The Difference Between a Prophet and a Messenger
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question: Is there a difference between a messenger and a prophet, and what is it?
Answer: Allah the Exalted says: [Al-Hajj: 52], so He mentioned the messenger and the prophet, and the conjunction implies a difference, that they are two types,And the scholars defined the messenger as: one to whom
a shari'ah was revealed and he was commanded to convey it, to oblige people with what is in it, and to fight for it; this is the messenger.
As for the prophet, he is: one to whom a law was revealed, but he was not commanded to convey it, such as the prophets of the Children of Israel after Moses (peace be upon him).
Answer: Allah the Exalted says:
And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet except that when he spoke [or recited], Satan threw into it
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ وَلَا نَبِيٍّ إِلَّا إِذَا تَمَنَّى أَلْقَى الشَّيْطَانُ فِي أُمْنِيَّتِهِa shari'ah was revealed and he was commanded to convey it, to oblige people with what is in it, and to fight for it; this is the messenger.
As for the prophet, he is: one to whom a law was revealed, but he was not commanded to convey it, such as the prophets of the Children of Israel after Moses (peace be upon him).