Quran Garden

Session 494

Chapter 3

Verse 164

a continuation

Indeed, God has been truly gracious to the believers in sending them a messenger from among them—reciting to them His revelations, purifying them, and teaching them the book and wisdom.  For indeed, they had previously been clearly astray.  (Chapter 3: Verse 164)

When Prophet Muhammad first encountered the Angel Gabriel and heavenly Revelation in the Cave of Hira, he, peace be upon him, returned to his beloved wife Khadija trembling, scared, and uncertain.  Maybe the encounter in the cave was a jinn?!  Khadijah listened to what happened and had no doubt that Muhammad is God's Messenger.  She was the first to believe and did not need to hear the Quran or see any miracles.  She reassured her husband, "You have told the truth and seen the truth.  By God, He will never disgrace you, for you keep good relations with your kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously, and aid those afflicted by calamity.  God will never disgrace you." Khadija understood that the Jinn can never approach a man with such qualities.  Even though our beloved Muhammad doubted himself, she did not.  In her great wisdom, Khadija turned to her husband and said, "This is not the first time the heavens sent a messenger.  Let's go to my cousin Waraqah.  He is a Christian man of God and knows about these matters." Khadija did not need her cousin's reassurance but wanted to put Muhammad's heart at ease.   

Waraqa ibn Nawfal was an old blind man, and when he heard what Muhammad saw, he said, "Blessed and Holy, by Him in whose Hand is my soul, you have spoken the truth, Khadijah.  This is indeed the great Angel whom Musa met.  Muhammad is the Prophet of this nation.  I will stand firmly by his side if I am alive when his people drive him out." Surprised, the Prophet asked, "My people will drive me out of my home?!" Waraqa replied, "Yes; No man who ever came with that you have come with, except that his people fought him and cast him out."

This story highlights the blessing behind God's words, "Indeed, God has been truly gracious to the believers in sending them a messenger from among them." Muhammad was a man everyone in the community knew.  He was honest, trustworthy, kind, and compassionate; never a liar, greedy, or a phony.  Thus, when Islam came, no one needed to ask, "Who is this man?  Can we trust him?" It is of God's great blessing that He did not drop a stranger and say, "Here, This is your messenger." Instead, He says,

A Messenger has come to you from among yourselves.  Your suffering distresses him: he is deeply concerned for you and full of kindness and mercy towards the believers. (9:128)

Muhammad is your relative and among the best of your tribe.  We can expand the circle of familiarity further to include language.  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, spoke his local people's Arabic dialect.  They understood his speech without an interpreter or translator because when a Messenger guides people out of darkness and into the light, he needs to communicate clearly. 

Let's expand the circle of familiarity even more.  God says,

And what has kept people from believing when guidance has come to them, except that they said: "Has God sent a mortal man as the Messenger?" (17:94)

Some in Quraysh objected loudly to having to follow the example of another man.  How foolish of them!  The beautiful answer comes from God,

Say, "If there were angels walking about on earth, feeling at home, We would have sent them an angel from Heaven as a messenger." (17:95)

You are human, and you need a role model of your kind, so when he says, "Do like me", you say, "Sure, let's do it together."  But if he were an angel, one would have surely said, "How can I do or be like an angel?"

In summary, the phrase "a messenger from among them" can be understood on the basis of kin and tribe, the broader basis of the Arab-speaking nation, and the general basis of the human race.  Does considering one meaning negate the others?  No, God's words encompass all meaning because He is limitless, and thus, the gift of His word is boundless.

What is the role of the Messenger?  The word "messenger" requires that Muhammad doesn't come with anything from himself; rather, he -with his good manners and impeccable character- is the courier of the heavenly doctrine.  God is the source.  If anyone in Quraysh did not like Muhammad, they could look past him and consider the message.  The One who sent him is greater than him.  He says,

He does not speak from his own desire.  It is no other than a revelation revealed to him. (53:3, 4)

We continue with God's blessings.  He says, "reciting to them His revelations." The word "revelations" is translated from the Arabic Ayat.  As you know, Ayat is used for marvelous things that capture the eye and inspire the mind.  For instance, in Arabic, you may say that this person is Aya in beauty or Aya in intelligence.  There are indeed many clever people, but this individual is on a different level that makes people stop and take notice. 

There are two types of Ayat in Islam: First are the great signs of creation that can be seen all around us in the universe.  The more scientific discoveries humanity makes, the more marvels we discover and appreciate.  God says,

The night, the day, the sun, the moon, are only a few of His signs.  Do not bow down in worship to the sun or the moon, but bow down to God who created them, if it is truly Him that you worship.  (41:37)

The second type of Ayat is the verses of the Quran.  God says,

This is the Scripture in which there is no doubt: a guide for those mindful of God. (2:2)

The Quran explains the signs of the universe, and the signs of the universe explain verses of the Quran.  Prophet Muhammad delivered and recited the marvelous verses of the Quran and turned our attention to the precision and beauty of creation, leading to one conclusion: a strong belief in the power and majesty of the Creator.