How would one know the role and life purpose of existence unless one receives clear and practical instructions of what God wants and expects of him or her? Here comes the need for Prophethood. Thus, God has sent thousands of Prophets and Messengers to humankind. Every nation on Earth received a Prophet. God states in the Quran:
“And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah and shun False Gods…” (Quran 16:36)
They all preached the same general message that there is only One deity worthy of worship. He is the One and Only God, without a partner, son, daughter, or an equal. All other gods are false and are only creations of God and not the actual Creator. All the Prophets and Messengers came with the same purpose; to lead mankind to God. Muslims believe that God communicates His guidance through human Prophets. Belief in the Prophets who God chose to relay His message to humans is a required article of Islamic faith.
The Prophets do not seek anything for their personal interest in this world. Rather they seek things for the public interest by warning their people against what may harm them. God sent Prophets to mankind to guide humanity from worshipping created beings and to worship their Creator, the Creator of all things. The Prophets came to guide mankind to build a relationship with their creator, to get to know Him and to love Him with all their hearts. The Prophets taught humanity that life is only a test where the success will enter Heaven eternally and the unsuccessful will enter the hellfire. Prophets and Messengers were sent to teach humanity about righteousness, morals, ethics, and how to purify their souls from evil. They were also sent to teach about the unseen world which exists beyond our normal senses and physical universe, such as the existence of Angels. Additionally, God sent Prophets and Messengers to stand as witnesses on the Day of Judgement to the ones that will claim they never heard the message.
Muslims believe, respect, honor, and love all the Prophets and Messengers of God, starting with Prophet Adam, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Prophet Jesus, all who invited people to worship God and shun false gods. Muslims believe in many of the Prophets found in Jewish and Christian traditions.
Out of the Infinite Mercy and Love of God, God continued to send Prophets and Revelations. Each Prophet and Book was sent down to different nations and people. There were over one hundred thousand Prophets and Messengers sent to all of mankind, to all nations and races, in all corners of the world. All the previous Prophets like Prophet Moses and Prophet Jesus were to the earlier nations and were meant to be followed by their people. Muslims believe God’s final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message, was revealed to the last and final Prophet. Prophet Muhammad was sent to the last and final nation, our nation.
“And We have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as a bringer of glad tidings and a warner unto all humanity; but most people know not” (Quran 34:28)
The Holy Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad abrogate all previous scriptures and become the Book of guidance for all humankind. All the earlier Revelations of God including the Bible were disoriented by people of later generations.
People went to extremes with the Prophets that were sent from God. Some Prophets were rejected and accused of being sorcerers, madmen, Forgers, Plagiarizers, Magicians, Poets, soothsayers, imposters, and liars by their people even though they came with miracles and Books beyond the power of humans, to prove they were sent from God. For instance, Prophet Jesus, son of Mary, was rejected by the Jews and they refused to consider him to be the Messenger they had been waiting for. The Christians also rejected Prophet Muhamad. However, Muslims believe in all Prophets sent from God starting with Prophet Adam to the last and final Prophet, Prophet Muhamad. Muslims accept them all as Messengers of God who brought guidance to mankind. However, the Revelations which the Prophets before Prophet Muhammad brought from God have been tampered with in one way or another by men over the years. Since the Bible was sent down to a particular group of people and for a particular time period, God did not feel it fit to preserve the Bible. It is now mixed with words of men and contains hundreds of scientific errors which prove it’s no longer in the same form as it once was when Prophet Jesus was present. On the other hand, since the Holy Quran is meant for all of mankind as a whole and is meant till eternity. God made sure he preserved it from tampered with. The Quran is the only Book of God that remains untampered, untouched, standing the same form as it came down over 1400 years ago. God states in the Quran:
“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian (guard it from corruption)” (Quran 15:9)
While some took the Prophets as a joke and rejected them, some, on the contrary, turned Prophets into gods by giving them divine powers or declared them to be children of God like in the case of Prophet Jesus with the Christians. Certainly, Prophets are to be loved and respected, but no form of worship is to be directed towards them nor are they to be treated as demi-gods or intermediaries between humankind and God. However, Christians appointed him to divine heights that he was not entitled to. Prophet Jesus’ message lasted in its original purity for a period of time. While the Israelites and the Roman authorities rejected his message, there were a group of people that accepted and believed in his message called his disciples. Soon after, God elevated Prophet Jesus’ soul and body to heaven. The early devoted followers of Jesus tried to maintain the purity and clarity of his teachings that he is only a Messenger of God. Jesus’ message lasted in its original purity for a period of time, but the scripture he received was slowly altered and his original message of absolute oneness of God became corrupted. Soon later, in the next few centuries, different beliefs about Jesus developed amongst some of the early Christians. They claimed that he was divine, calling him the son of God, which eventually became the dominant Christian belief. Six centuries after Jesus, God sent His last and final Prophet, Muhammad to mankind with His final scripture, known as the Holy Quran.
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