Al-Huda Foundation
THE PROPHETS OF ISLAM
The
present booklet on biographical sketches of the Prophets of Islam mentioned in
the Qur'an is one of the three books compiled by my late father, when he was
teaching Muslim youth at a Sunday School in Nairobi. Initially this consisted of notes and hand outs to the
students. Later these materials
were organized in the form of books. For
many years after his death, these manuscripts remained unpublished.
While spending her last days in Pakistan, my late mother took the
initiative to have the first of these manusripts published in Urdu language.
She wished that the years of research and experience invested in these
books should not go waste and the young and new Muslims should continue to
benefit from his writings. Unfortunately,
she did not live long enough to see the publication of the remaining
manuscripts. All copies of the
first print in Urdu have been distributed by now, and reprinting of the book is
being planned for the continuation of this noble mission.
I
most dearly cherish the memories of being associated by my father in the
preparation of these teaching materials. I was then a teenager and enjoyed
these assignments. I felt happy to carry out the research projects. It is a long
time since my youth that I was again given
an assignment to teach Muslim youth at a Sunday School in Englewood, New
Jersey. This has also gone on for several years now.
I felt that the need for educational materials for young children is no
different now than it was about half a century ago. This prompted me to embark
on translating my father's works from Urdu to the English language.
I
have tried to adhere to the style and the spirit of my father's original works.
He tried to keep his narratives of all Prophets before Prophet Muhammad
within the confines of information provided in the Qur'an.
Occasionally he added information from the authentic Islamic traditions.
His intention was to avoid confusion arising from controversial
traditions, and to make the narratives brief enough for the children to memorize
them. He did not quote the exact ayas
of the Qur'an just to maintain the continuity of the text.
He preferred to give references of the relevant Suras at the end
of each narrative. In doing so, he
intended to assist the curious reader towards personal research from the Qur'an.
Islam
aims to bring out the best of the human being within an individual by
strengthening the personality. The
Qur'an is the guide for achieving this goal.
It must be understood that the Qur'an as a book is neither an
encyclopedia nor a compendium of any singular subject.
However, the Qur'anic references cover enormous topics with precision and
depth. Every one can get sufficient
guidance and benefit from its contents according to his/her intelligence or
search. References to the prophets
are made at various occasions as necessitated in illustrating a particular
character or during the derivation of a lesson or moral conclusion.
Qur'an is the only Holy Scripture that uses this unique methodology to
teach man about his past and provide guidance for his present and his future.
All
prophets were sent by the Creator to guide mankind. Some of them were charged with greater responsibility than
the others, and were given the Cannonic code of conduct to be handed down to the
people for their guidance. Consequently
the references and narrative description of these prophets occurs with greater
frequency in various Suras. Some
prophets are named while others are only mentioned with a reference to an event,
or when a lesson or message is intended.
Middle
Eastern nations share a common ancestary and they trace their genealogy to the
same patriarches. Two mainstream
peoples have been identified in history. One
of these people are the Israilites, the children of Prophet Ya'qub (a son of
Prophet Ishaq), while the other are the Arabs, the children of Prophet Ismail,
the elder brother of Prophet Ishaq. While addressing the Arabs, the Qur'an makes frequent
references to Bani Israil, the Jews. The
Message of the Qur'an is however universal.
Allah has sent prophets to all people wherever they dwell on Earth, and
hence the Last Testament of Allah i.e. the Qur'an, brought by The Last Prophet,
is intended for all mankind wherever they may dwell on Earth.
The
Message of The Last Prophet is the same as that of The First Prophet, and for
the entire humankind created by The One and The Only God.
It is for this reason that the author of this book found it necessary to
provide greater details on the life of the Last Prophet.
He was more proximal to our time. The
Qur'an proclaimed him to be the Seal of Prophecy.
Which means there will be no prophet after him.
He lends authenticity to all previous Holy Scriptures and completes the
Divine Message for the human race. Allah
has called him "Rahmatun-lil-aalameen", the Blessing for the
Universe.
I have been
fortunate to collaborate my efforts with brother Nasir Shamsi in reading,
reviewing and editing the English content of the language and the text.
I also sought the help of several youth to read the text and comment on
the flow and readability of the narratives.
At the suggestions received from most readers, the salutations after the
names of prophets, that are traditional in Urdu (Persian and Arabic) language
were dropped to ensure easy and uninterrupted reading.
I sincerely hope that this book will find its place in every home with children and be read and memorized as intended by the author. This book will also provide a stimulus to young people to carry out research on their own, frequently referring to the Qur'an and improving their lives through proper understanding of the Divine Message.
Syed Haider H. Shamsi
Demarest,
New Jersey,
USA (1994)