Al-Fârâbi and Ibn Sînâ on prophecy

The question of prophecy is one of the common interests of Islamic theology and philosophy. The theologians have put forward their thoughts about prophecy on the basis of the Islamic dogmas and they have undertaken a defensive role against the criticism towards prophecy. As for the Mashaite philosophers, in essence, are compatible with the dogmas, but in the final analysis they formed a rational understanding of prophecy. From the point of view of the theologians, the prophet has important characteristics that distinguish him from others; but most importantly, he is the person who charged by Allah. Regarding the Mashaite philosophers, the prophet is a person with high imagination and intellect. These qualities of him are ultimately the foundation of the information process reach out to God. The source is God; however, the charging out of question. This study examines the above-mentioned prophetic understandings. The first chapter of the work summarizes the prophecies of different theological schools. In the second and third chapters, the views of the Meshafi philosophers al-Fârâbî and Ibn Sînâ are described. In the fourth and the last chapter, the understanding of Kalam and Mashaite philosophy are compared.