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Lesson The Message of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Humanity's Need for Messengers
Allah's wisdom necessitated that He send a warner to every nation to explain to them the religion and guidance that Allah has revealed to His servants by which they can improve their situation in this world and the Hereafter. Allah the Exalted said: {There has never been a nation except that a warner came to it} (Fatir:24).
There is no way to happiness and prosperity, neither in this world nor in the Hereafter, except through the hands of the Messengers. There is no way to know the good and the bad in its specifics except through them. The pleasure of Allah the Exalted is not attained except through their teachings. Good deeds, speech, and morals are not completely attained except through their guidance and what they came with.
Belief in Muhammad ﷺ as a Prophet and Messenger
We believe that Muhammad ﷺ is the servant and messenger of Allah, that he is the master of the first and the last of creation, and he is the seal of the prophets, and there is no prophet after him. He conveyed the message, fulfilled what he was entrusted with, advised the ummah, and struggled for the sake of Allah a true struggle.
Allah the Exalted said: {Muhammad the Messenger of Allah} (Al-Fath:29)
It is an obligation upon us to believe him in what he informed us about, obey him in what he commanded, and avoid what he forbade and rebuked, and worship Allah in accordance with his Sunnah (way), and emulate him ﷺ.
Muhammad ﷺ is the seal of the prophets and messengers; there is no prophet after him. His message is the conclusion of the previous divine messages, and his religion is the final religion.
Allah the Exalted said: {Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men. Rather [he is] the Messenger of Allah and seal [i.e., last] of the prophets} (Al-Ahzab:40)
Abu Hurairah narrates (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “My example and the example of the prophets before me is that of a man who built a house, adorned it, and made it beautiful, except for a missing brink from a corner. So people went around the building in admiration and asked: "Why don't you place this brick?" He ﷺ then said: I am that brick for I am the Seal of the Prophets.” Al-Bukhari (3535).
The Best of Prophets and Messengers
Our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the best of the prophets. Rather he is the best of creation, and the most superior of them in rank with Allah the Exalted. Allah the Exalted has elevated his status and raised his rank. He is the most preferred and honored of creation to Allah the Glorified and the highest of them in prestige. Allah the Exalted says: {And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom and has taught you that which you did not know. And ever has the favor of Allah upon you been great} (An-Nisa:113). And He, Venerated and Exalted, said, addressing his Prophet ﷺ: {And We elevated your mention} (Ash-Sharh:4).
He is the leader of the children of Adam, the first for whom the grave will be opened, the first to intercede, and in his hand is the Banner of Praise on the Day of Resurrection. He will be the first to be permitted to cross the Sirat (the bridge to Paradise), the first to knock on the door of Paradise, and the first to enter it.
Allah the Exalted sent Muhammad as a mercy to all of the worlds. His message encompasses the two realms: the realm of humans and the realm of jinn. His message encompasses all of humanity. Allah the Exalted says: {We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds} (Al-Anbiya:107).
And Allah the Exalted says: {We did not send you except to the entirety of mankind} (Saba:28). And He says: {Tell them: O Mankind, verily I am the Messenger of Allah sent to you all} (Al-A'raf:158).
Thus, Allah, the Exalted, sent him as a mercy to the worlds to bring them out from the darkness of polytheism, disbelief, and ignorance to the light of knowledge, faith, and monotheism so that they may obtain Allah's forgiveness and pleasure and attain salvation from His punishment and wrath.
Obligation to Believe in Him and Follow His Message
The Prophet Muhammad's message overwrites and abrogates the prior divine messages. After Muhammad ﷺ prophethood, Allah will not accept a religion from anyone except those who follow Muhammad ﷺ and no one can attain the bliss heaven except through his path, for he ﷺ is the most honorable of the messengers, his nation is the best of nations, and his law is the most complete of laws.
Allah the Exalted said: {And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers} (Ale-Imran:85)
Abu Hurairah reported that Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "By Him in whose hand Muhammad’s soul is, anyone Jew or Christian from this nation who hears of me and then dies without believing in my message, will be among the dwellers of the Fire" (Muslim 153).
Among the Miracles of the Prophet ﷺ Which Prove His Message's Authenticity
Allah, the Majestic and Sublime, supported our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with awe-inspiring miracles and visible signs which served as definitive evidence and testimony to the validity of his prophethood and message: Among those miracles:
The greatest of signs given to our Messenger ﷺ is the Noble Quran, which addresses the mind as well as the soul. It will remain an everlasting sign and miracle until the Day of Judgment. It is subject to neither change nor alteration. It is miraculous in its linguistics and style, miraculous in its legislation and rulings, and miraculous in its information.
Allah the Exalted said: {Say: "If mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce something like this Quran, they could not produce something like it, even if they were to assist one another"} (Al-Isra:88).
Allah the Exalted said: {The Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two]. And if they see a sign [i.e., miracle], they turn away and say, 'Same old magic'}. This splitting happened during the life of the Prophet ﷺ and the Quraysh and others witnessed its occurrence.
This was such that whoever was with him would eat from it, and it would continue to remain. This was reported on the authority of Samura ibn Jundab, who said: “While we were with the Prophet ﷺ he brought a bowl with porridge in it.” He said: "Then he ate and the people ate, and the people continued to pass it around until close to noon. People would eat from it, get up, and others would come in their place and eat" (Ahmad 20135).
which then would occur as he had informed. Events of this nature happened frequently, and we continue to events occurring in accordance to what he ﷺ prophesized.
It is narrated on the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) started to tell them about the people of Badr, saying: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ showed us one day before (the actual battle) the place of death of the people (participating) in (the Battle) of Badr and he was saying: 'This would be the place of death of so and so tomorrow, if Allah wills.' Umar said: "By Him Who sent him ﷺ with the truth, they did not miss the places (of their death) which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had pointed for them" (Muslim 2873)
The rights of the Prophet ﷺ over his ummah are many, and include the following:
1. Belief in his prophethood ﷺ
Belief in his prophethood and message, and the belief that his message abrogated all previous divine messages.
2. To believe him ﷺ
Believing him in what he informed us of, obeying him in that which he commanded, avoiding what he forbade and rebuked, and not worshiping Allah except with what he legislated. Allah said: {And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids for you, abstain from it} (Al-Hashr:7)
3. Accepting what the Prophet ﷺ came with
It is an obligation upon us to accept what the Prophet ﷺ came with, comply with his Sunnah, and hold his guidance in reverence and high regard, as Allah the Exalted said: {But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission} (An-Nisa:65).
4. Warning against violating His command ﷺ
We must beware of violating his command ﷺ because disobeying his command will lead to tribulation, misguidance, and painful torment. Allah the Exalted said: {So let those beware who dissent from his [i.e., the Prophet's] order, lest affliction or a painful punishment strike them} (An-Noor:63).
Prioritizing his love ﷺ over the love of any human being
We must prioritize the love of the Prophet ﷺ over the love for ourselves, parents, children, and the rest of creation. Anas narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: “None of you believes until I am dearer to him than his father, his son, and all people.” Al-Bukhari (15). Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: O Messenger of Allah, you are dearer to me than everything except myself. The Prophet ﷺ said: “No, for by the One in Whose hand is my soul, until I am more beloved to you than yourself," to which Umar replied: "It is now, by Allah, that you are more beloved to me than myself. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Now, O Umar.” (Bukhari 6632).
Faith that he ﷺ conveyed the message
The obligation to believe that the Messenger ﷺ conveyed the entire message, fulfilled what he was entrusted with, and advised the nation. There is no good except that the Prophet ﷺ encouraged it and no evil except that he ﷺ forbade and warned the Muslim nation against. The Almighty said: “Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My favor upon you, and I have approved Islam for you as the religion.” [Al-Maidah:3]
The Prophet ﷺ testified to his companions in their largest assembly on the day that he addressed them during the Farewell Pilgrimage. In the hadith related by Jabir, the Prophet ﷺ said: “And if you are asked about me, so will you say?” They replied: We will bear witness that you have relayed and conveyed [the message] and advised. He said with his index finger raised toward the sky and pointing it to the people: “Oh Allah, bear witness. Oh Allah, bear witness,” three times. Muslim (1218).
