Risalat: Belief in the Prophets

Risalat means prophethood and messengership. It is the belief that Allah, in His mercy, did not leave humanity to figure out the purpose of life on its own. He sent prophets and messengers to every people throughout human history, each carrying the same core message: worship Allah alone, live righteously, and prepare for the life to come.

Belief in Risalat is the second of the six pillars of Iman. It is not optional or secondary. A person who believes in Allah but rejects His prophets has not truly believed, because it is through the prophets that we know what Allah wants from us. Human reason alone cannot reach the full scope of what Allah requires. The prophets bridge that gap.

The word Risalat comes from the Arabic root meaning to send a message. A Rasool is the one who delivers it. A Nabi is the one who receives revelation from Allah. Together, they describe the human beings whom Allah selected, purified, and sent as His representatives to humanity.

The Quran uses both terms. Scholars of Islam explain them as follows:

In practice, both terms are often used together and the distinction does not change the core belief: all of them received guidance from Allah, all delivered their message truthfully, and all are worthy of belief and respect.

Allah sent thousands of prophets throughout human history, to every people and every era. The Quran names twenty-five of them. Among those mentioned are:

A Muslim is required to believe in all of these prophets and in all the prophets not named as well. The belief is general: Allah sent prophets to every people. We accept them all.

Every prophet Allah sent shared certain qualities. These are not incidental — they are part of what makes prophethood possible and trustworthy.

All prophets carried the same core message from the same Allah. To reject any one of them is to reject Allah's guidance sent through that prophet. It also contradicts the very nature of belief in Allah — because if Allah sent a prophet and you reject him, you are effectively saying Allah's choice was wrong.

This verse directly addresses the position of those who accept some prophets and reject others. The Quran calls this disbelief. A Muslim who rejects the prophethood of Musa, or Isa, or any other prophet has stepped outside the faith.

This is also why Muslims respect Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus) deeply. They are not seen as belonging to "other religions." They are prophets of Allah, and belief in them is part of Islamic faith. What Muslims reject is not the prophets themselves, but the later changes and additions made to their messages.

Muhammad ﷺ is the final prophet of Allah. No prophet will come after him. This belief is called Khatme Nabuwwat — the sealing or finality of prophethood. It is one of the most fundamental beliefs in Islam and there is complete consensus among all scholars of Islam on this point.

The word Khatam in Arabic means seal — the final stamp that closes something completely. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is described as the Khatam al-Nabiyyeen: the seal of all prophets. Prophethood ended with him. The chain that began with Adam concluded with Muhammad ﷺ.

The Prophet ﷺ himself described this in a hadith:

This belief has important implications. It means the Quran is the final book. The Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ is the final example. The guidance of Islam is complete and sufficient until the Day of Judgement. No new revelation, no new prophet, and no new religion is needed or valid after Muhammad ﷺ.

Anyone who claims prophethood after Muhammad ﷺ is a liar. Believing in any such person is contrary to Islamic faith.

The Quran is explicit that believing in prophethood is not a matter of choice. It is a condition of faith.

These verses establish that belief in all of Allah's messengers — without distinction — is a requirement of faith. It is not possible to be a Muslim while rejecting any prophet. And it is not possible to be a Muslim without accepting Muhammad ﷺ as the final prophet, whose message is binding on all of humanity until the end of time.