The Holy Prophet’s(sa) – the Grand Reformer, Perfector of Morals and His Miracles – part 5

11The Review of Religions – February 2006 In meekness and gentleness,Moses(as) stood higher than all the Prophets in Israel and no other Prophet in Israel, whether Jesus (as) or anyone else, approached the lofty station of Moses( a s ). The Torah bears witness that in meekness and gentleness and in moral qualities Moses ( a s ) w a s higher than all the Prophets in Israel. The third verse of the twelfth chapter of Numbers says: Now the man Moses(as) was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. God has in the Torah praised the meekness of Moses(as) as He has not praised any other Prophet in Israel. It is true, however, that the high moral qualities of the Holy Prophet(sa) that are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an are a thousand times more exalted than those of Moses(as). God has said that the Holy Prophet(sa) combined in his person all the high moral qualities which were found in the different Prophets and said with regard to him: Thou dost possess the highest moral qualities. (Ch.68:V.5) This series sets out, in the words of the Promised Messiah(as), Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, a summary of his exposition of four outstanding topics: ISLAM; ALLAH, THE EXALTED; THE HOLY PROPHET(sa) and THE HOLY QUR’AN. The original compilation, in Urdu, from which these extracts have been translated into English, was collated with great care and diligence by Syed Daud Ahmad Sahib, Allah have mercy on him and reward him graciously for his great labour of love. Amin. The English rendering is by the late Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan, may Allah be pleased with him, and is quoted from The Essence of Islam, Volume 1. All references throughout, unless otherwise specifically mentioned, are from the Holy Qur’an. The Holy Prophet(sa) – the Grand Reformer, Perfector of Morals and his Miracles – Part 5 12 The Review of Religions –February 2006 The word ‘azim in Arabic idiom is used as connoting the highest quality of a thing. For instance, when a big tree is called ‘azim, it would mean that it possesses all the height and width and bulk that is possible for a tree to possess. Thus, this verse means that all the high moral qualities and excellent characteristics which a human being can possess, were all present in the fullest degree in the Holy Prophet(sa). Thus, this is the highest possible praise. This is also indicated in another verse: …and great is Allah’s grace on thee. (Ch.4:V.114) Meaning that: God has bestowed His grace upon thee in the largest measure and no Prophet can be equal in rank with thee. This praise is mentioned in Psalms as a prophecy concerning the Holy Prophet (sa) as is said: ‘Therefore, God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.’ (Psalms, 45:7) (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 1 pp. 605-606, sub- footnote 3) Holy Pro p h e t( s a ) S u p e r i o r i t y over All the Prophets The Holy Qur’an shows that every Prophet was a follower of the Holy Prophet (sa) as is said: …you shall believe in him and help him…(Ch.3:V.82) In this way, all Prophets became followers of the Holy Prophet(sa). (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 21 p.300) The Holy Prophet(sa) combines the names of all the Prophets in himself inasmuch as he possessed all their diverse excellences. So he is Moses(as) and Jesus(as) and A d a m( a s ) and Abraham( a s ) a n d J o s e p h( a s ) and Jacob ( a s ). This is indicated in the verse: …so follow thou their guidance… (Ch.6:V.91) Meaning that the Holy Prophet(sa) should combine in himself all the diverse guidance which other Prophets had brought. THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES 13The Review of Religions – February 2006 This shows that the dignity of all Prophets was combined in the Holy Prophet( s a ); and his name Muhammad(sa) also points to this, for it means greatly praised, and great praise can only be imagined when all the varied excellences and special qualities of the d i fferent Prophets are combined in the Holy Prophet( s a ). There are many verses in the Holy Q u r’an which set forth clearly that the being of the Holy Prophet(sa) o n account of its qualities and excellences, was a combination of all the Prophets. Every Prophet finding in him an appropriate relationship with himself imagined that he would come under his name. At one place the Holy Qur’an sets forth that this Prophet has the closest relationship with Abraham ( C h . 3 : V.69). In a Hadith o f Bukhari, the Holy Prophet( s a ) s a y s that he has a close relationship with Jesus( a s ) and that his being is combined with the being of J e s u s( a s ). This confirms the saying of Jesus( a s ) that the Holy Prophet( s a ) would appear under his name and so it happened that when our M e s s i a h( s a ) appeared, he com- pleted the incomplete works of the Messiah of Nazareth and bore witness to his truth and cleared him of the calumnies which the Jews and the Christians had uttered against him, and thus gave pleas- THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community was Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as). The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community was Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad( a s ). In 1891, he claimed, on the basis of Divine revelation, that he was the Promised Messiah and Mahdi whose advent had been foretold by Muhammad, the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and by the scriptures of other faiths. His claim constitutes the basis of the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim c o m m u n i t y. 14 The Review of Religions –February 2006 ure to the soul of Jesus. ( A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol.5, p.343) Divine revelation is a mirror in which the perfect attributes of God Almighty are seen, according to the inner cleanliness of the Prophet who is the recipient of the revelation. As the Holy Prophet( s a ) was higher than all the other Prophets in the purity of his soul, the expansion of his mind, his c h a s t i t y, modesty, sincerity, trust, fidelity and love of the Divine, God, the Glorious, anointed him with the perfume of special excellence in excess of any other Prophet. His bosom and heart which were broader and holier and more innocent and brighter and more loving than the bosom and heart of any who had passed before him, and who were to come after him, were considered worthy that such Divine revelation should descend upon him as should be stronger and more perfect, higher and more complete, than the revelation vouchsafed to all those who were before him and all those who were to come after him, and which should serve as a clear, wide and large mirror for reflecting Divine attributes. That is why the Holy Qur’an possesses such high excellences that the brightness of all previous books is cast into the shade before its fierce and brilliant rays. No mind can put forth a verity which is not already contained in it and no reason can present any argument which is not already presented in it. No speech can affect the hearts so powerfully as the strong and full of blessings e ffect it produces upon millions of hearts. Undoubtedly it is a clear mirror reflecting the perfect attributes of the Divine in which all is found that is needed by a seeker to arrive at the highest grades of understanding. (Surmah Chashm Arya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 2, pp.71-72, f o o t n o t e ) The Holy Prophet(sa) was the best of the Prophets and had a higher status than all the Messengers, And God desired that as by his personal qualities he was the Chief of all the Prophets, so from the point of view of his overt services, he might be proclaimed to the world as better and higher than all. Therefore, God Almighty extended his beneficence to the THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES 15The Review of Religions – February 2006 whole of mankind, so that his efforts and his endeavours might be generally manifested and should not be confined to a particular people, as was the case with Moses(as) and Jesus(as), and so that enduring severe persecution from every direction and every people, he should be entitled to the great reward which will not be bestowed upon other Prophets. (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khazii’in, Vol. 1, pp. 653-654) It is my belief that if, leaving the Holy Prophet( s a ) aside, all the Prophets who had preceded him had combined to perform the task and to carry out the reform which the Holy Prophet(sa) performed and carried out, they would not have been able to do so. They had not the heart and the strength which had been bestowed upon the Holy Prophet(sa). If anyone should say that this shows disrespect towards the other Prophets, he would be guilty of uttering a calumny against me. It is part of my faith to honour and respect the Prophets, but the Holy Prophet’s( s a ) superiority to all other Prophets is the principal part of my faith and my whole being is saturated with it. It is not within my power to exclude it. Let my unfortunate opponent, who is sightless, say what he pleases, but our Holy Prophet(sa) performed a task which all the others combined together, or s e p a r a t e l y, could not have performed. That is Allah’s grace; He bestows it on whom He pleases… (Ch.62:V.5) (Malfuzat, Vol.II, p.174) The Scriptures of the Jews state clearly that a saviour like Moses(as) will be sent for them. This means that he would appear at a time when the Jews would be passing through a state of suffering and humiliation as was imposed upon them in the time of Pharaoh. Then by believing in him they would be delivered from torment and disgrace . There is no doubt that our lord and master Muhammad, the chosen one( s a ) was the personage for whom the Jews had been waiting throughout the ages and in whom the prophecy of the Torah was most THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES 16 The Review of Religions –February 2006 clearly fulfilled. When the Jews believed in him many great kings were raised among them. This is clear proof that God Almighty forgave their sins because of their accepting Islam and had mercy on them as was promised in the Torah. ( Ayyam-us-Sulh, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol.14, pp.302-303) The greatness that was bestowed upon Jesus(as) was on account of his following the Holy Prophet M u h a m m a d( s a ) for Jesus ( a s ) w a s informed of the Holy Prophet(sa) and believed in him and attained salvation through his belief. (Al-Hakam, 30 June 1901, p.3) Now we compare Jesus(as) with the Holy Prophet(sa) in the matter of the treatment accorded to them by the governments of their respective days and how their prestige and Divine support were manifested. When we do this, it becomes clear that in contrast with the Holy Prophet(sa), Jesus(as) not only fails to exhibit signs of G o d h ead, he even fails to demonstrate the signs of a Prophet. When the Holy Prophet( s a ) sent his message to the rulers of his time, the Roman Caesar, on receipt of the Holy Prophet’s( s a ) m e s s a g e , breathed a sigh that he was caught among the Christians and that if he had been free, it would have been a matter of pride for him to present himself to the Holy Prophet( s a ) a n d to wash his feet like a slave. But a wicked and evil-hearted r u l e r, the Chosros of Iran, was a ffronted and sent soldiers to arrest the Holy Prophet( s a ). They arrived in Madinah towards the evening and told the Holy P r o p h e t( s a ) that they had been sent to arrest him. The Holy Prophet( s a ) disregarded what they had said and invited them to accept Islam. At that time the Holy Prophet( s a ) was in the mosque accompanied only by three or four companions, but the royal emissaries were trembling in awe of him. In the end they asked what answer should they take back concerning his arrest to their lord. The Holy P r o p h e t( s a ) asked them to wait till the next day. The following morning when they came, the Holy Prophet ( s a ) said to them: He whom you call lord and god, is no THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES 17The Review of Religions – February 2006 god. God is the Being Who is not subject to death or destruction. Your god was killed last night. My True God set up his son Sherweh over him and last night he was killed by the hand of his son. This is my reply. This was a great miracle witnessing which thousands of people of that country believed in the Holy Prophet( s a ) because in fact Khusro Pervez, the Chosros, had been killed that night. This is not a statement like the vague statements of the Gospel, but is supported by historical evidence. M r. Davenport has also mentioned this event in his book. As against this, the lack of esteem in which Jesus( a s ) was held by the rulers of his time is well known. Probably the Gospels still contain the record of Herodius sending J e s u s( a s ) to Pilate as an accused person. He remained for a time in custody and his godhead did not come into play. No monarch said that it would be a matter of pride for him to serve Jesus( a s ) and to wash his feet. Pilate handed him over to the Jews. Was this his godhead? What a contrast is there between the two persons who encountered similar circum- stances, but with opposite results. In one case, a proud and arrogant monarch was incited by Satan to order the arrest of the claimant to Prophethood, but he was over- taken by the Divine curse and was murdered with great humiliation at the hands of his own son. In the second case, a person whose followers have raised him to heaven, was in fact arrested and sent into custody of the cruel po- lice as an accused person from one town to another. ( N u r- u l – Q u r’an, No.2, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 9, pp. 384-386) Miracles of the Holy Prophet(sa) A time was when the Evangelists proclaimed through the streets and lanes most impertinently and falsely that no prophecy had been made and no miracle had been shown by the Holy Prophet M u h a m m a d( s a ), the chosen one. Now is a time when God Almighty in addition to the thousands of miracles of the Holy Prophet(sa) which are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and in the Ahadith, has shown hundreds of signs which no opponent has been THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES 18 The Review of Religions –February 2006 able to counter. We have throughout proclaimed gently and meekly to every Christian and other opponent, and we still proclaim, that it is necessary for every religion which claims to be true and from God Almighty, that it should produce men who, as the deputies of their leader, guide and Messenger, should prove that that Prophet is living by virtue of his spiritual blessings and has not died. It is necessary that the Prophet, who is followed and is believed in as an intercessor and saviour, should be everliving through his spiritual blessings. He should be so obviously seated on the throne of honour and exaltation and glory that his shining face and his sitting on the right hand of the Eternal and Ever-Living, All- Sustaining and All-Powerful God should be established by powerful Divine lights. Loving him perfectly and obeying him perfectly should necessarily produce the results that his follower should be bestowed the bounty of the Holy Spirit and heavenly blessings, and obtaining light from the lights of his beloved Prophet he should dispel the darkness of his age and should furnish eager people with that firm and perfect and shining faith in the existence of God which burns up all desire of sin and all the passions of a low life. This is the proof that that Prophet is living and is in heaven. So how shall we express our gratitude to our Holy and Glorious God that He bestowed upon us the strength to love and obey His beloved Prophet Muhammad, the chosen one( s a ) and then by bestowing upon us a full share of the spiritual grace of that love and obedience, which is true piety and a true heavenly sign, proved to us that our dear and exalted Prophet ( s a ) has not died, but is sitting on the right hand of his Powerful King on the Throne of Exaltation and Glory in the highest heaven? ‘O Allah, send down Thy blessings, boun- ties and peace upon him’. Allah and His angels send down His blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe, THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES 19The Review of Religions – February 2006 you too should invoke His blessings on him and gre e t him with the greeting of peace. (Ch.33:V.57) Now let someone tell us who is proved to possess such spiritual life beside our Holy Prophet(sa). Does Moses ( a s ) possess it? Certainly not. Does David ( a s ) possess it? Certainly not. Does Jesus(as) possess it? Certainly not. Do Raja Ram Chandra or Raja Krishna possess it? Certainly not. Do those Rishis possess it concerning whom it is said that the Vedas were revealed to their hearts? Certainly not. It is useless to mention physical life, because the real and spiritually beneficent life is the one which, resembling the life of God Almighty, sends down light and certainty. To attain long physical life is no matter of pride. Some of the Egyptian monuments are thousands of years old, and the ruins of Babylon are still in existence which are the home of owls, and in this country Ajudhia and Bindraban are all old cities and many old monuments are found in Italy and Greece. Through their long continued existence, do all these monuments partake of the glory and exaltation which is bestowed on the holy ones of God on account of their spiritual life? It is clear that the proof of such spiritual life is found only in the case of our blessed Prophet( s a ). May God’s mercies in their thousands keep him company. (Ti ryaq-ul-Qulub, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol.15, pp. 137-139) More than three thousand miracles were shown by our lord and m a s t e r, the Holy Prophet( s a ) and his prophecies were numberless; but it is not necessary for us to put forward those miracles which were shown in the past. One grand miracle of the Holy Prophet( s a ) i s that the revelation vouchsafed to all other Prophets has been cut off , and their miracles have been left behind, and their followers are empty-handed and are left only with old stories; but the revelation vouchsafed to the Holy Prophet( s a ) has not been cut off, nor have his miracles been cut off, but are THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES always displayed through his perfect followers who are honoured with obeying him. On this account the religion of Islam is a living religion and its God is a Living God. In this age also this servant of the Lord of Honour is present. Thousands of signs in support of the Messenger of Allah and the Book of Allah have been shown by me, and I am almost daily honoured with the converse of God Almighty. (Chashma-e-Masihi, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 20, pp. 350-351) When a person arrives at this exalted stage of meeting with God, he sometimes performs acts which appear to be beyond human power and have the colour of Divine Power. For instance, during the battle of Badr, the Holy P r o p h e t(sa) threw a handful of gravel at the opposing force not accompanied by any prayer, but with his own spiritual power, which affected the opposing force in such an extraordinary manner that everyone’s eyes were struck by the gravel and they were rendered sightless and began to run around in confusion and helplessness. This miracle is referred to in the verse: …And thou threwest not when thou didst throw, but it was Allah Who threw… (Ch.8:V.18) meaning that it was Divine Power that was working behind the scene and it did that which was not within human power. In the same way, another miracle of the Holy Prophet(sa) which was the splitting of the moon, was displayed by Divine Power. It was not accompanied by any prayer as it happened merely by his pointing at the moon with his finger which was filled with Divine power. There are many other miracles which the Holy Prophet(sa) worked purely with his power and which were not accompanied by any prayer. On many occasions, he multiplied water so much by dipping his fingers into a cup of water that the whole host and their camels and horses drank of it and yet the original quantity of the water was not diminished. On many occasions, by putting his 20 THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES The Review of Religions –February 2006 hand upon three or four loaves of bread, he satisfied the hunger of thousands. On some occasions, he blessed a small quantity of milk with his lips and a company of people drank from it and were filled. On some occasions, by adding his saliva into a well of brackish water, he rendered it sweet. On some occasions, he healed severely wounded people of their injuries by placing his hands upon them. On some occasions, he replaced the eyeballs of people which had fallen out in consequence of some injury received in battle and healed them with the blessings of his hand. In this way, he did many other things by his personal power behind which worked Divine Power. If the Brahmos and the philosophers and the followers of nature of today refuse to accept these miracles, they are to be excused for they cannot recognise the station at which a human being is endowed with Divine power by way of reflection. If they laugh at these things they are also to be excused for they have not progressed beyond their childish condition and have not reached any degree of spiritual maturity. Their condition is far from perfect and they are happy that they should die in that imperfect condition. But one pities the Christians, who having heard of some similar, but of a lower degree of events, in the life of Jesus(as), put them forward as an argument in support of the divinity of Jesus(as) and allege that the reviving of the dead by Jesus( a s ) and the healing of paralytics and lepers by him was by his own power and not by any prayer, and that this is proof that he was truly the son of God and even God himself. It is a pity that they are unaware that if a human being could become God by performing such exploits then our lord and m a s t e r, the Holy Prophet( s a ) w a s much more entitled to such divinity for he performed mightier miracles than were displayed by J e s u s( a s ). Not only did the Holy P r o p h e t(sa) work these extra- ordinary miracles himself, but he left a legacy of a long series of them among his followers till the Day of Judgement, which has been in evidence always in all 21 THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES The Review of Religions – February 2006 ages and will continue to be in evidence till the end of the world. The impress of Divine power which has been experienced by holy souls among the Muslims is d i fficult to match from among other people. Then what folly is it to believe in someone as God or as the son of God, on account of these extraordinary events? If a man can become God by performing such exploits, there would be no end to the number of g o d s ! ( A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khaza’ain, Vol.5, pp.65-67) We wish to point out that the miracle of the splitting of the moon is not an event that the Muslims put forth as proof of the truth of Islam and as a principal a rgument in support of the truth of the Holy Qur’an. Out of thousands of internal and external miracles and signs, this was also a natural sign which is supported by historical proof. If overlooking clear proofs we are to suppose that this miracle has not been established, and if we are to inter- pret the relevant verse of the Holy Q u r’an as the Christians or the followers of nature, or those who repudiate external events interpret it it would do no harm to Islam. The truth is that the Word of God has wholly relieved the Muslims of the need of relying upon other miracles. It is not only a miracle in itself, but on account of its blessings and lights, it produces m i r a c l e s . The Holy Qur’an comprises in itself such perfect qualities that it is in no need of extraordinary miracles. The presence of external miracles adds nothing to it and their absence would disclose no defect in it. The beauty of the Qur’an is not decked out with the ornaments of external miracles. It comprises in itself thousands of strange and wonderful miracles which can be witnessed by the people of every age. It is not necessary to refer only to the past. The Qur’an is such a beautiful beloved that everything derives ornamentation from it and it is not dependent upon anything else for its own ornamentation. Those who object to the miracle of the splitting of the moon have 22 THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES The Review of Religions –February 2006 only one instrument to make, and even that a broken one, that the splitting of the moon is contrary to the law of nature. The followers of the law of nature contend that it is obvious that so far as a man can find by the exercise of his reason there is nothing apart from nature in the law of nature, that is to say, the observation of the universe indicates that everything material and non-material by which we are surrounded is part of a wonderful system for its existence and continuance and for its eff e c t . This system is inherent in everything and never departs from anything. Whatever nature has designed will happen without fail in the same way. We accept all that, but does it prove that Divine methods are their law are limited to that which is our obsevartion and experience no more? To believe that Divine Power is unlimited is of the essence of the Divine system; it ensures that the door of intellectual progress should always remain open. Then what a mistake it is to put forward the proposition that whatever is beyond our understanding or observation is outside the law of nature! When we confess that the laws of nature are unending and unlimited, it should be our attitude that we should not reject every new thing because it is beyond our reason. We should assess the matter on its proof or lack of proof. If it is proved we should enter it in the list of the laws of nature, and if it is not proved we should confine ourselves to affirming that it is not proved. We would not be entitled to say that it is outside the law of nature. To hold anything as being beyond the law of nature, it is necessary that we should encompass all Divine laws which are eternal as within a circle and our intellect should fully comprehend all that God’s Power has revealed from the beginning up to now and that He will reveal through Eternity…. We believe that the Powers of God Almighty are unlimited, then it would be madness to hope to encompass all His Powers. For if they can be confined within the 23 THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES The Review of Religions – February 2006 measure of our observation, then how would they be unlimited and unending? In such case, we are not only confronted with the d i fficulty that our finite and incomplete experience should comprehend all the Powers of the Eternal God, but there would arise a much greater difficulty that by limiting His Powers He Himself would also be limited and we would be affirming that we have discovered all the reality of God Almighty and that we have arrived at its depth and bottom. Such an assumption would be disrespectful and destructive of faith and would amount to a total denial of God. (Surmah Chashm Arya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 2, pp. 60-65) I enquire that if the Holy Prophet(sa) who had announced his claim that the moon had been split by the pointing of his finger and that the disbelievers had witnessed it with their own eyes, though they called it sorcery, was not true in his claim, then why did his opponents keep silent and why did they not call the Holy Prophet(sa) to account that he had not split the moon and that they had not called anything sorcery, nor refused to accept anything that had happened as an event? Why did they remain silent and keep their mouths shut till they had passed away from this world? Does not their silence, which was inconsistent with their opposition and with their eagerness to contend against and question everything, certify that they were held back from speaking by some severe obstruction? What could that obstruction be except that the event was true? This miracle occurred in Makkah when the Muslims were very weak and helpless. It is a matter of surprise that the sons or grandsons of the opponents of the Holy P r o p h e t( s a ) also did not utter anything in contradiction of the event, for if the claim of the Holy P r o p h e t( s a ) was mere falsehood and had received great publicity, they should have written and published books in exposing it. When the Muslims continued to bear witness to it openly before thousands of people, and their evidence is found recorded in the 24 THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES The Review of Religions –February 2006 books of that time and hundreds of thousands of Christians, Arabs, Jews, and Magians, etc. did not dare to contradict it, it is clear proof that the opponents had witnessed the splitting of the moon and that there was no room left for contradiction… We would like to add that the event of the splitting of the moon is recorded in the reliable books of the Hindus. Beas Ji has recorded in the Mahabharata that in his time the moon had been split into two and had again come t o g e t h e r. He attributed this, without any proof, to Biswamtar as his miracle… It seems that this event was well known among the Hindus even at the time of the writing of the history of Farishtah, whose author has recorded in his eleventh dis- course, on the authority of the Hindus, that the Raja of Dharka, which was a town situated on river Phanbal in Malwa and is perhaps now known as Dhara Nagri, was sitting on the roof of his palace and he saw that the moon had suddenly split into two and had then come together. On investigation the Raja discovered that it was a miracle of the Arabian Prophet(sa) and he became a Muslim. (Surmah Chashm Arya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 2, pp. 122-127) The miracles and signs that were bestowed by God Almighty on our lord and master, the Holy Prophet(sa) were not confined to his time, but will continue till the Day of Judgement. In the past ages, no Prophet was included among the followers of another Prophet, though he helped the faith of the previous Prophet and believed in him, but the Holy Prophet(sa) has been bestowed this special honour that he is Khatam- u l – A n b i y a ; one, because he achieved the climax of all the ex- cellences of Prophethood; and, secondly, because there will be no Prophet after him who would bring a new law nor any Prophet who is not his follower. Everyone who is honoured with converse with the Divine, achieves it through his grace and through his mediation and is known as his follower and not as a direct Prophet. He has been accepted to 25 THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES The Review of Religions – February 2006 such a degree that today a minimum of 200 million people of every rank are Muslims and stand before him as his servants. Great and powerful kings who conquered a portion of the world, fell at his feet like humble slaves. Even today, Muslim kings regard themselves as his humble servants and descend from their thrones at the mention of his name. It is worthy of consideration whether this glory, this splendour, these thousands of heavenly signs and divine blessings can be bestowed upon a false one. We take great pride in the fact that the Holy Prophet( s a ) to whom we have attached ourselves, was bestowed great grace by God. He is not God, but through him we have seen God. His religion which has come to us is a mirror of Divine Powers. Had it not been for Islam, it would have been difficult in this age to appreciate what Prophethood is and whether miracles are possible and whether they are part of the law of nature. This puzzle was resolved by the eternal grace of that Prophet( s a ) and it is due to him that we are not mere story-tellers like other people, but enjoy the support of God’s light and His heavenly help. We are unable to express adequately our gratitude that God Who is hidden from others, and the inner power which is beyond the concept of others, and the Lord of Glory, have been disclosed to us by the Holy P r o p h e t( s a ). (Chashma-e-Ma’rifat, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 23, pp. 380-381) 26 THE HOLY PROPHET’S(SA) – THE GRAND REFORMER, PERFECTOR OF MORALS AND HIS MIRACLES The Review of Religions –February 2006