Apart from natural instinctive guidance, Allah due to His
Mercy and Justice, bestowed His guidance to the people: “It is not the way of
Allah to confound people after He has guided them, until He makes clear to them
what they should guard against; surely Allah has the knowledge of
everything.”(Qur’an;9:115);“..God draws
unto Himself every one who is willing, and guides unto Himself everyone who
turns unto Him”(Qur’an;42:13). The
guidance has been provided in the form of Revelations through especially chosen
men, the Messengers (Rasool or Nabi). The Hebrew word for prophet is navi`, usually considered to be a loan word from
Akkadian nabu, naba`um, "to proclaim, mention, call, summon": The
title has a general application to all who have messages from God to men. Some
scholars describe that, a Rasool
(Messenger) is the Nabi who has
delivered the written revelations (scripture).
Every Rasool (Messenger) is also Nabi,
where as every Nabi is not
necessarily Rasool. Muhammad (peace
be upon him) has been addressed as Rasool
(Qur’an;3:144) as well as Rasool and Nabi (Qur’an;7:157,33:40). The English
words; ‘Messenger’ and ‘Prophet’ has been used here for both i.e. Rasool or Nabi. The messengers and prophets were sent throughout the history for the guidance of mankind.
Allah says: “For We assuredly sent amongst every People a Messenger (with the
Command) "Serve Allah and eschew Evil"..”(Qur’an;16:36 );“To every people (was sent) a Messenger:
when their Messenger comes (before them) the matter will be judged between them
with justice and they will not be wronged.”(Qur’an;10:47 ). Allah says: “And there never was a
people, without a Warner having lived among them (in the past)”(Qur’an;35:24).
Beginning with the first human and prophet Adam (peace be upon him), there has
been many messengers and prophets from Noah (peace be upon him) through Abraham
(peace be upon him) for their respective nations. According to Muslim
traditions there has been more than 1,24,000 prophets sent to different nations
at different times, it includes 315 Rasool
(Messenger) granted scriptures (law). Allah says: “We did aforetime send
Messengers before thee (O’ Muhammad) : of them there are some whose story We
have related to thee and some whose story We have not related to thee”
(Qur’an;40:78). Some of the well known Messengers mentioned in Bible and Qur’an
are: Adam, Salih (Methuselah), Noah, Idris (Enoch), Hud (Heber), Lut, Abraham (early 2nd Millennium BC),
Isma'il (Ishmael), Ishaq (Isaac), Ya'qub (Jacob), Yusuf (Joseph), Musa (Moses,
14-13th Century B.C), Harun (Aaron), Shu'aib (Jethro), Shammil
(Samuel, 11th Century B.C), Dawud (David, died 962 B.C), Sulaiman
(Solomon, 10th Century B.C), Al-Yas'a (Elisha, 9th
Century B.C), (Elijah, 9th Century B.C), Shia (Isaiah, 8th
Century B.C), Yunus (Jonah, flourished around 785 B.C at Nineveh), Aramaya
(Jeremiah, 7-6th Century B.C), Ayyub (Job, the Book of Job, 6-4th
Century B.C), Elias, Dhul Kifl, Hizqeel (Ezekiel, 6th Century B.C),
Daniel (6th Century B.C), 'Uzair (Ezra, 5th Century B.C,
also considered a saint), Zechariah, Yahya (John the Baptist, 1st
Century C.E), 'Isa (Jesus, 4 B.C-28-30 C.E) and Muhammad (571-632 C.E) (peace
be upon all of them). The status of three pious respectable persons i.e. Luqman (The Wise, sage), Dhul Qarnain (Two Horned Conqueror) and the one, referred as ‘one of his servants’ (Qur’an;18:65),
customary called Khizar is unknown.
All the Messengers conveyed good news to mankind and
admonished them so that, after conveying the message through the Messengers,
people should have no excuse to plead against Allah.(Qur’an;4:165). The Muslims
do not discriminate against anyone of His Messengers (Qur’an;2:285) and follow
the eternal guidance provided to all of them being the same. Allah says: “(O
Muhammad) those were the (prophets) who received Allah's guidance: Follow then
their guidance;..”(Qur’an;6:90).
The Revelations were protected from the
tempering of Satan in transmission (Qur’an;22:52 ). The Revelations were given in different ways: “it
is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration
of from behind a veil or by the sending of a Messenger to reveal with Allah's
permission what Allah wills: for He is Most High Most Wise”(Qur’an;42:51).
Three ways are mentioned: (1) Inspiration (Wahyun); (2) from behind a veil; and (3) by the sending of a
Messenger. Angel Gabriel has been mentioned in Bible and Qur’an as messenger
(courier) of Revelations: “And the angel answering said unto him (Zechariah), I
am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee,
and to show thee these glad tidings.”(Luke;1:19, similarly in Qur’an;2:97,
3:39,81:19; also Daniel; 8:16; 9:21-23; 10:11 & 12:6-7; Isaiah;42:19; Haggai;1:13).
It was Gabriel, who announced the birth of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) to
the Mary (Luke;1:26 -35,
Qur’an;3:45 mentions him as
an angel). Inspiration, is interpreted to be of two kinds: (1) a suggestion
thrown by Allah into the heart of man, by which man understands the substance
of the Message, whether it is a command or prohibition, or an explanation of a
great truth; and (2) verbal or literal inspiration, by which the actual words
of Allah are conveyed in human language. Vision (dream) is also an other method
(Qur’an;17:60, 48:27), which is also mentioned in Bible: “And he said, Hear now
my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known
unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.”(Numbers;12:6);“After
these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram (Abraham) in a vision,
saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great
reward.”(Genesis;15:1); “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke
in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,”(Hebrews;1:1). It is through
these forms that God revealed His scriptures to the messengers and prophets,
which remained available for the guidance even after the messengers, had left
this world. Bible is the sacred
book of Christianity, including the books of both the Old Testament and the New
Testament.
The first of the two
main divisions of the Christian Bible, corresponding to the Hebrew Scriptures,
the covenant of God with Israel which is also the sacred book of Judaism
containing remnants of Torah, (Law of Moses). As distinguished in Christianity,
the New Testament forms the record of the new dispensation belonging to the
Church. The gospels are claimed to contain the reveled scripture to Prophet
Jesus (peace be upon him). Even the Biblical traditions accept the doubtful
authenticity of these books. Previously the messengers were sent for the
particular nation or community for particular time. Once a new messenger or
prophet came it was obligatory to follow him, denying one messenger means
denying all the messengers. Once Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) came, he
showed the way to the God, when Jesus (peace be upon him) came, he provided the
way. However this system of messengers came to end with the last Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him). Muslims while believing in all the previous
messengers of God and scriptures, adhere to the message preached by the last
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and The Qur’an as the final uncorrupted
holy scripture not restricted to any particular race but for the guidance of whole
humanity, while superseding all the previous scriptures.
Sphere & Traits of Messengers:
Chosen People: The messengers were
chosen people of God, who were men of high virtue and character. They remained
steadfast in their duties towards Allah and fellow human. They bravely faced
opposition and even some times it cost them their lives. They did not err in
conveying the message of God to their people and practically demonstrated the
implementation of message, thus they were the role model for their respective
communities
Messengers are not
restricted to a particular race: Contrary to the belief
of Israelites, Allah may choose any one as His Messenger whom He may like: “Do
not follow anyone except the one who follows your own religion." (O
Muhammad), tell them: "The only true guidance is the guidance of
Allah." These (people of the Book - Jews & Christians) do not believe
that revelation could be sent to anyone besides themselves, like that which has
been sent to you; or that they will ever argue with you in the presence of your
Lord. Tell them: "For sure, grace is in the hands of Allah: He bestows it
on whom He pleases; Allah has boundless knowledge." He chooses for His
mercy whom He pleases, Allah is the Owner of mighty grace.(Qur’an;3:73-74); “Possessor
of the Highest Rank, the Master of the Throne of Authority sends down the
Spirit by His command on those of His servants whom He chooses, that he (the
Prophet who received the revelations) may warn mankind of the Day when they
shall meet Him.”(Qur’an;40:15 and similarly also at 28:68, 42:13, 16:2).
The messengers were
required to convey the message; they were not required to force the people.
Allah says: “Obey Allah and obey His messenger; but if ye turn away, then the
duty of Our messenger is only to convey (the message) plainly.”(Qur’an;64:12
also 36:17); “O children of Adam! Whenever there come to you Messengers from
among you and recite to you My revelations, those who will become righteous and
mend their ways will have nothing to fear or to regret;”(Qur’an;7:35). This aspect is further highlighted in
Qur’an: "Mankind was one single nation and Allah sent Messengers with glad
tidings and warnings; and with them He sent the Book in truth to judge between
people in matters wherein they differed; but the People of the Book (Jews &
Christians) after the clear Signs came to them did not differ among themselves
except through selfish contumacy. Allah by His Grace guided the believers to
the truth concerning that wherein they differed. For Allah guides whom He will to
a path that is straight.”(Qur’an;2:213). There are glad tidings for the
believers and warning of punishment in hell for disbelievers. 'Who so shall
follow My Guidance, on them shall come no fear, nor shall they grieve. But
those who will disbelieve and treat Our Signs as lies, they shall be the
inmates of the fire and they shall abide therein.” (Qur’an;2:39, 40). There is
freedom of choice available to man; as such he can not blame any one but
himself for making a choice of evil against truth: “There shall be no coercion
in matters of faith. Distinct has now become the right way from (way of) error:
hence, he who rejects the powers of evil and believes in God has indeed taken
hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way: for God is all hearing,
all-knowing”(Qur’an;2:256). The Qur’an alludes to the inevitability of
dissension among human beings: in other
words, it is the will of God that their way to the truth should be marked by
conflicts and trial by error: Allah says: “If We had so Willed We could
certainly have imposed Our guidance upon every soul but (We have not willed it
thus-and so, to let them exercise freedom of choice) that word of Mine has come
true: “Most certainly will fill hell with jinns as well with humans, all
together!”. (Qur’an;32:13); “If We wanted, We could send down upon them a sign
from the heaven before which they would bend their necks in submission, but
that is not what We want.”(Qur’an;26:4); "And if it were Our Will We could
make angels from amongst you succeeding each other on the
earth.”(Qur’an;43:60); “And Allah doth advance In guidance those who
seek guidance..”(Qur’an;19:76);“to you be your religion (Din), and to me mine.”(Qur’an;109:6).
Leaders as Role Model
for the Believers:
While messengers conveyed the message of guidance, their life was a role model
for the believers in execution of commands of God. Mere conveying of
revelations are not sufficient, the practical performance of good deeds and
worship by a human messengers prove the practicability of the faith. Allah
says: “And We made them leaders guiding (men) by Our Command and We sent them
inspiration to do good deeds to establish regular prayers and to practice
regular charity; and they constantly served Us (and Us only)”( Qur’an;21:73).
Surrendered to God: All the Messengers and
Prophets of Allah are to be believed by a faithful Muslim, without any
discrimination (Qur’an; 2:136).They preached same religion from Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus and by Muhammad
(peace be upon them all). They remain steadfast in religion and make no
divisions therein. All Messengers came with the same message and the same
teachings. It came from one and the same source; the One Allah, and It requires
the people to submit to His will, worship no one but Him alone, not to
associate partners with Him and to obey His law. Hence they had surrendered
themselves to the will of God (in Islam). Later with the passage of time the
people misunderstood, misinterpreted and corrupted the Divine message of
guidance and got divided in to various groups and sects.
Messengers were mortal
humans:
Historically there is tendency among the followers of Messengers to exalt the
messengers to the level of supernatural being, even sharing divinity thus
becoming unbelievers (kafir). This has mainly been due to many factors
like, ignoring and misunderstanding the teachings of their Messenger, over
enthusiasms in displaying the love and affection to the Messengers. The example
of Christians is well known, who made Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), the
son of Mary as son of God and then a Divine, part of Trinity. The Messenger
were endowed with Divine revelations and appointed by Allah to guide their
communities among the mankind. They did not possess any divine qualities,
however at times they performed miracles (super natural acts) with the grace of
Allah as His signs. They were chosen and
exalted among the human being as Messenger of Allah, He tells His prophet;
“Say: "I am but a human (ana bashar
um misl u kum) like yourselves (but) the inspiration has come to me that
your God is one God: whoever expects to meet his Lord let him work
righteousness and in the worship of his Lord admit no one as
partner."(Qur’an;18:110). Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) told his people:
"I do not say to you, 'I possess the treasures of Allah.' I do not know
the unseen, and I do not say 'I am an angel"(Qur’an;11:31 ). Allah says: “And they (pagans) say: What
sort of Messenger (Muhammad) is this who eats food and walks through the streets?
Why has not an angel been sent down to him to give admonition with
him?”(Qur’an;25:7). Allah directed Muhammad (peace be upon him), who is the
last among them, to say: "I do not say to you I possess the treasures of
Allah, nor do I know the unseen, and I do not say to you I am an
angel"(Qur’an;6:50 );
"I have no power to hurt or benefit you. Say none can protect me from
Allah, nor can I find any refuge besides Him" (Qur’an;72:91-2). Islam
dispels the mythological tendency in strictest terms and declares that all
messengers were mortals, human beings: “We did not give them (messenger) bodies
which could survive without food, nor were they immortal.”(Qur’an;21:8). Death
is inevitable, every human has to die one day, even the prophets were not
exempt from bodily death, much less the righteous, but they live in their
beneficent work and the memories they leave behind. Allah says: “Every human
being is bound to taste death”(Qur’an;3:185,21:35 ); “Every soul shall taste death, then to Us you
shall all return.”(Qur’an;29:57);"We belong to Allah and to Him we shall
return."( Qur’an;2:156); “Whosesoever you may be, death will overtake you,
even though ye were in lofty towers…”(Qur’an;4:78);“O Prophet (Muhammad), you
shall die and they too shall die.”(Qur’an;39:30). During the battle of Uhad
(625 C.E), the Muslims got demoralized and started dispersing in panic on
hearing the rumor that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been martyred,
God declared: “Muhammad is no more than a Messenger: many were the Messengers
that passed away before him. If he died or were slain will ye then turn back on
your heels? ..”(Qur’an;3:144). The incident which took place at the time of
death (632 C.E) of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) further elaborate the
reality of death and human nature of Prophets. Narrated by Aish’a: Abu Bakr
came from his house at As-Sunh on a horse. He dismounted and entered the
mosque, but did not speak to the people till he entered upon 'Aish’a and went
straight to Allah's Messenger who was covered with Hibra cloth (i.e. a kind of
Yemenite cloth). He then uncovered the Prophet's face and bowed over him and
kissed him and wept, saying, "Let my father and mother be sacrificed for
you. By Allah, Allah will never cause you to die twice. As for the death which
was written for you, has come upon you." Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: Abu Bakr
went out while Umar bin Al-Khattab was talking to the people. Abu Bakr said,
"Sit down, O 'Umar!" But 'Umar refused to sit down. So the people
came to Abu Bakr and left Umar. Abu Bakr said, "To proceed, if anyone amongst you used to worship Muhammad, then
Muhammad is dead, but if (anyone of) you used to worship Allah, then Allah is
Alive and shall never die. Allah said: “Muhammad is no more than a
Messenger of Allah, like the Messengers that have passed away before him. If he
dies or is killed will you turn back on your heels (become unbelievers)? He
that turns back on his heels will do no harm to Allah; but Allah will reward
the thankful.”(Qur’an;3:144).By Allah, it was as if the people never knew that
Allah had revealed this Verse before till Abu Bakr recited it and all the
people received it from him, and I heard everybody reciting it (then). Narrated
Az-Zuhri: Said bin Al-Musaiyab told me that 'Umar said, "By Allah, when I
heard Abu Bakr reciting it, my legs could not support me and I fell down at the
very moment of hearing him reciting it, declaring that the Prophet had
died."(Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith: 5.733).
The messengers are among
God's blessed servants: He blessed them with the message and described them as
servants, in the context of praising and honoring them. He says: “.. Noah, he
was a truly thankful servant”(Qur’an;17:3). Allah said about the last messenger
Muhammad (peace be upon him): “Blessed be He who sent down the Qur’an to His
servant, that he may warn mankind”(Qur’an;25:1). As for some other messengers,
he said: "And mention Our servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, men of might
and vision" (Qur’an;38:45); "And remember Our servant David, who was
a mighty and penitent man" (Qur’an;38: 17); "And to David, We gave
Solomon, he was an excellent and penitent servant" (Qur’an;38:30)."He
(Jesus, son of Mary) is only a servant whom We blessed and We made him an
example to the children of Israel
Endowed with gifts, some
above others:
Different gifts and different modes of procedure are prescribed to Messengers
in different ages. [Perhaps their degrees are different though it is not for
mortal human, with their imperfect knowledge to make any difference between one
and another of God's Messengers;Qur’an;2:136, 4;152]. Allah says: “Those
Messengers we endowed with gifts, some above others: to one of them Allah
spoke; others He raised to degrees (of honour); to Jesus the son of Mary we
gave Clear (Signs), and strengthened Him with the holy spirit. if Allah had so
willed, succeeding generations would not have fought among each other, after
clear (signs) had come to them, but they (chose) to wrangle, some believing and
others rejecting. if Allah had so willed, they would not have fought each
other; but Allah fulfilled His plan.”(Qur’an;2:253). Three illustrations are
given from the past, how it affected God's Messengers. To Moses God spoke in clouds of glory; he led
his men for forty years through the wilderness, mainly fighting against the
unbelief of his own people; he organized them to fight with the sword for
Palestine, but was raised to God's mercy before his enterprise ripened, and it
fell to Prophet Joshua (peace be upon him) to carry out his plan. Prophet David
(peace be upon him), though a mere shepherd boy, was chosen by God. He
overthrew the greatest warrior of his time, became a king, and waged successful
wars. Besides being a prophet, poet and sage, he was an excellent vocalist in
reciting the hymns. Prophet Jesus was
"strengthened with the holy spirit": he was given no weapons to fight
and his mission was of a more limited character. In the mission of Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) all these characters were combined. Gentler than
Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), he organized on a vaster scale than Prophet
Moses (peace be upon him) and from Medina he ruled and gave laws, and the
Qur’an has far reaching scope than the Psalms of David (peace be upon him).
ABRIDGED LIFE HISTORY
OF SOME MESSENGERS:
Belief in the Messengers of Allah and His revelations in the
form of scriptures is appreciation of Allah's mercy and care for His people for
sending those great messengers to guide them to the straight path. The
prophets, peace and blessings be upon them, are free of all sins, major and
minor, of unbelief, and of all that is repugnant. It may be, however, that they
apparently commit insignificant lapses and errors in secular matters but not in spiritual matters or faith
(din). It is reflection of love and
respect of the prophets and their praise what they deserve, because they are
Allah's messengers and His choice among His people. They worshipped Allah
according to the best of their abilities, conveyed His message to mankind, gave
sincere advice to the people, and bore patiently whatever hurt they received. A
glance at the life of some prominent messengers of God would further elucidate
this aspect.
Prophet Adam (peace be upon him):
Adam and Eve, in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions,
is the original human couple, parents of the human race. Prophet Adam (peace be
upon him) was the first human
being, who was created from clay to be God's vicegerent on earth, he was
exalted by imparting the faculty of wisdom and knowledge. Allah says: “It is we
who created you and gave you shape; then we bade the angels bow down to Adam,
and They bowed down; not so Iblis; He refused to be of those who bow down.
(Allah) said: "What prevented Thee from bowing down when I commanded thee?"
He said: "I am better than He: Thou Didst create me from fire (as Jinn),
and Him from clay."(Allah) said: "Get Thee down from this: it is not
for Thee to be arrogant here: get out, for Thou art of the meanest (of
creatures)."He said: "Give me respite till the Day They are raised
up." (Allah) said: "Be Thou among those who have respite. "He (Iblis) said: "Because Thou hast
thrown me out of the way, Lo! I will lie In wait for them on Thy straight way:
"Then will I assault them from before them and behind them, from their
right and their left: nor wilt Thou find, In Most of them, gratitude (for Thy
mercies)."(Allah) said: "Get out from this, disgraced and expelled.
if any of them follow thee,- Hell will I fill with you all.”(Qur’an;7:11-18).
Subsequently Iblis tempted Adam and his "wife" in the Garden
to eat of the forbidden fruit. Allah then sent them down on earth, where their
progeny were doomed to live as enemies; but, being Merciful, Allah offered Adam
and his progeny eternal guidance if they would follow only Him, not Satan. The
total submission and obedience to Allah (Islam) would be rewarded on the Day of
Judgment. Christian theologians developed the doctrine of
original sin based on the story of their transgression; in contrast, the Qur’an
teaches that Adam and Eve’s sin was their individual act, which was forgiven by
God due to their repentance, hence it did not make the humanity as sinners by
birth. Adam taught his progeny to obey and worship one God. According to
Islamic traditions, Adam built the first house of worship of Allah at Ka’ba.
The Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) had left his progeny in a state of social
and moral health but gradually they began to forget the teachings of Allah and
adopted the evil path of Satan and indulged in corruption and depravity. They
became mean, evil-doers and greedy. They cheated and hurt one another, began to
worship idols and forgot to pray to Almighty Allah. The entire society had been
split up into different sections and this state of affairs gave birth to
oppression and injustice. The Iblis
(Satan) continue to misguide the people who follow him, however Satan
does not have any authority over the devotees of God (Qur’an;15:42 ).
Prophet Noah (peace be upon him):
Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) is the well known Messenger
of God after Adam. Qur’an refers to the narrative of Noah at many places to
serve as a warning and lesson for the rebellious non believers: “We sent Noah and Abraham, and bestowed among
their descendants Prophethood and the Book. Some of them adopted the right
guidance, but most of them were transgressors. After them We sent other
Messengers, one after the other, and followed them with Jesus the son of Mary.
We gave him The Gospel, and put compassion and mercy into the hearts of his
followers…... Yet We rewarded those among them who were true believers, but
most of them are transgressors.”(Qur’an;57:26-27). Qur’an
gives account of Noah at Chapter;11:25 -49
and at other places. Allah, the Most Merciful, wanted the people to be guided
on true path. According to the Qur’anic narrative Noah, was sent as a messenger
for the guidance of his nation: “We sent Noah to his people. Noah said: "I
have come to warn you plainly,”(Qur’an;11:25 , also at 11:30 , 38:12, 71:1). He preached the obedience
and worship of one God to this people for very long period but few followed
him, the majority ridiculed him. Consequently Almighty Allah destroyed the
unbelievers through great floods except Noah and few believers, rescued in the
ark along with pairs of animal species. Thus Prophet Noah (peace be upon him)
becomes the father of larger part of humanity after prophet Adam (peace be upon
him).
According to Bible, Noah appears in
Genesis;5:29 as the son of
Lamech and ninth in descent from Adam. After destruction of rebellious people through
great floods, the entire surviving human race descended from Noah's three sons;
Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the floods, God renewed His commands given at
creation but with two changes: man could now kill animals and eat meat, and the
murder of a man would be punished by men. The Biblical version is almost
identical to the Islamic account with some exceptions of blasphemous narratives
which have been usually incorporated by the Israelites to degrade most of the
pious messengers and prophets of God (Genesis;Chapter5-15, likewise Prophet Lot
has been dishonored shamefully at Genesis;19:30 -38). The cultivation of the vine is attributes, to
Noah, and the shameless drunkenness of Noah does not accord well with the
character of the pious Messenger of God. Noah's drunkenness and the disrespect
it provokes in his son Ham, (or Canaan) result in Noah's laying of a curse on
Ham and his descendants(Geneses;9:20-27) is nothing but character assassination
of Noah. The messengers are not ordinary people, they are specially chosen by
God to deliver and practically demonstrate the implementation of message, thus
they are the role model for their community. Any indecent act does not behoove
well with their sacred assignment.
INDEX:
Related:
