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Seerah of the World Leader (PBUH) - 2: Rationale of Prophethood

Seerah of the World Leader (PBUH) - 2: Rationale of Prophethood

(From the Book Seerat Sarwar e Aalamï·º)

We see in big cities that hundreds of factories are running on electricity. Trains and Trams are running. In the evening, immediately thousands of lights are brightened. In summers, fans run in every house. However, these events do not arouse a feeling of awe in us nor do any differences arise among us on the cause of their running and brightening. Why so? Because we see the wires to which these lights are connected. We know the condition of the electrical plant to which these wires are connected. We also feel the presence of people who work in this electrical plant. We also know the engineers who supervise them. We also know that the engineer knows how to produce electricity. He has many parts and, putting motion to these parts, he generates that power whose magnificence we see in the brightness of lights, rotation of fans, running of railways and trams, and in the mills and factories. Hence seeing the sign of electricity, the reason we do not have any differences among us on its cause is that the complete chain of this cause is known to us and we have seen it.

Imagine that the same lights were brightening, fans were rotating, trains and trams were running, and mills and factories were functioning; however, the wires and electrical plant are hidden from us. We also never knew the people working in them, and we also did not know that there is an engineer who is running it with his knowledge and power. Would we still not have differences in the cause of their work? Apparently, you will reply in negative. Why? Because when the knowledge of cause is hidden and reflection of the cause is unknown, then it is natural for the discomfort and wonder to be created in the heart, and the mind exploring this bag of secrets and predictions and views to be different on this mystery.

Now let us continue our talk on this assumption. Let suppose that what has been assumed in reality is present in this real world. Thousands of lights are brightened, hundreds of thousands of fans are rotating, cars are running, factories are functioning, and we do not have any source to get to know what power is inside them and where it comes from. People are astonished and bewildered on seeing these signs and manifestation. Everyone is trying every possibility to explore their reasons. Some say that these are brightened or moving on their own and there is no external thing which give them light or movement. Some say that the mechanism of substances, from which these things are made, has given them situation to light and rotate. Some say that there are some deities beyond this world out of which some brighten this light, some run trains and trams, some rotate fans, and some enable the mills and factories. There are also some who are tired of thinking and say humbly that our brain has not been able to reach the sacred light of this spell. We only know what we see and feel. Apart from that we do not understand and which we do not understand, we cannot confirm or reject.

All these groups are fighting among each other; however, in support of self idea and for rejection of the other’s idea, except for guesswork and speculation, none of these have any knowledge.

Meanwhile, as the differences take place, a person comes and says that he has a knowledge which others do not have. Through this I have come to know that all these lights, fans, cars, factories, and mills are linked to some hidden wires which you cannot feel. These wires receive such power from a very big electrical plant which results in the shape of light and movement. This electrical plant has huge parts which are run by many people. All these people are guided by a big engineer, and this is the same engineer whose knowledge and power has established this whole system. All this is working under his guidance and supervision.

This person tries to present his claim with all force. People reject him, oppose him in groups, term him mad, beat him, trouble him and remove him from home; however, he, despite these spiritual and physical tortures, sticks to his claim. He does not amend his statement due to fear or greed. His every action shows that he has complete belief in truthfulness of his statement.

Then a second person comes and mentions the same statement with same claim. Then a third, fourth, and fifth person comes and says the same thing as said by his predecessors. Then there is a flood of people until their number exceeds a hundred and then a thousand. All these are presenting the same thing with the same claim. Despite difference in condition, time, and place there is no difference in their statement. All say that they have such source of knowledge which the general public does not have. All are termed mad, subject to persecution; all are threatened to retract their statement, but all stick to their statement, and no power in the world is able to shift them from their place even by an inch. With this commitment and consistency, the salient features of these people are that none of them are liars, thieves, traitors, wicked, ruthless, or eater of the forbidden. Their enemies and opponents also admit this. Their behavior is good, character of high level, and their temperament is unique in comparison to other human beings. No symptom of madness was seen in them. Contrary to this, they would present such teachings for the correction of edification, self-purification, and worldly transactions, and form such laws, where intellectuals and scholars would utilize complete life, understanding its learning, leave alone making a copy of it.

On one hand are liars of different ideas, and on the other hand are plaintiffs with united claim. Their matter is presented in the court of common sense. For the judge, it is its responsibility to understand its own position and then understand the position of the parties, and after comparing them should make a decision as to whose statement is preferred.

The position of the judge is that he himself does not have any sources to know the actual position. He does not know the reality. He only has the statements of the parties, their arguments, their personal conditions, and external signs and evidences. Based on the research on them, the decision has to be made as to which one is likely to be true. But, even though more than a majority, he cannot decide, because, whatever is on file, it is difficult, based on that to say what is correct. He may prefer either of the parties, but cannot confirm or reject anyone accurately and confidently.

The position of the liars is:

  1. They have different theories related to reality, and they do not have agreement among themselves even on a single point. Even sometimes there have been differences among people of the group.
  2. They themselves accept that they do not have such source of education, which others do not have. None of the groups claim more than this --that their speculations are heavier than others; however, they accept them to be speculations only.
  3. Belief on their speculations has not reached the level of unwavering certainty, faith, and trust. There has been frequent change of opinion seen among them. Many a times a person who had till yesterday presented a theory with full force has now denied that and presented a new theory. Often their theories change based on age, knowledge, intellect, and growth of experience.
  4. To reject the plaintiff, they do not have any argument except that they have not presented any sure proof on their authenticity. They have not showed us the hidden wires of which they say that lights and fans are connected to them. Nor have they proved the existence of electricity by experience and observation nor made us visit the electrical plant nor made us examine its parts and machines. He has not made us meet its operators nor the engineers. Then how can we believe it to be true.

The position of the claimants is:

  1. All are united in their statements. They are in agreement among themselves on all the points of the claim.
  2. They all agree in their claim that they have a source of knowledge which the general public does not have.
  3. None of them say that they are saying this based on guesses and imagination. They all say in agreement that we have special relationship with the engineer. Their operators come to us. He has also made us visit his factory, and whatever we say is based on belief and knowledge --not on speculation and imagination.
  4. There is no example of them wherein there has been a bit of change and variance in their statement. There is only one statement that each of them say since the start of the claim till the last breath of life.
  5. Their conduct is good. There is no speck of lie, fraud, deceit, or treachery in them. There is no reason that the people who are truthful and unbiased in all the matters of life would coincidently lie, especially in this matter.
  6. There is also no proof that in the overview of presenting this claim there is any personal benefit. Contrary to this it has been proven that most of them in lieu of their claim had endured suffering, suffered physical pain, imprisoned, beaten and killed, exiled, and some murdered. Some were even ripped apart by axe, and, except a few, none had life of prosperity and ease. Hence they cannot be blamed of personal benefits; rather, they stick to their stand, showing they have high belief in their correctness, even to the point of sacrificing their lives.
  7. There is no proof of insanity or weak mind. In all the dealings of life, they were found wise and of sound mind of a higher degree. Their opponents have also at times acknowledged their wisdom. Then how can it be believed that they have gone mad in this special matter? For them it has become a matter of life or death. They have fought the whole world and have fought for years to defend their intelligent teachings (acknowledged by many of their opponents).
  8. They have never themselves said that we can make you meet the engineers or its operators or make you see the hidden electrical plant or prove our claim with experience and observation. They themselves interpret all these things to ‘unseen’ and say we should have faith in them and believe what they say.

Considering the position of the two parties and their statements, now the court of intellect and mind issues its decision.

It says that, seeing some phenomena and evidence, both the parties have pursued the hidden cause and means and each one has presented its theory. Prima facie the theories of all are uniform in term that, firstly, none have intellectual transformation, which means that as per the law of intellect nothing can be said on any of the theories that it is impossible to be true. Secondly, truth of none of these can be proved by observation and experience. Neither any group from the first party is able to provide scientific proof of their theory that can force every person to believe, nor is the second party able to or claim to. However, after further consideration and research, there are some matters observed, basis which, out of all the theories the theory of the second party is preferred.

No other group, with such large number of intellects, good moral, and trustworthy people have supported any other theory with such power, belief, and faith.

Agreement of a such a large number of people of pious character in different places and times on this claim is such that they all have extraordinary source of knowledge, and through this they have come to know the mystical means of external phenomenon. This makes us inclined to verify this claim especially for the reason that their statement do not have differences related to their information. The information given by them has neither any intellectual transformation nor can it be termed impossible basis the law of rationale that among some people there are extra ordinary powers which normally cannot be found in other people.

Pondering over the condition of external phenomenon, it seems likely that the theory of the second party could be correct. The lights, fans, cars, factory, etc, neither brighten nor move on their own. If that had happened, then their lightening and movement would be in their control, which is not the case. Neither their light and movement is a result of the composition of somatic substances, because when they are not lightened or moving, then also the same somatic composition substances remains, nor is it understood to be correct that they are influenced by different powers because sometimes when the lights are not brightened, fans also stop, tram and cars also stop, and factories also stop functioning. Hence all the theories presented by the first party in explanation of the external phenomenon are far from intellect and speculation. Hence this is most probably correct that, among these entire phenomenons, there is a power functioning, which is in the hand of a wise and powerful entity and which is spending this power on different phenomenon under a designated system.

As far as the statement of those having doubt that this theory we do not understand, the intellectual mind does not accept it to be true because it is not necessary that any incident happen and people understand it clearly. To accept its occurrence, reliable and consistent evidence is enough. When some trusted people among us come and say to us that they have seen in the West that people fly sitting in an iron car and that we have listened to American songs sitting in London, then we would just see whether they are liars and jokers and whether they have any personal interest in mentioning such statement and whether their minds have any unsoundness. If it is proved that they are not liars, jokers, nor crazy and do they do not have any interest associated with this tradition, and if we see that many true and intellectual people are mentioning this seriously without any opposition, then we should indeed accept it although we do not understand the people flying in iron cars or listening to songs at a distance of several thousand miles without any material contact.  

This is the decision of mind on this matter. However, the condition of confirmation and trust which is named “Eman (Faith)” is not born out of it. For this inspiration is required. For this it is needed that a voice should come from inside and which should eliminate all condition of rejection, doubt, and confusion and should say clearly that people’s speculation is false. Truth is what truthful people have stated, not with speculation, but with knowledge and insight.4

4 Tafheemat vol.1 page 9 to 17, First published in Tarjumanul Quran Rajab 52H-December 1933)

(Author: Syed Abul A'ala Maududi. This article is translated in English by Ibrahim Usmani, Urdu compilation of the book by Naeem Siddiqui and Abdul Wakeel Alvi. English compilation by Syed Jawed Anwar, edited by Linda Barto.)

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