Approaching the West — Page 56
A pproaching the West—56 4 Khil ā fat in the Dispensations of Moses and Jesus The Qur’ ā n is unique in its claim that God sent His guidance to all the people of the world, … there is no people to whom a Warner has not been sent. (35:25) And, surely We sent Messengers before thee [Mu ḥ ammad] to their own people, and they brought them clear Signs… (30:48) Some of these Messengers, like Abraham and Lot, Ishmael and Isaac, Moses and Aaron, were contemporaries of each other, some worked in close geographical vicinities, and others were raised at different times among the people living in various isolated parts of the world. The Qur’ ā n also makes clear that all the Messengers of God met strong resistance at the hands of their own people; the reason being multifarious: The people were “evildoers” ( ẓā lim ī n), “sinners” (mujrim ī n), “unbelievers” (k ā fir ī n), “oppressive’ (jabb ā r ī n), “ignorant” (j ā hil ī n), “polytheists” (mushrik ī n), “rebellious” (f ā siq ī n), and “in manifest error” (f ī ḍ al ā lin mub ī n). They disputed with the Messengers, rejected their