Question(24):
What do you say regarding the Fourth Pillar of Eemaan–Belief in the Messengers?
Answer:
The belief in the Messengers ‘alayhimus-salaatu was-Salaam, is to believe that Allaah (سبحانه وتعالى) has sent to mankind Messengers of their own reciting unto them His aayaat (Verses) and sanctifying them. The first of these Messengers was Nooh (Noah) ‘alayhis-salaatu was-Salaam. Before Nooh, however, no Messenger was sent. Hereby we know the error of the historians who said that Idrees ‘alayhis-salaat was-Salaam
was before Nooh. The reason is that Allaah (سبحانه وتعالى ) says in His Book (i.e. al-Qur’aan):
And in the authentic Hadeeth relating the story of intercession (Shafaa’ah), it is reported that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) mentioned that the people will come to Nooh and say: “You are the first of the Messengers whom Allaah sent to the people of the earth…” 43 So, there is no Messenger before Nooh, and no Messenger after Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم ). Allaah, The Most High, Says:
(مَا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِنْ رِجَالِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ)(الأحزاب: 40)
As to the descending of ‘Eesaa (Jesus), the son of Mary, at the end of time, he does not descend as a Messenger entrusted to originate a new Message. Rather, he descends as a [prophet] ruling by the Sharee’ah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), because it is obligatory upon ‘Eesaa and all other prophets to believe in Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم ), as Allaah, The Most High, Says:
This Messenger who confirms what is with the prophets is Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم ), as was authentically related from ibn ‘Abbaas and others (radiallaahu ‘anhum). What is important, therefore, is to believe in the Messengers according to what has been mentioned above, i.e. the first of them is Nooh and the last is Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم ). And the way of belief in them is that we believe and affirm whatever is narrated authentically from their reports because it is from Allaah (سبحانه وتعالى ). However, as for the laws revealed to them, it is not binding upon us to follow anything thereof, except that which was brought by Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) and was necessitated by the Sharee’ah.
Regarding the particular Messengers, anyone whom Allaah or His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) has made his name known to us, then we must specifically believe in him. As for those Messengers whose names were not made known to us then we have collective and general belief in all of them, just as we have said about the Books and the Angels.
43 Part of a long hadeeth reported by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. See Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, vol.4, no.556.