So when he was revealed first time, he received revelation first time, the holy prophet, he got interpreted by an eminent scholar who was Jew, why he could not understand himself because he was so dear to God and he was the head of the prophets. Because I have already explained it so many times and I think in your presence as far as I remember correctly, that because the beauty of the character of every prophet lies in their modesty and humility.
You look in the backlight of history and in the light of your own estimation of the greatness of that prophet, but he looks introvertly upon himself in extreme attitude of humility, greatest possible modesty. So when they are done something, they are shown some favour by Allah, like ordinary mean people, they don’t consider they deserve this, they earn that favour. On the contrary, those who do deserve, they think they do not deserve. Like Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. has explained, It’s entirely, totally your grace, your favour that you have chosen me.
Otherwise, in your people ready to serve your cause, capable people to serve your cause were not fewer, they were in abundance, yet you chose me. That is entirely your grace, not that something I deserve. Then he says that I would have died a vain, after a vain life, a death of, you know, a death which is meaningless, which is just simply destruction. So that my body, when it would have turned to dust, would have been spread all over the places through wind, which carries the dust of everybody’s body ultimately and spreads around.
That is to say, I would be, I was so worthless that I should have died an ordinary meaningless death with the result that my body was not worth caring for. It would be scattered to the four corners of the earth by the wayward winds. Yet, he says, it is entirely your grace, 100% your grace that you have chosen me to serve a noble cause. This he said while Allah was speaking to him, while he was already appointed. Why? If he knew he was beloved of God. Knowing it, yet the prophets believe that they are beloved because it’s Allah’s favour. They on their own do not earn anything. If Allah rejects them, they wouldn’t think some injustice has been done to them.
So people of lower order, even much lower order, sometimes take it into their head that they are pious people and they are earning Allah’s favours. This is why the Holy Quran condemns this attitude. Akramahu wa naamahu, what is the verse? Yaqulu rabbiya akraman, no this is the full verse please. Iza abtala, akramahu wa naamahu fa yaqulu rabbiya akraman wa iza abtalaahu fa qadra alaihi rizqahu fa yaqulu rabbiya ahanan. It says that there are some people, I mean Allah is condemning this attitude here, it’s so obvious.
There are some people who are so vain that when Allah shows some favour to them, they say my God has honoured me as if I deserved honour, you know. They tell people in a way of their self-aggrandisement, showing off, look here, I am such a person, Allah has favoured me with this. So Allah condemns this attitude. So how could you expect a condemned attitude in the very best of people, in the Holy Prophet of Islam?
