The Verdict of Conscience

In large cities, we see hundreds of factories operating with the help of electric power. Trains and trams rush swiftly along. In the evening, thousands of electric lights come on, and in summer electric fans run in almost every home. Yet, just as these activities do not arouse any astonishment in us, neither do they produce any disagreement among us concerning the fundamental cause of these things being bright and moving so rapidly. Why is that?………

The sole reason is that we can see with our own eyes the electrical wires to which these lights are connected. The location of the power station to which these wires are connected is not unknown to us. The existence and presence of those who work at the power station are within the bounds of our knowledge. The engineer who exercises authority and control over the employees is not unknown to us either. We also know that this engineer is fully acquainted with the process of generating electricity. He has huge machines, and by operating them he produces electrical power. We can see the existence of that electrical power in concrete form through the light of the electric lamps, the rotation of the fans, the rapid movement of trains and trams, and the operation of wheels and factories, and so on. Thus, the reason no disagreement arises among us regarding the cause of electrical power, when we directly observe its effects and outward signs, is simply that this chain of cause and effect is within our sensory experience and directly observable to us. Suppose these electric lights were lit, the fans were turning, the trains and trams were moving rapidly, and the wheels and mechanical giants were in motion. But suppose the wires through which the electrical power reaches them remained hidden from our sight, the power station remained beyond the reach of our senses, we knew nothing about the employees of the power station, and we did not know which engineer was operating this establishment with his knowledge and power. Could we then sit calmly as we do now? Would we not then differ among ourselves concerning the fundamental cause of these outward activities of electrical power? Everyone will answer that disagreement among us would then be unavoidable. But why? Because when the cause of outward activity is concealed, hidden, and unknown, it is entirely natural for astonished unrest to arise in our minds, for us to become anxious and agitated to uncover this unknown mystery, and for differences to arise in our conceptions, conjectures, and opinions about the mystery.
Once this point is understood, consider a few more things. Suppose that what has been assumed above actually exists in the real world. Thousands and hundreds of thousands of electric lights are burning, hundreds of thousands of fans are turning day and night, countless vehicles are racing along, and hundreds of thousands of factories are operating continuously. But we have no means of discovering what power is working in them or from where that power comes. Seeing these activities and outward signs, people are bewildered and stunned. Each person is driving the horses of his intellect in search of their cause. Some say: All these things shine brightly and move spontaneously, operating through their own power. There is no power outside their own essence that can give them light or motion. Others say: The combination and organization of the materials from which these things are made has produced light and motion within them. Still others believe that outside this material world there are certain deities, some of whom light the electric lamps, some operate the tramcars and trains, some cause the fans to rotate and revolve, and set the wheels of factories and machines in motion. Many people, exhausted from thinking about the matter, finally begin to lament that our knowledge and intellect cannot reach subtle truths veiled in profound mysteries. We can know only as much as we can see with our own eyes and perceive. We cannot understand anything beyond that. And whatever is beyond our comprehension, just as we cannot acknowledge its truth, neither can we deny it as false.

These people do fight and quarrel with one another, but none of them possesses anything that can be called definite and certain knowledge in support of his own ideas and opinions or in refutation of those of others, apart from mere conjecture and speculation.

During these disputes and disagreements, a man comes forward and says: I possess a source of true knowledge that none of you possesses. I have learned that all these electric lights, electric fans, vehicles, factories, and machine wheels are connected to a number of concealed, delicate wires that you cannot see or feel. Power is transmitted through these wires from a huge power house, and thus manifests itself before you in the form of light and motion. Large machines are installed in this power house, operated by countless people. These people are under the authority of an engineer, and it is this engineer’s knowledge and power that established the entire system; all these operations are carried out under his direction and control.

This man presents his claim with full force. People call him a liar. All groups unite in opposing him. They call him mad, strike him, beat him, torment him, and drive him from his home. Yet, despite all this inhuman physical persecution, he stands firm upon his claim. He is not prepared to alter or amend even the slightest part of his essential statement because of any threat, fear, or temptation. No danger causes any weakness in his claim. On the contrary, every one of his statements proves that he possesses firm conviction in the truth of what he says.

Then another man appears. He makes exactly the same claim in similar terms. A third, fourth, and fifth person then come forward and present their claims in the same manner as those before them. Thereafter, the arrival of such people increases steadily. Their number even exceeds hundreds of thousands, and all these people present the same kind of statement with claims of this nature. Despite differences of place, time, and circumstances, no difference appears in their essential message. All of them say: We possess a special source of knowledge that no one else possesses. All these people are likewise branded as mad. They are subjected to every kind of persecution and oppression. Every effort is made to corner them and render them helpless. Every means is employed to stop them from making their statements and claims. Yet all of them remain steadfast and unshakable in what they say. No power in the world can move them even an inch from their position. Along with this resolve, firmness, and unwavering integrity, they possess several notable qualities and characteristics. Not one of them is a liar, thief, betrayer, person of loose character, oppressor, or unlawful consumer of wealth. Even their enemies and opponents are compelled to acknowledge that these people’s character is exceptionally pure and their disposition extremely clean and virtuous. In moral beauty and excellence of character, they are superior to and distinguished from other people. Moreover, there is no sign of madness in them. Rather, they present such elevated teachings concerning the reform of character, purification of the heart, and improvement of worldly affairs, and formulate such laws, regulations, and principles, that great scholars and thinkers must spend their entire lives merely trying to comprehend their subtlety, let alone producing laws equal to them.

On one side are the people of various ideas and opinions who consider the statements of these men false and deny their truth; on the other are these claimants, united in agreement. The matter concerning both sides is presented before the court of sound and correct reason for judgment and settlement. As judge, the duty of reason is first to understand and examine its own position thoroughly. It must comparatively understand the positions of both parties and, after comparing, examining, and testing them, reach a final decision as to whose statement is acceptable.

The condition of the judge’s conscience is that it has no means within its power to know the actual matter correctly. It has no knowledge of the true Ultimate Reality. Before it are only the accounts and statements of the two parties, their arguments and proofs, their respective conditions, and their outward signs and indications. It must examine them from the perspective of a profound seeker of truth and decide which is more likely to be true. Yet even on the basis of being more probably true, it cannot announce a definite verdict. For, on the basis of whatever theories and facts are within its grasp, it is extremely difficult for it to state what the actual matter is. At most, it can give preference to one of the two parties. But it cannot call one true or the other false with complete certainty and firm conviction.

The condition of those who deny the truth of the foregoing statement and claim is as follows: First: Their views concerning the true Ultimate Reality differ. Differences of opinion have been found among them on practically every matter.

Second: They themselves say that they possess no special source of knowledge by which to know the real truth. Some groups among them claim only that their conjectures are more important than those of other people; beyond this, they make no claim to anything. Yet all of them unanimously admit that their notions and conjectures are nothing more than notions and conjectures.

Third: Their belief, faith, and conviction in their notions and conjectures have not reached the level of firm, unshakable certainty, and many examples of changing their opinions exist among them. It has often been seen that a person supported and propagated an opinion with full conviction for a long period, only to begin, the very next day, opposing his former opinion and propagating a new one. It is an established fact that their opinions frequently change with the progress of age, knowledge, intellect, and experience.

Fourth: Those who deny the foregoing statement have only this much argument in support of their denial: they have not been given any definite, indisputable proof favorable to the truth of that statement. The secret ‘wire’ which, they claim, connects these electric lights, fans, and so forth has not been shown to them. Nor has the existence of electricity been demonstrated to them through practical experience and direct observation. No arrangement has been made for them to visit the power station, nor have its factories and machines been shown to them. They have not met its employees, nor have they ever been introduced to the engineer. In such circumstances, how can we accept the existence and truth of these things?

The condition of those who put forward the foregoing claim is as follows:

First: All those who put forward this claim are completely agreed. They possess full agreement concerning every subtle point and aspect contained in the essential claim.

Second: Their unanimously united claim is that they possess a source of true knowledge that is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Third: None of them has said that they make this statement merely on the basis of conjecture and speculation. Rather, all of them unanimously affirm that they have a special relationship with the engineer, that his employees visit them, and that they have been given the opportunity to tour his factory. Whatever they say, they say on the basis of certain knowledge and firm conviction, not conjecture and speculation. Fourth: Not a single example can be produced of any of them having altered his statement or claim even slightly. Every one of them has said the same thing from the beginning of his life until his final breath.

Fifth: Their character is pure to the highest degree. Their character contains not the slightest trace of lying, deceit, fraud, or treachery. They are truthful and sincere in all aspects of life, and there is no rational reason why they should all collectively be lying in this matter.

Sixth: No proof can be produced that, by making such a claim, they sought to secure some personal advantage. On the contrary, there is irrefutable proof that most of them suffered inhuman pain and persecution because of this claim and faced severe hardships and calamities. For this reason, they endured physical suffering, were imprisoned, wounded, and beaten, and were exiled and expelled from their countries. Many were even killed. Some were cut into two with a saw. With the exception of a few, none was able to live a prosperous and comfortable life. Thus, no accusation can be made that some personal interest lay behind this work. Rather, their remaining steadfast and unshakable in their statements and claims under such adverse conditions undoubtedly proves that they possessed the highest degree of faith and confidence in their truth. Their faith and confidence were such that none of them was prepared to withdraw his claim even to save his own life.

Seventh: There is no proof that they were mad or devoid of reason. In all aspects of life, they were proven to be exceptionally intelligent and sound-minded. Even their opponents were often compelled to bow before their knowledge and intellect. In such circumstances, how can they be believed to have been mad in this particular matter? In particular, it is necessary to consider what this matter was. It had become a matter of life and death for them. For its sake, they remained engaged in a struggle with the world for years. It was the fundamental principle of their rational teaching, whose soundness even their opponents were compelled to acknowledge.

Eighth: They themselves did not say that they could introduce us to the engineer of the power station or its employees, show us its hidden factory, or prove the validity of their claim through practical experience and observation. They themselves call all these matters ‘unseen.’ They say: Place your trust and faith in us, and accept whatever we tell you.

After considering the credibility of both parties and the statements of each, the court of reason delivers its verdict:

Reason says that both parties have investigated the inner causes of these things on the basis of certain outward signs, indications, and appearances, and both have expressed their respective doctrines. To outward observation, the doctrines of both parties appear equal and ‘the same’ in one respect. First, neither party’s view is impossible according to reason. That is, in light of the rules and principles of reason, no view can be declared absolutely incapable of being correct and true. Second, the truth and validity of neither party’s statement can be proved by practical experience or observation. Just as the people of the first party have not been able to present any scientific proof in their support that would compel everyone to believe them true, the second party has neither been able to present such proof nor claimed to do so. But after further thought and research, several matters become evident, and on their basis the ‘doctrine’ of the second party deserves to be given preference.

First: No other doctrine has been propagated and supported with such force, firm faith, and conviction by such a vast number of intelligent, pure-natured, morally upright, and truthful people.

Second: People of this character also belong to different eras and different places. Collectively, they have claimed that all of them possess an extraordinary source of knowledge, and that through this source they have learned the inner causes of outward signs. This alone encourages us to acknowledge the truth of their claim—especially because there is no difference in their accounts of the knowledge and information they possess. Nothing in the knowledge and information they have disclosed is intellectually impossible. Nor is there any reason to consider it impossible, according to reason, that some people may possess extraordinary knowledge and intellect not found in anyone else.

Third: Even when we consider the condition of the outward signs, it naturally appears that the doctrine of the second party is correct. Electric lights, fans, vehicles, factories, and so forth cannot become bright and mobile by themselves. If that were so, becoming bright and mobile would lie within their own discretion. It is obvious that this is not the case. Similarly, their light and motion are not the result of their material organization. For their material organization remains the same even when they are not moving or shining. It is also clear that these things are not subject to different independent forces. When the lights are not lit, the fans also stop, the tramcars stop, and the factories cease operating; this is commonly observed. Therefore, all the doctrines put forward by the first party in analyzing the outward signs are unacceptable from the perspective of knowledge, reason, and sound judgment. The purest and most accurate conclusion appears to be that a power is active in all these signs, and that its central control rests in the hands of a ‘well-informed, powerful, and intelligent’ Being, who expends this power upon the various signs according to a ‘specific system.’

The skeptics, however, say that whatever is beyond our comprehension, we can neither accept as true nor reject as false. Sound reason cannot accept this statement as true. For whether a statement is true in reality does not depend on its being comprehensible to those who hear it. A large body of reliable testimony alone is sufficient for acknowledging its reality. If several trustworthy and reliable people tell us that they saw people in the western lands flying through the air in iron vehicles, and that, while sitting in London, they heard a speech from America with their own ears, we would only examine whether these people are not liars or mockers, and whether some personal interest is connected with their statement. If we find that a large number of truthful and intelligent people are making this statement without any difference of opinion and with full responsibility, then we will certainly accept it with complete conviction. Even though the flight of iron vehicles through the air and the hearing of a sound from one country in another thousands of miles away without any material medium may be beyond our comprehension, we will believe it.

This is the verdict of reason in the case under discussion. But the true state of belief and conviction in the heart, which in Islamic terminology is called iman, cannot be attained through such a verdict. It requires sincere and devoted feeling; it requires applying one’s heart and mind. For this, a voice must arise from the innermost depths of the heart that will permanently end every state of falsehood, uncertainty, doubt, and hesitation. It will clearly declare that the notions, conjectures, thoughts, and imaginings of the people are false and invalid. What truthful people ascertain on the basis of certain knowledge and pure inner insight is true; that alone is accurate.

The Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the Judgment of Conscience

Close your physical eyes for a moment, open the eyes of imagination, and cast your gaze upon the state of the world fourteen hundred years ago! Consider what sort of world it was. The means and resources for exchanging thoughts among people were extremely limited. The opportunities for establishing communication among nations and countries were extremely restricted. How little knowledge people possessed. How narrow their thoughts and outlooks were. What a dominant influence superstition and barbarism exercised in the realm of thought. In the darkness of ignorance, how faint and dim was the light of knowledge, and with what difficulty it was spreading by removing that enveloping darkness. In the world of that time there was no telegraph system, no telephone, no radio, no railway, and no airplane. There were no printing presses or publishing houses anywhere. There was no abundance of educational institutions, schools, madrasas, or colleges. No newspapers or periodicals were published, nor were books produced and circulated in large numbers. The knowledge of a scholar of that age was, in many respects, extremely limited compared with that of an ordinary person today. Even a member of the upper class of that time was less civilized than a laborer or worker of the present age. An educated person of that time was more steeped in superstition than a superstitious person today. Matters known today by everyone, young and old, were difficult to learn in that age even after years of unceasing labor, inquiry, and research. Knowledge that is now spread throughout the environment like light, and that every child learns as soon as consciousness awakens, required people then to travel hundreds of thousands of miles. They would spend their lives investigating it. Things and ideas called superstition today were then considered profound and subtle knowledge. Acts now regarded as undesirable and barbaric were then people’s daily routine. Practices and methods that people today despise were not merely considered lawful in the morality of that age; the possibility of any contrary method or approach was utterly inconceivable. The people of that time had an excessive attraction to wondrous things. Unless something was supernatural, unusual, and extraordinary, nothing was accepted in that age as true, great, and sacred. Moreover, people of that time considered themselves so lowly and humiliated that the idea that a human being could attain Allah, or that a being who had attained Allah could be human, did not even enter the bounds of their imagination.

In this dark age, there was a small country on earth where the darkness had become even more concentrated. Among the countries regarded as civilized in terms of the civilization and culture of that time, Arabia was distinct and isolated from all the others. In Persia, Rome, and Egypt, which surrounded it, some traces of knowledge, science, civilization, and culture could be found. But the endless sea of sand had kept Arabia completely separate from them. Arab merchants traveled for several months by camel across this desert route to those countries for trade and commerce, exchanged goods, and returned to their homeland. Yet they brought back not even the slightest touch of those countries’ knowledge and civilization for their own land. There were no educational institutions or libraries in Arabia. Just as the people had no practice of acquiring knowledge, they had no interest or curiosity regarding science, learning, or the arts. Only a handful of people throughout the country knew a little reading and writing. But this cannot at all be considered sufficient for familiarity with the knowledge and sciences of that age. They possessed a highly developed and well-organized language, with an extraordinary capacity for expressing elevated thoughts. It also possessed refined literary taste and grace. Yet from the remnants of their literature that we have seen, it appears that the scope of their knowledge was extremely limited. In matters of civilization and culture, their standing was very low. Their thought was filled with blind superstition. Their customs and habits were barbaric and despicable. Their conception of morality was extremely ridiculous.

In the land of the Arabs there was no organized system of government, nor any law or discipline. Every tribe was independent, absolute, and self-willed. Only the ‘law of the jungle’ was followed there. Whenever time and opportunity arose, one person would kill another and seize his wealth and property. The idea that one should not kill a person simply because he did not originate from his own tribe, or should not seize all his wealth, was beyond the understanding of the Arabs.

Their ideas about morality, refinement, and culture were extremely simple, immature, and uncultivated. They had not the slightest acquaintance with the distinction between purity and impurity, beauty and ugliness, good and evil. Their lives were governed by vile customs and barbarism. Adultery, gambling, drinking, plunder, murder, bloodshed, and other heinous acts were their daily routine. They felt not the slightest hesitation even in appearing completely naked before others. The women of that land would even circumambulate the Kaaba unclothed. They would bury their daughters alive with their own hands, on the foolish reasoning that if a girl remained alive, they would have to acquire a son-in-law. After their fathers’ deaths, they would even marry their stepmothers. They did not even know the ordinary courtesies of eating and drinking, clothing, and cleanliness.

From the religious point of view, these Arabs were equally involved in the ignorance and misguidance in which the world was immersed at that time. Idolatry, the worship of the souls of the dead, star worship—in addition to the worship and servitude of the One Allah, every one of the countless forms of worship prevalent in the world at that time was widespread in that land. They had no accurate knowledge of the ancient prophets or of the teachings and ideals they had brought. They knew, of course, that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Ismail (peace be upon him) were their forefathers, but they had not the slightest idea what the religion of these noble forefathers was or whom they worshipped and served. They were not unfamiliar with the stories of ancient peoples such as ‘Ad and Thamud, but in the accounts mentioned by Arab historians, not the slightest trace can be found of the teachings and ideals of Hazrat Salih (peace be upon him) and Hazrat Hud (peace be upon him). Through the Jews and Christians, many accounts concerning the prophets of the Israelite lineage had reached them. But what sort of thing these accounts were can readily be understood from the Israelite legends cited by various Qur’anic exegetes. The nature of these prophets and how base and degraded their conception of prophethood was can be understood simply by reading those accounts.

It was precisely at this time that such a person was born. In childhood, he was deprived of the loving shelter of his parents and grandfather. Consequently, even in such an undeveloped country, he did not receive what little opportunity for reading, writing, and education was available. As he grew older and more knowledgeable, he began tending goats with the boys of his neighborhood. In his youth, he devoted himself to trade and commerce. His sitting, rising, movements, and social interactions all took place with Arabs of the kind mentioned earlier. He had not received even the slightest touch of literacy or education, for in Arabia at that time there was no educated class at all. He did have the opportunity to travel outside Arabia several times, but these journeys extended only as far as Syria. His travels were like those of the Arab merchant caravans of that age. Even if during these journeys he saw some signs of knowledge and civilization and met a few educated people, it is perfectly clear that no one’s character can be formed through such scattered observations and temporary encounters. Under the influence of such meetings, no person could develop a character so utterly distinct and different from his entire environment. Nor could anyone gain so much education from such opportunities that an unlettered, illiterate person could become the leader of the entire world and of all ages, regardless of place and time. Even if he had acquired some degree of knowledge from outsiders, education scarcely existed anywhere in the world at that time. There was no conception of religion, morality, civilization, or culture; examples of human character could be found nowhere, and he had no means of acquiring any of these things.

We must consider not only Arabia but the environment of the entire world at that time. The person under discussion was born among the people with whom he spent his childhood and youth, among whom he was raised and entered manhood, with whom he mixed and moved about, and with whom he conducted his daily dealings and affairs. Yet from the very beginning of his life, he developed completely distinct from them in habits and character. He never told a lie; the entire nation of that time bore witness to his honesty and truthfulness. Not even his bitterest enemy could bring an accusation of lying against him. He never spoke obscenely to anyone, and no one ever heard an obscene word or abuse from his mouth. He maintained good relations with people, but never used harsh language or quarrelled with anyone. Instead of harsh words, sweet speech was always heard from his lips. Consequently, whoever met him became deeply attracted to him. He never dealt or behaved badly with anyone. He never violated or usurped anyone’s right. Despite conducting business for years, he never unjustly took even a penny from anyone. All those who dealt and worked with him relied completely upon his trustworthiness and integrity. The entire nation bestowed upon him the title Al-Amin, the Trustworthy. Even people from the enemy camp entrusted their valuable possessions to him, and he guarded them fully. While almost everyone around him was shameless, he was so modest that from the dawn of his awareness no one had ever seen him naked. Amid a characterless society, he alone was a man of such moral excellence and purity that he never became involved in any wrongful or unlawful act. He did not drink wine or participate in gambling. Among filthy people, he was so refined that he hated and avoided every form of coarseness and impurity. Rather, cleanliness and decency were evident in everything he did. Among hard-hearted people, he was exceedingly compassionate and shared in everyone’s sorrow and suffering. He helped orphans and widows. He never caused anyone any kind of harm. Rather, he willingly bore every kind of hardship for the sake of others. Among people at the level of beasts, he was steadfastly peace-loving; he was distressed when he saw the people of his nation engaged in quarrels, bloodshed, and conflict. He kept far away from tribal disputes and warfare. He took the initiative in creating reconciliation and harmony. Among idol worshippers, he was a man of sound nature and unclouded intelligence; he regarded nothing in the heavens or on earth as worthy of worship. He never bowed his head before any created being, nor was he ever willing to eat offerings presented before idols. His heart was instinctively pure of the impurity of shirk and the worship of created beings.

In such an environment, this man stood out like a shining lamp in impenetrable darkness, or like a diamond sparkling amid a heap of stones.

After living such a pure and clean life for nearly forty years, a sudden revolutionary change began in his life. He became frightened and distressed upon seeing darkness enveloping everything around him. He wished to escape from the terrible sea of ignorance, immorality, wickedness, disorder, shirk, and spirit-worship that surrounded him. Nothing in this environment seemed compatible with his nature. Abandoning everything, becoming detached and unrelated to all things, he began living in a mountain cave far from the inhabited areas. In an atmosphere of complete solitude and profound tranquility, he would spend several days and nights at a time. During this period, while fasting, he began to purify and perfect his soul, heart, and mind further. At the same time, he engaged in deep reflection and investigation. He was searching for a blazing light by which he could dispel the darkness enveloping everything around him. He also yearned to acquire a power with which he could shatter this fallen world and create a new one.

Suddenly, a tremendous change began in his condition. All at once, he began to feel within his heart and mind a radiance that was extraordinary and entirely unprecedented. He also acquired a power that he had never possessed before. He emerged from the mountain cave and returned to the people. Addressing them, he began to say: The idols before which you bow have no meaning; abandon them. No human being, tree, stone, soul, or planet is worthy of worship; no one may bow before any of them. They are not fit for this. None of them may be worshipped, served, obeyed, or followed. This earth, the sun and moon, the stars, the heavens, and everything on earth are the creation of the One Great Allah. He alone is the Creator of you and of all these things. He alone provides sustenance and gives life and death. Therefore, bow only before Him.

Theft, plunder, bloodshed, murder, oppression, persecution, fornication and adultery—all the acts in which you remain engaged day and night are sinful deeds; abandon them. Allah does not approve of them in the least. Speak the truth, act justly, do not kill anyone, and do not seize anyone’s property. Whatever you take, take with honesty and fairness; and whatever you give, give according to justice. You are all human beings, not base creatures; no one is born into this world possessing the glory of honor. Honor and dignity are not determined by lineage or family. The only standard is obedience to Allah, adherence to truth, and purity. Whoever fears Allah, follows the truth, and possesses a pure character is the superior human being. Whoever is not like that is nothing. After death, all of you will be brought before Allah. Each of you will have to answer to Allah for your own deeds. And that Allah is the One who sees all and knows all. You cannot conceal anything from Him. The record of your life’s deeds will be presented before Him exactly as it is, without increase, decrease, or alteration. Your fate will be decided in accordance with that record. Before the Great Allah, the true Judge, no kind of intercession will avail, nor will there be any opportunity to offer a bribe. No one’s ancestral status will have any value on that day. Only faith and righteous deeds will have value there. Whoever possesses this capital on that day will be able to enter Paradise, while whoever possesses none of it will fail and be cast into Hell. It was with this message that he emerged from the mountain cave.

The ignorant nation began to oppose him. They abused him and began speaking ill of him. They raised their hands to strike him. For thirteen consecutive years—not merely one or two days—severe oppression and persecution continued against him. At last, he was driven out of his homeland. They were not satisfied merely with expelling him. Even where he went and took refuge after leaving his homeland, they continued to persecute him in various ways. They incited the entire land of Arabia against him. For eight long years they remained engaged in struggle against him. He endured all this oppression and persecution without complaint, but never deviated even slightly from his ideals and mission.

But why did this nation become his enemy? Had he had any dispute with them over wealth or women? Was there some matter of bloodshed or murder? Had he demanded any worldly thing from them? No, none of that. There was only one reason for all their hostility: he had called them to accept servitude to the One Allah and to uphold piety and justice. Why did he commit this offense? Why did he preach against idolatry, shirk, and evil deeds? Why did he attack the professions of the idol-worshippers and priests? Why did he seek to destroy the authority of the tribal chiefs and leaders? Why did he wish to shatter the walls of separation in society? Why did he proclaim that hereditary and tribal hatred and jealousy were ignorance? Why did he wish to destroy the social system that had existed since ancient times? In the eyes of the nation, all these teachings of his were contrary to ancestral tradition and national customs. Therefore, when the people of the nation told him to abandon this work, they threatened that otherwise his life would be placed in danger.

The question then arises: why did he endure such persecution? The people of the nation were ready to make him king of the country. They were prepared to pile heaps of wealth at his feet. They imposed only one condition for this: that he stop preaching his ideals. But he rejected all of this. For the sake of propagating his ideals, he was prepared to endure stoning and every form of oppression and persecution. But why did he do this, and for what purpose? Did he have any personal interest in making people obedient to Allah, righteous, and morally upright? And was that interest more important than the irresistible attraction of political power, leadership, authority, wealth, luxury, and comfort? Was that interest so great that one person could sink into severe physical hardship and mental anguish and endure them without complaint for twenty-three long years? This is truly worthy of consideration. A man was prepared to suffer life-threatening hardships not for any personal interest, but for the mental welfare of the people—is it possible to conceive of any higher ideal of self-sacrifice, altruism, and devotion? It must also be considered that the very people for whose welfare he was making all these efforts were injuring him with stones, abusing him in obscene language, driving him from his homeland into exile, and even pursuing him abroad without relenting. Yet despite all this, he never ceased in the slightest to wish for their welfare. Secondly, could any liar pursue a baseless matter and endure such danger, suffering, and misery? Could anyone driven merely by guesswork and conjecture stand so firm and unyielding for the sake of a statement and endure dangers as great as mountains for it? It is universally known what severe dangers descended upon Hazrat Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), how the entire country rose against him, and how great armies were prepared to crush him. Yet despite this, he was not willing to move even an inch from the path of his mission. This firmness and steadfastness itself proves that his heart had acquired boundless conviction in the truth of his ideal. Had even the slightest doubt arisen in his mind on this matter, he could never have continued standing against successive dangers and calamities for twenty-three years. This is only one aspect of observing the condition of the person under discussion. The other aspect of his condition is even more astonishing.

For forty years, he was an ordinary man like the other Arabs. During that time, no one knew him as a great orator or an exceptional speaker. No one had heard him speak words of wisdom, knowledge, or insight. No one had seen him discuss theology, moral philosophy, law, political science, economics, or sociology. No one had ever heard a word from him about Allah, the angels, the heavenly Books, the prophets and messengers, the nations of the past, the Day of Resurrection, the life of the Hereafter, Paradise, or Hell. Although from the beginning he was a very pure, noble-minded, and independent person, until the age of forty nothing exceptional was observed in him on the basis of which anyone could form hopeful expectations about his future life. Until then, people knew him only as a taciturn, peace-loving, harmless gentleman. But forty years later, when he returned from the mountain cave with an unprecedented message, he was seen to be an extraordinary man.

After that, he began to recite a wondrous message. Hearing that message, all the Arabs became astonished and bewildered. Its effect and impact were so intense and profound that even his mortal enemies were afraid to hear it, for they knew that hearing it would pierce their hearts. The beauty, excellence of composition, and force of his language were extraordinary and unparalleled. It issued an explicit challenge to the entire Arab nation and to its renowned poets, litterateurs, and orators, repeatedly declaring: if you do not believe this Kalam to be the Word of Allah and regard it instead as Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) own composition, then all of you should join together and produce even one surah like it. But no one came forward with the audacity to confront this Kalam. Indeed, the Arab nation had never before heard such incomparable Kalam.

At this time, he suddenly emerged as an incomparable theologian, social and moral reformer, highly skilled sociologist, powerful legislator, supreme judge, and unrivalled military commander. The intelligent and wise things spoken by this illiterate desert dweller were such as no one had been able to say before and no one would be able to say in the future. This unlettered man began delivering lectures on the most important and complex subjects of theology. He began presenting many valuable and profound lectures on the rise and fall of humanity as revealed by its history. He discussed the work of ancient social reformers, criticized the world’s religions, and resolved the disputes and conflicts among different nations. He began teaching people elevated moral ideals, culture, refinement, and organization. He began formulating laws concerning social regulations, economics, and mutual and international relations, and he succeeded in producing laws whose underlying logic, beauty, and benefit required the world’s scholars, intellectuals, and intelligent people to engage in deep reflection, research, and lifelong practice and experience in order to comprehend them. And as human knowledge and experience continue to increase, their underlying logic and beauty will be revealed and developed ever further. He had been a quiet, peace-loving merchant who had never wielded a sword in his entire life, had never received military education or training, and had attended only one battle in his whole life as a spectator. Yet this very man became an astonishingly heroic warrior. Even in the most difficult battles, he never retreated an inch from his assigned position. He was not merely a soldier; he truly became an exceptional military commander. Within only nine years, he conquered the Arab world. He became such an extraordinarily gifted military leader that, under the influence of the military outlook and activity he organized, the previously unsupported Arab nation succeeded within only a few years in overthrowing the two great military powers of the contemporary world.

He had been an extremely detached, composed, and silent man. Until the age of forty, no political inclination or activity had been observed in him. Suddenly, he emerged as such a highly skilled social reformer and administrator that within twenty-three years he organized the scattered, warlike, grossly ignorant, corrupt, uncivilized, antisocial, and perpetually quarrelsome tribes inhabiting twelve hundred thousand square miles of desert under one religion, one way of life, one culture and civilization, one state, one law, and one unified administrative system. In this vast undertaking, he received no assistance from the modern railway, telegraph, telephone, radio, television, or printing press.

Moreover, he fundamentally transformed their entire thought and ideology and changed their moral character. He refined their uncultivated way of life and shaped it according to elevated ideals. He transformed their barbarism into a civilization marked by good taste, and their immorality and depravity into cleanliness, taqwa, and noble character. Their obstinacy and lawlessness were transformed into unparalleled and limitless obedience to the law and to their leader. The Arab nation had long been barren. For several centuries, no notable personality had arisen among that nation. He shaped this nation in such a way that afterward thousands of outstanding personalities emerged from it and spread in every direction to teach the world’s societies religion, morality, civilization, good manners, and culture.

But he accomplished this great work not through oppression, persecution, injustice, coercion, or deception; rather, he accomplished it through a pure and noble character, winning courtesy and civility, and thought and teaching that seized the minds of people. Through his character, he turned even his bitterest enemies into friends. Through kindness, favor, sympathy, and generosity, he softened people’s hearts. He governed the state with justice and fairness. He never deviated even slightly from truth and righteousness. Even during fierce warfare, he deceived no one and broke no promise. He never oppressed even his mortal enemies. After gaining victory over those who thirsted for his blood, who had wounded him with stones, expelled him from his homeland, incited the entire Arab nation against him, and had even chewed the liver of his uncle in revengeful hatred, he forgave them all. He never took revenge for his own sake. In addition, he was an incomparable example of self-restraint and selflessness. Even when he was the absolute ruler of the entire country, he remained as poor as before. He lived in a hut of palm branches and slept on a mat. He wore coarse clothing. He ate like a poor man. He would remain without food and hungry. For several consecutive nights, he would stand in worship of Allah. He served the poor and the afflicted. He did not hesitate to work like an ordinary laborer. Until the end of his life, not the slightest trace of imperial pride, the glory of superiority, or human arrogance ever arose in him. He mixed with people just like an ordinary man and shared in their troubles and hardships. When he sat together with the common people, it was very difficult for strangers to determine which person in the gathering was its leader, chief, or king. Despite such immense stature, he treated ordinary people as people of their own equal rank. In all the effort and striving of his life, he left nothing for himself. Everything he left behind and relinquished, he devoted to the nation. He imposed no claim upon his followers for himself, his children, or his descendants. He even deprived his children and descendants of the right to receive zakat; otherwise, there would have been a strong danger that all the zakat of his followers would be given exclusively to his children and descendants.

The list of this great personality’s achievements and contributions does not end here. To form a correct understanding of his status, one must cast a broad glance over world history. This glance will make it clear that this illiterate desert-dweller, born fourteen hundred years ago in the dark age of the Arabian desert, was in reality the founder of the foundations of the modern age and the leader of the entire world. He is not merely the leader of those who have accepted him as their leader; he is also the leader of those who do not accept him. His opponents cannot even perceive how deeply the leadership of the person against whom they make grandiloquent statements has permeated their thoughts and beliefs, their way of life, their modes of action, and the intellectual currents of the modern age. He turned the course of all the world’s ideas and beliefs away from superstition, the supernatural, idolatry, and asceticism toward rationalism, realistic judgment, and pious materialism. In a crude and miracle-seeking world, he cultivated in people a taste for recognizing the miracles of intellect, knowledge, and genius, and for accepting them as the sole standard of truth. He opened the eyes of those who sought signs of Allah’s power only in the occurrence of extraordinary events, and accustomed them to seek signs of Allah’s existence in natural phenomena. He alone led those accustomed to letting the horses of imagination run wild away from speculation and toward the use of reason and knowledge, reflection, research, and observation. He gave humanity the distinctive limits and boundaries of reason and knowledge, sensory perception, and inner perception. He established harmony between materialism and spiritualism. He established a deep connection between the Din and knowledge and action, and between knowledge and action and the Din. With the power of religion, he generated the world’s scientific outlook, and from the scientific outlook he generated pure and genuine religiosity. He uprooted the entire foundation of shirk and worship of created beings. Through the power of knowledge, he established belief in Tawhid on such a firm foundation that polytheists and idolaters were compelled to accept the spirit of religion and Tawhid. He transformed the fundamental concepts of character, morality, and spirituality. Those who regarded renunciation of the world and austerity as character, and did not acknowledge the possibility of spiritual advancement and salvation in the Hereafter while fulfilling the rights of the nafs and the body and participating in the affairs of material life—he showed them the path to civilization, social life, morality in material affairs, spiritual development, and salvation. He made people acquainted with the true value of human life. Those who were unwilling to accept anyone other than God, an incarnation, or the son of Allah as a true guide and leader—he made them understand that a human being, a human being like themselves, can become a representative of the heavenly kingdom and a khalifah of the Great Master of the universe. Those who made every powerful person their lord—he made them understand that, in reality, a human being is simply a human being and nothing more; no human being is born with an inherent right to holiness, lordship, or sovereignty. No one bears an inborn stigma of disgrace, impurity, slavery, or subjugation. Indeed, it was as a result of this revolutionary teaching of his that ideas of human unity, oneness, equality, democracy, and freedom were able to spread widely throughout the world.

Turning our gaze away from the world of ideas and imagination and judging from the standpoint of reality, we must acknowledge that this unlettered Prophet’s extraordinary leadership has had a profound and immense influence on the laws, customs, traditions, practices, and all activities of the world. The countless principles he proclaimed concerning moral character, civilization, culture, purity, and cleanliness have spread throughout the world. The world has accepted, and continues to accept, many of the laws and regulations he formulated concerning society and social life. Numerous movements have arisen, and continue to arise, in the world on the basis of the ideals and doctrinal regulations he presented concerning economics. The method and system he adopted for administering the state and government have, under his influence, initiated and continue to initiate a revolution in the world’s political thought. The principles he formulated for law and justice have deeply influenced all systems of justice and legal philosophy throughout the world. Even today, his influence is spreading quietly and silently. The person who actually introduced a new phase of warfare, peace treaties, and international relations into the world was in fact an unlettered Prophet of Arabia. Before him, the people of the world were completely ignorant of the possibility that warfare could have a culture and etiquette, and that the affairs of the world could be conducted on the foundation of the shared humanity of different nations.

Against the backdrop of human history, the greatness of this extraordinary person appears so timeless that, from the earliest times, the great historical figures and even the world’s renowned heroes seem extremely pale and insignificant beside him. The distinction of the personalities of the world’s greatest people is generally evident in two principal spheres of human life; no one has been able to transcend these. One class consists of kings of thought, imagination, and doctrines, entirely deprived of practical power. The other consists of men of action who are extremely weak in thought and reflection. Someone’s genius is limited to political knowledge, intelligence, and administration. Someone is merely the embodiment of military achievement and skill. Another has focused so intensely on one particular aspect of social life that all other aspects have gone beyond his vision. Someone has emphasized only morality and spirituality, but is completely heedless of livelihood, economics, and politics. Another has entirely abandoned morality and spirituality and relied solely on politics and economics. In short, history reveals only one-sided leaders and heroes; only this one person is such that every kind of perfection was combined in him. He was himself a philosopher and a scientist, himself engaged in bringing his philosophy into reality. He was also a statesman, military commander, lawgiver, and instructor in morality and character. He was also a religious and spiritual leader. His vision encompassed every aspect of human life. No matter, however small, remained outside his sight. From the rules and etiquette of eating and drinking, and the methods of bodily purity and physical cleanliness, to international affairs, he gave clear guidance and direction concerning everything. He established an independent civilization according to his own views and ideals and showed it to the people of the world. He established such balance among the various aspects and departments of life that no excess or imbalance can be observed anywhere. Is there anywhere in the human world an example of such an all-encompassing personality?

Nearly all great personalities in the world are products of their environment. But this person is distinctive in this respect as well. No influence of his environment can be found in the formation of his personality. Moreover, from a historical standpoint, no need for such a creation can be demonstrated in the environment of Arabia at that time. Even with considerable stretching, all that can be said—nothing more—is that historical circumstances demanded the emergence of a leader who would eliminate tribal fragmentation and turn the Arab nation into one united nation, while conquering other countries and securing economic prosperity and comfort for the Arabs. In other words, there was a need for a nationalist leader who would embody the characteristics of the Arabs of that time and make his nation prosperous by every possible means, including oppression, cruelty, bloodshed, deception, and fraud. He would also devise and organize a state system and leave it for succeeding generations. Apart from this, no other historical necessity of Arabia at that time can be proved in any way. From the perspective of Hegel’s philosophy of history or Marx’s materialist interpretation of history, even the most that can be said is that, in the circumstances of that time, the emergence of a leader who would form a nation and a state was inevitable or at least possible. Yet, despite this, the environment of that time produced a personality who taught excellent moral character, reorganized humanity, purified the human mind, and eradicated every kind of blindness, superstition, hatred, and hostility from the Age of Ignorance. His vision shattered the boundaries of nation, lineage, and country and extended to universal humanity. He established not for his own nation but for all humanity a moral, spiritual, civilizational, and political system. He demonstrated how economic activities, civic politics, and international relations could be established in the real world—not the world of imagination—on the basis of morality. He achieved such a balanced and harmonious integration of spirituality and reality that his knowledge, intellect, and genius remain as entirely new today as they were then. In such circumstances, what explanation can Hegelian or Marxist philosophy offer? Can such a person be called a product of the environment of Arab ignorance at that time?

Not only was he not a product of his environment; reflection on his achievements makes it unquestionably clear that they are free from the limitations and bonds of time and place. His vision transcends the restraints of time and circumstance, tears through a thousand layers accumulated over centuries, and advances ahead. It judges human beings in the context of every age and every environment, and presents for them such moral and practical regulations as can remain equally suitable in all circumstances. He is not among those whom history renders obsolete. We can praise the ancients only in the sense that they were ‘good leaders’ in their own age. But the personality under discussion was not merely present in the past; he is present today as well. He was, and remains, distinct and unique in every respect—a leader of universal humanity who advances along with history and remains equally ‘new’ in every succeeding age as he was in the preceding one.

Those whom we generously call makers of history are, in reality, products of history—creations of history. In the whole history of humanity, there has in fact been only one maker of history, namely, the person under discussion. If we examine the circumstances of the leaders who created revolutions in world history, we find that in all such cases the materials and instruments of revolution were already being prepared, and those materials themselves were determining the direction and path of the revolution. The revolutionary leader merely stepped forward and, in response to the demands of circumstances, brought the revolution into effect. In reality, the field and the work of his action had already been determined. But in this vast procession of makers of history and creators of revolution, the person under discussion is the only one whose revolution had no elements or causes prepared there beforehand at all. He created them himself. Where people possessing the spirit of revolution and the capacity and skill to act were scarce, he himself produced suitable people. He melted his own personality and cast it into hundreds of thousands of human images, making them like himself. Through his strength, ability, and willpower, he himself created the instruments of revolution. He himself determined its nature and character, and through the force of his own will and power, he turned the course of circumstances and directed it along the path he had planned. Indeed, is a maker of history of such stature and a personality capable of creating a revolution of such magnitude to be found a second time in the history of the world?

Now we shall discuss another question. Consider this: what were the fundamental causes and means by which, fourteen hundred years ago, in a dark world, in a corner of a country even darker than Arabia, among mere shepherds, traders, and uneducated desert-dwellers, there suddenly emerged so much knowledge, light, power, genius, ability, efficiency, and such immense, highly skilled strength? Can there be any rational basis for saying that this was simply the product of that man’s own mind and brain? If that were so, he would have claimed to be Allah. How could the world that made Rama a god, presented Krishna as God, accepted Buddha as a being worthy of worship, accepted Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) as ‘the son of Allah’ according to its own wishes, and was able to worship even fire, water, and air, have rejected such a gifted person’s claim? ………… But this man never claimed for himself any credit for his abilities or his works of genius. Rather, he proclaimed in a clear voice: I am a human being, merely an ordinary human being like you. I possess nothing of my own; everything belongs solely to Allah and has been received from Allah. The Kalam I have presented, whose like no person in the world has been able to produce, is not my own Kalam either. It did not originate in my own mind, nor is it the result of my personal genius. Every word of it has come to me from Allah, and all praise for it belongs to Allah. None of the great achievements I have accomplished, none of the laws I have formulated, and none of the customs and ideals I have taught you was composed by me. I have been able to do nothing through my own ability and genius. In every matter, I am dependent on Allah’s direct guidance. Whatever indication comes from Him, that is what I say.

It is worth considering what a great truth this declaration rests upon, and what a shining example it is of justice, trustworthiness, and honesty. A liar does not hesitate to claim credit for the work of others and publicize it in his own name, even though everyone can investigate its true source. But this great man did not claim all his achievements as his own, although had he done so, no one could have called him a liar, since no one had any means of tracing the original source of his achievements. What could be a more decisive and brilliant proof of honesty and truthfulness than this? He acquired these incomparable gifts of genius and achievements in a very concealed and hidden manner; yet he claimed none of them for himself, instead proclaiming them in the name of their original source. In such circumstances, what reason could there be for refusing to acknowledge him as a true Prophet?

The Hereafter

Is there life after death? If so, what kind of life is it? In reality, the answer to this question lies beyond the limits of our knowledge. We have no eyes with which to peer beyond the boundary of death and see what exists or does not exist there. We have no ears with which to hear any sound from the other side, nor do we possess any instrument by which it can be known through accurate examination and analysis. This question lies entirely beyond the field of science. Anyone who denies life after death in the name of science is certainly speaking unscientifically. Just as science cannot establish that there is life after death, it cannot declare that there is none until a reliable source for acquiring knowledge about it is discovered. At the very least, the only sound scientific method would be for us neither to affirm nor deny life after death.

But is this scientific method workable in practical life? Not at all. From an intellectual standpoint, it may be possible to refrain from reaching either a negative or affirmative conclusion about something until all the means of knowing it have been obtained. But when we have no choice except to determine our course of action regarding something, we must do so. For example, suppose you know nothing about a certain person and have never previously needed to transact any business with him. In such a situation, it may be impossible for you to reach a conclusion about whether he is trustworthy. But if you must transact some business with him, you are compelled to regard him as either trustworthy or untrustworthy. You may certainly say, ‘Until he is proven trustworthy or untrustworthy, I will deal with him in a state of uncertainty.’ But the manner in which you deal with him while uncertain about his trustworthiness will, in practice, be the same as with an untrustworthy person. Therefore, in reality, one cannot remain fixed in an uncertain position between affirmation and denial. Clear affirmation or final denial is essential.

With a little attention and study, you will understand that the question of life after death is not merely a philosophical question; rather, it is deeply connected with our practical life. If I believe that everything in life ends with this worldly life and that there is no other life after it, my moral conduct will be of one kind. But if I believe that there is another life after this one in which I will have to account for my present life, and in which I will receive good or evil consequences on the basis of my actions in this life, then surely my moral conduct will be completely different from that of the former kind of life. Understand the example in this way: suppose one person is traveling with the idea that he must go from here to Karachi, and that upon reaching Karachi not only will his journey come to a permanent end, but he will also pass beyond the reach of the police, the courts, and every authority entitled to question and interrogate him.

On the other hand, another person believes that his journey from here to Karachi is only the first stage. After that, he must travel across the sea to a country whose king is also the king of this country, and in whose office a complete confidential record is preserved of everything this person has done in this country. After examining that record, a decision will be made concerning how he should be treated according to his deeds. You can easily estimate how great the difference will be between the conduct of these two people. The first person will collect provisions suitable for the journey from here to Karachi. The second person, on the other hand, will also collect provisions for the long journey that follows. The first person will think that whatever profit or loss there is will occur only until he reaches his destination, and that nothing exists afterward. The second person will think that the real profit or loss will appear not at the first stage of the journey but at the final destination.

The first person will watch only for those consequences of his actions that may become apparent before reaching Karachi. The second person’s attention will be focused on those consequences that may become apparent after reaching the country on the other side of the sea. It is clear that the difference between the conduct of these two people results from their differing conceptions of the journey. In exactly the same way, our conception of life after death definitively determines the course of our practical life. Whenever we enter the field of practical action, the nature of our steps depends on whether we are acting on the assumption that this life is the first and final life, or whether we also have faith in another life and its consequences. In the former situation our actions will be of one kind, and in the latter they will be entirely different.

This discussion makes it clear that the question of life after death is not merely an imaginary philosophical question; rather, it is a question of practical life itself. Therefore, there is not the slightest room for us to adopt an uncertain and wavering attitude on this matter. Whatever way of life we adopt while remaining uncertain will be like the way of life of one who denies it. Consequently, we are compelled to reach a decision about whether there is another life after death. If science is unable to help us in this matter, we must seek the assistance of reason.

Now, in order to judge with the help of reason, we shall first examine what means of investigation are available to us.

The first means before us is the human being himself, and the second is the universe of nature. We shall place the human being within this universe of nature and examine whether all his demands as a human being are being fulfilled under the present system governing creation, or whether some demands remain unmet, making a different kind of system necessary for him. Consider the human body itself: it is a combination of many minerals, salts, water, and gases. Correspondingly, the created world contains earth, stone, metals, salt, gases, and other similar things. All these things require laws by which they may perform their respective functions. Those laws are active throughout the created world; just as they give the mountains, rivers, and air in the external environment full opportunity to perform their respective duties, so too the human body is entitled to function under those laws.

Secondly, the human body grows and is nourished by taking nourishment from the substances around it. Among such groups as trees, creepers, shrubs, grasses, and the like, too, we find the existence of laws necessary for growing living bodies.

Thirdly, the human body is alive and moves voluntarily, gathers its own food, maintains itself, and arranges for the continuation of its own species. Various forms of life of this kind also exist in the created world. In the water, on land, and in the atmosphere, countless living creatures can be found over whose entire lives laws suitable for their existence operate fully.

Above all this, human beings possess another kind of existence, which we call moral life. Within it is the feeling of doing good and evil. It possesses the ability to distinguish between good and evil, the power to seek good or evil actions, and a natural desire to openly experience the good or evil consequences of one’s deeds. Human beings also naturally distinguish among moral qualities such as oppression and justice, truthfulness and falsehood, right and wrong, mercy and cruelty, gratitude and ingratitude, generosity and miserliness, and betrayal. These qualities are not imaginary; rather, they are visibly active in human practical life, and their effects are actually manifested in human civilizational life. Therefore, the human race naturally feels an intense need to receive the consequences of moral actions just as it receives the consequences of physical actions.

But cast an searching gaze upon the system governing the created world and see whether the consequences of human moral actions have been fully manifested here. I inform you with complete confidence that there is not the slightest possibility of this here. For, as far as we know, no other created being possesses moral life. The entire universe is governed according to natural laws. A moral law is not visibly operative in any part of it. Here, money has both weight and value, but truth cannot be weighed. Nor can its value be determined. Here, a mango tree always sprouts from a mango seed. But those who sow the seed of truth sometimes receive a shower of flowers and at other times a shower of shoes. Here, there are definite laws for beings possessing physical existence, and consequences are always manifested according to those laws. But there is no such definite law for moral actions by which the consequences could always be of the same kind. By following the natural laws, moral consequences will sometimes be obtained, to the extent possible under natural law. Sometimes it happens that, although a moral action would naturally be expected to produce a particular result, the combination of natural laws causes its result to become entirely different. Human beings themselves have made a slight effort, through their civilizational and political systems, to obtain fixed consequences from their actions. But this effort is extremely limited and seriously defective. On the one hand, natural law has kept this effort limited and defective, and on the other hand, the natural weaknesses of human beings have further increased these defects.

I wish to clarify my point with the help of a few examples. If one person becomes hostile toward another and sets fire to his house, then his house will burn; this is the natural consequence of that act. As its moral consequence, the arsonist ought to receive punishment proportionate to the loss suffered by that family. But the manifestation of this consequence depends on several conditions: the arsonist must be located; the police must be able to arrest him; his crime must be proved; the court must be able to determine accurately the loss suffered by the affected family and their descendants; and he must be punished with precisely proportionate justice. If even one of these conditions is not fulfilled, the moral consequence will either not manifest at all or will manifest only to a very small extent. It is even possible that, after completely destroying his enemy, that person may continue to live in this world in the utmost comfort, being nourished and cared for.

Let us take an even greater example from this. A handful of people gain influence over their nation, and the entire nation begins to follow their directives. Taking advantage of this situation, they arouse in the public mind the virulent disease of nationalism and an intense desire for imperialism, and provoke wars with the surrounding nations, as a result of which millions of people are killed. The entire country falls into ruin, and its effects continue for several succeeding generations. Can it be supposed that this handful of people will receive in this worldly life the full and just punishment appropriate to the enormous crime of which they are guilty? Even if the flesh were stripped from their bodies or they were thrown alive into a furnace of fire, or even if they were given the harshest punishment within human capacity, the punishment inflicted would still be insignificant compared with the harm they caused to millions upon millions of people and their descendants. In fact, under the natural law by which the present world is governed, there is no means of imposing a punishment commensurate with the above-mentioned crime.

Conversely, consider those people who taught truth and justice to the human race, showed them a bright path of living, and through whose gifts countless people have continued to benefit from generation to generation, with no limit to how many more centuries they will benefit. Will these noble people be able to receive the full recompense for their deeds in this worldly life? Can you imagine that, under the present natural law, a person can receive the full recompense for all such deeds whose effects continue for hundreds of thousands of years after his death and extend to countless people? It is established from the foregoing discussion that, first, under the law governing the present order of the world, there is no opportunity for human moral actions to receive their full consequences. Second, the consequences of all the deeds people perform during their brief lives are so far-reaching and long-lasting that, in order to experience them properly, they would need lifespans of thousands—or rather, hundreds of thousands—of years. Yet such extraordinary longevity is impossible for human beings under the present natural law. This discussion also proves that the ordinary laws of the present natural world are sufficient for the material, physical, and biological components of human existence; but this worldly life is wholly insufficient for its moral aspect. For that, a universal order is needed in which the moral law will be the governing and foundational law, while the natural law will function as an auxiliary under it.

There life will not be limited but will be infinite, and all moral consequences that remained unmanifested here or manifested in an opposite form will be manifested there correctly. There, honesty and truthfulness will be weighed in place of gold and silver. There, fire will burn only those whom, for moral reasons, it ought to burn.

That place will be a source of happiness for the righteous and of misery for the unrighteous. Intelligence and nature undoubtedly demand such an order of the world.

Intelligence fulfills its duty by taking us only as far as what ought to be. Now, neither our reason nor our knowledge is capable of giving a conclusive verdict as to whether such a world actually exists. In this matter, only the Holy Qur’an helps us. Its declaration is that what your intelligence and nature demand will indeed come to pass. The world governed by the present natural order will one day come to an end, and a different order of the world will be established, under which the heavens and the earth and everything else will assume a different form.

Then all the people who have been born in the world from the first day of creation until before the Day of Resurrection will be raised, and all will be brought before Allah Ta’ala at the same time. There, the complete record of the actions of every person, every living being, and the entire human race will be presented without error or omission.

A complete account will be available of what reaction each person’s every act produced in this world and to what extent. All parties connected with these actions will stand in the witness box. Those who were affected even by the slightest trace of a person’s words and deeds will each present their respective records. They will testify as to how a person used his own hands, feet, eyes, and other limbs. Then the Greatest Judge will deliver His verdict, viewing this record with complete justice. He will declare who is entitled to what measure of reward or punishment. The extent of this reward or punishment will be so immense that it will be impossible to estimate it according to the standards of the present limited world. There, the standards of time and space will be different, and the natural law will also be of another kind. Those whose good deeds here have benefited other people for thousands of years will there have the opportunity to experience their full fruits; death, illness, and old age will not be able to deprive them of their happiness. Likewise, those whose evil deeds have caused countless people in this world to suffer for hundreds of thousands of years will fully experience the punishment for the crimes they committed there. Death or unconsciousness will not be able to save them from undergoing the punishment.

I feel sorry for the narrowness of thought of those who deny the possibility of such a life and world. If it is possible for our present world to exist before us with its present natural law, then what reason can there be why another world, governed by a different kind of law, should be impossible thereafter? Of course, no empirical proof can be presented to provide certainty about this. For that, belief in the unseen is essential.

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