Approaching the West — Page 115
A pproaching the West—115 pl. mursal ī n) are interchangeably used in the Holy Qur’ ā n. Thus, from Isl ā mic perspective, a Prophet claims to be ‘sent’ from God. He declares to be an ambassador of the Divine who carries His message for uplifting the moral and spiritual condition of his people. Mission of the Prophets of God In essence, all the Prophets brought the same message to their people—Worship One God, shun sinfulness and transgression, and love and serve each other. Next to worship of One God, the most important task assigned to them was “purification” by working moral, social and spiritual reformation among their people. Their main purpose was to free humans from the bondage of sin. They reproved and denounced sin and called for repentance. They were bearers of good news to those who believed and acted righteously; and they forewarned those who rejected the clear Signs of God that the consequence of their evil lifestyle would be severe! They made the terror of the Divine Judgment clear to the sinners. All the Prophets were “witnesses” over specific groups of people bearing personal testimonies to the existence of God, and that the doors of spiritual advancement were open to all. In addition, imparting “wisdom” in physical and intellectual matters, establishing a just society and taking care of human rights were included in their divinely assigned functions. The Holy Qur’ ā n tells us that the earlier Prophets were given limited tasks and they remained focused on eradication of some specific evils prevalent among particular