Prophets and Messengers

 The fourth pillar of the faith is to believe in God’s messengers and prophets from Adam to Muhammad, through Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus…etc.

Biblical Belief

God told Muslims in the Quran:

وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا

And thus we have made you a middle nation, (2:143)

It is not being in the middle between the beginning and the end, but it is being in the middle between two extremes. For example, Muslims are on the middle course between Christianity and Judaism. Jews put their prophets too down when they believe that they were sinner men who committed big sins. For example, the old Testament accuses Prophet Noah of walking drunk and naked in front his sons (Genesis 9), Prophet Lot of adultery with his daughters (Genesis 19), Prophet David of adultery with a married woman and planning to get rid of her husband (2 Samuel 11), and Prophet Solomon of worshiping idols (1 Kings 11)

On the other hand, Christians put their prophet Jesus too high when they believe that he is the God or Son of God.

The humanity of the Prophets

So, what Muslims believe about the Prophets? Muslims consider the Prophet to be neither gods nor sons of god. They were men, like every one of us, who were eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom. So Why a human messenger? To prove that the humans can practice this religion, so no one can say “this religion is too much for me.”

وَقَالُوا لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّىٰ تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ يَنبُوعًا

أَوْ تَكُونَ لَكَ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَعِنَبٍ فَتُفَجِّرَ الْأَنْهَارَ خِلَالَهَا تَفْجِيرًا

أَوْ تُسْقِطَ السَّمَاءَ كَمَا زَعَمْتَ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا أَوْ تَأْتِيَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ قَبِيلًا

أَوْ يَكُونَ لَكَ بَيْتٌ مِّن زُخْرُفٍ أَوْ تَرْقَىٰ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلَن نُّؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتَّىٰ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِتَابًا نَّقْرَؤُهُ ۗ قُلْ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّي هَلْ كُنتُ إِلَّا بَشَرًا رَّسُولًا

وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا إِذْ جَاءَهُمُ الْهُدَىٰ إِلَّا أَن قَالُوا أَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ بَشَرًا رَّسُولًا

قُل لَّوْ كَانَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَلَائِكَةٌ يَمْشُونَ مُطْمَئِنِّينَ لَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ مَلَكًا رَّسُولًا

And they say, "We will not believe you until you break open for us from the ground a spring.

Or [until] you have a garden of palm tress and grapes and make rivers gush forth within them in force [and abundance]

Or you make the heaven fall upon us in fragments as you have claimed or you bring Allah and the angels before [us]

Or you have a house of gold or you ascend into the sky. And [even then], we will not believe in your ascension until you bring down to us a book we may read." Say, "Exalted is my Lord! Was I ever but a human messenger?"

And what prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them except that they said, "Has Allah sent a human messenger?"

Say, "If there were upon the earth angels walking securely, We would have sent down to them from the heaven an angel [as a] messenger." (17:90-95)

The infallibility of the Prophets

Also, Muslims believe that the prophets were not sinner men who committed big sins. They were infallible men, but that does not mean they were not sinless or perfect. They are infallible and protected from error in conveying the message from God. They did not conceal anything that God had revealed to them, and they did not add anything from themselves.

وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ . مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىٰ . وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ . إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ . عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَىٰ .

By the star when it descends, your companion [Muhammad] has not strayed, nor has he erred, nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed, Taught to him by one intense in strength – (53:1-5)

The prophets did not forget anything that God revealed to them, except for things that were abrogated.

سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلَا تَنسَىٰ . إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَىٰ

We will make you recite, [O Muhammad], and you will not forget, except what Allah should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden. (87:6-7)

God guaranteed His Messenger Muhammad that he would remember the Quran and would not forget it, except for that which God wanted him to forget.

إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهُ وَقُرْآنَهُ . فَإِذَا قَرَأْنَاهُ فَاتَّبِعْ قُرْآنَهُ

Indeed, upon Us is its collection [in your heart] and [to make possible] its recitation. So when We have recited it [through Gabriel], then follow its recitation. (75:17-18)

The Prophets’ Mistakes

But on the other hand, the prophets are people; they may make unintentional mistakes with regard to some worldly matters, not religious matters. But they are infallible and protected against committing major sins, both before their missions began and afterwards. When the prophets committed minor sins God had explained to them where they went wrong, and they did not persist in sin or delay repentance. They had hastened to repent and seek forgiveness.

For example, Prophet Adam disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree, and then repented to God.

 فَأَكَلَا مِنْهَا فَبَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْآتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَقِ الْجَنَّةِ ۚ وَعَصَىٰ آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوَىٰ . ثُمَّ اجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ وَهَدَىٰ

And Adam and his wife ate of it, and their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred. Then his Lord chose him and turned to him in forgiveness and guided [him]. (20:121-122)

Prophet Moses killed an Egyptian and then he confessed his sin and sought forgiveness from God.

وَدَخَلَ الْمَدِينَةَ عَلَىٰ حِينِ غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ أَهْلِهَا فَوَجَدَ فِيهَا رَجُلَيْنِ يَقْتَتِلَانِ هَٰذَا مِن شِيعَتِهِ وَهَٰذَا مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ ۖ فَاسْتَغَاثَهُ الَّذِي مِن شِيعَتِهِ عَلَى الَّذِي مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَوَكَزَهُ مُوسَىٰ فَقَضَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ۖ قَالَ هَٰذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۖ إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُّضِلٌّ مُّبِينٌ

And he entered the city at a time of inattention by its people and found therein two men fighting: one from his faction and one from among his enemy. And the one from his faction called for help to him against the one from his enemy, so Moses struck him and [unintentionally] killed him. [Moses] said, "This is from the work of Satan. Indeed, he is a manifest, misleading enemy." (28:15)

Prophet David’s sin was hastening to pass judgement before hearing the case of the second disputant.

وَهَلْ أَتَاكَ نَبَأُ الْخَصْمِ إِذْ تَسَوَّرُوا الْمِحْرَابَ . إِذْ دَخَلُوا عَلَىٰ دَاوُودَ فَفَزِعَ مِنْهُمْ ۖ قَالُوا لَا تَخَفْ ۖ خَصْمَانِ بَغَىٰ بَعْضُنَا عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ فَاحْكُم بَيْنَنَا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا تُشْطِطْ وَاهْدِنَا إِلَىٰ سَوَاءِ الصِّرَاطِ . إِنَّ هَٰذَا أَخِي لَهُ تِسْعٌ وَتِسْعُونَ نَعْجَةً وَلِيَ نَعْجَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ فَقَالَ أَكْفِلْنِيهَا وَعَزَّنِي فِي الْخِطَابِ . قَالَ لَقَدْ ظَلَمَكَ بِسُؤَالِ نَعْجَتِكَ إِلَىٰ نِعَاجِهِ ۖ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْخُلَطَاءِ لَيَبْغِي بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَقَلِيلٌ مَّا هُمْ ۗ وَظَنَّ دَاوُودُ أَنَّمَا فَتَنَّاهُ فَاسْتَغْفَرَ رَبَّهُ وَخَرَّ رَاكِعًا وَأَنَابَ ۩  . فَغَفَرْنَا لَهُ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ وَإِنَّ لَهُ عِندَنَا لَزُلْفَىٰ وَحُسْنَ مَآبٍ

And has there come to you the news of the adversaries, when they climbed over the wall of [his] prayer chamber -

When they entered upon David and he was alarmed by them? They said, "Fear not. [We are] two adversaries, one of whom has wronged the other, so judge between us with truth and do not exceed [it] and guide us to the sound path.

Indeed this, my brother, has ninety-nine ewes, and I have one ewe; so he said, 'Entrust her to me,' and he overpowered me in speech."

[David] said, "He has certainly wronged you in demanding your ewe [in addition] to his ewes. And indeed, many associates oppress one another, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds - and few are they." And David became certain that We had tried him, and he asked forgiveness of his Lord and fell down bowing [in prostration] and turned in repentance [to Allah ].

So We forgave him that; and indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return. (38:21-25)

Also, Prophet Muhammad committed some mistakes that God rebuked him for in the Quran. For example, God admonished Prophet Muhammad for not turning his attention away from the chieftains of Mecca and frowning at the great companion “Abd-Allaah ibn Umm Maktoom” who came along and asked Muhammad about something while the Prophet was preaching Islam to the chieftains of Mecca.

عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ . أَن جَاءَهُ الْأَعْمَىٰ . وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّهُ يَزَّكَّىٰ . أَوْ يَذَّكَّرُ فَتَنفَعَهُ الذِّكْرَىٰ  . أَمَّا مَنِ اسْتَغْنَىٰ . فَأَنتَ لَهُ تَصَدَّىٰ . وَمَا عَلَيْكَ أَلَّا يَزَّكَّىٰ . وَأَمَّا مَن جَاءَكَ يَسْعَىٰ . وَهُوَ يَخْشَىٰ . فَأَنتَ عَنْهُ تَلَهَّىٰ .

The Prophet frowned and turned away. Because there came to him the blind man, [interrupting].  But what would make you perceive, [O Muhammad], that perhaps he might be purified. Or be reminded and the remembrance would benefit him? As for he who thinks himself without need, to him you give attention. And not upon you [is any blame] if he will not be purified. But as for he who came to you striving [for knowledge]. While he fears [God], from him you are distracted. (80:1-10)