Plight of the Ummah Despite the Presence of the Perfect Book

The argument that a Prophet has never been raised except for the four reasons stated in the ‘White Paper’ is utterly baseless. This is rejected by the Holy Qur’an with cogent arguments. About the advent of the Holy Prophet(sa), the Holy Qur’an says:1

The verse states that the Holy Prophet(sa) has been raised from among the unlettered people. The function of the Prophet is described as: “He recites to them God’s signs.” That is, he draws attention towards the Book that is being revealed to him. Secondly: “And to purify them.” That is, He has been granted the ability to purify. Thirdly: ‘And teaches them the Book.’ That is, if he were not to teach you the Book you would forget its teachings, and you do not have the ability to understand them without his guidance. He teaches them the laws that govern life, through which man can make progress. Fourthly: ‘The philosophy or wisdom lying behind these teachings.’ It was necessary that the philosophy behind these teachings be explained. If a Divine Book were enough in itself, there would be no need to send the Prophets. People could study and understand the Book on their own. The tablets given to Hazrat Musa(as) [Moses] could have been directly given to the people. Human nature calls for something more. God, in His wisdom and mercy, has provided a living model for the people to emulate in every age.

The Muslims of today may deny the need of a Prophet, but if you compare the Muslims of today with those of the times of the Holy Prophet(sa), you would see a world of difference. What has happened? The Book is the same. The teaching is the same. The answer is obvious. They have no teacher. Nobody is purifying them or teaching them the wisdom. They are not emulating a model. This malady is afflicting the ummah because the mere presence of the Book is not enough.