PROPHETHOOD

God creates every community of beings with a purpose and a guide or a leader. It is inconceivable that God Almighty, Who gave bees a queen, ants a leader, and birds and fish each a guide, would leave us without Prophets to guide us to spiritual, intellectual, and material perfection.

Although we can find God by reflecting upon natural phenomena, we need a Prophet to learn why we were created, where we came from, where we are going, and how to worship our Creator properly. God sent Prophets to teach their people the meaning of creation and the truth of things, to unveil the mysteries behind historical and natural events, and to inform us of our relationship, and that of Divine Scriptures, with the universe.

Without Prophets, we could not have made any scientific progress. While those who adopt evolutionary approaches to explain historical events tend to attribute everything to chance and deterministic evolution, Prophets guided humanity in intellectual—and thus scientific—illumination. Thus, farmers traditionally accept Prophet Adam as their first master, tailors accept Prophet Enoch, ship makers and sailors accept Prophet Noah, and clock makers accept Prophet Joseph, upon them be peace. Also, the Prophets’ miracles marked the final points in scientific and technological advances, and urged people to accomplish them.

Prophets guided people, through personal conduct and the heavenly Religion and Scriptures they conveyed, to develop their inborn capacities and directed them toward the purpose of their creation. Had it not been for them, humanity (the fruit of the tree of creation) would have been left to decay. As humanity needs social justice as much as it needs private inner peace, Prophets taught the laws of life and established the rules for a perfect social life based on justice.

Whenever people fell into darkness after a Prophet, God sent another one to enlighten them again. This continued until the coming of the Last Prophet. The reason for sending Prophets Moses and Jesus required that Prophet Muhammad should be sent. As his message was for everyone, regardless of time or place, Prophethood ended with him.

Due to certain sociological and historical facts, which require a lengthy explanation, Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was sent as “a mercy for all worlds.” For this reason, Muslims believe in all of the Prophets and make no distinction among them in each being a Prophet sent by God Almighty:

The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and so do the believers; each one believes in God, and His angels, and His Books, and His Messengers: “We make no distinction between any of His Messengers (in believing in them).” And they say: “We have heard (the call to faith in God) and obeyed. Our Lord, grant us Your forgiveness, and to You is the homecoming.” (2:285)

That is why Islam, revealed by God and conveyed to humanity by Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is universal and eternal.

Truthfulness, trustworthiness, exceptional intelligence and sagacity, communicating God’s messages, sinlessness, and freedom from mental and bodily defects are essential attributes of Prophethood. Describing Prophethood in further detail and narrating the stories of all Prophets is beyond the scope of this book.1 By focusing on the Prophethood of the Seal of the Prophets who told us about the other Prophets and Divine Scriptures and made our Lord known to us, we will make the other Prophets known and prove their Prophethood.