Abdulsalam was one of the greatest Rabbis in the history of the Jews. He had a keen mind and most importantly, he knew his own people. If he was to shepherd them and still remain in their good graces, he like many other so-called leaders of their flocks had to maintain a well-developed balancing act.
He needed to balance the need for knowledge and the duties owed to the community and also to the ONE GOD. Men, no matter their origin, being fickle makes leadership a complicated business. However, Abdulsalam was most excellent at what he did and was very astute at keeping ‘Jewishness’ alive for his tribe. And his tribe loved him for being super smart and proactive amongst them.
The trouble with Abdulsalam was that he was honest and forthright unto himself! As the saying goes: To thine own self be true!
With a genius type of intellect and a thirst for knowledge, he could literally add up the numbers and get a correct answer. He, being a real Rabbi, and not just a fill-in, had in his grasp a keen sense of logic and a burning desire to ‘search the records’ in a meaningful way. Hence, he was not stupid!
The Torah being his meat and potatoes gave him the important understanding that there were only two kinds of people in this world: Jews and others. These others were referred to as GENTILES. Although gentiles, like the Arabs, were to be seen as low class and like the Romans, corrupt-like animals, they were a created species THAT THE JEWISH GOD WOULD NOT FORGET!
Of course in some strange way they existed to serve the Jew in this world and to be cannon fodder in the next. So, they did have their relevance in existing after all. However, truth has a way of surfacing even though the unbelievers detest it:
They say: “Become Jews or Christians if you would be guided (to salvation).” Say thou: “Nay! (I would rather) the Religion of Abraham the True, and he joined not gods with ALLAH.” Quran (2:135)
According to the records even the Jewish reign of superiority would have to be grafted somehow onto these gentiles by of all things the Jewish GOD WHO proclaimed them as part of the KINGDOM TO COME. He could get that much from Genesis and from Isaiah as there appeared to be an ‘awakener’ who will rise up and bring them into the fold of belief or at least ‘wake them up to the realities of the great Jewish truths’.
The scepter {religious standard of faith} shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; and {then} to him shall be the obedience of the people {such that his Law shall be the Law that the people shall be ruled by} Genesis (49:8-10)
I {GOD} will raise up for them a Prophet like you {O Moses} from among their {Semitic} brethren, and will put MY words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I Command him {as a true prophet should}
And it shall be {come to pass/in the future} that whoever will not hear MY words, which he speaks in MY Name, I will require it of {punish} him. Deuteronomy (18:18-19)
Sing to the LORD a new song {a NEW LAW/TESTAMENT}, And HIS Praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you coastlands and you inhabitants of them!
Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, Let them shout from the top of the mountains. Isaiah (42:10-11)
I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and NOT forsake them.
They shall be turned back {TO THE TRUTH}, they shall be greatly ashamed, who trust in carved images, who say to the molded images {and proclaimed falsely that}, ‘You are our gods.’
“Hear, you deaf; and look, you blind, that you may see {that you may be aware that FAITH is in MY hands, between my fingers, and I will turn your hearts as I so please for I alone am THE RULER OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH}. Isaiah (42:16-18)
Abdullah b. Amr b. al‘As reported that Muhammad (pbh) said; “Verily the hearts of all the sons of Adam are between the two fingers out of the fingers of the Compassionate LORD as one heart. HE turns that to any (direction) HE likes. Then ALLAH’s Messenger (pbh) said: “O ALLAH, the Turner of the hearts, turn our hearts to YOUR obedience.” Muslim
How this was to be accomplished was to be found in the Old Testament works considered holy and sanctified! First, this so-called miracle will occur when the reigns of prophetic power gets transferred to this entity who will be an Arab just because they are the cousins of the Jews and it fits prophecy to a T, even if it is like gall to the Jews.
So people like the Jews have a choice: Do GOD’s WILL and then trust in HIM so that you will prosper (Paradise) and that means to be obedient to HIS Messengers or go it your own way and see the end result of your choices:
According to Jesus (pbh) “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth {because of their intransigence}.” Matthew (8:11-12)
The Jews historically set themselves up to be GOD’s chosen and GOD, according to this logic, was supposedly trapped in the logic HE HIMSELF created. Hence, to the Jews first, last and foremost and that is why they could find degradation of any kind just a mere pittance to endure as to what they believed that the ONE GOD owed them!
Secondly, this Gentile prophet will be responsible for bringing faith to the ignorant masses because he will open blind eyes (hearts) to the truth and free the scum (non-Jewish pagan filth) from their foul and evil ways. Why? Because Isaiah said so!
So even though this ‘awakener’ won’t be a Jew, he will be a unifier to the peoples and bring them from darkness to light! And because he is a Semite, he will naturally be as prophesied, an Arab!
Since there are only two kinds of Semites in the world, Jews and Arabs, and this man will not come from the Jewish side, it only makes sense that he will be an Arab.
He knows without a doubt that Kedar found in the Old Testament especially in Isaiah means Arab in his scriptures and he also knows according to Isaiah that there is a mountain called Sela in Medina, called at that time Yathrib. It doesn’t take a genius-type moment for him to figure that one out since he is a studier of the scriptures.
What, one might wonder, are Christians to him? Not much would be the answer except that they are NOT JEWS but strictly Gentiles being mostly in this world as a radically deformed Jewish sect who seemingly are more interested in the life of this world than the Hereafter due to their non-Jewish concepts and practices.
The stage is set when he hears of rumors of an Arab man, whose followers are calling him a prophet, and who is contending with the worst of human scum, religious-wise, called the pagans of Makkah.
True Jewish feeling concerning the Arabs at that time and actually recorded in history can be equated to beings like animals that walk and talk like humans. And when pushed hard by these ignorant ones as the Jews would call them, the Jews admittedly cried out that when ‘their new prophet’ would come that they, the Jews, would destroy the Arabs.
This shows that they could use the Arabs for their own benefit and still live in proximity to them but were waiting patiently to claim the crown of life when their so-called savior would arrive – the new prophet.
That is all history and this history shows both the genius ability of Abdulsalam and his intuitive nature to know how to put two and two together and come up with the right answers. It also shows how well he knew his own people and how he could save himself by actually putting his trust in the ONE GOD.
The act of pretending ignorance or trying to believe in something stupid like believing that the ONE GOD has a blind spot and therefore can be somehow tricked was not in his character. Real belief, based on intrinsic study must be given some type of action to go along with this ‘gift’.
The action he took was that Abdulsalam went directly to the Prophet (pbh) when he arrived in Medina, asked him a few questions and immediately announced his submission to him as in being a true believer and not a half-arsed bungler wanting the best of both worlds by somehow trying to cheat the ONE WHO created all life.
Granted he had a well built up knowledge just like Heraclius did, but he used his knowledge to get closer to the ONE GOD even if it meant that he would lose his status and station amongst his followers. To him, time is short but eternity is forever so he definitely put his money where his mouth was.
And of course, his reward becomes awesome as he gets double the reward as is promised those who show patience and endurance in making the switch from nominal belief to actual belief!
So all hale to Abdulsalam a man of true courage and foresight!
