Written by Khalid A. Mansour,
Al-Qassim,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Allah's Prophets:
Allah's prophets are His messengers to humanity. Their essence
is human and they are the purest of human beings. Allah sent each prophet
as a Warner to his community until the advent of the final prophet, Muhammad
(peace be upon him), who came as a mercy to all of Allah's creatures.
Allah the Almighty declared:
<< And we have sent you (O, Muhammad) not but as a mercy for `Alamin
(mankind, jinn and all that exists).>> (Surah 21:107)
The prophets and the messengers have different levels and degrees. Allah
the Almighty stated:
<< Those messengers! We preferred some to others; to some of them
Allah spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honor).>> (Surah
2:253)
Despite the difference in degrees of prophets in the sight of Allah the
Exalted, Muslims are commanded to respect them all and not to discriminate
among them. Allah the Exalted said:
<< Each one [of the believers] believes in Allah, His angels, His
books, and His messengers. They say, "We make no distinction between one
another of His Messengers" - and they say, "We hear and we obey." (We
seek) Your forgiveness, Our Lord, and to You is the return (of all)">>
(Surah 2:285)
The Message of
the prophets:
Ever since people innovated the dogma of Shirk, (i.e. joining others
in worship along with Allah), Allah had been sending prophets and Messengers
to his devotee in order to invite them to the worship of Allah and Allah
alone, to order them not to ascribe partners unto Him and bring them out
of darkness of polytheism into the light of monotheism. All prophets preached
Tawhid (i.e. Monotheism, the Belief in Oneness of Allah, the Glorious,
the Elevated). Allah the Almighty said:
<< Indeed, We sent Noah to his people and he said: 'O my people! Worship
Allah! You have no other Illah (God) but Him. (La Ilaha Ill-Allah, none
has the right to be worshiped but Allah). Certainly, I fear for you the
torment of a Great Day!'" >> (Surah 7:59)
<< And to `Ad (people, We sent) their brother Hud. He said: 'O my
people! Worship Allah! You have no other Illah (God) but Him. (La Ilaha
Ill-Allah, none has the right to be worshiped but Allah). Will you not
fear (Allah)?'" >> (Surah 7:65)
<< And to (the people of ) Midian, (We sent) their brother Shu'aib.
He said: 'O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Illah (God) but
Him. (La Ilaha ill-Allah, none has the right to be worshiped but Allah)'
etc. >> (Surah 7-85)
<< And to Thamud (people, We sent) their brother Saleh (Salih). He
said: " O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Illah (God) but
Him. La Ilaha ill-Allah, none has the right to be worshiped but Allah).'
>> (Surah 7-73)
Abu Huraira narrated: I heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
"Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all the
people to `Isa (Jesus), the son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers;
their mothers are different, but their religion is one. (i.e. Islamic
Monotheism)." (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
Every prophet was sent unto his own nation for the guidance. Allah the
Exalted said:
<< And Verily, We sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger
(proclaiming): Worship Allah (Alone) and avoid (or keep away from) Taghut
(all false deities etc. i.e. do not worship Taghuts besides Allah). >>
(Surah 16:36)
But the Message of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was (and still)
general for all mankind and Jinn. Allah the Almighty addresses His Messenger
Muhammad (peace be upon him):
<< Say (O Muhammad): 'O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as a
Messenger of Allah.'" >> (Surah 7:158)
So the aim of sending these prophets and Messengers to men and jinn was
only that they should worship Allah Alone, as Allah the Exalted said:
<< And I (Allah) created not the Jinn and men except they should worship
Me (Alone)>> (Surah 51:56)
And to worship Allah means to obey Him and to do all that He has ordained,
- and fear Him by abstaining from all that He forbidden.
Then those who will obey Allah will be rewarded in Paradise, and those
who will disobey Him will be punished in Hell-fire.
The third one of the articles of Faith is to believe in Allah's Messengers.
So, denying one of the prophets or Messengers (e.g. Jesus, Muhammad, Moses,
etc.) that Allah mentioned would exclude the person completely from the
fold of Islam.
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