Nubuwwah
Definition
Nubuwwah — prophethood — is the divine selection of a human being to receive revelation and guide their people. Ibn Kathir emphasizes that prophethood is not an achievement earned through piety or scholarship but a gift given by divine election: 'Allah knows best where to place His message.' Idris is considered among the earliest recipients of this trust after Adam and his son Shith, establishing the unbroken chain of prophetic guidance that would continue for millennia until its completion with Muhammad ﷺ. The succession from Adam to Shith to Idris to the later prophets demonstrates that Allah never left humanity without a guide.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Nubuwwah.
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"sincere advice. Allah said, and mentioned in the book Ibrahim, indeed he was a man of truth and a prophet. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that Qatada said, Allah chose Luqman the wise between prophethood and wisdom, and he chose wisdom over prophethood. Gabriel then came to Luqman while he was sleeping and bestowed wisdom upon him, and he awoke speaking it. When asked why he chose wisdom over prophethood, Luqman replied, if I had been sent with prophethood, I would have hoped for success and to fulfill it. However, since I was given the choice, I feared I might be weak in fulfilling the responsibilities of prophethood, so"
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 2 — From the Israelite Prophets to Pre-Islamic Arabia
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"Abu Nuaym added, Indeed he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was the last of them in the resurrection, and with him prophethood was sealed. He will be the foremost on the day of resurrection because he is the first recorded in prophethood and the covenant. In this hadith, there is a virtue for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for what Allah made obligatory for him in terms of prophethood before the completion of Adam's creation. It is possible that this obligation is what Allah informed his angels about, which was known in his knowledge and decree regarding his mission in the latter"
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 2 — From the Israelite Prophets to Pre-Islamic Arabia
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"His hair had a slight wave to it, and he often wore a turban and a cloak. His garments were simple yet dignified. Chapter The Seal of Prophethood The seal of prophethood was located between his shoulders, resembling a small piece of flesh. This was a sign of his prophethood, and those who witnessed it recognized him as the final messenger."
— Imam al-Tirmidhi, Al-Shamā'il al-Muhammadiyya — The Sublime Beauty of the Prophet ﷺ
Appears in
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