It is written at the end of the book Sharh-i Mawâqif by
Sayyid Sherîf al-Jurjânî that, according to the scholars of Kalâm, a person to
whom Allâhu ta’âlâ says, “I have sent thee to
the people in such and such a country or to the whole of mankind,” or “Reveal
[My will] to my slaves!” or gives a similar command, is called a “nabî” or
“payghambar”
(Messenger or Prophet). Being a Prophet does not require having certain conditions
like riyâda or mujâhada or having been born with qualities suitable for
prophethood. Allâhu ta’âlâ can bestow this gift
upon anyone He chooses. He knows everything and does what is best. He does
whatever He wills to do. He is the Almighty. According to the scholars of
Kalâm, it is not necessary for a Prophet to
display a mu’jiza (miracle), either. It
was
said that he had to display miracles so that people would know that he was a Prophet, but this still is not a condition for him to
be a Prophet. According to ancient Greek
philosophers, to be a Prophet requires three
conditions; firstly, to reveal the ghaib (unknown, mystery), that
is, to explain past and future events when required; secondly, to do
extraordinary things, that is, things that are mentally and scientifically
impossible; thirdly, to see an angel in object and body and to hear Allâhu ta’âlâ’s wahy from the angel.
Neither for us nor for them
[philosophers], is it necessary for a Prophet to know all of the unknown. And knowing some of it is not
peculiar only to Prophets. It is admitted also by philosophers that those who
undergo riyâda,
that is, those who isolate themselves in a room and
eat just enough so as not to die, some sick people who have lost consciousness,
and some people while asleep disclose some mysteries. In this respect such
people are not different from Prophets. Perhaps, what philosophers call the
“ghaib” are the extraordinary and unusual things which are rarely seen.
However, these are not the real unknown. Knowing them or reporting them once or
twice does not mean to transcend the ordinary. This point keeps Prophets and
others distinct. Scholars of Kalâm also report that Prophets will know the real
myteries revealed to them by Allâhu ta’âlâ, but they say that knowing mysteries is not a requirement for
being a Prophet. Also, the abovesaid
grounds which philosophers put forward with respect to knowing the unknown are
not correct. They are incompatible with Islam’s fundamentals. Furthermore,
knowing the unknown on such grounds is quite a different subject. They are
extraordinary wonders. There is no use in particularly dwelling on this.
Extraordinary events, such as,
affecting objects and substances as one wishes; effecting the wind, earthquakes
and fires when one likes or a ship’s sinking; a man’s dying or a tyrant’s going
to his doom upon one’s wish are the human soul’s influence on matter. In fact Allâhu ta’âlâ, alone, is the One who affects
matter. Allâhu ta’âlâ creates
this effect on whomever He wills, whenever He wills. For this reason, it cannot
be said that extraordinary things or wonders are peculiar to Prophets only.
This is admitted by philosophers, too. Therefore, how could this ever be the
distinction between Prophets and others?
Although ancient Greek
philosophers said that wonders could also happen through non-prophets, they did
not accept the frequency or the degree of wonders reaching the capacity of i’jâz (miracle). They said that because such extraordinary things happen
through Prophets a Prophet is distinguishable from others.
Philosophers’ stating that an angel manifesting itself to Prophets and revealing Allâhu ta’âlâ’s wahî as a condition for prophethood contradicts their own philosophy. Their saying such things are intended to mislead holders of îmân, for, according to them, angels are immaterial and speechless. To produce sounds requires being material, they say. Sound is produced through waves of air. We can say that these conditions put forward by philosophers might come to mean that angels can show themselves and talk by taking material forms.