Prophethood
Divine Law and Holy Books
The Holy Qur'an, other than itself, speaks of revealed books: the Book of Abraham; the Psalms of David; the Torah of Moses and the Gospel of Jesus. A Muslim must believe in all the Holy Books and in all the Prophets. As we will see later, all the Prophets were necessarily infallible and sinless prior to and during their mission. From what can be deduced from the Holy Qur’an, it can be concluded that all the prophets of Allah did not bring divine law. Rather, five of them: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the Prophet Muhammad, are ‘possessors of determination’ (ulul-'azm) - those who have brought divine law. Other prophets followed the divine law brought by these prophets. There have been several reasons cited for the large numbers of prophets. The most important of which are given below: • In ancient times, it was not possible to propagate the invitations of the prophets (as), and it would have been impossible for the entire world to be informed of their message. • With the passing of time, and due to various factors, the instructions given by a prophet to the people of his time would face alterations and incorrect interpretations, so that after some time the original religion would change into a deviated one.
Plurality of Religions Why is there the plurality of prophets and certain differences in some devotional and social instructions of the divine religions?
The conditions of people’s lives in different places and at different times are not the same; such differences can influence the quality as well as the quantity of social rules and regulations. It is therefore necessary in some cases for new regulations to be issued.
Think about Before reading the next section, think about this question: Why was Prophet Muhammad (s) the last prophet, and after, no new religion was sent by God Almighty?
The Final Prophet
Although human intellect due to the aforementioned points realizes the rationale behind the plurality of the prophets and the differences between divine religions, it cannot discover the exact formula for the number of prophets and divine religions, and cannot decide when and where a new prophet would be appointed and a new religion introduced. It is, however, understood from the above points that while the conditions of man's life are such that a prophet's invitation can reach all the people of the world and his message can be protected and secured for future generations, and as long as the social regulations do not need any fundamental changes, no new prophet would be necessary. It is for this reason that the Prophet of Islam had been the final divine prophet. The Holy Quran, which is Prophet Muhammad’s (s) eternal miracle, explicitly mentions this point that Muhammad (s) is the final prophet and after him there will be no other prophet. مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَكِن رَّسُولَ اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمًا (33:40) “Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Apostle of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets, and Allah has knowledge of all things.” (33:40)
Abrogation of religions After the advent of Islam, the previous religions were abrogated. Abrogation does not mean that all the teachings and injunctions of the earlier revealed religions are nullified rather it means that the duration of a certain religion, which was clear in God’s knowledge from the beginning, has elapsed. However, a great deal of fundamental beliefs such as the unity of God, resurrection and the saviour as well as a huge number of injunctions (e.g. prayer, fasting, etc.) are to be kept in the subsequent religion.
Direct Students of God (Possessors of Direct Knowledge from God)
The responsibility for the guidance of human society was held by the Prophets of God. They needed to possess any knowledge that was useful in the guidance of man. It is apparent that the complexity of the human and the world, and conditions in which he lives in it, requires a prophet to have vast knowledge; the acquisition of this knowledge by normal means is not possible. Therefore, God provided them with direct knowledge and appointed them to prophethood in order to guide humanity. Divinely inspired knowledge (‘ilm al-ladunnī) is knowledge that God inspires directly into His servants. This knowledge is not acquired and obtaining it does not require education and study. This knowledge is inspired in some of the faithful directly from the source of all knowledge, as has been mentioned in the Qur’an in relation to Khidr (as): [There] they found one of Our servants whom We had granted a mercy from Ourselves, and taught him a knowledge from Our own. (18: 65)
Key Terms: Divinely inspired knowledge: is knowledge which a servant of God receives from Him, without ordinary means. As God bestows this knowledge directly, there is no process of teaching and learning. This type of knowledge was obtained by the Prophets and Imams.
Can Other than God Possess Knowledge of the Unseen?
Divinely inspired knowledge from God is not obtainable by material means. Therefore, typically humans do not benefit from this knowledge. This kind of knowledge is called the knowledge of the unseen (‘ilm al-ghayb). This knowledge essentially belongs to God, Who has knowledge of everything: nothing is hidden from Him. He gives this knowledge to whoever He considers appropriate. He has given it to some humans, such as the Prophets, who, whenever they will and with the permission of God, can access this knowledge. Since God placed this knowledge at the service of the prophets, and they are infallible in receiving it, making no mistake, there is no kind of contradiction between the knowledge of God and the knowledge of the Prophets, which was made available to them with the permission of God. From what was said previously, it is clear that the divine prophets, just as they are in need of God for their very existence, they are also in need of Him for the receiving of this knowledge and have no type of independence. Some have thought that this knowledge is only for God and no one else has access to it; however, the Holy Qur’an rejects their opinion. By studying carefully different verses of the Qur’an, it will become very clear that there are two groups of verses dealing with the knowledge of the unseen: First group: verses that identify the knowledge of the unseen as being particular to God and denying it for others. For example:
وَعِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لاَ يَعْلَمُهَا إِلاَّ هُوَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلاَّ يَعْلَمُهَا وَلاَ حَبَّةٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الأَرْضِ وَلاَ رَطْبٍ وَلاَ يَابِسٍ إِلاَّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ (6:59) With Him are the treasures of the Unseen; no one knows them except Him. (6: 59) This signifies that the knowledge of hidden realities is only for God. Second group: verses that clearly state that divine saints (al-awliya) have some knowledge of the unseen, such as: عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَى غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا * إِلَّا مَنِ ارْتَضَى مِن رَّسُولٍ فَإِنَّهُ يَسْلُكُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ رَصَدًا (27-26: 72)
Knower of the Unseen, He does not disclose His Unseen to anyone, except to an apostle He approves of. Then He dispatches a sentinel before and behind him... (72: 26-27) This knowledge essentially belongs to God; however, He shares His knowledge with whomever He sees appropriate.
Case Study
A woman named Sarah, who was related to one of the tribes of Mecca, came from Mecca to the Prophet (s) in Madina. The Prophet (s) asked her: Have you become Muslim and come here? She replied, no. The Prophet then asked: Have you migrated here? She again replied, no. So then the Prophet asked her: So, why have you come here? She said: You are of our clan and all of our guardians have gone. I have become very needy and I came to you so that you would give me something. The Prophet ordered the children of Abdul Muttalib to give her clothes, a riding animal and travel expenses; this was while the Prophet (s) was preparing to conquer Mecca. At the same time, a person by the name of Hatib ibn Abi Balta`ah came to Sarah and gave a letter to her; he told her to give it to the people of Mecca and also gave her 10 dinars and a piece of cloth. In his letter were secrets and information related to the plan for the conquering of Mecca. Sarah took the letter and set out towards Mecca. The angel Gabriel informed the Prophet (s) of this incident. Consequently, the Prophet (s) commanded Ali (as), Ammar, Omar, Zubair, Talha, Miqdad and Abu Marthad to quickly take the letter from the woman. They set out to find her, and in the same location that the Prophet (s) said she was, they found Sarah. They requested the letter from Sarah but she swore she did not have a letter with her. They inspected the items she had with her but did not find anything. Therefore, they all made the decision to return back, except Ali (as), who opposed this decision, and said: The Prophet (s) did not lie to us and we are not lying. That moment he drew his sword and continued: Bring out the letter; if not I swear to God I will strike your neck. Sarah, when she realized the seriousness of the matter, brought out the letter, which had been hidden in her hair. They took the letter and gave it to the Prophet (s). The Prophet then asked for Hatib and requested an explanation from him. Hatib gave has reason for doing this action and the Prophet (s) then forgave him. When the Quraysh lost hope in killing the Prophet (s), they decided to write a treaty between themselves, place it inside the Ka’ba and to put it into practice until their deaths. The treaty contained many provisions, including the stopping of buying and selling with the Muslims, the cut in marital and family relations with the Muslims and support for the opponents of Muhammad (s) in all fields. After the treaty was written out it was signed by the Quraysh. On the other hand, Abu Talib requested his relatives to support the Prophet (s) in all areas and asked everyone to take refuge in a valley situated between the mountains of Mecca, known as She’eb Abi Talib. There, Abu Talib placed observation posts in various parts in order to prevent sudden attacks by the Quraysh. The Muslims were placed under heavy pressure by the complete siege; however the crying of children, which, among other things, was due to their hunger, had no effect on the Quraysh. They lived on eating one date, or even half of one, each day and only in the holy months could the Muslims enter the city and transact trade. These conditions lasted for three years. In this time the Prophet (s) still continued to preach Islam. After three years had passed, God sent a message to the Prophet (s) through Gabriel that the whole of the treaty had been eaten by termites except for the name of God. Along with Abu Talib the Prophet (s) gave this news to the Quraysh and after they looked at the treaty, they discovered that what the Prophet told them was true.
Iron Will
One of the distinguishing features of the Prophets was their iron will, patience and exemplary perseverance in the achievement of their divine goals. Among the Prophets, the five major prophets (ulul-'azm) hold a special position and so therefore they have been called the ‘possessors of determination’. Their will and determination was such that the Holy Qur’an has introduced them as the best examples of will and determination: So be patient just as the resolute among the apostles were patient (46: 35) All the great prophets faced bitter, ignorant and stubborn enemies, but they exhibited great perseverance in their missions. They coped with all the difficulties and battled with falsehood until the very end. We will mention some examples of the great efforts and patience of these prophets.
Key Terms 'azm (Determination): means that someone, after having certainty that an action is correct, performs that action in earnest and is patient when faced with any difficulties until that action is completed. Prophet Noah (as) guided people towards God for 950 years and in this time only 80 people became believers. This means on average, one every 12 years. The verses of the Qur’an recall his persistence and hopefulness in guiding his people. Even, people did not want to listen to his words and covered their ears with their hands; however he did not cease his efforts trying to save and guide people.
Prophet Abraham (as) was one of the prophets who invited people to the worship of God with much patience and soft language. When Prophet Abraham was about to be thrown into the fire, he became frightened and only sought help from God. After he was saved from this fate, he still did not give up on the guidance of his people. Another divine test he faced was that he was ordered to leave his only beloved son, who God had miraculously given him at an old age, all alone with the child’s mother in a hot barren desert. Years later, he yet again faced another divine challenge: he was ordered to sacrifice this same son, who was now a young adult and whom he loved very much. Prophet Moses (as) also experienced a life of struggle. He lived during the period of rule of dictatorship and repression of the Pharaoh, who regarded himself as a God. Prophet Moses (as) was appointed by God to fight against the polytheism and infidelity of the Pharaoh. He was never intimidated by the threats of Pharaoh and called his companions to patience and promised them victory. In the way of God, he tolerated all their harassment and complaints.
Reference
Read section 12, Qārūn and Musa from the book Anecdotes for Reflection: Part 1 to know more about the life of Prophet Moses (as).You can find the book at: http://www.al-islam.org/
Prophet Jesus (as) stood against the deviations of his time and was the subject of much persecution until they decided to crucify him; but in the end he was rescued by divine miracle.
The Prophet of Islam (s) had a life of ups and downs, filed with hardship, to the extent that he himself said: “No prophet suffered as much as I have.” (kashf al-Ghumma vol. 2, page 537 & al-Jāmi‘ al-Kabīr Vol. 1) His father died before his birth and his mother and his grandfather, (who was his guardian), passed away before he was ten years old. After he was appointed a prophet, he constantly faced threats, harassment, unjust accusations and economic blockade, the losing of dear ones and children, the facing of enemies in imposed wars, the treason and conspiracy of hypocrites and many other incidents meant that, from the beginning until the end, he underwent much hardship and difficulty. However, the Prophet always had only one answer to these difficulties which was patience and tolerance.
Reference
To know more about the willpower of the holy Prophet of Islam (s) read pages 73, 74 from the book of The Life of Muhammad by B.S. al- Qurashi.
Conclusion
The world has always been a place where truth and falsehood, and the supporters of truth (the pre-eminent ones being the Divine Prophets) and falsehood have clashed. Difficulties can only be overcome with patience and endurance. A study of the lives of the Prophets shows that the greatest difficulty that these persons encountered was the ignorance of people. The eradication of ignorance and the growth of knowledge were their biggest objectives and they went through much hardship in achieving these goals. Accordingly, the majority of historians – religious and non-religious – have attributed knowledge, civilization, culture and advancement in human societies, to the campaigns of the Divine Prophets against ignorance and superstition.
The Prophet of Islam (s) had a life of ups and downs, filed with hardship, to the extent that he himself said: “No prophet suffered as much as I have.” (kashf al-Ghumma vol. 2, page 537 & al-Jāmi‘ al-Kabīr Vol. 1) His father died before his birth and his mother and his grandfather, (who was his guardian), passed away before he was ten years old. After he was appointed a prophet, he constantly faced threats, harassment, unjust accusations and economic blockade, the losing of dear ones and children, the facing of enemies in imposed wars, the treason and conspiracy of hypocrites and many other incidents meant that, from the beginning until the end, he underwent much hardship and difficulty. However, the Prophet always had only one answer to these difficulties which was patience and tolerance.
Reference
To know more about the willpower of the holy Prophet of Islam (s) read pages 73, 74 from the book of The Life of Muhammad by B.S. al- Qurashi.
Conclusion
The world has always been a place where truth and falsehood, and the supporters of truth (the pre-eminent ones being the Divine Prophets) and falsehood have clashed. Difficulties can only be overcome with patience and endurance. A study of the lives of the Prophets shows that the greatest difficulty that these persons encountered was the ignorance of people. The eradication of ignorance and the growth of knowledge were their biggest objectives and they went through much hardship in achieving these goals. Accordingly, the majority of historians – religious and non-religious – have attributed knowledge, civilization , culture and advancement in human societies, to the campaigns of the Divine Prophets against ignorance and superstition.
Infallibility
One of the most significant features of prophets is the fact that they are infallible. They had infallibility throughout the entirety of their lives and were immune from all types of major and minor sins (whether intentionally or unintentionally) and also from errors (like forgetfulness, inadvertence, etc.). The same is true with regard to revelation. They are infallible in a threefold style with regard to revelation:
• In receiving the revelation
• In preserving revelation
• In passing the message to the people.
The infallibility of the prophets does not merely mean the absence of committal of sin, because it is possible for an ordinary person not to commit sins during his life particularly if he/she has a short life. It rather means that the person should have an innate power, which protects him against committing sins even in the hardest situations. Such a power is the result of a perfect and permanent awareness of the disgracefulness of sin and having a strong will to control his own manly desires. Since such ability is only formed by God's help, its functioning is assigned to Him. However, it is not correct to think that God forcefully protects a person against committing sin and as a result deprives him/her of freedom. The infallibility of those who perform their heavenly responsibilities like the prophets (as), and Imams (as) is related to God in one more way, that is: God has guaranteed their immunity.
Intellectual Reasons for the Infallibility of Prophets (as)
There are many arguments for the infallibility of the prophets. Among them two intellectual reasons are more popular. The first intellectual reason for the necessity of the prophets’ immunity against committing sin is that the main objective for their mission is to guide man towards the truth and teach him how to perform the duties God has assigned to him. Moreover, the prophets are in fact the representatives of God among men and must guide them towards the right path. However, if such representatives and missionaries do not obey the divine instructions themselves and their behaviour contradicts their mission, people will find the contrast between their words and behaviour contradictory and, therefore, the objective of their mission will not be thoroughly fulfilled. Thus, God’s wisdom and kindness necessitates that the prophets be pure and innocent, and for them to refrain from committing any undeserving action.
The second intellectual reason for such infallibility is that in addition to relaying the content of revelation to and guiding the people, they also are responsible for their purification and refinement; they are to practically take those with the necessary capacity to the highest levels of perfection. In other words, in addition to having to educate and giving them guidance, they also have to train and help them actually traverse the path. This has to be done in an all-encompassing manner, such that even the most elite and outstanding of individuals are subject to it. Such a responsibility can only be carried out by those who have achieved the most complete levels of human perfection, bearing the highest human faculty of ‘ismah. Immunity of revelation After recognizing that God's messages should reach people through one or more mediator/s so the possibility of their voluntary perfection and God's objectives for man's creation become realized, it will on the basis of God's perfect qualities, be proved that such messages are in fact immune from intentional and unintentional alterations. Therefore, if He does not intend His message to be delivered to His servants in the most accurate form, it will be against His wisdom, and His wise will denies it. It will also contradict His endless knowledge if God does not know how and through whom to send His message to His servants to keep it intact. Furthermore, it will be against His infinite power if He cannot choose the suitable mediators. Therefore, since Almighty God is aware of everything, it is improbable to think that He has chosen a mediator while He has not been aware of his wrong doings. Moreover, according to His endless power it is improbable to suppose that God has not been able to protect His revelation against Satan or any kind of unintentional alterations or forgetfulness. Similarly, with reference to His wisdom, it is unacceptable to suggest that He has not intended to immunize His message against wrong doings. Thus, it is the requisite for God's knowledge, power, and wisdom to deliver His message to His servants in the most accurate and perfect form. Through this discussion, the immunity of the angels of revelation and also the immunity of the prophets in receiving revelation and their infallibility against intentional or unintentional alteration and forgetfulness in delivering God's message are proved.
Think about If revelation was not immune from errors and alteration and was open to doubt about the sender or mediators or the messengers, what would be its consequence.
How One’s Prophethood Is Established
One of the important issues of prophethood is how can the truthful claims of real prophets and the false claims of non-prophets be proven? If a person is immoral and is contaminated with sin and the intellect understands their evilness, undoubtedly this person would be untrustworthy. Given the condition of infallibility of the Prophets, the falsity of their claim can be proven, especially if they encourage people to do an action which is opposed to a human’s innate nature and intellect, or if there are contradictions in their speech. On the other hand, it is possible for the record of someone to be sound so that an impartial person would have surety in their honesty and their mind would readily accept their claims. It is also possible for a prophet to have been predicted and introduced by another prophet, so that for those in pursuit of the truth there would be no doubt in their minds. However, if a people did not have any reassuring indications and there was no approval from another prophet, naturally there needs to be another way to prove the prophethood of a claimant. God, the Wise, has provided this way by means of miracles, which prove the truthfulness of prophets.
Conclusion
The truthfulness of the claims of genuine prophets can be proven in three ways: 1 – From reassuring indications, such as the person’s honesty, and consistency in pursuing truth and justice throughout their life. However, these traits are very difficult to verify. 2 – Introduction by a previous or contemporary prophet. This is also limited, to those people who have known a previous prophet and have knowledge of their approval of the current claimant. This way would also not be suitable in the case of the first prophet. 3 – Presentation of a miracle, which can also have a wide and ever-lasting impact. This way will be discussed in more detail.
The Definition of a Miracle
A miracle is defined as: an extraordinary phenomenon, which by the will of God, is presented by a claimant of prophethood and is a sign of the truthfulness of his claim. This definition informs us of three matters: 1 - Extraordinary phenomena do not come into existence by ordinary means. 2 - Some of these extraordinary matters, by the will and special permission of God, emanate from prophets. 3 - These extraordinary matters can be a sign of the truthfulness of the claim of a prophet, and in this case, they are termed miracles. We will provide an explanation for each of the three points contained within the definition. They are as follows:
Extraordinary Phenomena Phenomena which appear in this world usually occur by causes that, by way of experiment, can be recognised, as is the case in the majority of physical, chemical, biological and psychological phenomena. However in rare instances, some phenomena take place where all their causes cannot be known by sensory experiment; in such cases there is another kind of cause, such as in the amazing acts of yogis. Experts of different scientific fields have testified that these acts are not performed based on material and empirical scientific laws. These phenomena are known as being extraordinary.
Divine Extraordinary Phenomena Extraordinary phenomena can be divided into two general groups:
• Phenomena that, although they do not have ordinary causes, but their extraordinary causes are, more or less, within the control of humans, who can master them with learning and special training; for example, the acts of ascetics.
• Extraordinary phenomena that are realized by the special permission of God. The ability to perform these acts is entrusted only to those who have a close connection with God and therefore they possess two features. Firstly, they are not able to be taught or learned; secondly, they are not affected by a stronger force. This type of extraordinary phenomena only emanate from those chosen by God and never from those who have gone astray or follow their own desires.
Characteristics of the Miracles of Prophets
If an extraordinary phenomenon, by the permission of God, is presented by a person who has a claim of prophethood, it is called a miracle and can be a proof for his prophethood. These miracles are not against natural laws rather they follow the natural causes just like other phenomena yet their causes are hidden from human beings. For instance, the Prophet of Islam (s) has been narrated to have offered a large number of miracles, which are mentioned in historical books; however the greatest and the permanent miracle of the Prophet is the Holy Qur’an. The Qur’an challenges all who are familiar with Arabic to bring even one chapter like the chapters of the Qur’an; no one was able to, and no one will be able to, as the Qur’an itself promises. It is noteworthy that these extraordinary phenomena are not only presented by prophets, but also, with the permission of God, by divine saints (al-awliyā’). In the next section, the difference between the phenomena emanating from these two groups will be examined.
Reference
More information about miracles is provided by S.A. Rizvi in his book “Prophethood” in chapter four. The book is available at: http://www.al-islam.org
Conclusion Every miracle that occurs with the permission of God must possess all the conditions below in order for it to be regarded as a miracle and to confirm the truthfulness of a prophetic claim: 1 - It must be an extraordinary phenomenon. 2 - It should not be able to be taught to anyone else. 3 – Nothing else has the capability to oppose it. 4 – The person presenting the miracle should have the claim of prophethood 5 - The person presenting the miracle should be just, and not commit sins or be corrupt
Al-Karamah Extraordinary phenomena, in addition to prophets, can also emanate from some of God’s saints (al-awliyā’). These saints do not have a claim to prophethood and therefore these extraordinary things presented by them are not called miracles; they are technically called ‘al-karamah’. Therefore the term ' al-karamah ' (munificence) refers to all of the divine extraordinary acts performed by non-prophets. Nevertheless, there are some unusual acts, which at times are rooted in human or satanic desires, such as magic, divination, etc. which should not be confused with miracles or al-karamah because these acts do not enjoy the criteria of miracles or al-karamah; these acts can be taught, learned or overcome by other, stronger powers. It is also possible to determine the unholy nature of such acts by referring to the corrupt beliefs or behaviour of those who perform such acts.
Reading Comprehension
1) According to the Holy Qur’an, all beings have been created with a purpose.
What is this purpose which the Qur’an speaks about? Does the Qur’an’s message concern only beings that possess will power, such as humans, or does it cover a broader spectrum of God’s creation?
2) Is the desire for religion an innate desire of man? Bring Qur’anic proof to support your claim.
3) What is the intellect and what role does it play in the life of man? Does the intellect possess the capacity of flawless reasoning? If so, explain how. If not, explain the intellect’s capacity in reasoning.
4) Briefly explain general and specific guidance and state what benefit or benefits each one brings for creatures.
5) Considering what has been taught in this lesson, state whether the intellect can, alone, develop for humans a comprehensive way of living. Why? Also, explain how there is no conflict between reason and revelation.
6) Explain why prophets, for the guidance of people, must possess divinely inspired knowledge.
7) Why is there a plurality of prophets and certain differences in some devotional and social instructions of divine religions?
8) Explain why, based on reason, divine prophets must be infallible.
9) Considering the three criteria for a miracle mentioned and the definition given for one, state what characteristics a miracle possesses.