1686 - أصنافُ الأنبِياءِ عليهم السلام‏

1686. CATEGORIES OF PROPHETS (AS)

(وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا وَحْياً أَوْ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولاً فَيُوحِيَ بِإِذْنِهِ مَا يَشَاءُ إِنَّهُ عَلِيٌّ حَكِيمٌ) .¹

"It is not [possible] for any human that Allah should speak to him except through revelation or from behind a curtain, or send a messenger who reveals by His permission whatever He wishes. Indeed He is all-exalted, all-wise." ²

5927.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : الأنبياءُ والمُرسَلونَ على‏ أربَعِ طَبَقاتٍ : فنَبيٌّ مُنَبّأٌ في نَفسِهِ لا يَعدو غيرَها . ونَبيٌّ يَرى‏ في النَّومِ ويَسمَعُ الصَّوتَ ولا يُعايِنُهُ في اليَقَظَةِ ، ولَم يُبعَثْ إلى‏ أحَدٍ وعلَيهِ إمامٌ ، مِثل ما كانَ إبراهيمُ على‏ لُوطٍ عليهما السلام . ونَبيٌّ يَرى‏ في مَنامِهِ ويَسمَعُ الصَّوتَ ويُعايِنُ المَلَكَ ، وقد اُرسِلَ إلى‏ طائفةٍ قَلُّوا أو كَثُروا ، كيُونُسَ ، قالَ اللَّهُ ليونُسَ : (وأرْسَلْناهُ إلى‏ مِائةِ ألْفٍ أو يَزيدونَ)³ - قالَ : يَزيدونَ : ثلاثينَ ألفاً - وعليهِ إمامٌ . والّذي يَرى‏ في نَومِهِ ويَسمَعُ الصَّوتَ ويُعايِنُ في اليَقَظَةِ وهُو إمامٌ مِثلُ اُولي العَزمِ . وقد كانَ إبراهيمُ عليه السلام نَبيّاً وليسَ بإمامٍ حتّى‏ قالَ اللَّهُ : (إنّي جاعِلُكَ للنّاسِ إماماً ...)⁴.⁵

5927.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'Prophets and Messengers are of four classes: a prophet who imparts the tidings to his own self and doe not extend to anyone else; a prophet who sees [the Unseen] in his sleep and hears sounds but does not see anything when awake, and he is not sent to anyone and he has a leader [Imam] over him, like how Prophet Abraham (AS) was to Prophet Lot (AS); a prophet who sees in his dream, and he hears and sees the angel, and he is sent to a group, be they small or large, like Prophet Jonah ⁶ (AS). Allah said about Prophet Jonah (AS): "We sent him to a [community of] hundred thousand or more," ⁷ [He continued], 'or more' by thirty thousand, and he has an Imam over him too; and a prophet who sees in his sleep, hears the voice, sees while awake, and he himself is an Imam [leader] like the arch-prophets, and Prophet Abraham (AS) was a prophet and not an Imam [leader] until Allah said, "I am making you the Imam of mankind" ⁸⁹