Nubuwwah — Prophethood in Islam

Nubuwwah (prophethood) is Allah's chosen means of guiding humanity. Rather than leaving people to determine truth and falsehood on their own, Allah sent prophets and messengers from among human beings to convey His message, demonstrate its application, and serve as living examples of righteousness. The Quran states: "We sent a messenger to every community, saying: Worship Allah and avoid taghut" (Quran 16:36). Every prophet came with the same core message of Tawhid, though the specific laws (shariah) varied according to the time and people.

The Distinction Between Nabi and Rasul

Islamic scholarship distinguishes between a nabi (prophet) and a rasul (messenger). The majority opinion holds that a rasul is one who received a new divine law and was commanded to convey it to a people, while a nabi is one who was given revelation but followed the law of a previous messenger. Every rasul is a nabi, but not every nabi is a rasul. The Quran names 25 prophets, but there were many more: "And We have already sent messengers before you. Among them are those whose stories We have related to you, and among them are those whose stories We have not related to you" (Quran 40:78). The Prophet said: "The prophets number 124,000, and among them 315 were messengers" (Musnad Ahmad, though its chain is debated).

Qualities of the Prophets

The prophets share certain essential qualities. They are truthful (sidq) and never lie about Allah. They are trustworthy (amanah) in conveying the message completely. They possess intelligence (fatanah) to argue effectively and address their people's doubts. They are protected from major sins (ismah), though scholars differ on whether this includes minor sins before prophethood. They are human beings who eat, drink, marry, and experience human emotions: "Say: I am only a man like you, to whom it has been revealed that your god is one God" (Quran 18:110). Their humanity is essential so that people can follow their example.

The Need for Prophethood

Human reason alone is insufficient to determine all of Allah's commands, the details of worship, the nature of the afterlife, and the boundaries of halal and haram. Prophethood fills this gap by providing divine guidance that addresses both the spiritual and practical dimensions of life. The prophets came with miracles (mu'jizat) as proof of their truthfulness: Musa's staff, Isa's healing, and Muhammad's Quran. These miracles corresponded to what each prophet's people excelled in, so the proof was unmistakable.

The Seal of the Prophets

Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the final prophet and messenger. The Quran declares: "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets" (Quran 33:40). The Prophet himself said: "There will be no prophet after me" (Sahih al-Bukhari). His message is universal (for all humanity and jinn) and eternal (valid until the Day of Judgment). The finality of prophethood means that the Quran and Sunnah contain everything needed for guidance until the end of time, and that any claim to prophethood after Muhammad is false and rejected by the unanimous consensus of the ummah.