Prophethood of Muhammad(peace and blessings be upon him)

The Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is based on clear fundamentals found in the Quran and the Sunnah. The Barelvi sect negated some principles of the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) which are dealt with in this paper. 

 

Qur’an is the final word of Allah(swt) which was revealed for the guidance of the entire humanity. Allah(swt) not only promised to protect the Qur’an but also the words of the Prophet(pbuh).

Quran says:

“Indeed, it is We who sent down the reminder and indeed, We will be its guardian.”[1]

Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

Mercy to Mankind

The Prophet(pbuh) was send as a Mercy to mankind, to take the people out of ignorance into the light. He preached the message of Tawhid which has been the universal message.

Quran says:

“And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds.”[2]

Messenger of Allah(swt)

Whether it was Dawud(a.s), Moses(a.s) or Isa(a.s), each one of them was send to a particular people but Muhammad(pbuh) was send to the entire humanity as the Final messenger of Allah(swt). He is the last of the Prophets to be send which indicates two things. Firstly that after him there will be no more messengers or Prophets & secondly the message of Allah(swt) is complete & in no need of any addition or deletion.

Quran says:

“Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing.”[3]

Human being

Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) was not an angel nor was he more than a human being. He was a human like all of us.

Quran says:

“And We did not create them (the Messengers, with) bodies that ate not food, nor were they immortals.”[4]

His Knowledge of the Unseen

The Qur’an contains incidents from the past, stories of the Prophets who preceded Prophet Muhammad (saw). All the past was narrated to him by way of revelation from Allah(swt).Even when the people of Quraish questioned him about the appearance of the Bait ul Maqdis, Allah(swt) enabled the Prophet(pbuh) to see it then before his eyes & he was able to narrate the intricate details about the mosque.

The Quran says:

“And thus We have sent to you ( O Muhammad peace be upon him)  Ruh (a revelation, and a Mercy) of Our Command, You knew not what is the Book, nor what is Faith? But We have made it (this Quran) a light wherewith We guide whosoever of Our slaves We will.”[5]

The Barelvi Sect

The Barelvi sect is a sufi order founded by Ahmed Raza Khan Taqiy Ali Khan in the Indo Pakistani subcontinent.[6] This sufi order holds the Prophet(pbuh) in high esteem but exaggerating his position & status even above that of Allah(swt) & have introduced practices & innovations in Islam.

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)

Similarity to Allah(swt)-

Ahmed Raza Khan said,

“O Muhammad, I cannot say that you are Allah and I cannot differentiate between you and Him; your matter is for Him to judge, for He knows best what you really are.”[7]

The above saying indicates the ignorance Barelvis have regarding Allah(Swt) attributes & comparing the Prophet(pbuh) in close proximity to Allah(swt), for them they are so similar that differentiation is difficult.

Whereas, Allah(swt) is Lord of the Worlds, He is ever-living & everlasting & Prophet(pbuh) was a human being.

The Quran says:

"I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God..”[8]

Knowledge of the Unseen

                                           The Barelvis also hold the belief that Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) had keys to the unseen.

Ahmed Raza Khan said,

“Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, gave the one who brought the Qur’an, our master Muhammad (pbuh), everything that is in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz.”

The above statement is again not true for Allah(swt) never stated in the Qur’an that He had revealed the entire decree of humanity to the last Messenger. When the Prophet(pbuh) knew about the names of the hypocrites, people destined for heaven whereas he mentioned the names of many of the companions & other incidents where he knew what was happening are all recorded in the Qur’an where Allah(swt) inspired him with revelation about the reality & the future.

  

The Prophet(saw) said:

Angel Jibrael(a.s) asked the Messenger of Allah(saw) “Tell me about the Hour.” He said: “The one who is asked about it is does not know any more about it than the one who is asking”.[9]

The Quran says:

“None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (Unseen) except Allaah, nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected”[10]

Prophet as being Light

One of the famous beliefs of the Barelvis is that they do not consider the Prophet (peace be upon him) a human but light.

Ahmed Raza Khan said:

“The Messenger (pbuh) is light from the Light of Allah, and all of creation comes from his light.”

This is not true for the Prophet(pbuh) was human as indicated in the Surahs quoted before. As indicated in the Quran & hadith the Angels  are created from light.

The Prophet(saw) said:

“The angels were created from light, and Iblees was created from smokeless fire, and Adam (peace be upon him) was created from what has been described to you.”[11]

The Barelvi belief that the Prophet(pbuh) did not have a shadow is therefore false because all humans have shadows & the belief that he was created from the Light of Allah(swt) is taken from a fabricated hadith.[12]

Controller of the Universe

The Barelvis also hold the belief that the universe is under the Prophets Control.

Amjad ‘Ali, one of their leaders, said:

“The Prophet (pbuh) is a deputy of Allah with complete authority, and the entire universe is under his control.”

This is again a false notion for Allah(swt) is the sole creator of the earth, the heavens & whatever they contain. Prophet(pbuh) was a creation of Allah(swt)& His final Messenger.

The Qur’an says:

“See you not (O men) that Allah has subjected for you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, and has completed and perfected His Graces upon you.”[13]

Watchful over all

The Barelvis also believe that the Prophet(pbuh) has not passed away & is present amongst us watching us. The most frequently used verse of the Quran in relation to this is:

“Thus we have made you a just nation, that you be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger (Muhammad Peace be upon him) be a witness over you.”[14]

What is meant by ‘a witness of over you’ means that on the day of Resurrection when the Prophets will be called & asked, “who will bear witness for you that you delivered the message of Islam to your nation? When the nation of Nuh(a.s) is asked they will say no messenger came to us. Then the Prophets will say ‘Muhammad(pbuh) will testify for us. Therefore this verse means that the Prophet (pbuh) will be a witness over us on that day & will vouch for or against our testimony.[15]

Conclusion

Prophet Muhammad(saw) was a human being  who was appointed as the final Messenger of Allah(swt). He never said anything out of his own will, everything he said & did was by the command of Allah(swt). Islam was completed in the 23 years of his Prophethood  & needs no addition or amendment.  Anyone who claims after the Prophet that Allah(swt) has revealed on them divine guidance or word of Allah then this is a false claim.

---

[1] (Quran)

[2] (Quran (. )

[3] (Quran (. )

[4] (Quran (. )

[5] (Quran (. )

[6] (www.Islamqa.com)

[7] (www.Islamqa.com, www.Islamqa.com/150265)

[8] (www.Islamqa.com (. )

[9] (Uthaimeen)

[10] (www.Quran.com)

[11] (Imam Muslim)

[12] (www.Islamqa.com/75395)

[13] (www.Islamqa.com (. )

[14] (www.Quran.com (. )

[15] (Bukhari)