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Published: 06 February 2026

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• Bright Night
• Worship
• Simplistic Lifestyle
• Cleanliness and Tidiness
• mission

The Bright Night

It was a strange night, when the Iwan Kisra cracked and the fire in the Azargoshasb temple, which had been burning for a thousand years, suddenly extinguished. All the idols of the Ka'ba collapsed and a great Mash of light went up to the sky. The Prophet (s) of kindness was born to quench, the world's thirst for knowledge and love with his perfect conduct. The holy Prophet (s) personality captivated many hearts and his sublime character attracted the masses like a magnet. Many books have been written about his manners and lifestyle and numerous historians and orientalists believe that the biggest factor for his success and popularity was his impeccable behavior. In several ayats in the glorious Qur'an, Allah (swt) talks about the Prophet's (s) unique qualities and states that the cause for his popularity was his good manners and kindness. we will study the factors for his success, i.e. the character and demeanor of the holy Prophet (s).

God Describes His Prophet (s)

In the surah of Repentance (Tawbah). Allah (swt) introduces His Prophet (s) to humanity by important attributes:

(لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ)            

"There has certainly come to you an apostle from among yourselves. Grievous to him is your distress; he has deep concern for you. and is most kind and merciful to the faithful" (9:128)

In the surah of The Pen (Al- Qalam) in the glorious Qur'an. Allah (swt) describes His Prophet (s) in the fourth ayah as:

(وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ)

"and indeed you possess a great character".(68:4)  

The glorious Qur'an regards the holy Prophet's (s) soft-nature and kindness as the secret of his popularity and in surah Ale Imran it states:

(فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ۖ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ ۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ)

The glorious Qur'an regards the holy Prophet's (s) soft-nature and kindness as
the secret of his popularity and in surah Ale Imran it states:

"It is by Allah's mercy that you are gentle to them; and had you been harsh and hard-hearted, surely they would have scattered from around you. So excuse them, and plead for forgiveness for them, and consult them in the affairs, and once you are resolved, put your trust in Allah. Indeed Allah loves those who trust in Him." (3:159)

Sir William Muir, who was a well-known Orientalist describes the holy Prophet(s) in this manner:
A remarkable feature was the urbanity and consideration with which Muhammad treated even the most insignificant of his followers. Modesty and kindliness, patience, self-denial- and generosity, pervaded his conduct, and riveted the affections of all around him. He disliked to say, No. If unable to answer a petitioner in the affirmative, he preferred silence. He was not known ever to refuse an invitation to the house even of the meanest, nor to decline a proffered present however small. He possessed the rare faculty of making each individual in a company think that he was the favoured guest. If he met anyone
rejoicing at success he would seize him eagerly and cordially by the hand.
With the bereaved and afflicted he sympathised tenderly. Gentle and unbending towards little children, he would not disdain to accost a group of them at play with the salutation of peace. He shared his food, even in times of scarcity, with others, and was sedulously solicitous for the personal comfort of everyone about him. A kindly and benevolent disposition pervaded all those illustrations of his character.
Sir William Muir(Life of Muhammad, pp. 510-13).

Perseverance and Resilience

Two of the most distinguishing characteristics required to do missionary work is patience and perseverance. In this regard. God says to the Prophet (s) in the Holy Quran. "So be steadfast, just as you have been commanded...

We have a tendency to look past the bright spot in the history of Islam and towards the dark days and this view, which is from "the future towards the past" portrays the reality in a different way. We need to imagine ourselves in the time that the Prophet (s) was alone; there was no sign of victory ahead of him. Obstinate enemies were out to eliminate him and some of his relatives were in the front line of this battle! He continuously went among the Arab tribes and invited them to Islam, but no one responded to his invitation. Stones were thrown at him and blood came from his blessed body, but he did not waver in his mission. He and his handful of followers were always blocked within their social, economic and political surroundings, to the extent that some died of starvation, illness and tortures that affected his heart and soul.

The way in which the days passed for the Prophet (s) are difficult to be described in speech and writing. For example, when he went to Taif with the intention of inviting the people to Islam, not only did the people reject his invitation but they threw so many stones at him that blood flowed from his feet. They got ignorant people to shout at him and curse him. He was forced to take refuge in a garden and sat under the shade of a tree and spoke to God:

"O Allah, to You alone do I complain of the debilitation of my strength. the deficiency of my means, and the contempt with which people treat me. O Allah, the Most Merciful of those who have mercy. You are the Lord of those who are oppressed, helpless and weak and You are my Lord. To whom would You render me? To someone far-off who would sullenly frown at me? Or to an enemy whom You have given control over my affairs? If You are not angry with me, then I should not worry." Sometimes they called him a sorcerer, other times they called him crazy and at times they poured ashes on his head. They even plotted to kill him and encircled his house with swords. The trials that the Prophet (s) was subjected to were so difficult that he stated: "No prophet was made to suffer torment as I did." In the Battle of Uhud, they broke his teeth and struck his forehead with stones. However, he supplicated to God: "Oh God, guide my people for they are ignorant." (Bihar al-’Anwar, vol. 20. p. 21) Amidst these conditions, he continued with patience and perseverance. Finally, the sweet fruit of this tree was tasted and Islam not only fills the Arabian Peninsula, but exists throughout the entire world. Today, the call to prayer, which is his victory cry, is heard in the four corners of the globe and on every continent in the world.

Worship

The Prophet (s) slated that: "The best of people arc those who love to perform worship and prayer." (Al-Kafi. vol.3,p. 215)

Spirituality and worship are among the most important points of discussion in regards to the behaviour of the Prophet (s).There are various manifestations of worship of the Prophet (s), such as prayer, remembrance, nightly devotions, supererogatory prayers, fasting and hay. His prayer, which he called the light of his eyes, was accompanied with the utmost attention and presence of the heart. The Messenger of Islam (s) also placed special emphasis on supererogatory prayers. In addition, intense and prolonged worship along with their preparations and introductions, dividing prayers according to the hours of the night and remaining awake therein, recitation of the Holy Quran and conversing with his lord were among the devotional activities reported from the Prophet's (s) life.
During the night, the Messenger of God (s) arose from his bed, make ablution, brush his teeth, recite some verses of the Holy Quran and then retreat into a comer and engage in worship and crying. Some, who saw him in this condition, asked the Prophet (s): "You, who does not have any sins, why do you cry so much?" He answered:
"'Should I not be thankful to God?"(Bihar al-'Anwar, vol. 17,p.257)

Umm Salamah reported. "One night the Prophet (s) was in my home. I saw him standing in the darkness, his hands were raised up and he was shedding tears and was saying: 'Oh God! Do not take from me whatever blessing You have given to me, do not please my enemy, do not entrap me in adversities which you have saved me from, do not leave me on my own - even for the twinkling of an eye.'" I said to him. "You have been exempted!" He replied, "No person is without need of God. Prophet Jonah(as), the moment he was lift to himself, he became imprisoned in the belly of a fish."

When the month of Ramadan arrived, the Prophet (s) freed all of his slaves. At the time of prayer he would tremble and whenever he worshipped by himself, he would prolong his prostrations. However, whenever he led the congregational prayers, he would recite them in a very normal and simple way. The Prophet (s) recommended one of his companions, who became a leader of prayers for other Muslims; "Whenever you are standing with others in prayer, after reciting the chapter al-Hamd. try to choose a short chapter to recite and do not prolong the prayer."
Imam Ali (as) in regard to the worship of the Prophet of Islam (s) said: "When he stood in prayer, due to the intensity of fear and grief and much crying, a sound came from inside him that sounded like the boiling of a pot set on fire; and this was while he was safe from the punishment of God. By these acts he wanted to increase his reverence for and humility before God and to be a leader and guide for others."

God made some recommended acts of worships such as the midnight prayer obligatory for the Prophet (s). Generally, encouraging recommended acts of worships has a relation with the spiritual position of the person as well as his occupations and his other duties.

What is asked of us it that, we act upon that which Islam has made obligatory on us, such as the daily prayers, the fast of the holy month of Ramadan, to work and acquire knowledge, to the greatest extent possible to spend our time in worshipping our Lord and in His remembrance. In fact, in studying the characters of the Prophet (s) and his household (as), we should look at all dimensions of their lives so that we do not stray from the path of moderation. For example, our Holy Prophet (s) spent his nights in worship and his days were spent working, doing activities. He regarded work and effort as the means to provide for the sustenance of the family as a form of worshipping God and encouraged others to engage in this as well.

Simplistic Lifestyle

Despite his high position and status, the prophet (s) did not lead a life like that of rulers; he lived a very simplistic life. Once, a person came to see the Prophet (s) while he was sitting in a circle of his companions. He looked at those present and could not identify the Prophet (s) from among them, thus he asked. "Which of you is the messenger of God?" The Prophet (s) replied, "I am." This person describes the Prophet (s) like so: "I saw him wearing simple clothing like the rest." (Kanz al-Fawa'id, vol. 1, p. 212)

Cleanliness and Tidiness

The Prophet of Islam (s) not only gave importance to the cleanliness of his soul, but also gave a great deal of attention to the purity and tidiness of his appearance. By his unique behaviour and speech, he commended cleanliness and hygiene to others, not only for one's body but clothes as well.
In addition to the regular ablutions, he washed himself most days and considered both to be acts of worship. He washed his hair with cedar leaf and combed it, and scented himself with musk and amber. He would brush his teeth with care several times a day. especially before sleeping and upon awakening. He told his companions: "Never sit with yellow and unclean teeth in a gathering. Do not neglect brushing your teeth and keeping them clean." Before and after eating, he would wash his hands and mouth and he would abstain from eating bad-smelling herbs. A comb, scissors, mirror and toothbrush were items he would take on Journeys with him.

The Prophet's (s) clothes were always clean as well as his home. He emphasised that rubbish should be taken out in the daytime and not remain in its place until night. He did not like unwashed dishes to be left and said. "Before sleeping at night, wash the dishes."

Cleanliness of his body and limbs was in harmony with cleanliness of his soul. He emphasised to his companions and followers that they keep their head, face, clothes and home clean and requested that they wash themselves, especially on Fridays, and that they use fragrance in order that they would not give off a bad odour while attending the Friday prayers.

These points are only a small reflection of the importance this great personality gave to the issue of cleanliness and hygiene.
Prophet Muhammad (s) lived a very simple life but he cared deeply about cleanliness and tidiness and recommended to others that they be clean and tidy.

Soft, Yet Firm

The personalities of God's chosen messengers possess opposite characteristics which are complimentary in nature. In other words, when God's satisfaction lies in mercy, their encounter with people will be full of mercy and kindness, and when it lies in seriousness and firmness, they deal with resolve and boldness.

The holy Prophet (s) was soft, moderate and forgiving in issues related to himself, were the keys to his historical achievements and success, but in fundamental and general issues where it was in the realm of law. he would show resolution and firmness and not overlook the situation. After conquering Mecca, he forgave all the harms that the Quraysh had inflicted on him during the past twenty years. He also accepted the repentance of his uncle Hamzah's assassin.

Yet, during that same conquest of Mecca, when one of the noble women had committed usurpation and such was established, he carried out the law regarding her.

 His Conduct towards His Family

He was very cordial in his Family and would not treat them harshly, which was in contrary to the social norm of his time. He strongly advised men to treat their wives kindly and stated: "All people have positive and negative qualities. Men should not consider only negative qualities of their wives and leave them; because whenever a negative quality of hers bothers him another quality of hers would please him. He was extremely kind to his children and grandchildren. He used to sit them on his lap or his shoulders and kiss them. One day, he kissed one of his grandchildren (Imam Hasan ibn All al-Mujiaba (a)) in the presence of a nobleman. That man said: "I have two sons and I have never kissed them." The holy Prophet (s) stated: "Whoever does not show mercy [on others] would not deserve [Allah's] mercy." (Rawdah al-Waidhan. vol. 2, p. 369)

The Prophet (s) stated:

"The most faithful people are those who have better manners within their families and express more love to them; and I express love to my family more than you do!” (Wasa'il al-Shiah. vol. 8, p. 507)

‘Respect your children and treat and interact with them in a good manner.’(Bihar at-'Anwar, vol. 101, p. 95)

His treatment of Slaves

During the Age of Ignorance, slavery was very common and slaves did not have any individual or social rights. The religion of Islam established numerous laws in an effort to revive the rights of slaves, doing everything possible to set the stage for their ultimate freedom. The Prophet (s) was extremely kind to slaves and during his lifetime, he would buy slaves and set them free in the way of Allah under various pretexts and would encourage others to follow his example. He would tell the people. "These are your brothers, feed them the same food you yourselves consume, and cover them with the same clothing you use to cover yourselves." (Sahih Muslim, vol. 5, p. 93) He considered the slave trade as the worst occupation and would say. "The worst of people in Allah's eyes are those who sell people." (Al-Kafi, vol. 9. p. 646)

Fighting Against Oppression

He always supported the oppressed and struggled against despots and there are many efforts to administer justice. In the [pre-Islamic] Age of Ignorance, he made a covenant with a subjugated group of people, for them to protect the downtrodden and fight against oppressors, this covenant was called "Hilf al-Fudül." At times, he would remember the covenant and say: "I would not agree for that covenant to be broken and even now I am ready to participate in such a covenant again." (Al-Sira al-Nabawiyyah, Ibn Hishäm, vol. 1, p. 87)

His mission

His mission was the perfection of man. He describes the goal of his mission as: "I was chosen to complete moral virtues" The religion which Muhammad (s) introduced to people is a comprehensive program for living which includes both aspects of human's life. i.e. his material and spiritual aspects, in other words, a Muslim is the one who is prosperous both in this world and the Hereafter. Therefore, a collection of individual and social guidelines can be found in the Qur'an, teaching human beings the true way of life and ultimately achieving prosperity. He spent his lifetime on teaching humanity and prepared the grounds for the development and perfection of human beings and ethics by establishing Islamic government. Imam Ali (a) introduced his cousin (the holy Prophet (s)) to people with very beautiful attributes:

"[He is] an itinerant healing doctor. (Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermon 108).

The Prophetic mission of Prophet Muhammad (s) was to bring all aspects of human life to perfection and his activities are too comprehensive to be mentioned here. However, some of his most important achievements, which were recorded by historians during the 23 years of his Prophetic mission are as follows:
. Reviving monotheism and fighting againtst idol-worshipping
. Establishing an Islamic government based on monotheism
. Accomplishment of the divine mission, delivering the word of God (the
Quran) to people and striving to uphold its laws
. Promoting the value of reason and knowledge and fighting against ignorance
and superstitions
. Creating an Islamic culture and civilization
. . Explaining and disseminating Divine teachings and training virtuous people
. Establishing moral virtues
. The status of women and strengthening the family foundation
. Establishing equity and brotherhood and introducing faith and piety as the
only factors of superiority among human beings
. Fighting against racial and ethnic discrimination

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Published: 02 February 2026

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• Miracle
• Phenomena
• Prophets' Miracles
• Al-Karamah

The Definition of a Miracle

A miracle is defined as: an extraordinary phenomenon, which by the will of God, is presented by a claimant of prophethood and is a sign of the truthfulness of his claim.

This definition informs us of three matters:

1-Extraordinary phenomena do not come into existence by ordinary means.

2- Some of these extraordinary matters, by the will and special permission of God, emanate from prophets.

3- These exceptional matters can be a sign of the truthfulness of a prophet, and in this case, they are termed miracles.

We will provide an explanation for each of the three points within the definition. They are as follows:

Extraordinary Phenomena

Phenomena which appear in this world usually occur by causes that can be recognized by experiment be it, physical, chemical, biological or psychological phenomena. However, in rare instances the causes of some phenomena cannot be known by sensory experiments and experts in different scientific fields have testified that these acts are not performed based on material and empirical scientific laws. There is another type of cause for these phenomena and they are known as being extraordinary.

Divine Extraordinary Phenomena

Extraordinary phenomena can be divided into two general groups:

• Phenomena that do not have ordinary causes, but their extraordinary causes are, more or less, within the control of humans, who can master them with learning and special training; for example, the acts of asceties.
• Extraordinary phenomena that are realized by the special permission of God. The ability to perform these acts is entrusted only to those who have a close connection with God and therefore they possess two features. Firstly, they are not able to be taught or learned; secondly, they are not affected by a stronger force. This type of extraordinary phenomena only emanates from those chosen by God and never from those who have gone astray or follow their own desires.

Characteristics of the Prophets' Miracles

If an extraordinary phenomenon, by the permission of God. is presented by a person who has a claim of prophethood, it is called a miracle and can be a proof for his prophethood.

These miracles are not against natural laws rather they follow the natural causes just like other phenomena yet their causes arc hidden from human beings. For instance, the Prophet of Islam (s) has been narrated to have manifested a large number of miracles, which are mentioned in historical books; however the greatest and the permanent miracle of the Prophet is the Holy Qur'an. The Qur'an challenges all who are familiar with Arabic to bring even one chapter like the chapters of the Qur'an; no one was able to, and no one will be able to, as the Qur'an itself promises.

It is noteworthy that these extraordinary phenomena arc not only presented by prophets, but also, with the permission of God. by divine saints (al- awliyā). In the next section, the difference between the phenomena emanating from these two groups will be examined.

Every miracle that occurs with the permission of God must possess all the conditions below in order for it to be regarded as a miracle and to confirm the truthfulness of a prophetic claim:

1 - It must be an extraordinary phenomena
2 - It cannot be taught to anyone else.
3 - Nothing has the capability to oppose it.
4 - The person presenting the miracle should have the claim of prophethood.
5 - The person presenting the miracle should be just, and not commit sins or be corrupt.

Al-Karamah

Extraordinary phenomena, in addition to prophets, can also emanate from some of God's saints (al- awliyā’). These saints do not have a claim to prophethood and therefore these unprecedented things presented by them arc not called miracles; they are technically called 'al-karamah'.

Therefore, the term 'al-karamah' (munificence) refers to all of the divine extraordinary acts performed by non-prophets. Nevertheless, there are some unusual acts.

which at times are rooted in human or satanic desires, such as magic, divination, etc. which should not be confused with miracles or al-karamah because these acts do not enjoy the criteria of miracles or al-karamah; these acts can be taught, learned or overcome by stronger powers. It is also possible to determine the
unholy nature of such acts by referring to the corrupt beliefs or behaviour of those who perform such acts.

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Published: 29 January 2026

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• prophet
• Holy Books
• Final Prophet
• Prophethood

Characteristic of the prophets

We have understood that God guides humans with general and specific guidance towards perfection and that the innate human nature and intellect are effective in the pursuit of perfection. but without the existence of revelation they cannot deliver the human to his complete state of perfection. Accordingly, God appointed for every nation a prophet, or prophets, who invited the people towards truth and monotheism. The Holy Quran also refers to this point in numerous verses, including the following: 

(وَ لَقَدْ بَعَثْنا في‏ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَ اجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلالَةُ فَسيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كانَ عاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبين‏)                                                  

“Certainly We raised an apostle in every nation ]to preach:]‘Worship Allah, and keep away from the Rebels.” Then among them were some whom Allah guided, and among them were some who deserved to be in error. So travel over the land and then observe how was the fate of the deniers.” (16:36)

                                                                                                          (إِنَّا أَرْسَلْناكَ بِالْحَقِّ بَشيراً وَ نَذيراً وَ إِنْ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلاَّ خَلا فيها نَذير)                                                                                                        

“Indeed We have sent you with the truth as a bearer of good news and as a warner; and there is not a nation but a warner has passed in it.”(35:24)

                                                       (وَ يَقُولُ الَّذينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ لا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّه‏ إِنَّما أَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ وَ لِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هاد)                               

“The faithless say, ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him from his Lord?” You are only a warner, and there is a guide for every people.” (13:7)

This was in order that they deliver the divine message, which includes the program of how to live, reach perfection and secure prosperity for humanity, to different peoples in their different languages. All the prophets have been monotheist, guided people toward monotheism and were pioneers of all people in observing divine orders. Their actions were the best examples for the life of all people. Teaching and educating people and freeing them from ignorance was among their most important duties.

Guiding humanity toward absolute perfection and fighting with ignorance and oppression can be considered the most important goal of all prophets.

they ate food, wedded, lived among the people and were confronted with poverty and other social problems. The Qur'an mentions this point:
Say. 'I am just a human being like you. It has been revealed to me that your God is the One God. So whoever expects to encounter his Lord -let him act- righteously, and not associate anyone with the worship of his Lord.’ (18: 110)

This enabled them to have a good understanding of the conditions of the people to whom they had been sent. They were familiar with the people's difficulties and needs and thus took measured actions in performing their missions. On the other hand, the people did not perceive any distance between themselves and the Prophets and felt close to them. If prophets were chosen from among angels or jinn, it would not have had this result.

Divine Law and Holy Books

The Holy Qur'an, speaks of itself and other revealed books: the Book of Abraham, the Psalms of David; the Torah of Moses and the Gospel of Jesus. A Muslim must believe in all the Holy Books and in all the Prophets. As we will see later, all the Prophets were necessarily infallible and sinless prior to and during their mission. From what can be deduced from the Holy Qur'an, it can be concluded that all the prophets of Allah did not bring divine law. Rather, five of them: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the Prophet Muhammad, are 'possessors of determination- (ulul-'azm) those who have brought divine law. Other prophets followed the divine law brought by these prophets. There have been several reasons cited for the large number of prophets. The most important of which are given below: 

•  In ancient times, it was not possible to propagate the invitations of the prophets (as), and it would have been impossible for the entire world to be informed of their message. 
• With the passing of time, and due to various factors, the instructions given by a prophet to the people of his era would face alterations and incorrect interpretations, so after some time the original religion changed into a deviated one.

Plurality of Religion

Why is there the plurality of prophets and certain differences in some devotional and social instructions of the divine religions?
The conditions of people's lives in different places and times are not the same; such differences can influence the quality as well as the quantity of social rules and regulations. It is therefore necessary in some cases for new regulations to be issued.

The Final Prophet

Although human intellect due to the aforementioned points realizes the rationale behind the plurality of the prophets and the differences between divine religions, it cannot discover the exact formula for the number of prophets and divine religions, and cannot decide when and where a new prophet would be appointed and a new religion introduced. It is. however, understood from the above points that while the conditions of man's life are such that a prophet's invitation can reach all the people of the world and his message can be protected and secured for future generations, and as long as the social regulations do not need any fundamental changes, no new prophet would be necessary.

It is for this reason that the Prophet of Islam had been the final divine prophet. The Holy Quran, which is Prophet Muhammad's (s) eternal miracle, explicitly mentions this point that Muhammad (s) is the final prophet and after him there will be no other prophet.

       (ما كانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبا أَحَدٍ مِنْ رِجالِكُمْ وَ لكِنْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَ خاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَ كانَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ عَليما)

"Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Apostle of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets, Allah has knowledge of all things."(33:40)

The world has always been a place where veracity and fallacy, and the supporters of truth (the pre-eminent ones being the Divine Prophets) and falsehood have clashed. Difficulties can only be overcome with patience and endurance. A study of the lives of the Prophets shows that the greatest difficulty that these persons encountered was the ignorance of people. The eradication of ignorance and the development of knowledge were their main objectives and they went through hardship in achieving these goals. Accordingly, the majority of historians religious and non-religious have attributed knowledge, civilization, culture and advancement in human societies, to the campaigns of the Divine Prophets against ignorance and superstition.

How One's Prophethood Is Established

One of the important issues related to prophethood is how to establish the truthful claims of the authentic prophets and the false claimants to prophethood?
If a person is immoral and contaminated with sin, undoubtedly this person would be untrustworthy. Given the condition of infallibility of the Prophets. the falsity of their claim can be proven, especially if they encourage people to do an action which is opposed to a human's innate nature and intellect, or if there are contradictions in their speech.

On the other hand, it is possible for the character of a person to be so sound that an impartial person would believe in their honesty and sincerity and would readily accept their claims. It is also possible for a prophet's advent to have been foretold by another prophet, so that those in pursuit of the truth would have no doubt in their minds.
However, if a people did not have any reassuring signs nor any approval from another prophet, naturally there would have to be another way to prove his claim to messengership. God, the All-Wise, has provided them with miracles as a way to prove the truthfulness of prophethood.

The veracity of the claims of genuine prophets can be proven in three ways:

1 - From reassuring indications, such as the person's honesty, and consistency in pursuing truth and justice throughout their life. 
Prophethood is an onerous task; thus, acquisition of these attributes needs to definitely be made through a deep knowledge of the one who claims to be the prophet. People in the society need to have a good knowledge of this person and become certain that he is at the peak of sincerity, piety and wisdom. It should not be forgotten that some false prophets during history
pretended to be pious and attracted the hearts of simple-minded people to themselves.

2 - Introduction by a previous or contemporary prophet. This is, limited to those people who have known the previous prophet and have knowledge of their approval of the current claimant. This would not be suitable in the case of the first prophet.

3 - Presentation of a miracle, which can also have a wide and ever-lasting impact. This method will be discussed in more detail.

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Published: 27 January 2026

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• Intellect
• Realm of the Intellect
• Definition of intellect
• Revelation

The Intellect

The second means for guidance that God has placed within the human is the intellect. In the religion of Islam. the intellect has been paid special attention to, being introduced as a source that recommends doing what is good. In opposition. individuals have worldly and temporal desires, that pull them towards evil, which arc called the al-nafs al-ammarah. God has created the human free and able to judge between good and bad: he chooses which one he wants. In this judgement, the intellect helps the human to recognise right from wrong and to consequently follow the path to prosperity or adversity. The human can find perfection through the will, in material and spiritual dimensions but he can also, by employing his will in the wrong direction, bring upon himself adversity and destruction.

The human can find perfection through the will, in material and spiritual dimensions but he can also, by employing his will in the wrong direction, bring upon himself adversity and destruction.

Several questions in this regard come to mind: 1) Does the intellect have the ability to make correct decisions in all cases?

2) Does the intellect have the ability to distinguish all things that are beneficial to the human?

and 3) What is the realm of the intellect?

The Realm of the Intellect

By reflecting upon the nature of the intellect and observing the profound differences of opinion of past experiences, it is very clear that the intellect alone is incapable of identifying all that is good for the human and it cannot offer a program that will enable humankind to reach all their possible perfections.
Imagine a person whose liver does not work properly and for this reason, red spots have appeared on his hands. He consults a doctor who does not have sufficient information regarding the liver and its diseases. How probable is it that the doctor would give the correct diagnosis and write him a prescription that would improve his condition? How can the diagnosis and prescription be misted? This situation reflects the position of the human intellect. Since the knowledge accessible to the intellect regarding the human spirit and its perfections is extremely limited and general, it can never provide a complete and reliable prescription for his prosperity and perfection.

Regardless of this fact, if we consider the multitude of views in regards to the definition of prosperity and human perfection that have been propounded, and consequently to the ways in reaching them, it is apparent that the intellect is not sufficient in providing them. Some consider the observance of moral dos and don'ts to be the guarantor of prosperity. Another group considers achieving the highest satisfaction from lusts and material pleasures to be prosperity, whilst others regard a successful society as one which provides the most benefit to the most people, and so forth. However, none of them can present a comprehensive and perfect plan for the human's individual and social perfection. There are always differences of opinion and each day we witness changes in approaches and laws. 

Although reason is recognized as an independent source of knowledge, it has its own limits. There are many things on which reason has no judgment and is silent, because they are beyond its scope. Therefore, there might be many things that we can comprehend by other ways, such as perception, intuition or revelation which do not fall in the scope of reason.

Rational arguments will not allow you to grasp how a rose smells or what a mother feels when her child is dead. In respect to religious issues, there are many facts that are not perceptible by reason, such as the details of the resurrection. What is important is that there is nothing in Islam that contradicts reason. One must therefore distinguish between what lies beyond one's actual capacity and what conflicts with rational standards.

Definition of intellect, its types and its functions have been disagreed by different scholars since the promotion of rational sciences in ancient Greece. Intellect has been categorized in different ways, and different names have been mentioned for its different levels. For example, ‘Allama Tabataha’i mentioned four levels for human intellect, potential intellect, intellect by proficiency, actualized intellect and acquired intellect.

By intellect, here in this unit, we mean the intellect which most people have and by which they conceive and assert self-evident and theoretical issues. It is to note that ‘Allama Tabataba’i regarded the intellectual faculty of human being the highest level of human's existence and said that if all potentials of intellect are actualized, all facts of the world will be known to it, but here we are not speaking of such level of intellect, because the intellect discussed in the opposition between reason and religion is not of philosophical intellect type.

Revelation (Al-Wahy)

It was determined that the intellect alone is not sufficient to guide human beings towards perfection. Consequently, the merciful God, who created man. knows all his material and spiritual qualities, and who created the world in order for him to reach prosperity and perfection, guides him in other ways besides his intellect and instincts.