Malfuzat - Volume IV — Page 221
221 Malfuzat – Volume IV era, there were no other means by which he could have learned about the condi - tions of people in other lands, such as the telegram, newspapers, post offices, etc. It was only God Almighty Himself who informed the Holy Prophet sas that the people had deteriorated. Allah the Exalted revealed to the Holy Prophet sas : 1 ِ َر َْحْ ْب ْلْ َوَ ا ِ ِر َ ْب ْلْ ا ِـي َف ُ َد َا ْس َ ِف ْلْ ََرَ ا ِه َ ْظ Meaning, the oceans had become corrupted, and so had the wastelands. The oceans refer to those people who were granted water, i. e. a divine law or a book from Allah. The wasteland refers to those who were not given this. In other words, the People of the Book had become corrupted and so had the idolaters. In short, the era of the Holy Prophet sas was a time when darkness had covered the world. Arguments of Truthfulness As per the will of Allah Almighty, the Holy Prophet sas was born in the era just mentioned so that he could dispel darkness. This was an age that was full of trials. It was a time when sin and transgression were on the rise on every front; idolatry and atheism were rampant, neither were doctrines correct, nor were good deeds and morals anywhere to be found. The very birth of the Holy Prophet sas is in itself a magnificent proof of the fact that he was truthful and appointed by Allah. Alas! If only the people would reflect upon this. An intelligent and good-natured person can never be hasty in rejecting a reformer who appears in such an age. In the least, one must accept that the individual in question has appeared at a time of need. At a time when disease, plague and cholera are prevalent; if a person claims that they have come to cure the ailing, would we not at least accept that the person has come at a time of need? Of course we would. Similarly, the first argument in favour of the truthfulness of our Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is that the age in which he appeared was an age which, as the Persian saying goes, yearned for: ‘a man to emerge from the unseen and do what was needed. ’ It is to this very fact that the following verse of the Holy Quran alludes: 2 َََل َّز َ َّن ِ ٌق َ ْح ْلْ ِا َب ََو ُ ٗه ٰ ْن َْلْ َّز ْ َّن َ ا ِ ٌق َ ْح ْلْ ِا َب And in truth have We sent it down and with truth has it descended. 1 ar-Rum , 30:42 2 Bani Isra’il , 17:106