Muhammad The Great Exemplar — Page 29
29 the first time a divine law could be universal and cater to people of different temperaments and capacities. Any scripture which [claims to be all-encompassing but] fails in this regard, precludes certain parts of the world from attaining salvation and thereby negates the very reason for which it was sent. (3) The Holy Prophet sa established the principle that the sharia ought to fulfil two primary needs: it ought to elucidate on all those matters which are essential for religious, spiritual and moral progress as well as assist humans in their intellectual progress, rather than cause the intellect to stand so still it begins to rot. By addressing these two primary requirements, the Holy Prophet sa also closed off two perilous paths which lead to the destruction of true spirituality. That is, license which sacrifices spiritual prosperity at the altar of material pleasure and the path of blind imitation by which individuals come to resemble a putrid basin of water, turning their minds into a fetid environ which destroys all capacity for growth. THE THIRD TASK OF A PROPHET The third task of a prophet is to articulate a teaching of wisdom. In this too the Holy Prophet sa set an unparalleled example. Despite his eloquent and unmatched assertion of God’s majesty and might, he also pioneered the argument that divine omnipotence did not mean that God could