Risalah and the Holy Books

One message, many messengers

Muslims believe that God has not left people to work things out alone, but has sent prophets to guide them, and that this has happened many times rather than once. Risalah is the word for that channel of communication. The books are the record of what was sent. The idea that makes sense of the whole topic is this: Muslims believe it is ONE message delivered many times, which is why earlier books are honoured rather than dismissed, and that the Quran is the final form of that message, which is why it holds a distinct place. Answers that carry only one of those two halves are the ones that lose marks.

Words for revelation

Six terms. Each describes what Muslims believe rather than making a claim.

Book to the prophet

Which book is which

Which book do Muslims believe was revealed to Musa?

• the Tawrat
• the Zabur
• the Injil
• the Quran

Honoured, and final

Both columns are Muslim beliefs and both are needed. An answer that gives only the left looks as though the Quran were one book among several; one that gives only the right looks as though the earlier books did not matter.

What Risalah means

Select the TWO statements that express what Muslims mean by Risalah.

• That God communicates with people through chosen messengers
• That this has happened many times, to many communities
• That God communicated once only, through the final prophet
• That prophets worked out the message for themselves and taught it

Why a final prophet

Students often treat the belief that Muhammad is the final prophet as a separate fact to memorise. It follows from the rest. If revelation is one message sent repeatedly to different communities, then a message sent to all people and preserved unchanged completes the sequence rather than replacing it. That is why Muslims describe Muhammad as the Seal of the Prophets, and why the Quran is believed to confirm what was sent before rather than to contradict it. Writing that connection is what turns a list of prophets into an explanation, and it is the difference between a middle-band answer and a strong one.

Prophets in a paragraph

The Muslim belief that God communicates with people through chosen messengers is called _____. Muslims believe that many prophets were sent, and that the books revealed to them, such as the _____ given to Musa, are honoured as revelation. They believe the _____ was revealed to Muhammad, that it is the final revelation, and that it has been _____ in its original form. Because it completes the sequence rather than replacing it, Muhammad is described as the _____ of the Prophets.

The chain of revelation

These five sentences form one paragraph explaining Muslim belief about revelation. Put them into the order that works.

• Muslims believe God has not left people to work out how to live on their own.
• Instead, they believe prophets were sent to guide many different communities.
• The books revealed to those prophets are honoured by Muslims as revelation.
• Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to Muhammad as the final message.
• Because it completes the sequence, Muhammad is called the Seal of the Prophets.

Why the Quran is treated differently

A question asks why the Quran holds a distinct place in Muslim belief. Which answer explains rather than merely states?

• Because Muslims believe it is the final revelation and has been preserved in its original form
• Because it is the most important book in Islam
• Because it is the only book Muslims believe was ever revealed
• Because it is longer and more detailed than the earlier books

An answer on Risalah

Question: explain Muslim beliefs about prophethood and the holy books. Model answer: Muslims believe that God guides people through chosen messengers rather than leaving them to work things out alone, and this belief is called Risalah. They believe prophets were sent to many communities across time, and that the books revealed to them are genuine revelation: the Tawrat revealed to Musa, the Zabur to Dawud and the Injil to Isa are all honoured within Muslim belief. Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, that it is the final revelation, and that it has been preserved in its original form. Because it completes the sequence rather than replacing what came before, Muhammad is described as the Seal of the Prophets. So Muslim belief about revelation holds two things together: earlier prophets and their books are honoured, and the Quran holds a distinct place as the final message. Notice two things about this answer. Every sentence says what Muslims believe rather than stating it as fact, and the last sentence connects the prophets rather than simply having listed them.

Listing or connecting

On this topic an answer earns more for showing how the prophets and books relate than for naming them. Select the ONE sentence that only lists.

• Muslims believe the same core message was carried by each of the prophets.
• Muslims believe in the Tawrat, the Zabur, the Injil and the Quran.
• Because the Quran is believed to complete the sequence, Muhammad is its final messenger.
• Earlier books are honoured by Muslims because they are held to be genuine revelation.

Reading a claim about scripture

You are checking statements a classmate has written about Muslim beliefs. Work through them as an analyst would.

• They write that Muslims believe God sent only one prophet. What is wrong?
• They write that Muslims reject the earlier books entirely. What is wrong?
• They write that the Quran is the most important book in the world. What is the problem?
• They ask how to write about books that other traditions also hold sacred. What is the safe approach?

Explain prophethood

Explain Muslim beliefs about prophethood and the holy books, and why the Quran holds a distinct place within those beliefs.

• State what Muslims mean by Risalah, in a sentence that attributes the belief rather than asserting it
• Explain that Muslims believe prophets were sent to many communities, not to one
• Name two books other than the Quran and say which prophet Muslims associate each with
• Explain why those earlier books are honoured within Muslim belief
• Explain what Muslims believe about the Quran that gives it a distinct place
• Finish by connecting the two halves rather than leaving them as separate lists