The age-old dream of the human caravan is not to send astronauts in their orbit in outer space.. it is to send its individuals - every single individual in his orbit of self-realization. It is high time that this dream be thus reinterpreted. It is also the sacred duty of every man and woman to help intelligently reorientate human endeavour towards the culmination of this pilgrimage.

Mahmoud Muhammad Taha - Answers to the questions of Mr. John Voll - 17.7.1963

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Ustadh Mahmoud Muhammad Taha Speaking to Women of Their Rights

THE SECOND MESSAGE IS THE ORIGINAL MESSAGE OF RELIGION



The original message of religion is what we called the Second Message, wherein it is an enhancement of the (existing) exoteric code. The entire Second Message is derived from the Quran. The (original verses of the) Quran began to descend to the people in Mecca over thirteen years but they refused to embrace Islam. In practice, their refusal made it evident that they (the people) were substandard; they were naive and needed to be guided. Therefore, God appointed the Prophet tutelary guardian over them; He withdrew from them the Meccan verses of accountability and replaced them with the Medinese verses of guardianship, just as in the case of the minor child. Suppose you say to your son: Son, go to school! And he told you: I do not want to go to school. If you tell him: do as you like! He might go to play, hang around, or go for a swim in the river. If so, you would then compel him to go to school because ultimately it is not at his discretion. As long as he is age six, seven, or even ten years old, he is still a minor, and you are his guardian. This is similar to the case of Islam in Mecca. Just as you end up ordering your son to go to school, Islam for thirteen years encouraged people to believe in God and the Messenger, but they refused! So, a different level of the Quran was revealed, indicating that those people are not wise enough to choose whether to believe or to disbelieve! As the Quran revealed in Mecca stated: “Say: It is the truth from your Lord. Then whoever wills let him believe, and whoever wills let him disbelieve” (18:29). It was also stated: “You remind, for you are only a reminder; you are not a warder over them” (88:21-22). When the thirteen-year call in Mecca was not advantageous to achieve the purpose, a new level of the Quran was revealed after the Prophet emigrated (to Madinah). People did not embrace (the original) Islam. Moreover, they were planning to kill the Prophet. They surrounded his house, yet at the last moment, or as they say, at the zero hour, he emigrated. On the night he emigrated, conspirators were surrounding his house. It is said that their plot was to strike him all at once, and if his relatives were unable to identify his killer, they would accept the blood money from the tribes (involved). So, they were not only disbelieving in Islam, but they wanted to kill the Prophet! When he emigrated, it became clear that those people were unprepared to be told that “it is at your discretion.” Those people (of that time) were as naive as children. They needed to be driven by the sword for their own good. Thus, the Migration took place, as well as the new revelations of the Medinese Quran, on which the current codification was founded. Speaking of which, what we have made clear is that the codes regarding women’s issues were revealed in the Medinese Quran.