Belief In Prophets

Belief in all prophets is one of the articles of faith in Islam. Write about this Muslim belief in detail.

Faith in Prophets

Since humans’ existence on earth, prophets have been the means of communication between Allah and human beings. From Adam (AS) to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), Allah sent Nabis and Rasools to respective nations and communities to guide human beings whose duty was to convey the message of Allah to humans without modifying it. Thus, belief in all prophets is the third mandatory crucial article for Muslims. 

Qualities of Prophets

According to the Islamic faith, all prophets are humans, created and sent by God. Prophets belonged to the best families in their community and spoke the language of their people. They all were perfect in terms of character and moral values. Prophets never had any Divine status initially. However, they earned livelihoods for their survival before the grant of prophethood. They led an ordinary life and were mortal. They were, however, distinct from further humans in the aspect that they had a specific ordained divine mission and had special protection from God. 

The chain of prophets initiated with Adam (AS) and ended with Muhammad (SAW). Numerous prophets were sent from Allah throughout this duration, yet now, no prophet will come after Muhammad (SAW), and the religion of Islam is complete with Him. And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, “There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.”(21:25) 

The Revelation of Sacred Books on Prophets

Allah sent prophets on earth for guidance and gave Divine Scripture to Rasools, whereas Nabis were sent without any scripture. Nabi came in periods between Rasools and followed the Divine Scripture of the preceding Rasool. Quran provides verification of a few old scriptures and the names of prophets to whom it revealed, like, Allah sent Suhuf-e-Ibrahim to Hazrat Ibrahim A.S, Torah to Mosa (A.S), Zabur to Dawood (A.S), Injil to Isa (AS) and the Quran to Mohammad (AS). Unfortunately, all the previous Divine Scriptures were either lost or corrupted by people except the Quran. Later, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his message sum up every preceding prophet and their message in the Quran, and the stories of the Prophets are a significant portion of the Quran.    

Teachings of Prophets  

All prophets had conveyed the same universal message of believing in the Oneness of Allah and submission before Him to their nations, believing in prophets, the truthness of Resurrection Day and the rightness of future life after death. Regardless, the social laws and worship varied according to the needs of the nations. These commandments were regarding a righteous life, being pious and modest, caring for others and keeping oneself efficient in acts of worship like praying and fasting. Besides, Allah attributed several miracles to prophets to show the people clear signs and shreds of evidence of being prophets too. Alas, all messengers of Allah encountered rejection and sufferings from their people, yet the nation contradicted their message unanimously, Allah helped prophets by sending His wrath on them for disobedience. 

 Allah says in the Quran, “Not one of the nations which we destroyed believed (in the message).” (21:6)

How are these prophets and their messages important for Muslims?

Belief in all prophets and their messages is an essential element of the Muslim faith which remains imperfect without believing in all prophets. Muslims must acknowledge that all prophets constitute a single fraternity, from Hazrat Adam to Hazrat Muhammad SAW. And, they all were chosen by God for the particular purpose of guiding misguided people. This faith reinforces Muslims’ belief in God’s goodness and love for humans, side by side, it also boosts the belief of Muslims in God’s power, who protected His prophets by granting them miraculous power and saving them from corrupted communities. 

Another aspect of importance is that Muslims realize that humankind always needs Divine guidance because Satan consistently tries to misguide them. The Quran also warns about Satan in these words, “Verily Satan is an avowed enemy to man.”  

Many of these prophets foretold about the last messenger of God, the Holy Prophet (SAW). For example, the Quran mentions Jesus Christ in this regard, and remember Jesus the Son of Mary said, ” O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of God … giving the glad tidings of a messenger to come after me whose name shall be Ahmad.” (61:6, al- Saff)

 Finally, this faith is linked with the belief in predestination as Muslims comprehend that all prophets had been chosen by God’s decree, not through their own choice. All previous prophets preached themselves about it, whereas this Quranic verse is evident,

“Their messenger said to them, “True, we are human like yourselves but God does grant His grace to such of His servants as He pleases.” (14:11, Ibrahim)

How is the message brought by these prophets important for Muslims today? / Explain how this belief influences the daily living of a Muslim.

Belief in prophets is a crucial article of faith. Prophets connect us with the existence and unity of Allah so that we can learn about our True Lord. Therefore, true believers shape their lives in the light of the eternal message of Allah, which is believing in Tawhid, Hereafter life, the Day of Judgment and being good to others. Besides, all fundamental beliefs, rules of conduct and interaction with others have more or less remained the same throughout the history of humans. These rules are regarding justice, honesty, righteousness and compassion for others. 

The following verse testifies the fact, “For We surely sent among every people a messenger (with the command), Serve God and eschew evil.” (16:36)

 A true Muslim comprehends the prophets’ great message and creates a barrier between good and evil. Further, it boosts fear of Allah’s wrath in them after learning about the punishment and disaster of disobeyed nations.  

It also reveals that prophets were normal humans and role models for Muslims that assure the will of Allah is ultimately implementable, and its application is not only just for a few people rather, motivates us to follow in our entire lives. Side by side, it teaches Muslims tolerance for other faiths and implies to them that Islam is a continuation and culmination of the other Divine Scriptures revealed. This message is significant to Muslims today just like it was supreme to Muslims of the past ages, and will be to those of the future. Also, it reiterates the concept of tawhid and accountability. If a person bears this in mind, it will lead to good conduct and prosperity in this world and the next. On the other hand, the unity of this message will foster better relations between Muslims and other believers forever.