``There is not one prophet but a like of him is to be found among my followers. Abu Bakr is like Abraham, Umar is like Moses, Uthman is like Aaron, and Ali is like me. He who wishes to see Jesus, let him look at Abu Zarr Ghaffari.''

(Kanz al-Ummal, vol. vi, p. 193)

``He who likes to see Jesus in terms of piety, let him see Abu Darda.''

(quoted in Mansab-i Imamat, a famous book by Sayyid Ismail Shaheed; see also Kanz al-Ummal, vol. vi, p. 169)

``He who likes to see Abraham in his tender-heartedness, let him see Abu Bakr in his kindness. He who likes to see Noah in his firmness, let him see Umar in his bravery. He who likes to see Enoch in his exaltation, let him see Uthman in his mercy. He who likes to see John the Baptist in his devotions, let him see Ali in his state of purity.''

(Kanz al-Ummal, collection of Hadith, vol. vi, p. 161)

``The earth shall never lack forty men who are the likes of Abraham, on account of whom you shall be given water and aid, and sustenance. The Majma` al-Zawa'id says that this saying has sound authorities.''

(Al-Khabr al Dal, by Imam Sayuti)

``Dahya al-Kalbi resembles Gabriel, Urwah ibn Masud Thaqfi resembles Jesus, and Abdul Uzza resembles the Anti-Christ.''

(Kanz al-Ummal, vol. vi, p. 173)

``Among the servants of God, there are three hundred whose hearts are like Adam's heart, forty whose hearts are like Moses' heart, seven whose hearts are like Abraham's heart, five whose hearts are like Gabriel's heart, three whose hearts are like [the angel] Michael's heart, and one whose heart is like [the angel] Israfil's heart.''

(Al-Khabr al-Dal by Imam Suyuti, p. 15; see also Kanz al-Ummal, vol. vi, p. 239).

(See also Anne Marie Schimmel's Mystical Dimensions of Islam, p. 202, which mentions that the name of Jesus has also been added to this list in another version.)

``The Ulama are the heirs of the prophets.''

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Ilm, ch. 1: `Excellence of knowledge'.)

``The Shaikh [spiritual leader] among his followers is like the prophet among his nation.''

(This hadith has also been quoted in Mystical Dimensions of Islam, on p. 101 and p. 237.)

``The Ulama of this nation deserve to be alongside the prophets in rank.''

(quoted by Ibn Arabi in his Futuhat Makkiyya, p. 570)

``The righteous Ulama of this nation are heirs to the ranks of prophets.''

(ibid.)

``The Ulama of my nation are like the Israelite prophets.''

 

``The Ulama of this nation are like the prophets of all the nations of the world.''

 

Among the Muslims there shall be ``men who are spoken to by God, without being prophets''.

(Bukhari, book 62, ch. 6)

``The Ulama are the lights of the earth, and the successors of the prophets, and heirs to me and the other prophets.''

(Kanz al-Ummal, vol. v, p. 201)

Hence, it is quite allowable to liken non-prophets to prophets, as the Holy Prophet Muhammad himself likened those who were not prophets to prophets.