The Greatness of the Prophet (SAW)

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All praise and thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allāh be upon the master of the whole creation, Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon all of his family and Companions.

Allāh, Most High, says to our Prophet, Muhammad (SAW), highlighting the favours and grace bestowed him, and explaining the status that He holds with Him,

Allāh, Most High, has favoured some Messengers over others,

The first part of the verse clearly proves the basic fact that there exists a difference in the levels of excellence; the second part of the verse deals with the distinction between these levels and their greatness. Allāh, Most High, has blessed our Prophet (SAW) in a number of different ways. Amongst them are:

1. He is the master of all. He (SAW) said,

   I am the master of the children of Adam without boasting.[1]

   ‘Master’ is a term referring to one who is described with dignified and illustrious qualities, who possesses excellent and sublime morals and manners. Therefore this hadīth shows that he (SAW) is better than, and superior to, the children of Adam in both abodes – [the abode of this world and the Hereafter]. He is better than them in this world due to his great and noble morals and manners, and in the Hereafter due to the fact that recompense is based upon ones morals, manners and qualities. Consequently, if he surpasses them in this life due to his virtues and qualities, he surpasses them in the Hereafter with regards his ranking and station.

   He (SAW) said,

   I am the master of the children of Adam without boasting.

   in order to show his nation the status he holds with his Lord, the Mighty and Magnificent. Now because the mention of ones virtues is predominantly done by way of boasting, he (SAW) wanted to preclude any possibility of the ignorant thinking that he said this by way of boasting, so he said, ‘without boasting’.

2. He (SAW) said,

   In my hands will be the Banner of Praise on the Day of Judgement, without boasting.[2]

3. He (SAW) said,

   There will not be a single Prophet on that day: Adam and all those who came after him; except that they will be under my banner on the Day of Judgement, without boasting.[3]

   All of these matters that are specific to him go to show his great ranking, a ranking which surpasses Adam and everyone else, this is because the only way one possesses distinguished characteristics is by having virtues and ranking not shared by others.

4. Allāh, Most High, has informed him that He has forgiven him his sins, those in the past and those in the future. It has not been reported that He informed any other Prophet of this, indeed it seems clear that He did not inform them of this. This is because [on the Day of Judgement], when the people are standing waiting for the Judgement to commence, they will seek intercession from them and each one of them will mention the sin that he committed and then say, ‘myself, myself!’ ^[4] If they had known that their sins had been forgiven, they would not have dreaded them on this occasion. However, when the creation seek intercession from the Prophet (SAW) on that occasion he will reply, ‘I am worthy of it.’^[5]
5. He (SAW) is the first intercessor and the first to have his intercession accepted.^[6] This goes to prove his exalted esteem and superiority.
6. His (SAW) choosing this intercession [for others] over himself. This is because every Prophet has been granted a supplication that is definitely answered, and each of the Prophets employed it in this world, with the exception of the Prophet (SAW) who reserved it so that he may use it to intercede for his nation [in the Hereafter].^[7]
7. Allāh, Most High, has taken an oath by his life (SAW), saying,

   «By your life! They were wondering blindly in their drunkenness!» [al-Hijr (15): 72]

   Taking an oath by the life of the object of the oath proves its excellence, nobility and greatness in the eyes of the one taking the oath. It also proves that his (SAW) life is worthy of swearing by due to what it contains of blessings, both general and specific. This aspect is not established for anyone else besides him.

8. Allāh, Most High, honoured him when addressing him because He called him by the names most beloved to him and by the most eminent and sublime of his qualities,

   «O Prophet!…» [al-Anfāl (6): 64 etc.]

   «O Messenger!…» [al-Mā’idah (5): 41, 67]

   This aspect is not established for anybody else besides him (SAW), rather it is established that all other Prophets were called by their names,

   «O Adam! Reside…» [al-Baqarah (2): 35]

   «O ‘Īsā, the son of Mary! Remember my favour upon you…» [al-Mā’idah (5): 110]

   «O Nūh! Disembark with peace…» [Hūd (11): 48]

   «O Dāwūd! We have indeed made you a successor in the earth…» [Sād (): 26]

   «…O Ibrāhīm! You have indeed proven true to the dream…» [al-Sāffāt (): 105]

   «O Lūt! We are messengers of your Lord…» [Hūd (11): 81]

   «O Zakariyyah! We give you the glad-tidings…» [Maryam (19): 7]

   «O Yahyā! Take the book…» [Maryam (19): 12]

   It is clear to everyone that when a master addresses one of his servants by referring to the best of his qualities or the most sublime of his manners, yet calls the rest of his servants by their proper names, that the ranking of the one he calls by employing the former method is nobler and closer to him than the others with whom he employed the latter method.

   This fact is known through the nature of people - when someone is addressed, being referred to by the best of his manners and qualities, this is a way honouring him and showing him respect. The poet said,

   Do not call me except by the name, ‘O servant of hers!’ For that is the best of my names.[8]

9. The miracle of every Prophet has dwindled and departed. However the miracle of the master of the first and last people (SAW), the Great Qur’ān, will remain until the Day of Recompense.^[9]

   «It is We who have sent down the Reminder and We who will preserve it» [al-Hijr (15): 9]

10. The rock that would greet him with the salām^[10] and the trunk of the date-palm tree would yearn for him.^[11]

Footnotes

[2] This is taken the previous hadīth of ‘Abdullāh bin Sallām with some slight differences in wording. This actual wording is mentioned in the hadīth of Abū Sa‘īd being recorded by at-Tirmidhī [#3148] and ibn Mājah [no. 4308].

[3] This wording is found in the hadīth of ibn ‘Abbās (RAA) concerning the Intercession (shafā‘ā) as reported by Ahmad [#2546, 2692] and at-Tirmidhī [no. 3620]. Its meaning can be found in the ahādīth referred to in fn. 1.

[4] This is a portion of the lengthy hadīth concerning the Intercession as reported on the authority of Abū Hurayrah (RA) by Bukhārī [#4712] and Muslim [#194] with the wording, “I will be the master of the people on the Day of Judgement, do you know why? Allāh will gather the first and last people on one plain…” «T» Refer to the appendix for some complete narrations concerning the Intercession.

[5] This is found in a variant report of the hadīth concerning the Intercession mentioned in the previous note, this wording however has been reported on the authority of Anas bin Mālik (RA) by Bukhārī [#7510] and Muslim [#286]

[6] Mentioned in the hadīth of Abū Hurayrah (RA) with the words, “I will be the master of the children of Adam on the Day of Judgement, the first one whom the earth will give up, the first intercessor and the first to have his intercession accepted.” Recorded by Muslim [#2278]; see also fn. 1

[7] Pointing to his (SAW) saying, “every Prophet is given a supplication that is [definitely] answered, he would employ it, have it answered and be granted [what he requested]. I have reserved my supplication so that it may be used to intercede for my nation on the Day of Judgement.” Recorded by Bukhārī [#6304, 7474] and Muslim [#198] on the authority of Abū Hurayrah. Similar ahādīth are recorded on the authority of ibn ہAbbās by Ahmad [#2546, 2692]; Anas by Bukhārī [#6305] and Muslim [#200]; Abū Saہīd by Ahmad [#11148]; Jābir by Muslim [#201]; and Abū Dharr by Ahmad [#21299]

[8] The author has redacted this section from the words of Abū Nu‘aym, Dalā’il an-Nubuwwah [pp. 9-11]. Then as-Suyūtī summarised all of this in al-Khasā’is al-Kubrā [3/141] saying, ‘some of the scholars said that from the matters specific to him is that, in the Qur’ān, Allāh, Exalted is He, did not directly address him by calling his name…’

[9] Pointing to the hadīth of Abū Hurayrah (RA) that the Messenger of Allāh (SAW) said, “there is not a single Prophet except that he was given such signs as would cause the people to believe. I have been given the revelation that Allāh revealed to me and I hope that I would have the largest following out of the Prophets on the Day of Judgement.” Recorded by Bukhārī [#4971, 7274] and Muslim [#152]. This mark of distinction was quoted from the author by as-Suyūtī, al-Khasā’is [3/131].

[10] Pointing to the hadīth of Jābir bin Samurah (RA) recorded by Muslim [#2276] that the Messenger of Allāh (SAW) said, “I know a rock in Mecca that used to greet me with the salām before I was commissioned and I still know of it now.”

[11] This miracle has been reported via multiple routes (mutawātir) from the Prophet (SAW). al-Hāfidh ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah and as-Suyūtī, al-Khasā’is [2/306-309] collated a large portion of its routes from a group of the Companions; amongst these were ibn ‘Umar and Jābir as recorded by Bukhārī [#3583, 3585]; Jābir, Ubay, Sahl bin Sa‘d, Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī and ‘A’ishah as recorded by Abū Nu‘aym [pp. 341-345]; Anas bin Mālik and ibn ‘Abbās as recorded by ibn Mājah [no. 1415]. The wording of the latter is, “the Prophet (SAW) used to deliver his sermons while [leaning] on the trunk of a date-palm tree. When the pulpit (minbar) was constructed for him, he went it and the trunk [was heard] making a mournful, yearning sound. He clasped it in his arms and it became silent whereupon he said, ‘if I had not done so, it would have remained yearning until the Day of Judgement.’ ” as-Suyūtī, al-Khasā’is [3/131] quoted both these marks of distinction from the author.

[12] The beginning of the line of poetry reads, In the appearance of the full moon lies enough to suffice you from retiring The line is from a poem written by al-Mutanabbi praising and excusing the leader of his time.