The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 518
entirely in God's own hand. He will show them when in His infallible wisdom He thinks it opportune. But does not the Quran itself (the Prophet is enjoined to say to disbelievers) which fulfils the real object and purpose of prophethood, constitute a sufficient sign? Towards the end of the Surah Muslims are exhorted to give to the miracle of the Quran that great measure of true appreciation which it richly deserves, because the more heavenly light is vouchsafed to man, the truer should be his appreciation of it. In his Introduction to this Sūrah, Mr. Wherry has made, as is his wont, a fantastic charge against the Holy Prophet. He says that the accounts of the life-histories of former Prophets which this Surah contains are only a reflection of the Holy Prophet's own experiences in life. Here are his actual words: "Even the most careless reader can hardly fail to see that all these Prophets are facsimiles of Muḥammad himself. Their character and authority, their message and accompanying claims to inspiration, the incredulity and hardness of heart shown by the tribes to whom they were sent, the consequent rejection of the Prophets, and threatening of the sudden and dreadful judgements of God upon unbelievers, all these correspond to the experience of Muḥammad, and the inference suggested by each story is that the rejection of the Prophet of Mecca would bring with it judgements on the Quraish similar to and dreadful as those which befell those tribes who rejected the former Prophets. " Mr. Wherry means to suggest that no incidents mentioned in this Surah as having happened to the Prophets ever took place; the Holy Prophet has only ascribed his own experiences to them. But can the reverend gentleman have the courage to deny that the incidents, attributed in the Quran to former Prophets, are also mentioned in the Bible as having happened to them? Did there ever live a Prophet of whose life the Bible contains some account who did not claim to have received revelation from God? We find that every Prophet mentioned in the Bible definitely laid claim to Divine revelation; and how can any intelligent man possibly conceive that any person could lay claim to prophethood without claiming at the same time that he received revelation from God. Moreover, there is no cause or occasion for surprise at the fact that the opposition and cruel treatment, which, the Quran says, former Prophets met at the hands of their opponents, resembled the treatment and opposition which the Holy Prophet received from his opponents. What is there in the mutual resemblance of the conditions and circumstances of the Holy Prophet and those of former Prophets which can cause surprise! Every Prophet of God brings a new message which contradicts and demolishes the accepted views of his people. They naturally oppose him. This was the experience of every Prophet. They all resemble each other in this 958