Episode 11: Belief in Messengers 1/2

• We believe that Allah has sent to His people messengers who were:

"Bringing good tidings and warning, so that mankind might have no

argument against Allah after the Messengers. Allah is All-mighty, All wise" (4: 165).

The First and Last Messengers:

• We believe that the first among the messengers is Noah and the last is Muhammad, peace be upon them all:

"We revealed to you as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him" (4: 163); and

"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets" (33:40).

The Best Messengers:

• We believe that the best among the messengers is Muhammad, then Abraham, Moses, Noah, and Jesus, son of Mary. It is they who are meant by the following Qur'anic verse:

"And when We took a compact from the prophets, and from you, and from Noah, and Abraham, then Moses, and Jesus, son of Mary. We took from them a solemn compact" (33:7).

• We believe that Muhammad's message, peace be upon him, includes all the merits of the messages of those dignified messengers, because Allah says:

"He ordained for you what He enjoined on Noah and what He revealed to you and what He enjoined on Abraham, Moses and Jesus; namely, establish this faith and be united in it" (42:13).

Messengers Are Human Beings:

• We believe that all messengers are created human beings who have none of the divine qualities of Allah. Allah, the Exalted, said about Noah, who was the first among them:

"I do not say to you, 'I possess the treasures of Allah.' I do not know the unseen, and I do not say 'I am an angel"' (11:31)

Allah directed Muhammad, who is the last among them, to say: "I do not say to you I possess the treasures of Allah, nor do I know the unseen, and I do not say to you I am an angel" (6:50); and to say that "I have no power to bring profit or hurt for myself, but only as Allah wills" (7:188); and: "I have no power to hurt or benefit you. Say none can protect me from Allah, nor can I find any refuge besides Him" (72:91-2).

• We believe that the messengers are among Allah's servants. He blessed them with the message and described them as servants, in the context of praising and honoring them. He says about Noah, the first among them:

"You are the descendants of those whom We carried with Noah, he was a truly thankful servant" (17:3).

• Allah said about the last among them, Muhammad, peace be upon him:

"Blessed be He who sent down the Qur'an to His servant, that he may warn mankind" (25:1). As for some other messengers, he said:

"And mention Our servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, men of might and vision" (38:45);

"And remember Our servant David, who was a mighty and penitent man" (38: 17);

"And to David, We gave Solomon, he was an excellent and penitent servant" (38:30).

• Allah said about Jesus, son of Mary: "He is only a servant whom We blessed and We made him an example to the children of Israel" (43: 59).

• We believe that Allah concluded all messages with the message of Muhammad, peace be upon him, to all people, because He said:

"Say, 'O mankind, I am Allah's Messenger to you all. To him belongs the Kingdom of the Heavens and the Earth; there is no god but He. He ordains life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet who believes in Allah and His words. Follow him so that you may be rightly guided"' (7:158).

Add comment