The difference between the Arabic words nabi and rasul has been subject to much debate over the centuries. Different theories have been extended regarding these two terms although many of these opinions do not hold when scrutinized in the light of the Quran – the primary source of guidance and legislation in Islam.
The soundest opinion is that there is no real difference between the meaning of nabi and rasul as used in the Quran. The only distinction lies in the usage of these terms: while nabi is used exclusively for humans who received divine revelation from Allah, rasul also includes messengers from among angels and jinn. In fact, rasul has even been used for ordinary humans conveying messages from one person to another. Let us discuss these concepts in detail.
Literal Meaning of “Nabi” and “Rasul”
The Arabic word nabi (plurals anbiya, nabiyyin and nabiyyun) is derived from the root nun-ba-hamza (n-b-a) which means “to inform” or “convey”. It is commonly translated as “prophet” in English. On the other hand, rasul (plural rusul) is derived from the ra-seen-lam (r-s-l) root, which means “to send”. Therefore, a rasul signifies someone sent by Allah for the guidance of people. It is typically translated as “messenger”.
Interchangeable Use of Nabi and Rasul
The words nabi (prophet) and rasul (messenger) are used interchangeably in the Quran to refer to men chosen by Allah to receive His divine revelation and tasked with conveying His word to humanity. For instance, compare the following pair of ayaat from the Quran in which both nabi and rasul are used synonymously to convey the basic concept of prophethood:
“…Righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the nabiyyin (prophets)…” (Al-Baqarah 2:177)
“…Whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His rusul (messengers), and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray.” (Al-Nisa 4:136)
Similarly, with regard to the prophets/messengers killed by the Children of Israel, the Quran again uses rasul and nabi interchangeably:
“Say, ‘Then why did you kill the anbiya (prophets) of Allah before, if you are believers?” (Al-Baqarah 2:91)
“Whenever there came to them a rasul (messenger) with what their souls did not desire, a party (of messengers) they denied, and another party they killed.” (Al-Ma’idah 5:70)
Other uses of Rasul
While the Quran uses nabi to refer only to a human prophet, rasul is used in a much broader sense. For instance, the Quran uses the term rasul to describe the messengers sent from among the jinn:
“O company of jinn and mankind, did there not come to you rusul (messengers) from among you, relating to you My verses and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?” (Al-An’am 6:130)
Similarly, there are rusul from among the angels, as the Quran informs us:
“Allah chooses from the angels rusul (messengers) and from the people.” (Al-Hajj 22:75)
“Praise is to Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, (who) made the angels rusul (messengers) having wings, two or three or four…” (Fatir 35:1)
Elsewhere in the Quran, specific angels such as the angels of death (Al-A’raf 7:37) and the angels sent to Prophet Lut (Hud 11:81) have also been referred to as rusul. For this reason, the Quran, in one instance, uses the term bashar rasul (human messenger) for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to distinguish him from angel messengers (Al-Isra 17:93).
In fact, the Quran has even used the word rasul for ordinary humans carrying messages from one person to another:
“And the king said, ‘Bring him to me.’ But when the rasul (messenger) came to him, (Yusuf) said, ‘Return to your master and ask him what is the case of the women who cut their hands. Indeed, my Lord is Knowing of their plan.’” (Yusuf 12:50)
These ayaat prove that there is a difference in the usage of the two terms, with nabi having a more restricted scope than rasul, although there is no difference between the terms when referring to human messengers who received divine revelation from Allah.
Overlapping between Nabi and Rasul
Those who make a distinction between nabi and rasul often consider one to be a subset of the other. For instance, some claim that all anbiya (prophets) are rusul (messengers), but all rusul (messengers) are not anbiya (prophets). However, there is no evidence in the Quran to support this view.
The other opinion is that all rusul (messengers) are anbiya (prophets), but all anbiya (prophets) are not rusul (messengers). While this sounds more plausible, it also does not hold when carefully considered in the light of various ayaat. For example, the Quran states that Allah sent a rasul among every nation:
“And We certainly sent into every nation a rasul (messenger), (saying), ‘Worship Allah and avoid taghut.’” (Al-Nahl 16:36)
Hence, this clarifies that rasul is a generic term, not a specific category among the anbiya.
Different Theories on the Meaning of Nabi and Rasul
Let us now discuss various other opinions that distinguish between the status of nabi and rasul, and analyze why these theories do not hold when analyzed in the light of the Quran.
Theory 1: A rasul (messenger) receives a divine book (or scripture) whereas a nabi (prophet) follows another rasul or a previously revealed book.
Refutation: The Quran uses the word rasul to describe various personalities:
“And to the Aad [We sent] their brother Hud. He said, ‘…I am a rasul (messenger) from the Lord of the worlds.’” (Al-A’raf 7:65-67)
“When their brother Salih said to them, ‘Will you not fear Allah? Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy rasul (messenger).’” (Al-Shu’ara 26:142-143)
“When their brother Lut said to them, ‘Will you not fear Allah? Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy rasul (messenger).’” (Al-Shu’ara 26:161-162)
“When Shuayb said to them, ‘Will you not fear Allah? Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy rasul (messenger).’” (Al-Shu’ara 26:177-178)
As we can see, the Quran describes Hud (AS), Salih (AS), Lut (AS), and Shuayb (AS), among many others, as rusul. However, there is no evidence that they received any book or scripture from Allah. Rather, the Quran focuses on their verbal discourse with their respective nations. Hence, the above theory does not hold.
Theory 2: A rasul (messenger) is granted a new legislation whereas a nabi (prophet) is sent to implement the system of law that came before him.
Refutation: Again, there is no evidence from the Quran that rusul such as Hud (AS), Salih (AS), Lut (AS), and Shuayb (AS) were granted a new legislation for their respective nations. Instead, these messengers focused on conveying monotheism to their peoples, and correcting their moral ills, rather than implementing a new set of religious injunctions for them.
Theory 3: A rasul (messenger) conveys something new to his people whereas a nabi (prophet) enjoins an already established truth.
Refutation: Most rusul were chiefly concerned with preaching the oneness of Allah – a firmly established truth – to their people. For example, when Hud (AS) preached monotheism to Aad, the same had already been conveyed by Nuh (AS) to his people many centuries earlier. And when Salih preached monotheism to Thamud, he was merely repeating the message of Hud (AS). Therefore, it is incorrect to say that a rasul always brought something new.
Theory 4: A rasul (messenger) is commanded by Allah to convey the divine revelation whereas the nabi (prophet) is not commanded to convey it.
Refutation: This view is also incorrect since a nabi would also convey the divine revelation to his people, as the Quran states:
“And We sent to no city a nabi (prophet) except that We seized its people with poverty and hardship that they might humble themselves.” (Al-A’raf 7:94)
As this ayah indicates, the previous nations suffered from poverty and hardship as a consequence of denying the word preached by their prophets. There would not have been a point in sending a nabi to an entire nation if he were to keep his message to himself.
Theory 5: A rasul (messenger) is enjoined to convey the message to one of the disbelieving nations whereas a nabi (prophet) does not have a separate message for a disbelieving nation.
Refutation: The Quran describes various individuals as a nabi who were sent for the guidance of disbelieving nations. For instance, it says:
“And mention in the Book Ibrahim. Indeed, he was a man of truth and a nabi (prophet).” (Maryam 19:41)
It is clear that Ibrahim (AS) was sent to a disbelieving nation, where he preached them monotheism for many years, and was even cast into a fire for destroying the idols worshipped by the disbelievers.
Theory 6: A rasul (messenger) receives revelation through an angel (and visibly sees him) whereas a nabi (prophet) receives revelation through other means and may only see the angel in a dream.
Refutation: According to this theory, a nabi does not receive direct revelation through an angel. However, it does not hold since Ibrahim (AS), described as a nabi in the Quran, was conveyed the tidings of a son through angels who visited him in the guise of men.
Theory 7: A rasul (messenger) is sent to humanity at large whereas a nabi (prophet) is sent to a specific community.
Refutation: This view is incorrect since rusul such as Nuh (AS), Salih (AS), and Yunus (AS) were sent to specific nations. In fact, Muhammad ﷺ was the only messenger who was sent to humanity at large.
Theory 8: A rasul (messenger) performs miracles to validate his prophethood whereas a nabi (prophet) is not granted miracles.
Refutation: Again, this view is not credible since Isa (AS), someone who performed the most profound miracles by the will of Allah, has been described as a nabi in one of the ayaat:
“(Isa) said, ‘Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a nabi (prophet).’” (Maryam 19:30)
Individuals Described as Nabi or Rasul
Among those who received divine revelation, the Quran describes some as nabi, and others as rasul.
There are yet others for whom neither of these terms has explicitly been used although it is obvious that they fall in the same category. The following Venn diagram shows the individuals for whom the Quran uses the word nabi or rasul, or both.
As indicated by the above illustration, there is no difference in the status of these individuals, and no distinction can be drawn with regard to the scope of their mission or preaching. Both rasul and nabi simply convey the same meaning of having been divinely inspired by Allah and tasked with conveying His messages to others. Where the Quran uses both terms together – such as when describing Musa (AS) as “a rasul, a nabi” (Maryam 19:51) – rasul emphasizes the fact that he received revelation from Allah while nabi focuses on his duty to convey the divine messages to people.
Conclusion
To sum up, the Quran uses the word rasul in a much broader sense as compared to nabi. However, both terms have been used synonymously when referring to humans who received revelation from Allah, and there is no evidence of any difference between the terms in this regard.
Explore books by Ammar Awais
Islam Explained 