THE RESOLUTE PROPHETS (Ulu al-Azm)

"And when We made a covenant with the prophets and with you, and with Nuh and Ibrahim and Musa and Isa, son of Mariam, and We made with them a strong covenant."


"We sent thee not, but as a mercy (Muhammad) for all creatures"


THE FIVE PROPHETS

Among the thousands of prophets and messengers sent by God, the Qur'an refers to 25, five of whom are known as ulu-al-Azm, or messengers with power or resolve. The first of the prophets of power or resolve (ulu al-'azm) was Nuh (pbuh), referred to as najiyullah, the confidant of Allah, the father of humanity after the Deluge. The second prophet of resolve is Ibrahim (pbuh), khalilullah, the intimate friend of Allah (Qur'an An-Nisaa 4:125). With his son Isma'il (pbuh) he built the Ka'bah, the first house for the worship of God. The third one is Musa (pbuh), called kaleemullah, the one to whom God speaks (Qur'an An-Nisaa 4:164), the recipient of the Torah. He saved the people of Israel from Ramses II and brought the tablets with the Ten Commands. Then Isa (pbuh), the Word of God and His spirit (ruhullah) the recipient of the Enjeel, who was born from the Virgin Maryam. And finally Muhammad (pbuh) referred as habibullah, the most beloved of Allah, the last messenger of God to mankind, who blessed us with the Qur'an. Musa and Muhammad (pbut) occupy a special place in prophetic history because they were prophets and statesmen. They did not simply transmit the message, they implemented it in the life of a socio-political order.

Allah sent these five prophets with divine law for their nations. They were called such because their resolve was very strong. Their trials were immense and their struggles arduous yet their constancy and remembrance of the covenant remained firm.