The Difference Between Prophets and Messengers in Islam, Along with Their Duties

Kapanlagi.com - Prophets and messengers are human beings who receive revelations from Allah SWT about religion and their missions. Studying the stories of the prophets and messengers is an obligation for every believing Muslim. In the Quran, Allah Ta'ala reminds us that 'indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for people of understanding'. Of course, there are differences between prophets and messengers in carrying out their tasks.

Actually, it is known that there are many names of prophets in Islam, numbering in the hundreds of thousands or even countless. However, out of the many names of prophets, there are only 25 sequential prophets that Muslims must believe in and know. And among these names, there are several messengers who were sent by Allah SWT to deliver noble teachings, especially to worship Allah SWT.

And here are some differences between prophets and messengers that we must understand as Muslims, which have been compiled from various sources. Let's check it out, KLovers.

1. Understanding Prophets and Messengers

Understanding Prophets and Messengers (Credit: Pixabay)

Before knowing what the differences between Prophet and Messenger are, we must also understand the meaning of Prophet and Messenger themselves. Yes, Prophet and Messenger have several differences. To know more about these differences, it is better for us to first understand the meaning of Prophet and Messenger. Several times Prophet and Messenger appear in the verses of the Quran. One of them is in Surah Al-Hajj verse 52. The verse means as follows:

"And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet except that when he wished, Satan threw into it [some misunderstanding]. But Allah abolishes that which Satan throws in; then Allah makes precise His verses. Allah is Knowing and Wise." (QS.Al-Hajj: 52).

In terms of language, Prophet comes from the word 'naba' which means from a high place. However, in general, a prophet is often interpreted as a person who is entrusted with a revelation from Allah SWT for himself. Meaning, the revelation received by the Prophet from Allah is not obligatory to be conveyed or taught to his people. Instead, the obligation of a prophet is limited to practicing it for himself.

Meanwhile, Messenger comes from the word 'Risala' which means communication. A Messenger also receives revelation from Allah SWT, just like the prophets. However, what distinguishes them is that besides practicing it for themselves, Messengers are also obliged to teach the revelation to their people to follow the path of Allah SWT.

2. Differences Between Prophets and Messengers

Difference between Prophets and Messengers (Credit: Pixabay)

There are several important differences between Prophets and Messengers that you need to know. Here are the differences between Prophets and Messengers:

1. Firstly, Prophets receive revelations from Allah to be practiced by themselves. Meanwhile, Messengers receive revelations to be conveyed to their people.

2. Secondly, Prophets are assigned or sent to the people who have already believed. Whereas Messengers are sent to the people who have not yet believed in Allah or are still disbelievers.

3. Thirdly, Prophets are more in number than Messengers.

4. Being a Prophet does not necessarily mean being a Messenger, but being a Messenger definitely means being a Prophet.

5. Prophets receive revelations from Allah through dreams. Whereas Messengers receive revelations through dreams and they are conveyed through angels. In addition, Messengers also have the ability to directly see and communicate with angels.

6. The sixth difference between Prophets and Messengers is that some Prophets died because they were killed by their people. Whereas Messengers are saved by Allah from various assassination attempts.

3. Number of Prophets and Messengers

Number of Prophets and Messengers (Credit: Pixabay)

Besides knowing the difference between a Prophet and a Messenger, you also need to know how many Prophets there are in this world. In a hadith narrated by Abu Umamah, Abu Dzar asked the Messenger of Allah, "How many Prophets are there exactly?"

Then he answered, "The number of Prophets is 124,000, and among them, 315 are Messengers. It's a lot." (Narrated by Ahmad no. 22288 and its chain of narrators is considered authentic by al-Albani in alMisykah).

However, in one of the verses of the Quran, the exact number of Prophets and Messengers is not mentioned. In one of its verses, Allah says the following:

"And We certainly sent messengers before you, [O Muhammad]; among them are those We have related to you, and among them are those We have not related to you. And it was not for any messenger to bring a sign except by permission of Allah." (Quran, Al-Ghafir: 78).

However, out of the many Prophets, there are 25 names of Prophets that Muslims must understand, from the first Prophet to the last Prophet. The list of the order of Prophets is as follows:

1. Prophet Adam As.

2. Prophet Idris As.

3. Prophet Nuh As.

4. Prophet Hud As.

5. Prophet Saleh As.

6. Prophet Ibrahim As.

7. Prophet Luth As.

8. Prophet Ismail As.

9. Prophet Ishaq As.

10. Prophet Yaqub As.

11. Prophet Yusuf As.

12. Prophet Ayyub As.

13. Prophet Syu'aib As.

14. Prophet Musa As.

15. Prophet Harun As

16. Prophet Zulkifli As.

17. Prophet Daud As.

18. Prophet Sulaiman As.

19. Prophet Ilyas As.

20. Prophet Ilyasa As.

21. Prophet Yunus As.

22. Prophet Zakaria As.

23. Prophet Yahya As.

24. Prophet Isa As.

25. Prophet Muhammad SAW

4. Title of Ulul Azmi

Title of Ulul Azmi (Credit: Pixabay)

Among the above sequence of Prophets, there are several prophets who have the title Ulul Azmi. The title Ulul Azmi itself is a title held by chosen Prophets who have extraordinary perseverance. The sequence of Prophets who receive this title of Ulul Azmi is known as someone who possesses extraordinary perseverance, patience, and determination in carrying out their holy duty as a Messenger, despite facing various obstacles. And here are some of the sequence of prophets who have the title Ulul Azmi:

1. Prophet Noah (AS).

2. Prophet Abraham (AS).

3. Prophet Moses (AS).

4. Prophet Jesus (AS).

5. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

5. Virtues of the Mandatory Attribute of a Messenger

The Virtue of the Obligatory Qualities of Messengers (Credit: Pixabay)

Besides the difference in duties between Prophets and Messengers, it is also known that Messengers have noble qualities. This is because Messengers have a heavier task than Prophets. Besides having to maintain faith and piety, Messengers also have to spread the teachings of Islam and the revelations they receive. Therefore, Messengers are known to have several obligatory and essential qualities. These qualities include:

1. Shidiq, which means truthful or honest. It is impossible for a Messenger to have the quality of Kadzib or liking to lie.

2. Amanah, which means trustworthy. It is impossible for a Messenger to be treacherous.

3. Tabligh, which means to convey. It is impossible for a Messenger to have the quality of kitman or hiding his teachings.

4. Fathonah, which means intelligent. It is impossible for a Messenger to be forgetful.

6. The Duties of Prophets and Messengers

The Tasks of Prophets and Messengers (Credit: Pixabay)

Basically, all Prophets and Messengers created by Allah SWT have one goal. And that goal is to make Allah SWT the worthy God to be worshipped. Here are some tasks of the Prophets and Messengers that must be done:

1. Inviting people to worship.

2. Preventing from all prohibitions.

3. Inviting people to Allah Ta'ala.

4. Becoming a good example.

5. Reminding people that they were created from dust and will return to dust.

6. Reminding not to focus only on the world.

7. Establishing and conveying the religion of Allah Ta'ala.

8. Informing the limits set by Allah SWT.

9. Making peace and communication.

10. Making regulations in various ways.

7. The Places where Prophets and Messengers were Sent

Place where the Prophet is Sent (Credit: Pixabay)

In addition to knowing the difference between Prophets and Messengers, from their tasks and characteristics. Of course, we also need to know the places where Prophets and Messengers were sent by Allah SWT. Here are some places where Prophets and Messengers were sent:

1. Arabian Peninsula:

Prophet Adam AS.

Prophet Ismail AS.

Prophet Shaleh AS.

Prophet Hud AS.

Prophet Syuaib AS.

Prophet Muhammad SAW.

2. Iraq:

Prophet Idris AS.

Prophet Nuh AS.

Prophet Ibrahim AS.

Prophet Yunus AS.

3. Levant (Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon)

Prophet Lut AS.

Prophet Ishaq AS.

Prophet Ya'qub AS.

Prophet Ayub AS.

Prophet Zulkifli AS.

Prophet Daud AS.

Prophet Sulaiman AS.

Prophet Ilyas AS.

Prophet Ilyasa AS.

Prophet Zakariya AS.

Prophet Yahya AS.

Prophet Isa AS.

4. Egypt

Prophet Yusuf AS.

Prophet Musa AS.

Prophet Harun AS.

Those are some differences between Prophets and Messengers that we can know and understand as a Muslim. Hopefully, the knowledge about the differences between Prophets and Messengers above can become knowledge for you.

(kpl/dhm)