The Prophetic Trail
It is ordained that in the Prophetic trail, no distinction may be made. As it stands, the trail is the Abrahamic trail, and it relates to Syedena Ibrahim (A.S) down to Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) the last messenger. It is an inclusive trail of the, ‘People of the Book’:
‘Say, We believe in God, and in what was revealed to us; and in what was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac and Jacob, and the Patriarchs, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus, and what was given to Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any one of them, and to Him we surrender’ (2:136)
In essence it marks that--we believe in Allah and in that Code of Life which He has sent us through his Rasool [Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)]. Essentially, this Code of Life is like the ones, which in earlier times were given to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus, and in fact all other Anbia. We believe each one of them was a part of the same trail of Prophets, and make no distinction among them as Anbia-e-Karaam. And, in the process of making no distinction, we surrender to the command of Almighty Allah (SwT) Who has ordained that no distinction may be made, as the essence of the message is same.
The Ayah following reaffirms the refrain:
‘If they believe in the same, that you have believed in, then they have been guided. But, if they turn away, then they are in schism. God will protect you against them, for He is the Hearer, the Knower’. (2:137)
It signifies, say to them—if you profess Ei’man as we have done, then you will be following the right path, if you repudiate it, this will tantamount to abandonment of the path followed by Anbia-e-Karaam. In such an eventuality, Allah (SwT) Wills Protection, as everything is within His hearing, and within His Knowledge.