How would one know their role and life purpose unless one receives clear and practical instructions of what God wants and expects of him or her? Here comes the need for Prophethood. Thus, God has sent thousands of Messengers and Prophets to mankind to convey His Message and communicate to us. Every nation on Earth received a Prophet. They all preached the same general Message that there is only one deity worthy of worship. He is the One and Only God, without a partner, son, daughter, or equal. God sent Messengers and Prophets to guide humanity from worshipping created beings and to worship their Creator, the Creator of all things. The Prophets came to teach their people about who their Creator is, how to build a relationship with Him, and how to love Him. The Prophets taught their people that life is only a test, where the successful will enter Paradise eternally, and the unsuccessful will enter the ultimate punishment in the afterlife.
Out of the Infinite Mercy and Love of God, God continued to send Messengers with Books from God to guide humanity-- starting with Prophet Adam, including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob, Moses, Prophet Jesus, and Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon them all. Many of the Prophets are found in Jewish and Christian traditions. All the previous Messengers and Books other than the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad were sent down only to a specific group of people and were only meant to be followed for a particular period. For example, Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, was one of God's mightiest Messengers, who was sent down with the same general Message of all the previous Prophets but was only sent to the Children of Israel-the nation that lived before us, as their final Prophet because they were disobeying the commandments of God and veering away from the laws sent down by the previous Messenger, Moses, peace be upon him.
Whenever God would send Messengers with Revelation, after they passed, people would distort and change the Revelations of God. What was pure Revelation from God-- would be polluted with myths, words of men, superstitions, irrational philosophical ideologies, and idol worship. The religion of God was lost in a plethora of religions. Such as how Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, was sent to reform the previous Message sent before him by the previous Messenger, Moses, peace be upon him. Prophet Muhammad came to reform Prophet Jesus' Message since it was distorted by his followers and did not survive in its original form.
When humanity was in the depth of the dark ages, God the Almighty sent his last and final Messenger to mankind, Prophet Muhamad, peace be upon him, and his final Revelation, the Holy Quran, to redeem humanity. The Holy Quran and the final Messenger, peace be upon him, affirmed everything that was revealed to all the previous Messengers in the past. Unlike the past Messengers and Books, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was sent to all of humanity, and there will be no Messenger or Prophet after him, nor will there be a Book after the Holy Quran, as both are meant to be followed by all people, not just a particular group of people, nor are they meant for a particular timeframe; both are meant to be followed by everyone until the end of time.
Prophet Muhammad-A summarized story of God's Last and Final Prophetaims to introduce Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, derived from early Islamic Sources, helping you better understand who Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him was and to instill a love for him. Studying the story and life of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the best way to develop that love for our Prophet. Studying the life of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is an obligation given to us by our Creator and helps us better understand God's final Book, the Holy Quran, and its context.