Question
Our belief is that ALL Prophets are sinless. I have been asked if there is any proof from the Quran for this.
Do you know of any relevant verses?
Answer
Prophets of God, according to the Muslim faith, are people selected by God Himself to deliver His message to mankind. The Muslim belief that Prophets are sinless primarily relates to the fact that the Prophets of God delivered His message in its purest form. They did not add anything to it, on their own, and neither did they hold anything back from it. The Qur’an says that because Muhammad (pbuh) is a true Prophet of God, therefore, if this true Prophet falsely ascribes something to God, he shall then be punished like no other individual. The Qur’an says:
Had he invented lies concerning Us, We would have seized him by the right hand and severed his heart’s vein; and no one from amongst you could have protected him (from Us). (Al-Haaqqah 69: 44 – 47)
The Qur’an also tells us that to supervise the unadulterated deliverance of the message, the prophets are closely observed by God. It says:
As for the messengers whom He has chosen, He guards them from the front and from behind to make sure that they have delivered the messages of their Lord. (Al-Jinn 72: 27 – 28)
Besides this, Muslims also believe that because God Himself, on the basis of His all encompassing knowledge, selected these prophets for delivering His message and to become a model for their followers, therefore these prophets must have been the best of mankind living in their particular times and societies. But this does not mean that the prophets do not commit any mistakes. Mistake, as we know is not synonymous with sin. These prophets may commit mistakes, which are corrected by God, but these mistakes are not sins. Even these mistakes are in the way of righteousness.
8th November 1998