Theophany of Allah

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله

اللهم صلى على سيدنا ونبينا محمد

A theophany is a manifestation of God to humankind. The archetypal theophany is what occurred at Mount Sinai, as described in the Torah:

And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. (Exodus 19:16-20)

And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. (Exodus 24:15-18)

In the theophany at Mount Sinai, the following phenomena occurred:

1. Thunder and lightning

2. Cloud

3. Blast of the trumpet

4. Smoke and fire

5. Quake

The association of these terrifying and glorious phenomena with the theophany of our God is what sets Him apart from many of the false gods and idols. Each of the five phenomenon that occurred during the theophany at Mount Sinai are mentioned in the Quran, particularly with regard to the theophany that shall occur on Judgment Day:

Lightning, Thunder

He it is Who shows you the lightning [to inspire] fear and hope, and He raises the heavy clouds

وَیُسَبِّحُ الرَّعۡدُ بِحَمۡدِہٖ وَالۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ مِنۡ خِیۡفَتِہٖ

And the thunder glorifies Him with His praise and [likewise do] the Angels for awe of Him

(Surah 13, Ayah 12 & 13)

Cloud

ہَلۡ یَنۡظُرُوۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ یَّاۡتِیَہُمُ اللّٰہُ فِیۡ ظُلَلٍ مِّنَ الۡغَمَامِ وَالۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ وَقُضِیَ الۡاَمۡرُ

Are they waiting for anything but that Allah should come to them in the coverings of the clouds with Angels, and the matter be decided?

(Surah 2, Ayah 210)

*Commentary: The Ayah is referring to what shall occur at the final Judgment when Allah Himself shall come, and His glorious theophany shall bring with it clouds and Angels

وَیَوۡمَ تَشَقَّقُ السَّمَآءُ بِالۡغَمَامِ وَنُزِّلَ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ تَنۡزِیۡلًا

And the Day when the Heaven shall be rent asunder with the clouds, and the Angels shall be sent down with a descending

(Surah 25, Ayah 25)

*Commentary: This Ayah too is referring to the final Judgment when the theophany of Allah shall result in the sky splitting open and the appearance of glorious clouds along with the Angels descending in a grand fashion.

وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْغَمَامَ

And We shaded you [Children of Israel] with clouds

(Surah 2, Ayah 57)

وَظَلَّلۡنَا عَلَیۡہِمُ الۡغَمَامَ

And We shaded them [Children of Israel] with clouds

(Surah 7, Ayah 160)

*Commentary: These passages are referring to how the divine presence of Allah was with the Children of Israel as they wandered toward the Holy Land during the Exodus. His presence was manifested in clouds shading the people: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night’ (Exodus 13:21). The descending of a cloud with the divine presence (Sakinah) was likewise experienced by some of the Prophet Muhammad’s (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) companions: Sayyidina Usaid bin Hudair (radi Allahu anhu) narrates that he was reciting Surat al-Baqarah at night, when suddenly his horse became startled. When he paused his recitation the horse calmed down and became silent, but when he resumed it the horse would act up again. He says:

فَرَفَعْتُ رَأْسِي إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَإِذَا مِثْلُ الظُّلَّةِ فِيهَا أَمْثَالُ الْمَصَابِيحِ

'I raised my head to the sky and behold there was something like a cloud containing what looked like lamps’

After explaining what he saw to the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam), the Prophet informed him:

تِلْكَ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ دَنَتْ لِصَوْتِكَ وَلَوْ قَرَأْتَ لأَصْبَحَتْ يَنْظُرُ النَّاسُ إِلَيْهَا لاَ تَتَوَارَى مِنْهُمْ

'Those were Angels who came near to you for your voice and if you had kept on reciting till dawn, it would have remained there till morning when people would have seen it as it would not have disappeared’ (Sahih al-Bukhari: Kitab Fada’il al-Quran; Bab Nuzulis-Sakinati wal-Mala’ikati ainda Qira’atil-Quran)

And in the wording reported by Imam Muslim:

تِلْكَ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ كَانَتْ تَسْتَمِعُ لَكَ وَلَوْ قَرَأْتَ لأَصْبَحَتْ يَرَاهَا النَّاسُ مَا تَسْتَتِرُ مِنْهُمْ

'Those were the Angels who listened to you; and if you had continued reciting, the people would have seen them in the morning and they would not have concealed themselves from them’ (Sahih Muslim: Bab Nuzulis-Sakinati li-Qira’atil-Quran)

Sayyidina al-Bara bin Azib (radi Allahu anhu) narrates that once a man was reciting Surat al-Kahf, when a cloud overshadowed him and came nearer and nearer, causing his horse to be startled. When the man explained what happened in the morning to the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) he informed him:

تِلْكَ السَّكِينَةُ تَنَزَّلَتْ بِالْقُرْآنِ

'That was the Sakinah [Shekhinah] which came down [because of the recitation of] the Quran’ (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)

Blast of the Trumpet

وَیَوۡمَ یُنۡفَخُ فِی الصُّوۡرِ فَفَزِعَ مَنۡ فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَنۡ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ اِلَّا مَنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰہُ

And on the day when the trumpet will be blown, whoever is in the heavens and whoever is in the earth will be struck with terror, save him whom Allah pleases.

(Surah 27, Ayah 87)

وَنُفِخَ فِی الصُّوۡرِ فَصَعِقَ مَنۡ فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَنۡ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ اِلَّا مَنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰہُ

And the trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are in the earth will fall down in a swoon, except those whom Allah will please to exempt

(Surah 39, Ayah 68)

Smoke

ثُمَّ اسۡتَوٰۤی اِلَی السَّمَآءِ وَہِیَ دُخَانٌ

Then He turned to the heaven while it was smoke

(Surah 41, Ayah 11)

فَارۡتَقِبۡ یَوۡمَ تَاۡتِی السَّمَآءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ

But watch you for the Day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke

(Surah 44, Ayah 10)

*Commentary: It is the smoke of the theophany of the divine presence, that manifests as a consequence of the glory and holiness of Allah Most High

Fire

اِذۡ قَالَ مُوۡسٰی لِاَہۡلِہٖۤ اِنِّیۡۤ اٰنَسۡتُ نَارًا

When Moses said to his family, ‘I perceive a fire.’

فَلَمَّا جَآءَہَا نُوۡدِیَ اَنۡۢ بُوۡرِکَ مَنۡ فِی النَّارِ وَمَنۡ حَوۡلَہَا ؕ وَسُبۡحٰنَ اللّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ

So when he came to it, he was called: ‘Blessed is he who is in the fire and also those around it; and glorified be Allah, the Lord of the worlds.’

یٰمُوۡسٰۤی اِنَّہٗۤ اَنَا اللّٰہُ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡحَکِیۡمُ

‘O Moses, verily it is I, Allah, the Mighty, the Wise’

(Surah 27, Ayat 7-9)

Quake

یَوۡمَ تَرۡجُفُ الرَّاجِفَۃُ

On the Day when the quaking shall quake

(Surah 79, Ayah 6)

یَوۡمَ تَرۡجُفُ الۡاَرۡضُ وَالۡجِبَالُ وَکَانَتِ الۡجِبَالُ کَثِیۡبًا مَّہِیۡلًا

On the Day when the Earth and the mountains shall quake, and the mountains will become like crumbling sand hills

(Surah 73, Ayah 14)

اِنَّ زَلۡزَلَۃَ السَّاعَۃِ شَیۡءٌ عَظِیۡمٌ

Verily the earthquake of the Hour is a tremendous thing

(Surah 22, Ayah 1)

اِذَا زُلۡزِلَتِ الۡاَرۡضُ زِلۡزَالَہَا

When the Earth is shaken with her violent shaking

(Surah 99, Ayah 1)

The Seventy Elders

Allah Most High speaks of the quake associated with His theophany when Moses came to him with seventy elders of the Children of Israel:

وَاخۡتَارَ مُوۡسٰی قَوۡمَہٗ سَبۡعِیۡنَ رَجُلًا لِّمِیۡقَاتِنَا ۚ فَلَمَّاۤ اَخَذَتۡہُمُ الرَّجۡفَۃُ قَالَ رَبِّ لَوۡ شِئۡتَ اَہۡلَکۡتَہُمۡ مِّنۡ قَبۡلُ وَاِیَّایَ

And Moses chose of his people seventy men for Our appointment. But when the earthquake overtook them, he said, ‘My Lord, if You had pleased, You could have destroyed them before this, and me also’

(Surah 7, Ayah 155)

The Ayah does not explicitly state that the quake killed the seventy men, only that Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) pleaded with Allah to the effect that they should not be killed by the terrifying atmosphere associated with the theophany. It says in the Torah:

And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off...Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. (Exodus 24:1-2, 9-11)

And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone...And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. (Numbers 11:16-17, 24-25)

Amir ul-Mu’minin Ali bin Abi Talib (radi Allahu anhu) says that the Seventy Elders were made into Prophets, as indicated in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Numbers in the Torah:

فَدَعَا اللَّهَ فَأَحْيَاهُمْ ‌وَجَعَلَهُمْ ‌أَنْبِيَاءَ كُلَّهُمْ

‘So he (Moses) called upon Allah, so He (Allah) revived them and made them all Prophets’ (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah; v.6, p.333, #31841)

حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ ثنا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ عَنْ أَبِي إسحاق عن عمارة عن علي قال فأخذتهم الرَّجْفَةُ فَجَعَلَ مُوسَى يَرْجِعُ يَمِينًا وَشِمَالا قَالَ رَبِّ لَوْ شِئْتَ أَهْلَكْتَهُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَإِيَّايَ أَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَّا إِنْ هِيَ إِلا فِتْنَتُكَ تُضِلُّ بِهَا مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَهْدِي مَنْ تشاء فَأَحْيَاهُمُ اللَّهُ ‌وَجَعَلَهُمْ ‌أَنْبِيَاءَ

(Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim; v.5, p.1575, #9024)

Allah speaks of another incident in those days:

وَاِذۡ قُلۡتُمۡ یٰمُوۡسٰی لَنۡ نُّؤۡمِنَ لَکَ حَتّٰی نَرَی اللّٰہَ جَہۡرَۃً فَاَخَذَتۡکُمُ الصّٰعِقَۃُ وَاَنۡتُمۡ تَنۡظُرُوۡنَ

And remember when you said: ‘O Moses, we will by no means believe you until we see Allah plainly;’ then the thunderbolt overtook you, while you gazed

ثُمَّ بَعَثۡنٰکُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَوۡتِکُمۡ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَشۡکُرُوۡنَ

Then We raised you up after your death, that you might be grateful

(Surah 2, Ayah 55 & 56)

فَقَدۡ سَاَلُوۡا مُوۡسٰۤی اَکۡبَرَ مِنۡ ذٰلِکَ فَقَالُوۡۤا اَرِنَا اللّٰہَ جَہۡرَۃً فَاَخَذَتۡہُمُ الصّٰعِقَۃُ بِظُلۡمِہِمۡ

They asked Moses a greater thing than this: they said, ‘Show us Allah openly.’ Then the thunderbolt seized them because of their transgression.

(Surah 4, Ayah 153)

This appears to be related to what is explained in the Torah:

And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched. And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them (Numbers 11:1-3)

Mutazila: Angels are Better than Prophets!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

اللهم صلى على سيدنا محمد

Abul-Hasan al-Ash’ari (may Allah have mercy on him) says about the misguided sect known as the Mu’tazilah:

وأجمعت المعتزلة على أنه جائز أن يبعث نبياً إلى قوم دون قوم وأجمعت أن ‌الملائكة أفضل من الأنبياء

The Mu’tazilah are in agreement [with each other] that it is possible for Him [Allah] to send a Prophet to a nation other than [his] nation, and they are in agreement that the Angels are superior to the Prophets

(Maqalat al-Islamiyyin; v.1, p.296)

The first point is correct, for the Prophet Jonas son of Amittai [Yunus bin Matta] was an Israelite but was sent by God to deliver His oracle to the people of Nineveh, who were Assyrians. The fact that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called him ‘Jonas son of Amittai’ makes it plain that this great Prophet was an Israelite. Amittai is a Hebrew name meaning truth (Strong’s Concordance, H573).

The second point mentioned in this quotation is among the points of divergence between the astray Mu’tazilah and the rightly-guided people of the Sunnah and the Jama’ah (Sunni Muslims). The correct view, held to strongly by the Sunnis, is that the Prophets are the best of Allah’s creation, and that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) specifically is the best creation of Allah. The Sunnis are singled out, among the plethora of sects in this Ummah, with love and attachment to the most holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). As for the misguided sects, we see how the common denominator that unites them is negligence toward the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

The Twelver Shi’ah say that the status of Imamate is higher than Prophesy, and that the Twelve Imams are superior to the Prophets, with the exception of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). And some among them even have the audacity to say that the first Imam according to them, Amir ul-Mu’minin Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) is equal in every sense to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Some of the extremist and misguided Sufis say that the rank of Wilayah (sainthood) is higher than Prophesy, and that the Awliya (Saints) of this Ummah are greater than the ancient Prophets!

As for the orthodox Muslims, the Sunnis, we say that even the least in rank among the Prophets is greater than the greatest Imam or Saint who is not a Prophet. In fact, the great Imam, Abu Ja'far at-Tahawi al-Hanafi, says about our belief:

ونقولُ نبيٌّ وَاحد أفضل من جميع الأولياءِ

We say: 'A single Prophet is better than all of the Saints' (Aqidat at-Tahawiyyah)

Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that this is a mas’alah (issue) that is not from the fundamentals of the Religion, rejection of which is not unbelief. Therefore, the Mu’tazilah, though mistaken, in saying that the Angels are superior to the Prophets, are not guilty of major unbelief. There is no explicit text from the Quran or Sunnah, that is, a Nass Qati, which establishes that the Prophets are the best of Allah’s creation or that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in particular, is the greatest creation of Allah. Certainly, there are strong indications of this fact, for example, when Allah says:

مَا کَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ اَبَاۤ اَحَدٍ مِّنۡ رِّجَالِکُمۡ وَلٰکِنۡ رَّسُوۡلَ اللّٰہِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِیّٖنَ

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and Seal of the Prophets

(Surah 33, Ayah 40)

This Ayah is the indication that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the greatest of the Prophets, through whom all other Prophets are sealed or certified, and through whom the edifice of Prophesy reaches its perfection in terms of beauty and ornamentation. And Allah says:

وَمَنۡ یُّطِعِ اللّٰہَ وَالرَّسُوۡلَ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ مَعَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَنۡعَمَ اللّٰہُ عَلَیۡہِمۡ مِّنَ النَّبِیّٖنَ وَالصِّدِّیۡقِیۡنَ وَالشُّہَدَآءِ وَالصّٰلِحِیۡنَ

And whoso obeys Allah and this Messenger [Muhammad] shall be among those on whom Allah Has bestowed His favor, among the Prophets, the Siddiqs, the Martyrs, and the Pious

(Surah 4, Ayah 69)

And this Ayah is an indication that the category of Allah’s creation that has received His greatest favor are the Prophets. And the commandment of Allah Most High to the Angels to prostrate to Adam, with a prostration of veneration and not worship, is a strong indication that Adam, the first Prophet, is superior to the Angels.

Is Prophesy Genetic?

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

Is Prophesy Genetic?

Among the heresies of the Imāmiyyah Shī’ah is that the institution of Imamate is restricted to the progeny of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم. This notion is easily dismantled simply through reading the following Āyah:

وَالَّذِیۡنَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ رَبَّنَا ہَبۡ لَنَا مِنۡ اَزۡوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّیّٰتِنَا قُرَّۃَ اَعۡیُنٍ وَّاجۡعَلۡنَا لِلۡمُتَّقِیۡنَ اِمَامًا

And those who say, ‘Our Lord grant us of our wives and our children the coolness of our eyes, and make us an Imam for the righteous’

(Juz 19, Sūrah 25, Āyah 74)

This single Āyah is such a powerful proof against the Imāmiyyah Shī’ah, in repudiating their doctrine of Imamate being divinely granted (wahbi as opposed to kasbi) that is restricted to twelve individuals after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم, that they have been compelled to amend its actual text!

Ironically, some ignorant people among Ahl us-Sunnah (Sunni Muslims) unintentionally give ammunition to Imāmiyyah Shi’ism when they conceive of the institution of Prophesy (Nubuwwah) as being restricted to a particular lineage, in other words, genetic. The idea is that all Prophets after the time of the Patriarch Abraham على نبينا وعليه السلام were necessarily from his seed. Hence they quote the Āyah:

وَاِذِ ابۡتَلٰۤی اِبۡرٰہٖمَ رَبُّہٗ بِکَلِمٰتٍ فَاَتَمَّہُنَّ ؕ قَالَ اِنِّیۡ جَاعِلُکَ لِلنَّاسِ اِمَامًا ؕ قَالَ وَمِنۡ ذُرِّیَّتِیۡ ؕ قَالَ لَا یَنَالُ عَہۡدِی الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ

And when his Lord tried Abraham with certain words which he fulfilled. He [Allāh] said, ‘I will make you an Imām [leader] for the people.’ [Abraham] said, ‘And from among my offspring?’ He [Allāh] said, ‘My covenant does not embrace the transgressors.’

(Juz 1, Sūrah 2, Āyah 124)

Yet this Abrahamic Covenant of Imamate does not exclude either the possibility or actual occurrence of Prophets and Imams being raised from those outside Abraham’s progeny. Here it is also worthwhile to explain that Imamate is broader than Prophesy. An Imām is not necessarily a Prophet (Nabi), though every Prophet is necessarily an Imām, with the possible exception of Prophetesses, since Imamate is restricted to the male sex, while Prophesy is not necessarily restricted to the male sex (as the Ash’aris say). Another Āyah that is cited in favor of the doctrine that Prophesy became restricted to the offspring of Abraham is the following:

اِنَّ اللّٰہَ اصۡطَفٰۤی اٰدَمَ وَنُوۡحًا وَّاٰلَ اِبۡرٰہِیۡمَ وَاٰلَ عِمۡرٰنَ عَلَی الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ

Allāh did choose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of Amram above all the worlds

(Juz 3, Sūrah 3, Āyah 33)

First, it is not explicit from the text of this Āyah that Prophesy is being spoken of as that matter which Allāh عز وجل choose as the means to favor Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Amram over everyone else. Undoubtedly, they were granted the gift of Prophesy, but it seems that what the Āyah is speaking of is broader than Prophesy but certainly inclusive of it. And like the previously quoted Āyah (2:124) it is not explicitly mentioned here that Prophesy was restricted to these individuals and families. However, it is certainly true that the gift of Prophesy most frequently occurred within the family of Abraham. In fact, it has to be acknowledged that a plurality if not an outright majority of the Prophets and Messengers sent by Allāh were from the Children of Israel. After the Patriarchs, Prophets Moses, Aaron, Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Zechariah, Yahya (John) and Jesus, all spoken of in the Qurān, were all from the Children of Israel. The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is reported to have said:

كَانَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ تَسُوسُهُمُ الأَنْبِيَاءُ كُلَّمَا هَلَكَ نَبِيٌّ خَلَفَهُ نَبِيٌّ

The Prophets used to be involved in the political affairs of the children of Israel. Whenever a Prophet died he was succeeded by a Prophet

(mutaffaqun alayh)

According to another version of the Hadīth:

إِنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَانَتْ تَسُوسُهُمْ أَنْبِيَاؤُهُمْ كُلَّمَا ذَهَبَ نَبِيٌّ خَلَفَهُ نَبِيٌّ

Indeed, the children of Israel’s political affairs were managed by their Prophets. Whenever a Prophet left (died) he was succeeded by a Prophet

(Sunan Ibn Mājah)

*Note: The reference to the Israelite Prophets conducting the siyāsah, which roughly means politics, of the children of Israel does not necessarily mean that the Israelite Prophets were always in positions of political authority and temporal leadership/administration, but that their prophetic ministries were concerned with the political affairs. Typically, this was manifested in the phenomenon of Prophets rebuking and advising the kings of Israel and Judah concerning both domestic and foreign political affairs. The Prophet Jeremiah على نبينا وعليه السلام delivered a divine warning to King Zedekiah of Judah not to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Book of Jeremiah, chapter 38). In those days the Kingdom of Judah was a vassal of the Babylonian Empire, but King Zedekiah was influenced to ally with the Egyptians and rebel against Babylon. The tragic consequence was that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in 587 BCE and destroyed the holy city including the Temple of Solomon, taking the Jews into captivity. Likewise, the Saints and mystics of this Ummah, who reflect the role of the Israelite Prophets, warn the corrupt and incompetent kings and rulers of the Muslims, against their moral corruption, their failure to rule by the Sharī’ah and Sunnah, and their contracting of alliances with the wrong foreign powers that result in destruction for the Muslims at the hands of their enemies.

Now this Hadīth makes it plain that the children of Israel were blessed with the largest number of Prophets, because each of their Prophets was immediately succeeded by another Prophet, until the institution of Prophesy was taken away from them when they rejected the Messiah على نبينا وعليه السلام. So it is reasonable to assume that the frequency of Prophesy, and not Prophesy itself, occurring in the families of Abraham and Amram is what is meant when Allāh says he chose them over the worlds. The term ‘family of Amram’ may refer to the Amram who was the father of Prophets Moses and Aaron or to the Amram who was the father of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. The Christian Bible never mentions the names of the Virgin Mary’s parents, but the Qurān does mention that her father was named Imrān (Amram). According to the Christian Bible, Mary was a relative of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, called Yahyā (Jehiah) in the Qurān. Zechariah was a priest-prophet from the line of Abijah. The priesthood in Israel was for the descendants of Aaron. In this sense, Zechariah, John the Baptist, Mary and Jesus were all from the priestly line and therefore they are included in the Levite family of Amram. It is more reasonable to say, therefore, that the term Āl ‘Imrān (family of Amram) is an attribution to Amram the father of Moses and Aaron, denoting a priestly and prophetic line that was extremely blessed within the broader children of Israel. For if the term ‘family of Imrān’ is an attribution to the father of Virgin Mary سلامٌ عليها then it is inclusive of only a small number of individuals, basically only the Virgin Mary and her son Jesus عليهما السلام. But if the ‘family of Imrān’ is a reference to the priestly Levite family that included many great Israelite Prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, along with John the Baptist, his father Zechariah, and Jesus himself, then it is quite understandable why it is a separately mentioned family that was chosen by Allah as per the Āyah (3:33). Now it is not difficult to understand why many Muslims, from both the Sunnis and the Shī’ah, acquired the mistaken belief that Prophesy was restricted to a particular lineage, for indeed Allāh did choose particular lineages, those attributed to Abraham and Amram, for special favor and blessing, and it was in those lineages that a plurality of the Prophets hailed from. Nevertheless, it may also be understood from the Qurān that Prophets appeared outside the offspring of Abraham:

وَلَقَدۡ بَعَثۡنَا فِیۡ کُلِّ اُمَّۃٍ رَّسُوۡلًا اَنِ اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰہَ وَاجۡتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوۡتَ

And We did raise among every nation a Messenger, [saying], ‘Worship Allāh and shun the Tāghūt’

(Juz 14, Sūrah 16, Āyah 36)

اِنَّمَاۤ اَنۡتَ مُنۡذِرٌ وَّلِکُلِّ قَوۡمٍ ہَادٍ

You [O Prophet Muhammad] are, surely, a Warner. And there is a Guide for every people

(Juz 13, Sūrah 13, Āyah 7)

ؕ وَاِنۡ مِّنۡ اُمَّۃٍ اِلَّا خَلَا فِیۡہَا نَذِیۡرٌ

And there is not a nation but that a Warner passed away among them

(Juz 22, Sūrah 35, Āyah 24)

At the very least these passages from the Qurān indicate that there have been nations, not from the offspring of Abraham, among whom Allāh sent Prophets and Messengers. The specific Prophets Hūd and Sāleh, sent to the tribes of Ād and Thamūd respectively, are likely examples of Prophets who were not from the progeny of Abraham. Consider also the fact that none of the Salaf or the pious Ulamā, Saints and elders of Ahl us-Sunnah ever rejected the claim of a Prophesy-claimant on the grounds that he was not a descendant of Abraham, though many such claimants arose who were not from Quraysh, the Adnanites, or even the Arabs.

In essence, Islam is a religion that rejects genetic determinism and the idea that Prophesy and Imamate are genetic traits that are restricted to a particular family or lineage. Allāh سبحانه وتعالى says:

یُنَزِّلُ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃَ بِالرُّوۡحِ مِنۡ اَمۡرِہٖ عَلٰی مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِہٖۤ

He sends down the Angels with the Spirit of His command upon whom He wills of His servants

(Juz 14, Sūrah 16, Āyah 2)

The great Prophet Yahyā, or John the Baptist, said to the self-righteous and arrogant Jews:

And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham (Matthew 3:9; Luke 3:8)

It was recently suggested to me by an ignorant person that the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم is the last prophet because he had no biological son that survived into adulthood who would succeed him to the prophetic office. This is a gross misreading of the blessed Āyah:

مَا کَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ اَبَاۤ اَحَدٍ مِّنۡ رِّجَالِکُمۡ وَلٰکِنۡ رَّسُوۡلَ اللّٰہِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِیّٖنَ

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allāh and Seal of the Prophets

(Juz 22, Sūrah 33, Āyah 40)

Firstly, the words ‘your men’ are restricted to the adult men who are being addressed in this Āyah, which must necessarily include sayyidina Zayd رضى الله عنه, as the context clearly indicates. The purpose of the Āyah is to establish that despite his adoption by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, sayyidina Zayd bin Hārithah al-Kalbi’s رضى الله عنه father is not the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, and therefore, there should be no objection to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم marrying sayyidina Zayd’s ex-wife, sayyidatuna Zaynab bint Jahsh رضى الله عنها. The Āyah subsequently mentions that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is the Messenger of God and Seal of the Prophets as compensation for the apparent shortcoming of not being the father of adult men (considered a shortcoming in the Jāhili Arab culture but not a shortcoming in reality).