The Call of the Prophets and the Reaction of the People عليهم السلام
From the preceding explanations, it has become clear what the call of all prophets consisted of according to Islamic sources. They all called their peoples to the exclusive worship of Allah and to complete obedience to Him alone.
As a result, history witnessed a confrontation between monotheism and polytheism – a conflict between the prophets عليهم السلام and their opponents – which is repeatedly reflected in the texts of the Qur'an, or in the existing versions of the Torah and the Gospel.
The Qur'an recounts how those who rejected the message mocked and responded to their respective prophets عليه السلام:
﴿مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا فِي آبَائِنَا الْأَوَّلِينَ﴾
We have not heard of this among our forefathers.
[sura al-Mu'minun, 23:24]
﴿مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا فِي الْمِلَّةِ الْآخِرَةِ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا اخْتِلَاقٌ﴾
We have not heard of this in the latest religion. This is not but a fabrication.
[sura Sad, 38:7]
When one points out misunderstandings in certain patterns of thought within the Islamic community today, one is often reminded of these verses.
This described attitude of rejection is not only observed among the general population or lower social strata but is also frequently found among scholars. This phenomenon, too, is not new in itself.
The Qur'an describes how scholars and highly regarded individuals of high status would rally their followers against prophethood:
﴿وَانْطَلَقَ الْمَلَأُ مِنْهُمْ أَنِ امْشُوا وَاصْبِرُوا عَلَى آلِهَتِكُمْ إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ يُرَادُ﴾
Continue, and be patient over [the defense of] your worshipped ones. Indeed, this is a thing intended.
[sura Sad, 38:6]
The reason for such rejecting attitudes is a growing awareness that the understanding many people have of the core message of Islam does not align with the teachings of the earliest sources. This realization understandably unsettles many followers of Islam; however, it will ultimately not change the historical and theological facts.
For an authentic representation of Islam and its foundation, it will be essential to clarify the unified message of the earliest sources and convey it to people without alteration. The idea that misunderstandings about these fundamental teachings of Islam can simply be left unaddressed and ignored is, from a theological perspective, both absurd and unrealistic.
The latter is especially true because there is currently a strong resurgence among Muslims towards the early Islamic sources, and a clear desire for clarity regarding the foundations of their own religion can be observed.
The idea that silently ignoring such misunderstandings is an expression of mercy or a relaxed approach to differences of opinion is also theologically untenable. According to Islamic teachings, the most merciful and compassionate individuals were precisely those prophets عليهم السلام who directly confronted their peoples with their misunderstandings. Furthermore, from an Islamic perspective, it cannot be considered good to deliberately withhold from people the original meaning of their religion for pragmatic reasons. Such arguments and ways of thinking are, therefore, theologically inconsistent.