How do you prove the prophecy of prophets?
“In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful”
How do you prove the prophecy of prophets?
In a narration, Hisham Ibn Hakam said, “A non-believer asked Imam Sadiq (A), “How do you prove the prophets and messengers?” Imam replied, “We proved that we have a creator who is superior to all creatures, and He has wisdom and exaltation. It is not rationally true (possible) for his creatures to see and touch him and to talk with Him face to face. So, there should be ambassadors among His creature who express God’s will to His creatures and guide them to their benefits and the causes of their destruction and perdition. So, it is proved that there should be people who express commands and prohibitions of God Almighty who is the wise. They are the prophets and the chosen ones of his creatures, they are the wise who have been trained by wisdom and sent by wisdom, even though prophets and messengers share in creation and organs with the people, they do not share in their morals and ethics. They should be confirmed by God, the knower, the Wise. Therefore, there should be prophets every time and their prophecy must be proven by the proofs they brought so that the earth of God is not empty of Hojjat (God’s reason) that proves the truth of His words and the permissibility of His justice”.
The discussion is about the proof of the prophets, messengers, or God’s reason (Hojjat). The existence of prophecy is proven rationally but the prophecy of prophets is proved by their miracles. Imam (A) said, “We proved that we have a creator who is superior to all creatures, and He has wisdom and exaltation. It is not rationally true (possible) for his creatures to see and touch him and to talk to Him face to face”, if this were true, it would mean, our creator is like us. “There is nothing like Him. He is the Hearing, the Seeing”[1] (Ash-Shura:11). “No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over (all) visions. He is the Subtle, the Aware”[2] (Al-An’am:103). Someone asked Imam Sadiq (A), Why we cannot see God, Imam replied in simple words, Sun is one of the seventieth parts of the light of the “Kursi” (Might Chair), and the “Kursi” (Might Chair) is one of the seventieth parts of the light of the “Arsh” (Mighty Throne), and the “Arsh” (Mighty Throne) is one of the seventieth parts of the light of the “Hijab” (Mighty Veil), and the Mighty Veil is one of the seventieth parts of the light of the “Sitr” (Mighty Cover). If it is impossible to directly stare at the sun at noon. (It is not possible to see a creation of God, how can one see the Creator then).
After we find out that there must be a creator and the creator is Wise, Knower, and Aware. It is rationally necessary for this Wise and Knower creator to express His will and guide us towards our benefits and warn us about harmful things. Many of the laws of this world are hidden. There are many rules in this world that something bad will happen to us if we do not obey. We read in the “Dua Kumail” Kumail’s prayer, “Dear God! Have mercy on me for the sins that bring down the punishments, Dear God! Forgive me the sins that change the blessings, Dear God! Have mercy on me for those sins that prevent me from praying, Dear God! Have mercy on me for the sins that bring evil, Dear God! Forgive me for all the sins I have committed and the mistakes I have been infected with”. This world has a hidden law that the prophets come to guide, for example, in the hadith, God forbids sodomy for the survival of the human race. Yes, in societies where sodomy has become normal, reproduction has declined sharply.
It is not monotheism to just say there is just one God. The truth of monotheism is known by the Hojjat (reason) of God. Imam Reza (A) said, “God Almighty said, “The word “La ilaha ill-Allah” is My fortress, whoever enters My fortress will be safe from My torment”. Imam Reza(A) then continued “But, by the conditions, and I am of the conditions”[3]. Being monotheistic and polytheistic is not that simple, many Muslims are in fact polytheists, but they do not know. The prophets are the chosen ones of the people. The Prophets are intermediaries between the people and the Creator. It is very important to understand that there is a connection between God and the creatures, but on this side, there is no connection between the creatures and God except by the “Hojjat” (reason) of God.
“Say, “I am only a human like you; surely, it is revealed unto me”[4] (Fussilat:6). We should not think we are like the Prophets in Morals and ethics. Imam Muhammad Baqir (A) said, “We are in statuses with God in which we are, He, and He is us, despite God is God and we are we”[5]. It is worth noting that the prophets bring miracles to prove their prophecy, not to prove that God exists. God is so visible, there is no doubt in Him. “Their apostles said: Is there doubt about Allah, the Flourisher of the heavens and the earth?”[6] (Ibrahim:10). The miracle of prophets was based on their people. For example, at the time of Prophet Moses (A), Magicians were advanced, and Prophet Moses brought miracles that caused magicians to become believers. At the time of Prophet Jesus (A), Medicine science was advanced, so he brought miracles that no one even thought of. He brought to life a few hundred years old dead men, or he healed many sick with God’s permission. One of the Shia pillars and beliefs is that the earth is never empty of God’s Hojjat (reason). The “Hojjat”s of God are accompanied by the knowledge that rules on the permissibility of their justice. Prophecy and Imamat are subsets of the “Hojjat” (reason) of God. Sometimes Hojjat is hidden or visible.
Muhammad Mahdi Me’marian
All praise is to God to the extent that He deserves it.
[1] -لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ
[2] -لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ ۖ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ
[3] -کلمه لا اله الاالله حصنی فمن دخل حصنی امن من عذابی به شروطها و انا من شروطها
[4] -قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ
[5] -لنا حالات مع الله و هو فیها نحن و نحن فیها هو و مع الذالک هو هو و نحن نحن
[6] -قَالَتْ رُسُلُهُمْ أَفِي اللَّهِ شَكٌّ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
Tag: God, Imam Baqir (A), Imam Sadiq (A), Imam Reza (A), Prophet Moses (A), Prophet Jesus (A), Hojjat, Arsh, Kursi, Dua Kumail.