The Prophet Muhammad A simple Guide to his Life
The Prophet in the Qur’an
~ 37 ~
What is the reason for these two starkly different
pictures of one and the same personality? It is that a
Prophet in his lifetime appears to his
contemporaries as a common man. But over the
centuries he acquires the status of an established
personality and thus attains historical grandeur.
In the first picture, the Prophet has yet to receive
acclaim, while in the second, the Prophet is at the
zenith of historical grandeur.
The Qur’an tells us that only that faith is acceptable
to God, which conforms to the example set by the
Companions:
“If they believe as you have done, they shall be rightly
guided; if they do not, they shall surely be in schism.
Against them, God is your all-sufficient defender. He
is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” (2:137)
The Companions are those believers who were the
Prophet’s contemporaries. They saw the initial
picture of the Prophet when he had not yet acquired
an aura of historical grandeur, yet they recognized
the greatness in him. At that time the Prophet
appeared to be a common man like any other, and
