Quran Garden

Session 272

Chapter 2

Verse 253

Those are the messengers - We preferred some above others. God spoke to some; others He raised many degrees in rank; We gave Jesus, son of Mary, Our clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. If God had so willed, their successors would not have fought each other after they had been brought clear signs. But they disagreed: some believed, and some disbelieved. If God had so willed, they would not have fought each other, but God does what He will. (Chapter 2: Verse 253)

In the previous session, we discussed how God blessed Prophet Moses with His speech and blessed Prophet Jesus –son of Mary- with the continuous presence of the Holy Spirit Gabriel by his side.  Take note that Allah interjected His speech about Moses and Jesus with the following statement: ‘others He raised many degrees in rank.’  This statement is referring to our beloved Prophet Muhammad.  

Here you may wonder, why was Muhammad mentioned between Moses and Jesus –peace be upon them all-? Wasn’t Muhammad sent as the final messenger hundreds of years after Jesus? We answer that prophet Muhammad came between Moses and Jesus because the religion of Islam came as a moderate middle religion between Judaism and Christianity.  Judaism was heavily weighted towards materialism, and it focused on the physical over the spiritual.  Christianity was heavily weighted in spirituality over the physical.  And the world needs a balance between the material and the spiritual.  Thus, Prophet Muhammad and the Nobel Quran came to bring balance.  God says in the 143^rd verse of ‘The Cow’:

Thus have We made you a middle balanced nation, to be witnesses over men, and that the prophet may be a witness over you.

Let’s look at some of the ways Muhammad, peace be upon him, was raised in rank over other prophets and messengers:

All previous messengers were sent to a limited number of people in a certain place for a specified period of time.  Prophet Lot, for example, was sent to one town.  Prophets Jesus, Moses and Isaac were sent to the children of Israel.  Muhammad, on the other hand, was sent to all humanity and Jinn with a message that will endure until the end of time.   

Another example of how our beloved prophet was raised in rank is his miracle: the Nobel Quran.  God reveals miracles to support his messengers and prove the authenticity of their message to the people.  We find that all of the miracles before Muhammad were tangible physical miracles.  The miracles of the previous prophets were like a flame that lit brightly.  Whoever saw that flame had witnessed the miracle, but once the flame extinguished, its power and light could only be felt by storytelling.  For example, whoever saw Moses’ staff parting the sea into two huge mountains of water had witnessed Moses’ miracle; and whoever saw Jesus heal the leper and the blind had also witnessed Jesus’ miracle.  But do these miracles have any presence now? They do not.  You might say that Jesus is the prophet of God, but you cannot point and say: ‘this here is his miracle.’ 

The miracle of Muhammad, peace be upon him, is not like any other miracle of previous prophets.  Allah sent Muhammad as a messenger to all humanity until the last hour.  Thus, his miracles had to be ever present and tangible to all humanity until the last hour.  Any Muslim man or woman should be able to say -at any point in time- that Mohammed is the messenger of God and this here –The Quran- is his miracle. 

Moreover, since the miracle of the Quran is ever-present until the last day, its treasures should also continue until the end of time.  It is the gift that keeps on giving.  This means that the Quran could not be fully explained at the time of the prophet.  Each generation of humanity from the time of the prophet until the last day will continue to discover hidden treasures and wondrous meanings within the Holy book. 

Let’s clarify this point further.  You love your grandma’s cooking because it holds within it over 50 years experience in the kitchen.  You listen to fine poetry because it holds within its words the genius of the poet who composed it.  Similarly, you are willing to pay a high price for a luxury car because it holds within it the collective experience and knowledge of the brilliant engineers who designed it.  The Quran is God’s word.  It holds within it the power of God.  Since the power, wisdom, and knowledge of God are infinite, so is the richness of His words.  The treasures of the Noble Quran are infinite, and they will continue to be discovered until the end of time.  God says:

We shall show them Our signs in every region of the earth and in themselves until it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth. Is it not sufficient that your Lord witnesses everything? (41:53)

Let’s examine another area Allah blessed Prophet Mohammad with.  If you look at all the previous heavenly message, you will find that the mission of the messengers was to deliver the religious teachings and act as an example for others to follow.  In other words, previous prophets and messengers did not come to legislate; rather they only conveyed what God had legislated.  As for the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, he was the only messenger that God entrusted to legislate.  God says in the 7^th verse of chapter 59:

Whatever the Messenger gives you accept it willingly, and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it.  Keep from disobedience to God in reverence.  Surely God is severe in retribution.

Allah, the All-Wise, gave our beloved prophet the freedom to legislate.  Isn’t this the pinnacle of rank?  So the phrase ‘others He raised many degrees in rank‘ applies only to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.  

You are probably thinking: Why wasn’t Prophet Muhammad mentioned by name?  We answer that this statement is more powerful than a declaration by name because it directs the mind to come up with the answer.  Say for example that you had four children and you bought them gifts.  You gave one of your children an ordinary pen, you gave the other a ball, and you gave the third child a watch.  As for the fourth, who did excellent in school, you bought her a gold necklace.  At dinner, you would say to your children: ‘I have bought John a pen, Julie a ball, and Adam a watch.  But someone very special got a gold necklace.’  Everyone at the table will know who got the expensive gift even if her name was not mentioned.