Belief in Allah’s Messengers and Prophets

Another pillar of faith we must hold strongly to in our minds as Muslims is the belief in Messengers and the Prophets. We must believe in all the Prophets and Messengers that Allah the Most High informed us of in His Book, or whom His Messenger [sallallahu alayhi was sallam] informed of in his Sunnah. […]

Another pillar of faith we must hold strongly to in our minds as Muslims is the belief in Messengers and the Prophets. We must believe in all the Prophets and Messengers that Allah the Most High informed us of in His Book, or whom His Messenger [sallallahu alayhi was sallam] informed of in his Sunnah. We must believe in them, from those that Allah has informed us of to those whom He has not detailed- and we should not distinguish between any of His Messengers.
Allah has said: And Messengers We have mentioned to you before and Messengers We have not mentioned to you [Nisa 4:164]
The most excellent of them are those of ‘firm determination’ (Uuli ‘Azm) and they are: Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa. ‘Isa and Muhammad, may prayers and peace be upon them.
Following them are the Prophets and the most excellent of all of them is the Seal of the Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The most sound of what has been said regarding the difference between a prophet (nabiyy) and a messenger (rasul) is that a prophet is one to whom a law is inspired but is not ordered to convey it and a messenger is one to whom a law is inspired and is ordered to convey it.
Allah united all of them with one fundamental as He, the Glorified said: “ We have certainly sent to every nation a Messenger [proclaiming]: “Worship Allah, and avoid the Tâghût.” [al-Nahl 36]
And the Most High also says: “And We have not sent before you any Prophet except that We revealed to him that none has the right to be worshipped in truth but Me so worship Me.” [al- Anbiyâ 25]
“Messengers, senders of glad tiding and warning so that there is no argument with Allah after the Messengers.” [an-Nisâ 165]
And the Most High also says: “And We will not punish a people until We have sent a Messenger.” [al-Isrâ’ 15]
And the guidance of Dalâlah [showing] and directing that is upon them, and it is not decreed for them to guide the hearts of the slaves, for the hearts are between the fingers of al-Rahmaan and He turns them as He wills.
And that is because guidance is of two types:
1.]The guidance of Dalâlah [showing] and directing that the Prophets, Messengers, and callers expended efforts toward. The Most High says: “ And indeed you certainly guide to the straight path.” [ash-Shûrâ 52]
2.] The guidance of capability and success- and none can do this save Allah. The Most High said:
“Verily, you do not guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills.” [al- Qasas 56]
And He the Glorified the Most High says: “ Their guidance is not upon you.” [al-Baqarah 272]
And this type of guidance is a bounty from Allah and justice that He the Glorified bestows upon the one that He knows to have pursuit and search for the truth.
 And we should believe in the miracles of the Prophets and we guard their rights and behave with manners toward them. We do not prefer anyone of the people over them-not allies [Awliyâ], not the Imâms, nor anyone else. Yet, in addition to all of this, they are humans-created, and they possess nothing of the particular qualities of Rubûbiyyah [Lorship], Ulûhiyyah [Deification].
On the contrary, the particular qualities of the humans apply to them as well, such as: sickness, death, need for food and drink, etc.
Allah the Most High said commanding His Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi was sallam to say: “ Say: I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and bringer of good tidings to a people who believe.”[al-Arâf 188].
 And we should believe that the seal of the Prophets and Messengers is our Prophet
Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taslîman kathîran-so there is no Prophet after him, and his Sharî’ah is the dominant Sharî’ah over the other legislations until the Day of Judgment. The slave will not be a believer until he follows it and wholeheartedly submits to its judgments. The Most High says: “No, by your Lord, they will not believe until they make you the judge in that whatever disputes occur among them, thereafter finding no discomfort from what you have decided and they submit completely.”[an-Nisâ 65]
 And we must believe that Allah took Muhammad, [sallallahu alayhi was sallam] as a Khaleel [close intimate friend], just as He took Ibrahim as a Khaleel. He sent him as a mercy to all of the worlds, and He commanded him and commanded his Ummah to take the example of the Millah of Ibrâaheem- He said: “Then We revealed to you to follow the Millah of Ibrâhîm uprightly, and he was not from the polytheists.” [an-Nahl 123]