One of the fundamental beliefs of religion is ‘prophethood’, that God sent prophets for man’s guidance in every age, the last in the chain of prophets being Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib. These prophets were sent because there is a limit to human knowledge, and man cannot discover guiding principles for his life on his own. There is an unseen world and a life after death that man cannot discover merely through intellectual endeavours. That is why man needed to believe in God’s prophets and receive guidance from them.
The guidance Prophet Muhammad received from God has been fully preserved in its original form. The first revelation the Prophet of Islam received forms part of the 96th chapter titled Al-Alaq (The Clot) of the Quran. God said: “Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One Who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know.” (96:3-5)
It is a declaration that man cannot find guidance on his own. In fields like agriculture, horticulture, engineering, etc., man gains knowledge through experience in his daily life. However, the superior knowledge required for man’s eternal guidance cannot be attained by man’s efforts. Therefore, it is necessary to receive higher learning through prophetic guidance.
God has provided eternal guidance to man through his Prophets throughout history.
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Human destiny, by Islamic lights, is a matter of man having been placed on this earth by God, so that he may be put to the test—the test being of his capacity to make correct moral choices. It is for this purpose that man has been given complete freedom, for without such freedom, the divine test would have no meaning and no validity.
It is required of man that he should lead his life on earth following a regimen of strict self-discipline. Wherein should he find the guiding principles for such a course? The answer, according to Islam, is in prophethood. Throughout the history of mankind, God appointed certain human beings—prophets—who would be the recipients and conveyors of His guidance as sent through His angels. The last in the series was the Prophet Muhammad.
When God created human beings, He also arranged for a series of prophets for their guidance. In every age and in every nation God has sent prophets so that they may convey God’s messages to people. So far as material resources were concerned, a person could find these on his own, but so far as life’s principles were concerned, God continued to send prophets for the purpose of conveying them to mankind.
Every prophet was an equally true representative. But, with the passage of time, the books brought by the previous prophets were either forgotten by their followers or had interpolations made in them by human beings. Ultimately, God sent the Final Prophet with the Quran, and God took it upon Himself to preserve this guidebook in its totality so that it might be a source of authentic guidance for people in every age.
The sum and substance of the reality revealed by Almighty God through His prophets is that every person has to receive whatever reward befits his deeds. Nobody can save himself from the fate resulting from his deeds and nobody other than himself can be his saviour. There are none more foolish in this world of God than those who are not affected by this prophetic warning.
So far as a person’s affairs in relation to God are concerned, everyone is responsible for his own deeds. No one can share in the consequences of the actions of others, nor can anyone be of help in any way to others. In the world of God, everyone will be rewarded according to what he has done for himself. As he sows, so shall he reap. No one’s efforts or deeds shall be of any benefit to others.
Source: Principles of Islam
When a machine is produced it is accompanied by a set of instructions for its use. An engineer is also commissioned to give a practical demonstration of how the machine functions. Man is an even more intricately designed but animate machine. When he is born, he suddenly finds himself in a world where no mountain bears an inscription answering questions concerning the nature of the world, or explaining how he should live on earth. No educational institution produces experts who know the secret of life or who can provide man with practical guidance.
To satisfy this need felt by man, God sent His prophets to the world, every one of whom brought with him the word of God. In the scriptures revealed to them, God has explained the reality of life to man, and has made it clear what man should and should not do. They showed man what sentiments and ideas he should adopt; how he should remember his Lord; how he should live with his fellows, what he should associate himself with and disassociate himself from. The prophets’ lives are a practical demonstration of how a person should live a God-fearing life.
God has given everyone the power to distinguish between right and wrong. He has also placed countless signs in space and on Earth from which man can learn. Moreover, His revelations have been set down in human language and several of His servants chosen from amongst mankind as prophets, so that there should be no doubt as to the true path.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
