Islam's Reformers .pdf

and his men had called Mûsâ (’alaihi ’s-salâm) a magician.Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm) was ummî, that is, he did notgo to any school; he did not read or write, nor did anybodyteach him. But he put forth a book, the Qur’ân, full of historical,scientific, moral, political and social knowledge. He caused riseof emperors who spread justice all over the world only byfollowing that book. The Qur’ân is his greatest miracle. In fact, itis the greatest miracle of all prophets. This miracle was givenonly to Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm). Religion reformers shouldfeel embarrassed while saying that, when he was a child yet, hespoke to a priest for a few minutes on a journey to Damascusand acquired all his knowledge from that priest. There cannotbe another slander as unsound and funny as this one. Themasterpieces of eloquence that had been chosen from amongthousands of poems and had been hanging on the walls of theKa’ba for many years and that had made their authors a genius,a hero each, were torn down and their authors submittedthemselves to the âyats that could never be the result of a fewminutes’ conversation with a priest! Today, there is no need toattempt again to understand the eloquence of the Qur’ân. ThisDivine Book, when Arabic was on its summit, had the mostefficient specialists in Arabic language sign under its superiority.Among the specialists in Arabic literature contemporary withMuhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm), there was next to no one who didnot see and believe the divine superiority in the eloquence ofthe Qur’ân.He did not arrogate to himself such an honour and perfectionwhich, in an art that was considered as the most exalted skill inhis time, made everybody acknowledge its superiority, but hesaid that it came from Allâhu ta’âlâ whom no one knew, andthrough this honour and superiority he tried to represent nothimself but that unknown person. This is surprisinglyincompatible with the human wishes of those who seek for fameand personal advantages. Those who consider the pleasure ofgoverning people superior to the pleasure of knowledge andma’rifa are those who cannot appreciate the value of knowledgeand ma’rifa. A poet will not change even one of his poems thatprove him to be in the highest stage of his art for the presidencyof government. Even if there might be someone to change it, hewould change it for material advantages. Muhammad (’alaihi ’ssalâm)said that he was not a president and, instead of- 90 -