Concept of Prophet Hood and Apostleship

The word 'prophethood', is basically a translation of the Arabic word ‘Nubuwa’ (نبوۃ) in to English. نبوۃ is derived from the root alphabets 'Noon Baa Hamza' ¹ ‘ن ب آ’ and refers to communicating the message of God Almighty (revelation) to the people. ² Some people have translated Risala (رسالة) as prophethood, which is incorrect because the word رسالة is derived from ‘رسل’ and refers to delivering the message and Holy Book of

Almighty. So, in other words, Nubuwa is a subset of Risala (رسالة). Every رسول (Messenger) is given the status of Prophethood نبوة but not every النبي is given the status of Risala (رسالة). ³ That is why when we flick through the books of history, we find a large number of Prophets, but few Holy Books, because the number of Apostles is far less than the Prophets. Although, Rasul and Nabi are translated into English as Apostle or Prophet, there is no specific English equivalent of these Arabic terms. Due to the complex morphology of Arabic language, verbs and words, they can indicate a multitude of meanings.

Another major difference between Prophethood and Messenger Ship is that the Messengers are given a book of divine guidance, whereas Prophets are not, ⁴ like Moses was given the Torah, ⁵ and Jesus was given Injeel, ⁶ all of which were corrupted by the people later on, ⁷ and vulgar things were added in them and associated with the

. ⁸ Prophet Muhammad was given the ⁹ which has remained protected and uncorrupted.

Prophethood: Earned or Divine Endowment

Prophethood is a divine endowment and cannot be earned. It means that Prophets are specially selected people of God ¹⁰ and no individual can earn this status by worshipping day and night, for thousands of years or by any other means. These selected people are also blessed with qualities which make them eminent among other people. Following are the characteristics which are found in Prophets :

1. Isma – sinlessness. ¹¹ (This aspect is a special attribute of the Prophets only and cannot be attributed to other humans. The companions of Prophet Muhammad did not have this attribute and no other person or Imam can claim to have it as well.)
2. Tabligh – conveying the message. ¹²
3. Amana – trustworthiness. ¹³
4. Are Males only. ¹⁴
5. They are given miracles. ¹⁵
6. Fateen: Have the best minds.
7. Have the best lineage and belong to the best families. ¹⁶
8. The prophets do not transcend normal human boundaries while conveying the message. In other words, the institution of prophethood, revelation, does not make them a deity. ¹⁷
9. Their bodies are kept preserved and the earth or other organisms do not devour it after their soul departs from this world. ¹⁸

Need of Prophethood

Every human has an innate need to believe in God. A person may believe in one God, many gods or even no gods. Since

Almighty knew that Satan would misguide the people and lead them astray, He sent and Apostles to this earth so that humankind was able attain salvation in this world and the hereafter. It can be seen in the books of history that in the absence of Prophets , humankind accepted the teachings of Satan and corrupted their religious beliefs and rituals. Resultantly, as the social structures and laws of the people were dependent on religious beliefs, the societies started to crumble as the religious beliefs and rituals became corrupted, and order was only restored when a Prophet or Apostle was sent to this earth. So, Prophets were those selected people of God who not only reformed the religious system, but each and every system of the society so that humankind could live in peace and also attain salvation in the hereafter.

There are many traditions and verses that point to the essential need of Nubuwwa (Prophet hood). Regarding Prophethood, the

states that it is the best gift that God gave to human kind, ¹⁹ and it was only through the institution of Prophethood that humankind could save itself from darkness and deviation. Angels cannot provide guidance to humanity because of their Angelic nature, hence, the Prophets , due to their human nature have the capability to empathize with humankind and channel them in the best way.

Without prophetic guidance, human beings cannot become civilized and cannot be connected with their Creator. Thus, Prophethood is a basic need of humankind ²⁰ and revelation is paramount for guidance of humanity and prosperity of a civilization. Furthermore, it is through prophethood that humans get to know about the reality and purpose of life, and get news about the day of judgement and the hereafter. ²¹ Therefore, without revelation and prophethood, the key aspect of belief in the hereafter and concept of divinity would not have been understood by the people.

The human intellect, although very powerful and profound, is limited and is not capable to find or identify divine responsibilities on its own, nor can it determine right from wrong or the consequences of choosing evil. ²²Prophethood and Prophetic guidance is the only source through which humanity attain sound belief and also learn about Oneness of Divinity. Hence, Nubuwwa or Prophethood has had a great effect on the formation of moral values for humankind and has provided guidance in every aspect of life.

Total Prophets and Apostles

Adam was the first man ²³ and Apostle who was sent to this world and Muhammad was the final Apostle of God Almighty. ²⁴ Prophet Muhammad is also known as the

, ²⁵ and no new Prophet is to come after him. Overall, Almighty sent around 124000 Prophets and Apostles ²⁶ in different eras and geographical locations.

Prophethood as a Law giving Institution

Prophethood is an institution of law giving i.e. it communicates the Law of God Almighty to humankind. The law is always effective in making people good and provides with a code of life and morality at every step. These laws are passed on as they are revealed, without any personal amendment of the Prophet . As the Holy Quran states:

  وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ3 إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ4 ²⁷

  And he (Prophet Muhammad ) does not speak out of his (own) desire. His speech is nothing but Revelation, which is sent to him.

Since the law comes from the Creator Himself, it is free from bias, personal benefits or other impurities and is paramount for the welfare of humankind, both in this world and the hereafter.

False Prophets

Prophet Muhammad was the last Prophet and Messenger of Allah Almighty. Therefore, no other Prophet or Messenger is to come after him. As the Holy Prophet Himself stated:

  أنا خاتم النبيي لا نبي بعدي ²⁸

  I am the Seal of Prophets; No Prophet is to come after me.

Hence, after Prophet Muhammad , if anyone claimed to be a

, then, that individual is surely a liar and a minor Dajjal. Famous liars who claimed Prophethood for themselves include Musailma, Tulaiha, Sajja, Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qadiani and many others.

 

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