TRUSTWORTHINESS – ATTRIBUTES OF PROPHETHOOD

TRUSTWORTHINESS – AS AN ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTE OF PROPHETHOOD

The second attribute of Prophethood is amana, an Arabic word meaning trustworthiness and derived from the same root as mu’min (believer). Being a believer implies being a trustworthy person. All Prophets were the best believers and therefore perfect exemplars of trustworthiness. To stress this principle, God summarizes the stories of five Prophets using the same words: The people of Noah denied the Messengers. When their brother Noah asked them: “Will you not fear God and avoid evil? I am a trustworthy Messenger to you” (26:105–7). Replace the name Noah with those of Hud, Lut, Shu’ayb, and Salih, and you have a summarized version of these five Prophets’ trustworthiness.
Mu’min is also a Divine Name, for God is the ultimate Mu’min, the source of security and reliability. We put our trust in, confide in, and rely upon Him. He distinguished the Prophets by their trustworthiness, and our connection to Him through the Prophets is based entirely on their trustworthiness and reliability.

 

Gulen, Muhammed Fethullah. “The Messenger of God” Tughra Books Press, Inc. May 2005.