اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
Praise is to God with all his praises, for all his blessings. . . Praise is to God, the owner of the property, the operator of the orbit, the bender of the wind, the glory of the morning, the religion of the beliefs, lord of the worlds; praise is to God for his dream after his knowledge and thank God for forgiveness after his power, and praise be to God for his long patience in his wrath and he is capable to do what he wills
و نشهد أن لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک له، و أَنَّ محمداً عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
And we bear witness that there is no god but God alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger, he sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, that he might proclaim it over all religion, even if the polytheists hated it.
Common principles in the life of the prophets
Principle 15: Being a testimony to the deeds of the tribe
One of the common principles in the life of the divine prophets is that every prophet is a witness to the actions of his tribe. The holy Qur’an refers to the testimony of the messenger of God in relation to the letter of the deeds of the Islamic tribes and says:
وَقُلِ اعْمَلُوا فَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ؛
And say, ‘Go on working: Allah will see your conduct, and His Apostle and the faithful [as well], and you will be returned to the Knower of the sensible and the Unseen, and He will inform you concerning what you used to do. (To’be: 105)
And this testimony is not reserved for the prophet Mohammad, but the prophet of every nation will testify to the actions of the people of that nation. The holy Qur’an says:
وَيَوْمَ نَبْعَثُ فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ شَهِيدًا عَلَى هَؤُلَاءِ؛
The day We raise in every nation a witness against them from among themselves, We shall bring you as a witness against these. We have sent down the Book to you as a clarification of all things and as guidance, mercy and good news for the Muslims. (Nahl: 89)
According to this holy verse, each of the prophets will be present as a witness in the presence of God when considering the deeds of their tribes, and of course the holy prophet, Mohammad who is the greatest of the prophets and the seal of the divine prophets and the guardian over the other messengers of God, will be a witness for all of them. Also in the case of recording the deeds of the pious, who are themselves witnesses to the deeds of the other people, the holy Qur’an mentions those people who are close to God and have a higher rank than good people who will be witnesses to the pious people’s book and says:
كَلَّا إِنَّ كِتَابَ الْأَبْرَارِ لَفِي عِلِّيِّينَ؛ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا عِلِّيُّونَ؛ كِتَابٌ مَرْقُومٌ؛ يَشْهَدُهُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ؛
Indeed, the record of the pious is in Illeeyun. And what will show you what is Illeeyun? It is a written record, witnessed by those brought near [to Allah]. (Motafefin: 18 – 21)
The testimony of the prophets, and their presence on the scene of the judgment day, is as much a source of joy and peace for their followers as it is painful for their opponents and raises concerns about a just divine reckoning. In those horrible moments of the judgment day, the lovers will be excited and happy to see the prophets’ presence and testimony.
O sudden resurrection, the mercy of the innocent, the fire kindled in the forest of thoughts;
Today you came smiling, you opened the prison, you came to the poor, because of God’s forgiveness and grace;
You are the sun, you are the hope, you are the object, you are the pupil, you are the seeker, but you are also the beginner;
Principle 16: Being responsive to God
Responsibility and accountability to God are the characteristics of all prophets. The divine prophets will be questioned about their mission in conveying the message of God to their tribes, and their guidance towards the worship of God; no excuse will be accepted from them if they fail to do their duty. According to the holy Qur’an, on the judgment day, no one will be immune from questioning and all human beings will be questioned. The holy Qur’an in Surah of Hajar refers to the questioning of all human beings, both prophets and non-prophets, and says:
فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْأَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ؛ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ؛
By your Lord, We will question them all; concerning what they used to do. (Hajar: 92 – 93)
And in Surah of A’raf, he mentions the prophets separately and, emphasizing the just and wise consideration of the deeds of all the prophets and their tribes, says:
فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الْمُرْسَلِينَ؛ فَلَنَقُصَّنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ بِعِلْمٍ وَمَا كُنَّا غَائِبِينَ؛ وَالْوَزْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ فَمَنْ ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ؛ وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَظْلِمُونَ؛
We will surely question those to whom the apostles were sent, and We will surely question the apostles. Then We will surely recount to them with knowledge, for We had not been absent. The weighing [of deeds] on that Day is a truth. As for those whose deeds weigh heavy in the scales—it is they who are the felicitous. As for those whose deeds weigh light in the scales—it is they who have ruined their souls, because they used to wrong Our signs. (A’raf: 6 – 9)
Questioning the prophets is not only about the way of carrying out their mission, but sometimes it is to testify the response of their tribe to the invitation to worship the God. And the almighty God, by referring to the answer given by the prophets, shows the justice and wisdom of God’s judgment more clearly. The holy Qur’an says:
يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُ اللَّهُ الرُّسُلَ فَيَقُولُ مَاذَا أُجِبْتُمْ قَالُوا لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ؛
The day Allah will gather the apostles and say, ‘What was the response to you?’ They will say, ‘We have no knowledge. Indeed You are knower of all that is Unseen.’ (Ma’ede: 109)
The answer of the prophets to this question of God which says: لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا؛ ” We have no knowledge”; on the one hand, is in fact an answer based on the mission that God has given to them, which said: وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِينُ؛ “and the Apostle’s duty is only to communicate in clear terms.” (Noor: 54)
And on the other hand, it is a sign of authority that has been considered by God for all human beings, so that after the divine message of the prophets was conveyed to them, the argument against them will be over and they will voluntarily give up their stubbornness and return to the right. And if they disobeyed and threw themselves into destruction, this destruction is evidence of their own mischief, as the holy Qur’an says:
لِيَهْلِكَ مَنْ هَلَكَ عَنْ بَيِّنَةٍ وَيَحْيَى مَنْ حَيَّ عَنْ بَيِّنَةٍ؛
… so that he who perishes might perish by a manifest proof, and he who lives may live on by a manifest proof; (Anfal: 42)