Every human being is granted an inner moral compass—the ability to discern right from wrong, a sense of shame, a sense of truth. The Qur’an attests to this: And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it, and inspired it with [discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness—He has succeeded who purifies it, and he has failed who instills it with corruption. (Surah al-Shams 91:7–10)
Yet, while this inborn moral faculty (fitrah) can serve as a basic guide, it alone is not sufficient to build and sustain a fully ethical and harmonious social order. As history shows, a society guided only by individual conscience can still descend into chaos, violence, and exploitation.
Hence, humanity has always looked up to moral leaders, philosophers, chiefs, saints, and sages for guidance. But even among these, the need for divinely guided individuals—prophets—stands out. For only through prophetic guidance can the entire spectrum of human life—spiritual, ethical, social, and legal—be harmonized under a unified vision of the divine will.
Imam al-Māwardī’s Five Rational Proofs for the Necessity of Prophethood
(as recorded in his treatise Aʿlām al-Nubuwwah)
1. God’s Generosity Demands Prophetic Guidance
If God is just and merciful, then He would not leave humankind without sufficient guidance to fulfill the purpose of life. Since human intellect is limited in reaching metaphysical truths, God sends prophets to fill the gaps of human understanding and to communicate His will clearly. This is an act of divine grace.
2. The Prophet Warns and Encourages
By promising Paradise for righteousness and warning of Hellfire for transgression, prophets motivate the soul. Without this spiritual motivation, many would neglect their duties or become spiritually complacent. The prophetic message, thus, gives hope and fear, guiding the human will in the right direction.
3. Access to Unseen Realms
There are many realities beyond the reach of empirical observation or philosophical reasoning—angels, the afterlife, divine judgment. Prophets, through wahy (divine revelation), provide authentic knowledge of these unseen realms (al-ghayb), knowledge which no other source can access reliably.
4. God Is the Only Lawgiver
Only the Creator can dictate the most suitable path for His creation. Without a prophet, humans will make subjective, conflicting, or exploitative systems. A prophet transmits divine legislation, ensuring that the norms of society reflect God’s justice and mercy, not human desire or corruption.
5. The Uniqueness of Prophetic Knowledge Builds Unity
People are generally unwilling to follow someone of equal or lesser knowledge and standing. But when a prophet emerges with extraordinary, supernatural knowledge and evident support from the divine, people rally behind him, transcending tribe, class, and nation. In this way, prophets unify societies, establishing collective ethical visions and laws that outlive them. This is the true foundation of civilization.
Prophets vs. Other Leaders
Many men throughout history have led communities, founded ideologies, or even inspired revolutions. But the prophet is distinct in a number of fundamental ways:
- He does not claim ownership of his message; he transmits divine guidance.
- His knowledge is not gained by study, travel, or thought—it is bestowed through wahy.
- He does not seek political power or personal gain. Even when he governs, he does so in submission to divine law.
- His personal life reflects the highest standard of moral conduct, free from vice and hypocrisy.
- And most importantly, the truth of his message is preserved even generations after his death—not through coercion, but through the sincere belief and love of his followers.
Human history has seen many leaders who claimed to be visionaries or moral revolutionaries. Some of them even invoked the name of God. But when their teachings are examined, they are often revealed to be partial, contradictory, or self-serving.
Only a prophet, by virtue of his divine commission, can articulate a system of truth that is both complete and coherent, guiding humanity not just in belief, but in law, ethics, ritual, culture, and vision.
The Epistemological Distinction: Prophetic Knowledge and Divine Revelation
One of the most critical distinctions between prophets and other great human thinkers lies in the source of their knowledge. While philosophers, scholars, and sages rely on intellect, observation, experimentation, and reasoning, a prophet’s knowledge stems from wahy—divine revelation. This distinction is neither symbolic nor rhetorical; it is foundational.
The Qur’an emphasizes this repeatedly:They dispute concerning God without knowledge or guidance or an enlightening Book. (Surah al-Hajj: 8)
That is, without either sound reason or divine revelation, such people speak in vain—arguing arrogantly and misleading others. True guidance, by contrast, must be rooted in revelation or be in harmony with it.
In numerous verses, the Qur’an affirms that prophets were granted:
- Hikmah (divinely inspired wisdom)
- Ilm (revealed knowledge)
- Furqan (the criterion to discern truth from falsehood)
Such as:And We gave him wisdom and knowledge… (Surah Maryam: 43)
We granted them clear understanding of Our affairs… (Surah al-Anbiya: 74)
Indeed, it is but a revelation revealed. Taught to him by one mighty in power. (Surah al-Najm: 3–5)
The message of the prophets, then, is not a product of speculation or human theorizing. Rather, it is the unveiling of truth that transcends ordinary means of acquiring knowledge. This explains why prophetic teachings are:
- Universally valid
- Morally grounded
- Free of contradictions
- Internally coherent
- Sustained over centuries
The truths revealed through them address both the metaphysical and the practical, illuminating the path for both individual spiritual growth and collective social order.
