The greatest miracle of the final Rasul, Muhammad (saw) in comparison to the prior Nabis and Rasuls is “KNOWLEDGE”.

He has shared such invaluable knowledge in regard to the creation and make-up of humans, to life after death, and has pointed to such paramount realities through the metaphors and allegories he was forced to use due to the limitations of his time, that the likes of this has not occurred in the history of humans.  

When the Rasul of Allah (saw) said, “The earth is on the horns of a bull” he was symbolically describing the relation between earth and the constellation Taurus, the bull. And when he said the earth is on the back of a fish, again, he was pointing to the era of Pisces that the earth is in. How much more openly could he have said it? 

Moreover, he pointed to a reality, 1400 years ago, that we have only come to discover in the last fifty years:

 “THE SUN WILL GROW SO MUCH THAT IT WILL ONLY BE A ‘MIL’ AWAY FROM EARTH.”

The person who narrated this asks the Rasul (saw), “Does the word “mil” mean a “mile” as in the unit of distance, or the mile we use as an eye liner?”

Let’s consider…

During the 1950’s scientists calculated and predicted that the flames of the Sun will engulf Mercury, Venus and the Earth in the future; devouring the entire earth into its “center” which is 6500 centigrade degrees… 

1400 years ago, a man comes forward and says the Sun will engulf the earth and the earth will evaporate like a drop of water within hell!

Thus, he warns people and reminds them to take precaution and prepare themselves for the future!!!

If our brains do not work enough to evaluate this knowledge, there is nothing further to say!

This man, yes this man, has reminded us, over and over again, of the importance of “knowledge”!

He said, “Only with knowledge can you attain the goods of both this world and the afterlife. If you want the worldly life, turn to knowledge. If you want the afterlife, turn to knowledge. If you want both, again turn to knowledge!”

He said:

“If knowledge is in China, then go to China.”

“Wisdom (the knowledge of the why and how of things) is the lost jewel of a believer, acquire it wherever you find it.”

He told us a true guide is one who is open to all knowledge. He presents knowledge according to the level of the people whom he addresses. He encourages to mix with and talk to everyone, to learn new things, and to teach what you learn… 

A true guide is one who has enough knowledge to correct the wrong information the people may have been given previously. He does not feel the need to restrict people from interacting with others. 

Knowledge is not reading a few books that were written from a few different scholars “on the same path” and then narrating this to others. This is nothing other than pulling people back into the past.

Hadhrat Ali (ra) says, “Raise your children not according to your current time but the times in which they will live.”

This tells us we must be equipped with not only the knowledge of our current times but the knowledge pertaining to the future. 

This being the case, how sad that most people are still regurgitating the knowledge and information of past centuries!

Many intellectuals have spoken out against the dogmatic approach and the outdated information of religion, showing the current advancements of science as proof.  

Incapable of handling these intellectuals, the “narrators” of religion helplessly tell them to stay away from such knowledge. 

The solution is not in fleeing and hiding from the truth, but to confront it and deal with it!

It is not to close your eyes but to open them even wider to determine inadequacies and shortcomings, if any, and replace them with the correct information, to protect the people and prepare them properly for the future. 

It is to become one who has duly comprehended religion rather than simply narrating past information, and to be able to answer the questions that can lead to provocation, in accordance to the time and place of the event.

In short, a true guide should take his power from the truth and have a level of knowledge that can enable those who are stuck within their conditioned worlds to overcome the boundaries of matter and discern the realities of the metaphysical life. 

For all of this there is only one prerequisite…

KNOWLEDGE!