3.7.1: Prophets
- Page ID
- 299478
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)A prophet is a man or woman who experiences a personal, divine assignment to proclaim the word of God. This is often referred to as a calling. It is important to emphasize the message a prophet shares is not from him or herself but God. Two religions founded by prophets are Judaism and Islam. Founders can be prophets, but not all prophets are founders. For example, there have been many prophets in Islam, such as Noah, Lot, Abraham, and many others. Even though these prophets were each called to share a message from or the word of God to others, they did not start, or found, a religion. The Prophet Muhammad is the founder of Islam.
Case study: the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad was born in Mecca about 570 CE into a respected merchant family of the Quraysh tribe. Mecca was at that time a very prosperous trading and religious center of the Arab world. His father died before he was born, and he lost his mother when he was only six. Muhammad was thus orphaned at an early age. He was raised by his grandfather and then by his uncle Abu Talib, by whom he was adopted. The Mecca of Muhammad’s youth was, of course, Arabian, and yet, through trade it came into contact with Byzantium, Ethiopian, and Indian cultural influence. These influences filtered through to other areas of life and caused Mecca and surroundings to find itself in a period of economic and political transition.
By the time that he was forty, Muhammad increasingly isolated himself in the hills around Mecca for prayer and meditation. In about 610 CE, Muhammad had the first of many remarkable experiences. In a cave on the Hira mountain, the holy scripture of Islam was revealed to him. Upon returning from the mountain, Muhammad began sharing this message from God; in this message to the people Muhammad denounced paganism and the polytheism of Mecca and preached the one God, Allah.
After a period in which Muhammad doubted his own sanity, he came to realize that the miraculous was happening: God, already known to Jews and Christians, had chosen him to be his final messenger to bring his revelation to the Arab people. Thus, the Prophet Muhammad is regarded as the last prophet of God. In subsequent years he came into contact with adherents of the so–called mystery religions, with Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians. He consistently proclaimed that Allah was the only God to be worshipped and that he, Muhammad, was Allah’s messenger. By submitting to Allah, people would experience peace and a life totally dedicated to Allah’s service.