What is his secret, you think, I asked?
I am by no means the first to discover the secret of Muhammad’s unique greatness, he said. Other western scholars had discovered it before me long time ago. They were few, though. Some converted to Islam and some didn’t. One of the earliest was the French poet Lamartine, who said in his book Voyage en Orient: “Muhammad is above people and below God. He is the Messenger by the force of reason.” Further on he added: “The riddle that Muhammad solved in his mission, thereby unraveling the latent spiritual values… entitled him to the most sublime position the Creator had designed for human beings.”,Alphonse de Lamartine, Voyage en Orient, Paris: Honore Champion, 1835, p. 47.
That is the secret, Father Stephano ecstatically added, Muhammad is a Godsend Prophet. He is God’s Messenger to all human beings, carrying a mission that contains the most sublime values the Creator had ordained for human beings. This is precisely why western scholars in this positive group found him always the apex of greatness in all its known aspects and attributes.
He is a Prophet and human standards fall short before the attributes of a Prophet, because his greatness is derived from the inspiration of Almighty God. Under this heading- the Godsend Messenger- and this heading alone, Muhammad’s character should be studied. For only his Prophethood and his Divine Mission had enabled him to achieve what he managed to achieve; to ignore them in the study of his character would be to neglect the cornerstone on which this whole character is based. At least this is what reason says.
You’re absolutely right, Father Stephano, I said. You hit the nail on the head. What you and other western scholars have reached through rational analysis is identical with what is mentioned in the original texts we have agreed to defer to.
What do the original texts say, he asked?
The venerable ‘Quranic verse addresses God’s Messenger peace be upon him and instructs him to “Say: I am a human being like you but only inspired that your Lord is one God.”, Al-Kahf, 110; Fusilat, 6.
Another Quranic verse says: “Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but the Messenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets.”, Al-Ahzab, 40.
What distinguishes Muhammad from the rest of you people, that is, does not lie in his human attributes but in his being the Godsend Messenger, peace be upon him, inspired by God Almighty Himself.
Ref: Was Muhammad peace be upon him Merciful? by: Muhammad Husseam Al-Khateeb P.35,36
www.mercyprophet.org
