Prophet Muhammad

Muhammad and other Prophets

What do Muslims believe about Muhammad? Is there any difference between Muhammad and other prophets in Islam?

Actually, Muslims do not distinct between any of the prophets.

لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ

"We make no distinction between any of His messengers."

Muslims believes that all the prophets had the same message, which is the monotheism. But Muhammad was the Seal of the Prophets. He is the last messenger that God sent, so his message was completing the previous messages of monotheism, and it was not to his people only, but for all the human race everywhere and every time.

Following the prophet

Why do we follow Prophet Muhammad’s traditions?

1)      God said in the Quran:

وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا

“And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; And what he has forbidden you - refrain from.” (59:7)

2)      The prophet’s traditions explain the Quran and embody it, because the prophet’s life is the best example for people to apply Islam in their lives.

3)      The prophet’s traditions are the second source of Islamic law after the Quran.

The humanity of Muhammad

Many times Prophet Muhammad, by himself, admitted his humanity and ability to make mistakes. For example, when two adversaries asked him to judge between them, he said:

"I am only a human being, and you people have disputes. May be someone amongst you can present his case in a more eloquent and convincing manner than the other, and I give my judgment in his favor according to what I hear. Beware! If ever I give (by error) somebody something of his brother's right then he should not take it as I have only, given him a piece of Fire."

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ زَيْنَبَ ابْنَةِ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ، وَإِنَّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ، وَلَعَلَّ بَعْضَكُمْ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَلْحَنَ بِحُجَّتِهِ مِنْ بَعْضٍ، وَأَقْضِيَ لَهُ عَلَى نَحْوِ مَا أَسْمَعُ، فَمَنْ قَضَيْتُ لَهُ مِنْ حَقِّ أَخِيهِ شَيْئًا، فَلاَ يَأْخُذْ، فَإِنَّمَا أَقْطَعُ لَهُ قِطْعَةً مِنَ النَّارِ ‏"‏‏.‏

Reference                                         : Sahih al-Bukhari 6967

In-book reference                              : Book 90, Hadith 14

USC-MSA web (English) reference    : Vol. 9, Book 86, Hadith 97

So, how to follow the prophet’s traditions? Do we need to follow the prophet in his mistakes? No, we need to follow the prophet in hastening to repent and seek forgiveness.

As we mentioned before, Prophet Muhammad was a man, so he had two different sides: the prophet side and the man side. As a man, he lived in a period of time, and a specific place, with a certain group of people, used some tools based on the technology that was available to him, so he had a culture and preferences. But as a prophet, he “does not speak from [his own] inclination.” (53:3)

Prophet Muhammad, by himself, asked us to distinguish between what he says with regard to religious matters and what he says with regard to worldly maters. We need to follow the prophet in religious matters, not the worldly maters.

Rafi' b. Khadij reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to Medina and the people had been grafting the trees. He said:

What are you doing? They said: We are grafting them, whereupon he said: It may perhaps be good for you if you do not do that, so they abandoned this practice (and the date-palms) began to yield less fruit. They made a mention of it (to the Holy Prophet), whereupon he said: I am a human being, so when I command you about a thing pertaining to religion, do accept it, and when I command you about a thing out of my personal opinion, keep it in mind that I am a human being.

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الرُّومِيِّ الْيَمَامِيُّ، وَعَبَّاسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَظِيمِ الْعَنْبَرِيُّ، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ، جَعْفَرٍ الْمَعْقِرِيُّ قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا النَّضْرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عِكْرِمَةُ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ عَمَّارٍ - حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو النَّجَاشِيِّ، حَدَّثَنِي رَافِعُ بْنُ خَدِيجٍ، قَالَ قَدِمَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْمَدِينَةَ وَهُمْ يَأْبُرُونَ النَّخْلَ يَقُولُونَ يُلَقِّحُونَ النَّخْلَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا كُنَّا نَصْنَعُهُ قَالَ ‏"‏ لَعَلَّكُمْ لَوْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا كَانَ خَيْرًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَتَرَكُوهُ فَنَفَضَتْ أَوْ فَنَقَصَتْ - قَالَ - فَذَكَرُوا ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ إِذَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ بِشَىْءٍ مِنْ دِينِكُمْ فَخُذُوا بِهِ وَإِذَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ بِشَىْءٍ مِنْ رَأْىٍ فَإِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ أَوْ نَحْوَ هَذَا ‏.‏ قَالَ الْمَعْقِرِيُّ فَنَفَضَتْ ‏.‏ وَلَمْ يَشُكَّ ‏.‏

Reference                                         : Sahih Muslim 2362

In-book reference                              : Book 43, Hadith 185

USC-MSA web (English) reference    : Book 30, Hadith 5831

Based on this hadith, we have to ask these questions: Is growing a beard a religious matter or a worldly mater? Were the Muslims the only men growing their beards in the Arabian Peninsula? Or was it a tradition and custom there? Is not the following hadith an authentic statement of the prophet Muhammad?

"Verily Allah does not look to your bodies nor to your faces but He looks to your hearts," and he pointed towards the heart with his fingers.

حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ، أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَرْحٍ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ أُسَامَةَ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ - أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ، مَوْلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَامِرِ بْنِ كُرَيْزٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا، هُرَيْرَةَ يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِ دَاوُدَ وَزَادَ وَنَقَصَ وَمِمَّا زَادَ فِيهِ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى أَجْسَادِكُمْ وَلاَ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَأَشَارَ بِأَصَابِعِهِ إِلَى صَدْرِهِ ‏.‏

Reference                             : Sahih Muslim 2564 b

In-book reference                  : Book 45, Hadith 41

USC-MSA web (English) reference    : Book 32, Hadith 6220

It is very normal to ask if the prophet's statement was divine instruction or his personal opinion. The prophet's companions asked him this question many time. For example, before the Battle of Badr prophet Muhammad initially chose to form his army at the first well he encountered. Hubab ibn al-Mundhir, however, asked him if this choice was divine instruction or Muhammad's own opinion. When Muhammad responded in the latter, Hubab suggested that the Muslims occupy the well closest to the Quraishi army, and block off the other ones. Muhammad accepted this decision and moved right away.
Actually, we need to follow the values of Muhammad as a prophet, but we do not need to use the same tools he used, as a man, to reach these values. We can reach the same values with different tools, based on the technology that is available to us now.

For example, the miswak is a teeth cleaning twig made from the Salvadora persica tree. It is a traditional and natural alternative to the modern toothbrush. There two hadiths when the prophet Muhammad talked about the miswak. The first hadith is:

لولا أن أشق على أمتي لأمرتهم بالسواك عند كل صلاة

“Were it not that I might over-burden the Believers I would have ordered them to use Miswak at the time of every Prayer.”

The second hadith is:

السواك مطهرة للفم مرضاة للرب

“Use the Miswaak, for verily, it purifies the mouth, and it is a Pleasure for the Lord.”

Both hadiths emphasize the importance of cleanliness in Islam, especially before the prayer, because prayer is a connection with God. Also, a Muslim should take care of the cleanliness of his mouth, because it has two different dimensions: physical and spiritual. Yes, he mentioned the Miswak, as the tool was available for him, as an example for a tool to clean your mouth, but that does not mean we cannot use other tools that is provided in different times and different cultures for the same purpose.

Also, the prophet Muhammad gave us some rules about modesty of Islam, but that does not mean we need to wear the same type of clothes that he used to wear. The prophet used to use a camel as transportation, a stone to clean after defecating, and the Salvadora persica (miswak) to clean his teeth. But if he lived in our time now, he would use a car, toilet paper and a toothbrush.