Belief in the Books and Messengers

 

Who are the Prophets who were sent by Allaah? What are the Books which were sent down with them?

Praise be to
Allaah.

When Allaah sent Adam down to the earth and
his descendents spread out, He did not forsake them. Rather He gave
them provision and sent down to him and his descendents revelation.
So some of them believed and some of them disbelieved: 

“And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community,
nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): ‘Worship Allaah (Alone), and avoid
(or keep away from) Taaghoot (all false deities, i.e. do not worship
Taaghoot besides Allaah).’ Then of them were some whom Allaah guided
and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified”[al-Nahl
16:36 – interpretation of the meaning] 

There are four heavenly books which Allaah
sent down. They are the Tawraat (Torah),  Injeel (Gospel), Zaboor
(Psalms)and the Qur’aan: 

“It is He Who has sent down the
Book (the Qur’aan) to you (Muhammad) with truth, confirming what came
before it. And He sent down the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:3 – interpretation of the meaning]

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“and to Dawood (David) We gave the
Zaboor (Psalms)”

[al-Israa’ 17:55] 

The Prophets and Messengers were many, and
no one knows their number except Allaah. Among them are those of whom
Allaah has told us, and some of whom He has not told us: 

“And Messengers We have mentioned to you before, and
Messengers We have not mentioned to you”[al-Nisaa’ 4:164 – interpretation
of the meaning] 

It is obligatory to believe in all the Books
which Allaah has revealed and in all the Prophets and Messengers whom
Allaah has sent, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“O you who believe! Believe in Allaah, and His Messenger
(Muhammad), and the Book (the Qur’aan) which He has sent down to His
Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent down to those before (him);
and whosoever disbelieves in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers,
and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away”[al-Nisaa’ 4:136] 

Rasool (Messenger) and Nabi (Prophet) are
two names with the same meaning, which is someone whom Allaah sent to
call the people to worship Allaah alone, one of the Prophets and Messengers
whom Allaah chose and sent to His slaves to convey His religion: 

“Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of
warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allaah after
the (coming of) Messengers”[al-Nisaa’ 4:165 – interpretation of the
meaning] 

The Prophets and Messengers are many, of whom
Allaah has mentioned twenty five in the Qur’aan, and we are obliged
to believe in all of them. They are: Aadam, Idrees, Nooh, Hood, Saalih,
Ibraaheem, Loot, Ismaa’eel, Ishaaq, Ya’qoob, Yoosuf, Shu’ayb, Ayyoob,
Dhu’l-Kifl, Moosa, Haaroon, Dawood, Sulaymaan, Ilyaas, al-Yasa’, Yoonus,
Zakariyya, Yahyaa, ‘Eesa and Muhammad – blessings and peace be upon
them all. 

The Qur’aan is the greatest and last of the
heavenly Books, and it abrogates the books which came before it and
is a witness over them, so we must follow it and ignore those which
came before it:

 “And We have sent down to you (O
Muhammad) the Book (this Qur’aan) in truth, confirming the Scripture
that came before it and Mohaymin (trustworthy in highness and a witness)
over it (old Scriptures). So judge among them by what Allaah has revealed”[al-Maa’idah
5:48 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Allaah chose Messengers and Prophets from
among the sons of Adam, and sent them to each nation, and commanded
them to call them to worship Allaah alone and to explain the ways which
would bring happiness in this world and in the Hereafter, and to bring
glad tidings of Paradise to those who believed and the warning of Hell
to those who disbelieved: 

“And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community,
nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): ‘Worship Allaah (Alone), and avoid
(or keep away from) Taaghoot (all false deities, i.e. do not worship
Taaghoot besides Allaah).’ Then of them were some whom Allaah guided
and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified”[al-Nahl
16:36 – interpretation of the meaning] 

Allaah preferred some of the Prophets and
Messengers over others. The best of them are the “Messengers of strong
will” who are Nooh, Ibraaheem, Moosa, ‘Eesa and Muhammad; and the best
of the Messengers of strong will is Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). For each Prophet was sent
only to his own people, until Allaah sent Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to all of mankind. He is
the last and the best of the Prophets and Messengers, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“And We have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as a
giver of glad tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most of men know
not”[Saba’ 34:28 – interpretation of the meaning] 

The Prophets and Messengers were chosen by
Allaah to be an example to their nations. He taught them, guided them
and honoured them with the Message; He protected them from falling into
sin and supported them with miracles. So they are the most perfect of
humanity both physically and in their attitude, the best of them in
knowledge, the most truthful in speech, the most exemplary in the life
they lived. Allaah says of them (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And We made them leaders, guiding (mankind) by Our
Command, and We revealed to them the doing of good deeds, performing
Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and the giving of Zakaah and
of Us (Alone) they were the worshippers”[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:73] 

Because the Prophets and Messengers reached
such a high status of obedience and good character [?], Allaah has commanded
us to take them as an example. Allaah says ((interpretation of the meaning): 

“They are those whom Allaah had guided. So follow
their guidance”[al-An’aam 6:90] 

All of the characteristics of the Prophets
and Messengers were combined in our Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and Allaah honoured him
by instilling in him the noblest characteristics. Therefore Allaah stated
that his example is to be followed in all situations: 

“Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah
(Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the
Meeting with) Allaah and the Last Day, and remembers Allaah much

[al-Ahzaab 33:21 – interpretation of the meaning]

Belief in all the Prophets and Messengers
is one of the pillars of Islamic belief (‘aqeedah), without which the
faith of the Muslim cannot be complete, because they all preached the
same message, which is belief in Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“Say (O Muslims): ‘We believe in Allaah and that
which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to
Ibraaheem (Abraham), Ismaa’eel (Ishmael), Ishaaq (Isaac), Ya‘qoob (Jacob),
and to Al-Asbaat [the offspring of the twelve sons of Ya‘qoob (Jacob)],
and that which has been given to Moosa (Moses) and ‘Isa (Jesus), and
that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no
distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted (in Islam)’”
[al-Baqarah 2:136]