XII.—PROPHETS.
The number of prophets (rasúl), which have been sent by God, are said to be 224,000, or, according to another tradition, 124,000. Of these 313 were Apostles sent with special commissions, to reclaim the world from infidelity and superstition.
Six brought new laws which successively abrogated the preceding and have special titles, or kalima[1]:—
1. Adam (Adam), Sufi-Ullah, the Chosen of God.
2. Nuh (Noah), Nabi-Ullah, the Preacher of God.
3. Ibrahím (Abraham), Khalíl-Ullah, the Friend of God.
4, Musá (Moses), Kalím-Ullah, one who conversed with God.
5. ʾIsa (Jesus), Ruh-Ullah, the Spirit of God.
6. Muhammad, Rusúl-Ullah, the Messenger of God.
The number of sacred books delivered to man are said to have been one hundred and four, viz.:—
Ten, to Adam;
Fifty, to Seth (Sish);
Thirty, to Enoch (Edrís);
Ten, to Abraham;
The Taurát, to Moses;
The Zabur, to David;
The Injíl, to Jesus;
The Qurán, to Muhammad.
The one hundred scriptures given to Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Abraham, are termed Sahífah (a pamphlet), and the other four, Kitáb (a book); but all that is necessary for the Muslim to know of these books is supposed to have been retained in the Qurán.
Luqmán-i-Hakím (supposed to have been Æsop) and Alexander the Great are also considered by Muhammadan commentators to have been prophets. Luqmán is mentioned in the thirty-first Sura of the Qurán, and Zulqurnain, "the two-horned" (supposed to have been Alexander), in the eighteenth Sura; but it is not clear as to what position the author of the Qurán intended to assign to these worthies.
Muhammad's enumeration of the Old Testament Prophets, both as to name and chronological order, is exceedingly confused.
- ↑ Dr. Pfander, in the second chapter of Mizán-ul-Haqq, states that Muhammadan Doctors assert that by the descent of the Psalms the Torah was abrogated. Such, however, is not the case, for the Psalms are not said to have abrogated the Torah, and consequently David has no special title or Kalima.