The Prophet's (saas) Manner of Communicating the Message of Allah

As Allah makes clear in the verse: "So call and go straight as you have been ordered to…" (Surat ash-Shura: 15), the Prophet Muhammad (saas) was the last prophet charged with warning mankind. Like all the other messengers, the Prophet (saas) called people to the true path, to have faith in Allah, to live for the hereafter and to exercise good morality. The methods he employed, the way he explained things, and the style he used must remain examples for all Muslims, and when a Muslim invites people to the religion he must speak and behave in the manner of the Prophet (saas).

This is how it is revealed in the Qur'an that the Prophet (saas) was commanded to say that he had come to warn mankind:

Say: "This is my way. I call to Allah with inner sight, I and all who follow me. Glory be to Allah! I am not one of the idolaters!" (Surah Yusuf: 108)

The Prophet (saas) did all that he could and more to warn people, and extended great effort to address as many people as he could. Allah reveals in one verse:

Say: "What thing is greatest as a witness?" Say: "Allah. He is Witness between me and you. This Qur'an has been revealed to me so that I may warn you by it, and anyone else it reaches. Do you then bear witness that there are other gods together with Allah?" Say: "I do not bear witness." Say: "He is only One God, and I am free of all you associate with Him." (Surat al-An'am: 19)

O man! what has deluded you in respect of your Noble Lord? He Who created you and formed you and proportioned you and assembled you in whatever way He willed. (Surat al-Infitar: 6-8)

By communicating the message of the Qur'an, the Prophet (saas) completely abolished the corrupt religions that the polytheists had inherited from their ancestors, for which reason he met with much resistance. Yet, he abided by Allah's command and took no notice of their oppression and animosity. Allah commands the Prophet (saas) thus in one verse:

Proclaim what you have been ordered to and turn away from the idolaters. We are enough for you against the mockers. (Surat al-Hijr: 94-95)

Muslims in our own time too must explain the morality of the Qur'an to people, ignoring any lack of approval and whatever anyone might say to oppose them. They must not fear "the blame of any blamer," as the Prophet (saas) did. That is a sign of morality and godliness that will be rewarded with Paradise. The Prophet (saas) commanded Muslims to abide by that Sunnah in these words, "Convey my teaching to the people even if it were a single sentence."35

The Prophet (saas) Explained That Allah Possesses Infinite Might

In order that people should appreciate the power of Allah and adopt a nobler morality out of awe of Him, the Prophet (saas) used to tell people of the might of Allah and of the proofs of the splendour in His creation. He thus became the means whereby they would love Allah and fear him. This verse describes how the Prophet (saas) was commanded to speak:

Say: "What do you think? If Allah made it permanent night for you till the Day of Resurrection, what god is there other than Allah to bring you light? Do you not then hear?" Say: "What do you think? If Allah made it permanent day for you till the Day of Resurrection, what god is there other than Allah to bring you night to rest in? Do you not then see?" (Surat al-Qasas: 71-72)

Ismail Hakki Altunbezer. A Qur'anic verse in celi thuluth script: "Allah has power over all things." (Surat al-Baqara: 20)

The Prophet Muhammad (saas) also spoke of the proofs of Allah's creation to those who did not believe in the hereafter, and explained that Allah, Who has the power to create them, also had the power to create the same again in the hereafter. Allah states in the verse in question as thus:

Say: "Travel about the earth and see how He brought creation out of nothing. Then later Allah will bring about the next existence. Allah has power over all things." (Surat al-'Ankabut: 20)

These are some of the verses in which the Prophet (saas) is told in which way to communicate how Allah is exalted above anything they associate with Him and has no need of anything:

Say: "Am I to take anyone other than Allah as my Protector, the Bringer into Being of the heavens and the earth, He who feeds and is not fed?" Say: "I am commanded to be the first of the Muslims," and, "Do not be among the idolaters." Say: "I fear, were I to disobey my Lord, the punishment of a dreadful Day." (Surat al-An'am: 14-15)

In the Qur'an, the Prophet (saas) was also told how to explain that there is no god but Allah and that our Lord is the Lord of all:

Say: "Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?" Say: "Allah." Say: "So why have you taken protectors apart from Him Who possess no power to help or harm themselves?" Say: "Are the blind and seeing equal? Or are darkness and light the same? Or have they assigned partners to Allah Who creates as He creates, so that all creating seems the same to them?" Say: "Allah is the Creator of everything. He is the One, the All-Conquering." (Surat ar-Ra'd: 16)

The Prophet (saas) made his community, who knew that Allah existed but did not consider His infinite might and were thus unable to appreciate His existence, and acknowledge His power. After that, he called on them to take warning. The verses in question are as follows:

Say: "To whom does the earth belong, and everyone in it, if you have any knowledge?" They will say: "To Allah." Say: "So will you not pay heed?" Say: "Who is the Lord of the Seven Heavens and the Lord of the Mighty Throne?" They will say: "Allah." Say: "So will you not do your duty [by Him]?" Say: "In Whose hand is the dominion over everything, He Who gives protection and from Whom no protection can be given, if you have any knowledge?" They will say: "Allah's." Say: "So how have you been bewitched?" (Surat al-Muminun: 84-89)

The Prophet (saas) Would Explain That the Only True Path is That of Allah

Some people choose errant paths for themselves that are full of errors, superstition and harmful ideas and methods. These can bring them nothing but loss in this world and the next. The Prophet (saas) was always at pains to call people to the best and most beautiful path, the path of Allah, and to be a means whereby people could be saved in this world and the next.

Say: "Are we to call on something besides Allah which can neither help nor harm us, and to turn on our heels after Allah has guided us, like someone the satans have lured away in the earth, leaving him confused and stupefied, despite the fact that he has companions calling him to guidance, saying, 'Come with us'!" Say: "Allah's guidance, that is true guidance. We are commanded to submit as Muslims to the Lord of all the worlds." (Surat al-An'am: 71)

The Prophet (saas) has stated in the hadiths that the right path is that of Allah and His Prophet (saas):

"The best word is the Word of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad."36

Is there another god besides Allah? Say: “Bring your proof if you are being truthful.” (Surat an-Naml: 64)

The Prophet (saas) Warned Against Idolatry

One of the most important errors that the Prophet (saas) has warned against is associating partners with Allah (shirk). As can be seen from the verses of the Qur'an, the Prophet (saas) always told people that Allah is the only God, that nothing had any power apart from Allah, and warned them against idolatry. He was commanded to do this in many verses, some of which read:

Say: "This is my way. I call to Allah with inner sight, I and all who follow me. Glory be to Allah! I am not one of the idolaters!" (Surah Yusuf: 108)

Say: "I call only upon my Lord and do not associate anyone else with Him." Say: "I possess no power to do you harm or to guide you right." Say: "No one can protect me from Allah [if I should disobey] and I will never find any refuge apart from Him." (Surat al-Jinn: 20-22)

Say: "I am commanded to worship Allah, making my religion sincerely His. And I am commanded to be the first of the Muslims." Say: "I fear, were I to disobey my Lord, the punishment of a terrible day." Say: "It is Allah I worship, making my religion sincerely His, so worship anything you will apart from Him!" Say: "The real losers are those who lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection." Is not that clear loss? (Surat az-Zumar: 11-15)

He Who originates creation and then regenerates it and provides for you from out of heaven and earth. Is there another god besides Allah? Say: "Bring your proof if you are being truthful." (Surat an-Naml: 64)

Mustafa Rakim Efendi. 1797. "I declare Allah to be morally perfect and thank Him. There is no god but Him. He is the mightiest, and there is no power but Allah."

The Prophet (saas), who reminded his people that Allah is the only God, also told them that nothing they might set up alongside Allah could ever create anything nor had it any power to harm or benefit any. The verses regarding this are as follows:

Say: "Call on those you make claims for apart from Him. They possess no power to remove any harm from you or to change anything." (Surat al-Isra': 56)

Say: "Have you thought about those you call upon apart from Allah? Show me what they have created on the earth. Or do they have a partnership in the heavens? Produce a Book for me before this one or a shred of knowledge if you are telling the truth." (Surat al-Ahqaf: 4)

 Say: "Call on those you make claims for besides Allah. They have no power over even the smallest particle, either in the heavens or in the earth. They have no share in them. He has no need of their support." (Surah Saba': 22)

Say: "Have you thought about your partner gods, those you call upon besides Allah? Show me what they have created of the earth; or do they have a partnership in the heavens?" Have We given them a Book whose Clear Signs they follow? No indeed! The wrongdoers promise each other nothing but delusion. (Surah Fatir: 40)

Most people believe in Allah but are unable to appreciate His power and greatness, fail to comprehend that He is their only friend and helper, and wrongly believe that things other than Allah can be of assistance to them. The Prophet (saas) explained these truths to his people and attempted to free them from idolatry. He is commanded in the verses:

If you ask them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?" They will say, "Allah." Say: "So what do you think? If Allah desires harm for me, can those you call upon besides Allah remove His harm? Or if He desires mercy for me, can they withhold His mercy?" Say: "Allah is enough for me. All those who truly trust put their trust in Him." (Surat az-Zumar: 38)

Say: "Who is going to shield you from Allah if He desires evil for you or desires mercy for you?" They will find no one to protect or help them besides Allah. (Surat al-Ahzab: 17)

Allah created man, and is his only friend and helper. Yet, people who have no fear of Him refuse to accept that. Only in times of difficulty, when something happens to clearly show them how helpless they are, do they understand that only Allah can help them. The Prophet (saas) also reminded people of that same fact. He said that in times of trouble or loss people have no other helper than Allah. The Prophet (saas) is called upon to remind people of that in the Qur'an:

Say: "What do you think? If Allah's punishment were to come upon you or the Hour, would you call on other than Allah if you are being truthful?" It is Him you call on and, if He wills, He will deliver you from whatever it was that made you call on Him; and you will forget what you associated with Him. (Surat al-An'am: 40-41)

Believers who remember that truth emphasized by the Prophet (saas) know, without having to experience such difficulties, that only Allah can ever help them, and that only He has the power to lift their troubles and burdens. In the Qur'an, Allah says:

Say: "Who rescues you from the darkness of the land and sea? You call on Him humbly and secretly: 'If you rescue us from this, we will truly be among the thankful.'" Say: "Allah rescues you from it, and from every plight. Then you associate others with Him." (Surat al-An'am: 63-64)

The Prophet (saas) has warned all Muslims against idolatry in the hadiths:

"The most severe sin is to associate partners with Allah (known as shirk), while He has created you."37

Elsewhere, the Prophet (saas) stated that not associating others with Allah is both the proof as well as the necessary condition of faith:

"Whoever meets Allah, without associating partners with Him, will enter Paradise."38

He also stressed what a great hidden danger idolatry is:

"Should I not inform you of that which I fear for you even more than the dangers of dajjal? It is the hidden idolatry: A person stands to pray and he beautifies his prayer because he sees the people looking at him."39

"Idolatry is more hidden in my Ummah than the creeping of ants across a great smooth stone on a black night..."40

Say: ‘No one in the heavens and the earth knows the Unseen except Allah.’ They are not aware of when they will be raised. (Surat an-Naml: 65)

The Prophet (saas) Revealed That Only Allah Can Know the Unseen

The word "ghaib" in the Qur'an is used for hidden things that man cannot see or know. Things that will happen in the future are unknown to us, for instance. Yet everything to do with the future, the future of every individual, country, building and piece of furniture, is known to Allah. This is how the Prophet (saas) was told to explain that knowledge of the invisible (ilm-ul-ghaib) lies solely with Allah:

The first original text of the Qur'an (Surat al-Qadr) is exhibited in the Archives Department of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

Say: "Allah knows best how long they stayed. The Unseen of the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. How perfectly He sees, how well He hears! They have no protector apart from Him. Nor does He share His rule with anyone." (Surat al-Kahf: 26)

Say: "No one in the heavens and the earth knows the Unseen except Allah." They are not aware of when they will be raised. (Surat an-Naml: 65)

Say: "My Lord hurls forth the Truth—the Knower of all unseen things." (Surah Saba': 48)

When asked about the unseen from time to time, our Prophet (saas) would give the following answer:

"I do not know. I am a servant; all I know is what my Lord reveals. I cannot know what He does not reveal ..." (Abdul-Rahman al-Jami, Nafahat al-Uns, translated into Turkish by Abdulkadir Akcicek, Istanbul, 1981, p. 325)

However, it is also a fact revealed in verses that Allah does impart knowledge of the unseen to those servants He chooses. He reveals in one verse that:

He is the Knower of the Unseen, and does not divulge His Unseen to anyone. Except a Messenger with whom He is well pleased ... (Surat al-Jinn: 26-27)

In another verse, Allah reveals that He has bestowed news from the unseen on our Prophet (saas):

This is news from the unseen which We reveal to you… (Surah Al 'Imran: 44)

Indeed, Allah blessed the Prophet (saas) with much knowledge of the future, and these things have all come about, just as our Prophet (saas) said they would.

The Prophet (saas) Reminded People That Allah Heard Even Their Most Secret Conversations

Some people think that when they intend to do something wrong, or plan a wicked act with others of like-mind, or gossip, they can conceal it from others. However, Allah knows everything an individual thinks, what enters his mind, what two people whisper to each other, and everything in heaven and earth. He witnesses everything a person does. Every individual will have to offer account in the hereafter for everything he thought he had done or said in secret. That person may perhaps forget those words full of wickedness, but Allah will place everything he has forgotten before him on the Day of Judgment.

The Prophet (saas) also drew attention to that fact, and warned people they would have to give account of themselves. These are some of the verses on the subject:

Say, "Whether you conceal what is in your breasts or make it known, Allah knows it. He knows what is in the heavens and what is on earth. Allah has power over all things." (Surah Al 'Imran: 29)

Say: "Allah is a sufficient witness between me and you. He is certainly aware of and sees His servants." (Surat al-Isra': 96)

 If they turn their backs, then say: "I have informed all of you equally and I do not know if what you have been promised is near or far. He knows what is said openly and He knows what you hide." (Surat al-Anbiya': 109-110)

Say: "Do you presume to teach Allah your religion when Allah knows everything in the heavens and everything in the earth? Allah has knowledge of all things." (Surat al-Hujurat: 16)

The Prophet (saas) Announced That the Qur'an Was Revealed To Man by Allah

During and after the time of the Prophet (saas) there have been those who denied that the Qur'an is a Divine book. Some of these people even went so far as to claim it was the Prophet (saas) himself who had written it. Yet, it is evident that the Qur'an was not written by any human hand. The Qur'an is the word of Allah, and contains many miracles and is a superior wisdom, the like of which no human being could ever conceive. The Prophet (saas) reminded people of this, and announced that the Qur'an had been sent by Allah. These are some of the verses that refer to this:

Say: "The One Who sent it down is He Who knows all hidden secrets in the heavens and earth. He is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Surat al-Furqan: 6)

Say: "What do you think? If it is from Allah and you reject it, who could be more misguided than someone entrenched in hostility to it?" (Surah Fussilat: 52)

The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Surat az-Zumar: 1) … This is a Book We have sent down to you so that you can bring mankind from the darkness to the light, by the permission of their Lord, to the Path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy. (Surah Ibrahim: 1)

Those who allege that the Qur'an was written by a human being are unaware of the miracles it contains and that its wisdom is from Allah. In fact, the Qur'an is such a book that not even all the people in the world and all the jinn together could have written it, let alone one man. The Prophet (saas) was commanded to say the following on the subject:

Say: "If both men and jinn banded together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could never produce anything like it, even if they backed each other up." (Surat al-Isra': 88)

Do they say, "He has invented it?" Say: "Then produce a sura like it and call on anyone you can besides Allah if you are telling the truth." (Surah Yunus: 38)

In another hadith, the Prophet (saas) stated that the Qur'an was the word of Allah:

"Honesty descended from the Heavens and settled in the roots of the hearts of men (faithful believers), and then the Qur'an was revealed and the people read the Qur'an, (and learned from it) and also learned it from the Sunnah. Both Qur'an and Sunnah strengthened their (the faithful believers') honesty."41

The Prophet (saas) Made It Known That the Qur'an was Sent Down as Guidance and Good News for the Muslims

The Prophet (saas) said that the Qur'an led people to the true path, and advised people to take it as their guide. Some of the verses on that subject are:

Say: "The Purest Spirit has brought it down from your Lord with truth, to make those who believe firm, and as guidance and good news for the Muslims." (Surat an-Nahl: 102)

Say: "If I am misguided, it is only to my detriment. But if I am guided, it is by what my Lord reveals to me. He is All-Hearing, Close-at-hand." (Surah Saba': 50)

This is why the Prophet (saas) placed great importance in teaching the Qur'an:

"Acquire the knowledge and impart it to the people. Learn the Qur'an and teach it to the people; for I am a person who has to depart this world."42

The Prophet (saas) Revealed That on the Day of Reckoning No One Would Be Burdened With Anyone Else's Sins

One of the errant beliefs prevalent in ignorant societies is that one person's sins can be heaped upon another. For example, someone may try to prevent his friends from carrying out a religious obligation and say, "I will accept that sin myself." Of course that person will be committing the sin of preventing the carrying out of an obligation, but his friend will still be committing the sin of not carrying it out. In other words, nobody can lift that sin from another's shoulders. On the Day of Reckoning, people will only be held responsible for their own deeds. Nobody will be asked about the sins of others, and nobody's sins will be attributed to anyone else. Allah told the Prophet Muhammad (saas) to explain this in these terms:

Say: "Am I to desire other than Allah as Lord when He is the Lord of all things?" What each self earns is for itself alone. No burden-bearer can bear another's burden. Then you will return to your Lord, and He will inform you regarding the things about which you differed. (Surat al-An'am: 164)

The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves... (Surat al-Ahzab: 6)

The Prophet's (saas) words, "no burdened soul will bear another's burden," 43 explained the truth about that popular superstition.