THE SEVENTH
“And their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, [filling] the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the unbelievers with rage at them.” These phrases give news of the Unseen in two respects:
T h e F i r s t is the prediction in the Gospel about the Companions, which for the unlettered Prophet (UWBP) belonged to the World of the Unseen.
Yes, the Gospels contain such verses as, “With him is a staff of iron, and his community is like him”1 describing the Prophet who was to come at the end of time. That is, a Prophet would come who unlike Jesus (UWP) would wield the sword and be charged with waging jihad, as would his Companions. The one bearing “the staff of iron” would be the World’s Ruler. For in another place in the Gospels it says: “I am going so that the Ruler of the World may come.”2 That is to say, the World’s Ruler will come. It is thus understood from these two verses in the Gospels that at the outset the Companions would be few and weak, nevertheless they would sprout like seeds, grow, thicken, and find strength. Then when about to be overwhelmed and smothered by the rage this caused the unbelievers, they would subjugate mankind with their swords and prove that the Messenger (UWBP), their leader, was the Ruler of the World. These verses express exactly the meaning of the above verses of Sura al-Fath.
S e c o n d A s p e c t : The verses predict the following: due to their weakness and small number the Companions accepted the Pact of Hudaybiya, but within a short time they grew and acquired such strength and loftiness that, planted by the Hand of Power in the field of the face of the earth, they multiplied in most elevated, powerful, fruitful, and plentiful fashion. This was true in comparison with the shoots of mankind at that time, since these latter were short, weak, defective, and scant due to neglect and heedlessness. The Companions would grow strong causing illustrious governments to rage at them in envy, jealousy, and anger. The future verified this prediction in most brilliant fashion.
The prediction also make the following further slight hint: it indicates through the word “forgiveness” that, although while praising the Companions’ excellent qualities they should have been promised the greatest rewards, in the future they would commit serious errors due to strife. For
Nabhani, Hujjat Allah ‘ala’l-‘Alamin, 99, 114.
John, 16:7; Halabi, al-Sirat al-Halabiya, i, 214.