Al-Ahzaab (The Clans)

45. “O Prophet! Verily We have sent you as a witness, and as a bearer of glad tiding and as a warner,”

46. “And as one inviting to Allah by His permission, and as a light-giving lamp.”

In these two holy verses the function of the holy Prophet (S) in the society has been stated.

He (S) invites people toward Allah, and his style in this invitation is glad tiding and warning. It is not only by the tongue, but his manner is also an argument for people and as a sample for them.

Therefore, at first, it says:

“O Prophet! Verily We have sent you as a witness…”

From one side, he is as a witness over the deeds of the Ummah, because he sees their deeds, as, in another place, the Qur’an says:

“And say: ‘Act you (as you will)! Allah will see your work and (so will) His Messenger and the believers…”1

and this cognizance will be occurred by the way of reporting the deeds of Ummah to the Prophet (S) and immaculate Imams.

On the other side, he is as a witness to the former prophets who were in turn witnesses to their own nations, as the Holy Qur’an says:

“How will it be, then, when We bring from every people a witness and We bring you a witness over those (witnesses)?”2

On the third side, your existence with your good qualities and good temper, with your constructive programs, with your bright background and with your actions, you are witness for the truthfulness of your school, as well as a witness for the greatness and Power of Allah.

Then, the verse refers to the second and the third qualities.

It says:

“…and as a bearer of glad tiding and as a warner,”

The Prophet (S) is a bearer of glad tiding to the righteous for the endless reward of Allah, for the eternal health and happiness, and for honourable victory and success. He is a warner for the disbelievers and the hypocrites against the painful punishment of Allah, against the loss in their whole capital of their selves, and against falling into misery both in this world and the next.

As we said before, too, glad tiding and warning must be with together and equilibrated with each other everywhere, because half of the self of man is formed by the interest of attracting profit, and the next half is formed by repelling the harm. Glad tiding is a motive for the former, and warning is a motive for the latter.

So, those who, in their programs, insist only on one part, in fact, have not recognized man, and have not noted the motive of his action.

The next holy verse points to some other qualities of the Prophet (S).

It says:

“And as one inviting to Allah by His permission, and as a light-giving lamp.”

The Prophet (S) is as a lamp of guidance in the society whose light is the cause of growth, movement and discrimination.

Here, it is necessary to pay attention to a few points:

1- Concerning the Prophet (S) the rank of being as a witness is mentioned before all of his other qualities since this rank needs not a preliminary state save the self of the Prophet (S) and his prophethood, and, as soon as he was appointed to that rank, his being witness to all those aspects which were mentioned in the above statements will be certain, while the rank of being as a ‘bearer of glad tiding’ and as a ‘warner’ are some things that happen after that.

2- The invitation to Allah is a stage next to that of glad tiding and warning, since these are some means for making people prepared for accepting the Truth. When through encouragement and warning preparation was gained, the invitation to Allah would begin, and it is only in this case that the invitation will be effective.

3- Here only the act of invitation is conditioned to the permission of Allah, although all the deeds of the Prophet (S) were done by the permission and command of Allah.

This is for the sake that the most difficult and the most important duty of the prophets is that very invitation to Allah.

The reason of it is that the Prophet (S) must lead people to pave a path against their desires and lusts, and this stage must be fulfilled by the permission, command and help of Allah to be accomplished; and, in the meantime, it makes it manifest that the Prophet does not do anything from his own accord, and whatever he does is by the permission of Allah.

4- The application of the Qur’anic phrase /sirajan munira/ (a light-giving lamp) as a quality of the Prophet (S), with regard that means ‘lamp’ and /munir/ means ‘illuminative’, points to the miracles and proofs of legitimacy and signs of truthfulness of the Prophet’s invitation.

He is a lamp which is witness of him. He causes every kind of darkness to be dismissed, and the eyes and the hearts to be attracted toward him, and like sun, his existence is a reason for his legitimacy, too.

It is noteworthy that the word /siraj/ is mentioned four times in the Qur’an.

In three occurrences, it means ‘sun’, including Surah Noah, No. 71, verse 16, which says:

“And made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp.”

The existence of the Prophet is like an illuminating sun that removes the darkness of ignorance, polytheism, and paganism from the horizon of the sky of man’s soul, but in the same way that the blind do not utilize the light of the sun, and those ones, who like bats, their eyes can not bear seeing this light will hide themselves from it.

The obstinate blind- hearted ones have not utilized this light and will not do, either. Abujahl used to put his finger into his ear in order not to hear the sound of reciting the Qur’an.

Also, the existence of the Prophet (S) is the cause of tranquillity, the cause of the fleet of the thieves of religion and faith, and the fleet of the cruel members of the societies. He is the cause of the ease of mind, of the elevation and growth of the essence of faith and morals; and in short, he is the cause of vitality, activity, and motion in the society.

The history of the Prophet’s life is a good witness over this matter.