Tunapotazama juhudi kubwa zilizofanywa na Mitume wa Mwenyezi Mungu (amani iwe juu yao wote) katika kuwasilisha uongofu kwa wanadamu waliokaza katika upotovu, na tukizingatia kwamba ilikuwa mapenzi ya Mwenyezi Mungu kuwatuma wao, mmoja baada ya mwingine, kwa kusudi hili, hatuna budi kujawa na mshangao mkubwa.
When we look at the great efforts exerted by Gods messengers (peace be upon them all) in presenting guidance to a stubbornly erroneous humanity, and consider that it has been Gods will to send them, one after another, for this purpose, we should be nothing less than overwhelmed.
Swali linaweza kuulizwa kwa haki: je, matokeo yamehalalisha juhudi hizo ndefu na dhabihu tukufu, kuanzia zama za mapema za Nuhu hadi wakati wa Muhammad ﷺ mwenyewe, pamoja na juhudi na dhabihu zilizofanywa na waumini katika wakati uliokuwa katikati na uliofuata kwa ajili ya ujumbe wa Mwenyezi Mungu? Hata hivyo, juhudi na dhabihu hizo zimeendelea kufanywa bila kukoma, licha ya dhihaka na matusi. Kwa hakika, baadhi ya Mitume walikabiliwa na kuchomwa moto au kukatwa wawili kwa msumeno, au walilazimika kukimbia nchi yao na kuwaacha familia zao. Ujumbe wa mwisho ulipotolewa, Nabii Muhammad ﷺ na wale waliomfuata walifanya juhudi kubwa kuuimarisha. Juhudi na dhabihu zaidi zimefanywa na waumini tangu hapo. Swali ni hili: je, matokeo yanahalalisha juhudi na dhabihu hizo? Je, mapambano haya yapaswa kuendelezwa? Je, binadamu anastahili utunzaji huo wa kimungu?
One may well ask whether the results have justified such long efforts and noble sacrifices, from Noahs early time through to Muhammad’s own time, as well as the intervening and subsequent efforts and sacrifices made by believers in Gods message. Nonetheless such efforts and sacrifices have continuously been made and this in the face of ridicule and abuse. Indeed some messengers faced burning in the fire or were cut in halves with a saw, or had to flee their homeland and abandon their families. When the final message was given, the Prophet Muhammad and those who followed him made strenuous efforts to establish it. Further efforts and sacrifices have been made by believers ever since. The question is, then whether the results justify such efforts and sacrifices? Should this struggle be maintained? Does humanity deserve such divine care?
Je, kiumbe huyu duni anayeitwa binadamu, mwenye kiburi na ukaidi kiasi cha kupinga ukweli hata sasa, anastahili kweli huduma kama hii kutoka kwa Mwenyezi Mungu, ambayo inadhihirika katika kutuma Mitume mmoja baada ya mwingine?
Does this insignificant creature called man, so arrogant and stubborn that he still resists the truth, deserve such care from God manifested in sending messenger after messenger?
Jibu, baada ya kufikiri sana na kutafakari, ni bila shaka "Ndiyo, hakika." Kuanzisha ukweli wa imani duniani kunastahili juhudi zote hizi, mapambano na dhabihu zilizofanywa na Mitume wa Mwenyezi Mungu na wafuasi wao katika kila kizazi. Pengine kuanzishwa kwa ukweli huu ni kukubwa kuliko kuwepo kwa binadamu, na kukubwa kuliko dunia na wote wanaoishi juu yake. Hakika ni kukubwa kuliko ulimwengu ambamo dunia ni chembe ndogo tu, isiyoonekana kwa urahisi.
The answer based on much thought and reflection is unarguably ‘Yes, indeed/ To establish the truth of faith on earth merits all these efforts, struggles and sacrifices made by Gods messengers and their followers throughout every generation. Perhaps the establishment of this truth is greater than mans existence, and greater than the earth and all who live on it. It is indeed greater than the universe in which the earth is no more than a little, hardly visible particle.
Mungu ameamua kumuumba binadamu akiwa na sifa maalum zinazofanya kuthibitika kwa ukweli huu katika dhamiri yake na mwenendo wa maisha yake kutegemee juhudi zake mwenyewe za kibinadamu, kwa msaada na uongozi wa Mungu. Hatujui kwa nini Mungu alimuumba binadamu hivyo, wala kwa nini alifanya upatikanaji wake wa imani kutegemea juhudi zake mwenyewe, wala kwa nini alimfanya asiwe mwamini mtiifu kwa asili kama malaika, wala kiumbe mwovu kabisa na asiyetii kama Shetani. Hata hivyo, tunaamini kwamba kuumbwa kwa binadamu kwa namna hiyo, kwa maumbile na sifa kama hizo, kunatumikia kusudi la kimungu linalohusiana na uumbaji wa ulimwengu na mfumo wake wa utendaji.
God has willed to create man with special qualities that make the establishment of this truth in his conscience and way of life dependent on his own human effort, with God’s help and guidance. We do not know why God created man such, why He let his acquisition of faith be dependent on his own efforts, or why He made him neither a naturally obedient believer like the angels nor a completely evil, disobedient creature like Satan. We believe, however, that creating man with such a nature and qualities serves a divine purpose related to the creation of the universe and its operative system.
Hii inamaanisha kwamba juhudi za kibinadamu zinahitajika ili kuthibitisha ukweli wa imani katika ulimwengu wa mwanadamu. Mwenyezi Mungu amewachagua baadhi ya waja wake bora kufanya juhudi kama hizo. Hao ni Manabii na Mitume, pamoja na vikundi maalum vya wafuasi wa kweli. Hawa ndio waliopewa kazi ya kuthibitisha ukweli huu duniani; ukweli huu unastahili juhudi kubwa kama hizo na dhabihu kubwa. Ukweli huu unapokita imara moyoni mwa mwanadamu, basi moyo huo hufurahia mwanga wa nuru ya Mungu. Huhifadhi mojawapo ya siri zake na kuwa chombo cha kutimiza mapenzi yake, mapenzi ambayo hakika yatatimia. Yote haya ni ukweli, si mfano wa usemi tu.
This means that human efforts are needed to establish the truth of faith in man’s world. God has chosen some of the best of His servants to make such efforts. These are the prophets and the messengers, as well as select groups of true followers. These are the ones assigned the task of establishing this truth on earth; it deserves such strenuous efforts and great sacrifices. When this truth is firmly rooted in a human heart, then that heart enjoys a ray of God’s light. It harbours one of His secrets and becomes a means for the fulfilment of His will, a will that will inevitably be done. All this is fact, not just a figure of speech.
Ni ukweli ulio mkuu kuliko mwanadamu na dunia yake, hata kuliko ulimwengu wote.
It is a truth that is greater than man and his world, and even the whole universe.
Zaidi ya hayo, kuthibitishwa kwa ukweli huu katika maisha ya binadamu, au sehemu yake, huunda kiungo kati ya maisha haya ya kidunia na maisha ya milele. Kwa hivyo, maisha ya binadamu hupandishwa hadhi ili kudumisha kiungo kati ya kile kinachoishia kwa kifo na kile kilicho cha milele, kati ya sehemu na jumla, kati ya kilicho na upungufu na kilicho kamili kabisa. Matokeo ya namna hii ni makubwa kuliko juhudi na dhabihu zote, hata kama yanaweza kudumu kwa siku moja au sehemu ya siku moja katika maisha ya binadamu duniani. Ukweli huu unapothibitishwa namna hii, huwapa vizazi vyote vya binadamu taa ya nuru ya kweli. Taa hii kisha huchukua umbo la vitendo ambalo litajitahidi kulidumisha.
Moreover, the establishment of this truth in the life of humanity, or a section of it, provides a link between this earthly life of ours and eternal life. Thus, human life is elevated to maintain the link between what ends in death and what is eternal, between the part and the whole, between the defective and the absolutely perfect. Such a result is greater than all efforts and sacrifices, even though it may last for a day or part of one day during human life on earth. When this truth is thus established, it provides all generations of humanity with a lantern of true light. This lantern then takes practical form which it will strive to maintain.
Historia imeonyesha mara kwa mara kwamba wanadamu walifikia kilele walichoweza kufikia pale tu ukweli wa Mungu ulipoanzishwa. Hakuna njia nyingine iliyowawezesha wanadamu kufikia vilele vya namna hiyo. Zile nyakati za historia ambapo ukweli ulianzishwa kwa namna hiyo, na wafuasi wake wakiwa katika uongozi, ndizo zilikuwa kilele cha juu kabisa kilichofikiwa katika maisha ya binadamu. Hilo lilikuwa kubwa kuliko ndoto kuu za mwanadamu, lakini lilikuwa uhalisia hai. Haiwezekani kabisa kwa wanadamu kupanda, kwa msaada wa falsafa yoyote, sayansi, sanaa, imani au mfumo wowote, hadi kiwango walichokifikia na wanachoweza kukifikia daima kupitia kuanzishwa kwa imani katika mioyo ya watu, maisha yao, maadili yao, thamani zao na viwango vyao. Ukweli huu wa imani ndio msingi wa njia kamili ya maisha, iwe imetolewa kwa namna ya jumla kama katika ujumbe wa awali, au kwa namna ya kina sana kama ilivyo katika toleo lake la mwisho.
History has repeatedly shown that humanity only attained the heights it is able to reach when the truth of God was established. No other means enabled mankind to reach such summits. Those periods in history when truth was so established, and its advocates were in leadership, were indeed the highest summits reached in human life. This was greater than mans ultimate dreams, yet it was a living reality. It is simply not possible for humanity to rise with the help of any philosophy, science, art, creed or system to the level it attained and can always attain through the establishment of faith in peoples hearts, lives, morality, values and standards. This truth of faith provides the basis of a complete way of life, whether it is given in a general form as in the early messages, or in a very detailed one as is the case in its final version.
Wakati ubinadamu ulipopoteza uongozi wa waumini wa kweli, ulikumbwa na huzuni, mkanganyiko wa kifikra na magonjwa ya kiakili, licha ya maendeleo yake katika nyanja zote za ustaarabu. Huenda ulikuwa na wingi wa njia za starehe ya kimwili, furaha ya kifikra na utajiri wa mali, lakini haukuweza kupata furaha ya kweli.
When humanity lost the leadership of true believers, it suffered depression, intellectual confusion and nervous ailments, despite its progress in all spheres of civilization. It might have had abundance of the means of physical comfort, intellectual enjoyment and material affluence, but it could not achieve true happiness.
Bila shaka, basi juhudi hiyo inafaa. Tunapaswa kufanya bidii kwa kila tulicho nacho na kutoa dhabihu zinazohitajika ili kuanzisha ukweli huu wa imani duniani. Hata hivyo, wanadamu wataendelea kugeuka mbali, kama walivyofanya walipoitwa na Nuhu, Ibrahimu, Musa, Isa, Muhammad ﷺ na wengine miongoni mwa Mitume tukufu ya Mungu. Wataendelea kufuata wale wanaowapotosha mbali sana. Viongozi wao wataendelea kuwatesa wanaoitetea imani, wakiwatendea ukatili wowote wanaoweza. Lakini licha ya haya yote, ujumbe wa Mungu utaendelea na njia yake, kama Mungu anavyotaka iwe, kwa sababu matokeo yanastahili yote haya, hata kama ni moyo mmoja tu unaopokea nuru ya Mungu.
Without doubt, then, the effort is worth it. We should strive with whatever we have and make what sacrifices are necessary to establish this truth of faith on earth. Mankind, however, will continue to turn away, as they did when they were addressed by Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and others of Gods noble messengers. They will continue to follow those who lead them far astray. Their leadership will continue to persecute the advocates of faith, inflicting on them whatever brutal treatment they can. Yet despite all this, the divine message will continue along its way, as God wants it to be, because the outcome deserves it all, even though it is no more than a single heart receiving Gods light.
Ukweli kwamba Mitume waliendelea kutumwa na Mwenyezi Mungu, kuanzia wakati wa Nuhu hadi wakati wa Muhammad ﷺ, (amani iwe juu yao wote wawili), unathibitisha kwamba ni mapenzi ya Mungu kwamba kuhubiri imani ya Mungu kuendelee ili kuzaa matokeo yake ya ajabu. Matokeo ya chini kabisa ni kwamba ukweli wa imani unathibitika vizuri mioyoni mwa wanaohubiri, hivyo wanashikilia imani kwa uthabiti hata pale wanapoweza kukabiliwa na kifo au kitu kibaya zaidi ya kifo. Kwa njia hii, watapanda juu ya mvuto wote wa maisha haya, na hili lenyewe ni faida kubwa kwa wanaohubiri binafsi na kwa wanadamu wote kwa ujumla. Kweli, wanadamu wanapata heshima kupitia uwepo wa watu kama hao. Wanadamu wanakuwa wenye kustahili heshima ambayo Mungu aliwapa wakati alipowaamuru Malaika wasujudu mbele ya Adamu, kiumbe anayeharibu ardhi na kumwaga damu lakini ambaye, hata hivyo, kupitia juhudi zake mwenyewe na dhabihu zake, anaweza kustahili kupokea miale ya nuru ya Mungu.
The fact that messengers continued to be sent by God, from the time of Noah to the time of Muhammad, (peace be upon both of them), confirms that it is Gods will that advocacy of the divine faith should continue so that it produces its extraordinary results. The minimum result is that the truth of faith becomes well settled in the hearts of its advocates so that they hold firmly to it even though they may be exposed to death or what is worse than death. In this way, they will rise above all the lure of this life, and this by itself is a great gain for those advocates in person and for humanity as a whole. Indeed, humanity gains in honour through the presence of such people. It becomes worthy of the honour God gave it when He commanded the angels to prostrate themselves before Adam, the creature who corrupts the earth and sheds blood but who can, nevertheless, through his own efforts and sacrifices, become worthy of receiving a ray of Gods light.