We say, “Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) is Allah’s prophet.” However, there are so many people who say, “I believe in Allah only and I do not believe in any prophets” and who wait to be persuaded. In this part, we will explain why prophethood is necessary before the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh). How can you explain the prophethood of a person to somebody who does not believe in prophethood?
Then, we will address those who recognize Allah but deny prophethood. We want something from our addressees. Let there be a golden rule between us. The golden rule is as follows: Let the mind and conscience be the arbitrator among us. Let us talk to each other in order to reveal the truth, not to be obstinate with each other. Let us not oppose each other regarding something that our mind accepts. We want to ask the person who recognizes Allah but denies prophethood a question. The question is as follows:
Why did Allah create us and this realm? Have you ever thought about the purpose of the creation? That is,
Why did Allah create this universe?
Why do I exist?
Why were so many valuable organs and feelings given to me?
Why are so many foods with different tastes and shapes are presented to me?
Why is every being created as a wonder of art? Why are they given so much importance?
Some of them live only a few weeks and some only a few days, like butterflies. However, so much is spent for each of them and so much importance is given to each of them. They are painted in so many colors and given so valuable organs. What is the reason for it? Why are they adorned so much and created so artistically?
Why does everything, from honeybee to silkworm, from cows, sheep and goats, which are factories of milk, to clouds, the sun and the moon, serve me? Why are all of them forced to work for me?
Have you ever thought about the answers to these questions?
Now, we will ask our addressee, who says, “”I believe in Allah only and I do not believe in any prophets” another question: Since you believe in Allah, does the Allah you believe in have wisdom? That is, are there many purposes and benefits in everything He does? Since you call Him Allah, there is a wisdom behind everything He does, a purpose of every deed He does and many benefits in all of His creations.
Since 1- Allah exists and 2- Allah is very wise, why do you think He created us and this universe?
Let us try to understand why we and this universe were created.
Allah has endless beauty and perfection. All of the beauties and perfection we see in this realm are the weak reflections and manifestations of His personality, names and attributes.
Every owner of beauty and perfection wants to see and show His beauty. Therefore, Allah also wanted to see and show His beauty and perfection; so, He created this universe. He gave the duty of watching it to us, that is, to human beings.
Thus, our duty is to discover the divine names and attributes that become manifest in beings and to know Allah through those names and attributes. That is our purpose of creation.
Since that is our purpose of creation, we ask the person who recognizes Allah but who says there is no prophethood:
1- Is it possible that Allah should create this realm to make Himself known and He should not send prophets to make Himself known?
2- Is it possible that Allah should equip this realm with so many works of art and He should not send prophets that would attract attention to them and that would teach the names and attributes that become manifest on them to people?
3- Is it possible that Allah should place the evidences of His existence and oneness on every being in this realm and He should not send prophets that would teach those evidences to people?
4- Is it possible that Allah should create the earth like a dinner table, should make the spring a rose bunch of this table, should put all kinds of foods that would satisfy all appetites and tastes of people but He should not ask His slaves not to thank Him and should not inform people about how to thank through a prophet?
5- Is it possible that Allah should want to make Himself loved through those boons by His slaves and He should not send a messenger to tell people the ways of reaching Him?
6- Is it possible that Allah should create man, put everything at his disposal, equip him with so many feelings and organs and should leave him unattended and should not inform him through His prophet why he was created what his duties are and what He wants from him?
We can increase the questions but we do not want to lengthen it and we ask: Can all of those things be possible?
That is, you believe in the existence of Allah, who created this realm to make Himself known and recognized. For, everybody who has beauty and perfection wants to show himself. Allah, who has endless beauty and perfection, created this realm to show Himself and to make Himself known. Is it possible that Allah, who created this realm for this purpose, should not send prophets and should not make Himself known to His slaves through His own messengers?
How is it possible for the Being who created this realm to make Himself known not to make Himself known through a messenger, which is the easiest way of being known? If He had not wanted to be known, He would not have created this realm. Since He created this world, He wants to be known. Since He wants to be known, should He not want to make Himself known through prophets?
It is not possible to know Him without prophets. The evidence for this is the fact the people who were not sent prophets or who denied prophets have worshipped fire, the sun, idols, cows and other beings. They discovered the existence of a creator but could not find Allah and worshipped the beings like the sun and fire. That is, it is not so easy for a person to find Allah. He may believe in a creator but he makes a mistake about who the creator is. Allah sent prophets so as to make the faces of His slaves turn to him from those so called deities people thought to be creators.
B- Allah also wants man to thank Him since He creates those valuable and delicious boons. Therefore, He creates so many boons and puts them on his table. If Allah does not teach people how to thank through His prophets, how can people find out how to thank? For instance, if we ask a person who recognizes Allah but denies prophethood how he thanks Allah, he will probably say, ‘O Allah! Praise be to You!’
The statement, “’O Allah! Praise be to You!”is a statement of prophets. The people who recognize Allah but deny prophethood do not say ‘creator’ but say ‘Allah’. From whom did they learn the name Allah? Did they themselves find out that the name of the creator is Allah? We need prophets even to learn His name. We call Him Allah because He informed us about His name through His prophet. If prophets had not told us that His name was Allah, would we have discovered it on our own? If they had not taught us what words to use when thanking and how to thank, would we have been able to find out how to thank on our own?
You may now say, ‘we might not have found out but is it something necessary?’
However, we said at the beginning that Allah has wisdom. If He has wisdom and if he expects thanking from us in return for so many dooms, He will not only create boons but also teach man how to thank. Otherwise, will the wisdom behind the creation of so many boons not disappear? In that case, will the creation of boons not become reasonless?
If you wish, we will clarify the issue as follows:
Now, we will make a table. The table of duties that are expected from man by looking at the deeds in this realm:
1- This realm has been equipped with so many works of art. The duty of man regarding them is to discover the names and attributes that are manifest on those works of art.
2- This realm has been equipped with so many boons. The duty of man regarding them is to thank for those boons and to worship the owner of those boons.
3- Everything in this realm has been put at the disposal of man and he was made superior to all creatures. The duty of man regarding it is to love the Being that has done him this favor and to make himself loved by Him.
4- Man has been equipped with so many feelings and organs. Organs that are more valuable than the world like the mind, eyes, tongue and heart have been given to him. The duty of man regarding them is to use those feelings and organs properly and to worship Him.
We can list 50 more duties like the ones above. However, we want to talk briefly since the topic of our talk is not to learn all of the duties of man. Now, our question is as follows: Is it possible that the Being who sent man to this world with such duties should not inform people about them and teach them how to perform those duties?
If He does not teach them, how can man find out about those duties and how will he perform them? To know and love Allah, to know Him with His names and attributes, to thank Him and to worship Him. For instance, did you know about those duties? Does this state not necessitate the existence of prophets?
B- How will man fulfill those duties if a prophet does not exist and does not inform man about his duties? For instance, as somebody who does not believe in prophets, how will you worship Allah if you want to worship Him? You cannot perform prayers and fasting and other kinds of worshipping because they can be performed only when they are taught by a prophet. Then, how will you worship?
Or, you want to know Allah. How will you discover His names and attributes? You learned even the name of Allah from prophets. What will you do about the other names and attributes? A prophet is necessary to tell us about the things that we do not know.
Since Allah exists and created this universe,
since He has wisdom,
since He created this universe for quite high wisdoms and purposes, and not for fun,
since those purposes are things like man’s knowing, recognizing, loving, thanking and worshipping Him,
there is a need for prophets that will teach man those duties and their existence is necessary.
After these explanations, let us see what you will have to accept in order to be able to deny prophets.
Non-existence of prophets necessitates non-existence of duties assigned to man. That is, man must not be ordered to know, recognize and love Allah, to thank and worship Him, etc.
The non-existence of those duties and orders necessitates the creation of the universe for fun. That is, Allah created this universe just for fun – God forbid – and He did not have any intentions or purposes while creating it. We need to accept this possibility.
In order to accept this possibility, we need to accept that Allah does not have wisdom. For, only a person without wisdom spends so much just for fun and creates the universe. It is not possible for a being with wisdom to do so.
Yes, the statement of the person who says, “Yes, there is Allah but there are no prophets” makes it necessary for Allah not to have wisdom.
Now, we need to make a preference:
You will either say, “Allah has wisdom” and have to accept that He needs to send prophets for the realization of His wisdom.
Or, you will say, “Allah does not have wisdom; He created this realm just for fun.” In that case, you do not have to believe in prophethood. You can deny it as you wish. However, you will have to accept that Allah, in whom you say you believe, does not have wisdom in that case.
There is one more option: We listed some items as the purposes of the creation of this realm and said, “Prophets are necessary for the realization of those purposes.” You need to show other wisdoms and purposes to refute the need for prophets. Then, you need to say, “Allah created this realm for these purposes. The realization of these purposes does not necessitate the existence of prophets.” Thus, you will accept Allah’s wisdom but prove that prophets are not necessary by showing different wisdoms.
Those are three ways for you.… However, believe me that it is not possible to accept the second and third way without removing your mind and throwing it away. A person who has wisdom cannot do the things that are out of wisdom.
Think of the following:
A person who has wisdom builds a school by spending millions and fills this school with students. Then, he does not send any teachers to teach those students, leaves the students unattended and cause his wisdom to be denied. Is it possible?
The world is like the school in the example. This school was built for endless expenditure and humanity was sent to this school to be educated. The teachers of this school are prophets. How can you deny prophets who are the teachers of this school? If there had been no teachers, would this school have been opened and would we, the students, have been invited to this school?
A person who has wisdom writes a book each letter of which has tens of meanings and he puts on every page of the book meanings that a book can contain; then, he leaves this book incomprehensible by not sending teachers that will teach it. Is it possible? Does a person who has wisdom do such an unwise deed? Every being, from a fly to stars, is like a book. The names and attributes of Allah are written in that book. The evidences of the oneness and existence of Allah are put on every being. How can you deny the prophets that will teach the names and attributes of the names in those books and explain the signs in them? Would we have been able to read the names and attributes written on those beings and the evidences of oneness on them if there had been no prophets?
An artist who has wisdom makes very meaningful paintings, displays them in a museum and invites people to the museum; then, he does not send any attendants who will show the visitors the meanings those paintings include and deprives the visitors of those meanings. Is it possible? Every being is like a painting made very artistically. Those paintings are exhibited in the museum of the world. How can we deny the prophets who will show us those meanings in those paintings?
We tried to explain that it was necessary to send prophets. For, the purpose of creation of this realm can be realized only through prophets; and Allah’s wisdom necessitates it. If there had been no prophets, the creation of us and the realm would have been meaningless. Allah, who has endless wisdom, is free from doing such a meaningless thing.
After these explanations, we hope that everybody who has mind and conscience will accept that there prophets were necessary and they had to be sent. After proving the necessity of the existence of prophethood, we will now move to the issue whether Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allah, which is our real topic. We will show the relationship between the necessity of the prophets being sent and the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh).
Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) served the wisdoms and purposes of creation fully and taught people those wisdoms and purposes. For instance,
Allah wanted people to believe in Him. And Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) believed in Allah and ordered people to believe in Him.
Allah created every being like a book and wrote His names and attributes in that book and wanted people to know Him with these names and attributes. Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) knew Him with these names and attributes, and taught people these names and attributes.
Allah wanted people to worship and thank Him in return for the boons He granted them and to obey His orders. Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) worshipped him truly, thanked Him for His boons, obeyed His orders at the highest level and ordered people to do them.
Allah wanted people to appreciate His art by looking at His works of art. Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) appreciated His art and told people to appreciate His art.
Allah created people, put all creatures at their disposal and asked them to love Him. Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) loved Him in the best way that fitted Him and taught people the ways of loving Him and being loved by Him.
There are more items that we can count. However, the focal point of our talk is not the duties of people toward Allah and the wisdom behind their creation; so, we will cut it short and say the following:
All of the wisdoms behind the prophets’ being sent are valid for Hz. Muhammad (pbuh).
Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) fulfilled all of the duties performed by the other prophets.
Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) taught people the same things as the other prophets did.
All of the attributes and states that existed in the other prophets like knowledge of Allah, love of Allah, taqwa, ascetism, worshipping and thanking existed in Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) at the highest level.
Therefore, if a reality called prophethood exists in this realm, Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) is definitely a prophet. If his prophethood is not accepted, there is nothing to talk about prophethood. Anyone who accepts the existence of the institution of prophethood has to accept his prophethood because he has all the states and attributes that makes a person a prophet.
