Risala
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Risāla means "message" in Arabic. It is also an Islamic term that has a broader meaning.
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[edit] Islamic term
The Message (Arabic ar-Risāla) is sometimes a way to refer to Islam. In the Islamic context, ar-Risāla means scriptures revealed from God through a Messenger (Arabic ar-Rasūl) to the people. Those messengers bring laws to humanity that will put them on the straight path to God. They can be social laws, state laws or any other kind of laws.
To understand this concept better you will see below how Muslims look at the different terminologies of messenger, prophet, Imam, Guardian, Wiseman and their relationship with Angels and God.
This is also the title of a popular work of Fiqh for the Maliki School of Thought written by Abi Zayd of al-Qayrawan. This work was the source text for many later works of Islamic Law and for one of the first Islamic texts the Bilali Document written in the United States written by Bilali Muhammad, a slave in Georgia, originally from Timbo, Guinea.
[edit] Messengers
The messengers are prophets in the islamic context. Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad are the agreed upon messengers in Islam. Muslims include other messengers such as Adam, Noah etc...
[edit] Prophets
Prophets (Arabic an-Anbīya) are the link of humanity to God through Angels. They can be guides like the prophet (maybe Samuel) who appointed Tālūt (Saul) as king, good news bearers like Yaħyā ibn Zakariyyā' (John the Baptist), warners like Nūħ (Noah) and leaders like Mūsā (Moses). They might bring news about the future to warn or to guide and they might bring back some lost knowledge of the past to remind people of the straight path.
[edit] Imāms
Imāms are guides and leaders. Those who are not prophets are mostly Awsiyā "Guardians" of the Message of a Messenger as in Shi'a Islam.
[edit] Guardians
Guardians Awsiyā are protectors of the message or the nation such as Joshua and Yasaˤ (Elisha) and Imāms for the Shīˤa.
[edit] Wisemen
A wise man (Arabic Ħakīm) is someone who has been educated by God's messages. There is a unique example in the Qur'an: Luqmān. He attained a high degree of wisdom.
[edit] The relationship to Angels
Angels are the message carriers between God and His people. According to the Qur'ān, they can be consolers as in the cases of Yūsuf (Joseph) before his prophethood and that of Maryam (Mary). They are strongly connected to prophets and messengers and miracles. They do appear to non-prophets such as Maryam, Sara and Luqmān. There are some Muslim accounts that Angels appeared to Sahāba "Companions" of Muhammad. Many Shi'a claim that Angels even had contact with Imāms and Fatima after Muhammad died.
In Laylat-ul-Qadr Muslims claim that Angels might appear to some pious people.
