What Is the Difference between Nabi and Rasul and Is Knowing It Important? (Follow Up)
Question:
Going through your reply, it is pretty obvious that understanding difference between Prophets and Messengers is the KEY of understanding some very significant concepts of our religion. The question is now Why then the Quran doesn’t’ mention Prophets and Messengers separately and rather it uses words Prophet and Messengers interchangeably resulting in increase of confusion. How the reader of the Quran can discern clearly between Prophets and Messengers mentioned in the Quran.
Answer:
Two points before trying to answer your question:
1. It is helpful if we be more accurate about what we call "significant concepts of religion".
If by this we mean those things that we need to know in order to avoid the hell fire and be successful in the hereafter, then these things are clearly and categorically mentioned in the Qur'an and the Sunnah and have been summarised in the Qur'an numerously with the words "Belief and Righteous Deeds". Understanding the difference between Rasul (Messenger) and Nabi (Prophet) is not one of the conditions of our success in the hereafter.
However if by "significant concepts" we mean those religious concepts that can significantly influence our understanding of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Almighty then I agree that understanding the difference between Rasul and Nabi is significant.
2. You started your question with the title 'difference between Rasul and Nabi' and I answered it accordingly. However please bear in mind that in reality there are only very few non-messenger prophets mentioned in the Qur'an. Most of the prophets that are mentioned in the Qur'an were also messengers. Therefore rather than understanding the difference between Messengers and Prophets, practically speaking, it will be the understanding of the specific function of the messengers that is important.
I now address your main inquiry:
The Qur'an does not use the words Rasul and Nabi interchangeably. The point is, every Rasul is also a Nabi while every Nabi is not a Rasul. Any person who receives revelation and is sent to his nation to guide them is a Nabi. When this Nabi also has the responsibility of bearing witness to his nation (as explained in my previous answer) then he will be called a Rasul. Where the function of being a witness is the matter of discourse the Qur'an uses the word Rasul for the Messengers, but when the general function of preaching is the matter of discourse the Qur'an uses the word Nabi for the Messengers (and those very few prophets who were not messengers).
It is true that we do not have a statement in the Qur'an where a definition is given for a Rasul versus Nabi. This is because the Qur'an does not have an academic style. The style of the Qur'an is the style of Oration (Khatabah). I appreciate that an in-depth understanding of the concept will need a good knowledge of the Qur'an and detailed deliberation on the verses, however a basic understanding of the concept (which should be suffice for a layman) can easily be achieved by reviewing some of the specific verses about the Messengers and the story of them and the nations that they were sent to.
I cannot see how a person after reading the stories like those of Nuh and Lut cannot realise that God punished those nations that arrogantly rejected their messengers. I cannot see how a person after reading verses like 10:47 and 58:21 may not appreciate the relationship between a messenger being sent and the the rejecters among his nation being punished (And for each community, there is a messenger. Then when their messenger comes, their fate is decided with justice and they are not wronged, 10:47. God has ordained: “I and My messengers shall always prevail, Indeed God is Mighty and Powerful, 58:21). In fact the entire Qur'an is based on the warning (Inzar) of the Messenger (pbuh) and reminder of the destiny of those nations in the past who rejected their messengers after so many warnings.
I do appreciate though that this concept has not been explained categorically and with emphasis in the past. This can be one of the reasons that people may not pay enough attention to it when reading obvious verses like the above and when reading the Qur'an as a whole. The blame obviously is not on the Qur'an since, as explained above, the Qur'an is very clear about this.
Also bear in mind that for the believers among the direct addressees of the Qur'an at the time of the Prophet (pbuh), the function of a Messenger was among the obvious concepts, simply because they were witnessing it themselves while being continuously reminded about it by the Qur'an. This 'may be' 'one of the reasons' that the early scholars did not find it necessary to explain and categorically document the specific function of the Messengers.
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Related Topic:
- What Is the Difference between Nabi and Rasul and Is Knowing It Important?
--------------------
March 2013
Going through your reply, it is pretty obvious that understanding difference between Prophets and Messengers is the KEY of understanding some very significant concepts of our religion. The question is now Why then the Quran doesn’t’ mention Prophets and Messengers separately and rather it uses words Prophet and Messengers interchangeably resulting in increase of confusion. How the reader of the Quran can discern clearly between Prophets and Messengers mentioned in the Quran.
Answer:
Two points before trying to answer your question:
1. It is helpful if we be more accurate about what we call "significant concepts of religion".
If by this we mean those things that we need to know in order to avoid the hell fire and be successful in the hereafter, then these things are clearly and categorically mentioned in the Qur'an and the Sunnah and have been summarised in the Qur'an numerously with the words "Belief and Righteous Deeds". Understanding the difference between Rasul (Messenger) and Nabi (Prophet) is not one of the conditions of our success in the hereafter.
However if by "significant concepts" we mean those religious concepts that can significantly influence our understanding of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Almighty then I agree that understanding the difference between Rasul and Nabi is significant.
2. You started your question with the title 'difference between Rasul and Nabi' and I answered it accordingly. However please bear in mind that in reality there are only very few non-messenger prophets mentioned in the Qur'an. Most of the prophets that are mentioned in the Qur'an were also messengers. Therefore rather than understanding the difference between Messengers and Prophets, practically speaking, it will be the understanding of the specific function of the messengers that is important.
I now address your main inquiry:
The Qur'an does not use the words Rasul and Nabi interchangeably. The point is, every Rasul is also a Nabi while every Nabi is not a Rasul. Any person who receives revelation and is sent to his nation to guide them is a Nabi. When this Nabi also has the responsibility of bearing witness to his nation (as explained in my previous answer) then he will be called a Rasul. Where the function of being a witness is the matter of discourse the Qur'an uses the word Rasul for the Messengers, but when the general function of preaching is the matter of discourse the Qur'an uses the word Nabi for the Messengers (and those very few prophets who were not messengers).
It is true that we do not have a statement in the Qur'an where a definition is given for a Rasul versus Nabi. This is because the Qur'an does not have an academic style. The style of the Qur'an is the style of Oration (Khatabah). I appreciate that an in-depth understanding of the concept will need a good knowledge of the Qur'an and detailed deliberation on the verses, however a basic understanding of the concept (which should be suffice for a layman) can easily be achieved by reviewing some of the specific verses about the Messengers and the story of them and the nations that they were sent to.
I cannot see how a person after reading the stories like those of Nuh and Lut cannot realise that God punished those nations that arrogantly rejected their messengers. I cannot see how a person after reading verses like 10:47 and 58:21 may not appreciate the relationship between a messenger being sent and the the rejecters among his nation being punished (And for each community, there is a messenger. Then when their messenger comes, their fate is decided with justice and they are not wronged, 10:47. God has ordained: “I and My messengers shall always prevail, Indeed God is Mighty and Powerful, 58:21). In fact the entire Qur'an is based on the warning (Inzar) of the Messenger (pbuh) and reminder of the destiny of those nations in the past who rejected their messengers after so many warnings.
I do appreciate though that this concept has not been explained categorically and with emphasis in the past. This can be one of the reasons that people may not pay enough attention to it when reading obvious verses like the above and when reading the Qur'an as a whole. The blame obviously is not on the Qur'an since, as explained above, the Qur'an is very clear about this.
Also bear in mind that for the believers among the direct addressees of the Qur'an at the time of the Prophet (pbuh), the function of a Messenger was among the obvious concepts, simply because they were witnessing it themselves while being continuously reminded about it by the Qur'an. This 'may be' 'one of the reasons' that the early scholars did not find it necessary to explain and categorically document the specific function of the Messengers.
--------------------
Related Topic:
- What Is the Difference between Nabi and Rasul and Is Knowing It Important?
--------------------
March 2013
