Law of the previous Prophets
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Whether it be amongst scholarly circles, students of knowledge, or even amongst the laity, there is a view that seeks to maintain: ‘the law of the previous Prophets is also our law too.’ Perhaps it does seem incredulous to some, but at times these arguments are advanced.
Law of the previous Prophets
Yet in fact, nothing can be further from the truth. All previous divine laws have been abrogated with the advent of the last Prophet, Muḥammad ibn Abdullah, peace and blessings be upon him, who was sent to all of mankind. That abrogation was absolute. In today’s day and age, to try and follow or even implement the rules relating to a previous Sharī’ah would be unlawful.
The chapter is taken from the English translation of Volume 1 of Kitāb al-Tawḥeed by Professor Muḥammad ibn Abdullah al-Massari and covers this issue at length. This is not an altogether new interpretation or understanding. As the chapter shows, earlier scholars did point this out.
“Since these messengers have been sent to their own specific people they are not addressing us – so how can their Sharī’ah apply or even be obligatory upon us? What makes our current Sharī’ah applicable is that we have been addressed with it.”
Ibn Ḥazm
All the relevant textual and rational evidences are marshalled in this chapter and presented so that the reader may fully appreciate that the only valid Sharī’ah which is applicable today, is that revealed to the seal of all the Prophets, peace and blessings be upon him.
