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The Meaning of Ulu-Azm in the Traditions
The word Ulu-Azm has been said many times in verses of the Qur’an. In this article we are going to know the meaning of this from the hadith of the prophet and Imams (A.S) as below:
Ulu -Azm has been mentioned first, and if some have interpreted Azm and Azimat in the meaning of ruling and law,[1] It is for this occasion, and otherwise, determination in the word does not mean Sharia,[2].
First of all, being a prophet is a sign of being the owner of Sharia. In other words, that prophet has a special religion that the prophets of his time or after him should promote his religion,[3] until a prophet appears with a new religion and a new Sharia.
In the Qur'an, God also refers to the establishment of religion and its communication by prophets, and the names of four prophets - except for the Prophet of Islam, who brought the last divine religion by him, and in this verse, it is addressed - those who had a special religion and Sharia law:
"He legislated for you the same religion that he advised Noah (PBUH) to follow, And what we revealed to you and advised Abraham, Moses and Jesus (PBUH) was that you uphold the religion and do not divide in it".[4]
The Ulu Azm in hadiths
Although some commentators - generally non-Shia - of the early centuries of Islam, the Prophets were considered to be Ulu - Azm who were assigned to Jihad or who gave their revelations, And in determining examples from Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Yusuf, Job, Or Abraham, Noah, Hud (PBUH) and Muhammad (PBUH) have been mentioned,[5] but the hadiths of the Imams (A.S), It is clear both in terms of the designation of Ulu al-Azm and in expressing the attributes of Ulu -Azm and specifying examples.
The attributes of Ulu -Azm are described in the hadiths as follows:
They had a universal invitation for humans and jinn.[6]
They had an independent and new Sharia law and religion.[7]
They had a holy book.[8]
In these three cases, three distinct characteristics of these prophets have been mentioned; It means universal invitation, religion, and divine book. In a narration of Imam Sadiq (A.S), the second and third conditions are combined, which is enough to answer the next part of the question (Why did some prophets have the book, but were not the Ulu -Azm?).
Imam Reza (A.S) answered someone who asked him, how did these prophets become the first to decide? He says:
"Because they were raised (Noah, Abraham, etc.) to a specific book and law".[9]
In the hadiths, the names of the Prophets of Ulu -Azm are clearly stated. It has been narrated from Imam Ali bin Al-Hussein (a.s.):
There are five people in the first place: Prophet Noah, Ibrahim, Moses, Jesus (PBUH) and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).[10]
conclusion
So having a book is one of the conditions of the Prophets. But there are two other important conditions here, one is to have a universal invitation for all humans and jinns. As we have seen from the traditions which show us the meaning of Ulu-Azm from the words Prophet and Imams.
References:
[1] Tafsir al-Qur'an, vol. 19, p. 219, Qom,
[2] Karam Shirazi, Nasser, Tafsir al-Nashon, vol. 21, p. 378, Tehran, Dar al-Katb al-Islamiyya, first edition, 1374
[3] Misbah Yazdi, Mohammad Taqi, Principles of Beliefs, p. 239, Tehran, Islamic Propaganda Organization, 4th edition, 1379.
[4] Shuri, 13.
[5] Majlisi, Muhammad Baqir, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 11, p. 35, Beirut, Dar Ihya al-Tarath al-Arabi, second edition, 1403 AH.
[6] Ibid., p. 33.
[7] Ibid., p. 34; Sheikh Sadouq, The Causes of Laws, Vol. 1, pp. 122-123.
[8] Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 11, p. 35.
[9] Ibid., p. 56.
[10] Qomi, Ali Ibn Ibrahim, Tafsir al-Qami, researcher and corrector: Mousavi Al-Jazeari, Seyyed Tayyeb, vol. 2, p. 300, Qom, Dar al-Katab, third edition, 1404 AH; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 11, p. 32.