Well, this is all a bit of a guddle really, as I have notes for three separate talks clipped together. I did think of trying to mash them all together, but it hardly seemed worth it - there's enough to give anyone interested a few things to think about.
 

ISLAMIC OUTREACH - Lesson Six


Belief in the Prophets /
Why Revelations? Content of Messages


First Clip

Nabi - Prophet

     Bashir (bringer of good news)
     Nadhir (warner)

Can be either but most are both

No people to whom a nabi has not been sent
     124,000 ?

"We make no distinction between any of His Messengers"
     Oneness of Prophets

Scholars consider these Named: Adam, Alyasa (Elisha), Ayyub (Job), Daud (David), Dhu-l-Khifl (Ezekiel), Hud, Ibrahim (Abraham), Idris (Enoch), Ilyas (Elias), Isa (Jesus), Ishaq (Isaac), Ismail (Ishmael), Luqman (Aesop?), Lut (Lot), Muhammad, Musa (Moses), Nuh (Noah), Salih, Shuayb (Jethro), Sulayman (Solomon), Yunus (Jonah), Uzair (Ezra), Yahya (John the Baptist), Yaqub (Jacob), Yusuf (Joseph). 

Four Arab Prophets - Salih, Hud, Shuayb, Muhammad.


Rasul - Messenger, Envoy

     New Religion or Category

Adam, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Moses, Lot, Salih, Hud, Shuayb, Jesus, Muhammad.

     Not all named as such in the Qur'an
Qur'an calls some "the possessors of constancy"
     Some "clear signs"

Also named and recognised by some: Azar (father of Abraham), Dhu'l-Qarnayn (Alexander?), Harun (Aaron), Maryam (Mary), Zacharias (father of John the Baptist).

Revelation
     not personal inspiration
     a requirement to pass on message to others


Second Clip

Recap God's use of Prophets

Inability of man to See & Distinguish
Prophets special people
     see God as God and Satan as Satan
Charged to get Message across

Finality of Muhammad's message
     The Seal of the Prophets
          Five Pillars
          Complete Qur'an

Nabi without & Rasul with - New Law and Book

Prophets indivisible
     but some more excellent than others

Noah, (Hud, Salih), Abraham, (Lot),
Shuaib, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad.

Message
     One God
     Good Tidings & Warning

Help in this world (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus)

Humanity of Prophets
     Abraham & the birds
     Muhammad & "He frowned"

Not:
     a poet or soothsayer
     possessed by evil spirit
     sorcerer
     forger of verses based on old scriptures

Agent of Revelation
     not 'Angel' but 'Spirit'
     (highest form of angelic nature)

The 'Amr' constellation in Qur'an

Spirit of Revelation
     Furqan (clearly demarcating line)
     Bayyinna (decisive proof - miraculous)

 

Third Clip

Why Revelations? Content of Messages


I .Introduction  
      A .Hasty preparation - no quotes  
      B .Short talk then group effort  

II . God and Creation  
      A .Presume belief in God though unseen  
      B .Creation constantly experienced  
            1 .Without and within  
            2 .The Book of Signs  
                  a .Not precise  
                  b .Individual guidance from general  

III . Clearer Guidance  
      A .Specific guidance for all from individuals  
      B .Every nation has its messenger  
            1 .All bring message of good news and warning  
      C . Anbiya and Rusul  
            1 .General message or specific religious form  
            2 .Non-Ibrahimic lineages  
                  a .Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism  
                  b .Science? Why not?  
                        ( 1 )Given status of revelation but keeps changing  
                        ( 2 )Does not answer the important questions  

IV . Types of Revelation  
      A .Wahy, Tanzil, Ilham  
            1 .Some differences in the way terms are understood  
      B . Wahy from the root meaning inspiration  
      C .Some understand wahy to include all types of inspiration  
            1 .Wahy zahir - external inspiration  
                  a .Wahyu Quran - words heard from Gibril  
                  b .Ishiratu 'l-malak - from angel but not words  
                  c .Ilham - wahyu qalb  
            2 . Wahy batin - internal inspiration  
                  a .from meditation and reasoning  
      D . Wahy is direct inspiration from God to man  
            1 .Through angelic medium  
      E . Tanzil is sending down  
            1 .Specific revealed words not the recipients own  
            2 .Muhammad, Jesus, David, Moses  
      F . Ilham - different views of meaning - Intuition  
            1 .Theoretically available to all  

V . History of Revelation  
      A .Verbal recension  
            1 .Meaning given precedence over word forms  
            2 .Most of Bible not in original language  
                  a .Hamurabis and Book of Law - Abrahams time  
                  b .Canonisation of most of text 100 BC  
                        ( 1 )still some changes made  
            3 . New Testament not preserved in original language  
                  a .Historical reports not Jesus' words  
            4 . Qur'an  
                  a .Early verbal tradition and dialect variants  
                  b .Preservation of text in Salat  
            5 . Hadiths Qudsi and Sharif  

VI . Content of Messages  
      A .Good news and warning  
      B .Tawhid  
      C .Din  

VII . Historic traditions and distortions  
      A .Judaism  
            1 .this world - laws, science, paradise on earth  
      B . Christianity  
            1 .other world - paradise within by rejecting earth  
      C . Islam - Middle way