Talent basically refers to a marked innate ability, as for artistic accomplishment. It is a natural endowment or ability of a superior quality. It refers to the innate ability, aptitude or faculty of an individual or a group which is above the average ability. It can be referenced to an individual or a group but generally it is referred to a group.
Before going into the subject it is important for us to understand the difference between a miracle and talent as Allah had given miracles and talents to many Prophets as the Qur’ān tells us. A miracle is something which cannot be repeated and is something which happens against nature and a talent is something which can be repeated and is in line with nature. For example, the camel coming out of the mountain, the staff of Moses being converted into a big snake, a path being made in between the sea by striking the staff, Isa being born without a father, the splitting of the moon, are all considered miracles as they can never be repeated. When we ponder over the lives of the Prophets, we can realise that many Prophets possessed a particular individual talent. The article strives to throw light on the talents possessed by various Prophets:
1. Noah [Nuh]
Prophet Noah possessed the talent of building a ship. Allah says in the Qur’ān, “And We carried him on a (construction of) planks and nails” (Qur’ān 54:13). Allah also says in the Qur’ān, “(So it was), until when Our command came and the oven over-flowed, We said, “Load upon it (i.e., the ship) of each (creature) two mates and your family, except those about whom the word (i.e., decree) has preceded, and (include) whoever has believed.” But none had believed with him, except a few. And (Noah) said, “Embark therein; in the name of Allah is its course and its anchorage. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful” (Qur’ān 11:40-41). From these ayaat we learn that the ship was made using planks and nails. The ship was so big that it could accommodate all kinds of animals, as well as his family and his followers. Anchors were used which helped the ship to move.
Researchers who discovered the Ship in Turkey around 50 years ago have revealed that the ship was 450 feet in length, 75 feet in width and 45 feet in height. It has the capacity to accommodate 522 boxcars (an enclosed railway freight wagon). It had the capacity to accommodate around 25000 animals and had three floors. All these facts show that it was not an easy task to construct the ship and it required talent to do so. Thus, only a person with high talent could build such a massive ship.
2. Abraham [Ibrahim]
Ibrahim constructed the Ka’ba on the command of Allah. Ismail would bring the stones and give it to him and he would place them in order on top of one another. When Ibrahim constructed the Ka’ba the size of the eastern wall was 48 feet and 6 inches, the size of the Hateem side wall was 33 feet, the size between the black stone and the Yemeni corner was 30 feet and the size of the western side was 46.5 feet.
Another talent possessed by Abraham was the capacity to dialogue. The dialogue of Ibrahim was divided in four stages, namely his family, society, religious scholars and the king.
First, in his family, he invited his father Azar to Islam. Secondly, in his society, he invited the common people to Islam through various examples like the stars, the moon and the sun. Thirdly, with the religious scholars, he told them to ask the big idol as to who had chopped the heads of all the other idols. And, fourthly, with King Namrud, whom he asked whether he could make the sun rise from the west.
3. Joseph [Yusuf]
Allah says in the Qur’ān, “And thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of narratives (i.e., events or dreams) and complete His favour upon you and upon the family of Jacob, as He completed it upon your fathers before, Abraham and Isaac. Indeed, your Lord is Knowing and Wise” (Qur’ān 12:6). From this verse we can learn that Prophet Joseph had the talent of interpreting dreams. From the Qur’ān we can come across two instances when Prophet Joseph interpreted dreams.
Due to continued pressure from his wife Zuleikha, the Aziz of Egypt decided to imprison Prophet Joseph despite his innocence. When he was put into prison, two other men were also imprisoned. One of the men told him, “I saw in a dream that I was crushing grapes to make wine for the king,” the other man said, “I dreamt that I was carrying some bread in a basket on my head and birds were pecking at the bread,” and then they asked him if he could interpret their dreams. He said, the man who dreamt that he was crushing grapes will soon be released from here and will go back to his previous post. The second one, who carried the bread on his head in the dream, will be executed and the birds will start to eat his brain and the same happened.
Allah says in the Qur’ān, “And (subsequently) the king said, “Indeed, I have seen (in a dream) seven fat cows being eaten by seven (that were) lean, and seven green spikes (of grain) and others (that were) dry. O eminent ones, explain to me my vision, if you should interpret visions” (Qur’ān 12:43). The king was very concerned about the meaning of his dream. As soon as the person who was released from the prison heard about the dream, he remembered Joseph and informed the king about him. Then Joseph was called to interpret the dream. He said, “For seven years the crops will yield abundant food-grain for the people of Egypt. After that there will be a famine for seven years during which all the food-grain lying in the storehouses will be finished and people will starve. Therefore, the people should try to grow as much extra grain as possible so that it would stand them in good stead during the time of famine.” All these instances show how Prophet Joseph possessed the talent of interpreting dreams.
Prophet Joseph did not only possess the talent of interpreting dreams but also possessed the talent of managing crisis. Allah says in the Qur’ān, “And the king said, “Bring him to me; I will appoint him exclusively for myself.” And when he spoke to him, he said, “Indeed, you are today established (in position) and trusted.” (Joseph) said, “Appoint me over the storehouses of the land. Indeed, I will be a knowing guardian” (Qur’ān 12:54-55).
The king recognised his noble qualities. When Joseph came, the king spoke to him. Joseph’s replies astonished the king with his cultural refinement and wide knowledge. He advised the king to appoint him as a minister so that he could handle the crisis and the king offered him a high position and gave the grain warehouses under his control. He advised the king to start planning for years of famine ahead. He informed him that the famine would affect not only Egypt but the neighbouring countries as well. He planned everything so well that he could guard the nation’s harvest and thereby safeguard it during the anticipated drought. This shows that Prophet Joseph possessed the talent of handling crisis.
4. Moses [Moosa]
Prophet Moses possessed the talent of dialogue. His dialogue with Pharaoh is recorded in the Qur’ān in Surah Al-Shuara, from verse 16 to verse 35. In the discussion Pharaoh reminded him about his favour, tried to blackmail him by reminding him about the murder, tried to threaten him by telling him about imprisonment and also passed sarcastic remarks but Moses did not lose the focus and did not lose his temper but struck to his point, used rational argument and completed the dialogue effectively by asking him to believe in the Lord of the east and the west.
5. David [Dawood]
Allah says in the Qur’ān, “And We taught him the fashioning of coats of armour to protect you from your (enemy in) battle. So will you then be grateful?” (Qur’ān 21:80). Allah also says in the Qur’ān, “And We certainly gave David from Us bounty. (We said), “O mountains, repeat (Our) praises with him, and the birds (as well).” And We made pliable for him iron, (Commanding him), “Make full coats of mail and calculate (precisely) the links, and work (all of you) righteousness. Indeed I, of what you do, am Seeing”” (Qur’ān 34:10-11). From these verses we can learn that David possessed the talent of making armour in order to protect people of Israel from the intensity of war. He would process Iron to make armour.
6. Solomon [Sulaiman]
Allah says in the Qur’ān, “And Solomon inherited David. He said, “O people, we have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from all things. Indeed, this is evident bounty” (Qur’ān 27:16). From this verse we can learn that Prophet Sulaiman possessed the talent of understanding the speech of birds, animals and insects and he was also capable to talk to them.
7. Muhammad
As Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) was the last Prophet, he was blessed with many talents. As Allah also says in the Qur’ān, “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern…” (Qur’ān 33:21). Among the various talents he possessed, his best talent was that of a statesman. As a statesman, he was a skilful and courageous political leader. His great political vision led his followers to establish a very large empire. He offered a vision to the people of Madinah, unified Jews, Christians and Muslims. He unified the Arabian Peninsula, established a great state and defeated his enemies without shedding much blood.
He formed military alliances and avoided conflicts. He never initiated a war but decisively defended his faith and his people whenever he had to do so. Whenever he indulged in wars, his strategies were mind blowing. He always emphasised peace and harmonious relations instead of fight. He spends a considerable part of his life on battlefields and proves to be the most able commander of all times. He broke the tribal system after the conquest of Makkah and set the stage for a new era of a unified community. He built sacred bounds of brotherhood within the community. He managed to put in place sound institutions supported by sound policies and used great wisdom in choosing the men to whom tasks were to be delegated. Muhammad solved social, political and economic problems and established such perfect rules in all these fields that they left permanent imprints on people which spread to every corner of the world. He did all this in less than 23 years. With all this we can come to the conclusion that he was an outstanding statesman.
Conclusion
With the above mentioned information we can learn that the Prophets were blessed with unique talents. Some people identify their talent at an early age and some people take time. Sometimes the talent of the child is identified by his parents, teachers, his friends or sometimes a situation in his life helps to discover his talent. Thus, basically every individual should first strive to identify his talent. After identifying one’s talent, the individual should strive to use talent in the cause of Islam the way the Prophets have done.