Divine facilitation is proportionate to human need. God makes acquisition
easier as the need of humans increase. Air, water, and sunlight are necessary
for human survival, and thus God has granted their acquisition to all
without hardship. The greatest human need is to know the Creator, and
thus, God has made it easy to know Him. The evidence for God, however,
differs in its nature. In its own way, everything in creation is evidence of
its Creator. Some evidence is so obvious that any lay person can immediately
‘see’ the Creator, for instance, the cycle of life and death. Others
‘see’ the handiwork of the Creator in the elegance of mathematical theorems,
universal constants of physics, and the development of the embryo:
“Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation
of night and day, - there are indeed signs for men of understanding.” (Quran
3:190)
Like the existence of God, human
beings need evidence to establish the
truth of prophets who spoke in His
name. Muhammad, like the prophets
before him, claimed to be God’s final
prophet to humanity. Naturally, the
evidence for his veracity is diverse
and numerous. Some are obvious,
while others are apparent only after
deep reflection.
God says in the Quran:
“…Is it not enough (for them to know) that your Lord is witness unto everything?”
(Quran 41:53)
Divine witness by itself is sufficient without any other evidence. God’s
witness for Muhammad lies in:
(a) God’s past revelations to earlier prophets which prophesize Muhammad’s
appearance.
(b) God’s Acts: the miracles and ‘signs’ He gave to support Muhammad’s
claim.
How did it all begin in the early days of Islam? How were the first believers
convinced he was God’s prophet?
The first person to believe in the Prophethood of Muhammad was his own
wife, Khadija. When he returned home trembling out of fear after receiving
divine revelation, she was his solace:
“Never! By God, God will never disgrace you. You keep good relations
with your relatives, help the poor, serve your guests generously, and assist
those hit with calamities.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
She saw in her husband a man God would not humiliate, because of his
virtues of honesty, justice, and helping the poor.
His closest friend, Abu Bakr who had known him all his life and was almost
the same age, believed the moment he heard the words, ‘I am God’s
Messenger’ without any additional confirmation other than the open book
of his friend’s life.
Another person who accepted his call on merely listening to it, was
‘Amr’1He says:
“I used to think before Islam that people were in error and they were on
nothing. They worshipped idols. In the meantime, I heard of a man preaching
in Mecca; so I went to him…I asked him: ‘Who are you?’ He said: ‘I
am a Prophet.’ I again said: ‘Who is a Prophet?’ He said: ‘God sent me.’ I
said: ‘What did He send you with?’ He said: ‘I have been sent to join ties
of relationship, to break the idols, and to proclaim the unity of God so
nothing is associated with Him (in worship).’ I said: ‘Who is with you in
this?’ He said: ‘A free man and a slave (referring to Abu Bakr and Bilal, a
slave, who had embraced Islam by that time).’ I said: ‘I intend to follow
you.’” (Saheeh Muslim)
Dimad was a desert healer who specialized in mental illnesses. On his visit
to Mecca he heard the Meccans say that Muhammad (may the blessing and
mercy of God be upon him) was insane! Confident of his skills, he said to
himself, ‘If I were to come across this man, God might cure him at my
hand.’ Dimad met the Prophet and said: ‘Muhammad, I can protect (one)
who suffers from mental illness or under sorcery, and God cures one
whom He so desires at my hand. Do you desire to be cured?’ The Prophet
of God responded, starting with his usual introduction to his sermons:
“Indeed, praise and gratitude is for God. We praise Him and ask for His
help. He who God guides, none can lead astray, and he who is led astray
cannot be guided. I bear witness no one deserves worship but God, He is
One, has no partners, and Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.”
Dimad, stuck by the beauty of the words, asked him to repeat them, and
said, ‘I have heard the words of diviners, sorcerers, and poets, but I have
never heard such words, they reach the depth of the oceans. Give me your
hand so I may pledge my allegiance to you on Islam.’1
After Gabriel brought the first revelation to Prophet Muhammad, Khadija,
his wife, took him to visit her old cousin, Waraqa bin Nawfal, a biblical
scholar, to discuss the event. Waraqa recognized Muhammad from the
prophecies of the Bible and confirmed:
“This is the Keeper of Secrets (Angel Gabriel) who came to Moses.” (Saheeh
Al-Bukhari)
The face can be a window to the soul. Abdullah bin Salam, the chief rabbi
of Medina at the time, looked at the face of the Prophet when he arrived in
Medina, and exclaimed:
“The moment I looked at his face, I knew it was not the face of a liar!”
(Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
Many of those around the Prophet who did not accept Islam did not doubt
in his veracity, but refused to do so for other reasons. His uncle, Abu Talib,
aided him throughout his life, confessed to the truthfulness of Muhammad,
but refused to break off from the religion of his ancestors out of
shame and social status.
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