Part 12

Verily, these [false deities] are my enemies [and that none is my helper] save the Sustainer of all the worlds who created me and is the One who guides me, and is the One who gives me to eat and to drink, and when I fall ill, is the one who restores me to health, and who will cause me to die and then will bring me back to life, and who, I hope will forgive me my faults on the Day of Judgement" (26:75-82) Ibraaheem, 'alayhis-salaam, with his followers, have also said to their people, "Verily, we absolve ourselves from you and of all that you worship instead of Allaah: we deny the truth of whatever you believe; and between us and you there has arisen enmity and hatred, to last until such a time as you come to believe in Allaah alone." (60:4) And so Allaah made the prophets and messengers from amongst Ibraaheem's descendants and equipped all with signs, and placed some higher than others in status. Allaah granted Moosa the stick that He caused to come to life and devour what the magicians had made through ropes and sticks. Allaah had also split the sea and caused it to harden whilst the water stood divided into twelve paths for the number of the tribes. Moosa, 'alayhis salaam, was shaded with his people, white clouds escorting them, and was provided with manna and quails every morning; and when they became thirsty, Moosa struck the rod with his stick and water gushed out into twelve springs. Allaah had then sent prophets from among the Israelites. Some resurrected the dead and others cure the sick. Some prophets were given command over other creatures, and others were sent with many kinds of miracles. This is all agreed, even by the Jews and Christians, for their books contain many narratives of prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Habakkuk, David and Soloman, and what the book of Kings, and other contain in terms of valid stories. Yet Banee Israa'eel were a coarse and unrepenting nation. Sometimes they worshipped idols and stones, and other times Allaah. Sometimes they would kill the prophets unjustifiably, and so they were cursed by Daawood, 'alayhis salaam, and the destruction of Jerusalem is common knowledge to all. In the midst of this, Allaah sent the Messiah, the son of Maryam, together with his mother, as a messenger and a sign to mankind. This miraculous act was a testimony to the ability of Allaah and comprehensiveness of His Command in dividing mankind into four unique categories. Aadam, 'alayhis salaam, was created without a male-female interaction, and his wife created from a part of a male. Then the Messiah, son of Maryam, was created from a female without male intervention and all others from males and females. This servant, the Messiah son of Maryam, was given clear signs whereby he returned the dead back to life, healed the blind and the leper, and called to the worship of Allaah, following the way of his fellow prophets, confirming what came before him, and giving glad tidings of what shall come after. But Banee Israa'eel disobeyed and became arrogant. This was a direct contrast to 'Eesa's message. This message was noted for its humility, mercy and forgiveness, seen in the characters of early priests and hermits. Later on, 'Eesa and his followers became an issue that divided people into three camps: The first disbelieved and claimed that he was an illegitimate child whose father was Joseph the Carpenter, accusing his mother of fornication. That first group had also claimed that none of the Old Testament was abrogated. At the same time a second group were very excessive in elevating his status until they called him God and the son of God. They claimed that the Lord of the Worlds had descended and sent His son to be crucified for the sin of Aadam, 'alayhis salaam. But how could they allege that Allaah, the One, the Eternal, who begets not, and neither is He begotten, and there is nothing that could be compared to Him, had in fact begotten and taken a son?