Rasuul
From Halbeeg, the open encyclopedia · Af-Soomaali
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Rasuul (also spelled Ras'uul) is a word of Arabic origin meaning a person sent or a message conveyed. In religious usage, it refers to a person sent by God to deliver a message to people. The word is also used to translate the English word apostle, which appears in Christian tradition.
Because the word is shared across two religious contexts, its exact meaning depends on the context in which it appears. In Islamic texts, rasuul is distinguished from nabi (prophet); in Somali Christian writings, rasuul typically refers to the disciples of Jesus who were commissioned to spread his message.
Etymology
The root of the word is r-s-l, which means to send or to dispatch. Risaalad, from the same root, means message or letter. Thus rasuul means 'one who is given a message.' The word entered Somali directly from Arabic with little alteration of its meaning.
Islamic usage
In Islamic teaching, a rasuul is a person sent by God carrying a new message to be conveyed to society. Scholars commonly distinguish between rasuul and nabi (prophet), with nabi understood as someone who receives revelation but is not required to preach a new divine law. Interpretations of this distinction vary among scholars.
Christian usage (apostle)
In Christian texts, the Greek word apostolos means 'one who is sent.' It refers to the disciples of Jesus who were given the task of spreading his teaching. Somali translations of the Bible generally use the word rasuul in this context.