Saturday, June 06, 2009

IMPORTANCE OF SENDING PROPHETS

If a person who does not know what dreams are is told, “When man’s consciousness is suspended and thoughts and senses are gone like that of a dead person, he sees unknown things that are beyond mind’s grasp,” he will deny it. He will even attempt to prove that such a thing is impossible, saying, “Man perceives his surroundings with his sense organs. With these organs suspended, especially when they do not function at all, he will perceive nothing.” He will reason rather coarsely. As sense organs cannot comprehend things that are known by wisdom, likewise, wisdom cannot perceive things that are known with the power of prophethood.



Those who doubt the existence of the power of prophethood doubt its possibility or, if its possibility is accepted, its occurrence. Its existence or occurrence shows that it is possible. And its existence is demonstrated by Prophets’ giving information beyond the intellect’s ability. This information, which cannot be acquired through the intellect, calculation or experimentation, was acquired only from Allahu ta’ala’s ilham (inspiration placed upon the heart by Allahu ta’ala or His angels, that is, through the power of prophethood). The power of prophethood has also other peculiarities. Since dreams, which resemble one of its peculiarities, exist in men, we have given it as an example. Its other peculiarities are revealed through dhawq (tasting, sensitivity) to those who strive in a path of Tasawwuf. The peculiarity we have given must suffice as a proof to make one believe in prophethood. Imam Muhammad al-Ghazali, too, wrote this peculiarity as a proof for believing in prophethood in his book Al-munqidh min ad-dalal.



According to ancient Greek philosophers, it is useful to believe in prophethood. They said, “To believe in prophethood helps wisdom. Meditating over the existence, power and knowledge of Allah is similar to this. Also, many useful things beyond the intellect’s ability are learned from Prophets. Examples of this are the Rising Day, teachings pertaining to the next world, revelation of what things are good and what others are bad, and knowing whether some foods and medicines are harmful or not.”


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