The Prophet (sa) Alone Was the True Manifestation of God’s Attributes
Four attributes of God Almighty have been mentioned in Surah al-Fatihah: Rabbul-alamin (Lord of all the worlds), Rahman (the Gracious), Rahim (the Merciful) and Maliki yawm-id-din (Master of the Day of Judgement). Although these attributes are manifested on earth in the general sense, in reality, they possess within themselves prophecies, to which people rarely direct their attention. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, displayed a manifestation of these four attributes in his person. For no deeper reality can be understood without an illustration of some sort. So how was the attribute of Rabb-ul-alamin (Lord of all the worlds) manifested in the Holy Prophet (sa)? The Holy Prophet (sa) grew up in disadvantaged circumstances. There was no madrasa [religious educational institution] or school available from where the Holy Prophet (sa) could develop and train his spiritual and religious faculties. He never had the opportunity to meet with an educated people; he had not even access to a basic education, nor was he able to study the deep and intricate sciences of philosophy. Now observe how despite not having had these opportunities, he was granted a blessing as great as the Holy Qur’an – no other knowledge even remotely compares to the sublime and true knowledge contained in this book. Any individual who reads the Holy Qur’an with even the slightest understanding and reflection will realise that every form of philosophy and all the sciences are worthless in comparison. It has left every sage and philosopher far behind. Prior to the Holy Prophet (sa) there have been two magnificent prophets. Firstly, Moses (as) and secondly, Jesus (as). Both of them, however, were able to obtain an education; no claim has ever been made that they were unlettered prophets. This challenge and claim has only been made in respect of our Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. As such, God Almighty states:
مَا كُنتَ تَدۡرِي مَا ٱلۡكِتَٰبُ وَلَا ٱلۡإِيمَٰنُ وَلَٰكِن جَعَلۡنَٰهُ نُورٗا نَّهۡدِي بِهِۦ مَن نَّشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِنَاۚ
‘Thou didst not know what the Book was, nor what the faith. But We have made it (the revelation) a light, whereby We guide such of Our servants as We please.’ [1]
Moses (as) received a princely education, as it were, and was given a royal upbringing under the guardianship of the Pharaoh. Tutors were appointed for him because even in that era, such a custom was prevalent. If Moses (as) had not taken up an ascetic life, he was next in line after the Pharaoh. If it were not for God’s grace, Moses (as) would have become a Pharaoh as well, God forbid. Bear in mind that the word ‘Pharaoh’ is not evil in itself. In actuality, this was the title given to the Kings of Egypt, just as ‘Caesar’ and ‘Chosroes’ were the titles given to the rulers of Rome and Iran respectively, and how in this age, the Tsar of Russia and Ottoman Sultan have their own titles. My only purpose in mentioning this is to explain that if God Almighty had not prepared him for another office, it was certain that he would have ascended the throne. It is true that although the mother of Moses (as) felt pain and grief in casting an innocent soul into the river, what would have been the state of her extreme happiness and joy when God Almighty Himself promised to return the child to her? In short, Moses (as) was educated in the manner of royalty. Jesus (as) was also educated formally. I have a book by a Jewish writer, in which he has stated this point clearly and categorically. In fact, he has even mentioned the teacher of the Messiah (as) by name and then goes on to raise an objection. The author states that it was from his early days that Jesus (as) developed a liking for the subjects comprised in the Torah and the scriptures of the prophets, and he also states that nothing in the Gospel is more than what has already been mentioned in the past scriptures of the prophets. The author has also written that Jesus (as) was taught by the Jews for a long period in time. However, if you ask a Jew, Christian or anyone from India whether the Holy Prophet (sa) was educated anywhere, they will clearly reject such a notion. What a grand manifestation of divine providence!
When a child advances from infancy, before reaching an age of maturity, they are sent to school – this is the first step. However, the first step in the life of the Holy Prophet (sa) was something of a miracle! Since the Holy Prophet (sa) was the Seal of the Prophets, his person and every aspect of his life was miraculous in nature. His way of life was such that he did not receive even an elementary education, yet he brought a matchless bounty as great as the Qur’an and gave the Muslim community a magnificent miracle. The prophets of previous times appeared and after remaining on earth for some time, went on, after which their religion disappeared. In truth, God had destined for these religions to fade away but had determined to maintain the signs and imprints of this faith. For no religion can remain without miracles. People can only believe in hearsay for a few days, then they begin to say:
ایہہ جہاں مٹھاتےاگلا کن ڈٹھا
‘It is this world that is delightful, who has ever seen the next world?’
This is why God has willed for a living miracle to accompany Islam.
ENDNOTES
1. The Holy Qur’an, 42:53.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Malfuzat – Volume 2 (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publications Ltd., 2019), 207-209.
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