Authority

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What authority are

God's Messengers given?

As mentioned in the earlier sections, the messengers of God are sent to deliver His messages and scripture to mankind. For them to fulfill their duties and deliver the message within the role they are asigned to play, it is important for all believers to acknowledge the nature of their role and the authority they are given. It is also vital to be aware of what is not within their authority to do. It must be said that the majority of the cases of idol worship stems from the fact that the followers of any one messenger invariably give him more authority than what God has decreed.

To present and study this matter, this presentation has been divided into two sections:

1- What a Messenger is.

2- What a Messenger is not.

Each of these sections will display the relevant Quranic reference for what a messenger is authorised to do and equally what he is not authorised to do.

What a Messenger is

1- Deliverer of God's message

A message from God could be a complete scripture or pieces of information and messages. Messengers are also sent to reveal hidden issues inside the scripture or to confirm and prove existing scripture.

This duty ascribed to God's messengers in delivering God's message is the focal point and function of any messenger. God sees to it that His messengers acomplish this duty to its completion.

"O you messenger, deliver what is revealed to you from your Lord - until you do, you have not delivered His message." 5:67

2- Warner, Deliverer of good news, teacher and purifier

When God sends a messenger to a people, this messenger does not deliever the message and goes on his way the way a postman delivers a letter, but the messenger spends his whole life as a preacher to his people. The Quranic verses that speak of messengers as warners, deliverers of good news, teachers and purifiers are numerous. We have many examples in the Quran of messengers who spent many years attempting to guide their people and purify them from their sins. The despairing words of Noah to God in Sura 71 are one such example:

1. "We sent Noah to his people: "You shall warn your people before a painful retribution afflicts them."

2. He said, "O my people, I am a manifest warner to you.

3. "To alert you that you shall worship God, reverence Him, and obey me.

4. "He will then forgive you your sins and respite you for a predetermined period. Most assuredly, God's appointment can never be delayed, once it is due, if you only knew."

5. He said, "My Lord, I HAVE INVITED MY PEOPLE DAY AND NIGHT.

6. "But my invitation only increased their aversion.

7. "Whenever I invited them to be forgiven by You, they placed their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their clothes, insisted, and turned arrogant.

8. "THEN I INVITED THEM PUBLICLY.

9. "THEN I PROCLAIMED TO THEM LOUDLY, AND I SPOKE TO THEM PRIVATELY."

Messengers are sent to their people as teachers and purifyers (by inviting them to the straight path of God):

"(Blessings) such as the sending of a messenger from among you to recite our revelations to you, PUROFY YOU, TEACH YOU THE SCRIPTURE AND WISDOM, and to teach you what you never knew." 2:151

Messengers are also sent (as mentioned) as Warners and Deliverers of good news:

"We have sent you (O Messenger) with the truth as a BEARER OF GOOD NEWS, AS WELL AS A WARNER." 2:119

3- Witness on Judgement Day

"We have sent to you A MESSENGER TO SERVE AS A WITNESS against you, just as we sent to Pharaoh a messenger." 73:15

"Everyone among the people of the scripture was required to believe in him before his death. On the Day of Resurrection, he (Jesus) will be a WITNESS AGAINST THEM."4:159

"Thus, when the day (of judgment) comes, we will call upon a witness from each community, and you (the messenger) will serve as a WITNESS AMONG THESE PEOPLE." 4:41

What a Messenger is not

As seen, the Quran is clear and precise in establishing what authority is given to God's Messengers. Equally, God makes it clear in the Quran what authority is NOT given to His messengers.

1- Warners but NOT Enforcers

We read a clear message in the Quran related to the role of the messenger as a deliverer of God's message without being an enforcer of the message. The following are some of the Quranic verses that confirm this truth:

"You shall remind, for your mission is to deliver this reminder. YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER THEM." 88:21-22

"Follow what is revealed to you from your Lord, there is no god except He, and disregard the idol worshipers. Had God willed, they would not have worshiped idols. WE DID NOT APPOINT YOU AS THEIR GUARDIAN, NOR ARE YOU THEIR ADVOCATE." 6:106-107

The command here to the messenger is very clear. God asserts that the prophet is only to deliver the message and warn. The prophet is not appointed as a guardian, enforcer nor an advocate.

"O people, the truth has come to you herein from your Lord. Whoever is guided is guided for his own good. And whoever goes astray, goes astray to his own detriment. I AM NOT A GUARDIAN OVER YOU." 10:108

"You shall proclaim to those who received the scripture, as well as those who did not, "Would you submit?" If they submit, then they have been guided, BUT IF THEY TURN AWAY, YOUR SOLE MISSION IS TO DELIVER THIS MESSAGE. God is Seer of all people." 3:20

"Proclaim: "This is the truth from your Lord," then WHOEVER WILLS LET HIM BELIEVE, AND WHOEVER WILLS LET HIM DISBELIEVE." 18:29

Once again, the emphasis on the fact that the messenger has no power to inforce the message on anyone is clear.

2- Deliverers of God's Law but NOT Law Makers

In the case of a prophet, he delivers the scripture that contains God's law. In the case of the messenger, he is sent to confirm the existing scripture and warn all those who have strayed away from God's law.

However, we are told in all the scripture that the role of the Law-Maker is one exclusively retained by God Almighty.

When God gave Moses a complete and detailed law (7:145), God commanded Moses and the people of Israel to adhere closely to the Law of God and never to follow any other Law (see Leviticus 18:1-5).

Similarly, when God revealed to Muhammad the Quran, God commanded Muhammad and all Muslims to follow the Law of God alone in the Quran, and never to follow any other law:

"Shall I seek other than God as a source of law, when He has revealed to you this book fully detailed?" 6:114

It is made very clear in the Quran that no human being (messengers included) has the right to authorize any laws not specifically authorised in the Quran. It is also asserted that whoever follows such laws falls automatically into the trap of idol worship:

"They follow idols who decree for them religious laws never authorized by God. If it were not for the predetermined decision, they would have been judged immediately. Indeed, the transgressors have incurred a painful retribution." 42:21

God in His infinite wisdom knows very well that in spite of all these firm assurances, there will still be those who argue in favor of asigning to their messenger the right of law making. For that, God chose to include a very significant incident in the Quran as a reminder for all believers. This is found in the following verse:

"O you prophet, WHY DO YOU PROHIBIT WHAT GOD HAS MADE LAWFUL FOR YOU, just to please your wives? God is Forgiver, Merciful." 66:1

This glorious verse tells us a number of issues:

1- It is clear here that the prophet has prohibited something that is made lawful by God. Many accounts of this incident have been narrated, perhaps the most common is the one of the prophet when he prohibited honey on himself following a domestic dispute with some of his wives. But the nature of the item that he prohibited or the details of the dispute are irrelevant. All what matters is that the prophet did the mistake of prohibiting something which was made lawful by God. This could have been honey, figs or peanuts. In other words, the prophet played the role of the Law-maker, when his sole role was to deliver God's message.

2- We then read the very significant words at the end of the verse "God is Forgiver, Merciful".

In other words, God is telling the prophet that he has done a mistake but that God would forgive him because God is the Most Merciful.

3- It is also evident that God does not include these words in the Quran because He is keen on belittling the prophet in the sight of the reader of the Quran. Not at all, we read throughout the Quran that God's messengers are spoken of highly and are well praised. Then why does God include this incident in the Quran? The obvious answer is that God sets this as a reminder for all believers across time that no one, not even God's prophets, have the right to make laws or authorise laws not authorised by God Himself.

3- Honourable but also accountable

The verses that describe God's messengers as honourable and of excellent character are numerous, these are some of them:

"You (O Messenger) are BLESSED WITH A GREAT MORAL CHARACTER." 68:4

"THE MESSENGER OF GOD HAS SET A FINE EXAMPLEfor those among you who seek God and the Last Day, and constantly think about God." 33:21

"We have tested before them the people of Pharaoh; an HONORABLE MESSENGER went to them." 44:17

"O John, you shall uphold the scripture, strongly." We endowed him with wisdom, even in his youth. And (we endowed him with) kindness from us and PURITY, for HE WAS RIGHTEOUS. He honored his parents, and was never a disobedient tyrant."19:12-14

"Indeed, Abraham was CLEMENT, EXTREMELY KIND, AND OBEDIENT." 11:75

"Mention in the scripture Abraham; HE WAS A SAINT, a prophet." 19:41

"He said, "I am the messenger of your Lord, to grant you A PURE SON (JESUS)." 19:19

"Mention in the scripture Moses. HE WAS DEVOTED, and he was a messenger prophet." 19:51

"And mention in the scripture Ismail. HE WAS TRUTHFUL WHEN HE MADE A PROMISE, and he was a messenger prophet." 19:54

These are some of the numerous verses that describe God's messengers as men of fine character and honour.

However, the Quran also stresses the fact that all will stand infront of the Almighty and be accountable. This applies to all humans including saints, messengers and prophets.

It must be remembered that all the human race (including messengers) have refused to submit to God's absolute authority in the pre-life and also refused the gracious offer that God presented them with (see 33:72). For that reason, all the human race is brought into this world as their second chance to redeem themselves. For that reason also, all the human race (including saints, messengers and prophets) will be accountable on Judgement Day. For more info on the pre-life please check the file (The Reason We Are here).

The Quran confirms that all the messengers will be held accountable like the rest of the human race:

"We will certainly question those who received the message, and WE WILL ALSO QUESTION THE MESSENGERS." 7:6

"The sky is opened up. The mountains are blown up. THE MESSENGERS ARE SUMMONED. That is the appointed day." 77:9-12

"Every single one in the heavens and the earth cometh unto the Most Gracious AS A SERVANT." 19:93

4- Blessed with wisdom but not infallible

In order to enable the messengers to accomplish their asigned mission, God blesses His messengers with wisdom and the knowledge of the scripture:

"(Blessings) such as the sending of a messenger from among you to recite our revelations to you, purify you, TEACH YOU THE SCRIPTURE AND WISDOM, and to teach you what you never knew." 2:151

"Our Lord, and raise among them a messenger to recite to them Your revelations, TEACH THEM THE SCRIPTURE AND WISDOM, and purify them. You are the Almighty, Most Wise." 2:129

"When Jesus went with the proofs, he said, "I BRING TO YOU WISDOM, and to clarify some of the matters in which you dispute. You shall reverence GOD and obey me." 43:63

Other verses speak of the same truth, how God endows His messengers with wisdom (Joseph 12:22), (Lot 21:74), (Moses 28:14), (David 38:20) ...... and so on.

However, the Quran also emphasises that His messengers are NOT infallible. They are apt to do mistakes just like everyone else. Many examples are given in the Quran for specific mistakes committed by various messengers and prophets. We note that Muhammad is reprimanded in the Quran six times for mistakes he committed. Mistakes for other messengers include Moses killing an innocent man, Jonah abandoning God's mission half way through its completion, Solomon forgetting his prayer, Joseph (when he was in prison) putting his trust and fate in the ruler's hand when he should have trusted that God is the Only One to decide his fate.

Perhaps, the principal reason we are told of these mistakes in the Quran is to establish the fact that God's messengers are human beings like all of us and that they should NOT be idolised.

"Say (O Muhammad), "I AM NO MORE THAN A HUMAN LIKE YOU, being inspired that your god is one god. Those who hope to meet their Lord shall work righteousness, and never worship any other god beside his Lord." 18:110

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These are some of the Quranic verses that assert beyond any shadow of doubt what messengers are and what they are not.

Sadly, and after all these clear Quranic assurances, the majority of Muslims regard Muhammad as an infallible human being, that he has the authority to make laws and that without him no Muslim could escape Hell !!!

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