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wocihac2011_human_development

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learn prophecy or future prediction and did not bring out the Qur’an from his<br />

ambition or learning, if he did so he was subject to forced revision and omission<br />

because of mistake or inexperience, which disgraces the Qur’an (4:82). This point<br />

of view is the main emphasis below but before that, the views of Hourani and other<br />

European scholars on the said <strong>human</strong>ly inspiration of Prophet Muhammad needs<br />

to be analyzed. As mentioned before this study is a counter-argument to the<br />

theses of the European scholars including Hourani. In Hourani’s words, divine<br />

revelation does not happen in terms of putting God’s words into <strong>human</strong> mouth,<br />

there is no word of God revealed to a person.<br />

It is imperative to say here that Hourani judges the prophecy of Prophet<br />

Muhammad from afar, not from the inner circle surrounding the person called the<br />

last Prophet. Hourani quotes repeated notion by the Orientalists that the last<br />

Prophet is Jesus (peace be upon him), not Muhammad. In this light, Hourani<br />

(1991: 7-49) emphasizes that the divinity of religion is measure at the divine<br />

manifestation level, not at the divine revelation level. As far as Christianity is<br />

concerned God only manifest or incarnate Himself in <strong>human</strong> body as happened to<br />

Jesus, there is no direct interaction between <strong>human</strong> being such as Muhammad<br />

(saw) and God. In other words, the meeting of God and <strong>human</strong> being happens at<br />

the level of spirituality or soul, not at the level of communication. By implication,<br />

the certainty of prophecy is proved at the level of feeling, not relying on conviction<br />

or surety factor. There is no medium of appointment as a prophet other than the<br />

feeling of the prophet himself of the divine incarnation. Thus, all prophecies<br />

including that is related to Jesus are subject to qualm or doubt, and the prophet is<br />

not sure whether he is a appointed prophet from God or he just felt so.<br />

By the suggestion above too, prophecy is itself <strong>human</strong> feeling or<br />

interpretation of his inner feelings or his outward worldview. It has nothing to do<br />

with scripture that was supposed to be a divine revelation or at least an<br />

interpretation of the God’s commandments upon mankind. Thus, religious scripture<br />

is <strong>human</strong> experience of the prophet who felt his body in which God has manifested<br />

Himself. The scripture is <strong>human</strong> writing, not direct or interpretation of the words of<br />

God. Having said this, prophecy is nothing other than <strong>human</strong> word itself because<br />

there is no indication of divine commandment on a would-be prophet, taking place.<br />

Mere divine manifestation without any divine revelation cannot support a prophecy,<br />

and therefore the prophet cannot proclaim that he is a messenger from and the<br />

messages in the religious scripture that he brings along should not be propagated<br />

for fear that they do not represent the real messages from God.<br />

By implication too, there is no sure way of worshiping God in whatsoever<br />

form because the prophet is not divinely guided as to how to worship in according<br />

to His pleasure. Thus, the concept of God to be worshiped or glorified is doubtful, it<br />

happens at the level of sense not yet achieving the level of belief. In this regard,<br />

prophecy is individual guess or prediction and there is no absolute way of<br />

worshiping God. Thus, there is no divine scripture, and this puts the Bible, which<br />

was said to be divine inspiration, in the same situation.<br />

Contrary to the doubtful concept of Islamic prophecy as has been<br />

explained above is a divine prophecy where a prophet is divinely inspired and this<br />

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