As-Salaam-Alaikum. Wa-Alaikum-Salaam. What was the religion of Saudi Arabians or the Arabian countries before the advent of the Holy Prophet? And the second is, what was the… Pardon, just a moment. What was the religion of Saudi Arabians and the other Arabian countries before the advent of the Holy Prophet? And the second is, what was the religion of the Holy Prophet before his prophethood?
As far as the first question is concerned, many religions were found in the Arabian Peninsula. That is what you mean. Judaism, Christianity, idolatry, idol worship, Sabaism, religions other than the ones revealed to the Mediterranean belt. And also, total monotheism without allegiance to any religion mentioned as above. There were some people who believed in one God and in good deeds. And that was their simple religion. But they did not follow any book because they had no access to any particular book.
They were born among the idolaters, but they did not like idolatry. They rejected it because of their pure nature. So they loved God as they saw evidence of God’s existence in nature as they understood it. And they loved their creator and they worshipped him as they pleased. Just the flow of good ideas and love from them to their creator. That was their religion. So all sorts of people were there. As far as the Holy Prophet is concerned, we find him always on the religion of Abraham. Right from his childhood, that was the religion on which he was born, in which he was brought up. Not that he had read anything about it, but that was inbred in him. That was an innate quality of the Holy Prophet’s character.
And that is what is referred to in the Holy Quran in many ways, directly and indirectly. That he followed only the religion of Abraham. It does not mean that he followed the Shariah of Abraham. That is a different thing. It only means his basic fundamental approach to God and his attitude to him vis-à-vis the rest of the world. So there it was Hanifa, always inclined towards God in every decision he made. It was in favor of what he thought would be approved of God and against the material gains. So that guided his life prior to the revelation of the Wahi, the Holy Quran to him.
Who was the head of the religion in his reign, in the Holy Prophet’s reign? Head of the religion? What do you mean by head of the religion? I mean, who was the chieftain of the religion, who was the supreme head of the religion? Which religion? Of Abraham, as you have just said. You know, Abraham, according to the Holy Quran, was a most disputed personality. Christians said Abraham was a Christian. And the Jews said Abraham was a Jew. And the Holy Quran said he was much before Christianity and Judaism came into being.
So what do you mean by Abraham was a Jew and Abraham was a Christian? Now this was the dispute of Abraham because Christianity thought Abraham supported the view of Christianity to be born later on. And the Jews believed that Abraham rejected the so-called principles of Christianity and he stuck to the pure monotheistic principles, so that is Judaism. So the Holy Quran refers to this error in chronology and tells that he was born much before. He only followed one religion, that is, Hanifa. He was always inclined towards God. So if that is your religion, that is Abrahamic religion. But as such, no one was head of Abrahamic religion because it did not exist in the form of any institution.
It was inherited first by Judaism and then also by Christianity. Both claimed to be belonging to that father of prophets. As an institution it didn’t exist. Hanifa was close to Judaism? Hanifa? What do you mean by Hanifa? Hanifa is a religion as you just told. It’s not the name of a lady anyway. Hanifan is the word because when it happens in the end, then you don’t pronounce the tanvin, that is noon part. So this is why it’s called Hanifa. Hanifa means the one who is inclined in one direction. And here in this context it means Abraham who is always inclined towards God. That is to say, if you try to make a stick stand on its own, you will have to strike an equilibrium between right and left.
Or it will fall in one direction. If you try to do it, either it will fall on the right or left or sometimes forward or backwards. But if somehow there is some error in your vision and it is possible, you always leave it in one direction. In that case it will always fall in that direction. So some people are also slightly inclined towards one direction. Some inclined towards evil, some inclined towards good.
So in this context, what the Holy Quran wants to explain is this, that Abraham, right from his childhood, was always inclined towards God and Godly values. Whenever an issue appeared before him where he had to take a decision, he would, without doubt, without hesitation, always decide in the right direction. So that was the attitude prior to revelation of God to him. And this attitude is described in a different way, in a very beautiful way, in a picturesque way, about the Holy Prophet of Islam in the Quran in Surah An-Nur. It is said that he was like an oil on whom, who was even ready to light up on its own.
It was so refined, so pure and so light, that had not a flame of fire fallen upon it from above, it was just ready to light up on its own. Then the flame of Allah’s revelation also fell upon it. So it became nuran ala nur, as if light was ready to light. It became a double light, more intense. That describes the character of the Prophet and religion of the Prophet prior to prophethood. That even before God spoke to him, he was entire goodness. Not goodness in himself, but a goodness which would not be contained within itself. It must spill over and lighten up the atmosphere.
It must let its benefit flow to the others. It will not be content with just being good by itself. That is the example of the oil which is ready to light, even if the flame of revelation had not fallen upon it, it was ready to light up by itself and to try to improve the situation around it. That was the religion of the Prophet.
