Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 263
Individual Peace 263 whole of mankind, one normally expects that the Prophet sa of Islam should accordingly be described as a source of light and blessing for all mankind. But one is surprised to read, instead, that the Holy Prophet sa is described in the Holy Quran as: A blessing for the entire universe. 11 The word ‘ al a m in Arabic means a world or the whole world. The word used here, however, is al ‘ al am i n which is the plural of ‘ a lam (the whole world). As such, we have translated it here as the entire universe. A sceptic may not be convinced of the validity of such a tall title. But a deeper understanding of the relationship of the office of universal prophethood, which the Holy Prophet sa undoubtedly possessed can reveal the wisdom of the title a blessing for the entire universe. The Object of Man’s Creation According to the Quranic concept of creation, the philosophy of the creation of just the inanimate universe would have served little purpose other than being, God forbid, a futile act on the part of the Creator. Who would know and who would share the knowledge with the Creator of the existence of things? It would have been tantamount to the creation of nothing less. The purpose of creation was to create a consciousness and ultimately to improve, widen and enhance the quality of that consciousness to the purpose of creation.