One of the fundamental beliefs of religion is ‘prophethood,’ that God sent prophets for man’s guidance in every age. According to a hadith, more than one lakh messengers were sent to guide the people. However, the prophets mentioned by name in the Quran are two-dozen in number. They told humans of God’s will but, there are no authentic records of the teachings of the prophets of ancient times. The later circumstances failed to authenticate their personalities as factually historical and their books also suffered the same fate. Finally, God chose the Prophet Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib as His Messenger and the last in the chain of prophets. He was born at a time when world history had begun to be put on record. Subsequently, with the invention of the printing press, he became widely acknowledged as a historically established figure, and the Book divinely revealed to him, was preserved for all eternity. Ultimately, there was no possibility that any changes could be made in this divine book that was revealed to the Prophet of Islam. The Prophet Muhammad was the final messenger to humanity. No prophet will come after him.
A prophet is one who has been selected to represent God on Earth. When God chooses a human being as His messenger, His angel comes to him to inform him of this selection. In this way, he is left in no doubt that he is indeed God’s messenger. Afterwards, God sends him His teachings through Angel Gabriel so that he may inform all human beings of God’s will. The prophet is an intermediary between God and man. He takes from God His message and conveys it to human beings.
God has bestowed human beings with reason but, through reason alone, an individual cannot understand the deeper realities of the present life. So far as God and the world Hereafter are concerned, this is totally related to the invisible world and as such, these things are beyond human reason and understanding. What the prophet does is fulfil this need of every individual. The Prophet informs a person of the realities of life and of the world Hereafter. In this way, he enables people to plan their lives in the full light of divine knowledge.
Source: The Spirit of Islam Magazine
