PROPHETHOOD IN ISLAM

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
One might ask: How were the prophets chosen and which individuals
were so honored?

Prophethood is Allah's blessing and a favor that is bestowed on an
individual chosen by Him to convey His message. From studying the
lives of the prophets that have appeared, we notice several
characteristics:

1. He is the best person in his community as regards morality
and intellectual ability This is necessary, for a prophets life serves as
a model for his followers. His personality should not drive people
away from his message, but rather inspire them to accept it and to
transform their own lives. After receiving the message, he is
infallible on all matters dealing with the revelation. Although he
might commit some small mistakes, but not in any matter that
concerns the revelation, he cannot commit a sin.

2. He is supported by miracles, which derive from the power
and permission of Allah and not of the prophet himself, to prove that
he is not an impostor. Such miracles are direct challenges to the
powers that be, for they do not follow the rules laid down by the
experts in the affected field or activity By way of illustration, let us
review some of the miracles recorded in the Old Testament, the New
testament, and the Qur'an.
Moses' Egyptian contemporaries excelled in magic. Thus his major
miracle was to defeat the best magicians that the society could offer.

Jesus' contemporaries were skilled physicians, and so he raised the
dead and cured those suffering from incurable diseases.
Muhammad's contemporaries were known for their eloquence and
magnificent poetry. Therefore Muhammad's major miracle was the
Qur'an, which no poet could imitate or surpass, despite their repeated
and vigorous efforts to do so.

All previous miracles were limited to a specific people living at a
specific time. This is not the case with the Qur'an, however, for this
miracle is universal and everlasting. Although previous generations
actually witnessed it, all future generations w 11 continue to witness
its miraculous nature in term of its style, content, and spiritual
impact and message. This ability of the Qur'an to rise above the
limits imposed by time and space on all other miracles proves its
divine origin.

3. Every prophet states clearly that what he receives comes
from Allah and that it is for the well-being of humanity. He confirms
what was revealed previously and what may be revealed by a future
prophet, for his task is to convey the message entrusted to him by
Allah. Thus the revealed message is always the same in essence and
purpose-it cannot deviate from prior or future revelations.
Prophets are necessary for conveying God's instructions and guidance
to mankind. Without this knowledge, we would be unable to answer
the fundamental questions of our existence: Why were we created?
What happens after death? Is there an afterlife? Are we accountable
for our actions? Is there any future reward or punishment for what
we do? What about Allah, His angels, heaven, and hell? Each of these
questions, and all others, are answered in the revelation brought by
the prophet. But in order for his community to believe and accept
them, the prophet must be brought by individuals who have attained
a position of trust and respect among their people. This is why he
must be morally and intellectual superior to his contemporaries.
Based on this understanding, Muslims reject some of the stones
found in the Old Testament concerning the prophets. For example:
the prophet Lot engaging in fornication-with his own daughters-
when drunk, or the prophet David sending one of his military leaders
to his death so that he could marry his wife. it is inconceivable to
Muslims that a prophet of Allah could do such things.

Prophets are also miraculously supported by God and instructed by
Him to affirm the continuity of His message. In brief, the divine
revelation consists of the following information:

a) A clear concept of God, His attributes and creation, and what
should and should not be ascribed to Him.

b) A clear idea about the unseen world, angels and jinn (spirits),
paradise and hell.

c) Why has God created us? What does He want from us? Will we be
rewarded (or punished) for obeying (or disobeying) Him?

d) A clear explanation of how to order our societies according to His
will. This involves the implementation of a law that, when applied
correctly and honestly, will bring about a happy and ideal society.
As we have seen in the above discussion, there is no substitute for
prophets. Despite the tremendous and impressive advancements of
modern science, even it cannot provide authentic information about
the supernatural world or provide guidance. Its very nature, which is
too materialistic and limited, precludes it from serving this purpose.
Mystic experience is also unsuitable, for it is too subjective and,
frequently, too misleading.

Now one might ask: How many prophets has Allah sent to humanity?
Although we cannot answer this question definitively, some Muslim
scholars place the number at two hundred forty thousand. We are
only sure of what is clearly mentioned in the Qur'an: God has sent
one or more messengers to each nation, for He would not be just if he
were to hold a nation to account for its actions w shout first
informing its people of what is allowed and what is not. The Qur'an
mentions twenty-five prophets by name (i.e., Noah, Abraham, Moses,
Jesus, and Muhammad, who are considered the greatest of all the
prophets) and indicates that there were others not known to
Muhammad.

Muslims are required to believe in and to respect all of the
messengers of Allah without exception. Since all the prophets come
from the same God and for the same purpose-to lead humanity to
Allah-belief in them all is essential and logical. If some are accepted
and others are rejected, it is due to the individual's
misunderstanding of the prophet's role or of racial (or other) bias.

The Muslims are unique in considering belief in all of the prophets of
God to be an article of faith. The Jews reject Jesus Christ and
Muhammad; the Christians reject Muhammad and, in reality, reject
Moses because they do not abide by his laws. The Muslims accept
them all as messengers of God who brought guidance to mankind.
However, this acceptance is characterized with a degree of caution,
for the Qur'an and the Prophet states the revelation conveyed by
those prophets has been distorted and corrupted by those who
received it. We read in the Qur'an:

Say (O Muslims), we believe in Allah and that which is revealed
to us and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael,
and Isaac and Jacob, and their children, and that which Moses
and Jesus received and that the prophets received from their
Lord. We maize no distinction between any of them and unto
Him we have surrendered. (2:136)

The Qur'an tells the Muslims that this is the true and impartial belief.
If other nations share this belief, it means that they are on the right
track. If they do not share this belief, it means that they are
following their own whims and biases. The Qur'an says:
And if they believe in what you believe, then are they rightly
guided. But if they turn away, then they are in disunity, and
Allah will suffice you against them. He is the Hearer; the
Knower: This is Gods religion and Who is better than God in
religion? (2:137-38)

There are two important points that need to be clarified about the
roles of Jesus and Muhammad, as they are usually misunderstood
and distorted. In the case of Jesus, the Qur'an rejects completely the
Christian assertion of his divinity and his status of the "son" of God. It
also states that the unusual circumstances of his birth-without a
father-does not make him a "son" of God, for if this logic were
followed to its logical conclusion, Adam, who had no father and no
mother, would be greater than Jesus, for: Truly the likeness of Jesus,
in God's sight, is as Adam's likeness; He created him of dust, then said
unto him, "Be," and he was (3:59).

Like other prophets, Jesus performed miracles: he raised the dead
and cured the blind and the lepers. He also made it perfectly clear
that these miracles were done by God, not by him. But his message

was distorted, because;it was not recorded in his presence and under
his direction, but only about one hundred years after his death.
According to the Qur'an, Jesus was sent to the children of Israel to
confirm the Torah of Moses and to bring glad tidings of a final
messenger who would come after him:
And when Jesus son of Mary said, Children of Israel, I am
indeed the Messenger to you, confirming the Torah that is
before me, and giving good tidings of a Messenger who shall
come after me, whose name shall be the praised one. (61:6)
(the underlined portion is the translation of Ahmad, which is also a
name of the Prophet Muhammad).

However, the majority of the Jews rejected his ministry and plotted
against his life. The Qur'anic account of his death differs from the one
found in the New Testament: he was not killed or crucified, but
rather was raised to heaven by God. It is also implied that Jesus will
return one day and that all of the Christians and Jews will believe in
him before he dies. This is also supported by authentic sayings of the
Prophet Muhammad.

Muhammad, the last prophet of God, was born in Makkah in the sixth
century CE. Until the age of forty, he was known as a man of
excellent character and cultured manners. These characteristics
earned for him the nickname of al-Amin (The Trustworthy). There
were no prior indications that Allah had chosen him to be His last
messenger. Once he was entrusted with this task, however, he began
calling his idol-worshipping people to Islam. The revelation was
recorded during his lifetime in writing and in the memory of his
followers. The care taken to preserve each revelation as it was
transmitted by the Prophet ensured that it would reach future
generations in an uncorrupted form. As Allah has stated that the
Qur'an would be preserved accurately, it is the source of divine
guidance for all time, and the Prophet Muhammad is His final
prophet.

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WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT MUHAMMAD

During the Crusades, all sorts of slanders were levelled against the
Prophet Muhammad. With the birth of the modern age, which is
characterized by a greater degree of religious tolerance and freedom
of thought, there has been a change in the approach of western
authors who study the Prophet's life and characters. A sampling of
their views is given below.

Unfortunately, the West still has not realized the greatest aspect of
the Prophet: he is the last of the prophets sent by God to guide
mankind to the truth. In spite of its great advances in other areas of
life, the West still has not made a sincere and objective attempt to
understand the message brought by the Prophet. Although some
people have seen him as a person worthy of high praise and have
paid him glowing tributes on the levels of personal integrity and
achievement, his claim of being the Prophet of God has almost always
been rejected, either explicitly or implicitly, as false. It is time to
treat this last claim with a spirit of true objectivity and open-
mindedness.

Just who was Muhammad? According to all accounts, which are
authentic and accepted by all Muslim scholars, up until the age of
forty he was known to his people as a decent man. He was not a
statesman, a preacher, or an orator. He was never seen discussing
principles or theories associated with metaphysics, ethics, law,
politics, economics, or sociology. He possessed an excellent character,
charming manners, and was highly cultured. But his characteristics
are not so deeply striking and so radically extraordinary that people
would expect something great and revolutionary from him in the
future.

One of Muhammad's customs was to retire to a nearby cave for
private sessions of thinking and meditation. This in itself was not
unusual, for other people also did this. But when he came out of his
cave after receiving the first revelation, he was completely
transformed.

Several questions need to be asked here. Is it possible for a person
known and respected for his honesty and trustworthiness to
announce suddenly that he is the Prophet of God and then begin tocall
upon his people to abandon their old lives and beliefs for new
ones? Also, if he were a false prophet, why did he suffer through all
of the hardships that his people imposed upon him? And why, when
his people offered to accept him as their king and to lay all the riches
of the land at his feet, if only he would cease and desist, did he
refuse to do so? Why did he continue to preach Islam in the face of
all kinds of insults, social boycott, and even physical assault by his
own people?

Was it not only God's support, along with his firm will, to disseminate
the Islamic revelation and his deep-rooted belief that ultimately
Islam would emerge as the sole universal religion, that he refused to
be cowed and swayed by any of the opposition and plots launched
against him by his enemies? Furthermore, if he intended to use
Islam as a rival religion against Judaism and Christianity, why did he
make belief in Jesus Christ, Moses, and all of the other prophets of
God a basic requirement of the Islamic faith?

Is it not an incontrovertible proof of his prophethood that, despite
being unlettered and having led a very normal and quiet life for
forty years, that all of Arabia stood in awe and wonder of his
wonderful eloquence and oratory when he began to preach Islam? It
was so matchless that legions of Arab poets, preachers, and orators of
the highest caliber failed to produce a composition that could
compare with or equal it. And, above all, how could he state scientific
truths that would not be known by to the rest of humanity for
centuries and that he could not learn about in any other way except
through divine revelation?

Last but not least, why did he lead an even harder life after gaining
power and authority? Just ponder the words he uttered when he was
dying: "We, the community of the Prophets, do not inherit. All that
we leave is for charity"

Consider what others have said about this extraordinary man:
If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding
results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare
to compare any great man in modem history with Muhammad?

The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only
They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers
which often crumbled away before their eyes This man moved
not only armies, legislation, empires, peoples and dynasties,
butmillions of men in one-third of the then-inhabited world; and
more than that he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the
ideas, the beliefs and souls.... His forbearance in victory, his
ambition which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no
manner striving for an empire, his endless prayers, his mystic
conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death-
all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction
which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was
twofold: the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the
former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not;
the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other
starting an idea with the words. Philosopher, orator, apostle,
legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational
dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty
terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is
Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human
greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any
man greater than he?

- Lamartine
Histoire de la Turquie, Pans 1854, Vol. 11, pp. 276-77.
It is not the propagation but the permanency of his religion
that deserves our wonder; the same pure and perfect
impression which he engraved at Mecca and Madina is
preserved, after the revolutions of twelve centuries by the
Indian, the African and the Turkish proselytes of the Koran...
The Mahometans have uniformly withstood the temptation of
reducing the object of their faith and devotion to a level with
the senses and imagination of man. I believe in One God and
Mahomet is the Apostle of God' is the simple and invariable
profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has
never been degraded by any visible idol; the honors of the
prophet have never transgressed the measure of human virtue;
and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his
disciples within the bounds of reason and religion.


- Edward Gibbon and Simon Ocklay
History of the Saracen Empire, London 1870, p 54.
He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope's
pretensions, Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a
standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, withouta
fixed revenue. If ever any man had the right to say that he
ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammad, for he had all the
power without its instruments and without its supports.

- Bosworth Smith
Mohammad and Mohammadanism, London 1874, p 92.
It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character
of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and
how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty
Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme. And
although in what I put to you I shall say many things which
may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read
them, a new way of admiration, a new sense of reverence for
that mighty Arabian teacher.

- Annie Besant
The Life and Teachings of Muhammad, Madras 1932, p 4
His readiness to undergo persecution for his beliefs, the high
moral character of the men who believed in him and looked up
to him as leader, and the greatness of his ultimate
achievement all argue his fundamental integrity To suppose
Muhammad an impostor raises more problems than it solves.
Moreover, none of the great figures of history is so poorly
appreciated in the West as Muhammad.

- W Montgomery Watt
Mohammad At Mecca, Oxford, 1953, p 52.
Muhammad, the inspired man who founded Islam, was born
about AD. 570 into an Arabian tube that worshipped idols.
Orphaned at birth, he was always particularly solicitous of the
poor and needy the widow and the orphan, the slave and the
downtrodden. At twenty he was already a successful
businessman, and soon became director of camel caravans for a
wealthy widow. When he reached twenty-five his employer,
recognizing his meet, proposed marriage. Even though she was
fifteen years older, he married her, and as long as she lived
remained a devoted husband. Like almost every major prophet
before him, Muhammad fought shy of serving as the
transmitter of God's word, sensing his own inadequacy But the
angel commanded Read'. So far as we know, Muhammad wasunable
to read or write, but he began to dictate those inspired
words which would soon revolutionize a large segment of the
earth: "There is one God." In all things Muhammad was
profoundly practical. When his beloved son Ibrahim died, an
eclipse occurred, and rumors of God's personal condolence
quickly arose. Whereupon Muhammad is said to have
announced,' An eclipse is a phenomenon of nature. It is foolish
to attribute such things to the death or birth of a human-
being." At Muhammads own death an attempt was made to
deify him, but the man who was to become his administrative
successor killed the hysteria with one of the noblest speeches
in religious history: 'If there are any among you who
worshipped Muhammad, he is dead. But if it is God you
worshipped, He lives for ever'.

James A. Michene~
"Islam: The Misunderstood Religion,"
Reader's Digest (Amencan ea.) May 1955, pp. 68-70.
My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most
influential persons may surprise some readers and may be
questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who
was supremely successful on both the religious and secular
level.
Michael H. Hart
The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History,
New York: Hart Publishing Company Inc. 1978, p 33.

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