THE CONCEPT OF PROPHETHOOD IN

ISLAM
Prophethood is an essential need for people.
In Islam, prophethood has been given such a special status

and significance, and it gives a great impact on mans life.

The position of the prophets cannot be acquired by effort,

spiritual exercise or religious meditation.

Prophets were chosen by Allah.

Definition of Prophethood in Islam

Prophethood or nubuwwah refers to Gods primary means

of communicating with humankind, involving a long and

continuous chain of Revelation. (Encyclopedia of Religion).
 In Arabic, Rasul (messenger) means one who is sent a
message (revelation).
The term nabi (prophet) is a man
- who brings news of Gods message.
- or a man whom God has chosen to speak to.
- who carries information or proclaim news.
According to Ibn Taymiyyah, prophet is a man to whom
God sends a message or directly inspired by God.
Technically, both refers to a man chosen by God, who
received message by the means of divine Revelation, and to
deliver it to a particular community or to all mankind (to
Prophet Muhammad). Refer to 16: 36.
Differences between prophets and messengers
The prophet is al nabi and the messenger is al rasul.

All messengers are prophets but all prophets are not

necessarily messengers.
Prophets did not necessarily preach others. They supposed
to preach certain people who are related to them.
Messengers are referred to whom a special mission had
been entrusted. They supposed to preach the Revelation to
all people sent down to them. They received the Revelation
through an angel.
Importance of the Prophets
Prophets are divine agents, the transmitters of the guidance
that Allah has promised to Adam and his descendents. Refer
to 2: 38.
Prophets taught man knowledge of Allah, His names and
attributes. Without them, man would never know Allah or
say anything right and proper about Allah.
 Through the prophets man has been able to gain an insight
into creation. Thus, man finds out and knows the meaning
of it.
Prophets are the models for mankind (Q 60: 6). The
prophets distinguish themselves in the human society by
their special aptitudes, natural bents of mind and pious and
meaningful living.
Their nature and disposition are so good and pure. In all
affairs their attitude is that of truthfulness,
straightforwardness, and nobility.
The essential aspects of Prophetic teachings
a) To invite mankind to accept the Oneness of God. Refer to
21: 25.
b) To fight against idols worshipper. Refer to 12: 37-40.
c) To establish shariah.
 The number of the prophets is not specified by the Quran.
The famous one reported that we have 124,000 prophets
and 313 messengers.
The Quran stated 25 messengers who are compulsory to
be believed in. Among them, there are the 5 greatest
messengers who are called ulul azmi- Prophet Nuh,
Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad (p.b.u.h).
Ulul azmi means those who have a very strong
determination in spreading the message of Islam. They
were given this honor due to the hardship and a lot of
obstacles faced by them during their prophetic mission.
For the nature of the prophets, refer to 12: 109 & 14: 11.
Prophets were human being, but the ones who possessed
excellent moral conduct which later become a model to
people. Refer to 17: 94.
Criteria of the prophet:
He is the best in his community morally and intellectually.

He is supported by miracles (extraordinary acts) to prove

that he is not imposter. He performed them by Gods

permission to demonstrate the faithfulness of their
prophethood.
He affirms that the message is from Allah, not from his

own ideas.
The concept of belief in prophethood means belief in and

respect all the messengers of Allah with no exception.

All prophets were Muslims; no discrimination among

them. Their teachings are complimentary to each other.

Characteristics of the Risalah/ message of Prophet
Muhammad (p.b.u.h)
The risalah of the Prophet is alive and valid for all times.

It is the final one.

It is universal.

It is moralistic.
For the characters of the Prophet refer to
http://www.theprophetmuhammad.org/life.html