Set Two Texts Side by Side

“He shall judge Your people with righteousness and Your poor with justice. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the hills, in righteousness. May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor. Let them fear You while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. “May he come down like rain upon the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. In his days may the righteous flourish and abundance of peace till the moon is no more. May he also rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. “They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. “For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. “And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. “There shall be a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders, and blessed be His glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.”

This prophecy carries glad tidings of the Prophet Muḥammad, because it refers to a prophet who rules with justice and equity, treats the poor fairly, saves the wretched, and deters the oppressors. This was achieved during the time of the Prophet Muḥammad and the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs after him. Even today, countries that are ruled by Islam have the lowest crime rates.

“The voice of him that crieth, ‘Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’”

This is one of the glad tidings that speaks of the mission of the Prophet Muḥammad and his call to monotheism and faith in Allāh. The glad tiding mentions a calling voice, which is the revelation of the Qur’ān. This caused a new path to exist, Islam, which is made clear and easy in the barren deserts. This verse likens polytheism with the deserts, mountains, and hills, due to the difficulty of traversing them. It also likened the crooked path with rough places like narrow paths in the mountains, and then references the low place to mean the sunken one, from which it is difficult for people to rise. This is because polytheism is difficult and unacceptable to the intellect. The polytheist is stubborn against his own mind and lives in turmoil, as he directs himself to other than Allāh, and this is contrary to the human natural disposition (Fitrah) upon which Allāh created people.