First of all it is important to understand what a Prophet is. A Prophet is a human being like everyone else. He is a model of virtue but is tied to the same laws of nature as everyone else. A Prophet is a man who is a representative of Allah for mankind and he has a special relationship with Allah.

A prophet is defined as a person chosen by Allah for the reformation and guidance of mankind.

From this definition we get three main points:

• He MUST be chosen by Allah, as such attained his authority by Allah.
• He informs mankind about the way of God and how to live a godly life.
• He guides mankind through his personal example and his relationship with Allah.

We also understand that there are two kinds of Prophets in Islam.

• Law-Bearing Prophet
  One who brings a new law i.e. Moses, who brought forward the Torah, or the Holy Prophet Muhammad may peace blessings of Allah be upon him, to whom the Holy Qur’an was revealed to.

• Non law-bearing Prophet
  One who follows the law of a law-bearing Prophet, interpreting the law according to the needs of the time i.e. all Jewish prophets after Moses, such as David, John the Baptist and Jesus.