Common Prophethood (Nabuwwat ‘Ammah)

By: Ayatullah al-Uzma Shaykh Husayn Vahid Khorasani
Once the existence of the All-Wise Creator is proved, the necessity of Prophethood and prophets is proven through it.

Need for Divine Education and Training
To understand the need of mankind for the guidance of the prophets, we must know the nature of human creation, the purpose of his creation and the factors that make him reach that purpose or prevent him from it.
This brief book does not allow us to go deep into these discussions, as is apparent from the presented topics. However, we will indicate some dimensions to a degree:

First Dimension
The human being has different instincts. His life begins from the weakest stage, which is the plant life, and ascends to the intellectual life. In fact, it ascends to a stage higher than that. Indeed, a believer looks with the light of Allah.1
The human being is a creation composed of nature and intellect, a body with limited needs, and a soul with unlimited wishes. In his eminence man is higher than the angels, and in his abasement he is lower than the animals.
It is reported on the authority of ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan, who said: I asked Abu ‘Abd Allah Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (as): Are the angels superior or the children of Adam?
He (as) replied: The Commander of the Faithful ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) said: Indeed, Allah, the Mighty and High, composed the angels from the intellect without the desires and composed the animals from the desires without the intellect, but He composed the children of Adam from both of them. Therefore, whose intellect overcomes his desires is better than the angels, and whose desires overpower his intellect is worse than the animals.2
This creation was at the peak of innovation as it became—after being made completely and the spirit breathed3 into him—an exceptional creation of all beings. The greatness of His creation becomes apparent from the Word of the Exalted: Then We caused it to grow into another creation, so blessed be Allah, the best of the creators.4
The human being perceives that he is not made for a limited materialist life. Wisdom demands that the tools should be appropriate for the work that is required of them. They should be made to suit the purpose they serve. If man was made for the life of this world alone, then the faculty of desire, which attracts to the comfortable and the faculty of anger, which rejects the painful, were sufficient for him.
There was no need to give him intellect, which informs of unlimited knowledge. The intellect is eager to liberate itself from evil and embellish itself with virtues. It is naturally not content with whatever level it reaches. In fact, it is thirsty for what is higher than it. Thus, bestowing man with that intellect and that nature is proof that he is created for an unlimited life. This is transmitted in a prophetic tradition: You are not created for perishing; rather, you are created for remaining. Indeed, you transfer from one abode to the other.5
From another viewpoint, the wisdom of the Absolute Wise guides us that if He has placed potential in a being, then He has also prepared factors that elevate him to the stage of actualisation. Exhausting a potential does not change it into an actual. A wish that has no objective is useless and in vain. Exalted is Allah from that.
You see that when the Knowledge and the Absolute Power gave a seed the potential to become a fruit, He created for it the water, the soil and the air. Hence, He placed in them the factors that make the seed reach its goal.
When He gave human semen the potential to change into organs and limbs, He created for it the womb and other factors for its actualisation.
Then how is it possible that Allah created the intellectual faculty in the human being to reach the fruit of knowledge and practice? He created the human soul and placed in it the ability to reach the perfection in knowledge, morals and practice to reach the recognition of Allah through Allah. Then how did He not prepare the factors that would make him reach the fruit of knowledge and practice? Why would He not provide the conditions to take the human being to the highest levels of perfection?
How is it possible that He would not guide the human being to the purpose of his creation? Is it possible that He would withhold the law: He gave to everything its creation, then guided it (to its goal),6 and exempt the creation of the human beings from it?
Of course not! This is why it is clear that the need for Divine guidance is to make man accomplish the purpose of his creation.
And the soul and Him Who made it perfect, Then He inspired it to understand what is right and wrong for it.7

Second Dimension
It is in human nature to search for one’s Creator. Man wants to know Who it is that brought him about when he did not exist. The One Who gave him these limbs, organs and muscles and made complete to you His favours outwardly and inwardly;8
and blessed him with which is countless and limitless: And if you would count Allah's favours, you will not be able to number them.9
He wants to know the real Benefactor. His logical duty is to thank the real Benefactor.
From another angle, the human being perceives that Allah, the Exalted—Who is the Creator of the sense and the sensed, the imagination and the imagined, the understanding and the understood, the Most Praised, the Most Holy from all deficiencies and evils, whose magnificence and perfection are endless—is Greater and Higher and Mightier than being on the other side of communication with the created who is full of ignorance, faults and evil desires. Thus, why should He answer man’s questions directly and elucidate to him what is obligatory and what is forbidden in his life?
Therefore, there must be a link between Allah, the Exalted, and His creation. This link should have a human shape and attributes, in order to deal with the people, an intellect free from mistakes, a soul consecrated from evil and full of Godly practice. Based on the rule of effectiveness and liability, he should have the ability to be lightened with the light of revelation, so that he can receive the guidance and recognition from Allah, the Exalted, and open the doors of this guidance and recognition to the mankind.
Then he can show man his shortcomings in hindering the intellect from the recognition of Allah on one extreme, and in ascribing human characteristics to God on the other extreme. Thus, he can guide mankind to the true faith and the right path.
And (know) that this is My path, the right one therefore follow it, and follow not (other) ways, for they will lead you away from His way; this He has enjoined you with that you may guard (against evil).10

Third Dimension
The human being possesses many mental abilities with which he can discover a number of secrets of nature and its laws, and then use these to serve his abilities. Yet, he also possesses evil desires and the faculties of lust and anger, which are vast and dangerous. These do not stop at any limit, which is a trait of human nature.
Hence, the interest and the corruption of the earth are connected to the interest and the corruption of mankind: Corruption has appeared in the land and the sea on account of what the hands of men have wrought.11
In fact, according to the Word of the Exalted: And He has made subservient to you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, all, from Himself; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect.12
Thus, the interest and the corruption of other planets are connected to the humans as well.
The only thing that guarantees the interest of this being is Divine guidance. Divine guidance results in the balance of the thoughts through correct belief. Spiritual balance is achieved through virtuous morals and good actions.

Fourth Dimension
Human life is connected to society in various ways. The consequence of this connection is that people influence one another. Inevitably, this causes difference in personal and social rights. Social life cannot remain without having its right. It is impossible to give it its rights without stipulating and implementing laws which are correct and protected from deficiencies and mistakes. Their stipulator and executor must be an infallible who is not affected by personal interests, nor deviant from righteousness and justice.
This cannot materialise except with Divine laws and with prophets who convey these laws and execute them.
Certainly We sent Our messengers with clear arguments, and sent down with them the Book and the balance that men may conduct themselves with equity.13
It is thus clear that mankind needs to be guided to God, the Return, and the purpose of his creation. It is clear that it is necessary to take him to his psychological and practical perfection. It is also clear that human faculties require balance, and that they need assurance of their personal and social rights. However, it is obvious that these goals are not achievable without the path of revelation and prophethood. These important matters cannot be achieved with intellects full of faults and hands full of personal desires.
No matter how strong human thinking may be, it cannot ascertain the ambiguous and unknown points of nature. Thus, he is not self-sufficient of the prophets (as) and their guidance in the walk of life.
Geniuses have struggled in studying the secrets of the universe. They thought that they had reached the conclusion, and were proud of their discoveries. The people agreed with them, and generations and centuries passed approving them. Nonetheless, they were later proved to be void.
The view that the human body is composed of four substances and that their illnesses originate from the nature of these four things was discovered to be null. The views of the early people that the universe is made up of dust, water, air and fire, and that space cannot accept penetration and connection, went up in the air after scientific discoveries.
Even though his body is the closest thing to him, it has become so apparent that man does not even understand the make of his own body, or the factors behind its illness and health. Most of the human theories about nature, the universe, the moon, and the closest star are mere imaginations. Is it possible that this intellect can become a guide for mankind in understanding God and the Return, and the causes of his privilege and adversity? Never!
In fact, the human mind is unable to discover the secrets inside a particle. Then how is it possible for it to know the beginning and end of the creation of man and the universe? How can mankind know what guides him to God and the Return, and the causes of his privilege and adversity?
The Commander of the Faithful (as) said: Then Allah sent His Messengers and series of His prophets towards them to get them to fulfil the pledges of His creation, to recall to them His bounties, to exhort them by preaching, to unveil before them the hidden virtues of wisdom and show them the signs of His Omnipotence.14