The purposes of the arrival of Mustafa (ﷺ)
لَقَدْ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًۭا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍ ١٦٤
Allah has surely conferred favor on the believers when He raised in their midst a messenger from among themselves who recites to them His verses and makes them pure and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom, while earlier, they were in open error. (3:164)
Narrated by Hazrat Jabir (رضي الله عنه): The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah Subhanahoo Wata’ala did not send me as one who causes hardship and difficulty. Instead, Allah Subhanahoo Wata’ala sent me as a teacher and one who makes things easy.”
The First Purpose of the Arrival of Mustafa
Allah, the Lord of Majesty, has mentioned the four purposes of His own in Surah Al-Imran, verse 164, where Allah has shown His favor to the believers by sending the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُهُۥ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَـٰنًۭا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ ٢
Certainly, the believers are those whose hearts are filled with awe when (the name of) Allah is mentioned; and when His verses are recited to them, it makes them more developed in faith; and in their Lord they place their trust. (8:2)
Allah Subhanahoo Wata’ala, has stated the first purpose here: Action. The sole purpose of the arrival of Mustafa is to recite and read the Quran Majeed. Since no Prophet will come until the Day of Judgment, it is the duty of the Muslim Ummah to fulfill these four purposes until the end of times. Why is it necessary to recite the Quran? Some people within society may question the benefits of reading only the Quran Majeed. They may ask, ‘What do you gain by having your children read the Quran?’ You should refrain from giving lengthy explanations. Instead, you can briefly mention that you recite a small portion of the Quran Majeed daily because the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) advised us. He said, ‘The heart of a person sometimes rusts just as iron rusts when exposed to water.’ Hazrat Sa’ad (رضي الله عنه) asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, how can this rust be removed?’ You replied, ‘By reciting the Quran Majeed and remembering death more often, this rust can be removed from a person’s heart. When a person recites the Quran Majeed, the rust on their heart is cleared.’
Those who question what benefits come from doing good deeds, praying, and fasting, they are referring to that rust in the heart that manifests itself in the form of words. You explained that when the rust is removed from the heart, the heart will shine brightly, and such questions about the benefits of acts of worship will not arise.
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) also mentioned the reward for reciting the Quran. When a person recites a single letter, they receive ten rewards. Now, people may question whether this reward applies even when reading the translation. The answer is yes, the reward still applies because you have explained that when a person reads one letter, they receive ten rewards. For example, if someone recites ‘Alif,’ they receive thirty rewards because ‘Alif’ consists of three separate letters. Since we do not know the translation of ‘Alif,’ when a person reads it, they still receive thirty rewards. Therefore, even when reading the translation, the reward remains, and the purpose of the arrival of Mustafa is fulfilled.”
The Second Purpose of the Arrival of Mustafa
يزكيهِمْ
Allah the Exalted sent the Prophet (ﷺ) with the purpose of purifying souls. This means cleansing the inner selves of people from impurities such as bad deeds, bad manners, negative thoughts, and harmful emotions. It involves removing hatred, enmity, grudges, lies, dishonesty, love for material possessions, insensitivity, and replacing these with good character, positive emotions, and righteous thoughts. The arrival of Mustafa aimed to eliminate these negative aspects from within individuals.
This transformation was not just about individuals but also about society. The society that was once filled with impurities and wrongdoings was cleansed through the teachings of Mustafa (ﷺ). The people who were transformed by his teachings became known as the Sahaba, and each one of them earned the pleasure and approval of Allah. They were individuals who had been purified to the extent that Allah was pleased with them.
The Third Purpose of the Arrival of Mustafa
وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَاب
Allah sent the Messenger (ﷺ) not only to teach the Quran but also to educate people about the Book of Allah. It was not just about translation; the noble companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) used to recite the Quran Majeed in its original Arabic form in his presence. Since the Quran is in Arabic, they had a profound understanding of it. The Ummah knows that prayer is undoubtedly a time-bound obligation for Muslims.
Now, the number of prayers and when to perform them is well-known. You have taught the Ummah the teachings of the Book of Allah, dividing the religion into five branches:
- Beliefs
- Worship
- Transactions
- Social interactions
- Morality
Today, people either focus solely on prayers and neglect their dealings in transactions, social interactions, and morality, or they excel in one area but remain ignorant in others. The arrival of Mustafa was for our homes and businesses as well. It was for our everyday lives. There is a strong emphasis on having excellent morals, even beyond prayers.
The Fourth Purpose of the Arrival of Mustafa.
وَالْحِكْمَةَ
And Allah the Almighty sent the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), so that he may teach you wisdom. What is wisdom? All the interpreters have written that here wisdom refers to knowledge. And knowledge here means that Allah and His Messenger have declared something lawful, so a person should consider it lawful, and when Allah has declared something forbidden, a person should consider it forbidden. Such a person is wise in society. And the one who does not do this is not considered wise in the sight of Allah. A wise person is one who understands what is lawful as lawful and what is forbidden as forbidden. And if such a person fails to distinguish between lawful and forbidden while living in society, then he does not understand wisdom. The purpose is that Allah the Almighty has bestowed countless blessings upon us in life, and among them is the great blessing of the advent of the Mustafa (the Chosen One). May Allah, the Lord of Majesty, grant each of us the ability to fulfill these four purposes. Amen.
