: The following verses were revealed when
the Prophet (saws) was taunted by the disbelievers that, if he was truly a
Prophet of Allah and Allah was, as he claimed, truly Omnipotent over all
things, then why has He not lavished upon him His treasures or sent down for
him His angels?
11 : 12
Is it likely that you would omit some of what has been revealed to you
because your heart is constricted by their taunts when they say : 'Why have no
treasures been lavished on him or no angels sent down to assist him?' You are
there only to warn, whereas Allah is in control of everything!
(The verse ccentuates one of the basic requirements of Prophethood that,
regardless of how many hurdles are placed in the way of the messenger, how
scornful his critics are and how hard they make life for him, it is incumbent
upon him to deliver the message of Allah to mankind in full, whether or not it
is sinking in the minds of those whom he is preaching. It is not for him to
weigh its pros and cons; it is not up to him to pick and choose the words in
which it is conveyed; it is not a matter of his discretion where he receives
His revelations and where he divulges them; it has nothing to do with him
whether they are being derided or respected! As some Western commentators have
put it, he is like a tape recorder into which messages from Allah are recorded
by His Angel and are 'played back' to his 'audiences', who could
sometimes be just his wife, sometimes his close associates, sometimes his
entire congregation, sometimes his enemies and sometimes even a party of
Jinn, - whoever was present when he was 'inspired' or
'inspirited'
Apart from reassuring the Prophet that his job is done once the message is
conveyed and that no more responsibility lies on his shoulder, it also brings
home to his tormentors that they have nothing to gain from targeting him for
their anger because it will not stop the messages of Allah from coming and
from being delivered; they will continue; they will receive attention from
those who pay attention; they will sink into the hearts and souls of those
whose hearts and souls are free of all afflictions; they will bring light to
those who have the vision to benefit from their effulgence; they will open the
doors of paradise for those who aim for it; they will bless those who aspire
for His nearness and strive to attain it).