15TH EDITION OF VOICE OF THE MIMBARR: ESSENCE OF PROPHETS AND MESSENGERS- BY DR. RAZAQ BOLAWAYE
In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful.
The justification for creating mankind for _Ibaadah_ finds essence in continual guidance from Allah. Passage of time and generation called for changes in social system is a just cause of sending Prophets and Messengers. Before long, let us look at what prophet-hood and messenger-hood portend in the cause of human kind. Prophet-hood is a connection between Allah, the Exalted, and intellectual being, receival of certain information about some event before it happens. A Prophet is he who receives information about Allah's worth. Words symbols for Prophet-hood featured in the glorious Qur'an seventy- five (75) times in various ethimological terms. In the same vein, Messenger-hood is all about message and delivery of such message to people. A book that contains precise information in the same portion. It can also be said to be a theses written as an outcome of investigation presented by a graduating student to his supervisor for the award of higher degree certificate. A Messenger is therefore, whoever is commanded to share information about Allah, and or his calling people unto what is revealed to him. Various words related to Messenger-hood feature in the glorious Qur'an sum up to three hundred and thirty-one variants, the most prominent of which is 'Rasul' variance about 116 times.
Qualities of Prophets and Messengers according to Islamic theology include Truthfulness, Trustworthiness, Intellectual, Transparency, Servitude and Loving among his people. Prophet is similar to Messenger in some traits but Messenger attracts higher degree of delivery portfolio. It is similar to the position of a Muslim and a _Mu'min_ in Islam.
The main purpose of evolving Prophetic and Messenger-hood office is mainly to set mankind on the right track of Servitude towards Allah as the main purpose of creation. The Glorious Qur'an 55:56 is categorical about this. Further explanation is given in Qur'an 2:165 saying: "Messengers as givers of tiding and as warners so that men might not have proof or escuse after having sent Messengers..." In a similar instance, Quran 16:36 provides that: "We have indeed established within every generation a Messenger telling them to worship Allah and shunning every cause of devils; among them are those who seek guidance and others on whom misguidance is imminent, then move on land and see the unbecoming of the liars against Allah."
The main instrument of Prophets and Messengers is Divine Books which include _Suhuf_ - Prophets Ibrahim, _Taorah_ - Musa, _Zaburah_ - Daud, Injil - Isa and the last of whom Prophet Muhammad (PBOH) - Glorious Qur'an. In Islam all the Prophets ans Messengers are reckoned with as from and on the same mission ( Allah). They sum up to be 124,313 in all. This number is projected to be the number of human bodily hair and or the number of the _Sahabah_ (Companions of Prophet Muhammad) according to some schools of thought. Among them are 25 Prophets mentioned in the Glorious Qur'an out of which the 5 above-mentioned attract paramount ( _Ulul_ ' _Azmi_ ).
The main content of the Divine Message as enshrined in the Glorious Qur'an include lawful, forbidden, self-explanatory and allegorical verses. Others include tiding giver, warning, stories, precaution and proverbs.
To this end, Ibn l Qayyim, _(R.L)_ gave clarification on _Tawaghiit_ (Causes of devil) while putting on record that: " _Taghut_ is whatever makes man to transgress in worship, follower-ship of instructions. Causes of devil abound out of which five are of edge. They are _Iblis_ (real devil), whoever is adored and he is pleased on such, whoever calls people to adore and worship him, whoever claims knowledge of the unseen (metaphysical) and whoever judges with other things apart from what Allah reveals."
The maiden Prophet is Adam and the final of them is Muhammad. The Glorious Qur'an places before us that the door of Prophet-hood is closed.with the arrival of Prophet Muhammad. This shows that any claim of Prophet-hood or Messenger-hood in not only fake but also a cause of devil calling.
The noble Messenger Muhammad was reported to have said: " The highest thing expected of a man is following Islam, whose spectacular sign is Salat but the vertex of all is Jihà d (Selfless efforts in the cause of Allah)."
More importantly, the import of the Messages in this edition revolves round inevitable convinction in the unique information brought by the Messengers as personified in the Prophet Muhammad. This is demonstrated in the following tradition which is self-explanatory.It reads:" I swear by the One in whose hand my soul is, no one would hear about me among these generations of Jews and Christians and dies without having believed in what I am sent with except he is among people of hell." This is the explanation of the Glorious Qur'an 11:17.
Summarily, where can right-thinking categorize the lots of Nigerian Christians than Jesus who in their usual 'prophecy' predict doom almost at the beginning of rach yest but to no avail. Can we call this holiness of worth or of devil? Yet therr are some of them whose mission appear redesigned, caution must be taken in swallowing the miens of fake and abracadabra Prophets and devil agents in the garb of holiness.
In the spirit of Ramadan, we pray Allah to bestow us blessings which beyond human imagination. Till we meet in the next episode, stay blessed and Ramadan Kareem.
DR. R.B UTHMAN,
IMAM, ADS Ipaja Branch, Lagos.
- Nigeria
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