What is Prophethood in Islam?
Prophethood is not unknown to the major religions such as Judaism
and Christianity. In Islam, however, it has a special status and
significance. According to Islam, Allah created man for a noble purpose: to worship Him and lead a virtuous life based on His
teachings and guidance. How man would know his role and the
purpose of his existence unless he received clear and practical instructions of what Allah wants him to do?
Here comes the need for Prophethood. Thus Allah had chosen from every nation a prophet or more to convey His Message to people. One might ask: How were the prophets chosen and who were entitled to this great honour? Prophethood is Allah’s blessing and favour that He may bestow on whom He wills. However, by surveying the various messengers throughout history, three features of a prophet may be recognized: He is the best in his community morally and intellectually. This is necessary because a prophet’s life serves as a model for his followers, His personality should attract people to accept his message rather than drive them away by his imperfect character. After receiving the message he is infallible. That is, he would not commit any sin. He might perpetuate some minor mistakes which are usually corrected by revelation. He is supported by miracles to prove that he is not a fraud. Those miracles are granted by the power and permission of God and are usually in the field in which his people excell which are recognized as superiors. We might illustrate this by quoting the major miracles of the three prophets of the major world religions:
Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Moses’ (pbuh) contemporaries were excellent in magic. So, his major miracle was to defeat the best magicians of Egypt of his days. Jesus’ (pbuh) contemporaries were recognized as skillful physicians. Therefore, his miracles were to raise the dead and cure the incurable diseases. The Arabs, the contemporaries of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), were known for their eloquence and magnificent poetry. So, Muhammad’s major miracle was the Quran, the equivalent of which the whole legion of the Arab poets and orators could not produce despite the repeated challenge from the Quran itself Again, Muhammad’s miracle has something special about it. All previous miracles were limited by time and place, i.e., they were shown to specific people at a specific time. Not so, the miracle of Muhammad – the Quran. it is a universal and everlasting miracle. Past and present generations witnessed it and future generations will witness its miraculous nature in term of its style, content ad spiritual uplifting. These still can be tested and will thereby prove the divine origin of the Quran.
Every prophet states clearly that what he receives is not of his own but from God for the well-being of mankind. He also confirms what was revealed before him and what may be revealed after him. A prophet does this to show that he is simply conveying the message which is entrusted to him by the One True God of all people in all ages. So the message is one in essence and for the same purpose. Therefore, it should not deviate from what was revealed before him or what might come after him.
Prophets are necessary for conveying God’s message and guidance to mankind. We have no way of knowing why we were created? What will happen to us after death? Is there any life after death? Are we accountable for our actions? In other words, is there any reward or punishment for our deeds in this life? These and so many other questions about God, angels, paradise, hell, etc. cannot be answered without direct revelation from the Creator and Knower of the unseen. Those answers must be authentic and must be brought by individuals whom we trust and respect. That is why, messengers are the select of their societies in terms of moral conducts and intellectual abilities. Hence, the slanderous Biblical stories about some of the great prophets are not accepted by Muslims. For example, when Lot is reported to have committed fornication while drunk with his daughters or that David sent one of his leaders to death to be able to marry his wife (Put reference). Prophets to Muslims are greater than what these stories indicate. These stories cannot be true from the Islamic point of view. The prophets are also miraculously supported by God and instructed by Him to affirm the continuity of the message.
Here comes the need for Prophethood. Thus Allah had chosen from every nation a prophet or more to convey His Message to people. One might ask: How were the prophets chosen and who were entitled to this great honour? Prophethood is Allah’s blessing and favour that He may bestow on whom He wills. However, by surveying the various messengers throughout history, three features of a prophet may be recognized: He is the best in his community morally and intellectually. This is necessary because a prophet’s life serves as a model for his followers, His personality should attract people to accept his message rather than drive them away by his imperfect character. After receiving the message he is infallible. That is, he would not commit any sin. He might perpetuate some minor mistakes which are usually corrected by revelation. He is supported by miracles to prove that he is not a fraud. Those miracles are granted by the power and permission of God and are usually in the field in which his people excell which are recognized as superiors. We might illustrate this by quoting the major miracles of the three prophets of the major world religions:
Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Moses’ (pbuh) contemporaries were excellent in magic. So, his major miracle was to defeat the best magicians of Egypt of his days. Jesus’ (pbuh) contemporaries were recognized as skillful physicians. Therefore, his miracles were to raise the dead and cure the incurable diseases. The Arabs, the contemporaries of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), were known for their eloquence and magnificent poetry. So, Muhammad’s major miracle was the Quran, the equivalent of which the whole legion of the Arab poets and orators could not produce despite the repeated challenge from the Quran itself Again, Muhammad’s miracle has something special about it. All previous miracles were limited by time and place, i.e., they were shown to specific people at a specific time. Not so, the miracle of Muhammad – the Quran. it is a universal and everlasting miracle. Past and present generations witnessed it and future generations will witness its miraculous nature in term of its style, content ad spiritual uplifting. These still can be tested and will thereby prove the divine origin of the Quran.
Every prophet states clearly that what he receives is not of his own but from God for the well-being of mankind. He also confirms what was revealed before him and what may be revealed after him. A prophet does this to show that he is simply conveying the message which is entrusted to him by the One True God of all people in all ages. So the message is one in essence and for the same purpose. Therefore, it should not deviate from what was revealed before him or what might come after him.
Prophets are necessary for conveying God’s message and guidance to mankind. We have no way of knowing why we were created? What will happen to us after death? Is there any life after death? Are we accountable for our actions? In other words, is there any reward or punishment for our deeds in this life? These and so many other questions about God, angels, paradise, hell, etc. cannot be answered without direct revelation from the Creator and Knower of the unseen. Those answers must be authentic and must be brought by individuals whom we trust and respect. That is why, messengers are the select of their societies in terms of moral conducts and intellectual abilities. Hence, the slanderous Biblical stories about some of the great prophets are not accepted by Muslims. For example, when Lot is reported to have committed fornication while drunk with his daughters or that David sent one of his leaders to death to be able to marry his wife (Put reference). Prophets to Muslims are greater than what these stories indicate. These stories cannot be true from the Islamic point of view. The prophets are also miraculously supported by God and instructed by Him to affirm the continuity of the message.
The content of the prophets’ message to mankind can be summarized as follows:
- Clear concept about God: His attributes, His creation, what should and should not be ascribed to Him.
- Clear idea about the unseen world, the angles, jinn (spirits), Paradise and Hell.
Why has God created us? What does he want from us and what is the
reward or punishment for obeying or disobeying Him?
How to run our societies according to His Will? That is clear
instructions and laws when applied correctly and honestly, will result
into a happy and ideal society. It is clear from the above discussion that there is no substitute for prophets. Even today with the advancement of science, the only
authentic source of information about the supernatural world is revelation. Guidance cannot be obtained neither from science nor from mystic experience. The first is too materialistic and too limited; the
second is too subjective and frequently too misleading.
Now, one might ask:
How many prophets had God sent to humanity? We do not know for sure. Some Muslim scholars have suggested 1,24,000 thousand prophets. We are only sure of what is clearly mentioned in the Quran, that is, God has sent one messenger (or more) to every nation. It is because one of God’s principles is that, He will never punish people unless He has made clear to them what to do and what not to do. The Quran mentions the names of 25 prophets and indicates that there have been others who were not mentioned to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). These 25 include Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them. These five are the greatest among God’s messengers. These are called ‘the resolute’ prophets. An outstanding aspect of the Islamic belief in Prophethood is that Muslims believe in and respect all the messengers of God with no exceptions. Since all the prophets came from the same One God and for the same purpose which is to lead mankind to Him, therefore, belief in all the prophets is essential and logical. Accepting some and rejecting others, definitely, presupposes misconception of the prophets’ role or on racial bias.
The Muslims are the only people in the world who consider the belief in all the prophets of God an article of faith. Thus the Jews reject Jesus Christ and Muhammad; the Christians reject Muhammad which in reality is tantamount to a rejection of Moses because they do not abide by his laws. The Muslims accept them all as messengers of God who brought guidance to mankind. However, the revelation that those prophets brought from God had been tampered with, in one way or the other. The belief in all the messengers of God is enjoined on the Muslims by the Quran.
How many prophets had God sent to humanity? We do not know for sure. Some Muslim scholars have suggested 1,24,000 thousand prophets. We are only sure of what is clearly mentioned in the Quran, that is, God has sent one messenger (or more) to every nation. It is because one of God’s principles is that, He will never punish people unless He has made clear to them what to do and what not to do. The Quran mentions the names of 25 prophets and indicates that there have been others who were not mentioned to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). These 25 include Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them. These five are the greatest among God’s messengers. These are called ‘the resolute’ prophets. An outstanding aspect of the Islamic belief in Prophethood is that Muslims believe in and respect all the messengers of God with no exceptions. Since all the prophets came from the same One God and for the same purpose which is to lead mankind to Him, therefore, belief in all the prophets is essential and logical. Accepting some and rejecting others, definitely, presupposes misconception of the prophets’ role or on racial bias.
The Muslims are the only people in the world who consider the belief in all the prophets of God an article of faith. Thus the Jews reject Jesus Christ and Muhammad; the Christians reject Muhammad which in reality is tantamount to a rejection of Moses because they do not abide by his laws. The Muslims accept them all as messengers of God who brought guidance to mankind. However, the revelation that those prophets brought from God had been tampered with, in one way or the other. The belief in all the messengers of God is enjoined on the Muslims by the Quran.
