Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … Shaykh al-Albani rahimahullah said: This and other ahadith indicate that there is a difference between a Messenger (Rasul) and a Prophet (Nabi). A verse of the Noble Qur’an also indicates this difference: {وَ مَآ اَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِکَ مِنْ رَّسُوْلٍ وَّ لَا نَبِیٍّ اِلَّآ اِذَا تَمَنّٰٓی اَلْقَی الشَّیْطٰنُ فِیْٓاُمْنِیَّتِہٖ } (Surah al-Hajj: 52) … “And We did not send before you any Messenger nor Prophet except that when he desired something, Satan threw into his desire…” This is the position of the general commentators from Ibn Jarir al-Tabari to Allamah Alusi. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah has said in several places in (al-Majmu‘: 10/290, 18/7): “Every Messenger is a Prophet, but not every Prophet is a Messenger.” Imam Qurtubi (12/80) said: Mahdawi said: The correct opinion is that every Messenger is a Prophet, but not every Prophet is a Messenger. Qadi ‘Iyad adopted this view in (al-Shifa) and said: The majority holds this position, that every Messenger is a Prophet, but not every Prophet is a Messenger. They deduced this from the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu.

Further support for this is found in the recitation of Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhu: {وَمَا اَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِکَ مِنْ رَسُوْلٍ وَلَا نَبِیٍّ وَّلَا مُحَدَّثٍ} In this, “muhaddath” refers to one to whom revelation comes in sleep, because the dreams of the Prophets are revelation. Abu Bakr Anbari mentioned this statement in ((al-Radd)).

I (al-Albani) say: Such recitations do not establish the Noble Qur’an, but in any case, if this statement is authentic in its chain, it indicates the difference between a Messenger and a Prophet. The statement of difference is also transmitted from the Qur’anic commentator Mujahid rahimahullah, which Imam Suyuti mentioned in (al-Durr: 4/366). …

What is the difference between a Messenger and a Prophet?

Allamah Zamakhshari (3/37) writes: “The difference between them is that the Messenger among the Prophets is the one who is given both a miracle and a revealed Book, and the Prophet other than the Messenger is the one upon whom no Book is revealed, but he is commanded to call people to the law of the one before him.” … The difference between the two: The Messenger is from among the Prophets and is given both a miracle and a Book from Allah Ta‘ala, and the Prophet, other than the Messenger, is not given a Book, but is commanded to invite people to the law of the previous Messenger.

Imam Baydawi said in his Tafsir (4/57): “The Messenger is the one whom Allah sends with a renewed law, calling people to it, and the Prophet is a general term, including the one sent to affirm a previous law, like the Prophets of Bani Isra’il who were between Musa and ‘Isa, and for this reason the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam likened the scholars of his Ummah to them.” … The Messenger is the one whom Allah Ta‘ala sends with a new law and he calls people to it, and the term Prophet includes both him and the one sent to uphold the law of a previous Prophet, like the Prophets who came between Musa and ‘Isa alayhimas-salam. For this reason, the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam likened the scholars of his Ummah to them.

I (al-Albani) say: Imam Baydawi is perhaps referring to this hadith: ((The scholars of my Ummah are like the Prophets of Bani Isra’il.)) … The scholars of my Ummah are like the Prophets of Bani Isra’il.

But this hadith is baseless in terms of its chain, as Hafiz Ibn Hajar and Imam Sakhawi and others have said. Then they raised objections to Imam Baydawi’s definition, the gist of which is that in Baydawi’s definition, the word “renewed” (mujaddadah), and in Zamakhshari’s definition, the word “Book” (al-kitab) should be omitted, because Isma‘il alayhis-salam neither received a Book nor a renewed law. He was a follower of the law of Ibrahim alayhis-salam, yet Allah Ta‘ala said about him: {اِنَّہُ کَانَ صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ وَکَانَ رَسُوْلاً نَبِیًّا} (Surah Maryam: 54) … “He (Isma‘il) was true to his promise, and he was a Messenger and a Prophet.”

The summary of the discussion is: “The Prophet is the one sent to uphold a previous law, and the Messenger is the one whom Allah sends with a law to which he calls people, whether it is new or previous.” … The Prophet is the one sent to establish a previous law, and the Messenger is the one whom Allah Ta‘ala sends with a law—whether new or previous—and he calls people to it. And Allah knows best. (Sahihah: 2668)