The Prophet’s (s.a.w.) Elevated Status

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is the text of lecture given by Mawlana Wafi’ Muhammad. 

There is no doubt of the fact that Allah (s.w.t.) Gave the Prophet (s.a.w.) an elevated status in the entire universe, both among human beings and with the other creatures.  Long before the universe was Created, Allah (s.w.t.) had already recorded the status of the Messenger and the Path he was to follow. Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (r.a.), in his book, Ihya’ ‘Ulum ad-Din, wrote that Allah (s.w.t.) recited Surah YaSin and Surah Thaha, fifty thousand years before He Created the universe.  If we should look at the meanings of these chapters, we would see that Allah (s.w.t.) Speaks about the mission of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) in the very beginning of both these chapters.  For example, in Surah YaSin, He Revealed the following: 

سُوۡرَةُ یسٓ

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

يسٓ (١) وَٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ ٱلۡحَكِيمِ (٢) إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (٣) عَلَىٰ صِرَٲطٍ۬ مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ۬ (٤) 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Ya Sin.  By the Qur’an, full of Wisdom ― You are indeed one of the Messengers.  On a Straight Way. (Surah YaSin:1-4) 

The beginning of Surah ThaHa is as follows: 

سُوۡرَةُ طٰه

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

طه (١) مَآ أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ لِتَشۡقَىٰٓ (٢) إِلَّا تَذۡڪِرَةً۬ لِّمَن يَخۡشَىٰ (٣) 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Tha Ha.  We have not Sent down the Qur’an to you to be (an occasion) for your distress, but only as an Admonition to those who fear (Allah) ― (Surah ThaHa1-3) 

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was Established by the Lord as the leader of all the Messengers and the Seal of the Prophets even before they were Sent to their respective peoples. Allah (s.w.t.) Says: 

سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان

وَإِذۡ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَـٰقَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ لَمَآ ءَاتَيۡتُڪُم مِّن ڪِتَـٰبٍ۬ وَحِكۡمَةٍ۬ ثُمَّ جَآءَڪُمۡ رَسُولٌ۬ مُّصَدِّقٌ۬ لِّمَا مَعَكُمۡ لَتُؤۡمِنُنَّ بِهِۦ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُ ۥ‌ۚ قَالَ ءَأَقۡرَرۡتُمۡ وَأَخَذۡتُمۡ عَلَىٰ ذَٲلِكُمۡ إِصۡرِى‌ۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَقۡرَرۡنَا‌ۚ قَالَ فَٱشۡہَدُواْ وَأَنَا۟ مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلشَّـٰهِدِينَ (٨١) 

Behold!  Allah Took the covenant of the prophets, Saying, “I Give you a Book and Wisdom; then comes to you a Messenger, confirming what is with you; do you believe him and render him help.”  Allah Said, “Do you agree, and take this My Covenant as Binding on you?”  They said, “We agree.”  He Said, “Then bear witness and I am with you among the witnesses.” (Surah Ali ‘Imran:81) 

According to this Revelation, all the Messengers agreed to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) being their leader in this world and in the next, help him in the mission for which he was to be Sent, and inform their people of his coming.  All the Messengers knew that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) was to be the best example for mankind, the bringer of the complete code of life, the universal model for all times, the one that was to unite mankind into one brotherhood, the one that was to invite to Allah (s.w.t.) by His Leave, the one whose mission will be to light up to path to Allah (s.w.t.), the one who was able to give the glad tidings and warnings on the basis of firsthand experience, the one who is the mercy to the worlds, the chief intercessor on the Day of Judgment, and the one Designated to distribute from al-Kawtsar in the hereafter. 

As Allah (s.w.t.) Mentions in the verse quoted above, every Messenger left with their people the knowledge that he who is the beloved of the Lord, will be coming. 

Moses (a.s.) passed the message to his followers: 

Deuteronomy 18:15-18

¹⁵ “No, the Lord thy God will raise up for thee a prophet like myself, of thy own race, a brother of thy own; it is to him thou must listen.  ¹⁶ Was it not thy own plea, that day when all were publicly assembled at Mount Horeb, that thou mightest hear the Voice of the Lord thy God no longer, have sight of that raging fire no longer, lest it should be thy death?  ¹⁷ And the Lord told me, ‘All that they have said is well said.  ¹⁸ I will Raise up for them a prophet like thyself, one of their own race, Entrusting My Own Message to his lips, so that he may instruct them at My Bidding.’” 

¹⁵ προφήτην ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου ὡς ἐμὲ ἀναστήσει σοι κύριος ὁ θεός σου αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε ¹⁶ κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ᾐτήσω παρὰ κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου ἐν Χωρηβ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἐκκλησίας λέγοντες οὐ προσθήσομεν ἀκοῦσαι τὴν φωνὴν κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ τὸ πῦρ τὸ μέγα τοῦτο οὐκ ὀψόμεθα ἔτι οὐδὲ μὴ ἀποθάνωμεν ¹⁷ καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρός με ὀρθῶς πάντα ὅσα ἐλάλησαν ¹⁸ προφήτην ἀναστήσω αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν ὥσπερ σὲ καὶ δώσω τὸ ῥῆμά μου ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ καὶ λαλήσει αὐτοῖς καθότι ἂν ἐντείλωμαι αὐτῷ 

¹⁵ Prophetam de gente tua et de fratribus tuis, sicut me, suscitabit tibi Dominus Deus tuus: ipsum audies,  ¹⁶ ut petisti a Domino Deo tuo in Horeb, quando concio congregata est, atque dixisti: Ultra non audiam vocem Domini Dei mei, et ignem hunc maximum amplius non videbo, ne moriar.  ¹⁷ Et ait Dominus mihi: Bene omnia sunt locuti.  ¹⁸ Prophetam suscitabo eis de medio fratrum suorum similem tui: et ponam verba mea in ore ejus, loqueturque ad eos omnia quæ præcepero illi. 

It is an established fact that there was no Israelite prophet after Moses (a.s.) who gave to them what Moses (a.s.) gave; the Law.  Perhaps, this was a reason why Jesus (a.s.) said, “I came to uphold the Law.”  That was the Laws given by Moses (a.s.) from the Revelations that came from the Lord.  This fact is in the Bible: 

Deuteronomy 34:10

¹⁰ And there rose not a prophet, in Israel, like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 

¹⁰ καὶ οὐκ ἀνέστη ἔτι προφήτης ἐν Ισραηλ ὡς Μωυσῆς ὃν ἔγνω κύριος αὐτὸν πρόσωπον κατὰ πρόσωπον 

¹⁰ Et non surrexit ultra propheta in Israël sicut Moyses, quem nosset Dominus facie ad faciem, 

Jesus (a.s.) told his followers: 

John 16:12-15

¹² “I have still much to say to you, but it is beyond your reach as yet.  ¹³ It will be for him, the Truth-Giving Spirit, when he comes, to guide you into all truth.  He will not utter a message of his own; he will utter the message that has been Given to him; and he will make plain to you what is still to come.  ¹⁴ And he will bring honour to me, because it is from me that he will derive what he makes plain to you.  ¹⁵ I say that he will derive from me what he makes plain to you, because all that Belongs to the Father belongs to me.” 

¹² ἔτι πολλὰ ἔχω ὑμῖν λέγειν, ἀλλ' οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι: ¹³ ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖνος, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὁδηγήσει ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πάσῃ: οὐ γὰρ λαλήσει ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλ' ὅσα ἀκούσει λαλήσει, καὶ τὰ ἐρχόμενα ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν.  ¹⁴ ἐκεῖνος ἐμὲ δοξάσει, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ λήμψεται καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν.  ¹⁵ πάντα ὅσα ἔχει ὁ πατὴρ ἐμά ἐστιν: διὰ τοῦτο εἶπον ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ λαμβάνει καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν. 

¹² Adhuc multa habeo vobis dicere, sed non potestis portare modo.  ¹³ Cum autem venerit ille Spiritus veritatis, docebit vos omnem veritatem: non enim loquetur a semetipso, sed quæcumque audiet loquetur, et quæ ventura sunt annuntiabit vobis.  ¹⁴ Ille me clarificabit, quia de meo accipiet, et annuntiabit vobis.  ¹⁵ Omnia quæcumque habet Pater, mea sunt. Propterea dixi: quia de meo accipiet, et annuntiabit vobis. 

Unlike the predictions of the other Messengers, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), in his Farewell Sermon, asked from his unbelievably large congregation, “Have I delivered the Message?” 

They replied, in one voice, “Yea, we bear witness that you have.”