Piety And Prophethood

Taqwa in relation to prophethood means that man should know that human beings exist since birth to unknown time. He should also realize that man cannot understand his loss and gain. Hence, he is in need of a more perfect guide to lead him to perfection and a stronger device to rule over the world. Man has no power to secure his own interests. Therefore, there should be those who go between the Creator and the creatures; to receive the message from the creator and to convey it to the creatures. These people are known as prophets or divine envoys. Imams and their successors follow the path of the prophets. The necessity of a system or order among the creatures, as well as a guide in the same way that the heart is the guide of the realm of body, the fact that not all human beings are capable of receiving revelation, that earth cannot be devoid of a proof of God, that human mind cannot comprehend everything, are some of the reasons which prove the truthfulness of prophets. In our time, the greatest miracle is the Holy Quran. Although this Divine Book has been challenged, no one has been able to bring a verse like it.

In the Holy Quran, we see that when divine messengers invite people to God and monotheism, and invite them to their own truthfulness and adherence and warn them of anything other than God, Taqwa has been mentioned too. The Quran says: be careful of your duty against any deviation.

This theme has been repeated in the Holy Quran: “(The tribe of) Aad denied the messengers (of Allah). When their brother Hud said to them:

will you not guard (against evil)? Surely I am a faithful apostle to you; therefore guard against (the punishment of) Allah and obey me.” [1]

Elsewhere God says: “(The tribe of) Thamud denied the messengers (of Allah. When their brother Salih said to them: Will you not guard (against evil)? Surely I am a faithful apostle to you; therefore guard against (the punishment of) Allah and obey me.” [2]

In this relation, God says: “The people of Lot denied the messengers (of Allah). When their brother Lot said to them: Will you not guard (against evil)? Surely I am a faithful apostle to you; therefore, guard against (the punishment of) Allah and obey me.” [3]

God has also said: “The people of Noah denied the messengers (of Allah). When their brother Noah said to them: Will you not guard (against evil)? Surely I am a faithful apostle to you; therefore, guard against (the punishment of) Allah and obey me. And I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward is only with the Lord of the worlds: So guard against (the punishment of) Allah and obey me. They said: Shall we believe in you while the meanest follow you?” [4]