Prophets
Family: Belief and worship · 140 entries
Entries on this theme
Event
Ibrahim's journeys to Mecca
c. 2000 BCEIbrahim travelled to Mecca from time to time to see what he had left there; the number is unknown but the sources preserve four journeys: the dream and the ransom of Ismail, and three narrated by al-Bukhari from Ibn Abbas: finding Ismail's first wife complaining (change the threshold), his second wife grateful (keep the threshold), and finally meeting Ismail, when together they raised the Kaaba and Ibrahim proclaimed the pilgrimage.The Raising of the Kaaba’s Foundations
c. 1900 BCEOn the third recorded journey, Ibrahim finds Ismail sharpening arrows beneath a tree by Zamzam; together the aged father and the grown son raise the foundations of the House, and Ibrahim calls mankind to the pilgrimage as commanded.The Command to Sacrifice Ismail
c. 1900 BCEOn one of Ibrahim’s visits to Mecca he is shown in a dream that he must sacrifice his son; father and son submit, and the son is ransomed with a great sacrifice — the trial the Quran recalls in Surat al-Saffat, and which the Raheeq narrative places before Isaac’s birth.The three years of the secret call
c. 610 CEThe first stage of the call to Islam — individual and secret for three years — in which the first band believed: Khadija, Ali, Zayd and Abu Bakr on the first day, then those whom Abu Bakr called, then a company Ibn Hisham numbers at over forty from every clan of Quraysh; during it prayer was first prescribed.The pause of revelation (Fatra)
c. 610 CEThe pause in revelation after the first descent at Hira — days rather than years in the reading of Ibn Sa'd via Ibn Abbas that the book prefers — ending when Jibril appeared seated on a throne between heaven and earth and surat al-Muddaththir came down with the command to rise and warn.The second descent of Jibril: the opening of surat al-Muddaththir
c. 610 CEAfter the pause in revelation the Prophet heard a voice from heaven and saw the angel who had come to him at Hira seated on a throne between heaven and earth; he returned home asking to be wrapped, and God sent down the opening of surat al-Muddaththir with the command to rise and warn, after which revelation came thick and fast; the author reads in its commands the substance of the call.the splitting of the moon
between 610 and 622 CEThe sign the people of Mecca asked of the Prophet: he showed them the moon in two halves until they saw Mount Hira between them; in another report they said 'Muhammad has bewitched us'. Ibn Mas'ud reports 'the moon split while we were with the Prophet at Mina; he said: bear witness — and one part went toward the mountain', and once said it split at Mecca; Ibn 'Abbas reports the moon split in the Prophet's lifetime. Muslims read the event in the opening of Surat al-Qamar 'the Hour has drawn near and the moon has split'.The first revelation
10 August 610 CE · 21 Ramadan 12 BHThe descent of Jibril upon the Prophet in the cave of Hira with the opening verses of surat al-Alaq — on the night of Monday 21 Ramadan in the book's preferred reckoning, corresponding to 10 August 610 CE, when the Prophet was forty lunar years, six months and twelve days old.The Isra and Mi'raj
c. 621 CEThe miraculous nocturnal journey of Prophet Muhammad from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, and his ascent through the seven heavens, where the five daily prayers were ordained. ونص رحلة المعراج كاملاً عند البخاري في حديث مالك بن صعصعة.The Incident of the Poisoned Sheep at Khaybar
c. June 628 CE · Safar 7 AHFollowing the conquest of Khaybar, Zaynab bint al-Harith (wife of Sallam ibn Mishkam) sent the Prophet a roasted sheep heavily laced with poison; upon chewing a morsel, the Prophet spat it out stating that the bone informed him it was poisoned, while Bishr ibn al-Bara' swallowed a bite and died.The Prophet's withdrawal from his wives
c. 629 CE · c. 9 AHThe Prophet withdrew from his wives to an upper chamber for a month in the incident known as the ila'. Umar climbed to find him on a mat with nothing between it and his skin, a leather pillow stuffed with palm-fibre under his head; the mat had marked his side, and when Umar wept comparing him to the emperors he answered 'are you not content that they have this world and we have the next?'; Ibn Abbas reports Umar naming Aisha and Hafsa as the two wives.The delegation of Banu Hanifa
c. 631 CE · 9 AHSeventeen men of Banu Hanifa of al-Yamama, among them Musaylima, lodged with an Ansari household in Medina in 9 AH and declared Islam; the sources differ on Musaylima's own conduct, and on his return home he claimed a share in prophethood.Musaylima's apostasy and claim to prophethood at al-Yamama
c. 631 CE · c. 9 AHWhen the Banu Hanifa delegation returned to al-Yamama, Musaylima apostatised and claimed prophethood, saying he had been made a partner in the matter with Muhammad and citing the Prophet's words that he was 'not the worst placed of you'. He produced rhymed sayings imitating the Qur'an, permitted wine and fornication and lifted the prayer, while still testifying that Muhammad was a prophet, and Hanifa rallied to him. Ibn Ishaq has it from a shaykh of Banu Hanifa and adds: God knows best which account is true.The Prophet's dream of the two gold bracelets, interpreted as the two liars
between 631 and 632 CE · 10 AHThe Prophet addressed the people from his minbar saying he had seen the Night of Power and then been made to forget it, and had seen on his arms two gold bracelets which he disliked and blew away, interpreting them as the two liars, the man of Yemen and the man of al-Yamama, that is al-Aswad al-Ansi and Musaylima; Ibn Ishaq has it from Yazid ibn Abdullah ibn Qusayt from Ata' ibn Yasar or his brother Sulayman from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri. He also reports from Abu Hurayra that the Hour will not come until thirty impostors appear, each claiming prophethood.Musaylima's letter to the Prophet and the reply
c. March 632 CE · c. Dhu al-Hijja 10 AHAt the end of 10 AH Musaylima ibn Habib wrote to the Prophet: from Musaylima the messenger of God to Muhammad the messenger of God; I have been made a partner with you in the matter, half the earth is ours and half Quraysh's, but Quraysh are a people who transgress. Two envoys brought it. The Prophet asked what they themselves said; they said, as he says; he said that were envoys not immune from death he would have struck off their heads, then wrote: from Muhammad the messenger of God to Musaylima the liar, peace on whoever follows guidance; the earth is God's, He gives it to whom He wills of His servants, and the outcome is for the God-fearing.The death of the Prophet
8 June 632 CE · 12 Rabi' I 11 AHThe Prophet Muhammad died in Medina after a short illness, and was buried in the house of Aisha. وفي الصحيح: أنه قال في مرضه «مروا أبا بكر يصلي بالناس» فلما استمهلته عائشة وحفصة أبى وقال «إنكن لأنتن صواحب يوسف» ، وأنه كان يسأل «أين أنا غدا؟» حرصاً على بيت عائشة فمات عندها بين سحرها ونحرها بعدما استاك بسواك عبد الرحمن بن أبي بكر ، وكان آخر كلامه «في الرفيق الأعلى» ، وقال عائشة إنه قال «ما أزال أجد ألم الطعام الذي أكلت بخيبر، فهذا أوان وجدت انقطاع أبهري».Umar's denial of the Prophet's death and Abu Bakr's reply
8 June 632 CE · 12 Rabi' I 11 AHWhen the Prophet died, Umar stood up and said that some hypocrites claimed he had died, that he had not died but had gone to his Lord as Moses did, and would return to cut off the hands and feet of men who said he was dead. Abu Bakr came, uncovered the Prophet's face and kissed him, then went out and said: whoever worshipped Muhammad, Muhammad has died; whoever worshipped God, God lives and does not die; and recited the verse about the messengers. Umar said that when he heard Abu Bakr recite it he collapsed, knowing the Prophet was dead.The reported Tokyo congress of religions (1907)
1907 CE · 1325 AH†In 1907 the newspaper al-Waqt, published in Turkestan, reported that Japan would host a congress of religions in Tokyo. Al-Liwa proposed Muhammad Farid Wajdi and Shaykh Tantawi Jawhari as Egypt's delegates. The book says the congress did not exist when the messages arrived. Its author's account only; no second source yet.The killing of Habil
According to al-Tha'labi, Qabil killed his brother Habil after a dispute over offerings and marriage. The book gives varying accounts of the place of the killing, the raven that taught Qabil to bury, and the earth that drank the blood.The soothsayer episode in Banu Sa'd
As Halima's account is transmitted by Bayhaqi, she brought the boy to a soothsayer in Banu Sa'd after the chest-opening; the soothsayer urged his killing, Halima refused, and she returned him to Mecca, where he was briefly lost at the great gate.The torment of the Day of the Shadow
In al-Mas'udi the Day of the Shadow fell in king Kalamn's reign at Madyan — a door of fire opened from the sky while Shu'ayb sheltered at the thicket of al-Ayka, and the white pleasant cloud the people drove the believers into became their fire; Kalamn's daughter Haritha lamented him from the Hijaz.
Person
Muhammad
c. 570 CEThe Prophet of Islam (c. 570–632 CE), through whom Muslims believe the Qur'an was revealed, and the founder of the first Muslim community in Medina.al-Aswad al-Ansi
c. 580 CEAbhala ibn Ka'b, called al-Aswad 'the veiled one' — a soothsayer of Yemen who claimed prophecy, seized San'a and much of Yemen for a few weeks, and was cut down by the Persian colony that had first served him.Musaylima
c. 580 CEChief and religious claimant of Banu Hanifa in Yamama who preached a parallel prophecy to Muhammad's and exchanged letters with him — killed at Yamama in the bloodiest battle of the Ridda wars.Sajah bint al-Harith
c. 590 CEA woman of Tamim by her father and Taghib by her mother who claimed prophecy in rhymed speech, marched an army toward Medina, then turned to Yamama and joined Musaylima — before returning to Islam and living into the caliphate.Adam
The father of mankind. In Bukhari, God created him sixty cubits tall and sent him to greet the angels, whose answer became his descendants' greeting; in the Isra account the Prophet met him in the lowest heaven.al-Khidr
The servant given knowledge from God whom Musa accompanied at the junction of the seas — the full account in Bukhari.al-Yasa' (Elisha)
Draft card for al-Yasa', the prophet named in the Qur'an among the righteous in Islamic tradition; the encyclopedia entry is not yet checked on the page.Asiya, wife of Pharaoh
Pharaoh's wife who raised Musa — counted by the Prophet among the perfected women.Ayyub (Job)
The prophet of patience: bathing unclothed when golden locusts rained on him, he answered his Lord 'yes, by Your might, but I cannot do without Your blessing'.Bilqis, Queen of Sheba
The queen of Sheba in the Islamic narrative; the Qur'an does not name her, while the historians name her Bilqis daughter of al-Hadhad, recounting her reign and her encounter with Sulayman.Dawud (David)
Prophet of Banu Israel and Sulayman's father — the Prophet praised Abu Musa's recitation as 'a flute of the flutes of Dawud's house'.Dhu al-Qarnayn
Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy cites Dhu al-Qarnayn in his teaching on empowerment, as one given the means who followed them, describes his knowledge and empowerment, and recounts the barrier he built for a people who complained of corruption.Dhu'l-Kifl
Dhu'l-Kifl, named in the Qur'an among the patient and among 'the righteous'; Ibn Kathir counts him among the prophets in the commentators' view, and al-Tha'labi names him Bishr ibn Ayyub, a prophet sent after his father to the land of the Romans, who dwelt in Syria until he died aged ninety-five.Pharaoh (Firawn)
Pharaoh as Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy mentions him in the series 'Al Fawzu Al Moubeen': his dream, which his counsellors read as the loss of his kingdom to a boy from the Children of Israel; his arrogance in what he said; a comparison between the sending of Musa to him and the sending of the prophets to their peoples; and what the Sheikh says of his words to Musa about his upbringing.Habil (Abel)
Adam's son who was killed. He was a herdsman; al-Tha'labi reports that his offering was accepted and that he refused to raise his hand against his brother.Harun (Aaron)
Musa's brother and deputy — the Prophet cited his standing to Musa for Ali, and met him in the Isra heavens.Hawwa' (Eve)
Adam's wife in al-Tha'labi's account, created from one of his ribs while he slept. The book reports that she ate from the tree before Adam and gives narrations on her bridal gift and on what afflicted her and her daughters.Iblis
The adversary who whispered to Adam and Hawwa in the Garden. Al-Tha'labi reports that he refused to prostrate to Adam, entered the Garden inside a serpent, and was punished with ten penalties the book lists.Ibrahim (Abraham)
The patriarch of the Adnani Arabs in the sira’s telling: emigrant from Ur of the Chaldeans to Harran and then Palestine, who settled Hajar and the infant Ismail in the barren valley of Mecca, visited them on recorded journeys, submitted to the command of the sacrifice, and raised the foundations of the Kaaba with his son before calling mankind to the hajj.Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus)
Prophet of Banu Israel, son of Maryam: one of the three who spoke in the cradle, untouched by Satan's prick at birth, and the Prophet declared himself the nearest of people to him.Ishaq (Isaac)
Son of Ibrahim, father of Ya'qub — named in Bukhari's prophetic chain.Ismail (Ishmael)
Son of Ibrahim and Hajar, settled as an infant with his mother at Mecca where Zamzam sprang; he married into Jurhum, fathered twelve sons whose tribes spread from Mecca, and built the Kaaba with his father; the Adnani Arabs trace their lineages to him.Lut (Lot)
Ibrahim's nephew: 'may God have mercy on Lut — he sheltered at a mighty pillar'.Maryam bint Imran (Mary)
Mother of Isa, counted by the Prophet among the perfected women with Asiya, and exempted with her son from Satan's newborn prick.Mika'il (Michael)
The angel named in the Qur'an alongside Jibril; the commentators say he descends with mercy, rain and vegetation.Musa
The prophet of Banu Israel: the fleeing-stone vindication, the al-Khidr journey at length, and his Isra meetings with the Prophet.Nuh (Noah)
The first messenger to the people of the earth in Bukhari's long intercession hadith — the first prophet mankind visits on the Day of Judgment.Qabil (Cain)
One of Adam's two sons in al-Tha'labi's account. He killed his brother Habil after Habil's offering was accepted and his own was not, in a dispute that began over marriage partners.Qarun
Qarun as Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy mentions him in the series 'Al Naba Al Safi': a man who credited his wealth to his own knowledge and forgot God's favour, who oppressed his people and was unfit to lead them, and an example the Sheikh brings up when speaking of responsibility and of repeating proud words.Salih
Thamud's prophet — the Prophet passed their dwellings at al-Hijr on the Tabuk road and forbade entering them except weeping.Sarah
Ibrahim's wife; Pharaoh plotted against her and God turned his plot back, and recognising her closeness to God he gave her Hajar as a servant, whom Sarah gave to Ibrahim in marriage; after Ismail's birth her jealousy led Ibrahim to take Hajar and the child to the Hijaz, in al-Raheeq al-Makhtum's account after al-Bukhari and Rahma lil-Alamin.Sulayman (Solomon)
Son of Dawud who swore to father a hundred fighting sons and forgot 'God willing' — a lesson the Prophet repeated.Talut (Saul)
The king God sent to the Children of Israel after Musa, as Sha'rawi tells it in his commentary on al-Baqara 247 and the verses after it. He holds that God chose Talut, not the people, and that the criteria were knowledge and bodily stature, not lineage or wealth.Umm Musa, the mother of Musa
Umm Musa, the mother of Musa, as Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy presents her in the series 'Al Fawzu Al Moubeen': her command to cast her infant, God's reassurance to her, what was revealed to her, and a question on whether her heart was sound from the start.Yahya
Draft card for Yahya ibn Zakariya, the prophet announced to his aged father in the Qur'an, named by God a name given to none before; its sources are not yet checked on the page.Ya'qub (Jacob)
Son of Ishaq, father of Yusuf — named in Bukhari's prophetic chain.Yunus (Jonah)
Yunus ibn Matta: the Prophet said no servant should claim to be better than him.Yusuf (Joseph)
Prophet son of a prophet: 'the noble son of the noble son of the noble son of the noble', and the Prophet would have answered the call even after Yusuf's years in prison.Zakariyya (Zechariah)
Zakariyya is a prophet who asked his Lord for a sign that his barren wife had conceived, and was told that his sign would be that he would not speak to people for three days except by gesture, as Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy relates (needs_source). The Sheikh notes that the Qur'an calls his wife an imra'a (woman) while she was barren and then a zawj (spouse) once God permitted her to conceive.
Work
Musaylima's letter to the Prophet
A short letter from Musaylima ibn Habib to the Prophet at the end of 10 AH in which he calls himself the messenger of God, claims to have been made a partner in the matter, with half the earth his and half Quraysh's, though Quraysh transgress; the Prophet replied that the earth is God's to give to whom He wills, and the outcome is for the God-fearing.The Sira of Ibn Ishaq in Ibn Hisham's recension
The earliest surviving continuous biography of the Prophet; composed by Muhammad ibn Ishaq (d. 151 AH) and abridged/recast by Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham (d. 213 or 218 AH) — the text known as Ibn Hisham's Sira.Children of Gebelawi
Naguib Mahfouz's allegorical 1959 novel restaging prophetic history in a Cairo alley — controversial enough to be banned in Egypt for years.The Jewel of Medina
Sherry Jones's novel about Aisha — Random House dropped it amid controversy before Beaufort published it; a case study in depicting the Prophet's household.The Injil
The Injil in Islamic conception is the book revealed to 'Isa ibn Maryam; al-Tha'labi names it among the books God sent down.Qisas al-Anbiya' (al-'Ara'is)
Al-Tha'labi's collection of the stories of the prophets named in the Qur'an. It opens with why God narrates earlier histories, then cosmology, then the prophets, beginning with Adam. The edition used here is not yet verified.Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk (The History of Prophets and Kings)
A universal chronicle arranged by Hijri year, from the creation to 302 AH, by Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (d. 310 AH). It opens with the prophets and earlier peoples and Persian kings, then follows the caliphate, the conquests and the civil strife year by year.The Zabur
The Zabur in Islamic conception is the book revealed to David; Ibn al-Nadim counts it among God's sent-down books, a hundred and fifty psalms, and al-Tha'labi names it with the Tawrat, Injil and Furqan among what God sent down.
Concept
Abraham and the one who argued with him about his Lord
Sha'rawi reads the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord as the agent of the argument, with Abraham as its object. He declines to name him, holds that the vagueness is intended so the lesson applies in every age, and answers those who name him. He reports that Abraham moved the argument from giving life and death to the rising of the sun.al-Amin, the Trustworthy (the Prophet's title before his mission)
The title by which Quraysh called Muhammad before prophethood for the trustworthiness and good qualities they saw in him; they cried it out when he entered as arbiter over the Black Stone during the rebuilding of the Kaaba.Delivery of the message and the limit of the Prophet's charge
Sha'rawi holds that the Prophet is a bringer of good news and a warner whose charge is to deliver the message; he is not answerable for the people of the Fire, and no one is forced to believe, since God created people free to choose. He adds that a message of truth does not contradict itself or change.Raising the foundations of the House: who built the Ka'ba
Sha'rawi holds that the House existed before Abraham, that God set it apart for circling, retreat and prayer after the flood had erased its landmarks, and that Abraham did not found it but raised its foundations so its place would be known. He reads the Ka'ba as the place that marks the House rather than the House itself, and reports that scholars differ on when the House was built.The religious bequest: submission until death
Sha'rawi holds that a bequest is spoken at the end of life, when the one who bequeaths speaks truthfully, and that the bequest of Abraham and Jacob to their sons was the religion God had chosen, so that the believer must not leave submission before death comes, since its time is not known.Badr as a sign and a lesson
Sha'rawi reads the battle of Badr in Al Imran 13 as a visible sign: the believing group fighting for God overcame the disbelieving group fighting for Satan. He holds that God made the two hosts few in each other's eyes before the battle and many during it, that God wanted victory over the armed host and not only the caravan, and that the lesson is for those who see.Belief in the messengers without distinction
Sha'rawi holds that the principles of belief are one in all revelations, while rulings change with the matters of each age. Belief in the messengers without distinction means accepting the same message of belief, and difference in rulings is not a distinction.The completion of the final message of earlier ones
Sha'rawi holds that Islam did not come to abolish earlier religions but to complete what they contain of sound belief, reports and stories, adding laws suited to every age and place. He cites the Prophet's image of a building in which one brick was missing, and the Qur'anic statement that God has completed the religion, and holds that the purpose of Islam is complete and the law has come whole.Hanif (the description of Abraham)
Sha'rawi holds that the root of hanif is a bend in the lower legs, and that the sense was then carried over to anything crooked. A hanif is therefore one who turns away from the crookedness of his people. He affirms that Abraham was upright, but came into a world of idolatry and crookedness, and was a hanif by turning away from it. He adds that prophets come only where there is a deep corruption of belief and law.Inheritance of prophethood (by deeds, not by blood)
Sha'rawi holds that religious leadership and belonging to the prophets come not by blood or lineage but by applying the law in letter and spirit. He builds this on Abraham's request that leadership remain in his descendants, on the answer that a covenant does not reach the wrongdoers, and on the story of Noah's son, of whom God said that his deeds were not righteous. He presents this without a verdict under his own name.Islam as the common religion of the prophets
Muhammad Abdullah Draz reads 'Islam' in its Qur'anic sense as the shared religion of all prophets, citing Noah, Jacob, Moses and the disciples of Jesus as calling themselves Muslims. He describes this religion as sincere submission to God without associating partners, and faith in all that came from Him without distinguishing between books or messengers. This is the author's own reading, first published in al-Azhar magazine in 2012 (pp. 49-50).Protection (ismah): divine protection, sanctity of life and the marriage bond
In the lexicon, ismah is the act of preventing and protecting; the jurists also use it of the marriage bond, as in the Qur'anic reference to the bonds with unbelieving women. As a term it has three senses: the protection God gives a person from sins; the protection that makes a person and his property sacred, so that retaliation or compensation is due on violating it; and the protection that makes violating it sinful without retaliation or compensation. The text states that the messengers are protected from sins after their mission, and that on their prior state the sound view it records is that they were free of every defect. Sacredness of life and property is gained by the testimony of faith, and by a covenant of protection such as a treaty or safe-conduct. The marriage bond ends by annulment, as for apostasy or defect, or by divorce; the husband normally holds the power of divorce, and a wife holds it when he delegates it to her or when she stipulated it.Marvel of a saint (karama)
In the lexicon karama is honour; in the terminology it is an extraordinary event that appears at the hand of a person known for righteousness who does not claim prophethood. The word also means dignity, and hospitality to a guest. Most Sunni scholars allow such marvels to appear at the hands of a righteous believer, who is then called a friend of God (wali), and they say it has occurred. A claim of a thing that is impossible by custom is not accepted in law, even if it is possible by marvel. The law guards human dignity, and urges honouring guests, scholars, the elderly and those who carry the Qur'an.The Prophet's love for all creation
Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy calls for emulating what the Prophet loved in his words and deeds, describes his engagement with the whole of creation, recounts the story of the palm trunk, mentions the names he gave the things in his house, and explains the burden that was lifted from him.The periods and stages of the Prophet's call
Al-Raheeq al-Makhtum's division of the Prophet's mission into two periods, Meccan (about thirteen years) and Medinan (ten full years); the Meccan period has three stages: the secret call for three years, the open call to the Meccans from the start of the fourth year to the end of the tenth, and the call beyond Mecca from the end of the tenth year to the Hijra.The modes (ranks) of revelation
The modes of revelation as Ibn al-Qayyim lists them and al-Raheeq al-Makhtum transmits: true dreams, what the angel casts into the heart, the angel appearing as a man, revelation coming like the ringing of a bell, seeing the angel in his true form, what was revealed above the heavens on the night of the Ascension, and God's speech without an intermediary; some add an eighth mode which the author does not consider established.The substance of the call in the opening of al-Muddaththir
What al-Raheeq al-Makhtum draws from the commands opening surat al-Muddaththir: warning implies a day of recompense and another life, and the remaining verses demand plain monotheism and entrusting all things to God; so the substance of the call is monotheism, belief in the Last Day, purification of the soul, entrusting affairs to God, all under belief in Muhammad's message.The covenant of the prophets (confirming and supporting each messenger)
Sha'rawi holds that God took a covenant from the prophets to believe in and support any messenger who comes confirming what they have, and that this prevents zealotry among the followers of messengers and keeps the succession of messages united. He holds that acknowledgement and testimony require a witness, a witnessed party and a matter witnessed, and that turning away after this is a departure from the whole community of faith.The prophet (nabi)
In the lexicon, nabi comes from information (inba'); in law, a nabi is one to whom revelation comes through an angel, who is supported by miracles that break habit. Not everyone to whom something is revealed is a prophet. The rasul is narrower than the nabi. The Qur'an names eighteen prophets and seven more; the lists of the steadfast messengers (ulu al-'azm) differ, and Muhammad is the last of the prophets by agreement. Scholars differ on whether Khidr, Luqman, Dhu al-Kifl and Uzayr were prophets, and one who doubts the prophethood of a figure not agreed upon is not an unbeliever. Special rules for prophets include that alms are forbidden to them, that their property is not inherited, and that each is buried where he dies. Believers must affirm them in general and in particular, obey and honour them, love them, invoke blessings on them, and must not separate between them. Prophets are above other people and above the angels in the view of the Sunnis, and Muhammad is the best. It is permissible to name children after prophets. Images of them are forbidden, lying about him is forbidden, and reverence for him and his companions is required. Those who insult him are dealt with under apostasy.Prophet and messenger (the difference between conveying and exemplifying)
Sha'rawi holds that a messenger is sent both to convey and to serve as an example, carrying the law, applying it and then delivering it, while a prophet is sent to serve as an example in conduct and is not an intermediary of conveyance. He adds that wisdom may be given to someone who is neither prophet nor messenger, and cites the advice of Luqman to his son. He presents this without a verdict.Prophethood (nubuwwa)
Nubuwwa comes from the root for height or for news, and nabi is related to both. In law it is an affirmative quality of the prophet together with a relational one, the attachment of the divine address to him. Risala is narrower: it is being sent from God to people, or some of them, to convey the law. Prophecy is established by miracles that break habit and are joined with a challenge, the Qur'an among them. Rules that the Qur'an or Sunna relate from earlier prophets bind us in matters of faith by agreement, and in matters of law the majority hold them binding unless our law sets them aside, whereas the Shafi'is hold them not binding for us. Whoever claims prophecy, for himself or for another, is a liar and an apostate by agreement, since the Prophet is the seal of the prophets; one who confirms such a claimant becomes an apostate. Jurists differ on whether a dhimmi who makes the claim is to be asked to repent.Al-rajfa (the quake)
Rida glosses rajfa as violent shaking and prefers the reading of earthquake. The Qur'an names the punishment of Madyan rajfa in al-A'raf and sayha (the cry) in Hud, and of Thamud both ways in the two suras; Rida says he treated how to reconcile them elsewhere in his tafsir.Stories of revival after death (the ruined town and Abraham's request)
Sha'rawi links the story of the man who passed a ruined town with Abraham's request to be shown how God revives. He holds that asking how is a sign of faith and not doubt, that God caused the man to die for a hundred years and then revived him, and that God contracts and expands time for whom He wills. He reports that most scholars take the passer-by to be 'Uzayr.Expansion of the breast (sharh al-sadr)
The expansion and opening of the breast as Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy presents it: its secrets known to its Creator alone, the sensory and moral kinds of opening, the account of the opening of the breast in the Prophet's childhood with the medical reading he offers, and breadth of heart toward a repeating questioner.Ummahat al-muminin (the mothers of the believers: the wives of the Prophet)
The mothers of the believers are the women the Prophet married and consummated with, twelve in number; nine were with him at his death. The conditions for them are Islam, freedom, no refusal of the migration and chastity, and their marriage was forbidden to others for ever by the text of the Qur'an. The jurists differ on whether they belong to the household of the Prophet and on the penalty for slandering them, some holding death for slander of Aisha and others a hadd penalty.
Practice
Question
How did revelation begin?
It began with true dreams for six months, then with the angel's coming to the cave of Hira in Ramadan, bringing the opening verses of Surat al-Alaq when the Prophet was forty years old; then a short pause, then the descent of the opening verses of al-Muddaththir, with the command to arise and warn, as presented in al-Raheeq al-Makhtum.How did the Prophet live before prophethood?
An orphan, he grew up in the desert of the Banu Sa'd and then in the care of his grandfather and then of his uncle. He herded sheep, travelled for trade, and married Khadija at the age of twenty-five. He was known among his people as al-Amin (the trustworthy) and kept away from idol worship, as presented in al-Raheeq al-Makhtum.What is Karbala?
Karbala is an Iraqi city where al-Husayn ibn Ali and his household were killed on 10 Muharram 61 AH/680 CE. His tomb is among the greatest shrines of the Shia.What is Konya?
Konya is a Turkish city. It was the capital of the Seljuks of Rum, then the home and burial place of Jalal al-Din Rumi, and the centre of the Mevlevi order and its whirling ritual (devran).What was the conquest of Mecca?
The conquest of Mecca, Ramadan 8 AH / 630 CE; the Prophet entered it with ten thousand men without any notable fighting, proclaimed a general amnesty, and cleansed the Ka'ba of idols.What was the Treaty of Hudaybiyya?
Hudaybiyya, Dhu al-Qa'da 6 AH / 628 CE; a treaty between the Prophet and Quraysh whose outward appearance was hardship and whose inner reality was victory; the Qur'an called it a clear victory.What was the Battle of Mutah?
Mu'ta, Jumada al-Ula 8 AH / 629 CE; the first encounter between Muslims and the Byzantines; the three commanders Zayd, Ja'far and Abdullah ibn Rawaha were martyred there, and Khalid brought the army to safety.What was the expedition of Tabuk?
Tabuk, Rajab 9 AH / 630 CE, the last of the Prophet's expeditions; thirty thousand set out in hardship and heat to meet the Byzantines, but met no one there, and it exposed the hypocrites.Who was Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf?
Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf was one of the Ten promised Paradise, the richest of the merchants and the most pious of them. In the shura, Uthman was chosen caliph through him. He spent and spent until he entered Paradise, by God's leave.Who was Abu Dharr al-Ghifari?
Abu Dharr Jundab ibn Junada was one of the fourth or fifth Muslims, and the most truthful of them and the most steadfast in upholding the truth. The Prophet commended him, and he was exiled to al-Rabadha, where he died.Who was Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah?
Abu Ubayda was the trustee of this community. He was one of the Ten promised Paradise and the commander of the conquest of Syria, and he succeeded Khalid as commander of the army. He died in the plague of Amwas in 639.Who was Adam?
Adam was the father of humankind and the first prophet. God created him with His own hand, had the angels prostrate before him, settled him in the Garden, and then sent him down to earth as a vicegerent (khalifa).Who was Dawud?
Dawud was a prophet of God and king of the Children of Israel; he killed Goliath with his sling, the Psalms (al-Zabur) were revealed to him, God softened iron for him, and the mountains glorified God along with him.Who was Abraham, the Friend of God?
Ibrahim, the Friend of God and father of the prophets; he broke his people's idols, was saved from the fire of Nimrod, built the Ka'ba with Ismail, and all of prophethood came from his descendants.Who was Isa ibn Maryam?
Isa ibn Maryam, the Word of God and a spirit from Him; he was born without a father, the Gospel was revealed to him, he brought the dead to life by God's leave, and God raised him up to Himself.Who was Ismail?
Ismail ibn Ibrahim, known as al-Dhabih; his father left him as an infant in Mecca, God caused Zamzam to gush forth, he helped build the Ka'ba with his father, and from his line came the Arabized Arabs and Muhammad.Who was Khalid ibn al-Walid?
Khalid ibn al-Walid, the Drawn Sword of God and one of the greatest military commanders of Islam. He was victorious at Mu'ta, and after embracing Islam he took part in the conquest of Syria, the conquest of Iraq and the battle of Yarmuk. He was never defeated.Who was Muadh ibn Jabal?
Muadh ibn Jabal, the most learned of the community in what is lawful and unlawful; the Prophet sent him as a judge and teacher to Yemen. He died young in the plague of Amwas in 639, and the scholars of his time agreed on his jurisprudence.Who was Musa?
Musa son of Imran, Kalim Allah; the greatest of the prophets of the Children of Israel, bearer of the Torah and the nine miracles, and the one through whom the Children of Israel were delivered from Pharaoh.Who was Musab ibn Umayr?
Musab ibn Umayr, the first envoy in Islam; the Prophet sent him to Medina to teach its people the Qur'an before the Hijra, and he was martyred carrying the banner at the Battle of Uhud.Who was Nuh?
Nuh, the first of the Messengers of Steadfast Resolve; he called his people for a thousand years less fifty, and only a few believed. He built the ark by God's command, and the believers were saved from the Flood.Who was Saad ibn Abi Waqqas?
Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, the first to shoot an arrow in the cause of God and one whose supplications are answered; commander at al-Qadisiyya, conqueror of Persia and founder of Kufa.Who was Sulayman?
Sulayman son of Dawud, a prophet and king; God subjected the wind and the jinn to him, taught him the speech of birds, gave him a great kingdom to rule, and he built Bayt al-Maqdis.Who was Talha ibn Ubayd Allah?
Talha ibn Ubayd Allah al-Fayyad, one of the Ten Given Glad Tidings of Paradise, and the man of the Day of Uhud who shielded the Prophet with his own body; killed at the Battle of the Camel in 656.Who was Yunus, the one of the whale?
Yunus ibn Matta, Dhu al-Nun. He was angry with his people and boarded a ship. A fish swallowed him, and he called out in the darknesses, and God saved him. All of Nineveh then believed in him.Who was Yusuf the truthful?
Yusuf ibn Yaqub, a prophet of God. His brothers threw him into the well and sold him as a slave. The al-Aziz of Egypt bought him, and he endured the trial and prison until he was given charge of the treasuries of Egypt.Who was al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam?
al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, a close companion (hawari) of the Prophet and son of his aunt Safiyya. He was the first to draw a sword in the cause of God, and he was one of the ten given glad tidings of Paradise. He was killed in Wadi al-Siba after the Battle of the Camel.
Screening Room
Abu Lahab
1953 CE · 1372 AH†An early Egyptian film dramatising Abu Lahab's opposition to Islam in Mecca — among the first Arabic films on a Qur'anic figure.The Messiah
2007 CE · 1428 AH†Nader Talebzadeh's Iranian film presenting the life of Jesus from the Islamic perspective, including the Muslim account of the crucifixion.The Emigrant
1994 CE · 1415 AH†Youssef Chahine's retelling of the Joseph story set in ancient Egypt; its release sparked a legal battle in Egypt over depicting Qur'anic prophets on screen.The Men of Angelos
Farajollah Salahshour's Iranian series on the People of the Cave — the youths who slept through a pagan empire's persecution; an early Iranian religious drama widely dubbed into Arabic.Bilal: A New Breed of Hero
2015 CE · 1436 AH†The Emirati animated feature on Bilal ibn Rabah, from enslavement to becoming Islam's first muezzin — the first animated feature of its scale on a Companion.Innocence of Muslims
2012 CE · 1433 AH†A US short film produced by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula insulting the Prophet; its trailer ignited protests and attacks across several countries in 2012 and became a legal and diplomatic incident. Indexed as a document of anti-Islam polemics, not endorsed.Dawn of Islam
1971 CE · 1391 AH†Salah Dehni's Syrian film on Islam's dawn in Mecca and Quraysh's rejection — an early drama of the first preaching years that does not show the Prophet.The Life of Muhammad
A three-part BBC documentary presented by Rageh Omaar, tracing the Prophet's life on location in Arabia with scholars and contemporary Muslims.Islam: Empire of Faith
A three-part PBS/Gardner Films documentary surveying Islamic history from the Prophet's mission to the Ottoman empire — one of the most-broadcast documentaries on Islamic civilisation in the West.The Kingdom of Solomon
2010 CE · 1431 AH†Shahriar Bahrani's Iranian film on the prophet Solomon's kingdom as told in Islamic sources; Solomon appears on screen per Iranian convention.Saint Mary
2001 CE · 1422 AH†Shahriar Bahrani's Iranian film about Maryam daughter of Imran and the birth of Jesus, told from the Qur'anic and Islamic tradition.Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet
2002 CE · 1423 AH†A UPF documentary broadcast on PBS that interweaves the Prophet's biography with the lives of contemporary American Muslims.Muhammad: The Last Prophet
2002 CE · 1423 AH†An American animated feature about the Prophet's mission and the rise of Islam in Mecca, produced by Badr International; the Prophet is neither shown nor heard.Muhammad: The Messenger of God
2015 CE · 1436 AH†Majid Majidi's Iranian epic about the Prophet's childhood in Mecca; he is shown from behind and in silhouette, never his face. It was planned as the first part of a trilogy.Muhammad: The Final Legacy
The Syrian series on the Banu Hashim from Abd al-Muttalib to the Prophet's mission; it answers the depiction question by showing the Prophet's trace, not his person.Salman the Persian
Davoud Mirbagheri's Iranian mega-series on Salman al-Farisi's journey from Persia to Islam and his meeting with the Prophet — Iran's largest recent religious production.Imam Ali
Davoud Mirbagheri's Iranian series on Ali ibn Abi Talib from the Prophet's death to his martyrdom in Kufa; Ali is depicted on screen, per Shia convention.Omar
An MBC historical series following the life of Umar ibn al-Khattab from the Jahiliya to his assassination as caliph; the Prophet is neither shown nor heard.Prophet Joseph
A 45-episode Iranian series telling the complete story of the prophet Joseph; dubbed into dozens of languages and among Iran's most successful religious dramas.
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