Lack Of Divine Protection Being A Reason Used By Bani-Israel For Rejecting Jesus
Regarding Divine Protection of a Rasul , The Quran says: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحَادُّونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ أُوْلَئِكَ فِي الأَذَلِّينَ كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَأَغْلِبَنَّ أَنَا وَرُسُلِي إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ Indeed, those who show hostility to Allah and His Rasul are bound to be humiliated. The Almighty has ordained that I and my Rusul shall always triumph . (58:20-21) As a principle, Rasul will always become dominant over his rejectors ( either in his lifetime or through his followers after his death or in the form of divine punishment through angels ). And it is a corollary of this law that a Rasul cannot be killed at the hands of his own rejectors ( this however does not mean that a Rasul cannot die ). However, it is never presented by Allah as a criteria of Belief in a Prophet that to profess faith in him because he is divinely protected. Instead, Quran answers this very question that belief in a prophet is not based on this criteria; had a prophet been killed then would it change the foundations of belief in a Prophet which are more innate and more logical than divine protection? Quran says: وَ مَا مُحَمَّدٌ اِلَّا رَسُوۡلٌ ۚ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِ الرُّسُلُ ؕ اَفَا۠ئِنۡ مَّاتَ اَوۡ قُتِلَ انۡقَلَبۡتُمۡ عَلٰۤی اَعۡقَابِکُمۡ ؕ وَ مَنۡ یَّنۡقَلِبۡ عَلٰی عَقِبَیۡہِ فَلَنۡ یَّضُرَّ اللّٰہَ شَیۡئًا ؕ وَ سَیَجۡزِی اللّٰہُ الشّٰکِرِیۡنَ Muhammad is no more than a Messenger. [The news of his killing has shattered your morale.] Other messengers have passed before him also [and they too passed through the phases of life and death]. Then if he dies or is slain, will you people revert back?[Remember that] he who reverts back will not harm God in any way and soon God will reward those who have remained grateful to Him in all circumstances . (Quran 3:144) The criteria for identifying a prophet is different and following are some important pointers in this regard : The highest of human traits are personified in a prophet and his message is based on what is known and familiar to human nature. The fountainhead of all virtues is two things: remembering the Almighty and showing sympathy to the poor. A prophet is an embodiment of these virtues and urges others as well to adopt them . Whatever he says to people conforms to the highest intellectual standard and what he says relates only to those things about which man can become indifferent or forgetful. Moreover, his prophethood is not something which can be acquired through self-effort. Hence, every right-minded person has no difficulty in recognizing him . If a person has a discerning mind and a vibrant heart, then the very person of a prophet is a miracle: قُلْ لَّوْ شَاءَ اللّهُ مَا تَلَوْتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلاَ أَدْرَاكُمْ بِهِ فَقَدْ لَبِثْتُ فِيْكُمْ عُمُرًا مِّنْ قَبْلِهِ أَفَلاَ تَعْقِلُوْنَ Tell them: “Had God pleased, I would never have recited this Qur’ān to you, nor would He have made you aware of it. [It is His decision] because I have spent a life-time among you. Do you not use your senses?” (Quran 10:16) However, besides this, the Almighty blesses a prophet with potent signs which though may not induce his adversaries to openly acknowledge him but are enough to leave them with no excuse to deny his veracity . For this very reason, at one place, the Quran (4:159) has declared that every one from among the People of the Book of the times of Muhammad (sws) before his own death would profess faith in him. It is evident from the Quran that these signs are given to every prophet and their nature depends upon his times and circumstances. We shall mention a few of these in the following paragraphs. 1 . A prophet generally comes in accordance with the prediction of the prophet who precedes him and comes as fulfillment of this prediction. Viewed thus, he is not an un-introduced personality. People are familiar with him and also await him. It is known from the Quran (3:39) that the prophet John (sws) foretold the coming of Jesus (sws) all over Jerusalem. 2 . Whatever a prophet presents as the word and message of God is without any contradiction and inconsistency . 3 . A prophet is blessed with miracles from God . The Quran has specified that one of the reasons for which extra-ordinary miracles were given to Jesus (sws) and Moses (sws) was to authenticate them as messengers of God. 4. The Almighty informs a prophet of certain unknown things which are impossible to come into the knowledge of any other human being. 5 . Prophets who are also designated as Messengers (rusul) are a symbol of divine justice in this world and decide the fate of their people in this very world. __ For details on the topic of Identifying a Prophet , please refer to the following thread : Discussion 16063