There is no nation known to history like the people of
Israel, which during a period of less than four hundred years,
was infested with myriads of false prophets, not to mention
the swarms of sorcerers, soothsayers and all sorts of witchcrafts and magicians. The false prophets were of two kinds:
those who professed the religion and the Torah (Law) of
Yahweh and pretended to prophesy in His Name, and those
who under the patronage of an idolater Israelite monarch
prophesied in the name of Baal or other deities of the
neighboring heathen peoples. Belonging to the former
category there were several impostors as contemporaries with
the true prophets like Mikha (Micah) and Jeremiah, and
to the latter there were those who gave much trouble to
Elijah, and caused the massacres of the true prophets and
believers during the reign of Ahab and his wife Jezebel.
Most dangerous of all to the cause of true faith and religion
were the pseudo-prophets, who conducted the divine services
in the temple as well as in the Misphas and pretended to
deliver the oracles of God to the people. No prophet, perhaps, received at the hands of these impostors more of
persecution and hardships than the Prophet Jeremiah.
While still a young man, Jeremiah began his prophetic
mission about the latter quarter of the seventh century before
the Christian era, when the Kingdom of Judah was in great
danger of invasion by the armies of the Chaldeans. The
Jews had entered into alliance with the Pharaoh of Egypt,
but as the latter had been badly defeated by the troops of
Nebuchadnezzar, Jerusalem's doom was merely a question of
time. In these critical days, during which the fate of the
remnant of the people of God was to be decided, the Prophet
Jeremiah was stoutly advising the king and the leaders of the
Jews to submit and serve the King of Babylon, so that Jerusalem might be saved from being burnt down to ashes and
the people from being deported into captivity. He poured
out all his eloquent and fiery discourses into the ears of the
kings, the priests, and the elders of the people, but all of no
avail. He delivered message after message from God, saying
that the only remedy for saving the country and the people
from the imminent destruction was to submit to the Chaldeans; but there was no one to lend ear to his warnings.
Nebuchadnezzar comes and takes the city, carries away
with him the king, the princes, and many captives, as well
as all the treasures of the temple, including the gold and silver
vessels. Another prince, and a third one, is appointed by the
Emperor of Babylon to reign as his vassal in Jerusalem. This
king, instead of being wise and loyal to his master of Babylon,
revolts against him. Jeremiah incessantly admonishes the
king to remain loyal and to abandon the Egyptian policy.
But the false prophets continue to harangue in the temple,
saying: "Thus says the Lord of hosts, Behold, I have broken
the yoke of the King of Babylon, and in two years' time all
the Jewish captives and the vessels of the House of God will
be returned to Jerusalem." Jeremiah makes a wooden yoke
round his own neck and goes to the temple and tells the
people that God has been pleased to place in this way the
yoke of the monarch of Babylon upon the neck of all the
Jews. He is struck on the face by one opponent prophet,
who breaks to pieces the wooden yoke from Jeremiah's neck
and repeats the harangue of the false prophets. Jeremiah is
thrown into a deep dungeon full of mire, and is fed only on
a dry loaf of barley a day until a famine prevails in the city,
which is besieged by the Chaldeans. The pseudo-prophet
Hananiah dies as Jeremiah had foretold. The wall of the
city is thrown down somewhere, and the victorious army
rushes into the city, the fleeing King Zedekiah and his retinue
are seized and taken to the King of Babylon. The city and
the temple, after being pillaged, are set on fire and all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem are carried into Babylonia; only the
poorer classes are left to cultivate the land. By order of
Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah is granted a favor of staying in
Jerusalem, and the newly appointed governor, Gedaliah, is
charged to guard and well look after the prophet. But
Gedaliah is killed by the rebellious Jews, and then they all
flee to Egypt, carrying Jeremiah with them. Even in Egypt
he prophesies against the fugitives and the Egyptians. He
must have ended his life in Egypt.
His books, as it now stands, is quite different from the
text of the Septuagint; evidently the copy from which the
Greek text was written by the Alexandrian translators had a
different order of chapters.
The Biblical critics consider that Jeremiah was the
author, or, at any rate, a compiler, of the fifth book of the
Pentateuch called Deuteronomy. I myself am of the same
opinion. Jeremiah was a Levite and a priest as well as a
prophet. There is much of Jeremiah's teachings in Deuteronomy which are unknown in the rest of the Old Testament
writings. And I take one of these teachings for my present
subject, which I consider as one of the gems or golden texts
of the Old Testament and must be esteemed very precious
and holy.
After this detailed explanation I hasten to the main
point which I have selected for the topic of this article: How
to distinguish a genuine prophet from a false prophet.
Jeremiah has supplied us with a fairly satisfactory answer,
namely:
"THE PROPHET WHO TEACHES ISLAM"
In the Book of Deuteronomy (xiii. 1- 5, xviii. 20 - 22)
God the Almighty gives some instructions concerning the
false prophets who may prophesy in the Name of the Lord
and in such an insidious way that they could mislead His
people. Further, he tells us that the best way to find out the
impostor's perfidy was to anticipate the fulfillment of his predictions, and then to put him to death when his fraud was
divulged. But, as is well known, the ignorant cannot well
distinguish between the genuine prophet and the imposter,
just as much as they to-day are unable to definitely discover
which of the two, a Roman Catholic priest or a Calvinist
minister, is a genuine follower of Jesus Christ! A false prophet would also foretell events, work wonders, and do other
religious things similar - at least in appearance - to those
performed by a true one. The competition between the Prophet Moses
and the magicians of Egypt is an apt illustration
of this statement. Thus it is Jeremiah who gives us the best
way of testing the veracity, the genuineness, of a prophet, and
that way is the sign of Islam. Please read the whole chapter
xxviii. of Jeremiah, and then ponder and reflect on the ninth
verse: -
"The prophet which foretells the Islam (Shalom),
at the coming of the word of the Prophet, that prophet
will be recognized to have been sent by God in truth"
(Jer. xviii. 9).
This translation is strictly literal. The original verb naba,
usually translated as "to foretell" or "to prophesy," and the
noun nabi, "a prophet" has given the impression that a prophet is a person who foretells the future or past events by the
aid of divine revelation. This definition is only partially true.
The complete definition of the word "Prophet" must be: "one
who receives oracles or messages from God, and delivers
them faithfully to the person or people intended." It is evident
that a divine message need not necessarily be a foretelling of
past and future events. In the same way verb "prophesy"
does not necessarily mean to reveal the past or future
occurrences, but rather to preach or promulgate the message
from God. Consequently to prophesy is to deliver and utter
a new oracle, its nature or character being quite immaterial.
To read the words of a prophet would be to prophesy no
more than would a prophet deliver an oracle when making
a discourse or public speech of his own accord. In the
Qur'an God orders His beloved worshiper Prophet Muhammad to
declare: "Say: 'I am only human like you, revealed to me
is that your God is One God....'" Ch. 18:110 so that
we may be careful not to attribute to any of the prophets
the quality of knowing and saying everything through the
Revelation. The Divine Revelations used to come at
intervals, while the prophets in their personal
intercourse and knowledge might be liable to mistakes and
errors. A prophet is not appointed by God to teach humanity
physics, mathematics, or any other positive science. It would
be very unjust on our part to blame a prophet for a slip of
language or a mistake committed as a man.
A prophet, therefore, is the subject of test and examination only when he officially and formally delivers the
Message he has received from his Lord. His private affairs,
his family concerns, and his personal attainments do not
concern us so much as his mission and office. In order to
find out whether a prophet is genuine or an impostor, it is
not fair to give a verdict against his prophetical character
because he is reported to have been a little harsh or rude to
his mother or because he believed in the literal inspiration
and the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. While making
this observation, I have in mind the case of Jesus Christ, and
many others in the history of Israel on other points.
It is mala fides and ill will to accuse prophets of sensuality, rudeness, ignorance in sciences, and of other personal
frailties. They were men like ourselves and subject to the
same natural inclinations and passions. They were protected
from mortal sins and from the perversion of the message
they had to hand further. We must be extremely careful not
to exalt the prophets of God too high in our imagination,
lest God be displeased with us. They are all His creatures
and worshipers; they accomplished their work and returned
to Him. The moment we forget God and concentrate our
love and admiration upon the person of any of the messengers
of God we are in danger of falling into the sin of polytheism.
Having so far explained the nature and the signification
of the prophet and the prophecy, I shall now endeavor to
prove that no prophet could be genuine unless, as Jeremiah
expressly says, he preaches and propagates the religion of
Islam.
In order to understand better the sense and the importance of the passage under
our contemplation we should just cast a glance over the preceding verse where
Jeremiah tells his antagonist Prophet Hananiah: "The prophets that have been
before me and before thee from old (times) prophesied against many lands, and
against great kingdoms, concerning war and evil and pestilence." Then he proceeds:
-
"The prophet that prophesies concerning Islam as
soon as the word of the prophet comes, that prophet is
known to have been sent by the Lord in truth."
There can be raised no serious objection to the English wording of this passage
excepting the clause "l shalom" which I have translated as "concerning Islam."
The preposition "l" before "shalom" signifies "concerning" or "about," and places
its subject in the objective case and not in the dative, as it would be if the
predicate were a verb like "come," "go," or "give."
That "shalom" and the Syriac "Shlama," as well as the Arabic "salam" and "Islam,"
are of one and the same Semitic root, "shalam," and mean the same thing, is
an admitted truth by all the scholars of the Semitic languages. The verb "shalam"
signifies "to submit, resign oneself to," and then "to make peace;" and consequently
"to be safe, sound, and tranquil." No religious system in the world has ever
been qualified with a better and more comprehensive, dignified, and sublime
name than that of "Islam.' The true Religion of the True God cannot be named
after the name of any of His worshipers, and much less after the name of a people
or country. It is, indeed, this sanctity and the inviolability of the word "Islam"
that strikes its opponents with awe, fear, and reverence even when the Muslims
are weak and unhappy. It is the name and title of a religion that teaches and
commands an absolute submission and resignation of will and self to the Supreme
Being, and then to obtain peace and tranquillity in mind and at home, no matter
what tribulations or passing misfortunes may threaten us that fills its opponents
with awe (1).
------------- Footnote (1) It is interesting and significant to note how
the observations of the learned professor coincide with those of the ex-Kaiser
of Germany who on the occasion of his seventieth birthday celebrations at Doorn,
Holland, was reported to have said in his speech: "And understand this - if
ever the Muhammadans should conceive the idea that it is the command of Allah
to bring order into a declining West and subjugate to His will, then - with
faith in God - they will come upon the godless Europeans like a tidal wave,
against which even the reddest Bolshevist, full of eagerness for combat, will
be helpless." (Evening Standard, London, January 26, 1929.) ------------- End
of footnote
It is the firm and unshaking belief in the Oneness
of Allah and the unswerving confidence in His Mercy and
justice that makes a Muslim distinguishable and prominent
among non-Muslims. And it is this sound faith in Allah and
the sincere attachment to His Holy Qur'an and the Prophet
that the Christian missionaries have been desperately attacking and have hopelessly failed. Hence, Jeremiah's words
that "the Prophet who prophesies, namely, who preaches and
speaks concerning the affairs of Islam as his religion, he will
at once be known to have been sent by the Lord in truth."
Let us, therefore, take into serious consideration the following points:-
1. The Prophet Jeremiah is the only prophet before
Christ who uses the word Shalom in the sense of a religion.
He is the only prophet who uses this word with the object
of setting or proving the veracity of a messenger of God.
According to the Qur'anic revelation, Prophets Abraham, Ishmael,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all the prophets were Muslims, and
professed Islam as their religion. The term "Islam" and its
equivalents, "Shalom" and Shlama," were known to the Jews
and Christians of Mecca and Medina when Prophet Muhammad appeared
to perfect and universalize the religion of Islam. A
prophet who predicts "peace" as an abstract, vague and
temporary condition cannot succeed in proving his identity
thereby. In fact, the point of dispute, or rather the critical
national question, controverted by the two eminent prophets
known to the court and the nation like Jeremiah and Hananiah (Jer. xxviii.), could not be solved and definitely settled
by the affirmation of the one and the denial of the other, of
the imminent catastrophe. To predict "peace" by Jeremiah
when he had all the time been predicting the great national
disaster - either by the submission of the King Sidaqia to
the Chaldean sovereign or by his resistance - would not
only involve his failure, not to talk of his being a success in
proving his veracity, but also it would make him even ridiculous. For, in either case, his presumed "peace" would
mean no peace at all. On the contrary, if the Jews resisted
the Chaldean army, it meant a complete national ruin, and if
they submitted, an unconditional servitude. It is evident,
therefore, that Jeremiah uses the term "Shalom" in the sense
of a tangible, concrete, and real religious system which Islam
comprises. To make it more clear, we should attentively
listen to the arguments of the two opponent prophets discussing and disputing the national question in the presence of
a wicked king and his court of vile flatterers and depraved
hypocrites. Jeremiah has at heart the cause of God and His
religion of peace, and in the vital interests of the religion
of peace, or Islam, he advises the wicked king and his courtiers to submit to the yoke of Babylon and serve the Chaldeans
and live. For there was no other alternative open to them.
They had abandoned the God of their forefathers, polluted
His temple, mocked and reviled His prophets, and committed
evil and treachery (2 Chron. xxxvi. etc.). So God had
delivered them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, and would
not save them. For a true and sincere worshiper of God, the
religion comes first and the nation after. It is the government and the nation - especially when they have forsaken
God - that are to be sacrificed for the cause of religion, and
not vice versa! The other Prophet of Gibeon, called Hananiah, sought to please his master the king; he was a courtier
and favorite, rich and in splendor, whereas his antagonist
was always languishing and starving in the prisons and
dungeons. He cares not a fillip for the religion and the real
welfare of the people. He is also a prophet, for so says the
Book of Jeremiah, yet he is a villain, and has exchanged God
for a depraved king! He prophesies in the name of the same
God as does Jeremiah, and announces the return of the booty
and the captives from Babylon in two years' time.
Now, from the above imperfect description of the prophets, which of the two would you qualify as the true worshiper
of God and as the loyal defender of God's religion? Surely
Jeremiah would at once attract your sympathy and choice.
2. It is only the religion of Shalom, of Islam, that can
testify to the character and the office of a true prophet, Imam,
or any minister of God on earth. God is One, and His religion is one. There is no other religion in the world like
Islam, which professes and defends this absolute Oneness of
the Deity. He who, therefore, sacrifices every other interest,
honor and love for the cause of this Holy Religion, he is
undoubtedly the genuine prophet and the minister of God.
But there is still one thing more worthy of our notice, and
that thing is this. If the religion of Islam is not the standard
and the measure by which to test the veracity of a prophet or
minister of God, then there is no other criterion to answer
that purpose. A miracle is not always a sufficient proof, for
the sorcerers also work wonders. The fulfillment of a prophecy or prediction, too, is not in itself a sufficient proof;
for just as one holy Spirit reveals a future event to a true
prophet, so does sometimes an evil spirit the same to an
imposter. Hence it is clear that the prophet who "prophesies
concerning Shalom - Islam - as being the name of Faith
and path of life, as soon as he receives a message from God
he will be known to have been sent by Him." Such was the
argument which Jeremiah had recourse to and with which
he wished to convince his audience of the falsity of Hananiah.
But the wicked king and his entourage would not listen to and
obey the Word of God.
3. As argued in the preceding paragraph, it should be noted that neither the
fulfillment of a prediction nor the work- ing of a miracle was enough to prove
the genuine character of a prophet; that the loyalty and strict attachment to
the religion is the best and the decisive proof for the purpose; that "Shalom"
was used to express the religion of peace. Once again we repeat the same assertion
that Shalom is no other than Islam. And we demand from those who would object
to this interpretation to produce an Arabic word be- sides Islam and Salam as
the equivalent of the Shalom, and also to find for us another word in Hebrew
besides Shalom that would convey and express the same meaning as Islam. It is
impossible to produce another such an equivalent. Therefore we are forced to
admit that Shalom is the same as "salam" or "peace" in the abstract, and "Islam"
as a religion and faith in the concrete.
4. As the Qur'an in chap. ii expressly reminds us that Abraham and his sons
and grandsons were the followers of Islam; that they were neither Jews nor Christians;
that they preached and propagated the worship and the faith in the one God to
all the peoples among whom they sojourned or dwelt, we must admit that not only
the Jews, but several other nations that descended from the other sons of Abraham
and many tribes converted and absorbed by them, were also Muslims; that is to
say, believers in Allah and resigned to His Will. There were the people of Esau,
the Edomites, the Midianites, and numerous other peoples living in Arabia, who
knew God and worshipped Him like the Israelites. These peoples had also their
own prophets and religious guides like Job, Jethro (the father-in-law of the
Prophet Moses), Balaam, Hud, and many others. But they, like the Jews, had taken
to idolatry until it was totally eradicated by the Prince of the prophets. The
Jews, in about the fifth century B.C., produced the greater portion of their
canonical books of the Old Testament, when the memories of the conquest of the
land of Canaan by Joshua, the temple and Jerusalem of Solomon, were events buried
in the past epochs of their wondrous history. A nationalistic and Judaistic
spirit of solicitude and seclusion reigned among the small remnant of Israel;
the belief in the coming of a great Savior to restore the lost throne and crown
of David was regnant, and the old meaning of "Shalom" as the name of the religion
of Abraham and common to all the different peoples descended from him was no
longer remembered. It is from this point of view that I regard this passage
of Jeremiah as one of the golden texts in the Hebrew sacred writ.
