Quranic criteria for God's messengers

SUMMARY

The purpose of this article is to examine God’s criteria, as spelled out in the Quran, so that a believer may separate between God’s authorized messengers and messengers sent by other than God.

God’s Greatest Gift

God’s greatest gift is freedom (2:256, 33:72) – freedom to choose or reject His religion based on our free will. An important component of freedom is logic, which is defined as the science of correct reasoning. Reason is defined as the ability to think, form judgments and draw conclusions. By far, the most logical book that exists is the Quran. Based on the commandment in verse 17:36, not to accept anything unless verified, the religion of Submission is the most rational religion.

Satan

As worshippers of God alone, we know that Satan is our most ardent enemy (2:168, 7:17). Satan’s primary targets are those who have submitted to God alone and who uphold the Quran as the only source for religious law (6:114). Satan is interested primarily and above all on those who uphold the purified message (2:151, 3:81, 3:164, 5:19, 98:2) in the Quran.

God’s System

God’s system never changes. God’s system dictates that, we, be provided both God’s as well as Satan’s messages all the time. In conferences, in Quranic studies and other gatherings Satan is allowed to impart his message. The believers always reject Satan’s messages (6:112). We have belief in God, and we have belief that Satan exists. Belief in God dictates that we believe God and reject Satan’s messages. God’s messages are within the confines of the Quran, while Satan’s messages are outside the confines of the Quran.

Messenger and Prophet

[3:81] GOD took a covenant from the prophets, saying, "I will give you the scripture and wisdom. Afterwards, a messenger will come to confirm all existing scriptures. You shall believe in him and support him." He said, "Do you agree with this, and pledge to fulfill this covenant?" They said, "We agree." He said, "You have thus borne witness, and I bear witness along with you."

God willed that the difference between a messenger and a prophet remain unknown till the advent of the His messenger of the covenant as prophesied in 3:81. We now know that prophet Muhammad was the last prophet, but not the last messenger.

Together with sending His messenger of the Covenant, God willed that a floodgate be opened for Satan to send his messengers. Ever since Dr. Rashad Khalifa announced his messengership in 1988, an average of more than one person per year has claimed messengership appealing to the submitters to accept his/her messengership. These “messengers” speak the language of the messengers and use the buzzwords – God alone and Quran alone – similar to a hypocrite who speaks the language of a believer. A prudent and careful examination of these messenger-claimants will make it obvious that they do not meet some very basic Quranic criteria, which set apart God’s messengers from Satan’s messengers.

In 1988 one such person declared herself a messenger. In the 1989 conference Dr. Rashad Khalifa who personally used to introduce every participant in a conference introduced a participant as “Satan’s messenger” as this person claimed to be a messenger. Between 1990 to 1995, there have been two or three claimants. In 1996 there were five such claimants. There was one claimant in 1997 and an another one in 1998. The average of one or more "messenger" per year continues to this day.

QURANIC CRITERIA FOR GOD'S MESSENGERS

God in his immense mercy has spelled out the criteria in the Quran, so that the believers may recognize His messengers as well as reject false messengers who fail to meet the simple criteria. As believers we know that a person is either a messenger from God or he/she is not a messenger from God. In the latter case such claimants qualify as messengers of Satan.

[6:34] Messengers before you have been rejected, and they steadfastly persevered in the face of rejection. They were persecuted until our victory came to them. Such is GOD's system that will never change. The history of My messengers thus sets the precedents for you.

The history of God’s messengers thus sets precedence for any future messenger/s.

1. ADVOCATE GOD ALONE

God’s messenger will advocate worship of God alone and will abolish all forms of idolatry (7:59-92).

2. NEVER ASKS FOR WAGES

God’s messenger never asks for wages for himself.

3. QURAN ALONE

Logic dictates that a messenger of God will uphold the Quran alone for religious law (6:114) and not sanction religious regulations, which are not in the Quran.

All the messenger claimants since Dr. Rashad Khalifa announced his messengership in 1988 claim to be within the confines of the above three criteria, but stand exposed as false messengers when it comes to the following additional criteria as spelled out in God’s words in the Quran.

4. PROOF OF AUTHENTICITY

God’s messenger is given divine, clear, incontrovertible proof of his messengership. All of God’s
messengers were supported with proof by God’s leave (7:101).

Moses staff turned into a serpent by God’s leave. Jesus healed the leprous and revived the dead by God’s leave. Saaleh’s proof was the camel. Abraham walked out of a fire by God’s leave. God informs us that Muhammad’s miracle was the Quran (29:50-51). God spells out the proof reserved for His messenger of the covenant as The Proof (38:1).

I - Separation of The Proof and the Quran

In the following verses, God separates the Quran and The Proof.

[36:69] What we taught him (the messenger) was not poetry, nor is he (a poet). This is but a formidable proof, and a profound Quran.

[38:1] S. (Saad), and the Quran that contains the proof.

[41:41] Those who have rejected the Quran's proof when it came to them, have also rejected an Honorable book.

II – We know that The Proof was given to Dr. Rashad Khalifa as his proof of authenticity as God’s messenger. By God’s leave he presented The Proof based on number nineteen (74:30) to the world. God calls this proof as “one of the great miracles” in verse 74:35.

III – Proofs compared to The Proof.

The Quran mentions several proofs. However, clear distinction is made between the Quran and its Proof (38:1); proofs provided to previous messengers (7:101) and God’s proofs/signs all around us (2:164, 10:6).

IV – The Proof has been delivered.

The proof (38:1, 74:30-35) has been delivered. God chose to deliver it to us through His
messenger of the covenant. God has blessed quite a few individuals and continues to bless individuals with components of this Proof or components of the mathematical structure of the Quran.

Those who claim to be messengers and provide “proofs” based on number 19 reflect their blindness and lack of understanding of the Quran by not knowing that The proof has already been delivered. Those who claim to have mathematical patterns other than number nineteen (74:30); the obvious question to them is “Where is the reference to your proof in the Quran?”

5. THE PROOF WILL HAVE REFERENCE IN THE QURAN.

Logic dictates that since the Quran is God’s final scripture and His final words to humanity there should be reference to any future messenger. His proof of authenticity should also be referenced in the Quran. Indeed it was the case with God’s messenger of the covenant. Indeed the history God’s messengers set precedents for us.

6. CLEAR PROOFS

The Proof provided to the messenger of the covenant is clear, easily understood and can be explained to any person by any sincere person with easy Quranic references. The Quran repeats in various verses clear proofs given to messengers (7:101).

7. MISSION SPELLED OUT IN THE QURAN

The Quran clearly spelled out the mission of the messenger after the prophets (3:81). The messenger will confirm existing scriptures. Additional duties and mission are spelled out in verses 5:19, 9:33, Sura 98, etc. Logic, common sense and the precedent established by God (6:34) dictates that any future messenger will have his duties clearly spelled out in the Quran.

8. PROPHECY AND PROPHECIES

God’s messenger of the covenant, Rashad Khalifa fulfilled the Quran prophecy in 3:81 – after all the prophets a messenger will come for a specific mission. Other concurrent prophecies, such as in verses 54:1-5 have also been fulfilled. Reason and logic dictate that any future messenger will be able to point from the Quran specific fulfillment of a Quranic prophecy.

The following constitutes as precedent established by God of events referenced in the Quran, contemporaneous with the messenger after the prophets (3:81):

9. THE MESSENGER’S LANGUAGE

[14:4] We did not send any messenger except (to preach) in the tongue of his people, in order to clarify things for them. GOD then sends astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills. He is the Almighty, the Most Wise.

10. DELIVERY OF THE QURAN AND DELIVERY OF THE PROOF

As pointed out above a clear distinction is made between the Quran and the Proof. In the simplest form, Prophet Muhammad had no duty except to deliver the Quran (5:99, 64:12, 29:18). God’s messenger after the prophets had no duty except to deliver the Proof.

SUMMARY

Dr. Rashad Khalifa, God’s messenger of the covenant, announced his messengership in his newsletter “Muslim Perspective” in the May 1988 issue. The entire issue was devoted to the announcement under the title, “God insists.” The issue that contained the announcement provided the opportunity for any sincere believer to examine and verify per God’s commandment in verse 17:36, the claim of messengership. Almost all the criteria listed above were covered in that announcement.

The messenger after the prophets (3:81), the proof produced by God’s leave and the references in the Quran are overwhelming. God’s signs are always overwhelming and never subtle. Together with the simple and powerful reminder of worshiping God alone, Rashad Khalifa corrected all religious practices of the religion of Submission based on the Quran and brought to our attention God’s perfect preservation of the rituals of the religious duties since the time of Abraham. The purified Quran, without the two false verses was presented to humanity for the first time. The reference to the messenger pervades the Quran (3:81, 5:19, 36:3, 81:19, 44:13, 98:1-3). The reference to the proof are all over the Quran (38:1, 36:69, 74:30-35, 27:82, 98:1-8,10:1, etc.)

While Rashad Khalifa advocated the absolute worship of God alone (6:19) by upholding God’s complete words (6:115) in the Quran as a source of law (6:114) consistently stating, “don’t go by what I say, go by the Quran,” the “messengers” after him state, “go by what I say.”

“Open Challenge to the Disbelievers: Give me One Good Reason” was the challenge by Dr. Rashad Khalifa in “Muslim Perspective” in the February 1989 issue. No mullah, religious leader, scholar or anyone could come up with one reason based on the Quran as to why Rashad Khalifa was not a messenger of God. Not one.

We have come a long way when “messengers” after Rashad Khalifa, who claim to be messengers of God, cannot even come up with one reason based on the Quran as to why they are messengers of God other than using the buzz words mentioned above! Not one.

[ back to the top of this page ]