Continuation of the Explanation of the Hadith of 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with them both)

The Shaykh : In the Torah, there is an addition to the description of the Messenger (peace be upon him) beyond these attributes, stating: "And a fortress for the illiterate," meaning: a strong fortress for the illiterate. In reality, this is part of the unseen news, because the Torah was revealed, and the Jews to whom it was revealed did not know who the illiterate were who were being referred to. So it says in the Torah that among the attributes of this Prophet who will be sent in the last of times and with whom the door of prophethood will be closed, the Jews did not know that his followers or his people, among whom he would be sent, were illiterate. So our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) informed them beforehand, through His book, the Torah, that this noble Prophet, described as a witness, a bringer of good news, and a warner, is a fortress for the illiterate who do not read or write. In this is an indication that this Prophet will be sent from among the non-Jews and non-Christians, because the Jews and Christians were not illiterate; the illiterate are the Arabs, about whom Allah (Mighty and Majestic) also said in describing His Prophet (Blessed and Exalted is He): , so the Arabs are... . So Allah tested them by allowing the enemies around them to dominate them. Therefore, they lived without an established state; they lived as various tribes and groups, killing one another unjustly, without sin or blame or anything else. The Romans used to enslave them, and the Persians used to enslave them. When Islam came through Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the believers responded to him, and they were illiterate, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) became a fortress for them. After that, neither the Romans nor the Persians were able to enslave them. Rather, the situation reversed and turned upside down, so Allah made the word of these believing illiterate people the upper one, and made the word of the disbelievers, who were the Persians and Romans at that time, the lower one. When these facts are considered, this concise word, which was a revelation from the sky to Moses (peace be upon him) in his book, the Torah, said: "And a fortress for the illiterate," meaning: the Messenger of Allah will be a strong fortress for his believing followers, who are from the illiterate. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) addressed His Prophet (peace be upon him) as it came in the Torah: "You are My servant and My Messenger." What is in this address when the Lord of the Worlds says to His Prophet, "You are My servant"? In this is honor, and what honor! For any human being, if he claims affiliation with a great person, even if he is a traitor, he is honored, and he is a human being like him. So how could the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) not be honored by Allah's attribution of him to Himself as one of His chosen, excellent servants? If we note this meaning, we know that Allah's (Blessed and Exalted is He) address to His Prophet (peace be upon him) with the words "You are My servant" is an honor for him (peace and blessings be upon him), and what an honor! And so, when Allah (Mighty and Majestic) mentioned in the beginning of Surat al-Isra that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) took him (peace be upon him) on the night journey, He said: He did not say "Glory be to Allah who took Muhammad on the night journey," because in this naming there is description, but not the honor that is in His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): to the end of the verse. Likewise, here in the verse mentioned in the Torah: "You are My servant," meaning: and My Messenger, "You are My chosen, selected servant from among My servants, and My Messenger; I sent you to all people and all of them, and a mercy to the worlds. I named you al-Mutawakkil," which is one of the names of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): the one who relies upon Allah.