The concepts of Rasul and Nabi are words to which people have tried to find meaning throughout history. When you take almost all of the verses of the Qur'an, these concepts can be found.[1] We can understand them better through the verses we find in the Qur’an. This is a concept[2] that is used everywhere, even if ‘Prophet’[3] is not a word in Arabic. There is a set of problems when we give the same meaning to the word ‘Prophet’ as Rasul and Nabi, and contradictions arise over the problem of meaning in the Qur’an. In this essay I will try to explain this problem and the concepts of Rasul and Nabi, and with examples and verses I will try to figure out the differences between Rasul and Nabi.
When we describe the concepts of Rasul and Nabi, we can say that all Nabis are Rasuls at the same time.[4] Allah gave the book to all Nabis, and they took the books, to serve notice on people. A Nabi becomes a Rasul by serving notice on people. The duty of Nabi is a title, and the duty of Rasul is a mission. For instance, we know that Muhammad[5] became a Nabi at 40 years old[6]. Although there is no mention of age in the Qur’an, Muhammad was Nabi, when the Qur'an began to be revealed to him, this title maintained until his death. We can say that for a Nabi he carried a lot of weight with regards to Allah, since he was an inspired person who was of raised value.[7]
The duty of Rasul is a mission, and we can compare this to the example of a diplomat and an ambassador.[8]Rasul also refers to the word ‘ambassador’. For instance, we call a diplomat ambassador of a state, and the word ‘diplomat’ is a title given by the state, whilst the ambassador is a mission. Therefore, Muhammad was a Nabi from 40 years old until his death, and he was a Rasul of Allah when he served notice of this revelation on people. What does this mean? The Qur'an commands obedience to the Rasul Muhammad,[9] and that people should not rebel against him.[10]Allah’s ordering and recommending is taken as an example of the Rasul Muhammad by the people.[11] There is no verse in the Qur’an that orders that a Nabi should be obeyed, but we cannot say that people can rebel against a Nabi, because there is no verse that says that you can disrespect him, since a Rasul is more valuable than a person’s own life,[12] and people must respect him.[13] There more than 30 verses in the Qur’an that command obedience to a Rasul, and obedience to a Rasul is found in the context of Allah and Rasul.[14] However, there are no verses about the context of Allah and Nabi anywhere. We can say that there is no coincidence in the words of Allah.[15]
Using the word ‘Prophet’ to abolish the words Rasul and Nabi is not correct. The word ‘Prophet’ does not have any meaning. Why? ’Prophet’ is an English word meaning a person who brings news, but Nabi does not mean the same thing. If Nabi comes from ن-ب-ا, the word ‘Nubuvvet’ word is not an infinitive.[16]Because of this, Nubuvvet comes from ن-ب-وwhich means someone who is of great value, and the meaning of this word matches up to the same meaning in the Qur’an. This is a title, and we know that Nabi is a title which is selected for certain people in the Qur’an.[17]That's why en-nabi[18]means an extolled person,[19] and one of the valuable things given by Allah is revelation. The best example of this is the 6th verse of Al-Ahzab[20] in the Qur’an,[21]in which it is said that he is more valuable than the lives of believers,[22] even after the wives of Muhammad have taken a share of this.[23]
If the word ‘Prophet’ is used instead of the concepts of Rasul and Nabi, the meaning in the Qur'an cannot be fully understood, as it does not offer any response. We can even say that this creates contradictory statements in the Qur’an.[24] For this reason, especially when it is used alongside Rasul and Nabi, it is exactly as if the word ‘ambassador’ is used for both of them.[25] For example, Rasul is essentially a noun, whilst the others are adjectives in this verse.[26]The Rasul is a person who conveys the message of Allah, who preaches with revelation, and absolute obedience is required for the Rasul Muhammad. It is not possible to object to this, and this applies to all believers and even companions;[27]to do so is blasphemy, because this is in the verses of Allah. When we refer to Nabi, it is the Muhammed who is out of the duty. We can also say the mortal Muhammad, who lives his daily life, making comments and ruling on cases. This is the Nabi Muhammad, and whilst sometimes the ruling cases of Nabi is correct, there can be exceptions and because of the fact that Allah commands obedience to Rasul. If we take them to have the same meaning, we can see how the Qur’an has become an incomprehensible book. The purpose is to explain this with certain verses. I will now try to illustrate this through the companions using the concrete verses[28] which show that obedience is not necessary for Nabi. It is possible to say that there must be obedience to Nabi, but there have to be concrete verses.
The first example is companion Zeyd, who is also the only person mentioned by name in the Qur’an[29], and it is said that he was a person blessed by Allah.[30] We know that the blessing of Allah is faith,[31] and we have this blessing in every prayer.[32]The blessing in Islam is:‘This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed my favour upon you.’[33]Nabi Muhammad commanded Zeyd, saying,’Keep your wife, and fear Allah,’[34]but he failed to obey this order, and Muhammad married her. Zeyd did not obey Muhammad, and he was not punished by Allah, even that he was mentioned as a person upon whom Allah bestowed favour.[35] If Rasul Muhammad had commanded this precept, we could find verses about this, in which divorce is forbidden, but we understand that this is Nabi Muhammad. This verse is not to be taken as a literal order, but Muhammad said, ‘Keep your wife,’ as a piece of advice. In this case, the problem is not whether Muhammad was right, the problem is how to show that commands are not binding, except for the revelation, in the Qur’an. There is the story of Zihar,[36] in which one woman complains and argues with Muhammad.[37]Another example is in verses 5 and 6 of Al-Anfal, in which a group of mu’mins fighting with Muhammad recalcitrate to him,[38] but the same mu’mins are praised by Allah.[39]The wives of Muhammad, and the mothers of the mu’mins,[40]obey Rasul Muhammad absolutely, but sometimes they object to Nabi Muhammad.[41] Allah did not command obedience to Nabi, but it is said that people should not riot.[42]
It can be said that these verses above are about Nabi Muhammad. If these verses were to be ignored, we could not understand the differences between Rasul and Nabi, and could use the word ‘Prophet’ instead.
There is no doubt that following the Qur’an is the right way for believers, and there is no contradiction.[43] If we use the word ‘Prophet’ instead of the concepts of Rasul and Nabi in the meaning of the Qur’an, we can see some contradictions.[44]
The Prophet (Rasul) has the authority to forbid;[45]however, the Prophet (Nabi) does not have the authority to forbid, according to other verses.[46]Allah damns people who cause trouble for Allah and the Prophet (Rasul), and prepares a derogatory torment for them,[47]but the companions are hard on the Prophet (Nabi) in other verses.[48]If the Prophet (Rasul) sits in judgement of something, there is no choice, and if someone recalcitrates against this provision, this person deviates.[49]Zeyd recalcitrates the provision of the Prophet (Nabi), but he does not face the risk of deviation.[50] People who deputise for the Prophet (Rasul) but do not go along with him do not have faith,[51] but the woman who does not consent to the provision of the Prophet (Nabi) is not condemned by Allah.[52] If someone enters into a dispute with the Prophet (Rasul), this person will go to hell;[53] but companions who are in dispute with the Prophet (Nabi), on the contrary, attain paradise.[54] The disobedience of the wives of the Prophet (Rasul) is doubled,[55] but the wives of the Prophet (Nabi) are not threatened by Allah.[56]
We can understand that the Qur’an is not only a book that informs the provisions of Allah, but also the Sunnah of Rasul and the motion of Nabi. All of the verses mentioned above are verses which describe the mention of Nabi. The Qur’an is the book of Allah from the beginning until the end, and all of the verses within it were revealed to the Rasul Muhammad, and he served them upon his companions. The provisional verses correspond to ten percent of the book, and the remaining verses describe the life of Nabi, ruling on cases, making interpretations, and even addressing emotional cases. Therefore, the Qur'an means the words of Allah and the hadith of Rasul. For this reason, this is a Holy book, and having faith in the Qur’an is to go along with Rasul.[57] The best example is as follows: ‘Say, if you do love Allah, follow me. Allah will love you and forgive your sins; for Allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful.’[58]
Bibliography
1. Abdullah, Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur’an, 2012
2. al-Mehri, A.B., The Qurʼān : With Sūrah Introductions and Appendices-Saheeh International Translation, , 2010
3. Armstrong, Karen, Muhammad a prophet for our time, New York, 1993.
4. Asad, Mumammad, The Message of the Qur’an, 2000.
Azzam, Leila and Gouverneur, Aisha, The life of the prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of allah be upon him, 1999.
6. Lings, Martin, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources, 2006.
7. MaulawiSher’Ali, The Holy Qur’an, Arabic text and English translation, Holland, 2004
8. Shano, Omar al Sulaiman, Siyer-iNebi (Arabic), 2017.
9. Zaynu, Muhammad Jamil, Arkan al-Islam wa-al-Iman أركانالإسلاموالإيمان , Beirut, 1918.
[2]Prophet; This vocabulary doesnot correspond the consepts of rasul and nabi
[3] http://www.dictionary.com/browse/prophet
[5]SallallahuAleyhiveSellem
[7]Leila Azzam and AishaGouverneur, The life of the prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, p.14.
[8] ‘Delegate’
[9]Al-Nisa’ 13-14-42-59-61-64-65-80, Al-e-‘Imran 31-32, Al-Ma’idah 92, Al-A’raf 157-158, Al-Anfal 1-13-20-24.
[12]Al-Ahzab 6.
[14]Âl-e-‘İmrân 32-132, Al-Nisâ 13, Al-Anfâl1, Al-Nûr 52, Al-Taubah 71.
[15] Qur’an.
[16]Mastar in arabic dictionaries
[19]Omar al Sulaiman Shano, Siyer-iNebi (Arabic),p.31.
[21]A.B. al-Mehri, The Qurʼān : with Sūrah introductions and appendices : Saheeh international translation.
[22] Al-Ahzab 6
[23] Al-Ahzab 6
[24] The meaning of the Qur’an
[26]Al-A’raf 157
[27]صحبةجاصحاب
[28]Al-mujadalah 1, Al-Anfal 5-6, Al-Tahrim 1-5.
[29] Al-Ahzab37.
[31]ايمان
[33]Mumammad Asad, The message of the Qur’an, Maidah 3
[34]امسك عليك زوجك واتق الله وتخفي في نفسك
[37]التي تجادلك زوجها وتشتكي الي ا الله
[38]يجادلونك
Al-Taubah 100,
[41]Al-Tahrim 1-5.
[43]Al-Baqarah 1,Al-Nisa’ 82.
[44]MaulawiSher’Ali, The Holy Qur’an, Arabic text and English translation.
[47] Al-Ahzab 57.
[48] Al-Ahzab 53.
[49] Al-Ahzab 36.
[50]Al-Ahzab 37.
[51]Al-Nisa’ 65.
[52]Al-Mujadalah 1.
[53]Al-Nisa’ 115.
[54]Al-Anfal 5-6.
[56]Al-Tahrim 1.
Gururumuz ❤️yolun bahtın açık olsun❤️ilmin bereketli olsun kuzum❤️
YanıtlaSil