PROPHET-HOOD SPEECH

Prophet-hood is dependent not on inspiration but on divine revelation.

Mr. President and worthy audience, when a machine is introduced it is accompanied by a set of instructions for its use. An engineer is also commissioned to give a practical demonstration of how the machine functions. Similarly, a man soon after his birth was not aware how he should live on the earth. To satisfy this need felt by man, God sent His Prophets to the world, everyone of whom brought with Him the word of God.

Mr. President, God's messengers came in every age and in every region. According to a Hadith, more than one hundred thousands messengers were sent to guide the people. However, the Prophets mentioned by name in the Holy Qur'an are two dozen in number, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) being the last of them. In the past, the need for new Prophets had always arisen because God's religion, suffering from the vagaries of time, had frequently been distorted from its original form, New Prophets had to come to the world time and again in order to revivify the true spirit of religion and refresh people's memories. But after the Prophet Muhammad (Peach Be Upon Him), the world will see no further Prophets, for the Book which the Prophet gave to the world; the Qur'an is still perfectly preserved in its original form. In the divine scheme of things, no further Prophets are then required.

Mr. President, it is not only the Prophet Muhammad's (Peace Be Upon Him) Scripture which is preserved in its pristine state, but his very spirit, the events of his life, the struggle of his Prophetic mission, have all been fully recorded and have remained intact. The Qur'an tells us that when the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) proclaimed his prophet-hood, people found it difficult to believe in him. They asked, "What kind of messenger is this? He eats and drinks and moves about in the markets. If God had to send a Prophet, why did not He send an angle?" In reply, the Qur'an had this to say: "If the earth had been inhabited by angles, We would have sent an angel as prophet, but since it is human beings who live on earth, a main has been selected as God's Messenger."

Worthy President, the Prophet then, as the bearer of God's message had to project himself as a model for other human beings. The Qur'an, indeed, describes the Prophet as a model character. It was on this consideration that a messenger was selected from among human beings. He experienced all that was experienced by others: grief and solace, advantages and disadvantages, pain and pleasure, etc. Yet, he never wavered from the truth, thus setting a good example of him others must abide by the truth on all occasions. This deprived wrongdoers of the excuse that they had no role model to show them the path which God desired them to follow.

Worthy audience, the messenger of God was born just like any other human being. He led his life just as others did. In this way, he clearly demonstrated that the way of life which he exhorted others to lead was entirely practicable. His words and deeds thus became a realistic example of how God's servants should conduct themselves on earth and what path they must opt for to avert God's displeasure and earn God's blessings. The preservation and continuity of religion are now ensured without Prophets coming to the world. God's Book and the Prophets' Sunnah are now serving the same purpose which it had taken a succession of Prophets to accomplish. Let us then promise to leave no stone unturned to propagate this sacred mission in every nook and corner of the world because in it, lies the real secret of the progress, prosperity, survival and success of the whole mankind.