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 7: Invitation to monotheism
All the divine prophets have called to monotheism and inherent monotheism and attributes and worship. All the prophets called people to the unique God. The holy Qur’an says:
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ.
We did not send any apostle before you but that We revealed to him that ‘There is no god except Me; so worship Me.’ (Anbiya: 25)
In asking the people to obey, the divine prophets also mentioned the issue of godliness and monotheism. The prophets emphasized that their followers should follow God’s permission in following their teachings. The holy Qur’an says:
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ.
We did not send any apostle but to be obeyed by Allah’s leave. (Nasa: 64)
The holy Qur’an considers the obedience of the divine prophets without the permission of God to be far from the pure realm of the prophets and says that no prophet demands such obedience from his followers:
مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُؤْتِيَهُ اللَّهُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحُكْمَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ ثُمَّ يَقُولَ لِلنَّاسِ كُونُوا عِبَادًا لِي مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ.
It does not behoove any human that Allah should give him the Book, judgement and prophethood, and then he should say to the people, ‘Be my servants instead of Allah.’ (Al Emran: 79)
Pure monotheism is embodied in mentioning the لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ “No God except Allah”. “No God except Allah”is the word of all the prophets and it means that human and the whole system of existence is subject to the same God who has created and devised it. The holy prophet said: ‘مَا قُلْتُ وَ لَا قَالَ الْقَائِلُونَ قَبْلِي مِثْلَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ’ which means “Neither I nor any other monotheist before me has said a word in value of the greatness of ‘No God except Allah'” (Savab al-amal va eghab al-Amal, page 4)
Principle 8: Invitation to piety
In his worldly life, man is a traveler who inevitably walks towards God, as the Qur’an says:
أَلَا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَصِيرُ الْأُمُورُ؛
Indeed all matters return to Allah! (Shora: 53)
All human beings will meet God, some will face his avenger side, and some his merciful face. A group will face rebuke “”إِنَّا مِنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ مُنْتَقِمُونَ Indeed, We shall take vengeance upon the guilty (Sajde: 22) and others will be announced like إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِين”” indeed Allah’s mercy is close to the virtuous (A’raf: 56).
The holy Qur’an considers piety as the best and most useful way to meet God and says:
تَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَى وَاتَّقُونِ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ؛
And take provision, for indeed the best provision is Godwariness. So be wary of Me, O you who possess intellects! (Baghare: 197)
According to the Qur’an, from the biography of the divine prophets, all the prophets invited human beings to earn the piety. The prophet Noah first called his people to piety by asking a rebuke and then by a soft language, and repeated this command:
كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ؛ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ نُوحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ؛ إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ؛ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ؛ وَمَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ؛ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ.
The people of Noah impugned the apostles; when Noah, their brother, said to them, ‘Will you not be wary [of Allah]? Indeed I am a trusted apostle [sent] to you. So be wary of Allah and obey me. I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward lies only with the Lord of all the worlds. So be wary of Allah and obey me.’ (Sho’ara: 105 – 110)
Other prophets such as the prophet Hud, the prophet Saleh, the prophet Loot, and the prophet Shoaib also had the same invitation of piety in their prophetic agenda according to the Qur’an:
كَذَّبَتْ عَادٌ الْمُرْسَلِينَ؛ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ هُودٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ؛ إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ؛ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ؛… وَإِذَا بَطَشْتُمْ بَطَشْتُمْ جَبَّارِينَ؛ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ؛ وَاتَّقُوا الَّذِي أَمَدَّكُمْ بِمَا تَعْلَمُونَ.
[The people of] ‘Ad impugned the apostles, when Hud, their brother, said to them, ‘Will you not be wary [of Allah]? Indeed I am a trusted apostle [sent] to you. So be wary of Allah and obey me. I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward lies only with the Lord of all the worlds. Do you build futile a sign on every prominence? You set up structures as if you will be immortal, and when you seize [someone for punishment], you seize [him] like tyrants.
So be wary of Allah and obey me. Be wary of Him who has provided you with whatever you know. (Sho’ara: 123 – 132)
كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ؛ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ صَالِحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ؛ إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ؛ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ؛ … وَتَنْحِتُونَ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا فَارِهِينَ؛ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ.
[The people of] Thamud impugned the apostles; when Salih, their brother, said to them, ‘Will you not be wary [of Allah]? Indeed I am a trusted apostle [sent] to you. So be wary of Allah and obey me. I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward lies only with the Lord of all the worlds. Will you be left secure in that which is here; —amid gardens and springs, farms and date palms with dainty spathes; —while you skillfully hew out houses from the mountains? So be wary of Allah and obey me. (Sho’ara: 141 – 150)
كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ لُوطٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ؛ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ لُوطٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ؛ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ؛ إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ.
The people of Lot impugned the apostles; when Lot, their brother, said to them, ‘Will you not be wary [of Allah]? Indeed I am a trusted apostle [sent] to you. So be wary of Allah and obey me. (Sho’ara: 160 – 163)
كَذَّبَ أَصْحَابُ الْأَيْكَةِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ؛ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ شُعَيْبٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ؛ إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ؛ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ.
The inhabitants of Aykah impugned the apostles, when Shu‘ayb said to them, ‘Will you not be wary [of Allah]? Indeed I am a trusted apostle [sent] to you. So be wary of Allah and obey me. (Sho’ara: 176 – 179)