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 THE QURAN

Humanity has received divine guidance through two channels: the
word of Allah and the prophets who were chosen by Him to
communicate His will to humanity These channels have always
functioned together, and if one is ignored or neglected, the will of
Allah cannot be known with any degree of accuracy. The Hindus
neglected their prophets and focused all of their attention on their
books, which proved to be only word puzzles that eventually were no
longer understood by the people. Similarly the Christians,
disregarding the Bible, attached importance only to the person of
Jesus Christ and eventually deified him,. This resulted in the loss of t
he very essence of tawhid (monotheism) contained in the Bible.
As a matter of fact, the main scriptures revealed before the Qur'an
i.e., the Old Testament and the New Testament, acquired book form
long after the days of the prophets. Moreover, the New Testament
was not recorded in the language spoken by Jesus Christ, believed to
be Aramaic, but in Greek. This was because the early Christians made
no serious effort to preserve their revelation during the lifetime of
their prophet. The Old and New Testaments, which together form the
Christian Bible, now consist of translations of various individuals'
accounts of the original revelations as well as the additions and
deletions made by the faithful.

The Qur'an, as the last revealed book of God, is extant in its original
form. Allah Himself guaranteed its preservation. The entire Qur'an
was recorded in written form during the lifetime of the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) on pieces of palm leaves, parchments, bones, and
other suitable surfaces. Moreover, there were tens of thousands of
his followers who memorized the whole Qur'an, and the Prophet
himself used to recite it to the angel Gabriel once a year and twice
when he was about to die.

After the Prophet's death, Abu Bakr, the first caliph, oversaw the
collection of the Qur'an into one volume by the Prophet's scribe, Zaid
Ibn Thabit. This volume remained with Abu Bakr who, when he was
about to die, entrusted it to his successor, Umar Ibn al Khattab who,
in turn, passed it on to Hafsa, the Prophet's wife. It was from thisoriginal
copy that Uthman, the third caliph, prepared several other
copies and sent them to different Muslim territories.

The Qur'an was preserved so meticulously because it was to be the
book of guidance for all humanity forever. Thus it does not address
only the Arabs, even though it was revealed in their language. It
speaks to man as a human being: "O Man! What has seduced you
from your Lord?" The practical nature of the Qur'anic teachings is
established by the examples of the Prophet and of pious Muslims
throughout history.

The Qur'an instructions are aimed at the general welfare of man and
are based on possibilities within his reach. Its wisdom is conclusive
in all of its venous dimensions. It does not condemn or torture the
flesh, nor does it neglect the soul. It does not humanize God nor does
it deify man. Everything is carefully placed where it belongs in the
total scheme of creation.
Those scholars who allege that Muhammad wrote the Qur'an claim
something that is not humanly possible. Could anyone living in the
sixth century CE. utter such scientific truths as the Qur'an contains?
Could he describe the evolution of the embryo inside the uterus so
accurately that it matches the description given by modern science?
Secondly, is it logical to believe that the Prophet, who, until the age
of forty, was known far and wide for his honesty and integrity,
began all of a sudden to write a book that is without equal in literary
merit and that could not be surpassed by the whole legion of the
Arab poets and orators of the highest caliber?

And lastly, is it justified to say that Muhammad (PBUH), who was
known to his people as al-Amin (The trustworthy) and who is still
admired by non-Muslim scholars for his honesty and integrity, came
forth with a false claim and on that falsehood trained thousands of
individuals of character, integrity, and honesty who were able to
establish the best human society that the world has ever known?
Surely, any sincere and unbiased searcher of truth will come to
believe that the Qur'an is the revealed book of Allah.

Without necessarily agreeing completely with their statements, we
would like to quote some of the opinions of important non-Muslim
scholars who have studied the Qur'an. Such comments show that the
non Muslim world is taking a more serious view of the Qur'an andthat it
is beginning to appreciate its truth. We appeal to all people
who are seeking spiritual truth to study the Qur'an in light of the
aforementioned points. Cast your preconceived notions aside and
listen to what these people have to say.

However often we turn to it [the Qur'an], at first disgusting us each
time afresh, it soon attracts, astounds, and in the end enforces our
reverence... Its style, in accordance with its contents and aim, is
stern, grand, terrible - ever and anon truly sublime. Thus this book
will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence.

- Gethe,
quoted in T P Hughes' Dictionary of Islam, p 526.
The Koran admittedly occupies an important position among the
great religious books of the world. Though the youngest of the epoch-
making works belonging to this class of literature, it yields to hardly
any in the wonderful effect which it has produced on large masses of
men. It has created an all but new phase of human thought and a
fresh type of character. It first transformed a number of
heterogeneous desert tribes of the Arabian peninsula into a nation of
heroes, and then proceeded to create the vast politico-religious
organizations of the Muhammadan world which are one of the great
forces with which Europe and the East have to reckon today

- G. Margoliouth
Introduction toe. M. Rodwell's
The Koran, New York Every man's Library, 1977, p. Vll.
A work, then, which calls forth so powerful and seemingly
incompatible emotions even in the distant reader distant as to time,
and still more so as to mental development - a work which not only
conquers the repugnance with which he may begin its perusal, but
changes this adverse feeling into astonishment and admiration, such
a work must be a wonderful production of the human mind indeed
and a problem of the highest interest to every thoughtful observer of
the destinies of mankind.

- Dr. Steingass
quoted in T. P. Hughes' Dictionary of Islam, pp. 526-7.The above
observation makes the hypothesis advanced by those who
see Muhammad as the author of the Qur'an untenable. How could a
man, from being illiterate, become the most important author, in
terms of literary merits, in the whole of Arabic literature? How could
he then pronounce truths of a scientific nature that no other human
being could possibly have developed at that time, and all this
without once making the slightest error in his pronouncement on the
subject?

- Maunce Bucaille,
The Bible, the Qur'an and Science, 1978, p 125.
Here, therefore, its meets as a literary production should perhaps not
be measured by some preconceived maxims of subjective and
aesthetic taste, but by the effects which it produced in Muhammad's
contemporaries and fellow countrymen. If it spoke so powerfully and
convincingly to the hearts of his hearers as to weld hitherto
centrifugal and antagonistic elements into one compact and well
organized body. animated by ideas far beyond those which had until
now ruled the Arabian mind, then its eloquence was perfect, simply
because it created a civilized nation out of savage tribes, and shot a
fresh woof into the old warp of history.

- Dr: Steingass
quoted in Hughes' Dictionary of Islam, p. 528.
In making the present attempt to improve on the performance of my
predecessors, and to produce something which might be accepted as
echoing however faintly the sublime rhetoric of the Arabic Koran, I
have been at pain to study the intricate and richly varied rhythms
which-apart from the message itself-constitute the Koran's
undeniable claim to rank amongst the greatest literary masterpieces
of mankind ... This very characteristic feature-"that inimitable
symphony" as the believing Pickthall described his Holy Book, "the
very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy"-has been
almost totally ignored by previous translators; it is therefore not
surprising that what they have wrought sounds dull and net indeed
in comparison with the splendidly decorated original.

-Arthur J Arberry
The Koran Interpreted London: Oxford University Press, 1964,p.XA totally
objective examination [of the Qur'an] in the light of modern
knowledge leads us to recognize the agreement between the two, as
has been already noted on repeated occasions. It makes us deem it
quite unthinkable for a man of Muhammad's time to have been the
author of such statements, on account of the state of knowledge in
his day Such considerations are part of what gives the Qur'anic
revelation its unique place, and forces the impartial scientist to admit
his inability to provide an explanation which calls solely upon
materialistic reasoning.

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