lifetime of the Holy Prophet. No one who has the slightest acquaintance with the Holy Qur’ān and the history of Islām can have any doubts on this score.

The value of prophecy, as a miracle of Islām, is, however, much more extensive. There are great and wonderful prophecies in the Book, and more still in Ḥadīth, extending into the far future, many of which have been fulfilled in our own age, and almost every generation of Muslims sees with its own eyes the fulfilment of one or more of these great prophecies, and needs not to turn the pages of history to find out what miracles were performed by the Holy Prophet in a previous age. Another feature of this miracle is that it has been vouchsafed even to the righteous followers of the Holy Prophet in every age. Thus it is not only the Holy Prophet’s own prophecies that are witnessed in every age, for prophecy is also a heritage to his devout and faithful followers.36

Intercession: God is the real Intercessor

There is one more point on which light should be thrown in connection with the place of prophets in Islām, and that is the doctrine of intercession. The Arabic word for intercession is shafā‘at37 which signifies the joining of a man to another assisting him, especially, when a man who enjoys a high rank and honour joins himself to a man of a lower position (R.). In the Holy Qur’ān, God is spoken of as the real Intercessor (Shāfi‘): “There is no protector (waliyy) for them, nor any intercessor (Shāfi‘) besides Him” (6:51,70). And on another occasion: “Allāh’s is the intercession altogether” (39:44). It is sometimes spoken of in connection with the Divine control of things: “Allāh is He Who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six periods, and He is established on the Throne of Power. You have not besides Him a guardian or an intercessor. Will you not then mind?” (32:4). Thus intercession, according to the Holy Qur’ān, is really in the hands of God, just as the control of things is really in His hands, and hence the oft-repeated expression that none can intercede with God except with His permission (10:3; 2:255).38

Intercession is denied in the case of those that are set up as gods: “And they will have no intercessors from among their associate gods”