The very first leaf of the Holy Quran praises the Lord Who is the Sustainer of all the worlds, and its last passage urges us to pray to the Lord of mankind. Thus both the first and the last words of the Holy Quran present the concept of the entire universe, and not merely that of a God of the Arabs or the Muslims. Verily, no one before the Holy Prophet of Islam had beckoned the whole of humanity, and no book before the Holy Quran had addressed the entire world. The first such claim was made in favour of the Holy Prophet of Islam in these word: And We have not sent thee but as a bearer of glad tidings and a Warner of all mankind, but most men know not [6]. And then Say '0 mankind, truly I am a Messenger to you all' [7].
And when the Quran calls itself a message for all the world [8], it upholds itself as the guidance with which is linked the true development and advancement of mankind.
The Quran has repeatedly been called the 'Verifier' of other Books and Muslims are admonished to believe in all other Prophets in exactly the same manner as they believe in their own Prophet. In our faith, it is forbidden to make a distinction among any of them, much less to believe in some and reject others. The Quran says: All (of us) believe in Allah, and in His angels, and in His Books, and in His Messengers saying, We make no distinction between any of His Messengers [9].
It may not be without merit to examine if universality in itself is a desirable feature, and why Islam has laid such great stress upon it. Ever since Islam has brought the message of the unity of mankind, the pace of the march towards such unity has continued to accelerate in every sphere. An example of this march in our times is the establishment of different international bodies and federations. Indeed, these are but milestones along the long and devious journey towards unity among all mankind. So, the need that is keenly felt by the advanced and civilised man of today, had already been fulfilled by planting the seed of its solution in the message of Islam 1400 years ago. Today, of course, the rapid development of travel and communications has lent a new impetus to the march towards unity among peoples and nations.
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