The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 435
PT. 14 AN-NAHL CH. 16 خَلَقَ السَّمَوتِ وَالْاَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ He has created the heavens. 4 and the earth in accordance with the requirements of wisdom. Exalted is He above all that they associate with Him. 1805 "3:192; 14:20; 15:86; 29:45; 39:6; 64:4. تَعَلَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ ) of disbelievers and the progress and is intended to replace the existing advance of the cause of truth. (4) That it is obligatory to believe in a Prophet inasmuch as the message he brings contains the 'commands of God'. Rejection of the Prophet thus amounts to a denial of God Himself. (of His The expression servants) means the chosen servants of God and not all men, and contains a beautiful hint that prophethood is God's special gift and it is bestowed only upon His chosen servants. The recipients of this special Divine gift must be true servants of God. The expression also signifies that prophethood is bestowed upon only the devotees of the true God and not upon the devotees of false gods. History fails to record a single instance of a Prophet having risen from among the devotees of false gods. It may be understood from the words, on whomsoever of His servants He pleases, that it is God's own prerogative to select a man for the exalted office of a Prophet. order by a new order which is based upon new Divine commands and prohibitions. This replacement of the old order by a new one can only be possible if these commandments and prohib- itions are given gradually and in stages so that people may be able to assimilate them and adopt them in their daily lives. All Divine Laws were revealed gradually and piecemeal and their revelation was spread over a long period of time. Christian critics of Islam conveniently forget this patent characteristic of the Quranic revelation when finding fault with it on the basis of its having been sent down to the Holy Prophet in stages. The objection that this gradual revelation of the Quran shows it to be the Prophet's own composition exposes only their own ignorance of the Divine Law in this respect. The words, So take Me alone for your protector, contain the essence of all religious teaching. The teachings Jof different Prophets have differed in detail but they are one in proclaiming the Oneness of God because it forms the basis and kernel of all religious teaching. The Arabic expression (yunazzilu -He sends down) is used to express a gradual sending down and is meant to signify that the word of God is revealed gradually and in pieces and is not sent down all at once and as one complete whole. This is essential because a new revelation 1643 1805. Commentary: The expression (with the