prophethood

Islamic Studies

Prophethood

By:

Muhammad Ahsan Qureshi

Bachelor of Studies in Computer Sciences Department of Engineering & IT

National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad

Table of Contents

Sr.No Contents Page No.

1 Introduction 02

2 Meaning and Significance of Prophethood 03

3 Necessity of Prophethood a. To Know the True nature of the Beings in the Universe is Only

Possible through an instructor. b. Prophets are Necessary for us to know the Existence of Allah

and the Hereafter. c. The Aim in the Creation of Man can only be understood

through Prophets d. Prophets are guides for people

04

4. Attributes of Prophet a. Ismah (Innocence) b. Amanah (Trust) c. Sidq (Loyalty) d. Tabligh (Conveying)

05

5. Proofs of Prophethood a. Miracle b. Irhas (Extraordinary Event before Prophethood) c. Karamah (Extraordinary Event by a wali)

06

6. Prophets Mentioned In The Glorious Quran And Their Stories 07

7. Necessity of More Than One Prophet Before Hazrat Muhammad 08

8. Superiority of Prophets Over One Another 08

9. Spiritual Personality and Universality of The Prophethood Of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH)

09

10. Conclusion 09

Abstract

Prophethood is not unknown to heavenly revealed religions, such as Judaism and

Christianity. In Islam, however, it has a special status and significance. According to

Islam, God created man for a noble purpose: to worship Him and lead a virtuous life

based on His teachings and guidance. How would man know his role and the purpose

of his existence unless he received clear and practical instructions of what God wants

him to do? Here comes the need for prophethood. Thus God has chosen from every

nation at least one prophet to convey His Message to people. In this assignment, there

are examples from the stories of previous Prophets and signs indicating what messages

we can receive from those stories. Attention is drawn to the misfortunes that previous

communities experienced and to their exemplary state because of not heeding the

messages of their Prophets.

Prophethood By: Muhammad Ahsan Qureshi Page 2 of 9

1. Introduction

The concept of Prophethood is found in the three great monotheistic religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In Islam, however, it has a special status and significance. According to Islam, Allah created man to worship Him and to lead a virtuous life based on His teachings and guidance. But how can man know and fulfill his role and the purpose of his existence if he does not receive clear and practical instructions of what Allah wants him to do? The existence of Prophethood, by which Allah sent a prophet to every nation to reveal His message in terms that the people could understand, has answered this question most effectively. The first man Hazrat Adam was also the first prophet. He was educated and chosen by his Lord; he was taught the wisdom, aims and benefits of things, and was made superior to angels; thus, he was chosen as the caliph on the earth. There are two ways, as favor and evil, good and bad, ugly and nice, in front of man. The talents and abilities in man could take him either way. One of the ways takes him to the lowest of the low, that is, to the bottom of Hell; the other takes him to the highest of the high, that is, to the highest place in Paradise. Thus, man needs guides and educators that will inform him about the commands and prohibitions of Allah, that will answer astonishing and difficult questions like “Where are you coming from?, Where are you going?, What will you do in this world?” concisely, nicely and perfectly showing that man really deserves to be the caliph on the earth and the most honorable creature, that will ensure him to develop his talents and abilities in a positive way and that will serve as models for him. Those guides are Prophets that were chosen among people and that were equipped with high ethics and good manners. God Almighty sent exemplary people like that to almost every community in every century. Those Prophets served as examples for the communities they lived in with the messages they conveyed, and with their good manners and conduct; they educated them spiritually and transformed both their world and hereafter into Paradise. Prophets made people develop good manners and conduct that is very important for the community like keeping one’s promise, observing the rights of others, not telling lies, not cheating people, observing the rights of the poor and the weak, doing one’s parents and relative’s favors. People living today need the guidance of Prophets more than people that lived before. It is only possible by accepting the life of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), whose religion and call is universal, and who is the representative of high ethics and good manners for humanity. It is because he is the imam (leader) of all of the believers, the preacher of all of the jinn and men, the chief of all of the antecedent Prophets and the first link of the awliya (saints) and asfiya (selected people) chain that will come after him. Humanity can only reach universal peace and quiet like that. Gaston Care states it as “If Islam disappears from the world, it will be impossible to maintain universal peace."


2. Meaning And Significance of Prophethood:

In the Glorious Quran, Prophethood is expressed with the words nubuwwa, bi'sa, risalah and irsal. Prophet is expressed with the words Nabi, Mab'uth, Rasul, Mursal or their plurals.

Nubuwwa: is Prophethood. It is the duty of conveying the orders of Allah to men; it is being an envoy between Allah and His slaves. Rasul: means apostle or messenger. He is a person who was sent by Allah to a nation or to the humankind with a new book and a new Shariah (law) as a prophet. Nabis: are Prophets who were not sent by a new book and a new Shariah but continue the book and the Shariah brought by the Rasul before them. Prophethood cannot be obtained by working; it is a grant of Allah to His selected slaves. Prophets were honored with revelation. They were equipped with superior characteristics that are not present in other men; their Prophethood was confirmed by Allah through miracles that were granted to them. In fact, the Quran points to it as follows: “Such is the Bounty of Allah, which He bestows on whom He will...” (Al-Jumua,

62/ 4).

According to the Quran, Prophets convey the orders and prohibitions of Allah to men without decreasing or increasing anything; they know and inform them about things that they do not know and will not know through the revelation they receive from Allah. They recite the verses of Allah to men and teach them the book and wisdom; they advise them to follow the straight path and ask Allah for their forgiveness. The most perfect men among human beings are the Prophets in the chain of Prophethood. They are the representatives of good deeds and beauty; their opponents are the representatives of evil and ugliness.

Doubtlessly, Prophethood is a heavy load. Allah burdened people who are capable of carrying it with that load. It is stated in the Glorious Quran pointing to the heavy burden of the Prophethood and the divine words as follows;

“Soon shall we send down to you a weighty Message” (Al-Muzzammil, 73/5).

That the expression "a weighty Message" is used for the Quran here is an indication that it is a hard task to carry out its orders, to serve an example in accordance with its instructions and to bear the burden of its revelation.

Zaid bin Sabit says the following regarding the issue: "The Messenger of Allah’s knee was

leaning on my knee once when he received a revelation. I felt such a heavy burden on my knees

that I thought my knees would be broken.”


Hazrat Aisha reported the following regarding the issue: "On an intensely cold winter day,

I saw sweat dripping from the hand of Messenger of Allah when he received revelation.”

In another report Hazrat Aisha says: “The Messenger of Allah was on a camel when he

received revelation. The chest of the camel remained on the ground until the revelation

ended. It could not move until the revelation ended ".

3. Necessity of Prophethood Reasons that necessitates Prophets to be sent:

a. To Know the True nature of the Beings in the Universe is Only Possible through an instructor. It is necessary to know the true nature, the reason and wisdom of the creation of the beings from atoms to galaxies that were created with a wisdom, purpose, plan and art. In order to understand the beings in the universe that denote many meanings like a book, we need an instructor. If an incomprehensible book is without a teacher, it will be a bundle of meaningless paper. Thus, Prophets are the teachers of this book of the universe. They free the book of the universe from being an incomprehensible book; each of them teaches humanity the wisdom and purpose of the creation of each being.

b. Prophets are Necessary for us to know the Existence of Allah and the Hereafter.

Mind cannot comprehend the attributes of Allah, the existence of the hereafter and the events that will take place there. Prophets are necessary in order to know them. The first duty of Prophets is to inform and teach man about Allah. It is to call men to the reality of oneness (tawheed), which is one of the Fundamentals of the Quran. The following verse points to it: "Not a messenger did We send before you without this inspiration sent by Us to him: that

there is no god but I; therefore worship and serve Me" (Al-Anbiya, 21/25).

Allah explains the reasons why He sent Prophets through the words of Prophets in the book that He sent, the Quran. There are many examples; let us have a look at a few of them. In the Quran, Prophets are mentioned as people who convey men what they receive from Allah and who give people advice: "I but fulfill towards you the duties of my Lord's mission: sincere is my advice to you and I

know from Allah something that you know not” (Al-Araf, 7/62).

The fact that all of the Prophets , primarily, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and saints always say in their prayers and supplication “protect us from fire”, “free us


from fire”, “ rescue us from fire” that is, “protect us from Hell” shows that the most important problem of mankind is protection from Hell. Thus, the people who show that great danger and the way of liberation from it are Prophets.

c. The Aim in the Creation of Man can only be understood through Prophets

When man comes to the world, he is in need of learning everything and he is ignorant of the laws of life. However, animals are sent to the world in a perfect form in accordance with their abilities as if they were made perfect in another world. They learn all of the conditions of life and their relation with the universe, the laws of life and they acquire necessary skills in two hours, two days or two months. In twenty days, an animal like a sparrow and a bee obtains the life experience that a man obtains in twenty years, that is, they are inspired. As for man, he cannot learn the conditions of life fully in twenty years. He is in need of learning until he dies. He is sent to the world in a weak and feeble form; he can stand on two after a year or two. He can discriminate between what is harmful and what is useful for him only after fifteen years; He can obtain what is useful for him and avoid what is harmful for him only through the help of the community. That is, the natural duty of man is to become perfect through knowledge and science, and to carry out the duty of worship through prayer and supplication. Thus, man has come to this world in order to become perfect through knowledge, science, prayer and supplication. The development of all talents and abilities depend on knowledge and science. And the essence, core, light and spirit of all of the real knowledge and science are to know Allah, and the base of knowing Allah is belief in Allah.

d. Prophets are guides for people

There is a need for people with high ethics and good manners who will serve as examples in the community. They are Prophets. Allah, who encompasses everything with His mercy and knowledge, who grants endless bounties and blessings to His creatures, did not deprive men of the divine guidance of Prophets.

4. Attributes of Prophet Prophets have superior attributes related directly to their mission. The three most important attributes among them are as follows:

a. Ismah (Innocence):

It is the protection of Prophets by Allah from committing sins, disobedience and harams (forbidden things). Prophets never approach a secret or open sin, they are away and liberated from all faults, mistakes and blemishes. Prophets were kept away from sins before the Prophethood and during the Prophethood.


b. Amanah (Trust): It is the reliability of Prophets. No doubt, a person who cannot assure men cannot succeed in his cause. That attribute is stated in several verses: “Neither does he (Muhammad - PBUH) withhold grudgingly a knowledge of the Unseen”

(At-Takwir, 81/24).

c. Sidq (Loyalty): That attribute is related to prophet’s telling the truth. They never tell lies. That attribute is, like the others, obligatory and necessary for Prophets. The opposite of it, telling lies, is impossible for Prophets. That attribute is so clear and obvious in Prophets that even their enemies had to appreciate that attribute although they denied their Prophethood. For instance, Makkan polytheists gave Hazrat Prophet (PBUH) the nickname al-Amin (the Trustworthy) before his Prophethood. While the Glorious Quran orders Hazrat Prophet to be honest (straight), it described Hazrat Idris (Eunuch), Hazrat Ibrahim (Abraham) and Hazrat Yousuf (Joseph) as “siddiq” (loyal) (Hood 11/112;Yousuf 12/46).

d. Tabligh (Conveying): It is the conveying of Prophets the orders they received from Allah to people exactly. The attribute of Tabligh is mentioned in several places in the Glorious Quran. Some of them are as follows:

“The Messenger’s duty is only to preach the clear (Message)” (An-Noor 24/54)

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH), who is the absolute teacher and perfect guide, adopted the above-mentioned order of Allah as a guide for him, worked, and endeavored more when people did not listen to him and obey him and to guide them are the duty of God Almighty. He could not interfere with the duty of God Almighty.

5. Proofs of Prophethood

a. Miracle: A miracle is an extraordinary event that men are incapable of doing and that is granted by Allah only Prophets. In other words, a miracle is the approval of the truthfulness of Prophets by the creator of the universe. There are many wisdoms of a miracle. They may manifest as a proof of Prophethood, persuasion of deniers, strengthening the belief of the believers and meeting some needs.

b. Irhas (Extraordinary Event before Prophethood):

If something extraordinary takes place in or through a prophet before Prophethood, it is called “irhas”. For instance, the fact that a cloud continuously cast a shadow on Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and some stones and trees greeted him, the fact that Hazrat Eesa spoke when he was in the cradle are extraordinary states of that kind.


c. Karamah (Extraordinary Event by a wali): The wonders shown by wali slaves of Allah are called “Karamah”. A wali, who reached the rank of walayah, is a person who “is very fastidious in obeying Allah and His Messenger and in avoiding sins and lust, loves Allah very much and is loved by Allah”. Some of the attributes of them are summarized as follows in the Glorious Quran:

“Behold! Verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve; Those who

believe and (constantly) guard against evil― For them are Glad Tidings, in the life of the

Present and in the Hereafter: no change can there be in the Words of Allah. This is indeed

the supreme Felicity.” (Yunus 10/62-64).

6. Prophets Mentioned In The Glorious Quran And Their Stories

The following are verses from the Quran related to the issue:

“We do relate unto you the most beautiful of stories, in that We reveal to you this (portion of the)

Quran: before this you too were among those who knew it not.”(Al-Yousuf, 12/3).

The stories in the Glorious Quran tell us primarily about three meanings: 1. The stories in the Quran traced the events in the past and brought light to

them. That meaning also indicates that the stories are historically true. 2. The stories narrate important events in the past. 3. The stories eliminated the insignificant details in the events. They reported only

the necessary parts concisely to make people draw lessons. The first prophet is Hazrat Adam, the last prophet is Hazrat Muhammad. In a hadith, the number of Prophets is reported as 124 thousand. 315 of them are Rasuls. The names of 25 Prophets are mentioned in the Glorious Quran. It is disputable whether Uzair (Ezra), Luqman and Dhul-qarnain, whose names are mentioned in the Quran, are Prophets. According to some scholars, they are Prophets. According to others, they are not Prophets but selected slaves of Allah, walis. The Prophets mentioned in the Glorious Quran are as follows chronologically: 1. Hazrat Adam 2. Hazrat Idris 3. Hazrat Nooh 4. Hazrat Hood 5. Hazrat Saleh 6. Hazrat Ibrahim 7. Hazrat Loot

8. Hazrat Ismaeel 9. Hazrat Ishaq 10. Hazrat Yousuf 11. Hazrat Ayub 12. Hazrat Dhul kifl 13. Hazrat Shuaib 14. Hazrat Musa

15. Hazrat Musa 16. Hazrat Haroon 17. Hazrat Dawood 18. Hazrat Sulaiman 19. Hazrat Elias 20. Hazrat Alyasa 21. Hazrat Younus


22. Hazrat Zakaria 23. Hazrat Yahya 24. Hazrat Eesa 25. Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H)

7. Necessity of More Than One Prophet Before Hazrat Muhammad The first man and the first prophet is Hazrat Adam. According to some narrations there were three hundred thousand Prophets between Hazrat Adam and the last prophet, Hazrat Muhammad. The issues like the existence and oneness of Allah, the existence of the hereafter and the angels, which are among the fundamentals of belief, were present in all religions from Hazrat Adam to Hazrat Muhammad and they did not change. Since man did not change in terms of his nature, all of the decrees about man as an individual are generally the same in all religions. Therefore, the fundamentals of ethics are the same in all religions and they do not change. The need for Prophets and books from Allah continued in order to convey men the orders and prohibitions of Allah. As for social life, it is a necessity, here, that decrees will vary from religion to religion. Since the characters of men who lived in the ancient times were somewhat rude, their experience was less, and their way of living was closer to bedouins, Allah sent religions that contained decrees in accordance with their social lives. Moreover, since men lived in places very far away from other men and since transport and communication were limited and due to many more reasons, it was impossible for only one prophet to lead them. Therefore, God Almighty sent different Prophets to the people living in the same continent in ancient times and the laws of those Prophets were different in accordance with their social lives. Sometimes there were even two Prophets in one tribe at the same time: for instance, Hazrat Musa and his brother Hazrat Haroon.

8. Superiority of Prophets Over One Another Prophets need to be evaluated among themselves in terms of first having the title of Prophethood and then their own characteristics and qualities. In a country, the governor of the biggest city and the governor of the smallest city are equal in terms of having the title of governorship; similarly, Prophets are equal in terms of being the messengers of Allah and being worthy of obedience. That issue is explained as follows in some verses: “…We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His Messengers." And they

say: "We hear and we obey; (We seek) your forgiveness, Our Lord, and to you is the end of

all journeys."” (Al-Baqara, 2/285).

There are differences of grade among Prophets in terms of having different characteristic and qualities. God Almighty expresses that reality clearly in these verses:


“And it is your Lord that knows best all beings that are in the heavens and on earth: We did

bestow on some Prophets more (and other) gifts than on others: and We gave to David (the

gift of) the Psalms.”(Al-Isrâ, 17/55).

9. Spiritual Personality And Universality of The Prophethood of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) Different Prophets were sent to people in different times and places so that they would be aware of the divine message. Prophets who were selected by God Almighty from among the people with the most distinguished qualities served as examples for people around them in all aspects with their superior qualities. The chain of Prophethood that started with Hazrat Adam was completed with the most perfect link, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) is no longer an individual; he has become a spiritual personality that represents the whole past and future together with those that embraced Islam and approved that religion. All Prophets that form the roots of that spiritual personality indicated and gave good tidings of the cause of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) with their miracles, books and pages. Millions of saints, selected people and truthful people that came after him approved his cause and represented it. Thus, that luminous person became the head of the chain of zikr (remembrance of Allah) that includes the previous Prophets and chiefs and the saints and selected people that came after him. That luminous person (PBUH) conveyed the religion he brought to all jinn and people in Madinah, he became the imam of all of the believers in the pulpit of Makah, and the earth became like a mosque for him. Thus, his light embraced all parts from east to the west and from the past eternity to future eternity; he was an individual but thanks to the religion of Islam he brought, he became a collective personality.

10. Conclusion

In conclusion, the fact that Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) is the imam of all of the believers, the preacher for all jinn and people, the chief of all of the previous Prophets, the head of the chain of all saints and selected people that the religion he brought is general that he shows a spiritual personality is the greatest proof of his universality. ___________________________

Muhammad Ahsan Qureshi

Bachelor of Studies in Computer Sciences (BSCS.Hons) Department of Engineering & IT

National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad

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