The Mission of Prophets, a Phenomenon beyond Geographical and Historical Boundaries

What was the most important mission of prophets and divine messengers? Why has God sent prophets and guides to all nations in all eras? Was the mission of prophets only to educate individuals within their geographical and historical boundaries? Can we consider the mission of prophets as part of the future course of history? Despite the passage of centuries and the significant time gaps between past prophets and their followers until today, how do these individuals contribute to the global rule of the righteous?

In this article, we aim to delve into the topic of the mission of prophets, the universality of this mission throughout history, and their role and that of their followers in shaping the future and establishing a new civilization at a global level.

But before that, it is necessary to review a part of what we mentioned in previous discussions about the existential structure of humans, the purpose of their creation, and their need for an infallible expert, so that the purpose and perspective of the mission of prophets become clear.

We discussed that our existential structure as humans is designed in a way that in our human dimension, which is the main part of our existence, we have only one beloved, and that is Allah. The purpose of our creation is to become similar to this Beloved and become His deputy. Accordingly, to achieve this noble goal, we need a mentor who, besides complete similarity to God, has all the specialized knowledge about the seven categories we discussed in the previous articles, including our existential structure, the purpose of our creation, our relationship with the material world and Malakut, etc. This person is none other than an infallible expert. Consulting an expert in all areas is an innate and rational act, and if someone acts otherwise, he has done something foolish. But regarding humans themselves, this matter is of far greater importance because we humans are the most complicated creature in the world both physically and spiritually, and to reach true bliss, we certainly need the specialized guidance provided to us through divine revelation and infallible representatives of God.

That is exactly what religion does. Religion is a collection of specialized guidance aimed at regulating our relationship with the world and the hereafter and creating eternal bliss, and this guidance is presented to us through divine revelation and the infallible representatives. Religion fulfills the criteria for bliss in all dimensions of our existence – inanimate, vegetative, animalistic, intellective, and supra-rational – and helps us grow in all these dimensions in a balanced and proper manner. However, all these blessings occur only under one condition, that is, under the rule of an infallible expert over society.

The Rule of the Infallible Expert Is the Main Condition for Fulfilling the Purpose of Creation

The rule of the infallible expert in society is the main and key condition for establishing religious rulings. As long as the infallible leader does not rule the society and his decrees are not implemented, religious regulations cannot be fully observed, and people cannot achieve the level of growth and development they deserve. For centuries, humanity has suffered under the unfortunate and terrible absence of an infallible leader to guide the society. Instead, oppressive governments have taken hold, depriving billions of people of their rightful Imam and mentor, and causing their lives to remain limited to inanimate, vegetative, animalistic, or at best intellective perfections from birth to death. This is while the purpose of human creation is not to achieve these perfections. We have not come to this world to get married, become parents, acquire wealth, extend our education, and then die. True human dignity does not lie in these. Our human dignity is to become God’s deputy and His complete manifestation on earth, and this goal is not achieved except through obedience to God and His messengers.

The agonizing point here is that we become very upset by the death of fish, the burning of trees, and extinction of living beings in the natural world, but the absence of an infallible expert in society does not matter to us. The absence of an infallible Imam in society is equivalent to the death of our human dimension and the wasting of all the potentials that we have come into this world to actualize. For this reason, God, who is our true Mentor, emphasizes the importance of obedience to divine messengers for the revival of human life in many verses of the Quran; He wants to awaken us from the slumber of neglect and guide us towards a pure human life. One of these is verse 24 of Surah Al-Anfal (Spoils of War): “O believers! Respond to Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.” In other verses, it is stated: “and for every people is a guide,”[1]  which means every nation has been blessed with a guide and leader sent by God to lead them away from animalistic lifestyle and towards a human life. Thus, a significant part of the mission of prophets has been to make people familiar with their True Beloved, i.e., Allah. To achieve this goal, they deemed it necessary to establish a government under which they could freely implement divine religious rulings in society. However, not all prophets succeeded in establishing such a government. Even those who did succeed could not implement God’s rulings in society as they should have, due to the constant pressure from tyrants, oppressors, and those who obstructed their path. This led to the frustration of the righteous minority who stood firm in their beliefs. Therefore, another significant part of the mission of prophets was to restore hope to their followers and promise a future where the tyranny of the oppressors would be gone forever, and a righteous global government would replace them.

The Mission of Prophets: A Phenomenon beyond Time and Place

As mentioned, a major part of the mission of prophets was to acquaint the people of their time with a bright future that would be brought about by the son of the last prophet, the Prophet of Islam. In fact, all prophets were tasked with preparing their followers not only for the era they lived in but also for the future. The future when the infallible expert becomes the governor of society and fulfills the long-standing dream of humanity reaching their true status. Accordingly, all divine prophets told their followers that the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) would be the last prophet and a descendant of his would be the Promised Savior.

This effort to build the future and elevate the thoughts and hearts of individuals beyond the confines of historical and geographical borders has two very important benefits. The first benefit is that it keeps hope alive in the hearts of people from different eras, making them more determined and encouraged about the path they are on, as they see themselves as part of a much larger movement. This sense of belonging fosters unity and solidarity with all righteous people throughout different periods. In other words, they become certain that the effects of their righteous deeds are not limited to their own time but are the foundation of the divine and Islamic civilization in the future.

More importantly, this spirit and effort allow communities to actively participate in shaping the future. According to a general rule, we will be resurrected with our intentions. Our intentions and heartfelt wishes indicate our true compatibility with what we desire; when we become similar to and compatible with something, we naturally become drawn to it and experience a sense of kinship with it. When we dedicate ourselves to a noble cause, our very being becomes intertwined with it. Consequently, even if we fail to accomplish it, that deed will be recorded as a positive one in the book of our deeds. The same applies to bad and evil intentions. If we harbor an evil intention or are content with the inappropriate actions of others, even if we do not directly engage in those actions, such acts will be recorded in our book of deeds. Therefore, righteous individuals and followers of divine prophets do not belong solely to their own era but are considered part of God’s army throughout all ages and eras. The beautiful and constructive feeling of being a member of God’s army and striving along all righteous people is so sweet and magnificent that no pleasure or honor can replace it.

Considering these points, the mission of prophets was not limited to their own time and place; rather, they and their followers are part of a vast global movement that has been formed over centuries against tyrannical governments and will ultimately lead to the rise of the Promised Savior and the establishment of the rule of the righteous in the world. Therefore, being attentive to the future of history is essential and obligatory for everyone in all ages, to the extent that without paying attention to the certain and promised future of the world, where the infallible expert will govern, true religiosity is impossible. In fact, without focusing on the future and striving to prepare for it, our practice of religion will be passive, merely involving a series of mandatory and recommended acts of worship, and it will not lead to significant growth. The issue of focusing on the future is so important that “If worshipers and religious people do not have a future-oriented perspective of religion, they have not understood religion at all. Being religious means having a positive perspective towards the future and actively moving towards it…”[2] True religious faith means having a hopeful understanding of the future and building it, but why?

We noted that in Islam there are three main criteria for bliss: beneficence and mercy, inner peace, and happiness. Beneficence means a broad love and kindness towards all God’s creations. Every Muslim must feel compassion for all the people of the world and desire for the improvement of global conditions, driven by self-knowledge and understanding his human dimension. Action and effort are also indicators of sincere intention and desire; therefore, if someone is a true believer, he will strive to hasten the arrival of the Promised Savior, and this effort will make him part of the future-building process from the beginning of human creation to eternity.

If someone can expand her worldview to this extent and see herself as part of the future-building process thorough history, each of her actions will gain infinite value, and she will share in all the righteous deeds of both past and future generations. This was the special duty and one of the main goals of the mission of prophets.

[1]Quran, 13:7

[2]. Supreme Leader of Iran, speech delivered on April 4, 1992