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The Global Messenger

THE GLOBAL MESSENGER

Book Contents

• Foreword 5
• Part One
• General Introduction 9
• Allah 9
• Islam 10
• Prophethood 11
• Qur’an 15
• Muhammad and the Qur’an 17
• Hadith 21
• Biography 23
• Transparent Personality 24
• Summary of Events 32
• Before Prophethood 32
• TheMakkan Period 37
• TheMadinan Period 56
• Part Two
• Aspects of the Prophet’s Sunnah 78
• In the Realm of Belief 80
• Regarding Manners and Character 94
• Regarding Deeds and Worship 105
• The Prophet’s Supplication 117
• Conclusion 127
• References 133

Book Introduction

At the outset, a brief explanation of some basic terms can facilitate understanding of this book as well as other material related to Islam.

This preface is limited to essential background information relevant to the book, while many other concepts, such as those of worship and jihad should become clear within the content of the book. 

Allah – One of the greatest misconceptions about Islam has to do with “Allah”, which some non-Muslims assume is a deity other than the God of the Jews and Christians. In the Arabic language, “Allah” literally means “The God”, and is applicable only to the one true God who created and sustains the heavens and earth.

It is the same word that all Arabic speaking people, regardless of their religion, use for the supreme being, and is equivalent to the Hebrew “El” or “Elah”. In English, the difference between “God”, meaning the one true God, and “god”, meaning any false god, is a capital G. But in Arabic, “Allah” is a proper name as well as a grammatically unique word which cannot be made plural or given a masculine or feminine gender. Therefore, it can never refer to a false god, and Muslims use the name “Allah” for God even when speaking other languages. 

While Muslims, Christians, Jews and some others believe in the same God, their concepts of Him differ significantly.

Muslims believe in one eternal, unique, absolute and perfect God who is the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. Muslims acknowledge that He is the origin of all occurrences and that He alone is divine.

His perfect attributes are unlike those of man or any other being and nothing resembles Him, so He cannot be compared to anything of His creation. He is in no way a part of His creation, nor is any of it a part of Him.

The significance of this exclusive divinity is that no one and nothing in existence is worthy to be worshipped other than Allah, the one true God.

Islam – Monotheism is the essence of Islam, and it emphasizes the unity of divinity in contrast to the concept of trinity in Christianity and plurality of gods in other faiths. The meaning of “Islam” is peaceful submission; thus, it is a voluntary relationship between an individual and his Creator.

 And it is the only religion on earth which refuses the worship of any form of creation.

The Islamic creed did not begin with the prophethood of Muhammad, nor was it invented by him. It is basically the same message contained in previous divine scriptures and taught by all prophets of God.

But because the earlier scriptures which taught the pure and correct belief in God were partially lost and altered through translations and human interference, Islam invites people to return to the true concept of God and to worship and obey Him alone. 

Islamic beliefs are eternal truths that neither change nor develop, truths about God and His relationship with the visible and invisible aspects of the universe, about the reality of this life, about man’s role therein and what will become of him after it.

The “pillars” or main requirements of faith are: belief in one God, in the angels created by Him, in the scriptures revealed by Him to His prophets, in the prophets through whom His revelation was conveyed to mankind, in the eternal life after death and in God’s perfect judgement and complete authority over human destiny. 

Prophethood – Muslims believe in all the prophets and messengers sent by God. The Qur’an4 states that prior to its revelation, at least one prophet or messenger had been sent at some time to every nation.

 Twenty-five of them are cited by name in the Qur’an, including some of those mentioned in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Most prominent among them are Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Every prophet was an outstanding man in his community, both morally and intellectually.

 Each one stated clearly that what he conveyed was not from himself, but an inspiration from God for the benefit of mankind. And each was supported by miracles granted by God as proof of his prophethood. 

Prophets were human beings who, during particular periods of world development, conveyed a divine message to their peoples, supported by signs and miracles.

All prophets were inspired with guidance which they taught exactly as they were commanded.

All were safeguarded by God from communicating any inaccuracies in the message, and they were protected from committing sins, with the exception of unintentional errors in worldly matters. All of them were truthful, intelligent, balanced and rational men.

 The slight differences in their teachings had to do with secondary aspects of legislation and procedures of worship, but all taught the worship of God alone and obedience to Him.

The last prophet and messenger sent to the world was named Muhammad bin Abdullah. He was a descendant of Prophet Ishmael, the son of Abraham,5 and was from the Arab tribe of Quraysh.

All good qualities and virtues were perfected in him even though he had not received any formal education or training. The revelation was brought to him by the angel Gabriel, also known to the Jews and Christians.

The message he communicated, however, was not meant for any particular people, place, or period, but was a global message.

 The Messenger of Allah, as he was called, was appointed to instruct all of mankind and invite humanity to the same objective as did the prophets before him: the worship of God alone without associates or intermediaries. 

His vision could not be attributed to the primitive, chaotic environment from which he came. It surpassed not only the limitations of that environment but those of many centuries to come.

He taught that everyone has a vital duty to perform in the world at large. The final message conveyed to humanity by Prophet Muhammad and unchanged from the time of revelation sets right man’s view of existence: the Creator and His creation, life and death, the present world and the Hereafter.

It purifies religious belief from delusions of the mind and the excesses of imagination as well as from alteration based on human inclinations and opinions.

 This final message is distinguished by comprehensiveness, balance, universality, practicality and ease. It contains guidance for all of life and is for all peoples and all generations.

 Its rulings are precisely determined to benefit mankind and bring about material and spiritual elevation in both this life and the next. 

Reverence for Prophet Muhammad in no way lessens that for the previous messengers, for all were sent to fulfill a purpose, and all are held in high esteem by true believers. Muslims respect each of the prophets and messengers sent by God, but are under obligation to follow the directives of Prophet Muhammad, since the revelation he conveyed contains the complete and final religion and legal code for humanity.

 Just as a new revised law invalidates previous ones, the message revealed to the final prophet supersedes what came before it.

 It clarifies what had been obscured in previous scriptures and corrects the deviations that had gradually been introduced into pure monotheistic religion.

Thus, there can be no legitimate claim to prophethood after Muhammad because his message is final and complete.

He is quoted as having said, “The Children of Israel were guided by prophets. When a prophet died another succeeded him. However, there will be no prophet after me; only caliphs.”6 And the Qur’an confirms the finality of his prophethood, stating that he is the “seal of the prophets”.

There is explicit evidence for the prophethood of Muhammad. His coming was foretold and he was described in previous scriptures.

The honest and open minded among the Jews and Christians recognized him from those descriptions and believed in his message. As the revelation descended upon him his companions noticed certain effects on his body; however, he never lost consciousness or showed any signs of illness.

 His life was protected by God during times of severe danger throughout the entire period of his prophethood until the divine message was complete.

Like the prophets before him, Muhammad was supported with miracles, but by far the greatest of them was the Qur’an, an eternal miracle