RENAISSANCE FEBRUARY 2020

Biography 40 Monthly Renaissance February 2020 fulfilled his obligations. Those who believe in him now are free to act in whichever way they wish, according to their circumstances. A third group holds deep love and respect for the Prophet (sws). They consider him to have possessed spiritual powers. He was placed at such a high position of humanity that he was at the same level as that of God and decisions were taken in all matters according to his agreement. He still exists and operates in this world. Obviously, this group has neither an understanding of the status of a prophet and messenger nor is it appreciative of his true obligations. This group is full of its own vain hopes. The group that supports Sufism declares the knowledge brought by the Prophet (sws) to be superficial knowledge and the Shariah to be the outer peel of a fruit. Instead, they believe that true knowledge is the inner one which is communicated from heart to heart and holds the same significance as that of the inner flesh of the fruit. This knowledge is called the ṭ ar ī qah and cannot be obtained without connecting oneself with another person, the murshid who is the custodian of the secrets of this particular ṭ ar ī qah . In the view of the Sufis, efforts made by the Prophet (sws) to spread knowledge of the Quran were meant only for common people. Its real knowledge was passed on to a few special people who in turn communicated it to their chosen few in secret. As if the work for which the Prophet (sws) spent his entire life was only a mindless piece of effort of secondary importance. The views of all four groups above are based on lack of awareness of the advent of the Qur’ ā n, lack of knowledge of the struggles of the Prophet (sws), blind and deaf attachment to the person of the Prophet (sws), exaggeration about their love for him and misunderstanding and wrong perceptions about his position and responsibilities. When the foundations are wrong, how can a building erected on them be sound? Hence it seems necessary to clarify the obligations and responsibilities of the Prophet (sws). Obligations of the Prophet (sws) according to his Status When Abraham (sws) prayed for the coming of a great prophet from his progeny, he also named his responsibilities: i.e. recitation of verses, teaching of wisdom and purification of souls. The great personality who fulfilled these responsibilities to the full was that of Mu ḥ ammad (sws), the Messenger of God