Who are the prophets and why is there a need for them? What are the duties of prophets? Count the required attributes of prophets. Which prophets are mentioned in the Qur’an and who are the first and last prophets? What principles are the same in the religions conveyed by the prophets? What are miracle and karamah? Explain three of our Prophet’s miracles. What kind of a miracle is the Qur’an? Explain the attributes of our Prophet. Explain why our Prophet is the last prophet.
Topics:
- Prophethood and the need for prophets
- The duties and attributes of prophets
- The names of the prophets mentioned in the Qur’an
- Common principles of the religions delivered by prophets
- What do miracle and karamah (divine blessing) mean?
- Miracles of our Prophet
- Attributes of our Prophet
- The Prophet Muhammad (saw) as the last prophet
- What did they say about our Prophet? (Reading)
PROPHETHOOD AND THE NEED FOR PROPHETS
The fourth of the six conditions of faith is to believe in prophets. Prophets are the messengers between Allah and people. For this duty, Allah chooses the most worthy servants. Prophets were sent to people as a guide because people need guides.
Because even if people could understand the existence of Allah with their own intelligence, they could not comprehend His lofty attributes. They cannot know how Allah should be worshipped, how life in the Hereafter, who will be rewarded there, who will be punished and how we achieve happiness in this world and in the Hereafter.
Allah the Almighty charged His prophets with the duty of teaching this truth to people and showing the ways of achieving happiness in this world and in the Hereafter.
THE DUTIES OF PROPHETS
Prophets introduced Allah to people in the best possible way, teaching them the principles of belief and forms of worship. They explained the principles of religious rulings and good morality. Their words and actions were role models to people.
Prophets carried out their duties in the most difficult conditions. They showed miracles, brought about extraordinary events to prove to the disbelievers that they were prophets. They gave good news to those performing Allah’s commandment with paradise and notified those who did not, with the penalty of torment in hell.
Prophets are the role models chosen by Allah from amongst people who possess all kinds of good morality.
The necessary attributes of a prophet:
1) Sidq: It means truthful. Prophets are people of immense truth. They would never lie. What they said happened is true, and what they say will happen, will certainly happen.
2) Amanah: It means to be reliable. Prophets are people who are reliable in all matters. They will never betray the amanah (entrustment) which has been entrusted to them.
3) Fatanah: It means to be smart and shrewd. Prophets are people who are smart, shrewd and of high intelligence.
4) Ismah: It means to not commit sin. Prophets do not commit any sin either privately or publically.
5) Tabligh: It means to inform. Prophets inform people of religious rulings received from Allah without any alteration.
THE NAMES OF PROPHETS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN
The first prophet is Adam (Alayhi as-salãm) and the last prophet is the Prophet Muhammad (saw). There have been many prophets who have come between these two. Of the prophets, 25 have been mentioned in the Qur’an. However, the actual number is much greater than 25. We believe in the prophets mentioned in the Qur’an without differentiation together with the other prophets and, their numbers are only known by Allah.
The following Prophets are mentioned in the Qur’an:
1) Adam, 2) Idris, 3) Nuh, 4) Hud, 5) Salih, 6) Ibrahim, 7) Lut 8) Isma’il, 9) Ishaq 10) Ya’qub, 11) Yusuf, 12) Shu’aib, 13) Musa, 14) Harun 15) Dawud, 16) Sulaiman, 17) Ayyub, 18) Dhul-kifl, 19) Yunus, 20) Elias, 21) Al-Yas’a, 22) Zakariyyah, 23) Yahya, 24) Isa, 25) Muhammad (saw).
COMMON PRINCIPLES OF THE RELIGIONS DELIVERED BY PROPHETS
The religion that Allah instructed His prophets is the true religion. There are some principles that do not change within true religions. These are:
1) The principles of faith,
2) Religious practices,
3) Moral principals.
As time changes, some religious rulings and practices have also changed in accordance with people’s situations and needs and eventually took the perfect shape with the arrival of our Prophet Muhammad (saw).
WHAT DO MIRACLE AND KARAMAH MEAN
Miracle: These are extraordinary events that prophets used with the help of Allah to prove that they were Prophets. Miracles are the deeds of prophets. Other people are incapable of carrying out extraordinary events.
Displaying miracles are reserved for prophets. They occur with the permission and power of Allah.
All prophets have displayed miracles as a divine deed in order to prove that they are prophets. They have silenced the disbelievers with such miracles.
Karamah(Grace): They are extraordinary events occurs on the hands of those who are close to Allah (wali), with Allah’s help. Such extraordinary events are considered karamah for the wali servants of Allah and considered the miracles for His prophets.
MIRACLES OF OUR PROPHET
Our Prophet Muhammad (saw) performed several miracles with the aim of proving that He was sent by Allah.
Some of these are as follows:
- a) One day as the asr prayer was approaching; our Prophet could not find water for ablution. Upon this, a container with a little bit of water was brought to Him. Our Prophet (saw) placed His hand in the container with water and water started gushing out between His fingers. It continued until the congregation of about three hundred people who were there completed their ablution.
- b) At the masjid in Madinah, our dignified Prophet (saw) used to talk to the congregation on top of a date tree log. As the Muslims increased, our Prophet had made for Him a three-step pulpit to talk from a higher place. One Jumu’ah when He started reciting the khutbah from this pulpit, it was heard that the date tree log that was on the other side of the masjid started howling like the outcry of a camel that lost its offspring, because it was separated from our Prophet. The howling of the log ceased when the Prophet, who noticed this, stepped down from the pulpit and picked up the log and caressed it.
- c) One night, the Prophet Muhammad was taken with an animal called Buraq from the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca to Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem approximately one and half years after the Hijrah. From there, He was raised to the skies together with Jibreel. The journey that our Prophet went upon as Allah’s guest is an unprecedented event in the universe and it happened in a short span of time. The limitless power of Allah in this event is known as the miracle of ‘Isra and Miraj’(The night journey).
- d) The greatest and most permanent miracle of our Prophet is the Qur’an. It is a unique miracle that caresses our spirits by its recitation giving tranquility to the hearts, its countless wisdom full of lofty meaning, its eternal principles that bring happiness to people and real science that holds a light to all ages.
ATTRIBUTES OF OUR PROPHET
Allah the Almighty commands the following:
“And We have not sent you except comprehensively to humankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner.” [7]
“Say O Muhammad! O humankind, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you all.” [8]
As Muslims, we believe in all prophets without any differentiation. However, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) has a superior place and attributes amongst the other prophets.
These main attributes are as follows:
37) Our Prophet (saw) is the most loved servant of Allah, the greatest and virtuous of all creations.
38) He is the last prophet and no other prophet will come after Him.
39) He is a prophet for all of humankind.
40) His prophethood includes all periods of time until the Day of Judgment. The duties of the other prophets were for specific periods of time.
41) Islam conveyed by our Prophet will continue to exist until the Day of Judgment.
THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S (saw) AS THE LAST PROPHET
Allah the Almighty commands the following:
“He is the Messenger of Allah and last of the Prophets.” [9]
Our Prophet Muhammad (saw) is the greatest and last of all Prophets.
Islam conveyed by Him is the last religion. The Qur’an that he conveyed on behalf of Allah is the last book of Allah that calls out to all of humankind.
The door to prophethood has been closed with the arrival of Muhammad (saw). He is a prophet to all nations on Earth. This truth is explicitly stated in the Qur’an.
The previous prophets were sent to specific communities. They resembled a lamp illuminating inside a house. As for our Prophet, sent to all of humankind, he is like the sun that brightens the whole world. After the sun rises, there is no need for any more lamps.
READING:
What they said regarding our Prophet…
“The Prophet Muhammad is the greatest human being in the history of humankind.”
In his historical research book titled “The 100 most influential people in the history of humankind”, an American scholar named Michael H. Hart wrote that, of the most influential 100 people in history and the present day, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) is the world’s greatest figure.
The book that the American scholar wrote was published in October 1978 and drew great interest. In his work, the book’s writer Prof. Dr. Michael H. Hart proves that the greatest figure is the Prophet Muhammad (saw) as follows:
“The fact that I have chosen the Prophet Muhammad at the head of the list of the most influential figures in this world may amaze some readers. It may open the road for some people to ask questions. However, from a religious and worldly perspective, Muhammad is the only figure who has reached the height of success.
(Diyanet Newspaper 15 January 1979, Issue 205)
***
Prince Bismark, a German diplomat said the following with great respect about our beloved Prophet:
“O Muhammad, I am sorry that I could not be a contemporary to you…
Humankind has seen an eminent force like you only once and will not see it again afterwards. In your formidable presence, I bow to you with deep respect.”
***
Alex Lovazon, a French philosopher says:
“The Qur’an that was sent to Muhammad is a brilliant book filled with wisdom for the guidance of people. There is no doubt that Muhammad is a true Prophet.”
***
The famous Russian author Tolstoy said the following:
“The Prophet Muhammad (saw) is a great reformer. He has provided great service to humankind. He united His community with the true divine light. It suffices as honor to Him it. He saved them without the spilling of blood and attained peace. He opened the roads of advancement to them. A great person like Him is worthy of all kinds of respect.”
Footnote:
[7] Saba, 34/28
[8] ‘Araf, 7/158
[9] Ahzab, 33/40
Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, Basics of Islam, Seyfettin Yazıcı
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