Can Maryam be considered a prophet even though she's a female?
She seems to have had angelic meetings/messages and held in such high esteem by both Allah and followers.
I'm new to understanding Islam, so by what basis is one considered a prophet?
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Sign up to join this communityCan Maryam be considered a prophet even though she's a female?
She seems to have had angelic meetings/messages and held in such high esteem by both Allah and followers.
I'm new to understanding Islam, so by what basis is one considered a prophet?
Can Maryam be considered a prophet even though she's a female? Why or why not?
In the Quran we find that Allah sent revelations only to men:
And We sent not before you, [O Muhammad], except men to whom We revealed [the message], so ask the people of the message if you do not know. [Quran 21:7]
This clearly indicates that one of the prerequisites of prophets is that they must be men. Since Maryam was a woman, she cannot be considered a prophet.
I'm new to understanding Islam, so by what basis is one considered a prophet?
The men, among the believers who were inspired by Allah to spread the message of Islam to their people, are considered prophets (peace be upon them all).