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kadafi
02-28-2005, 05:57 PM
By Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi




Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the best among all the creation of Allah. He has superiority over all human beings, including all the messengers and the prophets of Allah. Allah Himself says in the Qur’an:[Those Messengers, We gave superiority to some over the others] (Al-Baqarah 2:253). Prophet Muhammad is also reported to have said in a number of authentic hadiths, “I am the leader of all the children of Adam, but I do not boast about it.” Allah gave Prophet Muhammad this honor. All prophets were sent to their own people for their own time (Ibrahim 14:4), but Prophet Muhammad was sent to all people for all time to come (Saba’ 34:28). Allah sent Prophet Muhammad as a mercy to all the worlds (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:107); no other prophet or messenger of Allah was given this honor. During the Israa’ and Mi`raj (Ascension and Night Journey), Allah gave Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) the honor to be the imam of His prophets and messengers.

There is no contradiction between this and the Qur’anic verse that says [To those who believe in Allah and His Messengers and make no distinction between any of the Messengers, We shall soon give their due rewards](An-Nisaa’ 4:152). The verse is not talking about the superiority among Allah’s prophets and messengers. It uses the word yufarriq, which means “making distinction or making discrimination,” i.e., believing in some and not believing in others. This is explained before in An-Nisaa’ 4:150–151 where Allah says [Those who deny Allah and His Messengers, and those who wish to make distinction between Allah and His Messengers and say “we believe in some but reject others” and those who wish to take a way in between, they are in truth unbelievers and We have prepared for unbelievers a humiliating punishment.] Islam teaches us that we must believe in all the Prophets and Messengers of Allah. We should not discriminate between them by accepting some and rejecting others, but this does not mean that all prophets were of the same status. To say this will be against the verse Al-Baqarah 2:253 in which Allah has mentioned that He Himself has given superiority to some messengers over the others.

In the Sahih of Al-Bukhari there is also a hadith reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): Once while a Jew was selling something, he was offered a price that he was not pleased with, so he said, “No, by Him Who gave Moses superiority over all human beings!” Hearing him, a man from the Ansar got up and slapped him on his face and said, “You say, ‘By Him Who gave Moses superiority over all human beings’ although the Prophet (Muhammad) is present among us!” The Jew went to the Prophet and said, “O Abul Qasim, I am under the assurance and contract of security, so what right does so-and-so have to slap me?” The Prophet asked the other, “Why did you slap him?” He told him the whole story. The Prophet became so angry that the anger appeared on his face, and he said, “Do not give superiority to any among Allah’s prophets, for when the trumpet will be blown, every one on the earth and the heavens will become unconscious except those whom Allah will exempt. The trumpet will be blown a second time and I will be the first to be resurrected to see Moses holding Allah’s Throne. I will not know whether the unconsciousness which Moses received on the Day of Tur has been sufficient for him, or whether he got up before me. And I do not know that there is anybody better than Yunus ibn Matta” (Al-Bukhari).

The hadith is not contradicting the Qur’an, but it is giving us another important lesson of manners that we Muslims must have when we speak about the prophets and the messengers of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us that we should not speak about him in such a manner that we show any disrespect to other prophets and messengers. He gave the example of Prophet Yunus (Jonah) (peace and blessings be upon him). His story is mentioned in the Qur’an and it is mentioned that he left his people and ran away from his duty. He was swallowed by a whale and lived in the whale’s belly for several days. Then he repented and Allah accepted his repentance. Even this prophet should not be spoken of in a derogatory manner. He also deserves our full respect and honor as a prophet of Allah.

Especially in our inter-religious dialogue when we talk to the people of other faiths, we should use our language very carefully. Imam Ibn Hajar has explained this hadith very beautifully and said, “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade from talking about the superiority of one prophet over another according to one’s personal opinion, but it must be based on a proof and it should not be done to put down the other prophets or to create animosity, dissent, and divisions.”


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Muhammad
10-16-2007, 10:40 PM
The superiority of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to all of creation






Praise be to Allaah.


(1) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers”

[al-Baqarah 2:285].

Ibn Katheer said in his Tafseer of this aayah:

The believers believe in all the Prophets and Messengers, and the books revealed from heaven to the slaves of Allaah, the Messengers and Prophets; they do not differentiate between any of them, believing in some and rejecting others. Rather they regard all of them as truthful, righteous, rightly-guided and guiding to the path of goodness, even though some of them abrogated the laws of others, until all of them were abrogated by the sharee’ah of Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, upon whose sharee’ah the Hour will come.

(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/736)

With regard to the superiority of some of the Prophets over one another, Allaah has told us of this, when He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allaah spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honour)”[al-Baqarah 2:253]

Allaah tells us that some of them are several degrees above others, hence the chosen ones among the Messengers are “those of strong will”. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And (remember) when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from you (O Muhammad), and from Nooh (Noah), Ibraaheem (Abraham), Moosaa (Moses), and ‘Eesa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary). We took from them a strong covenant”[al-Ahzaab 33:7]

And Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the best of them. This is indicated by the fact that he was their imaam on the night of the Mi’raaj, because no one but the best is put forward. More evidence that he is the best of them comes from Abu Hurayrah, who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘I will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection, and the first one for whom the grave will be opened, and the first to intercede, and the first whose intercession will be accepted.’”

(Narrated by Muslim, al-Fadaa’il, 4223)

Al-Nawawi said in his commentary on Saheeh Muslim:

The phrase “I will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection and the first one for whom the grave will be opened, and the first to intercede, and the first whose intercession will be accepted”: al-Harawi said: the leader (sayyid) is the one who surpasses his people in goodness. Someone else said: He is the one to whom they turn at times of calamity and hardship, so he takes care of them, carries their burdens and protects them.

The phrase “the Day of Resurrection” – even though he is their leader in this world and in the Hereafter. The reason for this specific mention is that on the Day of Resurrection his position of leadership will become apparent to everyone, and there will no longer be anyone who disputes or stubbornly rejects it, unlike the case in this world when the kings of the kuffaar and the leaders of the mushrikeen competed with him. The scholars said, he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not say ““I will be the leader of the sons of Adam” out of pride. Indeed, that is clearly stated in the famous hadeeth narrated by compilers other than Muslim: “I will be the leader of the sons of Adam, and I am not boasting.” Rather, he said it for two reasons. The first was in obedience to the command of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “And proclaim the Grace of your Lord”, and the second was that it was part of the message that he was commanded to convey in totality to his ummah so that they would acknowledge his status and believe in him, and do as he commanded, and respect him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as required by his status and as Allaah commanded them. This hadeeth implies that he is superior to all of creation, because the view of Ahl al-Sunnah is that human beings, i.e., the people of obedience and piety, are superior to the angels, and he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is superior to human beings and to others.

With regard to the other hadeeth – “Do not differentiate between the Prophets” – it may be responded to in five ways:

The first is that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said this before he knew that he was the leader of the sons of Adam; then when he came to know he spoke of it.

The second is that he said it out of politeness and humility.

The third is that the prohibition refers to the kind of differentiation that leads to undermining the position of the one who is less preferred.

The fourth is that the prohibition applies to the kind of differentiation that leads to dispute and fitnah (tribulation), as is well known in the reason for the hadeeth.

The fifth is that the prohibition applies only in the case of prophethood itself, not to superiority within the ranks of the Prophets; rather, it applies to superiority in characteristics and other virtues, so it is essential to believe in that. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others…”

[al-Baqarah 2:253]

And Allaah knows best.

The characteristics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) confirm that he is superior to the rest of the Messengers. We will mention some of them which are narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah:

Allaah has singled out the Qur’aan, to the exclusion of other Books, to be preserved. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’aan) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)”
[al-Hijr 15:9]

In the case of the other Books, Allaah entrusted their protection to their people. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning]

“Verily, We did send down the Tawraat (Torah) [to Moosa (Moses)], therein was guidance and light, by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves to Allaah’s Will, judged for the Jews. And the rabbis and the priests [too judged for the Jews by the Tawraat (Torah) after those Prophets], for to them was entrusted the protection of Allaah’s Book, and they were witnesses thereto

[al-Maa’idah 5:44]

He is the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allaah and the last (end) of the Prophets”

[al-Ahzaab 33:40]

He is unique in that he was sent to all of mankind. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion (of right and wrong, i.e. this Qur’aan) to His slave (Muhammad) that he may be a warner to the ‘Aalameen (mankind and jinn)”

[al-Furqaan 25:1]

Among his unique characteristics in the Hereafter:

He will be the owner of the “position of praise and glory (al-maqaam al-mahmood)” on the Day of Resurrection. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And in some parts of the night (also) offer the Salaah (prayer) with it (i.e. recite the Qur’aan in the prayer) as an additional prayer (Tahajjud optional prayer Nawaafil) for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord will raise you to Maqaam Mahmood (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the honour of intercession on the Day of Resurrection)”

[al-Israa’ 17:78]

Ibn Jareer said: most of the commentators said that is the position which he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will occupy in order to intercede for the people on the Day of Resurrection, to ask that their Lord might grant them respite from the great hardship that they are suffering on this Day.” (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 5/103)

And he will be the leader of all of mankind on the Day of Resurrection, as stated in the hadeeth quoted above.

He will be the first one to cross al-Siraat with his ummah. Al-Bukhaari narrated a lengthy hadeeth concerning that from Abu Hurayrah, in which it says, “… and I will be the first one among the Messengers to lead his ummah across it.” (al-Adhaan, 764).

Another indication that he is the best of the Prophets is the fact that they will not intercede, rather one of them will refer the people to another, until ‘Eesa refers them to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He will say, “I (will do it),” then he will step forward to intercede for everyone, and the first and the last will praise him for that, the Prophets and the rest of mankind.

His unique characteristics, as mentioned in the ayaat and saheeh ahaadeeth, are too many to mention in this brief summary; entire books have been written on this topic.

See Kitaab Khasaa’is al-Mustafa (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) bayna al-Ghulw wa’l-Jafaa’ by al-Saadiq ibn Muhammad, 33-79

To sum up, we prefer our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) over all the other Prophets and over all of mankind, because of the evidence that has been narrated concerning that, whilst also respecting the rights of the other Prophets and Messengers and believing in them and respecting them. And Allaah knows best.




Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
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Muhammad
10-16-2007, 10:47 PM
Evidence for the superiority of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) over other Prophets




Firstly:


The Prophets (peace be upon them) vary in status over one another. This is something that has been stated by Allaah in His Book and by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in His Sunnah.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allaah spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honour); and to ‘Eesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), We gave clear proofs and evidences, and supported him with Rooh-ul-Qudus [Jibreel (Gabriel)]”

[al-Baqarah 2:253]

Shaykh Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: With regard to the words “others He raised to degrees (of honour)”, in other places it is indicated that among them is Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), such as the verses in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“It may be that your Lord will raise you to Maqaam Mahmoud (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the honour of intercession on the Day of Resurrection”

[al-Isra’ 17:79]

“And We have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as a giver of glad tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most of men know not”

[Saba’ 34:28]

“Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allaah”

[al-A’raaf 7:158]

“Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion (of right and wrong, i.e. this Qur’aan) to His slave (Muhammad) that he may be a warner to the ‘Aalameen (mankind and jinn)”

[al-Furqaan 25:1]

Elsewhere Allaah indicates that Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) is also one of them, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And Allaah did take Ibraaheem (Abraham) as a Khaleel (an intimate friend)”

[al-Nisa’ 4:125]

“ ‘Verily, I am going to make you an Imam (a leader) for mankind (to follow you)’”

[al-Baqarah 2:124]

Elsewhere Allaah indicates that Dawood is one of them, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And indeed, We have preferred some of the Prophets above others, and to Dawood (David) We gave the Zaboor (Psalms)”

[al-Isra’ 17:55]

Elsewhere Allaah indicates that Idrees is one of them, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And We raised him to a high station”

[Maryam 19:87]

And here Allaah indicates that ‘Eesa is one of them, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And We gave ‘Eesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), clear signs and supported him with Rooh-ul-Qudus [Jibreel (Gabriel)”

[al-Baqarah 2:87]

Adwa’ al-Bayaan (1/184, 185)

With regard to what is narrated in the Sunnah about it being forbidden to show preference to some of the Prophets over others, or to show preference to our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – such as the hadeeths in al-Saheehayn, “Do not differentiate between the Prophets” and “Do not favour me over Moosa” – the scholars have resolved this confusion, but the scholars differed concerning that.

Al-Khattaabi said: What this means is that we should not differentiate between them in the sense of belittling some of them, because that may lead to false beliefs concerning them and failing in the duty to give them their due rights. But it does not mean that we believe they are equal in status, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others…” End quote.

In ‘Awn al-Ma’bood it says: This means: Do not prefer some of them over others based on your personal opinions.

Al-Qurtubi mentioned other opinions which were along the same lines, then he said:

The best of that is the view of those who say that refraining from differentiating between them means with regard to prophethood which is the same for all of them, with no difference. Rather the differentiation has to do with circumstances, characteristics, miracles, and words. As for prophethood itself, there is no differentiation; rather the differentiation has to do with other matters that are separate to that. Hence some of them were Messengers of firm resolve (ulu’l-‘azm), some were taken as close friends (khaleel), some of them were spoken to directly by Allaah, and some were raised in status. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And indeed, We have preferred some of the Prophets above others, and to Dawood (David) We gave the Zaboor (Psalms)”

[al-Isra’ 17:55]

Then he said: This is a good view, as it reconciles between the verses and the ahaadeeth without abrogating anything.

Tafseer al-Qurtubi (3/249)



Secondly:


There is no difference of opinion among the scholars concerning the fact that our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is superior to all of his fellow-Prophets (peace be upon them). That is clear from the evidence of the Qur’aan and Sunnah, such as the following:

1 – He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will attain the station of praise and glory (maqaam Mahmoud) on the Day of Resurrection. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And in some parts of the night (also) offer the Salaah (prayer) with it (i.e. recite the Qur’aan in the prayer) as an additional prayer (Tahajjud optional prayer ____ Nawaafil) for you (O Muhammad). It may be that your Lord will raise you to Maqaam Mahmoud (a station of praise and glory, i.e., the honour of intercession on the Day of Resurrection)”

[al-Isra’ 17:79]

This refers to his intercession on the Day of Resurrection asking that judgement be passed among all of creation. That will happen after they have been gathered and stood for so long, and there befalls the people that which will befall them. The people will go to the Prophets and each one will excuse himself from interceding for them, until they come to our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He will go to his Lord and fall prostrate before Him, and he will ask to intercede for the people and it will be granted to him. It is called al-maqaam al-mahmoud (a station of praise and glory) because all of creation will praise Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for that status, because his intercession will be a cause of their suffering in the lengthy standing coming to an end.

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “On the Day of Resurrection the people will come on their knees, each nation following its Prophet, saying, ‘O So and so, intercede! O So and so, intercede!’ until intercession comes to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). On that day Allaah will raise him to the station of praise and glory.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (4441).

2 – He was given conciseness of speech, was supported with fear cast into the hearts of his enemies, war booty was permitted to him, the earth was made a place of prostration and a means of purification for him, the line of Prophets ended with him and he will be granted intercession.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allaah and the last (end) of the Prophets. And Allaah is Ever All‑Aware of everything”

[al-Ahzaab 33:40]

“Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion (of right and wrong, i.e. this Qur’aan) to His slave (Muhammad) that he may be a warner to the ‘Aalameen (mankind and jinn)”

[al-Furqaan 25:1]

It was narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I have been given five things that were not given to any of the Prophets before me: I have been supported with fear (cast into the hearts of my enemies) for a distance of one month’s travel; the earth has been made a place of prostration and a means of purification for me, so when the time of prayer comes for any man among my ummah, let him pray; war booty has been permitted for me; a Prophet would be sent only to his own people, but I have been sent to all of mankind; and I have been given the power of intercession.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (427) and Muslim (421).

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I have been favoured over the other Prophets in six ways: I have been given the gift of concise speech; I have been supported with fear; booty has been made permissible for me; the earth has been made a means of purification and a place of prostration for me; I have been sent to all of mankind; and the (line of) Prophets ends with me.” Narrated by Muslim (523).

3 – He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will be the first one among the Messengers who will be permitted to cross the Siraat.

Al-Bukhaari (773) narrated a lengthy hadeeth from Abu Hurayrah, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I will be the first one among the Messengers who will cross with his ummah.”

4 – He will be the first one for whom the grave will be opened, the first to intercede and the first whose intercession will be accepted.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection, the first one for whom the grave is opened, the first one to intercede and the first one whose intercession will be accepted.” Narrated by Muslim (2278).

5 – Allaah, may He be exalted, forgave him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) all his sins, past and future.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We have given you (O Muhammad) a manifest victory.
2. That Allaah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future, and complete His Favour on you, and guide you on the Straight Path”
[al-Fath 48:1-2]

6 – He was called as a Prophet and Messenger

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O Prophet (Muhammad)! Verily, We have sent you as witness, and a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner”

[al-Ahzaab 33:45]

“O Messenger (Muhammad)! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message. Allaah will protect you from mankind. Verily, Allaah guides not the people who disbelieve”

[al-Maa’idah 5:67]

His fellow Prophets were called by their names only.

7 – Allaah commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to follow the guidance of the Prophets, peace be upon them.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“They are those whom Allaah had guided. So follow their guidance”

[al-An’aam 6:90]

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This means: Walk, O noble Messenger, behind these good Prophets, and follow their way. He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) obeyed the command and followed the guidance of the Messengers who came before him, thus acquiring all the qualities of perfection that they had which made him superior to all of creation. Thus he is the leader of the Messengers and the imam of the pious. May the blessing and peace of Allaah be upon them all.

From this evidence the Sahaabah understood that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the best of all the Messengers. Tafseer al-Sa’di (p. 263).


And Allaah knows best.




Islam Q&A
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Muhammad
10-16-2007, 10:53 PM
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Are the Prophets Equal?
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