Has the prophet ever been contradicted in the
information he gave in all fields of life?
It is enough to establish one�s truthfulness that one has not been heard
telling even a single lie during one�s whole life. However, if the person is
a Prophet who has brought a universal system from God, people will expect
him to offer explanations and to establish rules in all fields of life �
theology, law, sociology, human psychology, economics, history, etc. � and
to be proven to be truthful in all of them.
The explanations of God�s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings,
concerning theology � Divine Essence, Attributes and Names � are such that
philosophers, religious scholars, and saints cannot compete with him. What,
in fact, they can and should do, is to study his explanations and try to
perceive the truths his words contain.
God�s Messenger dealt with, besides those pertaining to Divine Essence
and Attributes, the most subtle matters of Destiny and man�s free will so
ably and convincingly that without his account no one can obtain a true
understanding of these matters.
What he reported concerning the past nations and previous Prophets have
all been confirmed by historical research and the followers of previous
Scriptures. Although he was unlettered, neither read a book nor was taught
by any human, he established the most rational, practical and just rules in
every field of life such that, as a result, a large portion of mankind have
experienced true happiness for centuries under his banner. Indeed, the
religion, the universal system of life that was revealed to him from God,
continues to offer a unique alternative for the future of mankind in
general, and the happy world of the future will be built upon its
principles.
What I would like, however, to emphasize here, concerning his
truthfulness, is that out of hundreds of his predictions, the vast majority
have already come true, and the remainder will be proven when their time is
due.
�Umar reports that one day he, upon whom be peace, ascended the pulpit
after the dawn prayer and spoke about almost everything from the creation of
the world to the Last Day, including certain past events and what will
befall mankind until that Day. These predictions, together, clearly
demonstrate that his teacher was God, the All-Knowing, and that he did not
speak on his own but always communicated what was revealed to him. Before
giving specific examples of his predictions, I think it worthwhile to
clarify a few points concerning knowledge of the Unseen.
|