Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 147
— Part I 146 The 'right path' is not a monopoly of Islam. In fact all Prophets as prior to the inception of Islam had been given teachings of the right path, as asserted by the verses mentioned above. So when did a universal Prophet sa appear in the world? And when did the concept of the straight path gain a universal import? To answer these questions we need to study such verses of the Quran as deal with the subject of the universality of Islam, and the universality of the Holy Prophet sa. The Quran says: And We have sent you not but as a mercy for the entire world. (S u rah al-Anbiy a ’; Ch. 21: V. 108) And: And We have not sent you but as a bearer of glad tidings and a Warner, for all mankind, but most men know not. (S u rah Sab a ’; Ch. 34: V. 29) It needs to be further emphasised here that up to the time of the revelation of the Quran, none of the Divine scriptures, apart from the Quran, had claimed to be universal in their message and their application. Nor did any Prophet as prior to Muhammad sa ever