Prophecy Introduction

Prophet Hood is not unknown to heavenly revealed religions, such as Judaism and Christianity. In Islam, however, it has a special status and significance. According to many scholars Allah created man for a noble purpose: to worship Him and lead a virtuous life based on His teachings and guidance. How would man know his role and the purpose of his existence unless he received clear and practical instructions of what Allah wants him to do? It is here that the role of prophecy or prophet hood becomes evident. Thus Allah had chosen from every nation a prophet to convey His message to people.

The Second Shahadah

The hadith Gabriel tells that Muslims have faith in His books and His messengers. The first pillar of Islam includes the verbal witnessing that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Hence the hadith Gabriel demands faith in all prophets, while the second Shahadah requires faith in the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). Muslims understand the first Shahadah as an expression of universal truth that all humans were created by God in His reflection. But the second Shahadah is different; it is specifically connected to Islam, since it expresses the prophecy of Muhammad (S.A.W) and the truth of Quran. Allah chose a prophet from every nation who conversed and taught in a language appropriate for the people to whom he was sent; that is a language that corresponds with his peoples background. As Quran says We have sent no messenger save the tongue of his people (14:4) Hence the details of the messages given to every prophet are different. As Quran says: To every one of you [messenger] WE have appointed a right way and an open road. If God had willed. HE would have made you one nation (5:48)

But that was not the will of Allah, because He created universe for diversity and thus He made many nations. Since the first Shahadah is the message of all prophets, religious differences rise up from the domain of the second Shahadah. The specific teachings of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) - his right way and open road - are different from those of Moses, Jesus and many others. In this effect traditional Muslims have held that each prophet comes with the first Shahadah and with second Shahadah specific teachings to his own message.

Prophet and Messenger

One might ask: How were the prophets chosen and who were entitled to this great honour? Prophecy is Allahs blessings and a favour that He may bestow on whom He wills. There are three features of a prophet that may be recognised: i) ii) iii) He is best in his community; morally and intellectually. He is supported by miracles that are granted by the power and permission of Allah. Every prophet states clearly that what he receives is not of his own but from Allah for the well-being of mankind.

Prophets are necessary for conveying Allahs instructions and guidance to mankind. The content of the prophets message to mankind can be summarized as:1) Clear concept about God: His attributes, His creations. 2) Clear idea about the unseen world, the angels, jinn, paradise and hell. The topic of prophecy comes from the idea of Nabi (prophet) which is derived from a root that has two meanings; to utter a sound and to become elevated. Thus the prophet is he who informs people about Allah. It is prophets duty to pass on the message to other people. The English word prophecy means prediction of future events. The Arabic word, however, has no such concept.

Hadiths tells us that from Adam down to our beloved Prophet (S.A.W), Allah sent one hundred and twenty four thousand prophets. Not all of these prophets established communities. Four main words are used in the Quran in reference to prophets: 1) Prophet (nabi), 2) Messenger (rasul), 3) Envoy (mursal) and 4) Possessors of steadfastness (ulul-azm) Quranic usage suggests that the term prophet has a wider scope than the term messenger and hadith confirms this when it tells us that Allah has sent 313 or 315 messengers. Some prophets are messengers, some are only prophets. Everyone chosen by Allah to receive a message is a Prophet. Among the prophets, a relatively small number were chosen to establish religions and they were called messengers. It is said that messengers are those prophets whose messages were detailed enough to be preserved as oral or written scriptures. The prophets who were not messengers modify the religion established by the previous messengers, according to the will of Allah and they explain the meaning of the scriptures to their followers. For example Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) was a messenger, while Hazrat Ishaq (A.S), Hazrat Ismail (A.S), Hazrat Yaqoob (A.S) were prophets, not messengers. The first prophet and messenger was Hazrat Adam (A.S) and the last was Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W).The identity of the first and the last prophets is highly significant. Many opinions are given about the possessors of the steadfastness. The most common opinion is that they are five messengers who established the major religions of the history. They are Hazrat Nooh (A.S), Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S), Hazrat Moosa (A.S),Hazrat Isa (A.S) and Hazrat Muhammad(S.A.W). Hazrat Nooh (A.S):- After Hazrat Adam (A.S), when mankind spread out in the world, some of the people remembered the teachings of Allah but most of them did not. They forgot about God and made stone statues, which they worshipped. To remind them of His teachings, Allah sent to them a prophet Nooh, who was the only good man of his time.

Hazrat Nooh (A.S) preached them to be good, obey Allah and believe in His promise that they would go back to Jannah if they were good. Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S):- He was a good, sensible and wise man whom Allah had chosen to be His prophet. Instead of worshipping idols, Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) believed in the Oneness of Allah. So he also wanted to stop people from believing in the stars and their gods. Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) was a brave man who was not afraid of anyone except Allah. Hazrat Moosa (A.S):- He was a prophet whose gift was that Allah conversed with him at Mount Sinai. He was born in the family of Bani Israel and defeated the Pharaoh of his time. Hazrat Moosa (A.S) was given the holy book Taurah. The Jews believe in Hazrat Moosa and his book and the religion is called Judaism. Hazrat Isa (A.S):- He was born to Hazrat Mariam (A.S). He was granted special powers by Allah in his infancy. He, as a newborn, possessed the power of speech. His miracle includes curing leprosy patients and blind people and was able to give life to the dead. According to Islamic concept Hazrat Isa (A.S) was not crucified and was lifted to the heavens by Allah and will return to this earth in order to kill Dajjal, the terrible nonbeliever, also known as Anti-Christ. Hazrat Isa (A.S) was given the holy book, Bible. Christians believe in Hazrat Isa (A.S) and his book and the religion is called Christianity. Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W):- The founder of the Divine religion Islam. He is the Chief and last in the line of prophets. He enjoys superiority over all of them as he is the Guide of all human beings. He is the prophet of all mankind. Many scholars say that Allah created this universe just for His beloved Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). He was given this superior position among all human beings by Allah since the beginning of creation.

Holy Books Taurat: The Taurat is usually referred to as the Law in the Quran.
Specifically, the Law of Moses. Many people equate the Taurat with the Torah of the Jewish faith, or the Old Testament of the Christian faith. In some ways this is true, as the Torah does contain some of the truths revealed to Hazrat Musa (A.S). However, it is not completely accurate

because the Torah consists of much more than just the law revealed to Moses. No one really knows the full history of the Torah, and there are several different versions of it. For instance, the Catholic Old Testament is different from the Protestant Old Testament. The Taurat that Muslims accept as the true commands of Allah is that which was directly revealed to Moses. While that message is still alive today in the message of the Quran, the actual text has been lost. As the Quran says: And (remember) when We gave Musa (Moses) the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah)] and the criterion (of right and wrong) so that you may be guided aright.(2:53) Zabur: The Zabur is the book of Allah that was revealed to Hazrat Daud (A.S). It means songs in Arabic, as this revelation came to Hazrat Daud (A.S) in the form of a series of songs or chants. But like the Taurat, the original text has been lost over time. The modern Psalms that are present in the Bible today are not the same songs revealed to David. Since Hazrat Daud (A.S) preached Tauhid (monotheism), his original message is still preserved in the Quran. As the Quran says: And we have preferred some prophets over others and We gave Daud the Psalms (17:55)

Injeel: The Injeel is the book of Allah revealed to Prophet Isa

(A.S). Injeel means evangelion, or Gospel Book. It is often just translated as The Gospel. Like the Taurat, many people make the mistake of stating the Injeel is the New Testament of the Bible. But that is far from the truth. But like many other Books of Allah, the actual text is no longer available and like all of the other Books, the message of the Injeel is preserved in the message of the Quran. As Quran says: And those messengers - some We have preferred above others. Among them was he to whom God spoke, He raised some in degree. And gave Jesus, son of Mary, the clear explication and We confirmed him with Holy Spirit. (2:253)

Quran: The Quran is the final Book of Allah. It was revealed through Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W). Its primary message is Tauhid, or Islamic monotheism. The Quran is the only Book that is still available in its original text. Allah has promised in the Quran that His message will be preserved forever, and 1400 years later, that is still true. The preservation of the Quran was done in a magnificent and foolproof manner. Since the time of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W), Muslims have made it a practice to memorize all or parts of the Quran. The Quran was put in full written form just a few years after the wisaal of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). As the Quran says: Blessed be He who sent down the furqan on His servant that he might be (or: become) a warner for the worlds.(25:1)

Trust and Innate Human Nature

Trust is Allahs vicegerency. Only human beings are able to carry it because vicegerency depends upon having taught all names. The Covenant of Alast means humanity accepts God is one and this concept is present in the unconscious of every human being that there is only one God - Allah. Fitra means innate disposition. It can be understood from the following hadith: Every child is born according to fitra. Then its parents make it into a Christian, a Jew, or a Zoroastrian. This saying suggests that the innate human nature coincides with Islam, because of the concept of trust, fitra and covenant of Alast, people came into the world recognizing the truth of tawhid. These three concepts suggest that human beings possess a grand responsibility before both God and his creation.

Guidance and Misguidance

Satan came to be an enemy of human beings. His motivation is pride, anger and envy and he is proud because of his fiery nature. When Allah guides people, He brings them under His mercy, gentleness and beauty. The result of guidance is nearness to Allah. In contrast to guidance, misguidance is closely associated with wrath and severity. Satan is said to be the source of misguidance. He is a grand enemy of human beings because he leads them to hell. Without Satan, hell would have no inhabitants. Quran says:God misguides whom He wills and He guides whom He wills (14:4, 74:31). This verse tells that it is only the attribute of Allah to guide and misguide His created beings. Satan ignored the order of Allah and refused to prostrate in front of Adam and from that day he is the symbol arrogance, darkness and wrongdoing. Prophets incarnate light because they convey the message of Allah to mankind. Whereas Satans existence is in contrast with that of the Prophets. Prophets are a symbol of light, which refers to the divine qualities of guidance; Satan, on the other hand, is the symbol of darkness and ignorance.

Universality and Particularity of Prophecy

Prophecy is the means whereby God offers guidance to human beings through intermediaries. God guidance takes precedence over misguidance. Guidance itself demands the existence of misguidance. Without the misguidance that is embodied by Satan, the prophetic message would be meaningless. Wherever there are prophets, there have been Satans, The fundamental message of prophets is tawhid. In the Islamic perspective all prophets have brought the first Shahadah: We never sent a messenger before thee save that We revealed to him, saying, There is no god but I, so worship Me (21:25).

In contrast to the first Shahadah which emphasises a divine guidance that is embodied by all prophets, the second Shahadah refers to the specific message brought by Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W). Others prophets had their own message that corresponds to the second Shahadah: Every nation has its messenger (10:47) We have sent no messenger save with tongue of his people (14:4). The Quran insists that Muslims should not differentiate among the prophets of Allah because each of the prophets had been sent by Him and the primary message is the same. But at the same time the Quran makes it clear that the detail of the message differs: And those messengers - some WE have preferred above others. Among them was he to whom God spoke, and HE raised some in degree. And gave Jesus son of Mary the clear explication and WE confirmed him with the Holy Spirit (2:253). Hence the idea that every messenger comes with a message that is specific to his people to whom he was sent to but differs in details from other messages. This concept is deeply rooted in Islamic consciousness and is reflected in the titles that there are customarily given to the great messengers in Islamic texts. Each title designates the special quality of the messenger that distinguishes him from other messengers. Different prophets were sent to people in different times and places so that they would all be aware of the divine message. Prophets who were selected by Allah Almighty from amongst the natives were the people who had the most distinguished qualities and served as examples for people around them in all aspects of life. The chain of prophet hood that started with Hazrat Adam was completed with the most perfect link, Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W).The first man and the first prophet is Hazrat Adam (A.S). According to some narrations there were three hundred thousand prophets between Hazrat Adam (A.S) and the last prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W). The issues like the existence and Oneness of Allah, the existence of the life in the Hereafter and the angels, which are among the fundamentals of belief, were present in all religions from Hazrat Adam (A.S) to Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W). Since man did not

change in terms of his nature, all of the decrees about man as an individual are generally the same in all religions. Therefore, the fundamentals of ethics are the same in all religions. Allah Almighty sent different prophets to the people living in the same continent in ancient times and the laws of those prophets were different in accordance with the social lives of their people. Sometimes there were even two prophets in one tribe at the same time: for instance, Hazrat Musa (A.S) and his brother Hazrat Haroon (A.S). Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) conveyed the religion he brought to all jinn and people in Makkah and Madinah. He became the Imam of all of the believers in the pulpit of Makkah, and the earth became like a mosque for him. Thus, his light embraced all parts of the world, from east to the west and for all eternity. The fact that Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) is the Imam of all of the believers, preacher for all humans and jinn, chief of all previous prophets, head of the chain of all saints and selected people and that the religion he brought is for all beings in the world, is the greatest proof of his universality. Since Allah Almighty wanted all human beings to learn from a single prophet, He did not send any prophets after Hazrat Isa (A.S) for more than five hundred years. Thus, during that period all Holy Books and messages of the prophets that had previously been sent, including the religion of Hazrat Isa (A.S), were to a large extent forgotten and falsified. Humanity entered the period of interregnum, that is, after Hazrat Isa (A.S) until the advent of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) human beings were deprived of the truth and reality. There was a great need for a prophet. Meanwhile Allah Almighty sent Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) as the Prophet for all human beings, his message being valid until the Day of Judgment. The following evidence indicates that the prophet hood of Hazrat Muhammad is universal: 1. Being sent as a mercy to the worlds: Allah Almighty expresses the universality of the prophet hood of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) as follows: And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds (21:107). 2. Being the last prophet: The fact that Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) is the last prophet means that his prophet hood is universal. Since there

will be no prophet after him, he will be the prophet of all of the human beings until the Day of Judgment. Allah Almighty explains that issue as follows: Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the last of the prophets; and Allah is cognizant of all(33:40). Since Islam is the last religion, it needs to be the most perfect and universal religion. 3. Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) defining himself as Sayyid of men: Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) will have two kinds of shafaa (intercession) on the Day of Judgment; Firstly, when all people gather in the gathering place, people who are helpless and suffocated will appeal to their prophets for shafaa so that reckoning will start at once; however, no prophet will dare to do it and they will direct people to Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W). Reckoning will start with the shafaa of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W). Secondly, Allah Almighty will give Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) the authority to do shafaa first for his Ummah who believed in him and then for everybody who said La-ilaha illallah : There is no god but Allah. It is understood from the hadith that Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) will do shafaa for the Ummahs of previous prophets that recognized Allah as one. 4. The Quran is the greatest miracle of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). The Quran is a universal book. The following is stated in a verse regarding the issue: It is guidance to those who fear Allah (2:2). In another verse, Allah Almighty says: Say this Qur'an has been revealed to me by inspiration that I may warn you and all whom it reaches... (6:19).The fact that the Quran is a universal book indicates that the prophet hood of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) is universal. 5. Hazrat Muhammads (S.A.W) acts like a universal prophet: Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) sent envoys to the rulers of Byzantium, Egypt, Abyssinia, Iran, Yammamah and Ghassan and called them to Islam in

the seventh year of hijrah. This act shows that his prophet hood is not local but universal. 6. Abundance and variety of miracles: The fact that Hazrat Muhammads (S.A.W) miracles contain all kinds of miracles of the previous prophets and that his greatest miracle, the Quran, contains the fundamentals of the previous heavenly books shows the universality of his prophet hood and religion. 7. Miraj (the Ascension) shows that the prophet hood of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) is universal: In this sacred journey, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) led the prayers at Mosque Al-Aqsa, ascended the heavens, met prophets in different layers of heaven and the chief angels that were responsible for those layers, saw many spiritual worlds, primarily Paradise and Hell, took reports from the angels about their duties and also met God Almighty. Seen in that aspect, Miraj is the confirmation of the universality of the prophet hood of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W).

Conclusion
Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) is Allahs perfect vicegerent having fully actualized Tanzih. He also embodies Tashbih. Whosoever obeys the messenger thereby obeys God (4:80). This verse tells that if we want to gain nearness to Allah, then we have to follow the examples and footsteps of their beloved Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) and obey his teachings.