Approaching the West — Page 114
A pproaching the West—114 8 Prophets of God: Isl ā mic Perspective. Who is a Prophet? To make prophecies concerning some future events is not the only function of a Prophet of God. No doubt, the knowledge of the unseen is given to him, and he can foretell some minor or major developments, but there is more to his task as a Prophet. The Holy Qur’ ā n declares that every nation in the world has had a Prophet, … for every people there is a Messenger. (10:48) Again, … there is no people to whom a Warner has not been sent. (35:25) Prophet Mu ḥ ammad (peace and blessings be on him) once said that there were 124,000 prophets sent to mankind throughout the history. According to the teachings of Isl ā m, a Prophet is never self-appointed. It is always God Who selects a man from among the people and “reveals” to him his mission. The terms “Prophet” (nabiy; pl. nabiyy ū n and anbiy ā ), “Messenger” (ras ū l; pl. rusul) and “Envoy” (mursal,