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Appendix I 319
blessings to the people and thus make them responsible for
believing in it and acting upon it.
It should also be remembered that such exposition has to
adopt different forms in every age, and that a reformer is
equipped with the faculties, capacities and qualities which are
suited to the reform of the mischief which is current in his time.
Thus, God Almighty will ever continue to do so, as long as He
wills, so that reform and virtue may continue to flourish. These
statements are not without proof and are testified by an
unbroken series of precedents.
Apart from the prophets, messengers and muhaddathīn
who appeared at different times in different countries, if one
takes into account only those who appeared in Israel, it would
be discovered that in the fourteen centuries between Moses as
and Jesus as , thousands of prophets and muhaddathīn appeared
and occupied themselves diligently in the service of the Torah.
The Holy Qur’ān and the Bible both testify to this. Those
prophets brought no new book and taught no new faith. They
only served the Torah. They appeared whenever atheism,
disbelief, misconduct, and hard-heartedness became prevalent
in Israel.
It is a point to ponder that the Law of Moses as was limited
in its scope and was not meant for the whole of mankind, nor
was it to last forever, yet God Almighty took care to send
thousands of prophets for the revival of that law and those
prophets exhibited such signs as enabled the children of Israel
to behold God afresh. Then how can it be that Muslims, who
have been designated the best of people, and are attached to the
Best of the prophets (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)
be accounted so unfortunate that God Almighty looked at them
with mercy only for thirty years and after exhibiting heavenly
lights to them during that time, turned His face away from