The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 151
Prophethood in Islam 151. God Almighty Himself is so transcendent that unless the human eye is illumined by divine light it is not possible to achieve true and holy comprehension of Him, let alone the comprehension of Prophets and divine books, therefore, the Raḥmāniyyat of God demanded that his blind and unseeing creatures should be helped very greatly, and it should not be considered enough that a Messenger and a Book having been sent, thereafter, despite the passage of a long period of time, the disbelievers may be committed to the everlasting torment of hell on account of the denial of such doctrines as later generations can comprehend as merely pure and excellent statements. . It should be clear to a thoughtful person that God, Who is. Raḥmān [Gracious] and Raḥīm [Merciful], cannot, without convincing explanation, prescribe so great a punishment as condemnation to everlasting hell for people of different countries who have heard of the Qur'ān and of the Holy Prophets after centuries and who, not being proficient in Arabic, cannot perceive the excellence of the Holy Qur'an. Nor can human conscience reconcile itself to the fact that a person may be condemned without being convinced that the Holy Qur'an is the Word of. God. That is why God Almighty has promised that He will continue to appoint vicegerents so that they, being invested reflectively with the lights of Prophethood, should demonstrate the excellences of the Holy Qur'ān and its holy blessings to the people and thus make them responsible for believing in it and acting upon it. . It should also be remembered that such exposition has to adopt different forms in every age, and that a reformer is equipped with the faculties, capacities and qualities which are suited to the reform of the mischief which is current in his time. Thus God Almighty will ever con-