Proof that Muhammad is best of Prophets

1-11-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum. My question is: is our Prophet, Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, the best of the prophets, and is the Quran the best of Allah's revelations upon the Earth? Please answer according to the Quran and the Sunnah only, and not with the words of prominent scholars! My logic, based on the Quran and the Sunnah, from where these doubts came, is that:
1) In a hadith Qudsi, Allah said, "Any slave of Mine ought not to claim to be better than Yunus (Jonah), the son of Matta, peace be upon him (and prophets are also slaves of Allah). And our Prophet asked the people to implore Allah after the azan to bestow Al-Waasilah upon him, and he said, "Al-Waasilah is the best, and it is fit for only one slave of Allah, and I hope that I will be that one." (So the prophet hoped.) So maybe Allah did not confirm to him that he is the best one, though He revealed some of the things regarding him in Hereafter. So following these two pieces of logic, I think that one should not say that he is the best prophet if there is no any other proof from the Quran and Hadith. Being a mercy for the creation or being the intercessor on the Day of Judgment or getting Al-Kawthar (the basin) does not prove that he is the best, as Allah bestowed different amazing things on different prophets, dissimilar to each other. Allah spoke directly to Musa (Moses), gave Jesus the miracle to raise the dead etc.
2) I came across a hadith that states that Allah did three things with his own hand: creating Adam, writing the Torah, and planting in Al-Firdaws. Al-Firdaws is the best grade in Paradise, so what is the proof that the Quran is the best divine book on Earth? Allah did not reveal anything like Surah Al-Faatihah in the Injeel (New Testament) and the Torah, but what if there were some things in those which are not in the Quran? (ALLAH knows best) So it also does not prove that the Quran is best. Please do not paste the sayings of Ibn Tayyimiyah, Al-Ghazzali, Abu Haneefah, Al-Albaani or other prominent scholars, as it is a matter of creed, so I only want proofs from the pure Quran and the Sunnah. Please!

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

The scholars agreed that our Prophet is the best of all creation and that the Quran is the best of the Books revealed from Allah.

As a layman, it is not permissible for you to suffice with your understanding of the texts of the Quran and Sunnah only or to wish to find evidence from them without resorting to the scholars and their statements; Allah, the Almighty, says (what means): {So ask the people of the message if you do not know.} [Quran 16:43]

So your duty is to refer to the scholars about the matters that confuse you.

Al-Kalaabaathi said:

"The scholars agreed in a consensus that some Prophets are better than others, as Allah says (what means): {And We have made some of the Prophets exceed others [in various ways]...} [Quran 17:55]; Allah also says (what means): {Those Messengers - some of them We caused to exceed others.} [Quran 2:253] But they did not specify which ones are better than others because the Prophet said, 'Do not favor one Prophet over the other.' However, they stated the superiority of our Prophet, Muhammad by virtue of his hadeeth: 'I am the master of the children of Aadam (Adam), and I am not boasting; Aadam and the Prophets who came after him will be under my banner…'; and all other narrations in this regard. Allah says (what means): {You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind.} [Quran 3:110] Since his nation is the best of nations, this necessitates that its Prophet is the best of the Prophets, and all that is in the Quran proves his excellence and superiority."

The fact that Aadam and all the Prophets who came after him will be under his banner is enough as evidence of his superiority over all creation.

As-Saffaareeni, said, "Ibn ‘Abbaas said, 'Allah has not created a soul that is more honorable to Him than Muhammad and I have not heard that Allah swore by the soul of anyone else than him; Allah says (what means): {By your life [O Muhammad] indeed they were, in their intoxication, wandering blindly.} [Quran 15:72]."

This is excerpted from a long account in Lawaami' Al-Anwaar Al-Bahiyyah.

The conclusion from these pieces of evidence that are established by the scholars is that it is clear that our Prophet, Muhammad is superior to all creation.

The saying of the Prophet "Do not say I am better than Yoonus (Jonah), the son of Matta" indicates forbiddance to belittle any Prophet, as was stated by the interpreters of the hadeeth.

On the other hand, his hope to be the one granted Waseelah means that he will definitely be the one who gets this rank, because when 'I hope' and 'perhaps' are spoken by Allah and His Messenger, they indicate that what is hoped or expected will absolutely take place, as stated by the interpreters of the Quran.

As for the Quran, it confirms the Books that came before it, but it abrogated them, and it is dominant over them, and it is the only Book that is preserved amongst them.

The Quran is the eternal miracle of the Prophet by which he challenged the Arabs and the non-Arabs, the humans and the jinn, so how do you doubt the fact that it is the best of the revealed books!

In conclusion, we advise you to abide by what was determined by the scholars and to learn the creed from them, and do not get carried away with the doubts and illusions that the devil casts into your mind in order to prevent you from following the truth.

Allah knows best.