Prophecy\Prophethood in Judaism and Islam

• In Event: Religious Authority in Precedence & Prophethood between Judaism & Islam

Abstract

The institution of prophecy/prophethood (nevu’ah in Hebrew) appeared first in the Hebrew Bible and emerged in stages that reflect the evolution of the core notion that God reveals His will to chosen persons, who would then communicate it to others. The Islamic concept of prophecy/prophethood (nubuwwa in Arabic) shares many features with that of Judaism, but the notion acquires new meanings in Islam to define its distinctive religious identity. Whereas in Judaism prophecy begins with Moses, according to Islam it begins with Adam. Another issue and one of considerable disagreement is the finality of prophethood\prophecy which, according to Judaism ends with the last biblical prophets of Haggai, Zacharia and Mal’akhi (Sota 48a). The finality of prophethood in Islam, however, is associated with the “Seal of the prophets (Khatam al-nabiyyin (Q.33:40), according to which Muhammad is the last messenger in the long succession of prophets that began with Adam. This paper will analyze prophetic forms in Judaism and Islam from a social-historical and geographic perspective. Of particular concern for this paper is the time-geography orientation, which in Judaism tends toward limited geography in sacred places of past and future, whereas Islamic notions tend toward a universal history and geography with eternal applicability. The general goal of the presentation is to tease out the ways in which contentious notions of prophecy/prophethood inform the nature of Judaism and Islam in terms of perception of the divine message.

author

• Abed el-Rahman Tayyara, Cleveland State University