Page 59 - Demo

Muhammad in the Bible David Benjamin KeldaniEdited & Annotated by: Prof. Dawud M. R. Alhanbali & Prof, Dr. Kaseb A. Albadran ( 59 )are not made sinlesssaints because their piety and good works would not be the outcome of effort and struggle against evil, and, therefore, not justly meritorious. They are not appointed to become workers of supernatural miracles because they have a firm and sound faith in their Lord.Further, this “Sibghatullah” makesthe true Muslims grave, constant in their duties to Allah and towards their fellowmen, especially towards their families. It does not move them to the folly of believing themselves holier than their co-religionists, and so to arrogate the post of pastorship to themselves over others asif they were theirflocks and herds. Fanaticism,religious conceit, and the like are not operations of the Holy Spirit. Every Muslim receives at his creation the same “Sibghatu’llah” the same religion and spiritual baptism, and has to run the race of his short earthly life to the best of his ability and effort in orderto win the crown of glory in the next world. Every Muslim needs only education and religious training in accordance with the wisdom of the Word of God. However, he needs not the intercession of a priest,sacrament, orsaint. Every enlightened believer can become an Imam, a missionary, a preacher according to hislearning and religious zeal, not for vainglory or lucrative gain.In short, every Muslim, whether at his birth or at his conversion, is baptized spiritually, and becomes a citizen of the Kingdom of God, a free man, and possesses equal rights and obligations, according to his ability, virtue, knowledge, wealth, rank.St. John the Baptist (pbuh) ascribes this spiritual and igneous baptism to the Great Apostle of Allah, not as a divine being, God, or son of God, but as a holy agent, and as an instrument through which this Divine baptismalsacrament wasto be operated. Muhammad (pbuh) delivered the Message of Allah, which was His Word; he led the prayers,