Rasul

From ilmpedia

The word Rasul, commonly translated as Messenger of Allah, literally means one who is sent on a mission to a particular space-time context. Thus, a Rasul is a human being who is chosen to deliver the Divine Message to humanity.

Rasul (Messenger) and Nabi (Prophet) are two conterminous terms that occur in the Qur'an (another example is that of Muslim and Mu'min) - when such terms occur in separate discourses they may refer to the same meaning. However, when these terms occur together, they have shades of dissimilarity. For example, when Jesus and Yahya (John the Baptist) are referred to in the same discourse (in Surah Aal-Imran), the word 'Nabi' is used only for the latter, and not for Jesus:

While he was standing in prayer in the chamber, the angels called unto him: "Allah doth give thee glad tidings of Yahya, witnessing the truth of a Word from Allah, and (be besides) noble, chaste, and a prophet,- of the (goodly) company of the righteous." (3:39)

Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah; He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of the company) of the righteous." (3:45-46)

Contents 1 Differences between Prophets and Messengers 2 Finality of Prophethood 3 See also 4 References

Differences between Prophets and Messengers

It is not correct that every Messenger must also bring a new Shari'ah or must have a Revelation, for example, Jesus brought no new Law (yet is a Messenger), while Prophet David came with a Revelation (the Zabur/Psalms), yet he is not a Messenger. ^[1]

The salient differences can be enumerated as ^[2]:

• A Prophet receives inspiration from Allah, and is a source of guidance for people; a Messenger is specifically instructed to preach to the people

• All Messengers are Prophets, all Prophets are not Messengers. Consequently, less Messengers were sent to the world than the sum of Prophets chosen by Allah

• Prophets have been murdered by their communities (for example, Prophet Zakariyah, Prophet Yahya (John, the Baptist) by the Jews); a Messenger is on a mission from Allah, hence can never be vanquished (for example, Jesus was saved from crucifixion by the will of God) ^[3]

• Prophethood is a decision by Allah to choose an individual for His special grace. When the Prophet becomes a Messenger, he has been appointed on a special mission to preach.

• If the nation to which the Messenger is sent denies his mission, then it is severely punished by Allah. This is termed as sunnatillah (lit. the way or practice of Allah) in the Qur'an. Consequently, the Pharaoh, people of Prophet Lot, the nation of 'Ad, the nation of Thamud, the nation of Shu'aib and the people of Noah were all destroyed due to their refusal of a Messenger). A similar punishment was given to the Quraysh when they denied Prophet Muhammad (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him). Seventy of its leaders (the cream of Makkan society) were killed in the battle of Badr, and the final warning was given to all of Arabia to submit to the Prophet's message or leave the land (Four Surahs of the Qur'an- Surah Araf, Surah Anfal, Surah Anam and Surah Taubah detail these warnings).

Finality of Prophethood

The chain of Prophets has come to an end with the advent of Muhammad (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him), the Final Messenger of Allah to all humankind. The culmination of Nabuwat (Prophethood) is symbolized by the Final Revelation given to Prophet Muhammad (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him), viz., the Qur'an; while the culmination of Risalat is symbolized by the fact that Muhammad (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) is sent to all humankind.

See also

Prophet (Nabi)

References

1. ↑ This misunderstanding of the difference between Prophets and Messengers is based on a superficial reading of Islamic texts.
2. ↑ see for example, Seerat-e-Khayr-ul-Anaam by Dr Israr Ahmad
3. ↑ On several occasions, Prophet Muhammad (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) prayed to Allah for martyrdom in His way, yet this prayer was not directly fulfilled.