Prophets and Messengers of Allah

Almighty Allah has from time to time asked some of chosen pious men to guide the humanity lest they fall in the trap of the evil and Satan. It is believed that in all Allah sent some 1,24,000 prophets to different people to guide them and keep them on the path as desired by Him alone for Allah is the One who commands this universe and it would be on His final command that the day of judgment will come with the destruction of the entire universe.

Here a question arises as to what is the difference between a prophet and a messengers. Well in a simple layman's language as I have understood over the period of time is that each messenger is a prophet but each prophet is not a messenger.

The word prophet in Arabic is known as a Nabi. These were the chosen people of Allah who were tasked to guide people who had gone astray from the chosen path of Allah and help them to follow the righteous path prescribed to them by the earlier messengers of Allah.

Messenger of Allah are some of the many prophets specially chosen by Allah who were blessed with a code of conduct/law by Allah to their people. These special prophets are called Rasul in Arabic. For instance Prophets Dawood (David) Musa (Moses), Isa (Isac) and Muhammad, may peace be upon them all, were specially chosen to be the messenger of Allah and were blessed with the Hoy Books for the guidance of mankind which had gone astray since the last prophets came upon them and asked them to follow the righteous path of Allah.

While Nuh (Noah) may peace be upon him was not blessed with a Holy Book, he is considered to be the first Messenger of Allah after the people of Adam had forgotten the very purpose of their existence and started to worship idols. The story of Nuh (may peace be upon him) is very interesting from his motivation to his people till the great flood in which the entire humanity drowned except for those who sought refuge on Nuh's boat. 

We will discuss the peculiar circumstances under which the messengers of Allah were sent to their people and what specific task given to some of the prophets of Allah in separate posts later.

Also read: Lineage of Prophets

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Pillars of Islam - Hajj

The last pillar of Islam is Hajj, the pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah. Hajj is obligatory once in lifetime for all able bodied men and women who can financially afford to undertake the journey to Makkah and bear expenses for their stay during the Hajj rituals.

Hajj is performed between 8th to 13th of Zil Hajj, the last month of Islamic calendar. Hajj is performed by men by just wearing two plain sheets of white clothes - hence it removes away any barriers between a billionaire and an ordinary many. Thus this removes away any distinction of class, superiority of clan and culture as everyone stand equal in the house of Allah.

Every year around two million Muslims perform the Hajj ritual in Makkah. The rituals of Hajj, as shown by the prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him), in his only performed Hajj after capture of the city of Makkah, include taking seven rounds around the House of Allah or the Khane-e-Ka'aba, seven rounds between the two hillocks of Safa and Marwa, as did Hajra (Hager, wife of Abraham) in search of water for his young son Ismail. Thereafter the pilgrims gather at the place called Arafat and seek forgiveness of Allah. Arafat is thought to be the plaice when all mankind will be assembled on the Day of Judgment. Arafat rituals end at sunset and pilgrims then move to a place called Muzdalifah for combined prayers of Maghrib (evening prayer) and Isha (late night prayer).

The last ritual of the Hajj is the sacrifice of a goat, a tradition followed since the prophet Ibraheem (Abraham, may peace be upon him). I will dwell on the details of this ritual separately. The end of Hajj is marked by the celebration of Eid Al Azha, just like Eid Al Fitr is celebrated after the month of Ramadan.

Photo: Pixabay

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Pillars of Islam - Fasting

Fasting is observed in almost all religions, specially the religions of Holy Books.  While in other religions, fasting is the willing abstinence OR reduction from some OR all food, drink, OR both, for a period of time, However fasting in Islam is the ABSOLUTE abstention from food and drink and marital relations during the period of fasting that commences from the dawn to dusk, and there are no OR in between. Fasting is restricted to the month of Ramadan, the 9th month of Islamic calendar for a period of 29-30 days depending on the birth of the new moon. 

In the Koran Allah says: "You who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may be mindful of God." (2:183). The 27th of the Ramadan is also the day when Allah completed the revelation of Koran on the Muslims.

Fasting is obligatory on all Muslims except those who are sick and too old to abstain from food and drink and women having their monthly mensuration cycle. However, the days so missed are to b e completed at the early convenience. 

Special arrangements are made in the Muslim countries for the dawn meal, called sahoor, and dusk fast breaking meals called Iftar. While most people break their fast at home with their families, arrangements are also made at public places for travelers and commuters unable to reach their house and also for those who cannot afford a good meal. At Makkah, the house of Allah, and Masjid-e-Nabvi at Medina in Saudi Arabia, many philanthropists arrange free iftar and sahoor food for the millions of pilgrims present at the two holy places.

Since the Islamic calendar is based on moon instead of the sun, the month of Ramadan keeps advancing by ten drays each year and one has endure the weather constraints as of extreme summers to extreme winters. The  Islamic calendar which based on lunar cycles thus describes the philosophy of fasting in varying weather conditions so that the rich feel how the poor endure the hardships of fasts in summers as well as winters.

While fasting is basically done as ordained by the Allah Almighty as an obligation, it also helps keeping a healthy body and improves digestion and helps many other bodily metabolic adjustments.

With the end of month of Ramadan, the Muslims celebrate Eid ul Fitr, festival of breaking the fast, on the first day of the new moon of the month of Shawaal, the 10th month of Islamic calendar. 

Photo: Pixabay

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Pillars of Islam - Zakat - Charity

Giving away charity is a norm to the poor all across the world. But this is generally done in value, cash or kind as per one's own wishes and liking. However, in Islam, the giving away of the charity, called Zakat, is not only mandatory for every Muslim who has the means to do so, but a scale has been laid down as to who qualifies to be eligible to pay this mandatory charity to one's needy Muslim brethren.

Since everything given to man is from Allah, one has to spend one's wealth in the directions prescribed by Allah. This mandatory charity ensures that every Muslim who has less or no means of substance is given charity by those who have the means and are blessed by countless bounties and wealth by Allah.

The main aim of zakat is to improve the socio-economic status of the recipients. Here I would like to narrate a small incident regarding the payment of zakat and its benefits. During the time of second caliph of Islam Hazrat Umer (AS), the caliph dispatched a pious person as governor to an area with a very poor population and stressed upon him the payment of zakat to them collected from the wealthy Muslims of the area. After some time, the governor remitted a large sum of money to the caliph. The caliph was furious as to why the money has not been given to the poor instead. To this the governor replied that over a period of time, the poor who have been reeving zakat have become eligible to pay zakat themselves. 

Thus this is the concept of charity or zakat in Islam - holding hands of the poor to allow them live honourably without asking or spreading their hand in front of others. In fact by giving zakat, one purifies his wealth, which then gets multiplied as Allah bestows more upon the charity givers for taking care of the poor.

An eligible person is to pay zakat 2.5 percent of an individual's total net worth, excluding obligations and family expenses, held over a period of one lunar year. The minimum threshold of one's wealth to be eligible to pay zakat is known as Nisab.  Anyone have more than the following quantity of gold or silver held by him/her over a period of one lunar year is to pay 2.5% of the quantity over this threshold level is to pay zakat:

Gold=20mithqal=87.48grams=7.5tolas
or
Silver=200dirhams=612.35grams=52.5tolas
or
Money equal to the value of either of the above

Koran lays down the heads and people to whom zakat can be paid:

“Zakat is for the poor and the needy; and those employed to administer the funds; for those whose hearts have been recently reconciled to Truth; for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah; and for the wayfarer. It is ordained by Allah and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom. "(SoorahTawba, verse 60)

It may be noted that Zakat cannot be paid to parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, husband, wife and non-Muslims. Nor it can be used to build masjid, buildings (even if to be used for any Islamic purpose), hospitals, roads and bridges etc. It is to be paid in cash to those are eligible to receive it.

Photo: Pixabay

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Pillars of Islam - Prayers

Believers of all religion have their places of worship which they go to to attend routine religious sermons or bowing their heads to their Creator. The Jews go to the Synagogues, the Christians attend the Churches and Muslims got to the Masjids (mosques) to offer their prayers and thank the Almighty Allah for the blessings bestowed upon them and seek forgiveness of the sins they may have committed.

While in other religions, the attendance is usually once a week, the Muslims have to bow their heads in front of their Creator five times a day. Although the offering of prayers in a masjid is much preferred, the midday prayer on Fridays is mandatory to be offered in the special Friday congregation in masjid.

The prayer, which should generally take 5-10 minutes each, establishes a direct link between a Muslim and Allah with no one in between. The five times exclusively set for prayers start before the dawn, noon, afternoon, just after the sunset and late at night. The complete cycle thus begins a Muslim's day with a prayer and ends with a prayer with three other prayers at varying intervals during day with the movement of sun.

Since prayers are obligatory, these have to be offered no matter where one is. If a masjid is nearby, it is better performed there. But in case a masjid is not nearby, it can be offered anywhere, be it one's home, office or any place of work. Even one is not allowed to miss a a prayer when traveling. However for travelers a 50% concession is given in their numbers.

Ablution is a must before offering a prayer. One has to be clean to offer a prayer physically as well as the clothes one is wearing. One has to take a bath in case of performance of marital engagement. In case the water is not available, one can cleanse oneself with dust called Tayamyam. 

The details of these process and method of offering prayer will be added shortly.

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Pillars of Islam - Faith (Shahada)

Whenever we adopt a religion, we must undertake to abide by its very basics and make a testimony to this effect. Unless we make a testimony, we cannot be called a follower of that particualr religion. Thus, like all religions, Islam also seeks its would be follower to undertake the testimony which we call faith or Shahada in Arabic.

Whenver anyone converts to Islam, he has to thus declare very clearly and take a oath that "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad (may peace be upon him) is His messenger.

The Arabic text written above is this very undertaking which reads: La ilaha illa Allah wa-Muhammad rasul Allah (in Arabic).

By saying these words, one enters the religion of Islam and the Muslim community. And then he is to abide by the fact of oneness of almighty Allah, without attaching anything or anyone to Allah and acknowledging that none other than Muhammad (may peace be upon him) is his messenger.

We as Muslims thus do not equate with Allah and acknowledge the end of prophet hood with the demise of Muhammad (may peace be upon him). Anyone who willfully tries to revere anyone after Muhammad as a prophet denounces the very faith, shahada or the declaration one made when entering the religion of Islam.

While the oneness of Allah has been mentioned in many places in the Koran, Allah, the Almighty, has sent simple four verses in Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ, the 112th surah of Koran in its 30th chapter, which describes Allah's absolute oneness and leave no doubt about His absoluteness:

Say, O' Prophet, "He is Allah, [who is] One
Allah, the Eternal Refuge
He neither begets nor is born
Nor is there to Him any equivalent

It may also be added here for information that once one enters the religion of Islam, he also acknowledges that all prophets before Muhammad (may peace be upon him) were prophets of Allah, like prophets Adam, Ibraheem (Abraham), Moses, David and Isac (may peace be upon them all), and that the three holy books given to prophets Dawood (David), Musa (Moses) and Isa (Isac) are the true holy books revealed on the chosen prophets of Allah.

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Lineage of Prophets

Allah has sent chosen and pious people as His prophets to show the people the right path - the path chosen for them by the Allah Almighty. The prophets' lineage that commenced with Adam (AS) culminated with the last of the prophets Muhammad, may peace be upon him. In between some 124,000 prophets (including the two) came and showed the righteous path to the people of their communities, clans and tribes.

Each prophet came to show the right path to his people who had gone astray and were indulged in activities tangent to the teachings of Allah. In fact, many prophets came one after the other to the same people who kept disobeying the words brought to them by  the prophets or going astray when one prophet was gone.

While I will write about some the noble prophets as their mention appear in the Holy Koran and also in the previous holy books, herein under is the family tree of the prophets of Allah shpwing major and renowned names:

As can be seen that the major flow of prophets commences from the two sons of prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), prophets Ismail and Ishaq AS. Prophet Ismail, born from Hajira (Hager) the second wife  prophet Ibrahim has his descendants culminating in the prophet hood of Muhammad (MPBH). the prophet of Islam, while the prophets lineage from Prophet Ishaq, from Sarah, prophet Ibrahim's wife, terminates in the prophet hood of Isa (Issac) AS.

The prophet's lineage also show the placement of some of the important prophets like Prophets Nuh (Noah), Hoot (Hut) Lut (Lot), Musa (Moses), Yaqoob (Jacob), Yousaf (Joseph) and others.

In my next number of posts, I will write about some of these prominent prophets as their  mention appears in the Holy Koran.

Photos Pixabay | Family of Prophets

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