A013
Surah: 042 - Ayah: 013
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42:13
Ism-i azam (Supreme Name) and Prophethood:
Question: If we believe that Hazrat-i Abu Talib granted the Prophet ism-i azam, through which the Prophet performed special zikr, and as a result of which he received prophethood, does this not imply that the Prophet acquired prophethood through his own efforts of the special zikr-u ibadat? Was it not possible for God to grant him prophethood without such special ibadat?
Answer: (a) Although the complete manifestation of the religion of Islam took place in the time of the holy Prophet, this however does not mean that the true religion did not exist before him. In fact all the prophets invited the people to the same path of the One God and that was the religion of nature, namely Islam. If you reflect a while on the Qur'anic verses regarding the religion of Hazrat-i-Nuh (42:13) and Hazrat-i Ibrahim (22:78), you will come to know clearly that the great status of the light of Imamat was continuing in the chain of the ancestors of the holy Prophet. As God says: “But indeed We have given the progeny of Abraham the Book and Wisdom, and conferred upon them a great kingdom” (4:54). It should be known that the progeny of Hazrat-i Ibrahim has two branches. One stems from Hazrat-i Ismail, and the other from Hazrat-i Ishaq, and whatever is said in this verse applies to both families.
(b) From the above description it becomes evident and clear that according to the prayers of Hazrat-i Ibrahim and Hazrat-i Ismail God had chosen the special people from both branches of his progeny (2:127-8). Thus Ismailies believe that Hazrat-i Abu Talib was in the position of the imam-i muqim (the Resurrector Imam) in his time and it was for this reason that he protected the holy Prophet in every respect. (See al-Imamatu fi’l-Islam, p. 155).
(c) Now the question arises whether or not the holy Prophet before receiving prophethood used to do the zikr-u ibadat. If the answer is “Yes”, then according to which religion did the revelation start to come to him in his very childhood or in his youth, or did someone also teach him externally? If it is said that before the beginning of prophethood he neither received revelation nor was there someone to teach him, rather he began to worship God of his own accord, then following his uswah-yi hasanah (the best example and sunnat-i mutahharah (the sacred Tradition) it would imply that everyone should follow [a religion] without the guidance of a guide. Consequently this will be an ideology, which will prove the futility of the purpose of the coming of all the prophets to this world.
(d) If we think with intellect and wisdom, for your whole question there is no better answer than whatever has been said about the entire life of the Prophet and his being the best example for conduct: “You have indeed in the messenger of God a best example for conduct for anyone whose hope is in God and the final Day and who engages much in the remembrance of God” (33:21). This blessed verse means that the Prophet made his pure life the best example for the ummah to follow not only during prophethood, but also before it his life was full of the virtues and the perfections of humanity and piety. Why not, while he was the chief of the prophets, the possessor of the exalted standard of character (68:4) and the best example for conduct.
(e) Would it have been possible for the pure life of the Prophet to be a beautiful pattern, excellent model and the best example for conduct for the people, had he not actualised and made conspicuous his life as much as possible with religious virtues in addition to human and moral qualities till his fortieth year, had he not practically passed through all the stages of religion and spirituality before receiving it and was he honoured with prophethood suddenly? Or is it the correct ideology to say that the prophet followed the religion of Hazrat-i Ibrahim from the very beginning and had faith in God and in the final Day and was remembering God abundantly? If we say that the Prophet received this supreme and greatest honour as a result of the zikr-u ibadat, this does not negate Divine mercy, while all the means of the spiritual elevation of the Prophet fall under His mercy. Our saying so is an incidental and implicit reality. Without such an ideology how can we follow the pure life of the Prophet as an example and expect that spiritual progress is due to zikr-u bandagi?
Ruh or spirit means the soul, light, essence, substance or heart and by Islam is meant the true religion which by God’s command was presented to humanity by the Holy Prophet. Since Islam is the religion of God, it follows that it is the same religion that was revealed to all the Prophets and is called the religion of nature.
In connection with this important subject it is necessary to appreciate that the Qur’an tells us that all the Prophets in their respective times conveyed and taught this same one, true and unique religion, the religion of one God and which later, in the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, was expressed by the word "Islam". As God says: "He has ordained for you that religion which He enjoined upon Nuh and which We have revealed to you (Muhammad) and which We enjoined upon Ibrahim, Musa and Isa, (saying): Establish the religion and be not divided therein." (42:13).
From this wisdom-filled verse it is completely clear that the religion of Islam and its exalted law (shari'at) started from the time of Hazrat Nuh. This means that Islam is the religion of nature and in the universe the best example of nature is man (30:30). There are many allusions in the Qur’anic verse (30:30): "The nature of God is that upon which He created people". Because Islam is the religion of nature it has the capacity of being in harmony with the requirements of both space and time. It is the universal religion and is living, flexible and dynamic, and not rigid and moribund. As it says in the language of wisdom, in verse (42:13) whilst the Prophets have presented religion to people in accordance with the requirements of space and time, the true spirit and reality of religion has always been the same.
The Qur’an teaches that the greatest preacher, supreme daci and the strongest centre of Islam is Prophet Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa(s) and this religion begins from the time of Hazrat Ibrahim(c) (22:78), rather from one aspect it commenced at the time of Hazrat Nuh(c) (42:13) and from another aspect, it is from the period of Hazrat Adam(c) (23:51-52).
This verse has been referred 4 times.