study of value, conditions and method of propagation according to the manner of the Prophet -1

The Holy Prophet had instructed upon to propagate the message of Allah among people.

At first, this may sound insignificant to some people who notice no difference between propagation for God’s cause and propagating for other causes. We shall first examine the importance that the Quran attaches to this kind of propagation and difficulties involved. Then, we shall explain the difference between the two kind of propagation.

This issue is dealt with in the auspicious Sura TaHa, about Moses, son of Imran. Apparently, Mose’s case was a different one. He had decided to return to Egypt. On his way to egypt, his wife felt delivery pains. He wanted to kindle afire that would warm up his wife. Suddenly, he perceived a fire burning on a mountain and he proceeded to go fetch it, there for the first time, he received divine revelation, namely to convey God’s Message to Pharaoh and his people. From them on, Moses (A.S) was appointed God’s Messenger and was not a ordinary man anymore. When he learned that he had to take God’s Message to Pharaoh, he felt the heaviness of responsibility and asked God for a series of favours.

“ My Lord! Broaden my chest (my mind)
And ease my take for me,
And loose the knot from my tongue,
That they may understand my word.
Appoint for me a deputy from my folk.
Haroun, my brother.
Strengthen my back with him.
And let him share my task,
That we may glorify Thee much
And much remember Thee.
The Holy Quran(20:25-34)

Some believed that he had asked Allah to loosen a knot from his tongue because he stuttered and could not utter words properly. Some other have even claimed that when Moses was a child, pharaoh wanted to try him, and so he placed a burning charcoal on his tongue which caused the stuttering in Moses (A.S). No, these are not the reasons for which Moses implored God. The fact according to the Holy Quran, is that a prophet’s message should be clear, comprehensible and guiding light. Make my brother my assistant not because I have asked Thee but in order to increase the efficiency of our mission.

In another Sra, Inshrah (The expanding), the Holy Quran addresses the Holy Prophet Mohammad (S) reminding him:

“Have We not broaden thy chest?
And eased thee of the burden
Which Weighed down thy back?
Did We not exalt fame?
So, truly with hardship comes ease,
Lo! With hardship comes ease:
So when thou art relieved, nominate (your successor)
And strive to please thy Lord.” The Holy Quran, chapter94

Moses asks Allah to broaden his chest, but the Holy Prophet was already granted this favor without asking meaning that the divine mission of propagation is a great responsibility and needs great capability. We have provided you with that capability and relieved you of the burden. There, Moses asked Allah to ease the burden for him and here the Holy Prophet is told that has been already eased if the heavy burden, which would have broked his back.

The Holy Prophet was very pleased to hear the verse “Lo! With hardship goeth ease” twice, so he inferred that there would be two eases for each hardship. He was asked. What is one hardship as compared to two ease? He said that Allah had promised him much ease in times of hardship.

Let us compare this verse with that of the story of Moses and then consider the successive tradition accepted by both the Shiite and Sunnite Muslims that the Holy Prophet addressed Ali and said:

O Ali! Your relation with me is like that of Haroun to Moses. It means that Ali (A.S) was deputy of the prophet exactly like Haroun was the deputy of Moses. (although some people deserted Haroun and followed (Samiri). In this verse, God has asked the Prophet Mohammad: “ when thou art relieved (of the hardship of prophethood) nominate (your successor)”

This interpretation of the verse for appointment of Ali as Imam is appropriate, because both God’s Prophet and his nominated Imam (Ali) guide a nation like a father.

Another verse which shows the extreme importance of propagating God’s message is the verse in the Sura” Al-muzzammel.”The Suras “ Muzzammel” and “Muddathir” are the ones revealed in the begining of Mohammad’s (S) appointment as the Holy Prophet. Addressing the Holy Prophet, Allah says:

“For We shall charge thee with a weighty word. And this is nothing but calling people to God and conducting them to the right path.” (73:5)

The meaning of “ weighty word” is difficult to understand in content and reference. There are subjects that we duly understand and therefore recognize their Worth, for example, the issue of religious decrees. In our society, fortunately, at least ninety five percent of people are familiar with the great significance of jurisprudents and recognize the extreme difficulty involved in issuing religious decrees, so many people dare not claim this position of Ijtehad. On the other hand, if unqualified and incompetent persons claim to be qualified juriprudents, people do not accept them. But the important issue of propagation, however, is not duty recognized by people as compared with jurisprudence:

“On this path Prophet are cameleers, to name,
Who lead the human caravan to its aim.
And among them our Prophet had the head’s role,
He’s the first and the last to attain the goal.
The Reunion light, his life- sustaining face,
And that of “perfect Being”, his graceful place,
He moves ahead and hearts pursuing him all,
He paves the path to follow him “human soul”.

The great task of the Prophet, movement of men from themselves to God
The issue is that of action and movement. There are many school of thought which stir or move people to action, and very well too, but only towards their own interests and rights. The Prophets too similarly motivate people to realize their rights, but this sort of motivation is the least in importance because man’s materialistic leaning and interets too aid and urge him in this direction. They school slogans like, “Laborers! unite and snatch your rights from the oppressors! “ For Prophets, however, this sort of incitement is a minor affair and they have done it far better than others. The great drive urge of inordinate importance is from within man, which pushes him forward form hid inner self towards the discovery of Truth and Reality. According to Hafiz.

“Call, O Saki, the Old Guide to the divine Drink, For, delay in the would be disastrous, me think, Selflessness is the key to love at rightful glance, Tis not passing of stations and coverning distance.”

Elevating man’s self by relieving him from the evil within his self and guiding him to Truth was the important task of the Prophet. Propagation means arousing man against his own self from within himself. This kind of motivation not only arouses the oppressed against the oppressor, but often arouses the oppressor against his own self, too This is what we call returning to one’s true self, i.e. repentance or penitence.

Motivating man against his own self and selfishness and conducting him to Truth is an extremely difficult task and anybody who is competent like the Prophet in this task is important and worthy. There are many who have strived in this way and borne hardships and sufferings to attain the status of one who calls towards God. There is a saying that: “People see that clear sesame oil in a bottle, but they don’t realize what processing and pressures the poor sesame had undergone!

People see the result of propagation, but they do not know of the suffering the propagator has gone through. The Holy Quran explains this issue in an excellent way, making it instructive for people. Although most of what goes on between Allah and His Prophet remains at that high level, the issue of propagation and calling to righteousness is something that Allah mentions to His Prophet and the prophet repeats and conveys to the people, This shows that people should learn the proper way of invitation to and propagation for God.

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