“And obey God and the messenger so that you may obtain mercy.” (Qur’an 3:132)
We have all read the above verse and many like it which command the people to “obey God and obey the messenger,” but how many people have noticed that the commands always use “messenger” and never “prophet”? Now, in casual discussions you may hear people forget the specific and exchange the word “messenger” with “prophet”―after all, the verse is referring us to obey Mohammed who we all know was both a messenger and a prophet, so there is no harm to interchange the words―or is there?
This is the key point of this article―where we hope to prove to the reader that there is indeed a separation of the two and that not understanding this separation creates conflict/contradiction throughout multiple Quranic verses.
To start with, we will look at both “messenger” and “prophet” from their use in the Qur’an:
- Messengers deliver the message of another (12:50)
- Messengers can be human, or Jinn, or Angels (6:40, 22:75)
- Messengers bring glad tidings and warnings (4:165)
- Messengers are not all known to us (4:164)
- Messengers will continue to be sent (23:51)
- Prophets are genetically descended from Abraham (29:27)
- Prophets are given new revelation (2:213)
- Prophets are usually community leaders (2:246, 60:12)
- Prophets are all known and must be believed in (2:177)
- Prophets are the first judged along with the martyrs (39:69)
- Prophets were ended with the arrival of Mohammed (33:40)
The separation of the two roles is quite clear, prophets can be messengers if they are delivering a message, but messengers cannot hold the status of prophets unless a “Book/Revelation” was given to them beforehand by God.
Now, going back to “obey the messenger” vs “obey the prophet”:
The Messenger is to be obeyed―unconditionally
“It is not for a believing male or believing female, if God and His messenger issue any command, that they have any choice in their decision. And anyone who disobeys God and His messenger, he has gone far astray.” (Qur’an 33:36)
If the messenger issues any decree, then it is clearly incumbent upon all believing men and women to “hear & obey”―there are no discussions or debates or counsel meetings or any other nonsense―it is done.
The Prophet is to be obeyed―conditionally
“O prophet, if the believing females come to pledge to you that they will not set up anything besides God, nor steal, nor commit adultery, nor kill their children, nor fabricate any falsehood, nor disobey you in any matter which is righteous, then you shall accept their pledge, and ask God to forgive them. God is Forgiver, Merciful.” (Qur’an 60:12)
What we see here is a completely different set of instructions―if the “prophet” is the one making the decisions, then the believers have the right to “disobey him” should he command something that is not righteous―his commands are open to debate, discussion, and even disagreement.
The Messenger speaks through divine inspiration
“Your friend was not astray, nor was he deceived. Nor does he speak from personal desire. It is a divine inspiration.” (Qur’an 52:2-4)
We are told in many other places in the Qur’an that the messenger is delivering God’s messages and that he is “divinely inspired” to do so―there is no doubt as to the source of his words.
The Prophet speaks through his own mind
“O prophet, why do you make forbidden what God has made permissible for you, seeking to please your wives? God is Forgiver, Merciful.” (Qur’an 66:1)
With the prophet, we see that he sometimes spoke based on his personal needs and circumstances. In the above verse he is reprimanded for compromising on a permissible item to make his wives happy with him, and God teaches him that he should never compromise on God’s laws.
In matters of dispute, the Prophet refers to the Messenger?!
“O you who believe, obey God and obey the messenger and those in authority among you. But if you dispute in any matter, then you shall refer it to God and His messenger if you believe in God and the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for knowing.” (Qur’an 4:59)
As the Prophet was the leader of the community (those in authority,) when we apply the verse above, it would require the “prophet” in cases of dispute to refer the matter back to the “messenger”―now, if the reader still thinks that the Prophet and the Messenger are the same role, then practically this means that anyone who disputed with Mohammed “the Prophet” would have to goto Mohammed “the messenger” to resolve such dispute?!
How would people know when Mohammed is the Prophet or the Messenger?
If you have by now understood the two distinct characteristics that Mohammed held, then the most logical question is: how do we know which is which?
“In the name of God, the Almighty, the Merciful.” (Qur’an 1:1)
The first verse we come across when we open the Qur’an is the statement that this is being related “in the name of God”―such a simple solution to a simple question. When Mohammed speaks God’s words, he is making the declaration that this is not from him (Mohammed) but is the words of the Almighty being divinely inspired. The audience would immediately understand that this is “messenger” and not “prophet” mode. Conversely, if he utters any words without this declaration, then the audience would understand that this is “prophet” and not “messenger” mode.
The Prophet has no religious authority
“And had he uttered anything attributed to Us, We would have seized him by the right. Then, We would have severed his life-line. None of you would be able to prevent it.” (Qur’an 69:44-47)
The above verse is severe in its promise to end Mohammed’s life should he attribute anything to God―if you still can’t see the difference between Prophet and Messenger, then Mohammed’s life should have been ended the moment he uttered the Qur’an and attributed it to God―which clearly it wasn’t. What Mohammed couldn’t do, and had no authority to do, was to utter anything in God’s name or on behalf of God outside of messenger “mode.”
Mohammed the messenger delivered the Qur’an and nothing but the Qur’an―that is the legacy we follow and adhere to at all times.
Mohammed the prophet was a mere mortal and a community leader who tried his best to navigate the complexities of life. We read his biography in the Qur’an, sometimes he had doubt (2:214), sometimes he was shy (3:53), sometimes he compromised (33:37), and sometimes he felt the burdens of office (49:5)―he is a man that has passed away like all men before him (3:144). That is not to say that people should not study his biography, but they should all know that his life as a Prophet had no religious “authority” and therefore it is just the study of a man to lived as a man and dealt with the matters of men.
While this article may have been very daunting for those who secretly worship the Prophet by giving him powers and authorities that he never had nor claimed to have, it always comes back to the same question, “can we accept God Alone, or God Plus?”
“And when God alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter are filled with aversion; and when others are mentioned besides Him, they rejoice!” (Qur’an 39:45)
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Written for www.Free-Minds.Org
