Page 108 - Tafsir of surat at tawba repentance

© Islamic Online University Usool at-Tafseer

They contained principles which were not time or situation oriented and could be
revealed all at once, at the beginning of a mission or at any point during it. It
should also be noted that the earlier books were not in themselves miracles,
whereas in the case of the Last Prophet (r), it was the major miracle given to him,
for, as was mentioned earlier, the segmentation of the revelation combined with
the consistency of style was a proof of its divine origin. Also, the earlier prophets
were both preceded and followed by other prophets, so each prophet and his book
represented a segment of the overall revelation. Thus, the gradation in legislation
took place from prophet to prophet. Prophet Muhammad (r) was the last of the
prophets and his book of revelation contained the essential messages of all
previous books. Thus, his followers had to be properly prepared to carry the final
message to the world. As such, the gradation in legislation had to take place
within the message itself.

http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com 29