Sixteen signs of the pre-eminence of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the light of the Quran and Hadith

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The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is not only the greatest of all prophets and messengers; rather, he is the most dignified of the entire creation and honoured in the sight of Allah. Some proofs of his pre-eminence are mentioned here in brief –

1. A mercy for all creation: Allah the Exalted says, ‘And We have sent you only as a mercy for all the worlds.’ (Surah Al-Anbiya, verse 107). The Prophet (peace be upon him) was sent as a mercy for all the worlds, and this makes his dignity and pre-eminence manifest.

2. Immortal in name, honour and remembrance: Allah the Exalted says, ‘And We have raised high your dignity and remembrance.’ (Surah Ash-Sharh/Alam Nashrah Laka, verse 4). One manifestation of this is that Allah has joined his name with His own name. In important acts of worship such as the shahadah, the azan, the iqamah and the tashahhud, the name of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is uttered along with the name of Allah.

3. Allah the Exalted has joined obedience to the Prophet with obedience to Himself: Allah says, ‘Whoever obeys the Messenger has in fact obeyed Allah.’ (Surah An-Nisa, verse 80). And joining the pledge of allegiance at his hand with the pledge of allegiance at His own hand, Allah said, ‘Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you pledge allegiance only to Allah.’ (Surah Al-Fath, verse 10)

4. Receiving a lasting miracle: The miracles of many earlier prophets were visible events that occurred at a particular time and did not remain directly present afterwards. The greatest miracle of the Prophet (peace be upon him), by contrast, the Quran, exists to this day and will remain until the Day of Resurrection. His miracle is therefore a lasting sign that people of every age can witness, and whose challenge stands even today.

5. The Prophet of jinn and mankind: He was sent to the whole of mankind and the jinn. Allah the Exalted says, ‘And We have sent you as a bearer of good tidings and a warner to all mankind.’ (Surah Saba, verse 28). Many earlier prophets were sent to a particular nation or community. Muhammad (peace be upon him), by contrast, was sent for the whole of mankind. The reach of his call is therefore universal.

6. The religion he brought is the greatest faith: Islam abrogated the rulings of the earlier codes of law and was established as the final, complete shariah. Allah says, ‘Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.’ (Surah Al-Imran, verse 19). It is therefore natural that the prophet through whom the final and complete shariah was established should hold a special dignity.

7. The ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the best ummah: Allah the Exalted says, ‘You are the best ummah, brought forth for the welfare of mankind. You enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah.’ (Surah Al-Imran, verse 110)

This ummah has attained this dignity through faith, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong and calling people to the path of Allah. And the pre-eminence of this ummah is essentially the fruit of following the Prophet.

8. He will be the leader of the children of Adam on the Day of Resurrection: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘On the Day of Resurrection, Adam and all who came after him will be under my banner.’ (Tirmidhi, Hadith: 3615)

9. He has been granted certain special distinctions that were given to no one else: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘I have been given five distinctions that were not given to anyone before me.’ (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith: 21472)

Among them he mentioned – that he was sent to the whole of mankind, that the entire earth was made a mosque and a means of purification for him, that he was helped by fear being cast into the hearts of his enemies even from a month’s distance, that the spoils of war were made lawful for him, and that he was granted the power of intercession, which he has preserved for his ummah. These are clear signs of his special dignity and distinction.

10. He possesses the finest character: Allah the Exalted says, ‘Indeed, you are of a sublime character.’ (Surah Al-Qalam, verse 4)

11. He is the last and completing brick of the edifice of prophethood: In Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘The likeness of me and of the prophets before me is that of a man who built a beautiful and complete building, but in one corner of it the place of a single brick was left empty. People look at the building in wonder and say – why was this one brick not set here? I am that brick.’ (Bukhari, Hadith: 3535)

12. On the night of the Mi’raj he led all the prophets in prayer: On the night of the Mi’raj, the Prophet (peace be upon him) led the prophets assembled at Baitul Muqaddas in prayer. It is narrated in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he saw there Musa (peace be upon him), Isa (peace be upon him) and Ibrahim (peace be upon him) along with other prophets, and led them in prayer at the time of salat. This event is an important sign of his special dignity and leadership.

13. On the Day of Resurrection he will be the first to intercede and the first whose intercession is accepted: It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘On the Day of Resurrection I am the leader of the children of Adam. I am the first person for whom the grave will be opened; I am the first to intercede and the first whose intercession will be accepted.’

(Tirmidhi, Hadith: 3148). This is an extremely clear proof of his supreme dignity and leadership on the Day of Resurrection.

14. The miracle of the Isra and the Mi’raj: The Isra and Mi’raj of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is one of the greatest signs of his special dignity. In this event Allah the Exalted granted him many special honours and signs that were not brought together in this way for any other prophet. In the event of the Isra and the Mi’raj he was taken from Masjidul Haram to Masjidul Aqsa. He passed through the heavens, met many prophets, led the prophets in prayer at Baitul Muqaddas, and received from Allah the ordinance of salat for his ummah. This event is a unique sign of his special dignity and his nearness to Allah.

15. Sending blessings upon him has been made an act of worship and a means of nearness: This is an extraordinary sign of his special dignity. Allah the Exalted says, ‘Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe! You too send blessings and salutations upon him.’ (Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 56). That is, Allah Himself bestows mercy and honour upon him, the angels too pray for him, and the believers have also been commanded to send blessings and salutations upon him.

16. A covenant of faith in him and of helping him was taken from all the prophets and messengers: Allah the Exalted says, ‘And recall when Allah took a covenant from the prophets – whatever Book and wisdom I have given you, then there comes to you a Messenger who confirms what is with you, you shall certainly believe in him and shall help him.’ (Surah Al-Imran, verse 81)

This verse is an extremely important proof of the special dignity of the Prophet (peace be upon him). For a covenant was taken from the earlier prophets to acknowledge his coming as true and to help him. Besides these, there are many more proofs of the pre-eminence of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Source

Original report: Bangladesh Pratidin