Addressing a Comment ...

Comment:
I would appreciate this quote more if he'd said "an obligation laid on every person." There is no need to be exclusive.
February 3, 2009 12:13

I understand what you mean, but he was speaking to his followers, so it is understandable. There are several verses in the Qur'an that talk about knowledge and it addresses "believers" which is not exclusive to Muslims. It is a term that, when translated, eludes to all those who believe in a God.

If you every have a moment and research the Prophet Mohamed's (pbuh) life, you will see he was far from "exclusive." Actually, if you research the lives of ANY of the prophets (pbut) you'll find that they spoke with the sick, the poor, the uneducated, and even criminals in order to get out their message.

We all have choices to make - we can be good or bad - good v. evil - educated v. uneducated - nice v. mean, etc. We, as human beings, tend to make better choices when we are better informed allowing us to maintain perception and therefore balance. Reason and logic = "higher brain function" which essentially is the only thing that seperates ourselves from the remainder of the animal kingdom. Yet viewing reality TV these days will really make you wonder if we're all that much better than fluffy the housecat. :)

Thank you for your comment; I hope the circumstances help convey that it is not meant to be divisive.

The Seal of the Prophethood ...

God now said to Muhammad(pbuh): 'I gave my past messengers many wise words to convey to the people; and these words were written down to guide future generations. Each of these messengers knew that I would send a further messenger to confirm the message I had given them. Do you accept this? Will you take up this burden?'

Muhammad (pbuh) answered: 'I accept.'

-Ibn Ishaq, "The Life of Muhammad"