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Title: Theological Perspectives - Prophecy and Prophethood
Authors: Badr Hashemi
Journal: Journal of World Religions and Interfaith Harmony
Publisher: Islamia University, Bahawalpur
Country: Pakistan
Year: 2024
Volume: 3
Issue: 1
Language: English
The Paper assumes that the roots of Prophecy and Prophethood may be traced back to the early beginnings of the Abrahamic religion. Prophecy is essentially a challenge to established institutions whether religious, political, or social, by mediating between a ‘higher’ authority and the lay public. But Prophets establish their authority by being apart from the social order upheld by established institutions and asserting the values of a more transcendent order.
Rapid material growth, spiritual decline and social changes introduced a host of challenges against which the Prophets struggled. Each one made his own contribution to religious understanding and stressed the necessity of faith, righteousness, moral conduct, human responsibility, universalism and worship of Allah/Yahweh - the One and Only God of everyone through faithfulness.
The Prophets being convinced that Allah would fulfil His Promises only as the people were faithful in worship and in righteousness, endeavoured to revive a listless faith. They depended upon direct relationship with The Almighty, and were concerned with immediate human problems, insisted on standards of moral conduct, taught that the entire world would learn to worship the Creator and Sustainer of the World, and believed in success through human effort guided by Divine Inspiration. They believed that evil would perish at the end of time, and a new era of blessedness established. Prophecy ceased with the Qur’an and the Prophethood with Muhammad.
To explore the theological perspectives on prophecy and prophethood, tracing their roots in Abrahamic religions and examining their significance, cessation, and legacy.
This paper is a theological and historical analysis based on interpretations of religious texts, primarily the Qur'an, with references to the Torah and the Gospels. It draws upon Islamic theology and tradition to explain the concepts of prophecy and prophethood.
graph TD
A["Analysis of Religious Texts Qur'an, Torah, Gospels"] --> B["Theological Interpretation"];
B --> C["Historical Contextualization"];
C --> D["Formulation of Arguments on Prophecy and Prophethood"];
D --> E["Identification of Key Concepts Revelation, Attributes of Prophets, Cessation"];
E --> F["Drawing Conclusions on Spiritual Legacy"];
The paper discusses the nature of revelation, its various forms as described in the Qur'an, and the attributes of prophets. It highlights the shared tenets of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, emphasizing their monotheistic beliefs and the concept of divine revelation. The author contrasts Islamic views on salvation (through deeds) with Christian views (through grace) and discusses the metaphorical language used to describe the Divine Entity. The cessation of prophecy is explained through the concept of the "Seal of the Prophets" and the supersession of previous scriptures by the Qur'an.
Prophecy is presented as a challenge to established institutions, mediating between divine authority and the public. Prophets emphasized faith, righteousness, moral conduct, and the worship of one God. Prophecy and prophethood, particularly within the Abrahamic faiths, are deeply intertwined with divine revelation. Islam posits that prophecy ceased with Muhammad, who is considered the "Seal of the Prophets."
While prophecy ceased with Prophet Muhammad, the spiritual struggle and the quest for divine guidance continue. In the absence of prophecy, individuals have a greater responsibility to engage with sacred texts like the Qur'an and to infuse their lives with sanctity through prayer and righteous actions.
* Prophecy ceased with Muhammad: The paper states that "Prophecy ceased with the Qur'an and the Prophethood with Muhammad." This is a core tenet of Islamic belief.
* Number of Prophets: The paper mentions that the Qur'an enumerates 26 prophets, while Islamic tradition suggests as many as 124,000 may have been assigned to Earth.
* Last Prophets in Abrahamic branches: The paper identifies Prophet Malachi (516 BCE) as the last in his branch of Isaac's descendants, Prophet Jesus (around 30 CE) in the branch of Imran, and Prophet Muhammad (632 CE) from Ishmael's descendants, marking the sequential cessation of prophecy.
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