A Response to Three Questions of a Christian — Page 17
Reply to the First Question 17 upon whichever verb it comes, it transforms it into a future verb. Therefore, the meaning of 1 اَل َّنَنْوُكَت َنِم َنْيِرَتْمُمْلا would be as follows: O Muhammad, you have never been the one to doubt in the past nor the present. Now, as you face the future, remain likewise without any doubt or uncertainty. This is a divine prayer so to speak, which is certainly accepted. Furthermore, given that your temperament is not one to entertain any doubts about such a teaching [as Islam], therefore, My aims have now become firmly established with arguments. The Sixth Rebuttal— I allow, for the sake of argument, that reluctance actually occurred; so, can such hesitation result in dis- missal of a person from the office of prophethood based on the principles accepted by the Christians? Most certainly not. Consider the Books of Exodus and Judges from the Torah of Moses, peace be upon him. Moses, peace be upon him, was selected by Allah the Exalted to save the Children of Israel. Thereupon, Moses says: ‘Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ (Exodus 3:11) Then, Moses, peace be upon him, started offering excuses that he could not speak well and so Allah the Exalted said emphat- ically, ‘You go; I am with you. ’ Even then—according to the Christians—on account of his weaknesses, he was not satisfied, so he submitted that someone else be sent to Egypt. Thereupon, 1. S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:148; S u rah al-An‘ a m, 6:115 [Publisher]