Malfuzat – Volume III — Page 143
143 it, and on that front, they are equal. If they had taken the time to reflect, how clear everything would have become. We learn from the Holy Quran that Allah Almighty made the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, the likeness of Moses as. The fact of the matter is that Allah the Exalted establishes one dispensation, but after a long period of time, when it becomes obscured, as if veiled, He establishes another dispensation in the same manner to take its place. We learn of two dispensations from the Holy Quran. Firstly, there was the dis- pensation of the children of Israel, which began with Moses, peace be upon him, and ended with Jesus, peace be upon him. Since the evil actions of the Jews had reached the extreme limit, and they had become so wicked and stone-hearted that they were even prepared to kill Prophets, by way of wrath, Allah the Exalted brought this dispensation, which saw the emergence of kings and Prophets, to an end with Jesus as. The Fatherless Birth of the Messiah was a Sign I have always held that Jesus as was born without a father, and that his fatherless birth was a sign that now prophethood would come to an end within the Israelite family. For they were promised that prophethood would remain within the fam- ily of the children of Israel until they remain righteous. However, when they lost their piety, this event served as a sign, so that the wise could realise that this line would now come to an end. Hence, with the advent of Jesus, peace be upon him, prophethood from within the children of Israel came to an end. Even in earlier scriptures, Allah Almighty had promised that a similar succession would be insti- tuted within the children of Ishmael, and the leader, head and chief of that suc- cession would be Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. This was prophesied in the Torah as well. In the Holy Quran, also, it is stated: 1 فِرْعَوْنَ رَسُوْلًا ی كَمَاۤ اَرْسَلْنَاۤ اِلٰ Like We sent a Messenger to Pharaoh. Just as the word ‘like’ has been used in the Torah, 2 the Arabic word kama (like) has been used in the Holy Quran as well. 1 al-Muzzammil , 73:16 2 Reference is made here to the prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:18 which states: ‘I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren. ’ [Publisher] p. 128