Sublime
An inspiration engine for ideas
Islam preaches the continual self-revelation of God from Adam down to all the prophets who have ever existed in all religions. These prophets are called nabis in Arabic, and they have been chosen to relay God’s divine message to all humanity. But sometimes a nabi is given the extra burden of handing down sacred texts: Moses, who revealed the Torah;
... See moreReza Aslan • No god but God (Updated Edition): The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
what made Muhammad unique was his claim to be “the Messenger of God.” He even went so far as to identify himself repeatedly with the Jewish and Christian prophets and messengers who had come before him, particularly with Abraham, whom all Meccans—pagan or otherwise—regarded as a divinely inspired prophet. Put simply, the difference between Muhammad
... See moreReza Aslan • No god but God (Updated Edition): The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
In this verse is a prefiguring, to Moses, of the Arabian Messenger, the last and greatest of the Messengers of Allah. Prophecies about him will be found in the Torah and the Injīl. In the reflex of the Torah as now accepted by the Jews, Moses says, “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee, of thy brethren, like unto me” (Deut.xviii.15): the only P
... See moreAbdullah Ali • The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an: Complete Translation with Selected Notes
Yet, like his great prophetic predecessors—Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus—Muhammad would be something more.
Reza Aslan • No god but God (Updated Edition): The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
Echo, Not Originate
Ezekiel isn't making up words. He’s not inventing commands or stirring drama. He’s repeating what God told him to say. The power isn't in the prophet's creativity — it’s in the faithfulness of the echo.
This is the prophetic act:
Speaking what God is saying, to the things God is pointing at.
Read Ezekiel 37:1-10 ESV
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.’”
Jeremiah 23:5 NIV
Old Testament prophets tended to get in trouble. Not because they were bad people, but because they often spoke uncomfortable truths to people in po... See more
For fifteen years he struggled with the incongruity between his lifestyle and his beliefs; by his fortieth year, he was an intensely troubled man. Then, one night in 610 C.E., as he was meditating on Mt. Hira during one of his religious retreats, Muhammad had an encounter that would change the world. He sat alone in a cave, deep in meditation. Sudd
... See moreReza Aslan • No god but God (Updated Edition): The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
According to the Shi‘ah, this relationship between prophet and Imam can be observed throughout the history of prophecy. Abraham may have been given the covenant by God, but it was Isaac and Ismail who, as his Imams, fulfilled it; Moses may have revealed the divine law, but it was Aaron who carried it into the Promised Land; Jesus may have preached
... See moreReza Aslan • No god but God (Updated Edition): The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
2But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God: 3Say to King Rehoboam of Judah, son of Solomon, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, 4“Thus says the LORD: You shall not go up or fight against your kindred. Let everyone return home, for this thing is from me.” So they heeded the word of the LORD and turned back from the expedition aga
... See more