Prophet and messenger (the difference between conveying and exemplifying)

Sha'rawi takes up the difference between the prophet and the messenger in his reading of the verse that denies that God would give a human the scripture, wisdom and prophethood and then tell people to become his servants instead of God's (Al Imran 79). He holds that both are sent by God, though their functions differ ¹.

Sha'rawi says the messenger is both an intermediary of conveyance and a model of conduct. He receives the law, applies it to himself, and then conveys it, so that people see the law applied and do not only hear it ¹².

The prophet, in Sha'rawi's account, is a model of conduct and not an intermediary of conveyance. He says the need for such a model appears in a time when the law is known but the soul is not made to keep it, as in the age he describes ².

Sha'rawi notes that the verse names rule after scripture and prophethood, which shows that wisdom may be given to someone who is neither prophet nor messenger. The advice of Luqman to his son is his example. A person may be convinced by the law, act by it and convey it without claiming to be sent by God ².

This is Sha'rawi's reading alone, taken from a scanned copy whose edition is not yet verified, and it is presented under his name. The distinction between the two words is disputed in works of creed and exegesis, and no other view has yet been checked (needs_source). See also The covenant of the prophets and The rabbaniyyun.