Are the prophets (including Muhammad) considered to be above every other Muslim?

[CuriousIncident]

Or are they equal like every other Muslim?

Also, do Muslims have to do absolutely everything that Muhammad did? Please let me know if this is offensive, I just want to know more about Islam. I have been considering reverting for a while :)

[Muhammad]

Greetings CuriousIncident,

Thank you for your questions - they are not offensive at all.

The Prophets in Islam are considered to be the best of mankind and Allaah chose them to convey His message to humanity. They are examples for us and Allaah has mentioned their beautiful stories in the Qur'an from which we can derive so many lessons and benefits to learn from. There are many similarities in their stories, such as the immense trials they went through and how Allaah supported them with divine help, their sincere devotion and worship of Allaah and how Allaah always responded to their pleas and gave them victory in the end.

And that was Our Proof which We gave Ibrahim (Abraham) against his people. We raise whom We will in degrees. Certainly your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing. And We bestowed upon him Ishaque (Isaac) and Ya'qub (Jacob), each of them We guided, and before him, We guided Nuh (Noah), and among his progeny Dawud (David), Sulaiman (Solomon), Ayub (Job), Yusuf (Joseph), Musa (Moses), and Harun (Aaron). Thus do We reward the good-doers. And Zakariya (Zachariya), and Yahya (John) and 'Iesa (Jesus) and Iliyas (Elias), each one of them was of the righteous. And Isma'il (Ishmael) and Al-Yas'a (Elisha), and Yunus (Jonah) and Lout (Lot), and each one of them We preferred above the 'Alamin (mankind and jinns) (of their times). And also some of their fathers and their progeny and their brethren, We chose them, and We guided them to a Straight Path. This is the Guidance of Allah with which He guides whomsoever He will of His slaves. But if they had joined in worship others with Allah, all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them. They are those whom We gave the Book, Al-Hukm (understanding of the religious laws), and Prophethood. But if these disbelieve therein (the Book, Al-Hukm and Prophethood), then, indeed We have entrusted it to a people (such as the Companions of Prophet Muhammad) who are not disbelievers therein. They are those whom Allah had guided. So follow their guidance. Say: "No reward I ask of you for this (the Qur'an). It is only a reminder for the 'Alamin (mankind and jinns)."

[Qur'an 6: 83-90]


Regarding your second question about the example of the Prophet (may Allaah's peace and blessings be upon him), the answer to the question depends on which angle you are coming from. In terms of authority in Islamic law, there are two sources that form the basis of our religion. The first is the Qur'an and the second is the tradition of the Prophet (may Allaah's peace and blessings be upon him), known as his Sunnah. It is obligatory upon us to follow these two sources of guidance.

In terms of the actions of the Prophet (may Allaah's peace and blessings be upon him), these can be classified in a number of ways, including actions that are obligatory upon us to follow, those that we are encouraged to follow, and those concerning which no texts encourage acting upon them. There are a number of other details concerning this, but I hope this much has helped you to better understand.


May Allaah (swt) guide you to the truth and open your heart to it, Aameen. :)

[CuriousIncident]

Thank you Muhammad! So what happens if one doesn't follow the sunnah? Is it a sin?

And from what you said, does this mean that the prophets are considered to be better than everyone else meaning that they are not considered to be equal like everyone else?

[CuriousIncident]

Does anyone know? :)

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[Muhammad]

Hello again,

Sorry for the delayed response.

So what happens if one doesn't follow the sunnah? Is it a sin?

You can think of it as Sunnah being divided into obligatory sunnah and encouraged sunnah. If one does not follow the obligatory sunnah, then this is a sin. Whereas the definiton of encouraged sunnah is 'deeds for which the one who does them will be rewarded, but the one who does not do them will not deserve to be punished for that'. So in general, a person who leaves an encouraged sunnah will not be punished, but he will be missing out on a great reward and other benefits that come with performing such deeds (such as earning the love of Allaah and divine mercy). There is a very beautiful teaching from our Prophet (peace abd blessings of Allaah be upon him) in this regard:

Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.”

And from what you said, does this mean that the prophets are considered to be better than everyone else meaning that they are not considered to be equal like everyone else?

Yes, that is correct. The Messengers are the best and most perfect of creation, chosen by the All-Knowing, All-Aware (Allaah) to be His ambassadors to His creatures. Allaah (swt) looked into the essence of His slaves and their hearts, and He chose from among them, selecting those who were superior and more perfect. The wisdom and knowledge of Allaah dictated that Prophethood and Messengership should only be given to those who were prepared (by Allaah) for it and able to bear it. If you think about the lives of the Prophets and Messengers of Allaah, you will see that they were the most righteous of mankind at heart, the deepest in knowledge, the most alert and intelligent, the most patient and forbearing, the kindest in nature... So it is no wonder that Allaah chose them to be entrusted with His revelation, the ones to establish His religion. For they represent the pinnacle which no one else can hope to reach.

Adapted from: The Messengers and the Messages in the Light of the Qur'an and Sunnah, Umar S. Al-Ashqar.

I hope this has helped. Keep learning about Islam! :)