Risalah (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

Concept of Risalah

Risalah (Prophethood)

• Muslims believe that Allah appoints particular people to spread his messages

• These people receive revelation from Allah through his Angels

• Muslims believe that Allah has chosen many prophets to bring the message of Islam to people

• There are 25 key prophets of Allah identified in the Qur’an, including Adam, Ibrahim (Abraham) Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus) and Muhammad (pbuh)

• Muslims believe that there were 124,000 prophets who developed the religion over time

• Muhammad (pbuh), the last of the prophets, is known as ‘The Seal’

• Muslims believe that over time previous messages (prior to Muhammad pbuh) had become lost or changed

  • Judaism and Christianity contain some truths, but they are not the original messages

  • Throughout time there have been books to guide Muslims in the right way.

  • Holy books include:

    • Suhuf of Ibrahim,

    • Tawrat of Musa,

    • Zabur of Dawud (David)

    • Injil or the Gospels of Jesus

  • Allah then decided to call Muhammad (pbuh) and gave him revelations which became the Qur’an

  • Being written down they could not be changed so no more prophets were needed

  • The Qur’an is the direct Word of Allah, containing everything humankind needs to do to pass the test for the next life

• Some prophets are also messengers:

  • ‘rasul’ (given divine revelation to deliver everywhere)

  • ‘nabi’ (given revelation of news of an important nature, immediately concerning themselves with their communities)

• Risalah is a key element of Islam forming one of the six articles for Sunni Muslims and the five roots for Shi’a Mulsims

• All prophets are considered equally important because they all received the same message

• All prophets were given the same message and had the same role which was:

  • To act as intermediaries between Allah and humans by receiving and passing on Allah’s message to everyone in their community

  • To be a perfect example of how this message applies in practice by living their lives according to Allah’s will. Allah will rightly guide them in this role

  • To lead the community so that they too will live in accordance with this message

  • In order for Muslims to know how to live in the way Allah desires, it was necessary for instructions to be conveyed to people through the prophets

• When humans forgot, misunderstood or changed God’s message, he sent prophets to call people back to the right path

The Role & Importance of Prophet Adam

The Prophet Adam

• Adam was specially created by Allah and was given dominion over earth

• Adam was the first human to communicate with Allah and is viewed as the first Muslim and prophet

  • Adam was taught everything by Allah, given the ability to identify and give names, language and the ability to communicate

  • Allah gave him a thirst for learning, the ability to reason, evaluate and make choices

• Allah taught Adam the names of everything and ordered all of the angels and jinn to bow down to him

• Adam had a wife, Hawwa (Eve), who he lived with in a garden (paradise) and to keep him company

• The Qur’an says that before creation Allah took all of their offspring and asked them to bear witness that Allah was their Lord

• The story of Adam in the Qur’an is central to understanding the fate of humanity

  • Allah told Adam and Hawwa to enjoy all the things made for them, but not to eat from one tree

  • Iblis managed to tempt them to taste the fruit, hence disobeying Allah

  • They also became aware of their nakedness and covered themselves

  • As punishment, Allah banished them to Earth, but He forgave them because they asked for mercy

  • They became ordinary people living on Earth instead of in the Garden of Bliss (Eden)

  • On Earth, Allah sent guidance to Adam, so he could teach people about Allah

• He built the Ka’aba as the first place of worship, with the help of the angels after he was sent to earth

• Adam and Hawaa had many children, the most famous being Qabeel (Cain) and Habeel (Abel)

• The brothers continued the evil side of humankind when Qabeel killed Habeel, fulfilling the prophecy in the Qur’an

• When Adam died, he named his son Seth as successor but over time his descendants spilt up and moved apart

The Role & Importance of Prophet Ibrahim

The Prophet Ibrahim

• Ibrahim (Abraham) is seen as a significant prophet because he always remained obedient to Allah

• Classed as a Hanif, he was known as Khalil (friend of Allah) and is called a ‘Resolute One’, being the father of the Arabs and of all the prophets

• Ibrahim and Isma’il (his son) built the Ka’aba – the most important building in Islam

  • According to the Qur’an this was the first building dedicated to Allah built under the command and direction of God

• Ibrahim is also said to have established Hajj, along with certain practices undertaken during the pilgrimage

• The life of Ibrahim acts as an example to Muslims on how to live their lives

The life of Ibrahim

• Ibrahim is known for his undying loyalty to Allah and this is shown in his actions

  • Ibrahim married Sarah and later took on Hajar as a second wife because Sarah was barren, and Hajar had a son, Ismail, whom Ibrahim loved greatly

  • He dreamt he was told to sacrifice Ismail, and when he told Ismail of the dream, both agreed to do what Allah had commanded As both were willing, the test was passed and a ram was sacrificed instead

  • Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim to take Hajar and the baby to a desolate valley. They were on their own, but they never gave up hope and when they ran out of water, Allah gave them a well

  • In thanks to Allah for the lives of his families, Ibrahim built (or rebuilt) the Ka’aba with Ismail

  • Later, Ismail took his father’s place as a prophet and led the first community in the valley of Makkah

The Role & Importance of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

• Muhammad (pbuh) is the last and final prophet of Islam and is also known as the ‘Seal of the Prophets’

• His revelation is found in the Qur’an which is seen as being an exact and unaltered account of Islam

• His status as a prophet can be seen in the Shahada, where a Muslim must testify that Muhammad (pbuh) is the messenger of Allah

• The life of Muhammad (pbuh) acts as a guide for Muslims. He is viewed as the ideal human, husband and leader. Many Muslims will emulate his life by undertaking additional prayers, living simply and giving to the poor

  • Muhammad (pbuh) had a tough life, he never knew his father because he had died before Muhammad (pbuh) was born. He became an orphan at age 6 when his mother died

  • He earned his keep by looking after his grandfather’s sheep and then working as a merchant for his uncle

  • By age 40, he was married to Khadijah, had children, had his own successful business and was highly respected in the community

• In 610CE, at the age of 40, Muhammad (pbuh), was called to serve Allah

  • He was religious and went to a cave to meditate and pray. On Mount Hira, the angel Jibril appeared to him with a message from Allah

  • Angel Jibril commanded him to ‘Recite!’ but Muhammad (pbuh) said he could not read

  • The Angel squeezed him tight three times before he said the words

  • When the angel left, Muhammad (pbuh) left the cave, trembling from what had happened

  • He returned to Khadijah to tell her the story

  • Three years passed with Muhammad (pbuh) spending more time in meditation and spiritual contemplation. The revelations continued

The life of Muhammad (pbuh)

• Allah commanded him to preach to close family friends and then the people of Makkah about Islam and One God

  • People in Makkah were becoming more distanced from the ways of Allah, earlier revelations were being ignored. Previous holy books had been lost or changed

  • He challenged the way the people of Makkah were living, people behaved in an immoral way, cheated people out of money, gambled, prostitution was rife and Idol Worship was the normal thing

  • The leaders at that time did not want to hear it and persecuted Muhammad (pbuh)

  • The conversion of Makkah was not straightforward, and Muhammad (pbuh) had to escape to Madinah (the Hijrah) after his religious message was rejected and his life came under threat

  • In Madinah, he became the rules of the city both spiritually and politically

  • This was the first Islamic community to be set up

  • After many battles, he later fulfilled his task of converting the people of Makkah to Islam

  • Muhammad (pbuh) died in 632 CE

The Impact of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Today

The impact of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as an Individual

• Muslims believe Muhammad (pbuh) is the perfect example of a man serving Allah without question

• All Muslims will try and emulate the life of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

• Muslims believe that they should try and develop his characteristics such as responsibility, determination, patience, courage, honesty, trustworthiness and self-discipline

• He was humble, modest, caring and knew Allah would help when difficulties arose

• He is respected for his sense of morality, of duty and his belief in the importance of his community

• Regardless of a person’s position in society, Muslims believe everyone could learn from him, then and now

The impact of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a Leader

• Muslims claim that Muhammad (pbuh) was the greatest political and religious leader of all time, managing to combine the two roles perfectly

• He set up a community where:

The community of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

• He had charisma as a leader so that people followed him in religion, in ordinary life and militarily

• Ten thousand men went into battle for him in Makkah

• The Islamic Empire spread from southern Europe to northern Africa and across Asia, in his name and the name of Islam

The Islamic Empire

• Thirteen centuries later, 3 billion Muslim followers repeat his name daily and many people study his life worldwide

• The leadership of Muhammad (pbuh) acts as inspiration for Muslim leaders within politics and religion

The impact of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a Family Man

• Muslims believe that Muhammad (pbuh) was the ultimate family man, carrying on from other prophets

• In the Qur’an there is a theme of good fathers: Adam, Noah, Lut, Jacob, Ibrahim and then Muhammad (pbuh)

• Islam, through the teachings of Muhammad (pbuh), sees the family as the basic unit for the well-being of society

  • If family works well, society works well. Muhammad (pbuh) said ‘the best of you is he who is best to his family’ (Hadith)

• Muhammad (pbuh) led a strong family unit. He loved his wife, and still cared for the extended family after she died

  • He was as caring to his other wives, spending time with them, was never harsh with them and did his duties around the house

  • He kept all his wives happy, dealing with any issues justly

  • He had four daughters whom he educated (not the tradition at the time), marrying them to decent men, and he was a good grandfather

  • He suffered the loss of his own sons and needed his faith in Allah to help him through this, and as a loving father, he never forgot his sons

• Muslims use the example of Muhammad (pbuh) as a family man to influence their actions within their own families

The impact of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a Teacher

• Muslims believe he was the greatest teacher, because of what he said and did

• He lived every aspect of Islamic life, so others could learn and follow

• He spoke with authority, but made it easy for others to learn by speaking clearly and precisely

• He spent thirteen years in Makkah teaching people the Word of Allah

  • Many initially rejected his teachings and though he faced hatred and violence, he carried on with the right method and the patience to succeed

  • His determination to teach Allah’s way meant that in the end there were significant changes

• The influence of Muhammad was, and continues to be, far reaching

  • The early messages received by Muhammad (pbuh) said that people should worship one God, Allah and that people would be judged on their behaviour

  • Later revelations gave more details on how Muslims should live their lives

  • Muhammad’s teachings and practices (Sunnah), which are found in the Hadith and Sira texts, are still used as sources of Islamic law (Shariah)