@josefkinay2286

7 months ago

The way in which the second aim, the perfection of Muhammad's (UWBP) prophethood, is reflected in the phrase "before you." in view of the facts that it is the custom for the king to appear before the people at the end of a ceremony, and in accordance with the law of human progress a later teacher is better than an earlier one, and generally those who come later are more proficient than those who preceded them, Muhammad (Upon whom be peace) was the Sovereign of the Prophets, and the best and most perfect of them, just as the Qur'an is more comprehensive and universal than their scriptures.
The way the phrase "before you" absorbs the third aim, which is Muhammad's being the Seal of the Prophets: in accordance with the rule, "if one is multiplied it goes to infinity, stopping nowhere; but if a multiplicity of things are united, they acquire stability and come to a halt," and as is inferred by the opposite idea, "before you" hints that "there will be no prophets after you," and that Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) is the Seal of the Prophets.
The way the phrase "before you" is coloured by the fourth aim, the universality of his mission: it expresses this meaning: "You are their successor and they are all your predecessors." Hence, according to the rule, "the successor shoulders the duties of his predecessor and takes his seat," all of them were your predecessors and you are their deputy and the Messenger to all peoples. Yes indeed, it could only be thus! For the innate disposition of things demands it and wisdom requires it. Before the Era of Bliss all the nations of the world of humanity were extremely distant from one another and hostile to each other, both physically and emotionally, and by instinct and upbringing. A single sort of education was insufficient for them and all could not be drawn to a single cause. Then, when humanity was awakened in the Era of Bliss and subsequently, and people felt a desire to come together due to the exchange of ideas and swapping of characters, and the intermingling of peoples, and some of them investigating the conditions of others, and time was churned up by the many means of communication and transportation; - then the globe of the earth became like a single country, or a province, or a town, and the people of the world came together; and then a single mission, a single prophethood was sufficient for all of them.
The way the phrase intimates the fifth aim: since the "from (min)" of "before you (min qablika)" infers a beginning, it infers 'to' (ilâ)," which indicates the end. That is, "prophethood came to an end with your coming, for your Shari'a is sufficient." This infers that his Shari'a abrogated all previous ones, signalling their end, and through its sufficiency, included them all.
The evidence that from the point of view of eloquence this phrase has absorbed these subtle points is that the five aims resemble a river flowing beneath these verses; one of them gushes out completely in one verse, then another flows forth in another, and another is manifested entirely in a torrent in yet another. Even the least trickle on the surface indicates that the veins of this phrase touch it. Moreover, the above meanings sprout forth in many different verses.

(SURA AL-BAQARA/Verse 4: Belief in the Revelation of the Qur'an and Earlier Scriptures)

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