Difference between Nabi and Rasool.

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And We did not send before you any Messenger nor prophet, but when he desired, the Shaitan made a suggestion respecting his desire; but Allah annuls that which the Shaitan casts, then does Allah establish His communications, and Allah is Knowing, Wise,

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَلَا نَبِيٍّ إِلَّا إِذَا تَمَنَّىٰ أَلْقَى الشَّيْطَانُ فِي أُمْنِيَّتِهِ فَيَنْسَخُ اللَّهُ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ ثُمَّ يُحْكِمُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ


According to this verse, there is a difference between Rasool and Nabi. To me Messenger means one with a message, and Nabi is one who receives divine scripture from God to channel to the people. Since the scripture is God's words - it's said in the function that he is the receiver of that revelation.

However, the book itself from God is a message, which would make a Nabi a Messenger. But there can be Messengers from God that don't have a divine scripture and their message is not divine scripture.

So every Nabi would be a Rasool but not every Rasool a Nabi.

The Knower of the unseen! so He does not manifest His secrets to any,
Except to him whom He chooses as a Messenger, for surely He makes a guard to march before him and after him,

This suggests Allah (swt) reveals secrets to Messengers, but if every Nabi was not a Messenger, they would be missing from this category of who God reveals his secrets to which doesn't make sense.

Allah was not going to leave the believers in the state you are in until He distinguishes the vile from the good. Allah would not let you know the unseen (ghayb), but He chooses whom He wills of His messengers. So believe in Allah and His messengers. If you believe and be pious then you will have a great reward. (3.179)


5:67 also suggests the message is not only the Quran but includes the Sunnah.

 

[stevecanuck]

I know there's a least one verse that calls Mohamed "rasool allah". Are there any that specifically call him "al nabi"?

 

[Shakeel]

So every Nabi would be a Rasool but not every Rasool a Nabi.

Rather every rasool (messenger) would be a nabi (prophet), but not every nabi (prophet) would be a rasool (messenger).

 

[Link]

I know there's a least one verse that calls Mohamed "rasool allah". Are there any that specifically call him "al nabi"?

Yes, in chapter 33.

 

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Rather every rasool (messenger) would be a nabi (prophet), but not every nabi (prophet) would be a rasool (messenger).

Come to think of it, the verses of "except a Messenger", can be that almost every Nabi is a Messenger, so the exception clause can still keep in mind that not every Nabi is a Rasool.

But reflecting over the Quran, it seems it's two different functions.

Nabi is being a receiver of revelation from God to the people (Quran is Nubuwa of Mohammad) while the Resalah (message) is upon the sent one to deliver and the clear message must be delivered to the people.

A non-Rasool Nabi would be a very rare case where as there is no need of the message being delivered to the people and be revealed a revelation that adds guidance to the people, but itself is not re-iterating the message because it would be that the people are already guided to the truth.

A non-Nabi Rasool would be the case when God sends a messenger without a divine revelation to humans to be held on to by his people.

They are both rare cases, so in general, it can be said God reveals his secret only to a Messenger as he pleases, since this is the general case, that every Nabi is a Messenger (on rare occasion, is a Nabi not a Messenger).

 

[stevecanuck]

This looks like an exercise in hair-splitting to me. I see "messenger" and "prophet" as being the same in the context of Mohamed's role in Islam. I looked up "prophet" and found this definition - A person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God - which is exactly what I expected.

The fact that the Qur'an says "rasool or nabi" implies there's some sort of subtle difference between them, which you tried to explain, but to me it's just another example to show that the Qur'an was authored by an imperfect man rather than by a perfect god. The man would err by using a redundancy, but a god wouldn't.

There are other examples I could cite in which it sounds to me like Mohamed is just making up verses as he goes along to try to cover up mistakes and inconsistencies.

 

[Link]

Rasool means Messenger and Nabi means one who receives revelations/teachings from God. One is talking about role to deliver the truth the other about them channeling divine words from God. Two different things.

Also, this is not the only one words used for them, the Quran also talks about Mursal, or Mursaleen (plural), which means sent ones. The translations often mix all this up and translate sent ones as Messengers.

But both a Nabi and Messenger are sent by God, that is a non-Nabi Messenger and Non-Messenger Nabi are both sent by God to humans or their people.

It's two different functions, Moses was a Messenger before he received the Torah as he received the Torah after his message to Pharaoh and his people. The message and God's words are two different things. The message is the Messenger's words themselves paraphrasing what they learned from God, but Nubuwa is directly quoting God and his direct words to humanity.

Sometimes God's words like Quran have a clear message to humans, and so would be a clear message. Sometimes in a rare case, a revelation might be complimentary to guidance already received in society and no need of delivering clear message. Both the Sunnah and recitation from God by that Prophet would not be resali (conveying clear message), but just teachings to increase guidance upon guidance. As humans rarely were guided enough to not need re-iteration of the clear message, it happened to be that most sent ones (mursaleen) were Messengers.

And it happens to be, because of the need of God's own words to humanity, that almost all Messengers were Anbiya.

Mohammad (s) and twelve Imams (a) are the chosen of Mursaleen (sent ones) per ziyarat Jamial Alkabeer. That is they are chosen from all sent ones.

I believe however, if society didn't divide, they would not need to become Messengers, but just Ulil-Amr and Imams who guide humanity and Kings who rule them. But as humanity divided and the dark magic took over the understanding of people and their minds, they like Bani-Israel Imams became Messengers.

Messengers not in the sense they delivered a revelation from God as in a chapter of Quran or something, but they taught the truth regarding God's religion and told us vital information and delivered speeches that manifest the Quran and inward of the Shariah.

It can be said in 4:59 that divisions are not welcomed per other verses, so this is saying if you do dispute, then refer it to God and the Messenger. Right now there is no living Messenger, but the verses after show, this was referring to him directly. It can be saying the Ulil-Amr each will become the Messenger if disputes happen with regards to a thing in God's religion.

Although Jesus was a Messenger to all people between Gospels and Quran, the Quran says "a period without Messengers" for that period. I don't mean Mohammad (s) and his family (a) messages are not for all people in this time and future, what I mean, is that 4:59 is in context of referring to a living Messenger among the people and Quran says about holding on to God with the subject of a Messenger being among the people.

Right now there is a Guide as Quran says every people there is a guide who can perform miracles, but this guidance is not public so people can't just refer dispute to him. 4:59 can be saying, if you want humans to unite, you have to bring the Messenger back, and then refer back to him and Quranic revelation, and that way humanity can finally unite on the truth if they do this that is "better and best in ending".

However Quran and ahadith in themselves won't unite us in themselves, from my point of view. This is because people are afraid to study ahadith when so much falsehood is in them and most people don't know how to go beyond their first impressions with Quran.