Prophet

In numerous religions, including Abrahamic religions, Jah religions, Sikhism, and many forms of Paganism, a prophet is an intermediary with a deity, particularly someone who claims to speak for the deity or interprets the deity's will or mind. A prophet usually operates through some means of divination, channeling, or extra-sensory perception, and the prophet's pronouncements in the name of a deity are sometimes called revelation. Some utterances foretelling the future may be interpreted as having been prophesies. Some "prophecies" seem to have been made after the event; these are given the technical name vaticinia ex eventu.

Assessment of the prophet's authenticity and false prophets

Jewish views

According to Deuteronomy 18:21-22, one should judge a prophet by checking whether his predictions come true. The book contains several warnings about false prophets and is very specific about the test of whether a prophet is true or false. (For detail, see main article False prophet)

Related Topics:
Deuteronomy - False prophet

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Christian views

According to the Bible, Jesus said that one should judge a prophet by his fruits. (Gospel of Matthew 7). In addition Christianity recognizes the divine nature of the Old Testament, and inherited the same text in Deutoronomy (although as with much of the Old Testament, the degree to which it is considered applicable varies)

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Muslim views

According to Islam, Muhammed was the last prophet so any prophet after Muhammed is regarded as false.

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The basic reasons for the initiation, continuation and the ultimate termination of the institute of prophethood, are derived by Muslims from various references of the Qur'an, are:

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• To guide people to the correct path at such a level that they are left with no excuse for rejecting the basic truths taught by the prophets of God (Al-Nisaa 4: 165). For this particular purpose, God did not only send a few messengers at a particular place and time, but continued sending his messengers for a long period of time and in various nations and peoples.
• To guide people, according to their general socio-cultural and other collective circumstances to the laws of God; with the evolution in these socio-cultural and other collective circumstances, the laws were amended and sequentially brought closer to the ultimate likings of God (Al-Baqarah 2: 106 and Al-Maaidah 5: 3). For this particular purpose, teachings relating to the socio-cultural and other collective aspects of human life were not given in their final shape in the beginning; on the contrary, the final teachings were deferred till the time when man, in his collective capacity, was in a position to bear and follow them.

With the advent of the Muhammad, both these targets of the institute of prophethood were accomplished, and the institute of prophethood was terminated.

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