Islam is the invitation of the Lord of this universe. This invitation is for all of humanity and was first extended to humans through their forefather, Adam (PBUH), to him and his progeny. The Quran explains that as differences arose thereafter, Allah sent His messengers to every nation, delivering this invitation to their respective peoples. Through these messengers, the message was conveyed until the truth was fully established, and in accordance with God’s established practice (Sunnatullah), the decision of reward and punishment was issued for those nations with absolute justice in this very world. It has been stated:
[His law is that] for every nation there is a messenger. Then, when their messenger comes their fate is justly decided and no injustice is done to them. (Yunus 10:47)
This was the first phase. After this, the second phase began, in which Allah selected Prophet Abraham (PBUH) and his descendants to convey this message to all the nations of the world, generation after generation, without any interruption. Accordingly, Prophet Abraham (PBUH) was instructed to settle one of his sons, Ishmael, in the Arabian Peninsula and his other son, Isaac, in Canaan, which is now known as Palestine. Along with this, it was decreed that these two regions had been specially designated by Allah for this purpose. Thus, they were declared sacred lands (Ard al-Muqaddasah), and it was established that no one except
وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍۢ رَّسُولٌۭ ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ رَسُولُهُمْ قُضِىَ بَيْنَهُم بِٱلْقِسْطِ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
the followers of Islam would ever permanently settle in these regions. This selection of the progeny of Abraham is referenced in the Quran where it has been stated:
No doubt, God, whilst giving preference to Adam and Noah, Abraham’s family and ‘Imrān’s family over all the nations chose them [to guide these nations] (Aale Imran 3:33)
After this selection, over approximately five centuries, the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac grew into two major Muslim nations in human history for the first time. Consequently, Allah gradually restricted prophethood to their lineage and commanded them that the truth testified to by Allah’s messengers would now be their responsibility to bear witness to before the rest of the world. This arrangement was made by the Lord of the universe as a means for spreading Islam globally, replacing the earlier system of sending separate messengers to each nation.
The first of these nations—the descendants of Ishmael—lived within a tribal society. Therefore, when divine law (Shari‘ah) was revealed to them, it was limited to personal matters. However, the descendants of Isaac were in a different situation. They had been raised within the urban civilization of Egypt, under a large state, and later settled in the fertile lands of figs and olives, including Jerusalem and its surroundings. For this reason, they were given the Torah, in which Allah laid down commands related to collective organization and governance. As a result, the framework of Islam became complete in every respect.
The responsibility of bearing witness to the truth before the nations of the world was carried by the descendants of Isaac for approximately fifteen centuries, serving as the vanguard under the leadership of prophets. However, when they ultimately killed a prophet as noble as John (PBUH) and then conspired to kill Prophet Jesus (PBUH), they were removed from this great responsibility. Allah declared that the position they previously held would now be transferred to the descendants of Ishmael.
Thus, in the sixth century CE, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), was sent with this purpose, initiating the third and final phase of Islam’s global mission. This phase is ongoing. The scheme chosen by Allah for this purpose is as follows:
Firstly, the Quran was revealed. Unlike the previous scriptures given to the descendants of Isaac, such as the Torah, which primarily consisted of laws, and the Gospel (Injil), which focused on wisdom, or the Psalms (Zabur), which is universally recognized as a hymn of praise to the Lord of the universe, the Quran is distinct in its nature. It is not only a comprehensive source of law and wisdom but also a scripture of warning (Inzar) and glad tidings (Basharat).
Accordingly, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was instructed to warn his immediate audience through it. Moreover, the rest of the world was informed that he is ‘a warner to all the world’ (lil-‘alameen nadhiran)1. Thus, the Quran serves as both the book of guidance and the messenger. After its revelation, there is no longer any need for the sending of another prophet.
۞ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰٓ ءَادَمَ وَنُوحًۭا وَءَالَ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَءَالَ عِمْرَٰنَ عَلَى ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
And this Qur’ān has been revealed to me that I may warn you through it and those also whom it may reach. (Al-Anam 6:19)
Secondly, it is not only the Quran; Allah also appointed the descendants of Ishmael as the successors of the prophets. Thus, it has been declared that they are a ‘middle nation’ (ummat-e- wasat)2 between God’s final messenger and the other nations of the world.
Therefore, the testimony that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has borne to them, they are now responsible for bearing to all humanity. They must convey God’s guidance to the people with complete integrity and absolute clarity until the Day of Judgment arrives and everyone is summoned to accountability before Allah:
And [moreover, to discharge the responsibilities of your status,] strive in the way of God in the most befitting way. He has selected you and not placed any constraint on you in [the] sharī‘ah [He has given you]. He has chosen the community of your father – Abraham – for you. It was he who had earlier named you Muslim and in this [Qur’ān] also [your name is Muslim]; chosen you so that the messenger bears witness [to this religion] before you and you bear witness [to it] before all the people of the world. (Al-Hajj 22-78)
This is Allah’s scheme for the propagation of Islam. Those who, despite this, express amazement at the concept of the finality of prophethood or consider the prophethood and messengership of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to be restricted to a specific nation, region, or era, can only be described in the following way:
Therefore, the testimony that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has borne to them, they are now responsible for bearing to all humanity. They must convey God’s guidance to the people with complete integrity and absolute clarity until the Day of Judgment arrives and everyone is summoned to accountability before Allah:
Choon nadeedand haqeeqat, rah afsānah zadand.
(When they failed to perceive the truth, they resorted to fabricating tales.)
وَجَٰهِدُوا۟ فِى ٱللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِۦ ۚ هُوَ ٱجْتَبَىٰكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍۢ ۚ مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ ۚ هُوَ سَمَّىٰكُمُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ مِن قَبْلُ وَفِى هَٰذَا لِيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ ۚ فَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ هُوَ مَوْلَىٰكُمْ ۖ فَنِعْمَ ٱلْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ ٱلنَّصِيرُ
- Surah Al-Furqan 25:1
- Surah Al-Baqarah 2:143