Guest Author - Serkan Tufan

Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered. (Quran Chapter 02 - verse 136)

Let's remember what we discussed in the previous article:

In Islam, Prophets are sent to humanity;
1. to call people to the truth of the existence of one God, than following His guide to lead the right path to the hereafter.
2. to remind us of our responsibility to God,
3. to establish law and order in the universe,
4. to be models for humanity,
5. to create a balance between worldly life and hereafter,
6. to be God's witnesses in this world.

As for the characteristics of Prophets, Quran clearly states that Prophets depend upon and submit to only God and revelation. The best indicator is that many Prophets are unlettered and taught and educated directly by God. As Gulen explains:
"Prophet Muhammad, particularly when asked about the essentials of belief, would wait for Revelation. Sometimes, the ploytheists asked him to alter the Quran. But as it is a Divine Scripture whose wording and meaning belong completely to God, he would reply, as instructed by God: "Say, 'it is not for me to alter it of my own accord. I follow nothing, except what is revealed to me" (Chapter 10 , verse15). "

Another important characteristic of prophets is the fact that they are trustworthy and did not ask any award or wage. They always only seek God's guidance and appreciation.

Quran says: "Those were the (prophets) who received Allah's guidance: Copy the guidance they received; Say: "No reward for this do I ask of you: This is no less than a message for the nations." chapter 6, verse 90.

Parallel with that, all Messengers are truly sincere, and do everyhting just for God's sake. Quran says: "And mention in the book Moses, he was made sincere, and he was a Messenger, a prophet." Chapter 19-Verse 51.

"Also mention in the Book the case of Idris: He was a man of truth (and sincerity), (and) a prophet. " Chapter 19, verse, 56.

With their sincerity, Prophets have called people with wisdom and kindness. They never used demagogy, dialects, or depictions. Instead, they addressed all dimensions of humanity: hearts, souls, thoughts, minds, and intellects have been
satisfied through their message.

The last and the most important characteristic of Prophets is that their main purpose of life was to declare the truth: There is only one God. This is true for each Prophet and this alone shows that they are taught by God. Prophet Muhammad says:
"The most meritorious of the words spoken by me and the Prophets before me is: "There is no god but God, He is One, having no partners." The book of Imam Malik, Muwatta.

On the last note, Prophets are sinless, thus, protected from having sins by God. In the next article, we will focus on the aspects of infallibility and being free of sins and bodily defects in Prophets in relation to being best models for humanity.