I just lost my post where I analyzed this article. So I am going to simply quote the relevant portions of the article and we can analyze it as we go.
First there is the issue of "nabi" and "rasul":
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1. The chronological order in which `prophet' and `apostle' are used.
Muhammad is not referred to as a prophet in the Meccan period, whereas this title is applied to him approximately 30 times in Medina. As Bijlefeld elaborates, "When we, moreover, realize that in the Meccan period the
rasúl (messenger) title is applied to Muhammad fourteen times, it becomes indeed very difficult to accept the view that the terms `prophet' and `apostle' are fully interchangeable" (
Prophet 16).
The reasons for this shift in emphasis are unclear. Bijlefeld argues that in the pre-Hijira period, the intention was to stress the idea of an apostle sent by God to his own community with the very same message which other apostles and communities had received in the past. The use of the prophet title in the post-Hijira period, in contrast, coincided with the need to place a greater emphasis on the Arabs' descendance from Abraham (ibid, 23-24), and thus to position Muhammad in the Abrahamic (Semitic) tradition of prophethood.
2. The individuals who are called prophets and apostles.
Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Enoch, Ezra, Job, Jonah, Ezekiel, John the Baptist, Jesus and Muhammad are the persons to whom the Qur'án directly applies the title prophet. If we include indirect references as well, Elisha, Elijah, Lot, Joseph, and Zechariah can be added, because there is a verse which lists them with several of the aforementioned prophets and concludes: "Those are they to whom We gave Scripture, the Judgement and Prophethood [
nubuwwat]" (6:83-89). . .
It is also clear that not all the prophets are called apostles, therefore strongly supporting the view that not every prophet is an apostle.
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3. The qualities and functions of prophets and apostles in their Qur'ánic context.
As previously mentioned, prophethood is within the heritage of Abraham and his descendants, and also seems to be closely associated with the Scripture brought by them:
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We appointed the Prophecy [
nubuwwah] and the Book to be among his
seed [
dhurriyyah]. (29:27, emphasis added)
We gave the
children of Israel the Book, the Judgement and the Prophethood. (45:16, emphasis added)
Moreover the Qur'án states that several prophets are linked with specific sacred texts: Abraham with the
suhuf (scrolls), Moses with the Torah, David with the Psalms, Jesus with the Gospels, and Muhammad with the Qur'án itself. In addition, a common feature of the prophets is that they are part of God's Covenant:
Remember we took from the prophets [
nabiyyín] their Covenant [
mítháq]. (33:7)
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When God entered into covenant [
mítháq] with the prophets [
nabiyyín], he said, "This is the Book and the Wisdom which I give you. Hereafter shall a prophet [
rasúl] come unto you to confirm the Scriptures already with you. Ye shall surely believe on him, and ye shall surely aid him". (3:75)
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The term apostle also has specific associations. First there is the Qur'ánic assertion that "every community [
umma] has its (own) messenger [
rasúl]" (10:47, 16:38, 17:15, 23:44, 30:47).
Future Messengers
Finally a significant difference that has been identified by Bahá'í writers between prophets and apostles is the reference of Qur'án 7:34. This verse appears to promise the coming of apostles in the future:
O Children of Adam! there shall come to you Apostles from among yourselves, rehearsing my signs to you.
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However Muslim commentators and most later Western translators have rendered the verb in this verse, `there shall come to you,' as part of a conditional clause, arguing that "the use of the energetic
ya'tiyannakum serves the purpose of strengthening the conditional meaning" (Moayyad,
Historical 79). Thus, Yusuf `Alí has translated the phrase as, "Whenever there come to you Apostles" (349), and Arberry's version is, "If there should come to you Messengers ..." (146). There are two prima facie objections to a conditional meaning. The first is based on the Arabic of the verb `shall come to you' in Qur'án 7:34 which transliterates as "
Immá ya'tíyyannakum". This form of the triliteral root A.T.Y. is the imperfect active form (
mudári'), indicating action in the future (Kassis,
Concordance xxviii), suffixed by
yanna which puts the verb in an energetic mode. This form of the verb also occurs in Qur'án 2:38 which more accurately is rendered, "yet there shall come to you guidance from Me". . .
Other objections to the conditional meaning of this verse rest on the understanding a number of indications given in the Qur'án which suggest that the Islamic Dispensation has a finite time:
To every nation [
ajal] a term; when their term comes they shall not put it back by a single hour nor put it forward. (7:33)
To each age [
ajal] its Book. (13:38)
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Neither too soon, nor too late, shall a people reach its appointed time. (23:43)
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The Founder of Islam as Khátam
As indicated earlier, many traditions exist which take the phrase
khátam al-nabiyyín (seal of the prophets) to mean "the last prophet." However, the completion of some activity is only one meaning of "seal". The historical use of this word provides other interpretations as follows.
Sealing may also be a guarantee of authenticity, or a device designed to prevent the unauthorised opening of a receptacle without knowledge of the owner. In pre-Muslim Arabia, seals were used in place of a signature, giving validity to a document. They were also utilised as a guarantee that property was kept intact and thus took the place of locks and keys. The possession of another person's seal was evidence that the latter had delegated his authority. Pharaoh, for example, gave Joseph his signet as a sign of authority (Gen 41:42). Jezebel forged a letter in Ahab's name and sealed it with Ahab's seal to give it validity (1 Kings 21:8). Tradition has a certain amount to say about Muhammad's
khátam (seal). For instance, Al-Bukhari recounts that the Prophet wished to write to the Byzantines, and was told that it would not be read unless it had a seal on it. He therefore adopted a silver seal with the inscription `Muhammad rasúl Alláh' at the year 7 A.H. (Allan,
Khátam 1103).
The expression
khátam al-nabiyyín (seal of the prophets) is found in several places in classical Arabic poetry. . . A verse in the
Díwán of Umayya b. Abí al-Salt speaks of the Prophet as the one "by means of whom God sealed [
khatama] the prophets [
nabiyyín] before him and after him" (
Prophecy 57). This verse implies the appearance of prophets after Muhammad, so that the verb
khatama here cannot be understood to mean the termination of something. Friedmann suggests the possibility that it means "he stamped upon them his seal [of approval]" (ibid). This idea that the Prophet came to confirm the former prophets is supported by Qur'án 37:37: "he cometh with truth and confirmeth the Sent Ones [
mursalin] of old."
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There are other indications that the belief in the finality of Muhammad's prophethood was not generally accepted in the early days of Islam. . . .