We believe that Allah (swt) provided guidance to his servants via sending prophets who has a duty to call people to good deeds, keep aloof from the bad and submit themselves the teachings of Allah (swt). This chain of Prophethood started with Hadhrath Adam (as) and was completed with Hadhrath Muhammad al Mustafa (sa). Anyone that claims Prophethood after him (s) is a liar.
Shaykh Saduq sets out the Shi’a position on Prophethood in ‘A Shi’ite Creed’ the English translation of I'teqadat-Al-Imamiah page 83 as follows:
“And concerning them we believe that they brought the truth from Allah, that their word id the word of Allah, that their command is the command of Allah, that obedience to them is obedience to Allah and that disobedience to them is disobedience to Allah.
They spoke not except on behalf of Allah, and on being inspired by Him. And verily the Leaders of the Prophets are five in number around whom the Heavens revolve and they are the masters of the religious paths (asabu-‘sh-shara’i) namely,” the ones endued with firmness” [46:35] – Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, on all whom be peace. Muhammad verily is their Leader and the most excellent of them. He brought the truth and conformed (the message of) the apostles”
Whilst many religions believe in the concept of Prophethood but Shi’a Islam is the only school of thought that deems the Prophet (s) to be pure / free from sin. The Jewish texts have depicted Prophet’s as sinners indulging in fornication, Genesis 19:33 claims that Prophet Lut (as) had intercourse with his daughters (astaghfirullah).
We also read in Bible Old Testament 2Samuel chapter 5 the following about Nabi Daud (as):
[2] And it came to pass in an evening tide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
[3] And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
[4] And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
[5] And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.
We also read in the same Chapter:
[14] And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
[15] And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
According to (Jews) Prophets can be sinful, immoral and violate the commandments of Allah (swt).
We read in 1 Kings Chapter 11 verses 2-13 that Prophet Sulayman (as) abandoned his faith and took to idolatory and built temples for idols:
“[2] Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
[3] And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
[4] For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
[5] For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
[6] And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
[7] Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
[8] And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
[9] And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
[10] And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.
[11] Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
[12] Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
[13] Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen”.
According to Christianity all Prophets were thieves or looters, as is evidenced by the Gospel of John chapter 10 verse 8 wherein Prophet Esau (as) is alleged to have said:
“All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.”
Hindus reject the notion of Prophethood and they ascribe to the deity Krishan who indulges in bad deeds such as music.
Other sects (not including the Shi’a school) consider prophets to be the necessary pivots of Guidance, but deem such individuals to be sinners.
They believe that:
- Hadhrath Adam (as) was punished via for expulsion on account of disobedience to Allah (swt).
- Hadhrath Ibrahim (as) told three lies.
- ...and Hadhrath Yunus (Jonah) was punished that’s why he was kept in the fish belly
- Hadhrath Sulayman (as) pride on himself and he was punished and ALLAH took government from Hadhrath Sulayman (God forbid)
Imam Bukhari also attributed such slander to Hadhrath Muhammad (s). Exceeding all Volume 7, Book 62, Number 163:
Narrated 'Aisha:
The Prophet was screening me with his Rida' (garment covering the upper part of the body) while I was looking at the Ethiopians who were playing in the courtyard of the mosque. (I continued watching) till I was satisfied. So you may deduce from this event how a little girl (who has not reached the age of puberty) who is eager to enjoy amusement should be treated in this respect.
Sahih al Bukhari Volume 7, hadith number 182:
We went out with the Prophet to a garden called Ash-Shaut till we reached two walls between which we sat down. The Prophet said, "Sit here," and went in (the garden). The Jauniyya (a lady from Bani Jaun) had been brought and lodged in a house in a date-palm garden in the home of Umaima bint An-Nu'man bin Sharahil, and her wet nurse was with her. When the Prophet entered upon her, he said to her, "Give me yourself (in marriage) as a gift." She said, "Can a princess give herself in marriage to an ordinary man?" The Prophet raised his hand to pat her so that she might become tranquil. She said, "I seek refuge with Allah from you." He said, "You have sought refuge with One Who gives refuge. Then the Prophet came out to us and said, "O Abu Usaid! Give her two white linen dresses to wear and let her go back to her family." Narrated Sahl and Abu Usaid: The Prophet married Umaima bint Sharahil, and when she was brought to him, he stretched his hand towards her. It seemed that she disliked that, whereupon the Prophet ordered Abu Usaid to prepare her and to provide her with two white linen dresses.
These atrocious traditions sum up the aqeedah of Imam Bukhari (who recorded this in his “Sahih”) and other Ahl’ul Sunnah writers on Prophethood which is deeply abhorrent. These people also believe Rasulullah (s) can forget religious tasks and can commit sits. They for example believe that Rasulullah (s) can make mistakes in prayer units and that he even praised false gods (astaghfirullah).
In Sahh Bukhari, Book 61, volume 6 Hadeeth number 556 we read this narration on the authority of Hadhrath Ayesha:
“The Prophet heard a man reciting the Qur'an in the mosque and said, "May Allah bestow His Mercy on him, as he has reminded me of such-and-such Verses of such a Surah."
Clearly such narration’s serve to only confuse those searching for the truth, non Muslim people can ask if a Prophet (s) forgets verses revealed to him by his Master then how much credence can be given to anything that he says? It is on account of these types of filthy narration that books such as Rangeela Rasul were written during the British occupation in India and (more recently) the Satanic Verses during the 1990’s.
No logical person can believe in the portrayal of Rasulullah (s) in Sahh Bukhari, on the basis of which Ahl’ul Sunnah aqeedah has been based. It is only the Shi’a school of though that ascribes perfection / purity to God’s appointed messengers. We believe that Rasulullah (s) is a perfect character aloof from transgression, who never indulged in sin.
We believe that prophets always practice forbearance through their lives and are never attracted to worldly vices, they are always believers who never commit sins. A prophet always takes into account the order of Allah (swt) and works towards their implementation. Prophets never disobey Allah (swt), whatever the time and circumstance they are always obedient to the Creator. We believe prophets to be pure, innocent and free from every type of sin.
Why does a prophet need to be infallible?
Allah (swt) the creator of humans and the entire universe has blessed man with a mind and the intelligence to distinguish between bad and good. The Almighty Allah (swt) has bestowed his blessings upon us and guided us to the right path. Allah (swt) send his faultless and saintly people to guide humanity and these messengers of Allah carry through this objective by spreading the teachings of Allah (swt) and they spend their lives in the manner that Allah (swt) wishes of them. They seek to instill this behavior that Allah (swt) desires amongst fellow humans. It is necessary to believe that these messengers of Allah (swt) are infallible both before and after they declared their prophethood to the people.
If we believe that a prophet was subject to misdemeanors before declaring his prophethood then people would automatically consider him to be a sinner, the people would reject his teachings they would have misgivings doubts over his prophethood and this would make the entire concept of prophethood fruitless.
If we were to entertain the thought that prophets can commit sin after declaring their Prophethood to the people then this is even more dangerous. How can a Messenger of God tell others to refrain from sinning when he is himself a sinner? If we accept that a prophet can forget and make mistakes then the authenticity of divine law can be called into question as one that can forget things can also forget the message of Allah (swt), worse he could incorrectly convey the message of Allah (swt). This belief is unacceptable, since no one can have faith in an individual that is unsure over something he said / did. It is therefore necessary to believe that Allah (swt) has selected pure innocent people as Guides whose sole objective shall be to guide others to the right path.
This chain of prophetic guidance came to an end with Hadhrath Muhammad al Mustafa (s). It is an accepted fact that no man submits himself to an individual that shares the same traits as him. Allah (swt) would never give preference to an illiterate person over a literate and sensible individual, as this would contravene justice. That is why Allah (swt) bestowed infallibility, literacy, wisdom and knowledge to his prophets. We deem Prophet Muhammad (s) to be the most learned of all individuals, and this is based on two facts:
- There exists no one in the universe who possesses the complete knowledge of Qur’an as Muhammad (s) has. When all knowledge is bestowed in Allah (swt)’s book then is clear that he who possesses a complete knowledge of that Book is the most learned.
- Allah (swt) says in the Holy Qur’an:
O Prophet (Muhammad) PBUH&HP we have taught you every thing, which you didn’t know before (Quran Sura Nisa 5, Verses 113)
The fact that Allah (swt) conveyed news of the hidden to Rasulullah (s) also gives him a rank of superiority above all other creations. Often people have considered the word ‘Ummi’ to mean illiterate but it means one who lives in MAKKAH that is why the Prophet (s) was referred to as Ummi by Allah [swt].
