How Many Prophets & Messengers?
We dont know the count!
The Difference between Messenger and Prophet reference : al Mizan 3 , Allameh Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai Allah uses two words for those who received His revelations so as to guide people to the right path. These words are rasul (apostle, messenger, ÇáÑÓæá ) and nabi (prophet, ÇáäÈí ), which divide, or almost divide, them into two groups, Allah says: … and the prophets and the witnesses shall be brought up. . . (39:69); On the day when Allah will assemble the apostles, then say.’ What answer were you given? (5:109) Rasul (ÇáÑÓæá ) means the one who brings the message (risalah, ÇáÇáÑÓÇáÉ ) ; nabi ÇáäÈí is the one who brings the news (naba’, ÇáäÈÃ ). Rasul (ÇáÑÓæá ) has the distinction of being an intercessor (or intermediary) between Allah and His creatures. Nabi (ÇáäÈí ) has the distinction of having the knowledge of Allah and from Allah. It is said that rasul (ÇáÑÓæá ) is the one who is sent by Allah and commissioned to convey the divine message to the people; and nabi (ÇáäÈí ) is the one who is sent by Allah, whether he is told to convey the message or not. According to this interpretation, the relationship between the Apostle and Prophet is such that all apostles are prophets but not all the prophets are apostles. But the words of Allah do not support this view. For example, Allah says: And remember Musa in the Book; surely he was one purified and was an apostle, a prophet. (19:51) The aim of this verse is to praise Musa and show his greatness and in such a context the adjectives should progress from general to distinctive and not vice versa. Also at another place, Allah says: And We did not send before you any apostle or prophet but … (22:52) This verse joins the apostles and the prophets together and then uses the verb “to send” (irsai, ÇáÇÑÓÇá ) for both, making all of them apostle (mursal, ÇáãÑÓá ). But there are other verses which apparently show that everyone who was sent by Allah to people was a prophet. See, for example, … and the book shall be laid down, and the prophets and the witnesses shall be brought up … (39:69); … but he is the Apostle of Allah and the Last of the prophets … (33:40); and also the verse under discussion, …so Allah sent the prophets as bearers of good tidings and as warners … All these verses show that the prophets were sent with a divine message to people. Then what is the significance of the verse mentioned above, and was an apostle and a prophet? Probably, the two words have been used here in their literal sense: Musa was a Messenger of Allah and had the knowledge and information of the signs of Allah and His secrets. Likewise, the next-mentioned verse (And We did not send before you any apostle or prophet but…) may be taken to mean that the prophet and the apostle both are sent to the people, but the prophet is sent to convey to them information of the unseen, as he knows the divine secrets, and the apostle is sent to bring them something more than a prophetic communication. This may be inferred from the verses, like: And every people had an apostle; so when their apostle came, the matter was decided between them with justice… (10:47) and nor we chastise until We raise an apostle. (17:15) Accordingly, the prophet explains to people what is good for their lives in this world and in the hereafter, the roots of the religion and its branches, as the mercy of Allah decides to guide the people to their bliss and felicity; and the apostle brings to people a special message to complete the proof over them, a message, rejection of which brings destruction and chastisement in its wake. Allah says: that there may not remain any argument for people against Allah after the apostles. (4:165) In short, the words of Allah do not show any difference between the two except what appears from their literal meaning. And it leads us to the same conclusion which we have mentioned earlier, i.e., apostle has the distinction of being an intercessor (or intermediary) between Allah and His creatures, and the prophet has the distinction of having the knowledge of Allah and from Allah. We shall later quote the traditions of the Imams of Ahlu’l-bayt about the difference between an apostle and a prophet. The Qur`an very clearly says that there were numerous prophets, and that Allah has not described all of them in His Book. For example, Allah says: And certainly We sent apostles before you: there are some of them that We have mentioned to you and there are others whom We have not mentioned to you… (40:78) keywords