Hello Doodlebug,
format_quote Originally Posted by
doodlebug
Oh that makes sense. But I guess that begs another question, if you don't mind too much, why then haven't there been more Messengers after Muhammed? I mean with all due respect, it looks like a few things could use clearing up now a days and wouldn't it be wonderful if God could send someone new down to do the job? I've always wondered about this even in my own religion....why He doesn't come down and give us clarity now.:?
Humanity has not been intended to dwell on earth forever. There will be a Day of Resurrection when every human being will be judged by God. If humanity's time on earth is limited, then it means that the chain of Prophets sent also has an end, and there must be a "last and final Prophet". God has chosen Muhammad (peace be upon him) to be that final Prophet before the coming Day of Resurrection. Since there will be no future prophets to come and bring new revelation to 'clear things up', God has protected the Muslim religious sources - the Qur'an (word of God revealed to Muhammad) and Sunnah (Prophetic teachings) - from any alteration. They have been preserved and so anyone who wishes is easily able to follow the truth.
Ok I guess this is where I show my ignorance. :-[ I had no idea there were so many other Prophets. I thought it was just Adam, Moses, Jesus and Muhammed.
The Prophet Muhammad once said: 'The cure for ignorance is to question.' (Sunan Abî Dawûd). Islam encourages people to ask questions and learn :)
You can read about the Prophets by checking the biographies section of this forum.
I guess I meant...why would He send a message that we would deviate from.
People deviate from the message because they have free choice to do so, not because there is some inherent deficiency in the message itself. People succumb to their worldly desires and refuse to accept the truth and live according to the way of life ordained by God which is actually for humanity's own good. Following the truth brings about inner-peace and tranquility in one's life.
Hi Jayda,
format_quote Originally Posted by
Jayda
i thought about that question too... if muslims believe people deviated or changed the messages of all the other prophets, so God created a prophet and a book that you cant change... why didnt he do that in the first place? i dont understand why mohammed is needed... (please dont take that as an insult, im just curious...)
It is true that the revelation to Muhammad pbuh was divinely protected from alteration unlike the previous revelations. It is
not true that this was done to prevent people from deviating because even today we still see people deviating from the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh and failing to apply it in their lives. People are still deviating from the truth. "So what was the purpose of protecting the revelation to Muhammad from alteration?", one may ask.
The Qur'an and Sunnah has been protected from alteration because as Muhammad pbuh is the last Prophet, there will be no prophet to come after him and bring new revelation to correct people's ideas. Thus, it is imperative that the last revelation be preserved so later generations may implement and understand it with the same clarity and precision as the earlier generations.
Remember also that previous revelations were specific to the nation for which they were sent, hence the test for the people was to preserve the text. For the Qur'an, its message is universal, so insteading of being tested with preserving the text, Muslims have the test of propagating the message to the world, while God preserves the text. So everyone was tested, just in different ways. See also:
http://www.islamicboard.com/basics-i...ion-quran.html
If I have overlooked anything that you would like answered, feel free to point it out.
Peace :)