Many Muslims do not understand the concept of Imamate simply because they lack a general understanding of the difference between Prophet & Messenger/Warner/Apostle/Imam/Guide.
(A Quranic definition)
One of the issues that always comes up when discussing the Quran is the difference between a Prophet (Nabi) and a Messenger (Rasoul). Since it is God who sends all Prophets and Messengers, then who better than God to give us the definition of each? Even though the definitions of the words Prophet and Messenger are clearly given in the Quran, the majority of Muslims do not accept the Quranic definition and instead uphold a definition of their own making, or one which they have inherited from their predecessors. Placing the interpretations of some Muslims above the words of God reflects a disbelief in God and His word (Quran). For that, we read the following clear warning in the Quran:
They took their scholars, their monks and the Messiah, the son of Mary, as lords besides God when they were commanded to worship only One God, there is no god but He. 9:31
God’s Definition of Prophet and Messenger
(Nabi and Rasoul)
In 3:81, 5:99 & 36:16 God defined the exact duty of the Prophet (Nabi) and also the duty of the Messenger (Rasoul):
“God took a covenant from the Prophets, “For what I have given you of the Scripture and Wisdom, then afterwards, a Messenger comes to you confirming what is with you; you shall believe in him and support him.” He said, “Do you agree to this and accept this obligation from Me?” They said, “We agree.” He said, “Therefore bear witness and I am with you among the witnesses.” 3:81
“The Messenger’s duty is but to proclaim/convey/notify” 5:99
“We are messengers to you, and our duty is only to proclaim/convey/notify” 36:16-17
Verses 3:81, 5:99 & 36:16, among many other verses, provide the definitions of a Prophet and also a Messenger. A Prophet is a Messenger of God who delivers “Scripture” and or “Wisdom”2, while a Messenger (who is not a Prophet) is commissioned by God to confirm an existing Scripture. Only the Messengers who deliver Scripture and or Wisdom are called Prophets. As a result, every Prophet is also a Messenger, but not every Messenger is a Prophet. Moreover, the above verse 3:81 complements verse 2:30 where Allah (swt) states “Indeed I will make upon the earth a successive authority.” This is because verse 3:81 states that Allah (swt) took a covenant from the Prophets and informed them that after their departure someone would succeed them and that it was their job to support the process. Hence, “Every prophet appointed a successor and ordered the people that till the arrival of the next prophet they must obey that successor so that the proof remains established on them and the successors used to judge on the basis of the book of Allah as mentioned in the Quran below.3”
“Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to Allah ] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allah , and they were witnesses thereto” 5:44
Since every Prophet is also a Messenger, but not every Messenger is a Prophet it follows that there will be many more “Messengers” than “Prophets.” Most of these “Messengers” the Quran rebrands as “Guides.”
13:7 “You are only a warner, and for every people is a guide.”
The mission of Prophets can be either passive or very active. When a Prophet passively conveys his message he is just a regular prophet; however, when a prophet comes with a new Shariat and is ordered to go full force he becomes a “Warner.”4 Prophet Muhammad (s) was a Warner.
“The people used to be one nation, then God sent the Prophets as bearers of news and as Warners. He brought the Scriptures down with them bearing the truth to judge among the people in their disputes.”-2:213
Those who are not sufficiently familiar with the Quran tend to think that Aaron was a Prophet who did not receive a Scripture. They claim that the Torah was given to Moses and not to Aaron! This is totally inaccurate since God ascertains that the Torah was given to both Moses and Aaron: The fact is that the Torah was revealed to Moses and Aaron at the request of Moses (20:29). Aaron would later act as a type executor and confirm the teachings of Moses when Moses disappeared to get the 10 commandments.
“And We gave the two of them (Moses and Aaron) the clarifying Book.” 37:117 (also 21:48).
More Proofs from the Quran
Prophethood and Scripture:
Whenever God mentions Prophethood in the Quran, God also mentions Scripture. The following are some examples:
“No human being whom God gave the Scripture, authority and Prophethood is then to say to the people, “Worship me rather than God.” But instead, “Devote yourselves to your Lord according to the Scripture you have been teaching and to what you have been studying.” 3:79
“These were the ones to whom We have given the Scripture, the law and the Prophethood. Therefore, if these people disbelieve in it, We have already entrusted it to people who do not disbelieve in it.” 6:89
“We granted him Isaac and Jacob and We placed among his descendants the Prophethood and the Scripture. We granted him his reward in this world and in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous.” 29:27
“We gave the Children of Israel the Scripture, judgement and Prophethood. We provided them with good provisions and favoured them over all people.” 45:16
“We sent Noah and Abraham and We placed among their descendants the Prophethood and the Scripture. Some of them were guided while many were wicked.” 57:26
Messenger Prophet and not, Prophet Messenger:
In 7:157 God described Prophet Muhammed as, “the Messenger Prophet” and not as ‘the Prophet Messenger.’ This is not a coincidence, God does not do coincidences! The reason is that not every Messenger is a Prophet, and so in the case of Muhammad, he was a Messenger who was also a Prophet (as opposed to Messengers who are not Prophets).
Moses, the Messenger Prophet:
Along the same lines, we read in 19:51 that Moses was a “Messenger Prophet,” and not as a Prophet Messenger.
Ismail, the Messenger Prophet:
The same in 19:54 about Ishmael.
The question is: if every Messenger is also a Prophet, why would God need to emphasize that Muhammad, Moses and Ishmael, each one was a “Messenger Prophet”?
Other examples are found in the Quran to clarify this description:
Messenger nor a Prophet:
Perhaps one of the strongest pieces of Quranic evidence that the words Prophet and Messenger do not have the same meaning, is found in the following verse:
“We did not send before you any Messenger, nor a Prophet, without the devil attempting to tamper with his wishes.” 22:52
If the words Prophet and Messenger had the same meaning God would not be saying “Messenger, nor a Prophet,” for it would be an unnecessary repetition.
Significance of 33:40 and 10:47
“Muhammad was not the father of any of your men, but he was a Messenger of God and the seal of the Prophets. God is Knowledgeable of all things.” 33:40
According to 33:40, Muhammad was the last of all Prophets. There will be no Prophets to come after him. And since it is only the Prophets who deliver the Scriptures, it follows that the Quran is the final Scripture to be sent by God. We must also be aware that 33:40 clearly states that Muhammad was a “Messenger of God” and not “The seal of the Messengers.” God is very deliberate with His choice of words. If Muhammad was also the last of all Messengers, as the Sunni’s call him (Khatam Al-Mursaleen), then why does God call him only “A Messenger of God”?
The reply is found in the following Quranic verses:
“For every nation is a Messenger. After their Messenger comes, they are judged equitably and they will not be wronged.” 10:47
“And they say, “When will this promise come true, if you are truthful?” 10:48
1- The words in 10:47 confirm that every nation receives a Messenger, and since there will be nations on earth until the end of the world then it also follows that there will always be Messengers/Imams/Guides until the end of the world. That is why Muhammad is not the last Messenger. After Muhammad the 12 Shia Imams (AS) take on the role of being a type of “Messenger;” however, they are correctly defined as Imams.
2- The words 10:48 speak of the coming of Messengers/Imams/Guides in the future. It is an event which would happen after the revelation of the Quran and after the Prophet Muhammad. This is why the ones asking in 10:48 are asking about a future event and saying:
“When will this promise come true?”
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To conclude:
1- All Prophets are also Messengers, simply because they deliver a message from God.
2- Many Messengers do not deliver a Scripture, they are not Prophets but can be Imams or Guides.
3- There will be Messengers (The 12 Shia Imams) to come after Muhammad, all the way to the end of the world (10:47)
4- Muhammad was the final Prophet. No Prophets will come after Muhammad (33:40)
5- Therefore, all Messengers who come after Muhammad (s) will not be Prophets; the divinely appointed messengers after Muhammad are simply the 12 Imams who are the Leaders that convey & proclaim the teachings of Islam. A regular fallible person spreading the message of Islam today is also theoretically a type of messenger as the Quran hints at in verse 39:71. Also, in the Quran Angels can be messengers as in verse 19:19. This is why in verse 33:40 the Quran cannot declare that Muhammad (s) is the last messenger.
Muhammad was not the father of any of your men, but he was a Messenger
of God and the seal of the Prophets. God is Knowledgeable of all things. 33:40
This glorious verse, which speaks about Prophet Muhammad, tells us that he was a Messenger of God and the Final Prophet.
The Quran provides a clear difference between Prophets, and Messengers who are not Prophets as discussed above.
The meaning of this verse was sadly misunderstood by many sunni scholars so as to call Muhammad the last Messenger and last Prophet. It is clear that in this verse, Muhammad is called “A Messenger” and not the “Last Messenger.” Nowhere in the Quran is Muhammad called the “Last Messenger.” Nevertheless, the traditional Sunni scholars insist on calling Muhammad the “Last Messenger.” Perhaps the main reason for this corruption is due to the scholars’ ignorance of the fact that God makes a clear distinction in the Quran between the terms “Messenger” and “Prophet.”
We learn from the Quran that every Prophet is also a Messenger, but not every Messenger is a Prophet, please see above.
Only Prophets are sent with a Scripture to deliver. Thus, Moses (Torah), Jesus (Injeel), David (Psalms) and Muhammad (Quran) were among God’s Prophets because they delivered Scriptures. However, there are many Messengers (Imams, Guides, Hujja¹) sent by God who are assigned various tasks to accomplish without delivering a new Scripture. As a result, the number of Messengers far exceeds the number of Prophets. Hence, it is not necessary for God to list in the Quran the names of all the Messengers:
“There have been Messengers about whom We have narrated to you, and Messengers We have not narrated to you.” 4:164
We read in the Quran that God sends a Messenger to every nation and since nations will exist until the end of the world, then a Messenger will always exist among mankind at all times:
“For every nation is a Messenger.” 10:47
These words are then followed by:
They say, “When will this promise come true, if you are truthful?” 10:48
“Say, ‘I possess no power to bring upon myself any harm or benefit; it is only what God wills.’ For every nation there is a specified term. Once their time comes, they cannot move it backwards by one hour, nor bring it forward.” 10:49
Verse 48 confirms that the subject of future Messengers does not speak of Muhammad since he was challenged with the words: “when will this promise come to pass?”
Verse 49 confirms that Muhammad is commanded to reply that he does not have the answer, and that it is a matter left to God’s will.
As a result, in accordance with 33:40, Muhammad was not the last Messenger. He was the last Prophet, which means that there will be no Scripture sent by God after the Quran.
The reason most Muslims think that Muhammad (s) is the Final Messenger is because the Quran refers to him as “The Messenger.” As a result, because the Quran repeatedly in numerous verses refers to Muhammad (s) as “The Messenger,” Muslims unfortunately conflated the word “Messenger” with all of the attributes and characteristics of the final “Messenger Prophethood” of Muhammad (s). However, this is incorrect because not all messengers are the same as Prophet Muhammad (s) in rank and mission. This error has contributed to the Muslim Ummah going astray in the most spectacular fashion. This misunderstanding that Muhammad (s) is the Final Messenger has lead to the wholesale rejection and misunderstanding of Hadith Al Thaqalayn, which was left as a guidance to mankind after the Final Prophethood of Muhammad (s).
What is An Imam¹?
Now that we have discussed the difference between prophet & messenger we can elaborate on what an Imam is. The Imam is the highest level someone commissioned by Allah can reach. We read in the Quran that after Abraham was tested by his Lord and passed all tests he was promoted to the rank of Imam.
“And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled: He said: “I will make thee an Imam to the Nations.” 2:124
Imamate (leadership) is the authority to lead an Islamic government and also is a very lofty spiritual and religious position. In addition to leading the Islamic government, the imam is responsible for guiding people in all aspects of their religious and worldly lives. He guides people’s minds and souls, and protects the Holy Prophet’s laws from any alteration or change. He brings to fruition the purpose for which the Holy Prophet (S) was sent. The Imam literally takes people by the hand and brings them to their destination.6 “The fact is that above all other things society needs leadership, development is not possible without guidance and leadership….”Prophethood is guidance while Imamat is leadership. Imamat and Prophethood are two different assignments and two different states. They are often separable. Many prophets only conveyed revelations; they were not Imams.6”
We believe that all of the arch-prophets in Quranic verse 33:7 (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus & Muhammad) were Imams. They brought about with actions that which they preached in their missions. They were the people’s spiritual, physical, external and internal leaders. In particular the Holy Prophet (S) possessed this lofty position of imamate and divine leadership from the start of his mission. His task was not summed up with merely proclaiming God’s commandments, rather he was given authority as an Imam to lead. After the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) passed away the Imamate passed to Ali (see the verse of proclamation 5:67) and then to the imams from Ali’s progeny. The appointment of each successive Imam was authorized by Allah similarly to how Aaron was appointed (Quran 20:29.) Since Muhammad and the 12 Imams are the last Imams they inherit all of the knowledge of all previous prophets; it is inculcated into their minds by Allah (Quran 3:81.) Hence, they have attained the highest levels ever reached by anyone commissioned by Allah (Quran 2:253 &17:55).
Prophets and Messengers Were Sent Everywhere
At any given snap shot point of time from Adam till today the truth is always protected by God such that a truth seeker will always be able to find it and get guidance. This means a truth-seeker located in any part of the world will find guidance at any point in history (50:16. 10:25, 15:9 2:257).
Quran 10:47 “And every nation had a messenger; so when their messenger came, the matter was decided between them with justice and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.”
Quran 14:4 “And We have sent NO Messenger save with the tongue of his people, that he might make all clear to them; then God leads astray whomsoever He will, and He guides whomsoever He will; and He is the All-mighty, the All-wise.”
Allah sent Messengers to every nation and He stated that they came one after another, as He says:
Quran 23:44 “Then We sent Our messengers in succession. Every time there came to a nation its messenger, they denied him, so We made them follow one another [to destruction], and We made them narrations. So away with a people who do not believe. ”
Quran 35:24 “Verily! We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner. And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them.”
Allah has named some of those Messengers and told us the stories of some of them, but not of many others. Allah, may He be exalted, says:
Quran 4:163-164 “Verily, We have inspired you (O Muhammad SAW) as We inspired Nooh (Noah) and the Prophets after him; We (also) inspired Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Ishaque (Isaac), Yaqoob (Jacob), and Al-Asbat (the twelve sons of Yaqoob (Jacob)), Iesa (Jesus), Ayub (Job), Yoonus (Jonah), Haroon (Aaron), and Sulaiman (Solomon), and to Dawood (David) We gave the Zaboor (Psalms). And Messengers We have mentioned to you before, and Messengers We have not mentioned to you, – and to Moosa (Moses) Allah spoke directly.”
Quran 40:78 “And certainly We sent messengers before you: there are some of them that We have mentioned to you and there are others whom We have not mentioned to you.”
Allah reinforces this concept when he addresses Muhammad
Quran13:7 “You are only a warner (Muhammad) , and for every people is a guide.”
The Time Period Between Jesus (s) & Muhammad (s)
Most Muslims believe that there is no divinely appointed person that exists between the time of two prophets. Muslims sight the example of the time period between Jesus (s) and Muhammad (s). They state that there was no divinely appointed person leading the Ummah during this period and it was a period of darkness. However, there are traditions which state that the earth cannot remain devoid of a divinely appointed Proof of Allah until Judgment Day, and it has never remained so from the time of Adam (s) until now. The most common well known tradition among all Muslim sects is the hadith that states:
“He who dies without recognizing the Imam of his time, would die a pre-Islamic death.”
“The Shias maintain the earth cannot be devoid of a divinely appointed person who is alive, whether he is apparent and visible or in occultation. Hence, neither Imamate1 has discontinued nor its discontinuation permissible. It is continuous like the continuation of the days and nights. The reason most Muslims are unaware of this is because they are unaware of the concept of “Fatara.”
“Fatara” means a time when no messenger, prophet or successor is apparent and well known as it was before that time. Thus, “Fatara” means secret, hidden and restriction of open propagation and not the complete absence of a person. Between Prophet Isa (s) and Prophet Muhammad (s) a large number of prophets and successors were sent and their duty was to remind the people about the divine commands and to protect the bequests, books and sciences that have reached them through the messengers. And all the messengers from them had propagated the matters that reached them from Allah, the Mighty and Sublime and the successors of those prophets guarded those sciences and wills. It is also proved by the Quran that the Almighty Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (s) at a time when no messenger prophet had come for a long time and not at the time when there was no prophet or successor. Between Prophet Isa (s) and Prophet Muhammad (s) many prophets and Guides came who remained in hiding due to the fear of the people. Among them was also the prophet, Khalid bin Sinan Absasi who none can deny because traditions about him are found in the Shia as well as Sunni collections. His daughter was alive till the time of the Holy Prophet (s), and she came to meet him. The Holy Prophet (s) said: “She is the daughter of the prophet whom his community had weakened and that was Khalid bin Sinan.” There was a period of fifty years between him and the appointment of the Holy Prophet (s). His full name was Khalid bin Sinan Baeeth bin Mureet bin Makhzoom bin Malik bin Ghaib bin Qatiya bin Abs…. “When the daughter of Khalid bin Sinan Abasi came to the Messenger of Allah (s) he said: Welcome, the daughter of my brother. He called her near and spread out his cloak for her and made her sit near him. Then he said: She is the daughter of the prophet whose community had weakened him and that was Khalid bin Sinan Absi.” Her name was Mahiya bint Khalid bin Sinan.
It is obligatory in the knowledge of the Almighty Allah that the people cannot be left without a messenger who warns them as long as divine duties are incumbent on them. Thus continuous messengers/guides came for them as the Almighty Allah says:
“Then We sent Our apostles one after another; whenever there came to a people their apostle, they called him a liar, so We made some of them follow others.” 23:44
“[We sent] messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allah after the messengers.” 4:165
Because the proof is exhausted on the people only when Allah sends the messengers as the Almighty Allah has mentioned:
“And if We had destroyed them with a punishment before him, they would have said, “Our Lord, why did You not send to us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses before we were humiliated and disgraced?” 20:134
The earth has never been devoid of messengers, prophets and successors, although due to the fear of the enemies some of them did not propagate openly and they confined their propagation to the believers till the appointment of Prophet Muhammad (S). The last successor of Prophet Isa (a.s.) was Aabi and some say that it was Balit.”
Narrated to us my father that: Narrated to us Saad bin Abdullah: Narrated to us Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Isa and Muhammad bin Husain bin Abil Khattab and Yaqoob bin Yazid al-Katib and Ahmad bin Hasan bin Ali bin Fuddal from Abdullah bin Bukair from Abi Abdullah (a.s.) that he said:
“The name of the last successor of Prophet Isa (a.s.) was Aabi.”
And narrated to us Muhammad bin Hasan bin Ahmad bin Walid: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Hasan Saffar and Saad bin Abdullah; all of them from Yaqoob bin Yazid al-Katib from Muhammad bin Abi Umair from one who narrated to our associates – from Abi Abdullah (a.s.) that he said:
“The name of the last successor of Prophet Isa (a.s.) was Balit.”
And narrated to us my father and Muhammad bin Hasan (r.a.): narrated to us Saad bin Abdullah: Narrated to us Haitham Ibne Abi Masrooq Nahdi and Muhammad bin Abdul Jabbar from Ismail bin Sahal from Muhammad bin Abi Umair from Durust bin Abi Mansur Wasiti and others from Abi Abdullah (a.s.) that he said:
“Salman Farsi (r.a.) went to many scholars in search of truth. At last he came to Aabi and he remained with him till Allah wanted. When the appearance of the Holy Prophet (S) took place Aabi said: O Salman, the one you are searching for has appeared in Mecca. So Salman (r.a.) went out towards him.”
Narrated to us my father and Muhammad bin Hasan (r.a.); they said: Narrated to us Saad bin Abdullah that: Narrated to us a group of our Kufi associates from Muhammad bin Ismail bin Bazi from Umayyah bin Ali Qaisi that he said: Narrated to me Durust bin Abi Mansur Wasiti that he asked Abul Hasan Awwal, that is Imam Musa Kazim (a.s.):
“Was Aabi a divine proof on the Holy Prophet (S)?” He replied, “No, rather the heirloom of the prophets reached to the Holy Prophet (S) through Aabi and he accepted it.” I asked, “Was the Holy Prophet (S) a divine proof on Aabi?” He replied, “He accepted the messengership of the Holy Prophet (S) and whatever was revealed on him. He conveyed to him the heirloom of the prophets and died the same day.”
Thus “Fatara” means secret, hidden and restriction of open propagation and not the complete absence of a person.
Opponents of the concept of “Fatara” present two verses of Quran:
That you may warn a people to whom no warner has come before you. 32:3
And the other verse is:
And We have not given them any books which they read, nor did We send to them before you a warner.34:44
Our opponents use these verses to prove that no prophet, messenger or Divine Proof came between Prophet Isa (a.s.) and the Holy Prophet (S). Actually they are misinterpreting these verses. They are talking about a warner and warners are only messenger (prophets) that bring a new Shariat and renew the past shariat and through some commands they abrogate some laws. The word of warner is not used for regular prophets and successors. As the Almighty Allah says to the Holy Prophet (S):
You are only a warner and (there is) a guide for every people.13:7
Thus warners are only messenger (prophets) and the prophets and successors are called guides. And the statement of Allah: ‘There is a guide for every people’ itself proves that the earth can never remain devoid of Divine Proof. It is necessary for the Almighty Allah to appoint prophets and Divine Proofs for the people of all time and of every community.
Thus for Allah, the Mighty and Sublime it was necessary that till the divine laws are binding on the people there should be uninterrupted guidance through prophets and successors as they will fulfill the duty of warning the people. Although it is possible that the series of warners may stop as was the case after Prophet Muhammad (S) and no warner came after him.
Narrated to me my father and Muhammad bin Hasan (r.a.); they said: Narrated to us Saad bin Abdullah: Narrated to us Muhammad bin Husain bin Abil Khattab and Yaqoob bin Yazid, all of them from Hammad bin Isa from Hariz bin Abdullah from Muhammad bin Muslim that he said:
I asked Abi Abdullah (a.s.) regarding the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime
You are only a warner and (there is) a guide for every people.13:7
He replied: “Every Imam is a guide of his community in his time.”
Narrated to us my father: Narrated to us Saad bin Abdullah: Narrated to us Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Isa from his father from Ibne Abi Umair from Umar bin Uzainah from Buraid bin Muawiyah Ijli that he said:
“I asked Abi Ja’far (a.s.) regarding the meaning of:
You are only a warner and (there is) a guide for every people.13:7
He replied: ‘Warner means the Holy Prophet (S) and guide means Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.). And at every time and in every period (after Prophet Muhammad (s)) there will be an Imam from us who will call the people towards the teachings of the Messenger of Allah (S).’”
A large number of traditions like this have been recorded and the words of Allah when He said to His Prophet:
That you may warn a people to whom no warner has come before you.32:3
It means that no messenger (prophet) came to them before that who may have made changes in the Shariat or community. Neither negation was done to the guidance of their successors; and how can the Almighty Allah negate this when He says:5″
And they swore by Allah with the strongest of their oaths that if there came to them a warner they would be better guided than any of the nations; but when there came to them a warner it increased them in naught but aversion. 35:42
Notes: