Who Is the Prophet ﷺ?
وما أرسلناك إلا رحمة للعالمين
And We have not sent you but as a mercy for all the worlds
Where do we begin to understand a person whom God Himself describes as one sent to all of creation? Muhammad ibn Abdullah ﷺ is the last of God’s messengers sent to humanity, a Prophet foretold in previous scriptures and eagerly anticipated in the seventh century Near East. During his own life, before his mission as God’s Messenger, he was orphaned at an early age; he became known as al-Ameen, the trustworthy one, as an adult; he worked as a merchant who took caravans to Syria; he married a prominent woman of his tribe, our mother Khadijah; and he often retreated to the seclusion of the mountain overlooking Makkah. However, the details of the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ biography and his place in prophetic history really only become interesting to us after we understand our direct relationship to him: he is the greatest mercy God placed in our lives.
In the previous article, Who Is Allah?, we discussed mercy as the primary feature of Allah’s interaction with humanity. He grants mercies that extend to everyone like existence after non-existence and the ability to live lives that are pleasing to Him. For most of us, this includes mercies like functioning bodies, intelligence, and hearts that allow us to survive, thrive, and recognize the signs of God in this world. This is the kind of mercy we experience through Allah’s name al-Rahman, The Ever-Merciful. Likewise we all experience mercies that are unique to our lives like good health, families, close friends, or financial security. These are favors Allah bestows upon us in His capacity as al-Raheem, The Especially Merciful. Together, these two names of Allah are mentioned every time we pray, read the Qur’an, or embark upon any worldly affair as a testament to the overwhelming role God’s mercy plays in our lives.
Allah describes the Prophet ﷺ in the verse above as “a mercy for all the worlds.” This means that the Messenger of God does so much more than simply informing us of God’s mercy and showing us the path to attaining it through his sunnah, or example. These are indeed important roles, but roles that are indicated by his roles as nabi (prophet) and rasul (messenger). The Messenger of God himself ﷺ is a mercy. To understand this we must look at other roles he plays in our lives and in the greater scheme of creation.
One of the Prophet’s ﷺ titles is “the best of creation,” khayrul khalq. He is the most refined in character, the most beloved of Allah, and, according to some narrations, the reason for Allah’s creation of the heavens and the earth, and everything in between them. In a hadith related by Umar, may God be pleased with him, the Prophet ﷺ reported:
“When Adam sinned he said, ‘O Allah! I ask for Your forgiveness for the sake of Muhammad.’” Allah asked him, ‘How do you know Muhammad (pbuh) when I have not yet created him?’ He (Adam) said, ‘O Allah! After you created me and breathed into me of your soul I raised my head and saw 'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah' written on the Throne. I then came to know that You would not put anyone's name next to Yours except the name of the one who is dearest to You from among creation.’ Allah said, ‘O Adam! You have spoken the truth. Indeed, he is the dearest to me from among all creation. Supplicate to me through his sake for indeed I have forgiven you. If it were not for Muhammad, I would not have created you.’”
We learn from this hadith that Adam, upon him be peace, receives Allah’s mercy on two counts for the sake of Muhammad ﷺ. First, it was for Muhammad’s sake that he were created. Second, he receives Allah’s forgiveness by asking for it for Muhammad’s sake. It is therefore for Muhammad’s sake that we experience the mercy of Allah as al-Rahman and al-Raheem, The Ever-Merciful and The Especially Merciful. It is for his sake that we have been given existence after non-existence and for his sake that we are able to ask for the particular mercies we enjoy in this life and the next. The Prophet Muhammad, the best of creation ﷺ, therefore holds a special cosmic relationship to each and every one of us as Adam’s descendants.
Just as the Prophet’s mercy transcends this worldly life, so too does it extend beyond it into the next life. His role as The Intercessor, al-Shafi’, is one that we have not yet experienced but which will become extremely important for us when we stand in judgement before our Lord. The Prophet ﷺ relates that, on that day, “the people will surge with each other like waves” going from one Prophet to the next asking for their intercession for Allah’s forgiveness. Adam, Ibrahim, Musa, and Isa, upon them be peace, will all reply that they are not fit for that role--until finally the people come to Muhammad ﷺ. The Prophet tells us that Allah “will inspire me to praise Him with such praises as I do not know now. So I will praise Him with those praises and will fall down, prostrate before Him. Then it will be said, 'O Muhammad, raise your head and speak, for you will be listened to; and ask, for your will will be granted; and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.'” And he will continue to intercede for us until even those of us with the most minuscule of faith will be delivered from Allah’s punishment on that day.
It is easy for us to become fixated on this worldly life and therefore to understand the role of the Prophet ﷺ in a worldly manner. However, we have benefited from the mercy of the Prophet before this life and we will continue, God willing, to benefit from it after we have passed from this world. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a mercy to all of the worlds, no matter which stage of existence we may find ourselves in.
Of course, the reality of the Prophet’s mercy manifested in his conduct and actions during his worldly life as well. His example, or sunnah, provides a model of pious living for us to follow. At the very least, it provides us with an opportunity to marvel at his gentle character and loving mercy for the least of his companions and even his enemies. A couple of examples will suffice.
There was a young boy, Abu Umair, who lived in Madinah whose home the Prophet ﷺ used to visit regularly. Whenever the Prophet would see Abu Umair, he would ask about the little bird he kept as a pet. One day the Prophet arrived and Abu Umair was in tears and informed him that his bird had died. Later that day, some of his Companions saw him in the streets of Madinah playing with Abu Umair and asked what he was doing. He responded that Abu Umair’s bird had died and that he was playing with him until he cheered up. This was the character of the Messenger of God ﷺ! He knew his Companions intimately, even the children, and attended to their well-being attentively.
The second example comes from the Battle of Uhud, an unsuccessful battle in which the Prophet ﷺ was seriously wounded on the face after becoming separated from his Companions. When they found him, they rushed toward him and found him wiping away the blood that was pouring from his head. One Companion asked him what he was doing. The Prophet ﷺ responded: “If any of this blood falls on the ground, Divine Punishment would descend upon them [the Quraysh].” As they were losing the battle, some of the Companions implored him to allow the blood to flow and to pray against their enemies. However, the Prophet ﷺ responded, “I have not been sent to damn people. I have been sent as a caller and a mercy. Oh Allah, forgive my people for they know no better.” The Prophet’s mission was universal, to all of humanity, just as the mercy of his existence was universal. It did not fail even in the heat of battle--and it remains open for any and all to accept.
Throughout history, we have celebrated the Prophet’s life, mission, and the reality of his mercy by following a Divine command found in the thirty-third chapter of the Qur’an: “God and His angels send salutations upon the Prophet. O You who believe, send your salutations and peace upon him abundantly.” This practice, known as sending salawat upon the Prophet, is a way of expressing our indebted gratitude to him by asking Allah to bless him with greetings of peace. One of the great secrets of this practice is that it is the only action we can perform that Allah and His angels also perform. It is a monumental deed, and a means of receiving the same blessings we invoke upon our beloved Prophet ﷺ. It’s true reward is inculcating deeper love for him and a profound connection to the mercy that he brings to creation.