Continuation of Prophetic Mission
Take an overall look at the Holy Prophet’s life and circumstances, his sayings, deeds, morals and character. No researcher can even think of saying that upon arriving in Madinah, he abandoned his prophetic mission in favor of the office of king and head of state?
The circumstances of the entire life of the Holy Prophet, especially his life in Madinah, show clearly that he never left his true role of a Perfect Prophet. He was not a king in the manner in which one normally finds worldly kings to be. His kingship was a manifestation of the sovereignty of God. Being illumined with the divine light of Prophethood, his accepting to become the Head of State in the Madinite Era was not as a consequence of the weakness of his spirit. It was also not motivated by personal interest or great attraction of the office. Neither was it from a desire to escape from the discharge of his religious duties.
Laying the foundation of the Islamic State with the light of the sovereignty of God was a great help to establish in the world the freedom of faith, establish spirituality, and to give it life. It was necessary that later on Islamic kings and kingdoms could adopt these ways in their regimes, thereby enabling mankind to walk down the roads of peace and security, high morals and righteousness. Toynbee presents Jesus in comparison. No doubt, Jesus was a righteous Prophet of God. But he was never given the opportunity to establish the “kingdom of God’ on earth. It was not destined for him. This was destined, in accord with previous prophecies, for the Holy Prophet. Therefore, Toynbee’s comparison of Jesus with the Holy Prophet must either be a consequence of his lack of knowledge, or his lack of attention. A researcher historian such as Toynbee should have displayed knowledge of all that we find in the books of history and the biographies of the Holy Prophet written by fair-minded orientalists. Toynbee would surely not have had to hear this dangerous taunt from his contemporaries as far as his treatment of personalities is concerned. Bigotry not to be expected from an objective and fair-minded researcher is clearly visible in his writing about the Holy Prophet.