Question:What is the purpose of sending the prophets? Is it not obligatory to send them?

Answer:In the name of Allah, Allah (the Exalted) has created humankind so that they win the grace of the Hereafter through the good behaviour in this world. Since humankind themselves cannot know what they should or should not do, it is necessary that Allah sends the prophets to guide people. This is kind of Allah Almighty. Allah is the all Guide.

Question:What is the type of knowledge (or science) which the prophets have? Is it like that of the prophet Muhammed (PBUH&HF)? The story of the prophet Moses (PBUH) and the righteous slave (Al-Khidr) (PBUH) caught my eyes. He asked Al-Khidr (may I follow you so you can teach me from what you got?)

Answer:/ In the name of Allah, knowledge is different according to the field. The knowledge which the prophet Moses (PBUH) wanted was not part of the prophet’s knowledge of the sharia which he carries, but it was related to fate and destiny and the hidden ways through which Allah’s (SWT) wills are done. This can be seen through the actions which Al-Khidr (PBUH) did like making a hole in the ship, killing the child and building the wall. Allah is the all-Guide and knowing.

Question:What is the difference between the prophet and the messenger?

Answer:In the name of Allah, the prophet is the one who gets revelation and does not come up with or carry a new sharia, whereas the messenger is the one who gets revelation and carries a new sharia and message. Allah knows best.

Question:We would like you to answer and instruct us on the following narrations which show the difference among the messenger, the prophet and the imam: It is narrated that Ismael ibn Mirar said that Al-Hassan ibn Abbas Al-Ma’rufi wrote to Imam Ridha (PBUH) asking him about the difference among the messenger, the prophet and the imam. The imam answered (the difference is that the messenger is the one whom the angel Gabriel descends to and he sees and listens to him, thus he gets revelation. In addition, he may have visions like Ibrahim (PBUH). The prophet may hear the speech, but does not see the angel) {Al-Kafi Vol.1: Al-Hujja book- chapter of the difference among the messenger, the prophet and the man of revelation- saying number 2. Allama Muhammad ibn Al-Hassan Al-Saffar narrated that Buraid Al-Ijly said: I asked Abu Abdillah (PBUH) about the messenger, the prophet and the man of revelation. He (PBUH) answered: the messenger is the one whom the angels come to, he can see them and they inform him about Allah (SWT), whereas the prophet sees visions about real things and the man of revelation is the one who hears the speech of angels through his ears and heart, but he does not see the angels. Yet, the messenger sees the angel and speaks to him. I asked: what is the position of the imam? He answered: he hears the voice, but does not see)) {the book of Basa’ir Al-Darajat- chapter of the difference among the prophets, messengers and imams. According to these narrations, the difference among them is that the messenger sees the angel and speaks to him and sometimes in his vision, while the prophet hears the angel’s voice, but does not see him most of the times and he may see in his vision, but the imam hears the angel, but does not see him at all. There is a query about the prophet Ibrahim (PBUH). He was a prophet and messenger then he became an imam. First, he was a prophet then he ascended one rank to be a messenger. Then, he became an imam which is lower in two levels. How come that he descended to a lower rank in two levels where he lost seeing the angels and having visions?

Answer:In the name of Allah, what is mentioned in the narrations are some differences; among which is that the messenger (PBUH) carries a sharia and the prophet (PBUH) follows that sharia. Our imams (PBUH) are preservers and followers of the great messenger’s (PBUH&HF) as he carried a divine sharia. It should be known that the imamate, which was obtained by the prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) after the prophethood and message, is different from the one, which is of the lower rank. Yet, the intended imamate here is the political leadership in addition to the religious leadership. Therefore, he (PBUH) had the properties of a prophet, messenger and imam. Allah knows best.

Question:The verse 124 ((And when his Lord tried Ibrahim with certain words, he fulfilled them. he said: Surely, I will make you an Imam of men. Ibrahim said: And of my offspring? My covenant does not include the unjust, said He.)) What is the kind, which Ibrahim (PBUH) asked Allah (SWT) to make Imamate in, and Allah refused and instructed that this kind will not be qualified for Imamate?

Answer:In the name of Allah, whoever commits any sin, whether minor or major, and whoever is not infallible does not deserve the Imamate because he oppresses himself and disobeys the Lord (SWT). Allah knows best.

Question:How to answer those who say: how can be reasonable that the prophet ascended to heaven on a mule 1400 years ago? This saying is used for making Islam a religion of superstitions in front of academic students. There is no power but from Allah.

Answer:In the name of Allah, be informed, my son, that it is mentioned in the narrations and the holy verses that Allah (SWT) created an animal called (Al-Buraq) which has wings to fly like flying creatures. That wing-animal was created for the one who created those who created airplane at our time. After all and as per the narrations in this regard, the prophet’s (PBUH&HF) riding on that animal is concerned with his travel from Mecca to Jerusalem then back to Mecca. This is what is referred to by the holy verse ((Glory be to Him who made his servant go on a night from the Sacred mosque to the remote mosque)). So, where have you been drawn, my son? Regarding Al-Mi’raj (the ascension) in which the celestial creatures was seen, we only know that Allah wanted the prophet (PBUH&HF) to see the miracles of Allah so that he (PBUH&HF) became very close to Allah. We do not know more than this. My son, have you thought of how the throne of Balqis reached from her palace to the prophet Solomon (PBUH) in the blink of the eye? Did the humans expect that one day would come where one who is on one side of the world could contact whomever on the other side? There is a saying by one of the Imams (PBUH), which is: (a time will come where one in the east will be able to speak and see the other on the west). The ignorant people used to mock that and we have seen this through our own eyes.

Question:What is the truth of Adam’s (PBUH) sin? How does he disobey Allah and he is infallible?

Answer:In the name of Allah, Disobedience means the violation of every order, whether mandatory or non-mandatory. The thing which violates the infallibility is breaching the mandatory orders. Our Father, Adam, (PBUH) was not obliged to leave that tree, but that was a kind of instruction to him that if he gets eats from it, he will be in trouble. As he did not follow that instruction, he fell into this trouble as a result of greed for getting virtues. Thus, he succeeded and got his certificate in Allah’s saying ((Allah surely chose Adam and Noah….)). If it was a breaching of a mandatory order, then it was not suitable for Adam (PBUH) to be chosen by Allah. We have discussed this in our research regarding the verses of prophets’ (PBUH) infallibility. Allah is the all-Guide and Knowing.

Question:In the story of the prophet Moses (PBUH) and the Righteous Slave (Al-Khidhr) (PBUH), did the latter tell the family of the boy he killed that he killed him or not?

Answer:In the name of Allah, there is nothing mentioned in the Quran or the narrations which can prove that the Righteous Slave did that as he only did what Allah recommended him to do. When Azrael takes the spirit of someone, does he have to tell the family of that one? So, why do you ask such a question, my son? The Righteous Slave said at the end of the story (I did not do it out of myself). Allah knows best.

Question:It is often stated in the biography sources that Abdul Muttalib (PBUH) heard from a priest, a Jew or a Christian that the last prophet is from his descendants. Accordingly, some orientalists say that the source of Islam is Christianity of the peninsula. They also cite the tradition that Khadija (PBUH) brought her cousin, Warq Ibn Nawfal, who was the one who told the prophet (PBUH&HF) that the revelation he (PBUH&HF) got was the Great Law. What is your opinion in such a narration in terms of documentation and content?

Answer:In the name of Allah, this narration is false as the prophet (PBUH&HF) knew about his prophethood along with his father and grandfather. Allah knows best.