IIPH (International Islamic Publishing House)

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ISLAMIC CREED SERIES •4
THE MESSENGERS
AND THE MESSAGES
In the Light of the Qur'an and Sunnah
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Dr. 'Umar S. al-Ashqar
INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC PUBLISHING HOUSE
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CONTENTS
TRANSLITERATION CHART.
ARABIC HONORIFIC SYMBOLS USED IN THIS BOOK.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE.
TRANSLATOR'S FOREWORD.
INTRODUCTION..
PART ONE
THE MESSENGERS AND PROPHETS
CHAPTER ONE
DEFINITIONS
Definition of a Nabi (Prophet).
Definition of a Rasool (Messenger).
The difference between a Messenger and a Prophet..
Belief in the Prophets and Messengers is one of the basic principles of faith
The connection between belief in Allah and belief in
the Messengers and their message.
The Prophets and Messengers form a large group.
Among the Prophets and Messengers are those whose
stories Allah has not told us.
The Prophets and Messengers who are mentioned
in the Qur'an.
Four from among the Arabs
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INTRODUCTION
Allah, the Exalted, says in the Qur'an:
<AII the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down
to His slave [Muhammad) the Book [the Qur'an], and has
not placed therein any crookedness. [He has made it]
straight to give warning [to the disbelievers] of a severe
punishment from Him, and to give glad tidings to the
believers tin the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism],
who do righteous deeds, that they shall have a fair reward
[i.e. Paradise]. They shall abide therein for ever.)
(Qur'an 18.' J-3)
Praise be to Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty, Who has sent down to
us a Book in which there is news of what happened before our time,
and of what will happen after we are gone, a Book which judges
between us, which is serious and is not a jest. Any tyrant who rejects
it, Allah will destroy him, and whoever seeks guidance from
anything else, Allah will •end him astray. It is the strong rope of
Allah, the wise Reminder, the Straight Path. It is that by virtue of
which none will be misguided by his whims and desires. It cannot be
confused with other speech, and its wonders will never cease The
scholars will never have their fill of it Whoever speaks according to
it speaks the truth, whoever acts in accordance with it will be
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THE MESSENGERS
AND THE MESSAGES
From time immemorial, the Devil has been launching his attacks against people. But from that time, Allah has been sending His message to humankind, reminding them of the purpose for which they were created, namely, to worship Him alone. This message of tawheed (the Islamic concept of monotheism), accompanied by laws which regulate human life on the individual and social level, is the message brought by all the prophets and messengers, down throughout the ages, to all nations.
The messages of the earlier prophets and messengers were entrusted to their priests and rabbis, to be preserved and conveyed to subsequent generations by them. But they failed to fulfil that trust, concealing, distorting or omitting parts of the message until the word of truth was lost. Finally, Allah sent His last Messenger with the ultimate message addressed to all of humanity, the message of Islam, and Allah Himself guaranteed to preserve it until the Day of Resurrection.
In this book, Dr. 'Umar al-Ashqar presents a thorough study of the Messengers and their Message. Based primarily on the texts of the Qur'an and Hadith, he also presents quotations from the Bible and other scriptures to demonstrate that the Message is one and that the final Message, that which was brought by our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), is the culmination of the call of all the Messengers, and the only perfect message in existence, the path to Paradise, that will abide until the Day of Resurrection.
ISLAMIC CREED SERIES
1. Belief in Allah
2. The World of the Noble Angels 3. The World of the Jinn and Devils
4. The Messengers and the Messages
5. The Minor Resurrection (What happens after death)
6 The Day of Resurrection
7. Paradise and Hell
8. Divine Will and Predestination
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