Testimony of the Holy Quran — Page 44
44 TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY QURAN قُلَةٌ مِّنَ الْأَوَّلِينَ وَثُلَةٌ مِّنَ الْآخِرِينَ 10 رو Since the word ثُلَّةٌ ]a large party occurs equally in both verses, it is categorically established that the Muhaddathin of this ummah are no less in terms of their number and the duration of succession than the Mursalin of the Mosaic dispensation. In fact, another verse refers to this point too: وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّلِحْتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا Meaning that, God has promised those among you who believe and do good works, that He will surely make them successors in the earth, as He made successors from among those who were before them; that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely give them security and peace in exchange after their fear. They will worship Me alone, and they will not associate anything with Me. (Part Number 18, Sūrah an-Nūr) Now ponder carefully over this verse. It, too, refers clearly to the above resemblance. And if the resemblance is not a perfect resemblance, then these verses become absurd, because in the Mosaic dispensation, the period of Khilafat [leadership by suc- cession] stretched for 1,400 years, and not just to 30 years. There 1. A large party from among the early ones; and a large party from among the later ones (Sūrah al-Waqi'ah, 56:40-41). [Publisher] 2. Sūrah an-Nūr, 24:56 [Publisher]