The Essence of Islam – Volume I — Page 289
The Holy Prophetsa 289 purity, wrong in place of justice, and ignorance in place of knowledge, and a Reformer should be sorely needed. . Then such a Messenger should depart from the world when he should have accomplished his work of reform in a fine manner and should have been safeguarded from his enemies while he was occupied in that work. Like servants, he should have appeared under command and should have departed under command. In short, he should appear at a time when the age should demand that a heavenly Reformer and Book are needed and he should be called back in accordance with a revealed prophecy after he had firmly planted the tree of reform and a grand revolution should have appeared. . We state it with great pride that the brightness with which this argument has been established in support of the Holy. Qur'an and our Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of. Allāh be on him] is lacking in the case of other Prophets and other Books. The claim of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allāh be on him] was that he had been sent to the whole of mankind; so the Holy Qur'an convicts all people of being involved in all types of paganism and vice and disobedience as it says: 175 ظهر الفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَ الْبَحْرِة. Corruption has appeared on land and sea; and then says: 176 لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَلَمِينَ نَذِيرًا 70. We have sent you so that you should warn all nations; that is to say, that the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allāh be on him] should warn all people that on account 175 176 al-Rüm, 30:42 [Publisher] al-Furqan, 25:2 [Publisher]