Prophets in Islam

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Muslims identify the prophets of Islam (Arabic: الأنبياء في الإسلام‎) as those humans who were assigned a special mission by God to guide humans. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well.[1] Each prophet, in Muslim belief, preached the same main belief, The Oneness of the Divine Creator, worshiping of that One God, avoidance of idolatry and sin, and the belief in the the Day of Resurrection or the Day of Judgment. Each came to preach Islam at different times in history and some told of the coming of the final prophet and messenger of God, who would be named "Ahmed" commonly known as Muhammad. Each prophet directed a message to a different group of people, and thus would preach Islam in accordance with the times. Tables about Messengers and Prophets exist in "Prophets in the Quran."

Messenger-Prophets were people whom have been ordered to convey and propagate what the God revealed to them. To believe in the Messenger-Prophets means to believe that the God has sent them to creation to guide them, and perfect their life, and their hereafter, and He has aided them with miracles which demonstrate their truthfulness; and that they have conveyed the message of God; and have revealed what they were ordered to reveal to the responsible and accountable individuals; and it is obligatory to respect all of them, and not to discriminate or differentiate between any of them.[2] For information about whether or not Islam states that Moḥammad and other Messengers or Prophets were always infallible, or unquestionable for any of their acts, see the Qur'aan (5: 116) (11: 36 - 37, 40 - 47) (37: 139 - 142) (66: 1).[3][4][5][6]

Islamic tradition holds that the God sent messengers to every nation.[7] Muslims believe that God finally sent Muhammad to transmit the message of the Qur'an, the holy book which, according to Islam, is universal in its message. The reason the Muslims believe that the Qur'aan is universal and will remain uncorrupted is because they believe that previous Islamic holy books, namely the Torah given to Moses, the Psalms given to David, and the Gospel given to Jesus, were for a particular time and community and because they believe that, even if the books were corrupted, many prophets were still to come who could tell the people of what was correct in the scripture and warn them of corruptions. Muhammad therefore, being the last prophet, was vouchsafed a book which, in Muslim belief, will remain in its true form till the Last Day.

Etymology

In both Arabic and Hebrew,[8] the term nabī (plural forms: nabiyyūn and anbiyāʾ) means "prophet". Forms of this noun occur 75 times in the Quran. The term nubuwwah (meaning "prophethood") occurs five times in the Quran. The terms rasūl (plural: rusul) and mursal (plural: mursalūn) denote "messenger" or "apostle" and occur more than 300 times. The term for a prophetic "message", risāla (plural: risālāt), appears in the Quran in ten instances.[9]

The Syriac form of rasūl Allāh (literally: "messenger of God"), s̲h̲eliḥeh d-allāhā, occurs frequently in the apocryphal Acts of St. Thomas. The corresponding verb for s̲h̲eliḥeh—s̲h̲alaḥ, occurs in connection with the prophets in the Hebrew Bible.[10][11][12][13]

The words "prophet" (Arabic: نبي nabī) and "messenger" (Arabic: رسول rasūl, ) appear several times in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The following table shows these words in different languages:[14]

Prophet and Messenger in the Bible
Arabic Arabic Pronunciation English Greek Greek pronunciation Strong Number Hebrew Hebrew pronunciation Strong Number
نبي Nabi Prophet προφήτης prophētēs G4396 נביא nâbîy' H5030
رسول Rasul Messenger, Apostle ἄγγελος, ἀπόστολος ä'n-ge-los, ä-po'-sto-los G32, G652 שליח,מלאך mal·äkh', shä·laḥ' H4397,H7971

In the Hebrew Bible, the word "prophet" (Hebrew: navi) occurs more commonly, and the word "messenger" (Hebrew: mal'akh) refers to angels (Arabic: ملائكة, Malāīkah), But the last book of the Old Testament, the Book of Malachi, speaks of a messenger that Christian commentators interpret as a reference to the future prophet John the Baptist.[15]

In the New Testament, however, the word "messenger" becomes more frequent, sometimes in association with the concept of a prophet.[16]

"Messenger" can refer to Jesus, to his Apostles and to John the Baptist.

It seems that in the New Testament a messenger can have a higher rank than prophets: Jesus Christ said about John the Baptist:

But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
For this is he, of whom it is written, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee."
—Matthew, Gospel of Matthew[17]

Prophets and messengers in Islam

Main article: Prophets and messengers in Islam

To believe in the God’s Messengers (Rusul) means to be convinced that God sent them to men and jinn (khalq) to guide them to the path of the Truth, and that they have told the truth about everything they have conveyed from God. It is obligatory to know twenty-five particular messengers.[18]

In Islamic jurisprudence, when it is mentioned that one must believe in all the prophets, what is necessary is to believe in them as a whole, but if a name of a prophet becomes established to one specifically and by name, like Yahya for example, it becomes obligatory to believe in him specifically, and this is the same for revealed Books and Angels.[19]

Muslims believe that many prophets existed, including many not mentioned in the Quran. The Quran itself refers to at least four other prophets but does not name them.[20][21] All messengers mentioned in the Qur'an are also prophets, but not all prophets are messengers (the difference is discussed in "Prophets and messengers in Islam"). Messengers are tasked with the mission of conveying God's message to people. Out of the twenty-five prophets, five are considered as the God's most preferred Messengers: Nuḥ (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), `Isa (Jesus), and Muhammad. [22]

    Prophethood in Ahmadiyya

    Main article: Prophethood (Ahmadiyya)

    Unlike other Muslims, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community does not believe that messengers and prophets are different individuals. They interpret the Quranic terms of – "warner" (Nadhir), "prophet", and "messenger" - as referring to different roles that the same divinely appointed individuals perform. Ahmadiyya Muslims distinguish only between law-bearing prophets and non-lawbearing ones. They are the only Muslim group who believe that although law bearing prophethood has ended with Muhammad, non law bearing prophethood continues. In this capacity, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community recognizes Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908) as a prophet of God, and also believes him to be the promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi of the latter days.[23]

    General Information

    See also: Criteria of True Prophet

    Status in Islam

    The Quran speaks of the prophets as being the greatest human beings of all time.[24] A prophet, in the Muslim sense of the term, is a person whom God specially chose to teach the faith of Islam.[24] Before man was created, God had specifically selected those men whom He would use as prophets. This does not, however, mean that every prophet began to prophesy from his birth. Some were called to prophesy late in life, in Muhammad's case at the age of 40 and in Noah's case at 480.[25] Others, such as John the Baptist, were called to prophesy while still in young age and Jesus prophesied while still in his cradle.[26]

    The Quran verse 4:69 lists various virtuous groups of human beings, among whom prophets (including messengers) occupy the highest rank. Verse 4:69 reads:[9]

    All who obey Allah and the messenger are in the company of those on whom is the Grace of Allah - of the prophets (who teach), the sincere (lovers of Truth), the witnesses (who testify), and the Righteous (who do good): Ah! what a beautiful fellowship!
    —Quran, sura 4 (An-Nisa), ayah 69[27]

    Religion of preaching

    In Muslim belief, every prophet preached Islam. The beliefs of charity, prayer, pilgrimage, worship of God and fasting are believed to have been taught by every prophet who has ever lived.[24] The Quran itself calls Islam the "religion of Abraham"[28] and refers to Jacob and the Twelve Tribes of Israel as being Muslim.[29] Isaac, Ishmael, Jesus, Noah, Moses and the disciples of Jesus are just some of the other figures referred to as Muslims in the Quran.[30] The Quran says:

    The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah - the which We have sent by inspiration to thee - and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein:...
    —Quran, sura 42 (Ash-Shura), ayah 13[31]

    Scriptures and other gifts

    Holy books

    The Revealed Books are the records which Muslims believe were dictated by God to various Islamic prophets throughout the history of mankind. All these books promulgated the code and laws of Islam. The belief in all the revealed books is an article of faith in Islam and Muslim's must believe in all the scriptures to be a Muslim. Muslims believe the Quran, the final holy scripture, was sent because all the previous holy books had been either corrupted or lost.[32] Nonetheless, Islam speaks of respecting all the previous scriptures, even in their current forms.[33] The Quran mentions some Islamic scriptures by name, which came before the Quran:

    • Tawrat (Torah): According to the Quran, the Tawrat (Torah) was revealed to Moses,[34] but Muslims believe that the current Pentateuch, although it retains the main message,[35] has suffered corruption over the years. Moses and his brother Haroon (Aaron) used the Torah to preach the message to the Children of Israel. The Quran implies that the Torah is the longest-used scripture, with the Jewish people still using the Torah today, and that all the Hebrew prophets would warn the people of any corruptions that were in the scripture.[36] Jesus, in Muslim belief, was the last prophet to be taught the Mosaic Law in its true form.
    • Zabur (Psalms): The Quran mentions the Psalms as being the holy scripture revealed to David. Scholars have often understood the Psalms to have been holy songs of praise.[37] The current Psalms are still praised by many Muslim scholars,[38] but Muslims generally assume that some of the current Psalms were written later and are not divinely revealed.
    • Book of Enlightenment: The Quran mentions a Book of Enlightenment,[39] which has alternatively been translated as Scripture of Enlightenment or the Illuminating Book. It mentions that some prophets, in the past, came with clear signs from God as well as this particular scripture.
    • Books of Divine Wisdom: The Quran mentions certain Books of Divine Wisdom,[40] translated by some scholars as Books of Dark Prophecies, which are a reference to particular books vouchsafed to some prophets, wherein there was wisdom for man. Some scholars have suggested that these may be one and the same as the Psalms as their root Arabic word, Zubur, comes from the same source as the Arabic Zabur for the Psalms.
    • İnjil (Gospel): The İnjil (Gospel) was the holy book revealed to Jesus, according to the Quran. Although many lay Muslims believe the Injil refers to the entire New Testament, scholars have clearly pointed out that it refers not to the New Testament but to an original Gospel, written by God, which was given to Jesus.[41] Therefore, according to Muslim belief, the Gospel was the message that Jesus, being divinely inspired, preached to the Children of Israel. The current canonical Gospels, in the belief of Muslim scholars, are not divinely revealed but rather are documents of the life of Jesus, as written by various contemporaries, disciples and companions. These Gospels contain portions of Jesus's teachings but do not represent the original Gospel, which was a single book written not by a human but by God.[42]
    • Scrolls of Abraham: The Scrolls of Abraham are believed to have been one of the earliest bodies of scripture, which were vouchsafed to Abraham,[43] and later used by Ishmael and Isaac. Although usually referred to as 'scrolls', many translators have translated the Arabic Suhuf as 'Books'.[44] The Scrolls of Abraham are now considered lost rather than corrupted, although some scholars have identified them with the Testament of Abraham, an apocalyptic piece of literature available in Arabic at the time of Muhammad.
    • Scrolls of Moses: These scrolls, containing the revelations of Moses, which were perhaps written down later by Moses, Aaron and Joshua, are understood by Muslims to refer not to the Torah but to revelations aside from the Torah. Some scholars have stated that they could possibly refer to the Book of the Wars of the Lord,[45] a lost text spoken of in the Hebrew Bible.[46]

    Holy gifts

    The Quran mentions various divinely-bestowed gifts given to various prophets. These may be interpreted as books or forms of celestial knowledge. Although all prophets are believed by Muslims to have been immensely gifted, special mention of "wisdom" or "knowledge" for a particular prophet is understood to mean that some secret knowledge was revealed to him.

    • Wisdom: This attribute is spoken of in the Quran in numerous places. The Quran mentions that Abraham prayed for wisdom and later received it.[47] It also mentions that Joseph[48] and Moses[49] both attained wisdom when they reached full age; David received wisdom with kingship, after slaying Goliath;[50] Lut received wisdom whilst prophesying in Sodom and Gomorrah;[51] John the Baptist received wisdom while still a mere youth;[52] and Jesus received wisdom and was vouchsafed the Gospel.[53]

    Other prophets

    The Quran mentions 25 prophets by name but also tells that God sent many other prophets and messengers, to all the different nations that have existed on Earth. Many verses in the Quran discuss this:

    • "We did aforetime send messengers before thee: of them there are some whose story We have related to thee, and some whose story We have not related to thee. ..."[54]
    • "For We assuredly sent amongst every People a messenger, ..."[55]

    Other prophets in the Quran

    • Uzair[56][57]
    • Samuel: The Hebrew prophet is referenced as "a prophet" in the Quran,[20] in the context of the anointing of King Saul. Although his name is not given, he is mentioned by name in other Islamic literature.[58]
    • Luqman: The Quran mentions the sage Luqman in the chapter named after him, but does not clearly identify him as a prophet. The most widespread Islamic belief[59] views Luqman as a saint, but not as a prophet. The Arabic term wali (Arabic ولي, plural Awliyā' أولياء) is commonly translated into English as "Saint". However, the wali should not be confused with the Christian tradition of sainthood. A key difference is that the wali continues what a prophet taught without any change. However, other Muslims regard Luqman as a prophet as well.[60]
    • Khidr: The Quran also mentions the mysterious Khidr, identified at times with Melchizedek, who is the figure that Moses accompanies on one journey. Although most Muslims regard him as an enigmatic saint, some see him as a prophet as well.[61]
    • Sons of Jacob: These men are sometimes not considered to be prophets, although most exegesis scholars consider them to be prophets, citing the hadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad and their status as prophets in Judaism
    • Dhul-Qarnayn: Dhul-Qarnayn, often identified with Alexander the Great or Cyrus the Great, is a revered ruler in Islam. His narrative, which parallels that of Alexander in the Alexander romance, does not explicitly denote him as a prophet but some Muslims believe he was a prophet as well.[61]
    • Three prophets of the town: These three unnamed prophets, who were sent to the same town, are referenced in chapter 36 of the Quran.[62]

    Prophets in Islamic literature

    Numerous other prophets have been mentioned by scholars in the Hadith, exegesis, commentary as well as in the famous collections of Qisas Al-Anbiya (Stories of the Prophets). These prophets include:

    Mary, mother of Jesus

    A few scholars (such as Ibn Hazm)[69] see Maryam (Mary) as a nabi and a prophetess, since God sent her a message via an angel. The Quran, however, does not explicitly identify her as a prophet. Islamic belief regards her as the holiest of women, but not generally as a prophet.

    See also

    Notes

    1. ↑ Quran 2:131–133
    2. ↑ Shaatri, A. I. (2007). Nayl al Rajaa' bisharh' Safinat an'najaa'. Dar Al Minhaj.
    3. ↑ Quran 5:116
    4. ↑ Quran 11:36–47
    5. ↑ Quran 37:139–142
    6. ↑ Quran 66:1
    7. ↑ Quran 10:47
    8. ↑ The Hebrew root nun-vet-alef ("navi") is based on the two-letter root nun-vet which denotes hollowness or openness; to receive transcendental wisdom, one must make oneself "open". Cf. Rashbam's comment to Genesis 20:7
    9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Uri Rubin, Prophets and Prophethood, Encyclopaedia of the Quran
    10. ↑ Exodus 3:13-14, 4:13
    11. ↑ Isaiah 6:8
    12. ↑ Jeremiah 1:7
    13. ↑ A.J. Wensinck, Rasul, Encyclopaedia of Islam
    14. ↑ Strong's Concordance
    15. ↑ Albert Barnes under Malachi 2:7 and 3:1
    16. ↑ Hebrews 3:1; John 17:3; Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Ephesians 3:5, 4:11; First Epistle to the Corinthians 28:12
    17. ↑ Matthew 11:9-10
    18. ↑ Keller, N. H. (1994). Reliance of the Traveller. amana publications.
    19. ↑ Haytami, I. H. (2009). Al Fath Al Mobin Bi Sharsh al Arba'een. Dar al Minhaj
    20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Quran 2:247
    21. ↑ Quran 36:12
    22. ↑ http://ar.islamway.net/fatwa/13613
    23. ↑ Claim to Mahdi and Messiah
    24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Wheeler, Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism, Prophets
    25. ↑ Wheeler, Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism, Noah
    26. ↑ Quran 19:30–33
    27. ↑ Quran 4:69
    28. ↑ Quran 3:67
    29. ↑ Quran 2:123–133
    30. ↑ Wheeler, Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism
    31. ↑ Quran 42:13
    32. ↑ Concise Encyclopedia of Islam, Cyril Glasse, Holy Books
    33. ↑ Concise Encyclopedia of Islam, Cyril Glasse
    34. ↑ Quran 53:36
    35. ↑ Quran 87:18–19
    36. ↑ Quran 5:44
    37. ↑ Encyclopedia of Islam, Psalms
    38. ↑ Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary; Martin Lings, Mecca; Abdul Malik, In Thy Seed
    39. ↑ Quran 3:184 and 35:25
    40. ↑ Quran 3:184
    41. ↑ Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary, Appendix: On the Injil
    42. ↑ Encyclopedia of Islam, Injil
    43. ↑ Quran 87:19
    44. ↑ Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Quran; Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary
    45. ↑ Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary
    46. ↑ Numbers 21:14
    47. ↑ Quran 26:83
    48. ↑ Quran 12:22
    49. ↑ Quran 28:14
    50. ↑ Quran 2:251
    51. ↑ Quran 21:74
    52. ↑ Quran 19:14
    53. ↑ Quran 3:48
    54. ↑ Quran 40:78
    55. ↑ Quran 16:36
    56. ↑ Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kathir, Ezra
    57. ↑ http://www.usc.edu/org/cmje/religious-texts/quran/verses/009-qmt.php#009.030
    58. ↑ A-Z of Prophets in Islam, B M. Wheeler, Samuel
    59. ↑ A-Z of Prophets in Islam, B M. Wheeler, Luqman
    60. ↑ Concise Encyclopaedia of Islam, Cyril Glasse, Prophets in Islam
    61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 A-Z of Prophets in Islam, B M. Wheeler, Khidr
    62. ↑ Quran 36:13–21
    63. ↑ Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kathir, Daniel
    64. ↑ Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kathir, Isaiah
    65. ↑ Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kathir, Jeremiah
    66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 The Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Note 364: "Examples of the Prophets slain were: "the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar" (Matt. 23:35)
    67. ↑ Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kathir, Adam
    68. ↑ A-Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism, Appendix: List of Prophets in Islam
    69. ↑ Ibn Hazm on women's prophethood

    External links

    Prophets of Islam outside the Quran
    In Stories of the Prophets
    In Islamic tradition
    In Quranic exegesis
    Note: These are prophets mentioned in Stories of the Prophets, Quranic commentary and exegesis, the Hadith and other Islamic literature; none are mentioned by name in the Quran. Muslims, however, believe that 124,000 prophets were sent to mankind, with twenty-five named in the Quran and the figures above identified in exegesis. Italics denote that the figure's status as a prophet is not accepted by all Muslims.
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