Section: The Prophet’s person, his sacred law, his community, and the miracles granted to its righteous—each of these is a sign of God.

The Prophet’s biography, his character, his words and deeds, and the law he brought are all among the signs of his prophethood; his community is one of His signs; the learning of that community and the soundness of their religion are among His signs; and the miracles bestowed upon its righteous people are likewise among His signs. This becomes clear to anyone who ponders his life— from the day he was born until he was commissioned, and from the day he was commissioned until he passed away— and who reflects on his lineage, his homeland, his roots and his branches. He belonged to the noblest lineage on earth, springing from the pure stock of Abraham, in whose descendants Allah placed prophethood and revelation. Every prophet who came after Abraham was from his progeny:

“And We granted him two sons: Ishmael and Isaac.”

Both are mentioned in the Torah, which also foretells what would come from the descendants of Ishmael. Among Ishmael’s offspring no one ever fulfilled those prophecies except him alone. Abraham prayed that from Ishmael’s line Allah would raise up a messenger from among them; accordingly, he came from Quraysh, the choicest of Abraham’s children, then from the clan of Hashim, the choicest of Quraysh, and from Mecca—the Mother of Cities and the land of the Sacred House that Abraham built and summoned humanity to visit in pilgrimage. That House has been continuously frequented since Abraham’s time and is praised in the scriptures of the prophets in the most excellent terms.