Question:

The Difference Between A Prophet And A Messenger ?

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This directs towards "Tucsonites" and specially to brother Victor W.

Today many of you were confused as to the difference between a Prophet and a Messenger. Most Muslims think that the difference was that the Messengers came with a book, but this is not correct. If it were we would ask what book did Ismael or Noah or Ibrahim have. Instead the difference is that One was sent to a people who believed in Allah and the other was sent to a people who did not.

Here is more on this from Ibn Taymia who is the author of the book we are studying from. Please understand that no one could be more concerned with what I teach here than Myself.. for this is an Amanah I have to Allah and being so am held accountable for every word I convey.

Praise be to Allaah.

The well-known difference between a Prophet and a Messenger is that a Messenger is one to whom a law is revealed and he is commanded to convey it, whilst a Prophet is one to whom a law is revealed but he is not commanded to convey it.[see Qur'an 3:81 ] But this distinction is not free of problems, because a Prophet is also commanded to call people, convey the Message and judge among the people.

Hence Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: The correct view is that the Messenger is one who is sent to a disbelieving people, and the Prophet is one who is sent to a believing people with the sharee'ah of the Messenger who came before him, to teach them and judge between them, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Verily, We did send down the Tawraat (Torah) [to Moosa (Moses)], therein was guidance and light, by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves to Allaah's Will, judged for the Jews" [al-Maa'idah 5:44]

So the Prophets of the Children of Israel judged by the Tawraat which Allaah had revealed to Moosa.

With regard to the aayah,

"but he is the Messenger of Allaah and the last (end) of the Prophets" [al-Ahzaab 33:40]

and why it did not say the last of the Messengers - the end of the Message does not mean the end of Prophethood, but the end of Prophethood does mean the end of the Message. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There will be no Prophet after me," and he did not say, there will be no Messenger after me.

Thus we know that there is no Messenger and no Prophet after him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him); he was the last of the Prophets and of the Messengers, (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Barraak

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10 ANSWERS


  1. ok, good point.


  2. A Prophet has a message from God and a messenger has a messenger to people so I guess a Prophet is a messenger from God

  3. Prophet and Messenger:

    Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him):

    “A Prophet (Nabi) is one to whom Allaah reveals (yanbi’uhu) something, and he passes on what Allaah has reveals to him. If he is sent with that to those who go against the commandments of Allaah, to convey a message from Allaah to them, then he is a Messenger. But if he follows a sharee’ah that came before him, and is not himself sent to anyone to convey the message from Allaah to them, then he is a Prophet and not a Messenger…” (al-Nubuwwaat, p. 255)

    Question:

    Are the Prophets mentioned in the saying of Allaah, the Most High: “Verily, We have inspired you (O Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)) as We inspired Nooh…", Messengers or not? And who is the first Messenger?

    Answer:

    The Prophets mentioned in the saying of Allaah, the Most High: “Verily, We have inspired you (O Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)) as We inspired Nooh and the Prophets after him.” - An-Nisaa’ (4):163

    The ones who are mentioned in the context of the saying of Allaah, the Most High, are all Messengers: “Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allaah after the Messengers.” - An-Nisaa’ (4):165

    And all the Prophets who are mentioned in the Qur’aan are Messengers because of the saying of Allaah, the Most High: “And, indeed We have sent Messengers before you (O Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)); of some of them We have related to you their story and of some We have not related to you their story.” - Ghaafir (40):78

    And the first of the Messengers is Nooh and the last of them is Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) because of the saying of Allaah, the Most High: “As We inspired Nooh and the Prophets after him.” - An-Nisa (4):163

    And it is established in a hadeeth regarding intercession that the people will come to Nooh and they will say to him: “You are the first Messenger that Allaah sent to mankind.”

    And to the saying of Allaah, the Most High about Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم): “Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of Allaah and the last (end) of the Prophets.” - Al-Ahzaab (33):40

    And if Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was the last of the Prophets, then he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was also the last of the Messengers for there is no Messengership without Prophethood and to this it is said: “Every Messenger is a Prophet but not every Prophet is a Messenger.”

    Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-`Uthaymeen

    Majmoo' Fatawaa wa Rasa'il - Volume One, Number 122

    http://www.masjiduthaymeen.org


  4. Prophet is a person who has a letter from God to other people

    Messenger is a person who carries a letter to other people

  5. A prophet is a messenger who has miraculous powers to show that he/she is anointed by God and sent with commission.

    A person who claims to be sent by God but totally unable to perform power & miracle is a fraud.  These are called just messengers.

  6. yes, correct information and correctly worded.  

  7. Jazakallah bro Muhyi al deen

    it is good information

    so we can say that every messenger( Rasul )  is  prophet (Nabi) but not every prophet (Nabi) is messenger (Rasul) . we should know that also to be massenger he must selected as a prophet first then Allah send him to people with his messege.

    Jazakallah    

  8. A prophet has a religious message. A messenger has a secular message. A messenger acts more like a go between. Messengers just inform. Prophets proselytize.

  9. prophet is a messenger of Allah  

  10. Messenger : Brings the message on how he interprets it

    Prophet : Claims to know god and divine right.

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