Lesson 5 of 8
Who is Prophet Muhammad?
From the Quran
مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَآ أَحَدٖ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمۡ وَلَٰكِن رَّسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٗا ﴿٤٠﴾
Muḥammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allāh and seal [i.e., last] of the prophets. And ever is Allāh, of all things, Knowing.
وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ إِلَّا رَحۡمَةٗ لِّلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿١٠٧﴾
And We have not sent you, [O Muḥammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.
وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ إِلَّا كَآفَّةٗ لِّلنَّاسِ بَشِيرٗا وَنَذِيرٗا وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ ﴿٢٨﴾
And We have not sent you except comprehensively to mankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner. But most of the people do not know.
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٖ ﴿٤﴾
And indeed, you are of a great moral character.
From the Sunnah
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I was only sent to perfect noble morals."
Explanation
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that Allah Almighty only sent him to perfect virtuous and noble morals. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was sent to complete the work of the previous messengers and to perfect the Arabs' commendable traits. They used to like goodness and hate evil, embodying virtues such as chivalry, generosity, and magnanimity. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was sent to address and perfect the deficiencies in their morals, such as their pride in lineage, arrogance, disdain of the poor, and others.
‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the son of Mary, for I am only His slave. So, call me the slave of Allah and His Messenger."
Explanation
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) prohibits immoderateness and exceeding the Shariah-prescribed limit in praising him and forbids ascribing to himself the peculiar attributes and actions of Allah or knowledge of the unseen, or that he should be supplicated to along with Allah, as the Christians did with Jesus, the son of Mary (peace be upon him). Then, he made it clear that he is one of the servants of Allah and commanded us to call him: the servant and Messenger of Allah.