Those who are acquainted with affairs related to upbringing...

Those who are acquainted with affairs related to upbringing, training and education know the extent of the necessity of functional models for the moral training of humankind. The lives of the prophets ( ‘a ) demonstrated practical models for their respective communities.

Through their innate attractive qualities, they guided their people toward their well-being and deliverance: ﴿ لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ ﴾ “In the Apostle of Allah there is certainly for you a good example.” [^1] Yes, the intellect and intellectuals have a role or contribution in promoting morality, but intellectual language (philosophy) is not clear, expressive and attractive enough for the common people.

As such, human history has always owed its greatest moral achievements to the prophets ( ‘a ) for they were the ones who imparted moral teachings to the common people in simple language.

It is the last of the prophets who explicitly said: “Indeed I have been sent to perfect moral values.”[^2] He ( ṣ ) also said: “Indeed I have been chosen for the perfection of good deeds.”[^3] The efforts of philosophers in searching for moral principles and those of moral teachers in identifying moral affairs cannot be denied, but if human history were devoid of the presence of the prophets ( ‘a ) the discussion on ethics would be confined to the four walls of the classroom and there would be no indication of the common people’s reception to it.

Since the edifice of civilization lies in morality, it can be imagined to what extent the different civilizations of the world are indebted to the teachings of the prophets ( ‘a ) and their actual conduct in life. The prophets and knowledge Nowadays, science is a great facet with a crucial role in the life of humanity. At the present time, the word “science” refers primarily to the empirical sciences which are divided into two areas: (1) natural sciences and (2) social sciences and humanities.

In the past, different types of knowledge were all under the rubric of “philosophy” which means “love of knowledge,” and ‘ilm [knowledge or science] was understood in its general sense and it included every science or branch of knowledge. As such, we shall assess in this book the contributions of the prophets ( ‘a ) to ‘ilm in its general sense, i.e. “knowledge”, and also examine their influence—and basically the relationship between science and religion—to ‘ilm in its new sense, i.e.

“empirical sciences.” 1.