Prophet Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) said that îmân was to believe in six certain facts. He declared that “First of all, to believe in Allâhu ta’âlâ, second to believe in His angels, third to believe the Books revealed by Allâhu ta’âlâ.” And he went on to declare the rest of them:
The fourth of the six fundamentals of îmân is “to believe in Allâhu ta’âlâ’s prophets,” who were sent to make people attain the way He likes and to guide them to the right path. Literally ‘rusul’ (pl. of rasûl) were the ‘people sent, messengers.’ In Islam, ‘rasûl’ means ‘noble, respectable person whose nature, character, knowledge and intellect are higher than those of all the people of his time, having no bad trait in his character and no disliked manner.’ Prophets had the quality ’Isma, that is, they did not commit any grave or venial sins before or after they were informed of their nubuwwa (prophethood, prophetship). After they were informed of their nubuwwa and until their nubuwwa was known and spread out, they did not have such defects as blindness, deafness or the like. It has to be believed that every prophet had seven peculiarities: Amâna (trustworthiness), Sidq (devotion), Tablîgh (communication), Adâla (justness), ’Isma (purity), Fatâna (superintelligence) and Amn al-’azl (security against dismissal from nubuwwa).
A prophet who brought a new religion is called a “rasûl” (messenger). A prophet who did not bring a new religion but invited people to the previous religion is called a “nabî” (prophet). In the communication (tablîgh) of commands and in calling the people to Allâhu ta’âlâ’s religion, there is no difference between a rasûl and a nabî. We have to believe that all prophets, without exception, were devoted and truthful. He who does not believe in one of them is regarded as not believing in any.
Nubuwwa cannot be attained by working hard, by suffering hunger or discomfort, or by praying very much. It is possessed only with Allâhu ta’âlâ’s favour and selection. Religions were sent through the mediation of prophets in order arrange a useful life for people in this world and the next, and to prevent them from harmful acts and make them attain salvation, guidance, ease and happiness. Though they had many enemies and were mocked and treated harshly, prophets did not fear the enemies and showed no hesitation in communicating to people Allâhu ta’âlâ’s commands about the facts to be believed and the things to be done. Allâhu ta’âlâ supported His prophets with mu’jizas to show that they were devoted and truthful. No one could stand against their mu’jizas. The community of a prophet is called his umma. On the Day of Judgement, prophets will be permitted to intercede for their ummas, especially for the ones who were gravely sinful, and their intercession will be accepted. Allâhu ta’âlâ will permit also the ’ulamâ’, sulahâ’ and awliyâ’ among their ummas to intercede, and their intercession will be accepted. Prophets (’alaihimu ’s-salawâtu wa ’t-taslîmât) are alive in their graves in a life we cannot know; earth does not cause their blessed bodies to rot. For this reason, it was said in a hadîth-i-sherîf, “Prophets perform salât and hajj in their graves.”
While the blessed eyes of a prophet slept, the eyes of this heart did not sleep. All prophets (’alaihimu ’s-salâm) were equal in doing their duties as prophets and in possessing the excellences of nubuwwa. The above-mentioned seven peculiarities existed in all of them. Prophets were never dismissed from nubuwwa. The Awliyâ’, however, may be deprived of Wilâya. Prophets were human beings but not genies or angels, who could never be prophets for human beings or attain the degree of a prophet. Prophets had superiority to and honours above one another. For example, because his umma and the countries he was sent to were larger and because his knowledge and ma’rifa spread in a vaster area and because his miracles were more plentiful and continual and because there were special blessings and favours for him, the Prophet of the Last Age, Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm), was higher than all other prophets. The prophets called Ulu ’l-’azm were higher than the others. The rasûls were higher than the nabîs who were not rasûls.
The number of prophets (’alaihimu ’s-salâm) is not known. It is well known that they were more than 124,000. Among them, 313 or 315 were rasûls; the six higher rasûls among them, called Ulu ’l-’azm, were: Âdam, Nûh (Noah), Ibrâhîm (Abraham), Mûsâ (Moses), ’Îsâ (Jesus) and Muhammad Mustafâ (’alaihimu ’s-salâtu wa ’s-salâm).
The following thirty-three prophets are well-known: Âdam, Idrîs, Shît (or Shis), Nûh, Hûd, Sâlih, Ibrâhîm, Lût, Ismâ’îl, Is’hâq, Ya’qûb, Yûsuf, Ayyûb, Shu’aib, Mûsâ, Hârûn, Khidir, Yûshâ’ ibn Nûn, Ilyâs, Alyasa’, Dhu ’l-kifl, Sham’un, Ishmoil, Yûnus ibn Matâ, Dâwûd, Sulaimân, Luqmân, Zakariyyâ, Yahyâ, ’Uzair, ’Îsâ ibn Mariam, Dhu ’l-qarnain and Muhammad (’alaihimu ’s-salâtu wa ’s-salâm).
Only the names of twenty-eight of them are written in the Qur’ân al-kerîm. Shît, Khidir, Yûshâ’, Sham’un and Ishmoil are not written. Among the twenty-eight, it is not certain whether Dhu ’l-qarnain, Luqmân and ’Uzair were prophets or not.
Ibrâhîm (’alaihi ’s-salâm) is Khalîl-Allah, because there was no love for creatures and there was only love for Allâhu ta’âlâ in his heart. Mûsâ (’alaihi ’s-salâm) is Kalîm-Allâh, because he spoke with Allâhu ta’âlâ. ’Îsâ (’alaihi ’s-salâm) is Kalimat-Allâh, for he did not have a father and was born only upon al-Kalimat al-ilâhiyya (the Divine Word) ‘Be!’ Furthermore, he preached Allâhu ta’âlâ’s words, which were full of Divine Wisdom, and communicated them to the ears of people.
Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm), who is the reason for the creation of all creatures and the highest, the most prominent, the most honourable of mankind, is Habîb-Allâh (Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Darling). There were many evidences proving his greatness and superiority and that he was Habîb-Allâh. For this reason, such words as ‘was overcome’ or ‘was defeated’ cannot be said about him. At Resurrection, he will rise from his grave before everybody. He will go to the place of Judgement first. He will go to Paradise before everybody. Though the beautiful traits in his character cannot be concluded by counting, nor would human energy suffice to count them, we will ornament our book by writing down some of them:
Let us cite some of the innumerable evidences showing that Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm) is the Most Superior (Sayyid al-Anbiyâ’) of prophets (’alaihimu ’s-salâwâtu wa ’t-taslîmât).
On the Day of Judgement all prophets will shelter in the shade of his banner. Allâhu ta’âlâ commanded all prophets (’alaihimu ’s-salâm) that, if they would remain alive till the time of Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm), who, among creatures, was His Darling Elect, they should believe him and be his assistant. Also, all prophets ordered their ummas the same in their last requests.
Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm) was the Khâtam al-anbiyâ’ (the Last Prophet), that is, no prophet will succeed him. His blessed soul was created before all prophets. The status of nubuwwa was given first to him. Nubuwwa was completed with his honouring the world. Towards the end of the world, during the time of Hadrat al-Mahdî, ’Îsâ (alaihi ’s-salâm) will descend from the sky to Damascus and join Muhammad’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm) umma and preach Islam on the earth.
Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm) is the highest of prophets and is Allâhu ta’âlâ’s compassion for all creatures. 18,000 ’âlams (worlds of beings) received benefit from his ocean of blessings. By the consensus (of the ’ulamâ’), he is the Prophet for all human beings and genies. Many (scholars) said he was the Prophet for angels, plants, animals and for every substance. While other prophets had been sent to certain tribes in certain countries, Rasûlullah (’alaihi ’s-salâm) was and is the Prophet of all worlds and all the living and lifeless creatures. Allâhu ta’âlâ had addressed other prophets by their names. As for Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm), He favoured him by addressing him, “Oh My Prophet (Rasûl)!” The like of every miracle that had been granted to every prophet was presented to him. Allâhu ta’âlâ bestowed upon His Beloved Prophet more gifts and granted him more miracles than He had done to any other prophet of His. He was made superior to all prophets with countless honours and excellences: the moon split into two when he made a sign with his blessed finger; the stones in his palm uttered the Name of Allah; trees greeted him by saying, “O Rasûlallah”; the dry log named Hannâna cried because Rasûlullah (’alaihi ’s-salâm) departed from its side and left it alone; pure water flowed down through his blessed fingers; one of his miracles was his ascent to the Mi’râj [2]; the high grades of al-Maqâm al-Mahmûd, ash-Shafâ’at al-kubrâ, al-Hawd al-Kawthar, al-Wasîla and al-Fadîla were said to be given to him in the next world; he had the honour of seeing Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Jamâl before entering Paradise; he had the greatest moral quality in the world, the most perfect faith, knowledge, gentleness, patience, gratitude, zuhd (devotion, asceticism), chastity, justness, heroism, bashfulness, bravery, modesty, wisdom, beautiful manners, helpfulness, mercy and inexhaustible honors and honourable traits. No one but Allâhu ta’âlâ knows the number of miracles given to him. His religion abrogated all other religions. His religion was the best and highest of all the religions. His umma is higher than all other ummas. The Awliyâ’ of his umma are more honourable than the Awliyâ’ of other ummas.
Allâhu ta’âlâ sent His Messenger (’alaihi’s-salâm) so that he would communicate and teach the Qur’ân al-kerîm. As-Sahâbat al-kirâm learned the knowledge in the Qur’ân al-kerîm from Rasûlullah. The Islamic scholars learned it from as-Sahâbat al-kirâm, and all Muslims learned it from the Islamic scholars and their books. It is declared in a hadîth ash-sherîf, “Knowledge is a treasure. Its key is to ask and learn”; “Learn and teach knowledge!” “Everything has a source. The source of taqwâ is the hearts of ’ârifs.” “Teaching knowledge is an atonement for sins.”
Ahl as-sunna scholars who showed the right path to all Muslims on the earth and guided us to learn the religion of Muhammad (’alaihi’s-salâm) without any change or interpolation are the scholars of the four madhhabs who reached the grade of ijtihâd. The most prominent ones of them are four. The first of them was al-Imâm al-a’zâm Abu Hanîfa Nu’mân ibn Thâbit (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ). He was one of the greatest ’ulamâ’ of Islam. He became the leader of Ahl as-Sunna. He was born in Kûfa in80 A.H. [699] [3]and was martyred in Baghdad in 150 [767].
The second one was the great scholar Imam Mâlik ibn Anas (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ). The book Ibni Âbidîn says that he lived eighty-nine years. His grandfather was Mâlik bin Ebî Âmir.
The third one was Imâm Muhammad ibn Idrîs ash-Shâfi’î (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), who is the apple of the eyes of Islamic scholars. He was born in 150 [767] in Ghazza, Palestine, and passed away in Egypt in 204 [820].
The fourth one was Imâm Ahmad ibn Hanbal (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), who was born in Baghdad in 164 [780] and passed away there in 241 [855]. He is the archstone of the Islamic building.
Today, he who does not follow one of these four great imâms is in great danger. He is in heresy.
Among the disciples of these four imâms, two scholars reached very high grades in spreading the teachings of îmân. Thus, there became two madhhabs in i’tiqâd or îmân. The right faith in accord with the Qur’ân-al-kerîm and the Hadîth ash-sherîfs, is only the faith shown by these two imâms, who spread on the earth the faith of Ahl as-Sunna, which is the Group of Salvation. One of them was Abu ’l-Hasan ’Alî al-Ash’arî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), who was born in Basra in 226 A.H. [879] and died in Baghdad in 330 [941]. The other was Abu Mansûr al-Mâturîdî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), who died in Samarqand in 333 [944]. In îmân, every Muslim has to follow one of these two great imâms.
[1] Ref: This paragraphes are quoted from the book “The Belief and Islam” , annotated translation of book I’tiqâd-nâma written by Mawlana Khalid-i Baghdadi and published in English by Hakikat Kitabevi, www.hakikatkitabevi.com.tr, Istanbul. Mawlânâ Khalid-i Baghdâdî is the great walî, the treasure of Allâhu ta’lâlâ’s blessings, superior man in every respect, the master of unattainable knowledge, the light of right, truth and religion. The author of the book I’tiqâd-nâma, Mawlânâ Diyâ’ ad-dîn Khâlid al-Baghdâdî al-’Uthmânî (b.1192, A.H./1778 in Shahrazûr in the north of Baghdad, d 1242/1826 in Damascus, quddisa sirruh), was called al-’Uthmânî because he was a descendant of ’Uthmân Dhu’n-nûrain, the third caliph (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ’ anh).
[2] Mi’râj: One of Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm)’s miracles was his ascent to the Mi’râj, while he was in bed in al-Mekkat al-Mukarrama, he was awakened and his blessed body was taken to the Aqsâ Mosque in Jerusalem (Quds), thence to the heavens, and after the seventh heaven, to the places which Allâhu ta’âlâ determined. We have to believe in the Mi’râj in this manner. How the Mi’râj happened is written in detail in many valuable books, particularly in Shifâ’-i sherîf. We will try to quote Mi’râj evidence later in this web site.
[3] 80 A.H. [699]: The Hijri year (A.H. anno hegirae) is the year-numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. [699] denotes Gregorian calendar (699 A.D.)
