9.4 The Choice of a Prophet The choice of a prophet is a very carefully planned matter. There is nothing arbitrary about it. He is chosen from birth from millions of beings and nurtured for his great office. Then he is tried and tested until he is ready for the great task, the greatest that man has ever been given. Mohamed, the last and greatest of the prophets, was no exception. He used to say, "It is my Lord who has brought me up, and He has brought me up well." In an age when men were gross and brutish, he was refined, cultured, tactful, and considerate, and he instilled these qualities in his followers. Like all prophets, Mohamed was very severely tested and tried and he endured his trials with manliness, patience, and perseverance. When the Quraysh demanded one of the two great men in Mecca or Taif to be Prophet, they were demanding what they had neither the right to demand or the ability to choose. As the Koran points out, "Allah knows best where to place His message."