We sent thee only as a mercy to the worlds. In the days of the interval between prophets, before MuṣṬafā the Arab was given his mission, the beauty of the submission had pulled its face behind the mask of exaltedness. They considered nature the effec- tor and originator. They had taken up a road whose end was nothing but blindness and misguidance. They considered intellect as God, they made nature its messenger, and they called the spheres the de- terminer. They made what intellect deemed beautiful their Shariah and they called what nature disliked “prohibited things.” They were busy with the celestial figures and guises and wasted their days with epicycles and falsifications. Suddenly the sun of the Muhammadan Shariah's good fortune appeared from the horizon of the unitary welcome: We sent thee only as a mercy to the worlds. Tubbaʿ, the king of Himyar, said to his diviner, “Do you find any kingdom whose kingdom is greater than mine?” The diviner said, “Yes, there is a prophet on the way whose kingdom will be greater than the kingdom of the world's folk. He will be a master, a paragon, a leader; on his forehead will be the light of prostration, on his eyebrows the light of humility, on his hair the light of beauty, in his eyes the light of heedfulness, in his face the light of mercy, between his shoulders the light of prophecy, in his heart the light of recognition, in his secret core the light of love, in his speech the light of wisdom, in his wisdom the light of jealousy, in his jealousy the light of the Presence. He will be pious and blessed, and aided by triumph. He is described in the Psalms, and his community is considered most excellent in the scriptures. He will dispel the darknesses with light. He is AḤmad the prophet. Blessed will be his community when he comes!” It has been sung, Surely the Messenger is a sword that brightens, Indian steel, a drawn sword of God. I have been told that God's Messenger threatened me, but pardon from God's Messenger is to be hoped. He was a man who came out from under the cloak of ʿAbdallāh ibn ʿAbd al-MuṬṬalib. He passed by mortal loins, but he received help from the Unseen.
