Quranic Objectives of the Arrival of Mustafa ﷺ

The Quranic Objectives of the Arrival of Mustafa صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم (Part 03)

The Establishment of a System of Life Based on Justice

One of the great and timeless purposes behind Allah Almighty sending the noble Prophets عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامhas always been to establish justice within societies, eliminate oppression and exploitation, and to bring a balanced order to every sphere of life in harmony with human nature, needs, and the truth.

The arrival of the noble Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was a continuation of this mission, but it stood out for its perfection and completion. He was sent to present humanity with a comprehensive system of life that establishes justice in every field, from acts of worship to economy, society, judiciary matters, trade, and education.

The noble Quran expresses this grand objective in these words:

لَقَدْ اَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا بِالْبَیِّنٰتِ وَ اَنْزَلْنَا مَعَهُمُ الْكِتٰبَ وَ الْمِیْزَانَ لِیَقُوْمَ النَّاسُ بِالْقِسْطِۚ-

Indeed, We have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs and We sent down, with them, the Book and the Scales that people would stand with justice.[1]

This is a comprehensive declaration that the objective of sending Prophets عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَام, alongside ensuring individual salvation in the Hereafter, was to establish justice on a collective, worldly level. The Book (revelation) and the Balance (the measure of moderation and justice) were revealed with the Messengers عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَام to protect society from oppression, injustice, and the misuse of power.

Before the noble Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم began his call in Mecca, oppression, slavery, racism, and economic exploitation were deeply rooted there. The powerful oppressed the weak, women were denied inheritance, the wealth of orphans was usurped, and judgments were driven by clan prejudice. At such a time, the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, in light of divine revelation, presented and implemented principles of justice. In his presence, even an unknown person would receive justice if he was in the right.

It is famously recorded that when a noblewoman of the Quraysh (Fāṭimah al-Makhzūmiyyah) committed theft, some sought to intercede for her. The noble Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم sternly declared: "If Muhammad’s daughter Fāṭimah were to steal, I would sever her hand."[2]

This powerful statement affirmed that justice is bound only to truth, not to tribe, rank or power.

The noble Quran does not present justice merely as moral virtue but as a divine command:

اِنَّ اللّٰهَ یَاْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَ الْاِحْسَانِ

Allah commands justice, and virtue,[3]

The mission of Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم,to establish justice, was in reality a display of Allah's attribute of justice, presented to the world in the form of a functioning society.

Even today, when the world is afflicted with oppression, inequality, classism, racism, and political tyranny, the mission of the noble Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم calls upon the Ummah to make justice the foundation of their actions, institutions, laws, and attitudes. To fulfill this call is both a testimony to the truth of his Prophethood and a natural demand of faith.

Awakening heedless nations

Before the arrival of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, humanity lay asleep in darkness. Intellect and understanding had become dormant, consciousness was overcome by prejudice, and hearts had become lost in the world. In such a state, Allah Almighty sent His final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to awaken the world and teach them the true purpose of life.

The noble Quran describes this previous heedlessness of mankind in these words:

لِتُنْذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّاۤ اُنْذِرَ اٰبَآؤُهُمْ فَهُمْ غٰفِلُوْنَ(۶)

That you may warn the nation whose forefathers were not warned due to which they are in heedlessness.[4]

This heedlessness was not merely a lack of knowledge; it was the death of reflection and spiritual awareness. For centuries, no Prophet had come, divine scriptures had been forgotten, and human societies were lost in empty rituals, status, wealth, and the worship of man-made deities.

The noble Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم called out to the sleeping Quraysh of Mecca and said, قُولُوا لَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ تُفْلِحُوا – “Say, 'There is no god but Allah', and you will succeed.”

He not only declared the Oneness of Allah Almighty but also reminded people of their true duty:

یٰۤاَیُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوْا رَبَّكُمُ

People! Worship your Lord,[5]

This call was a stirring message that pulled people out of their egos and brought them into the servitude of Allah Almighty. The noble Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, like a preacher awakening those lost in sleep, moved the hearts and repeatedly proclaimed: “اَفَلَا تَعْقِلُوْن؟”, “اَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُوْن؟”, and “اَفَلَا یَنْظُرُوْن؟”.

This aspect of the Prophet’s mission was vitally important. Regarding this, Allah Almighty announced:

وَ اَنْذِرْهُمْ یَوْمَ الْاٰزِفَةِ

And warn them of the imminent Day of calamity[6]

The most dangerous kind of sleep is the heedlessness that makes one forget the Hereafter. The noble Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was sent to awaken hearts before the Day of Judgement arrives.

Today, this great objective of the Prophet’s mission calls upon the Muslim Ummah to awaken the heedless world with knowledge, love, thought, wisdom, and empathy. Modern humanity, intoxicated by wealth and pleasure, needs to hear the message that echoed from the Cave of Ḥirāˈ:

اِقْرَاْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِیْ خَلَقَۚ(۱)

Read in the name of your Lord Who created.[7]

Even today, this same revelation, this same message, and this same objective are the only path to the world’s salvation.

Issuing glad tidings to the believers and warning deniers

Allah Almighty sent every messenger with two matters: Bashārah (glad tidings) and Indhār (warning). These two aspects create the perfect balance between the call of Prophethood, mercy, and justice, which draws a person's heart towards their Lord. These two matters were also central facets of the beloved Prophet’s arrival.

Allah Almighty made the beloved Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم a Bashīr for the believers—i.e., a giver of good tidings of Paradise, forgiveness, and His pleasure. He also made him a Nadhīr for disbelievers, polytheists, and hypocrites—i.e., he who warns mankind of evil, punishment, and the horrors of the Day of Judgement.

The noble Quran repeatedly mentions these two attributes of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم:

اِنَّاۤ اَرْسَلْنٰكَ شَاهِدًا وَّ مُبَشِّرًا وَّ نَذِیْرًاۙ(۸)

We sent you as a witness and a bearer of glad tidings and a warner.[8]

These three attributes—Shāhid (witness), Mubashshir (giver of good tidings), and Nadhīr (warner)—perfectly express the wisdom of the Prophetic mission. The noble Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم spoke words that refreshed the hearts of the believers and struck the hearts of those who were ungrateful.

Every promise, every verse, and every supplication he uttered carried a fragrance that brought life to the hearts of the believers. His advent was the result of Allah's promises to the believers:

وَ بَشِّرِ الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ اَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنّٰتٍ

Give glad tidings to those who embraced faith and performed righteous deeds that for them there are gardens[9]

This good news was not limited to Paradise in the Hereafter. Even in this world, believers received glad tidings of divine help, tranquility, and mercy.

The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَيَّ صَلَاةً صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ بِهَا عَشْراً – “Whoever recites ṣalāt upon me once has ten mercies sent upon him by Allah.”[10]

Just as rain is a mercy for some and a flood for others, the arrival of the Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم became a warning for those who turned away from the truth, mocked revelation, or denied the call to the Oneness of Allah Almighty. For them, the beloved Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم came as a Nadhīr—one who warns and advises.

اِنَّمَاۤ اَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ وَّ لِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ۠(۷)

You are a warner and a guide for every nation.[11]

For the deniers of the truth, the noble Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم explained the horrors of the Day of Judgement, the punishment of Hell, and the wrath of Allah Almighty.

The noble Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم being a warner is mentioned in Surah al-Muddathhir as follows:

یٰۤاَیُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُۙ(۱) قُمْ فَاَنْذِرْﭪ(۲)

O cloaked one! Arise and warn.[12]

This warning was for Caesar, Chosroes, the Quraysh, Jews, Christians, and all of humanity, so that no one could claim on the Day of Judgement that no warner came to them.

The arrival of the beloved Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was a manifestation of perfect wisdom, in which both good tidings and warnings were presented together—neither instilling such fear that hope would vanish, nor imparting such hope that people would become emboldened in sin. This balance is a proof of the truth of his Prophethood.

وَ مَا نُرْسِلُ الْمُرْسَلِیْنَ اِلَّا مُبَشِّرِیْنَ وَ مُنْذِرِیْنَۚ-

And We only send messengers as bearers of glad tidings and warners.[13]

The Ummah of the beloved Prophet Muhammadصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم should likewise become a source of good news for the believers, and a voice of invitation and warning for the deniers. We must revive a style of preaching free of anger and sarcasm, but filled with love, wisdom, and benevolence, as we are the followers of a Prophet who is a bearer of glad tidings and a warner.