As long as there is a contradiction between the absolute
standard of righteousness and the corrupt and evil ways of
worldly society, there will be those righteous people who will
rise up and call society and their rulers to account. These are
the prophets and reformers who put their lives at risk to speak out
for the welfare of the community. We do not refer to those specially
chosen to bring the revelation of a new religion into the
world--those rare founders of religions are covered in another
chapter--but of the much larger group of people who arise in
every age to call society to practice truth and justice.1 The prophetic
mission in its broadest sense includes all those saints and
righteous people who struggle to remind the rulers of their day
of the eternal divine message which was first spoken long before.
Often they must recast that message into terms with contemporary
relevance. The company of those who call for justice includes the
prophets of the Old Testament and the Qur'an, the Confucian and
Hindu sages, and all those who have followed their examples. In
this latter group are many reformers and leaders of moral vision
whose righteousness is not recorded in scripture because they
came long after the scriptures were written; we might include
such people as Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Muhammad
Iqbal, Nichiren, and Simon Kimbangu, to name a few. But a prophetic
ministry is not limited to a few saints; in various ways, large and
small, it is required of us all.
A second attribute of prophecy is the ability to predict the
future. This gift is not used for private ends; it is first and
foremost a powerful qualification of the prophet that when he
speaks on the affairs of state his words carry authority. The
prophet's predictions are accurate because of his or her intimate relationship
with Ultimate Reality, in whose hand lies the destinies of nations.
Prophecies of the future, selected from various religions, are
the subject of the concluding passages of this section.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
1 Islam regards Muhammad as the last Prophet, but only in the
former, special sense that after him there will be no new revelation.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Every nation has its messenger. Once their messenger comes,
judgment will be passed upon them in all fairness and they will not
be wronged. They will say, "When will this promise be, if
you have been telling the truth?" Say, "I possess no
harm nor any advantage by myself, except concerning whatever God
may wish. Every nation has a term; whenever their term comes, they
will not postpone it for an hour nor advance it."
1. Islam. Qur'an
10.47-49
The word of the Lord came to me, "Son of man, I have
made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word
from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to
the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning,
nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to
save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his
blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked,
and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way,
he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your life.
Again, if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and
commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he
shall die; because you have not warned him, he shall die for his
sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be
remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless
if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he
shall surely live because he took warning; and you will have
saved your life."
2. Judaism and
Christianity. Ezekiel 3.16-21
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Qur'an 10.47-49: Cf. Qur'an 40.78, p. 61. Ezekiel 3.16-21: Thus
God holds His prophet responsible to the people for giving timely
warning, just as a watchman is responsible to warn of an
approaching army.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Now the word of the Lord came to [Jeremiah], saying,
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you
were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the
nations."
Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to
speak, for I am only a youth." But the Lord said to me, Do
not say, "I am only a youth"; for to all to whom I send
you you shall go, and whatever I command you you shall speak. Be
not afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the
Lord.
Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth; and the
Lord said to me, Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See,
I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck
up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and
to plant.
3. Judaism and
Christianity. Jeremiah 1.4-10
Do Thou give, O Right, that bliss, that gift
of Good Mind;
Do Thou give, O Devotion, power to Vishtaspa and my disciples;
Do Thou give, O Wise Ruler, whereby Thy Prophet may command a
hearing!
4.
Zoroastrianism. Avesta, Yasna 28.7
Our hope is that the world's religious leaders and the rulers
thereof will unitedly arise for the reformation of this age and
the rehabilitation of its fortunes. Let them, after meditating on
its needs, take counsel together and, through anxious and full deliberation,
administer to a diseased and sorely afflicted world the remedy it
requires.
5. Baha'i Faith.
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah 110
My mission, today, is the same as it was at the time of the
Prophet. I shall strive till I eradicate impiety and injustice,
and till I establish a rule of justice and truth, a humane and
heavenly regime.
By God! Have the Quraysh given up realizing who or what I am?
I have fought against them and defeated them when they were
infidels, and now I will fight against them to remove their
tyrannous, unjust, and impious rule. Today I am as much their well-wisher
as I was during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, and my courage
and determination have not diminished.
6. Islam
(Shiite). Nahjul Balagha, Khutba 38
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Yasna 28.7: Vishtaspa became Zarathustra's patron, the
long-sought ruler whom he convinced to put his doctrine into practice.
See Yasna 46.1-3, p. 526. Gleanings from the Writings of
Baha'u'llah 110: This passage enunciates Baha'u'llah's prophetic
ministry to the nations. Nahjul Balagha, Khutba 38: `Ali is
speaking of his own mission as a Caliph, carrying forward the
mission of the Prophet Muhammad.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
The most excellent jihad is the uttering of truth in the
presence of an unjust ruler.
7. Islam. Hadith
of Tirmidhi
Confucius said, "How can he be said truly to love, who
exacts no effort from the objects of his love? How can he be said
to be truly loyal, who refrains from admonishing the object of
his loyalty?"
8. Confucianism.
Analects 14.8
"Do not preach"--thus they preach-- "one
should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us."
Should this be said, O house of Jacob? Is the Spirit of the Lord
impatient? Are these his doings? Do not my words do good to him
who walks uprightly? But you rise against my people as an enemy; you
strip the robe from the peaceful, from those who pass by trustingly
with no thought of war.... If a man should go about and utter
wind and lies, saying, "I will preach to you of wine and strong
drink," he would be the preacher for this people!
9. Judaism and
Christianity. Micah 2.6-11
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Hadith of Tirmidhi: cf. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 34, p. 886.
Analects 14.8: A minister should not hesitate to send admonitions
to his superiors in government, sincerely setting forth his
advice. For example, see Book of Songs, Ode 254, pp. 921f. Cf.
Chuang Tzu 33, pp. 869f.; Book of History 4.8.1-3, p. 896. Micah
2.6-11: Cf. Jeremiah 19.14-20.16, pp. 767f.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
A king who does what is not righteous And not
suitable is mostly praised By his subjects, for it is hard to
know What he will or will not tolerate; Therefore it is hard to
know What is useful or not to say.
If useful but unpleasant words Are hard to speak to someone
else, What could I, a monk, say to a king Who is a lord of the great
earth?
But because of my affection for you And through my compassion
for all beings, I tell you without hesitation That which is useful
but unpleasant....
O steadfast one, if true words Are spoken without anger, One
should take them as fit to be Heard, like water fit for bathing.
Realize that I am telling you What is useful here and later.
Act on it so as to help Yourself and also others.
10. Buddhism.
Nagarjuna, Precious Garland 301-6
King Hui of Liang said, "I am ready to listen to what
you have to say." "Is there any difference," said Mencius,
"between killing a man with a staff and killing him with a
knife?" "There is no difference." "Is there
any difference between killing him with a knife and killing him
with misrule?" "There is no difference."
"There is fat meat in your kitchen and there are well-fed
horses in your stables, yet the people look hungry and in the
outskirts of cities men drop dead from starvation. This is to
show animals the way to devour men. Even the devouring of animals
by animals is repugnant to men. If, then, one who is father and mother
to the people cannot, in ruling over them, avoid showing animals the
way to devour men, wherein is he father and mother to the
people?"
11.
Confucianism. Mencius I.A.4
After all the kings had been seated and perfect silence had
ensued, Krishna, possessing fine teeth and having a voice as deep as
that of a drum, began to speak, "In order that, O Bharata,
peace may be established between the Kurus and the Pandavas without
a slaughter of the heroes, I have come hither. Besides this, O
king, I have no other beneficial words to utter.... Know, O thou
of Kuru's race, that those wicked sons of thine, headed by
Duryodhana, abandoning both virtue and profit, disregard- ing morality,
and deprived of their senses by avarice, are now acting most
unrighteously towards their foremost kinsmen. The terrible danger
[of universal slaughter thus] has its origin in the conduct of
the Kurus. If you become indifferent to it, it will then produce
a universal slaughter. If, O Bharata, you are willing, you may be
able to allay that danger even yet, for peace, I think, is not difficult
of acquisition. The establishment of peace, O king, depends on
you and myself. Set right your sons, and I will set the Pandavas
right."
12. Hinduism.
Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva 95
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Mencius I.A.4: On the ruler as father and mother to the people,
see Book of History 5.1.1, p. 902. On other Confucian and Taoist
prophetic criti- ques of courtly extravagance while the poor
suffer, see Mencius II.B.4, below; IV.A.3, p. 920; Book of Songs,
Ode 254, pp. 922f.; Tao Te Ching 12, p. 801; 53, p. 904; Chuang
Tzu 25, p. 904. Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva 95: Here Krishna takes
the part of an honest advisor and mediator in a fruit- less
effort to prevent war.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of
Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the midst
of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his
words. For thus Amos has said, Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel must go into exile away from his land. And Amaziah said
to Amos, "O seer, go flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread
there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel,
for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom."
Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor one of the
sons of the prophets; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of
sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock,
and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' Now
therefore hear the word of the Lord. You say, 'Do not prophesy
against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.' Therefore
thus says the Lord, 'Your wife shall be a harlot in the city, and
your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land
shall be parceled out by line; and you yourself shall die in an unclean
land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its
land.'"
13. Judaism and
Christianity. Amos 7.10-17
Has not the history of those before you reached you: the folk
of Noah, and `Ad and Thamud, and those after them? None save God
knows them. Their messengers came to them with clear proofs, but they thrust
their hands into their mouths, and said, "Lo! we disbelieve
in that with which you have been sent, and lo! we are in grave
doubt concerning that to which you call us." Their
messengers said, "Can there be doubt concerning God, the
Creator of the heavens and the earth? He calls you that He may
for- give you your sins and reprieve you until an appointed
term." They said, "You are but mortals like us, who would
fain turn us away from what our fathers used to worship. Then
bring us some clear warrant." Their messengers said to them,
"We are but mortals like you, but God gives grace to whom He
will of His slaves. It is not ours to bring you a warrant unless
by the permission of God. In God let believers put their trust!
How should we not put our trust in God when He has shown us His
ways? We surely will endure that hurt you do to us. In God let
the trusting put their trust!" And those who disbelieved
said to their messengers, "Verily we will drive you out from
our land, unless you return to our religion." Then their Lord
inspired them, "Verily We shall destroy the wrongdoers, and
verily We shall make you to dwell in the land after them. This is
for him who fears My Majesty and fears My threats." And they sought
help from their Lord, and every froward potentate was brought to
naught.
14. Islam.
Qur'an 14.9-15
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Amos 7.10-17: Israel had its professional prophets who divined
for money; Amos denied that he was one of those. He is accused of
treason for pro- claiming the coming destruction of the dynasty
of Jeroboam. Compare Jeremiah 19.14-20.12, pp. 767f. Qur'an
14.9-15: The Islamic conception of a prophet is one who always
preaches faith in the One God as the primary message. But this
does not neglect the issues of justice and righteous- ness, for
they are implicit in God's message. Hence those who reject God
are inevitably oppressive evildoers.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Mencius went to P'ing Lu. "Would you or would you
not," said he to the governor, "dismiss a lancer who
has failed three times in one day to report for duty?"
"I would not wait for the third time." "But you yourself
have failed to report for duty many times. In years of famine
close to a thousand of your people suffered, the old and the
young being abandoned in the gutter, the able-bodied scattered in
all directions." "It was not within my power to do
anything about this." "Supposing a man were entrusted with
the care of cattle and sheep. Surely he ought to seek pasturage
and fodder for the animals. If he found that this could not be
done, should he return his charge to the owner or should he stand
by and watch the animals die?" "In this I am at
fault."
15.
Confucianism. Mencius II.B.4
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Furthermore, since the prophet places his life in God's hands, he
is always vindicated in the end. Mencius II.B.4: See note to Mencius
I.A.4, above.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
In the spring of the year, the time when kings go forth to
battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all
Israel; and they ravaged the Ammonites, and beseiged Rabbah. But
David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon,
when David arose from his couch and was walking upon the roof of
the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and
the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about
the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter
of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" So David sent
messengers, and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with
her.... And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David,
"I am with child." So David sent word to Joab,
"Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to
David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing,
and how the people fared, and how the war prospered. Then David
said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your
feet." And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there
followed him a present from the king. But Uriah slept at the door
of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did
not go down to his house. When they told David, "Uriah did
not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Have
you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your
house?" Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah
dwell in booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are
camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat
and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as my
soul lives, I will not do this thing."... In the morning
David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
In the letter he wrote, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the
hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be
struck down, and die." And as Joab was besieging the city,
he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant
men. And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab; and
some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the
Hittite was slain also.... When the wife of Uriah heard that
Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband.
And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his
house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing
that David had done displeased the Lord. And the Lord sent Nathan
to David. He came to him, and said to him, "There were two
men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man
had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing but one
little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and
it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his morsel,
and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a
daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and
he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare
for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man's
lamb, and prepared it for the man who had come to him." Then
David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to
Nathan, "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves
to die; and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did
this thing, and because he had no pity." Nathan said to
David, "You are the man. Thus says the Lord, the God of
Israel, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out
of the hand of Saul; and I gave you your master's wives into your
bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if this
were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you
despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You
have smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his
wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the
Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house,
because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah
the Hittite to be your wife.'"
16. Judaism and
Christianity. 2 Samuel 11.1-12.10
O Lord, your power is greater than all powers. Under your
leadership we cannot fear anything. It is you who has given us prophetic
power, And has enabled us to foresee and interpret everything.
17. African
Traditional Religion. Dinka Prayer (Sudan)
And the Lord answered me, "Write the vision; make it
plain upon tablets, so that he may run who reads it. For still
the vision awaits its time; it hastens to the end--it will not
lie. If it seem slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will
not delay."
18. Judaism and
Christianity. Bible, Habakkuk 2.2-3
- - - - - - - - - - - -
2 Samuel 11.1-12.10: David first tried to conceal his adultery by
urging Uriah to sleep with his wife so that there would be no suspicion
about who was the child's father. When that failed, he had Uriah killed. Thereupon
follows the prophet Nathan's famous oracle. For other prophetic
critiques of courtly extravagance at the expense of the poor, see
Jeremiah 7.1-15, p. 921; 22.13-16, p. 904; Ezekiel 34.2-10, p.
902; Isaiah 10.1-4, p. 920; Amos 1.3-2.16, pp. 924f.; 8.4-8, p.
421. Habakkuk 2.2-3: Cf. Isaiah 46.9-11, p. 100.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
It is an attribute of the possession of the absolute true
self to be able to foreknow. When a nation or family is about to
flourish, there are sure to be lucky omens. When a nation or
family is about to perish, there are sure to be signs and
prodigies. These things manifest themselves in the instruments of divination and
in the agitation of the human body. When happiness or calamity is
about to come, it can be known beforehand. When it is good, it
can be known beforehand. When it is evil, it can be known beforehand. Therefore
he who has realized his true self is like a celestial spirit.
19.
Confucianism. Doctrine of the Mean 24
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Doctrine of the Mean 24: Cf. I Ching, Great Commentary 1.10.1-2,
p. 690.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Do two walk together, unless they have made an appointment?
Does a lion roar in the forest, when it has no prey? Does a young
lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing? Does a bird
fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Does
a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing? Is
a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does
evil befall a city, unless the Lord has done it? Surely the Lord
God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants
the prophets. The lion has roared, who will not fear? The Lord
God has spoken; who can but prophesy?
20. Judaism and
Christianity. Amos 3.3-8
And there the sons of Dhritarashtra enter you, All of them,
together with a host of kings, Bhishma, Drona, and also the charioteer's
son, Karna-- And our own commanders, even they are with them!
They rush into your awful mouths With those terrible tusks.
Some can be seen stuck between your teeth, Their heads crushed.
As the many river torrents Rush toward one sea, Those worldly
heroes Enter your flaming mouths....
I bow before you, supreme God; be gracious. You, who are so
awesome to see, tell me, who are you? I want to know you, the
very first Lord, For I do not understand what you are doing.
I am Time who destroys man's world. I am the time that is now
ripe to gather in the people here; That is what I am doing. Even
without you, All these warriors drawn up for battle In opposing
ranks will cease to exist.
Therefore rise up! Win glory! When you conquer your enemies,
your kingship will be fulfilled. Enjoy it. Be just an instrument, You
who can draw the bow with the left as well as the right hand! I
myself have slain your enemies long ago.
Do not waver. Conquer the enemies Whom I have already
slain--Drona and Bhishma and Jayadratha, And Karna also, and the
other heroes at arms. Fight! You are about to defeat your rivals
in war.
21. Hinduism.
Bhagavad Gita 11.26-28, 31-34
Nanak, sitting in this city of corpses, sings the Lord's
praise And enunciates this principle: He who raised this creation
and in manifold pleasures engaged it, Sits apart, watching it.
Holy is the Lord, holy His justice; True shall be the judgment pronounced
by Him. As will its body's vesture be torn to shreds, India shall
remember my word. In '78 they come; in '97 they depart-- Another
hero shall someday arise. Nanak utters the word of truth-- Truth
he utters; truth the hour calls for.
22. Sikhism. Adi
Granth, Telang, M.1, p. 722f.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Bhagavad Gita 11.26-28, 31-34: Krishna gives Arjuna a vision of
the future: his enemies are already defeated and slain. The belief
that in giving a prophetic word, God has already acted is
characteristic of prophecy in the Bible and the Qur'an (see Qur'an
94, p. 537). For the first part of the theophany, on Krishna's
transcendence, see Bhagavad Gita 11.1-25, pp. 95f. Telang, M.1:
Here Guru Nanak is prophesying that the Mughal invaders, who, led
by Babur, descended on India in Vikrami year 1578, will leave in
1597. In that year the Mughals were, in fact, routed by Sher
Shah. (The Vikrami chronology is one of the classical calendrical
systems of India; its reference point is 58 <b.c.).
- - - - - - - - - - - -
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, Who are little to be among
the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to
be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient
days.
23.
Christianity. Micah 5.2
And remember Jesus, the son of Mary, said, "O Children
of Israel! I am the apostle of God to you, confirming the Law
which came before me, and giving glad tidings of an apostle to
come after me whose name shall be Ahmad." But when he came
to them with clear signs, they said, "This is evident sorcery."
24. Islam.
Qur'an 61.6
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Micah 5.2: According to the New Testament (Matthew 2.6), this is
a prophecy of the birth of Jesus Christ. There are many similar
prophecies in the Old Testament; cf. Deuteronomy 18.15, p. 576; Isaiah 9.6-7,
p. 939; 42.1-4, p. 449; 52.13-53.12, p. 556; Daniel 7.13-14, p.
939. Qur'an 61.6: This is a prophecy by Jesus about the coming of
Muhammad. Ahmad is probably a translation of the Greek word
Parakletos, Counselor, from John 14.16, p. 560. Since Ahmad and
Muhammad are cognates, this is taken to be a prophecy of the
future advent of Muhammad by name. For an example of prophecy in
the Qur'an about the later career of Muhammad, see Qur'an 94, p.
537.
- - - - - - - - - - - -