The second message is Islam itself. The Prophet conveyed it in a summarized form, without detailing it explicitly, except through overlapping legislations between the first and second messages - such as the rulings on acts of worship and legal punishments. Allah says: "Today I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as your religion" (5:3). This declaration was made on the Day of Arafah, during the Farewell Pilgrimage, in the eighth year of Hijrah, which also coincided with a Friday. This verse is the final revelation of the Qur’an and represents the pinnacle of all divine messages.
And He has approved Islam as our religion so that we may accept it willingly, for a matter that does not begin from His side cannot begin from ours. As He says: "Then He turned to them so that they might repent" (9:118).
Many people have thought that Allah’s saying, “Today I have perfected your religion for you” (5:3), means that Islam had become complete among people - that it reached the height of its perfection on that day. And when such people read His saying, “And We have sent down to you the Reminder, that you may make clear to mankind what was sent down to them” (16:44), they assume that the clarification of the Qur’an has already been completed. Yet nothing could be further from the truth.
For of the Qur’an, only that portion was clarified - through legislation and interpretation - which suited the time in which the clarification took place and corresponded to the capacity of the people.
The Qur’an can never be fully clarified, just as Islam can never be completed. The journey within its domain is an eternal journey. Allah says: “Indeed, the religion with Allah is Islam.” (3:19) And the word “with” (ʿinda) here is neither a reference to time nor to place; rather, it signifies a realm beyond time and space. Thus, the journey through the Qur’an, within the domain of Islam, is a journey toward Allah in His Absoluteness. The Qur’an, therefore, has not been fully clarified - nor will it ever be - though its revelation between the covers of the Book has been completed. Its revelation has been completed, but its clarification has not.
From this, one may understand the difference between anzalnā (“We have sent down”) and nuzzila (“was sent down”) in the verse:
“And We have sent down to you the Reminder, that you may make clear to mankind what was sent down to them, and that they may reflect.” (16:44)
The common understanding among scholars is that the two expressions are synonymous - but they are not so. And the word “what” (mā) in the phrase “what was sent down to them” does not refer to the entire Reminder, but only to the portion of it that concerns the First Message - except for what is interwoven between it and the Second Message.
It is important to note that the Qur’an was revealed in mathānī (dual meanings):
“Allah has sent down the best of speech, a Book, resembling, with dual meanings. The skins of those who fear their Lord creep with awe at it; then their skins and their hearts soften to the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He wills. And whomever Allah leads astray, there is no guide for him.” (39:23). The meaning of “resembling” (mutashābihan) is that a resemblance exists between its lower and upper parts, between its front and back, and between its outward and inward aspects. The meaning of “dual meanings” (mathānī) is that it contains two layers of meaning: a distant one that is with the Lord, and a near one that descends to the servant. The entire Qur’an is composed of dual meanings - every verse, every word, and even every letter. The secret lies in the fact that it is a discourse issued by the Lord and directed to the servant.
The resemblance within it is the resemblance that exists between the Lord and the servant, and it was expressed by the Infallible (the Prophet), peace be upon him, in his saying: “Indeed, God created Adam in His image.” It was also expressed by the Blessed and Exalted in His saying: “O mankind, observe your Lord who created you from a single self.” And that single self is none other than His own Self, Blessed and Exalted is He.
The word Islam, for example, has both a near and a distant meaning. Its near meaning is expressed in the Qur'an where Allah says: "The Bedouins say, 'We have believed.' Say, 'You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted (aslamna),' for faith has not yet entered your hearts." (49:14). This refers to what we have called the first Islam, which holds no weight before Allah.
In its distant meaning, this was alluded to by Allah - glorified and exalted is He - when He said: “O you who believe, observe Allah as He ought to be observed, and do not die except in a state of submission to Him (muslimun)” (3:102).It is well known that none observes Allah as He ought to be observed except Allah Himself. It is, therefore, a path of ascension (mi‘rāj) to Allah, the Lord of the ascending ways, in the station of His majesty - through servitude (‘ubūdiyya), humility, and submission. Servitude (‘ubūdiyya) is infinite, just as Lordship (rubūbiyya) is infinite. Absolute servitude to Allah requires absolute knowledge of Him - something that belongs to Allah alone. "Say, none in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah" (27:65). Here, the unseen (al-ghayb) refers to Allah Himself, meaning that none truly knows Allah except Allah. In our discussion on The Message of Prayer, we have elaborated on how servitude is the essence of freedom, and there is no need to repeat it here. Those seeking further understanding may refer to that explanation.
Islam is, in essence, a path of ascension (mi‘rāj) toward the station of servitude (‘ubūdiyya), guided by the Qur'an, which serves as the roadmap for this journey. This guidance is the very purpose for which the Qur'an was revealed, as indicated in Allah’s words: "And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?" (54:17). The Qur'an serves to remind us of the servitude we once acknowledged upon ourselves but later forgot. This is referenced in Allah’s words: "And when your Lord took from the children of Adam - from their loins - their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], 'Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yes, we have testified.' [This] lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, 'Indeed, we were unaware of this.' Or lest you say, 'It was only that our forefathers associated [others in worship] before, and we were but descendants after them. Then would You destroy us for what the falsifiers have done?' And thus do We explain the verses in detail, so that they may return" (7:172-174). This return is a return to Allah through servitude and surrender - through true Islam.
Since the Qur’an is the path of conduct to Allah, as He said: “Descend from it, all of you. And when guidance comes to you from Me, then whoever follows My guidance - there shall be no fear upon them, nor shall they grieve” (2:38). The Qur’an is that guidance, for its beginning is with Allah and its end is with us. So if we perfect our conduct in its stages, we recover the paradise that we lost due to Adam’s sin and ascend the degrees of absoluteness. Allah describes the Qur'an, saying: "Alif, Lam, Meem. This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the righteous" (2:1-2). He then speaks of those guided by the Qur'an: "Indeed, the righteous will be in gardens and a river, in a seat of truth, near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability" (54:54-55). These represent ascending degrees: first, the gardens (jannāt), then the river (nahr), then the seat of truth (maq‘ad ṣidq), and finally, "near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability" - which is "near, yet beyond nearness" and "a realm beyond all realms."
These levels range from the tangible gardens, namely the Paradise lost due to sin, to the Absolute in its absoluteness. The Qur'an serves as a guide to all these degrees, for it is inexhaustible. Allah says: "Say, 'If the sea were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement'" (18:109).
Thus, it is an error to claim that the Qur'an can ever be fully explained or that its meanings can be entirely encompassed. This is because the Qur'an is the very essence of Allah, and this essence has descended - out of sheer grace - into the realm of human comprehension so that they may come to know it. In its various levels of descent, it became al-dhikr (the Remembrance), al-Qur’an (the Recitation), and al-Furqan (the Criterion).
At the level of al-Furqan, it took the form of Arabic expression, where language was employed with the utmost precision to point toward the higher realities of al-Qur’an and al-Dhikr. The Qur'an was thus cast into the mold of Arabic expression to enable us to understand Allah - within the limits of our human faculties. Allah says regarding this: "Indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur’an so that you may understand" (43:3). However, this verse and similar ones have led many Muslim scholars into error, as they assumed that the Qur'an’s Arabic nature means that its full comprehension can be attained solely through the Arabic language and its rhetorical structures. But this is not the case. We have previously discussed this matter in our explanation of the chapters that begin with disjointed letters, where we clarified that the Qur'an’s meanings extend beyond linguistic analysis alone. Those interested may refer to that discussion.
Given the lofty nature of Islam, no nation has yet fully realized it. The truly Muslim nation has yet to emerge - it remains a hope for the future of humanity. Its arrival is anticipated in the days to come, and when it does, it will mark the Greater Pilgrimage - the day when the divine proclamation is fully actualized: "Today I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My favor upon you, and have approved for you Islam as your religion" (5:3).
On that day, Muhammad was the forerunner of the Muslims to come, as if he had arrived for his nation - the nation of believers - from the future. He was not truly one of them in their time, for he was the only true Muslim among them. Allah says: "Say, 'Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. He has no partner. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims'" (6:162-163).
Abu Bakr, the second of two in the cave, was the foremost among the believers, but there remained a great distance between him and the Prophet. Muhammad stood alone as the pioneer of complete submission (Islam), while Abu Bakr led the ranks of those who believed yet had not reached that ultimate station.
And to the Muslims who will emerge in the future days of humanity, the Prophet alluded in his saying: "Oh, how I long for my brothers who have not yet come!" Upon hearing this, Abu Bakr asked, "Are we not your brothers, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet replied, "No, you are my companions." Then he repeated, "Oh, how I long for my brothers who have not yet come!" Abu Bakr again asked, "Are we not your brothers, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet replied, "No, you are my companions." For the third time, he said, "Oh, how I long for my brothers who have not yet come!" The companions then asked, "Who are your brothers, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "They are people who will come at the end of time. Each of them will receive the reward of seventy of you." The companions asked, "Seventy from among us or from among them?" He said, "Rather, from among you." They asked, "Why is that, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Because you find others to help you in doing good, while they will find no one to assist them."