THE WORD OF GOD
From The Scriptures
The Quran is the book of God. It has been preserved in
its entirety since its revelation to the Prophet of Islam
between AD 610 and 632. It is a book that brings glad
tidings to humankind, along with divine admonition,
and stresses the importance of man’s discovery of the
Truth on a spiritual and intellectual level.
Translated from Arabic and commentary by
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Believers! Shall I guide you to a profitable course that will save you from a painful punishment? You should believe in God and His Messenger, and strive for God’s cause with your possessions and your lives. That will be better for you, if you only knew—and He will forgive you your sins and admit you into Gardens with rivers flowing under them. He will lodge you in fine dwellings in the Gardens of Eternity; that is indeed the supreme achievement. He will give you another blessing which you desire: help from God and imminent victory. Give good tidings [O Muhammad] to believers! (61: 1-13)
In trade, a man first invests and then receives a return on his investment. In the struggle for Faith also one has to invest his strength and his possessions. From this view point, this is also a sort of trade. But one receives the profit from worldly trade in this world, while in the religion-oriented trade, one receives the profit with further additions only in the Hereafter.
Believers, be God’s helpers, as Jesus, son of Mary, said to the disciples, ‘Who will be my helpers in the cause of God?’ The disciples said, ‘We shall be God’s helpers.’ Some of the Children of Israel believed in him and some denied the truth; We supported the believers against their enemies and they triumphed over them. (61: 14)
‘Be God’s helpers’ here means calling people to God (dawat ilallah). Since it is a task which is seen as desirable by God Himself and is performed by servants of God, it is, therefore, called ‘helping God’. This is an exceptional honour which is granted only to a true believer. The believer must of his own accord follow the commands of God relating to worship, morality and dealing justly with people. With this the believer proves his servitude and becomes eligible for God’s rewards. But the case of the task of spreading God’s word is different. According to the Quran, it is performed so that humankind may have no excuse or argument against God (4:165). Due to the exigency of putting man to the test, God wants this work to be given special priority. This is a divine mission which is carried out by individuals, on behalf of God, and they are, therefore, rewarded for it by God in the Hereafter.
What is the meaning of helping God or being the helpers of God in this verse? It means giving oneself wholeheartedly to the divine task of preaching the truth. It means joining oneself with the divine plan wholeheartedly in both word and deed, so that humankind might have no argument against God on the Day of Judgement.
The noted commentator of the Quran, Ibn Kathir, explained that when Jesus asked his followers, ‘Who will help me in the task of calling people to God?’ The followers of Jesus replied, ‘We are your helpers in the mission with which you have been sent forth, and we will be your helpers in this mission.’ For this reason, Jesus sent them to Syria to the Israelites and the Romans. In the same way the Prophet Muhammad used to go to people during the Hajj season and he would ask, ‘Who among you will help me so that I may convey the message of God to people, because the Quraysh are stopping me from conveying to people the message of God?’ (Tafsir ibn Kathir)
The Prophet Muhammad was undoubtedly the messenger of God to the whole of humanity. Through him God conveyed His message in the form of the Quran for all eternity. But he lived in this world for a limited period of time and now the question arises as to how, after the Prophet’s death, the prophetic responsibility had to be discharged. In his lifetime the Prophet performed this duty directly. After he had gone, this mission had to be carried forward indirectly by his followers, the Muslim ummah. It is incumbent upon the Prophet’s followers to carry out this mission from one generation to the next and, in presenting the message of Islam to people of every age and time, bring people closer to God.
This issue can be further explained by a Hadith, or saying of the Prophet, which Ibn Hisham has quoted in his biography of the Prophet Muhammad. In this saying, the Prophet mentions Jesus as well as himself. Ibn Hisham puts it thus on record:
‘It has been narrated to me that the Prophet Muhammad came to his Companions after the Peace Treaty of Hudaybiya and said, “O people, I have been sent as a blessing for the whole of humanity. So do not differ with me in the way the disciples of Jesus differed with him.” The Companions asked, “O Prophet of God, how did the disciples of Jesus differ with him?” The Prophet replied, “Jesus called his disciples to the mission for which I am calling you.” Those disciples whom Jesus had asked to go to a nearby place made preparations for it. But those whom Jesus asked to go to a distant place became unhappy and refused to go. Afterwards, Jesus complained of this to God, so those who were not ready to go because of not knowing the language of that area, miraculously started speaking the language of the people to whom Jesus had asked them to go. Subsequently, the Prophet Muhammad sent his Companions to different kings and rulers with his message.’ Ibn Ishaaq (the Prophet’s earliest biographer) further writes that when the Prophet Muhammad came to the Companions and reminded them of their duty to spread the word of God, he said: ‘God has sent me to the entire world as a blessing, so you should carry out this responsibility on my behalf. God will show His mercy to you.’ (Sirat ibn Hisham) There could be no greater honour under the sun than to be engaged in a mission which is directly God’s own mission. It is like working on behalf of God Almighty. It is indeed so great an honour that no greater honour seems possible.