Ruling on the ʿIsmah (Infallibility) of Prophets
Source: Fatāwā Amnpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amnpūrī
❖ Question
What is the ruling regarding the infallibility (ʿiṣmah) of the Prophets?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
- The Prophets (عليهم السلام) are infallible in conveying the message of Allah.
- They are also protected from committing major sins and disgraceful minor sins.
- If any slip occurs, Allah does not leave His Prophet upon it; rather, He corrects him through revelation.
✿ Statement of Imām al-Dhahabī (رحمه الله, d. 748H)
“No one is infallible except a Prophet. For when a Prophet errs, he is not left upon that mistake; rather, he is reproached by revelation for any slip that occurs rarely, and he repents to Allah. As narrated regarding the prostration in Sūrat Ṣād (38:24), it was due to the repentance of a Prophet (Dāwūd عليه السلام).”
(Tārīkh al-Islām 3/308)
◈ Conclusion
- Prophets are infallible in delivering revelation.
- They are free from major sins and disgraceful minor sins.
- If any minor slip occurs, Allah ﷻ immediately corrects it through revelation.
والله أعلم بالصواب
