Psalms 118:21-26

This is a glad tiding of the coming of the Prophet Muḥammad, for he is the final prophet. He is like the last stone in the building, as is expressed by him being the head stone of the corner. With his coming, people are saved from the worship of idols and stones, they rejoice in the worship of Allāh alone, and they marvel at the collapse and demise of paganism. This joy, wonder, and rejoicing from the change indeed happened as is established in the history books, when the Prophet Muḥammad was sent and triumphed over his polytheistic adversaries.

The stone, which the builders refused, is Muḥammad. The builders refused to place him during the eras of the Prophets Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them both), because prophethood was not completed with them. So when Muḥammad came, the building was completed by placing this stone.

This glad tiding has indeed been fulfilled. In it is an indication of Allāh’s response to the prayer of the Prophet David. It is noteworthy that this glad tiding of joy and wonder came with its meaning in the New Testament. For it came in the Gospel of Matthew (21:42-43): “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”

Moreover, the Prophet Muḥammad mentioned what exactly matches this glad tiding, saying: “My similitude in comparison with the other prophets before me, is that of a man who has built a house nicely and beautifully, except for a place of one brick in a corner. The people go about it and wonder at its beauty, but say: ‘Would that this brick be put in its place!’ The Prophet Muḥammad, peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him, said: “So I am that brick, and I am the last of the Prophets.” [Al-Bukhari] Glory be to the One who made the speech of these two great prophets (Jesus and Muḥammad, peace be upon them) emerge from the same niche and the same source.

When David and the Messiah described Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon them all) as a stone, there is an indication of strength and firmness. This is reality; the nation of Islam does not perish no matter what wars and calamities befall it. Its religion does not change regardless of the difficulties. In fact, in the twenty-first century AD, Islam was the fastest-growing religion after the availability of electronic means that brought the distant closer and facilitated the access of the Islamic call to all people in all corners of the earth.

As for his saying: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” (Matthew 21:43) it is an indication of the transfer of prophethood from the descendants of Isaac to the descendants of Ishmael (peace be upon them). Muḥammad is from the lineage of Ishmael, and the nation referred to is the nation of Muḥammad.