Islam - The Summit of Religious Evolution — Page 53
53 I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black. It appears from this description that Solomon foretold the advent of a Prophet who would come from the south, and he (or his people) would be of darker complexion as compared with the descendants of Isaac. Syrian and Palestinians are known for their fairer complexion compared to the Arabians. The Prophet of Islam was an Arab and hence had a darker complexion. IV. Another sign of the Promised One is given in the same verse: 43 My mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. This is a description of the people to which the Promised One was to belong. Before the advent of the Prophet of Islam, the Arabs were not ambitious or hardworking people. They accepted employment under the Romans and the Iranians, but did not care for their own country and their personal well-being. The advent of the Holy Prophet jolted Arabia out of her slumber. The result was an Arab-led world movement embracing every conceivable side of human progress, from spiritual to intellectual to political. The Arabs became the keepers not only of their own vineyard but also of the vineyards of the whole world. V The Song of Solomon also contains a warning for Israel that they are told not to meddle with the Promised Prophet: 44 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. This theme is also continued elsewhere in the Song. 45, 46 These passages only mean that when the Promised Prophet appears, Jews and Christians, the two branches of Israel, would oppose and oppress him. Since God would appoint the Promised Prophet, his opponents would not succeed, but would instead, suffer an ignominious defeat. Solomon, accordingly, warned his people saying: I charge you, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. The Israelites, both Jews and Christians, were advised not to oppose the Promised Prophet; rather, they should accept his message. It would be against their interest to try to stem the tide of his influence. Opposition would spell the opponents’ own destruction. Failure to follow his advice would make them liable to Divine punishment. The warning proved true because, contrary to this advice, the Jews and Christians refused to accept the message and brought Divine punishment upon themselves. Had they remained passive and non-hostile to the Prophet, they would have been saved from the wrath of God. These prophecies cannot possibly apply to Jesus, as he did not appear from the south of Palestine. He was not from among the brethren of Israel nor did he have the means to resist and to destroy the opposition of Israel. The prophecies apply only to the Prophet of Islam. He is the beloved of the Song of Solomon. The Song is, in fact, a rapturous description of the Prophet.