In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy

Allaah [The Blessed and Exalted] said:

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى بَعَثَ فِى ٱلۡأُمِّيِّـۧنَ رَسُولاً۬ مِّنۡہُمۡ يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡہِمۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيہِمۡ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبۡلُ لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ۬

He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad ) from among themselves, reciting to them His Verses, purifying them (from the filth of disbelief and polytheism), and teaching them the Book (this Qur’an, Islamic laws and Islamic jurisprudence) and Al-Hikmah (As-Sunnah: legal ways, orders, acts of worship, etc. of Prophet Muhammad ). And verily, they had been before in mainfest error. [Surah al-Jumu’ah’ Aayah 2]

They used to be in manifest misguidance – in the ignorance of the [most] ignorant people -, so Allaah sent-among them- Muhammad [sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam] with this Book [i.e. The Qur’aan] and this Wisdom – the [authentic] Sunnah. Neither have they been favoured with [all the blessings] of this  Dunyaa nor anything from this Dunyaa [that is better] than the [arrival of] this Messenger [i.e. Muhammad (sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasalla)] and this knowledge of [the Sharee’ah] he brought- through which they are taught [the Islamic laws and Islamic jurisprudence], purified from the filth of shirk and ignorance, and the misguidance they blindly wandered in.

There is no blessing bestowed upon a human being that is better than the [unadulterated] Knowledge brought by the Messengers, because the well-being and happiness of a person [in this life and the next] is underpinned by this knowledge. Their safety from the fire of hell, exit from the darkness [of the misguidance in life] – in which they live – and the darkness of ignorance, cannot be [achieved] except through the light of the [unadulterated] knowledge which Allaah [The Blessed and Exalted] revealed to the Prophets; and the best of Prophets was Muhammad [alayhis salaatu wassalaam] and his Message is the best of the all the messages. Allaah sent Muhammad [sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam] to remove humankind -completely – from the darkness [of shirk, kufr, misguidance etc] and [enter them] into the light [of Eemaan, Tawheed, guidance etc]. [Allaah said]:

[الٓر‌ۚ ڪِتَـٰبٌ أَنزَلۡنَـٰهُ إِلَيۡكَ لِتُخۡرِجَ ٱلنَّاسَ مِنَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِ –  Alif-Lam-Ra. (This is) a Book which We have revealed unto you (O Muhammad) in order that you might lead mankind out of darkness (of disbelief and polytheism) into light (of belief in the Oneness of Allah and Islamic Monotheism). [Surah Ibraaheem’ Aayaat 1-2]

Marhaban Yaa Taalibal Ilm’ pages 96 – 97. abridged and slightly paraphrased