Encyclopedia of Islam

prophets and prophethood

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between earth and heaven, signaling their revela-

tory function. The color green has long been asso-

ciated with Muhammad’s family and, in a larger 

sense, the community of Islam, where it is fre-

quently found in both Islamic religious flags and 

the state flags of Muslim countries. Islamic mys-

tics have reflected on the emanation of God’s light 

in the color green as a metaphor for the resurrec-

tion. Just as the green growth of living vegetation 

comes out of the dry earth, and as humanity was 

originally formed as “vegetation” from the earth, 

so the body will grow from the earth again at the 

resurrection (Q 71:17–18).

Finally, one last special quality associated 

with prophecy is the Islamic doctrine of “seal of 

prophets” (Q 42:24, khatim al-nabiyin or khatim 

al-anbiya). The Sunni majority interpret “seal of 

prophets” to mean the closure of prophetic func-

tion and they assign that title solely to Muhammad. 

However, minority Muslim opinion (among some 

Sufis and Shiis) interprets “seal” to be the seal on 

the King’s (God’s) treasure-house that validates 

or preserves its contents for future reopening and 

use, implying an open-ended, even cyclic under-

standing of prophecy and the possibility of future 

prophets and revelations from God. This notion of 

ongoing “prophecy” has been embraced by some 

modern Muslim sectarian groups who have been 

very influential in the spread of Islam in North 

America, especially among African Americans 

during the 20th century (for example, g

hUlam

a

hmad

 (d. 1908) and the Qadiri branch of the 

a

hmadiyya

 community and their impact on Elijah 

Muhammad, “Prophet” to the n

ation

 

oF

 i

slam

, as 

well as Isa Muhammad, founding theologian and 

“revelator” of the Ansaru Allah Community).

See also 

ahl

 

al

-

bayt

; 

angel

; 

bidaa

; 

blasphemy

; 

dreams

; 

Flag

; g

abriel

; 

heresy

; 

holy

 

books

; 

imam

; 

n

ight

 

oF

  d

estiny

;  p

erFect

  m

an

; 

saint

;  s

hiism

; 

Women

.

Kathleen M. O’Connor