Prophethood

• Risalah


  Concept of belief in Prophets
• Prophet


  Person selected by God to receive revelations
• Muhammad


  Final Prophet
• Adam


  First man and Prophet
• Musa


  Moses; Prophet who received the Torah
• Dawud


  David; Prophet who received the Psalms
• Isa


  Jesus; Prophet who received the Gospels
• Ibrahim


  Abraham; Prophet who received the Scrolls of Abraham
• Ishmael


  Son of Abraham
• Revelation


  Messages God sends through His Prophets
• Angels


  Unseen beings who bring God's revelation to humans
• Seal of the Prophets


  Term for Muhammad that establishes his role as the final Prophet
• Rasul


  A Prophet who has a revelation for all humankind
• Nabi


  A Prophet who has a revelation specifically for themselves
• Primary role of Prophets


  • To establish monotheistic beliefs
  • To be role models for future generations and help create a harmonious society
• Beliefs about Adam

  • He is the father of all human beings and was created by Allah out of clay
  • He was the first person to learn to plant seeds, harvest crops and cook food. God revealed to him the food that Muslims are allowed to eat, how to repent for wrongdoing and how to bury the dead
• Beliefs about Ibrahim

  • He was prepared to sacrifice Ismail because of his faith in Allah
  • He believed that Allah alone is God and preached monotheism despite persecution
• Beliefs about Muhammad


  • He was the final of 124,000 prophets who gave the message of Islam and ensured it was unchanged thereafter
  • He was taken on a miraculous journey to Jerusalem by Jibril and ascended into heaven
• Reasons Muhammad is important for Muslims

  • His teachings and practices (Sunnah) are used as sources of Islamic law (Shari'ah)
  • He was the perfect example of a man who served Allah for Muslims to aim to emulate
• The Qur'an: 'Every community is sent a messenger. Prophets are important because they provided a method of communication between God and humanity.'
• The Qur'an: 'Muhammad is God's messenger and the seal of the prophets. He was the final prophet who gave the message of Islam and ensured it was unchanged thereafter.'
• The Qur'an: 'God taught Adam all the names (of things). Adam was the 'caretaker' of the earth and Allah taught him everything including the ability to learn, to reason and to make choices.'
• The Qur'an: 'Do good, and follow the religion of Ibrahim… God took Ibrahim as a friend. Ibrahim is a role model because of his obedience to God, his kindness and compassion, and refusal to worship idols.'