always remain humble, and
meet other views with an open mind.

I hope this has clarified some of the misunderstandings. My goal in posting 
these articles has been to simply answer a sincere question which was being 
repeatedly asked by several Muslim friends through private communication. My 
goal is neither to prove you wrong, nor to shake your faith, by evangelizing 
mine. As a result, I will not attempt to reply to the point of view you have
presented in your other replies to this topic. I respect your opinion presented
there, and believe that you are entitled to your view as much as I am to mine. 

						Part II of II

P.S. I'd like to thank Mr. Camm Maguire, for his critical inputs and helpful
     suggestions in composing this reply.

Regards,

Kamran Hakim
hakim@bigq.dec.com