Allah has told us in His Noble Book about the status of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the exalted assembly (of angels) with the Lord of all the worlds and with the angels who are close to Him, as He (Glorified is He) says:
Truly, Allah and the angels shower their blessings on the Prophet Surah Al-Ahzab: 56
Those on the earth of believers have been ordered to invoke Allah’s blessings on the Prophet (peace be upon him) and to ask for peace and safety for him, in order for him to be praised by those in the heavens and also those on the earth. Allah, Glorified is He, says:
Oh you who believe, invoke (Allah’s) blessings on him and ask for complete peace and safety for him Surah Al-Ahzab: 56
Allah’s blessings on him refers to Allah being merciful to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the angels’ blessings refer to them asking for mercy for him and praying for his status to be elevated.
It is known that Allah calls the Prophets by their proper names, as He calls Adam by his name when He (Glorified is He) says:
Oh Adam, live with your wife in paradise Surah Al-Araf: 19
And He (Glorified is He) calls Nuh, saying:
Oh Nuh, descend with peace from Us Surah Hud: 48
And He (Glorified is He) calls Ibrahim saying:
And We called him, ‘Oh Ibrahim, you have already fulfilled your vision’ Surah Saffat: 104, 105
And He (Glorified is He) calls Yahya, saying:
Oh Yahya, abide by the book in strength Surah Mariam: 12
Moreover, He (Glorified is He) calls Musa by saying:
Oh Musa, I truly chose you from all the mankind for My Message and My words Surah Al-Araf: 144
And He (Glorified is He) calls ‘Issa by saying:
Oh ‘Issa, son of Mary, did you say to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as gods with Allah’?
Surah Ma’idah: 116
But Allah did not address Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) except by saying:
Oh Prophet
Or by saying:
Oh Messenger
Or by saying:
Oh you who is folded in garments
Or by saying:
Oh you who is wrapped up
We can see that He (Glorified is He) called the Prophet (peace be upon him) by the term Prophet and Messenger, thereby addressing him in a respectful way. Furthermore, Allah, Glorified is He, referred to the Prophet (peace be upon him) along with Prophet Ibrahim, both of whom are close friends of Allah. However, Allah referred to His close friend Ibrahim using his name ‘Ibrahim’, but referred to Prophet Muhammed by the name ‘Prophet’, as He (Glorified is He) says:
Indeed the closest of all people to Abraham are those who follow him, and this Prophet [Muhammed] and those who believe. And Allah is the guardian of the believers Surah Al-Imran: 68
It is known that taking an oath by the life of a person is proof of his greatness, respectability, and high position with the One Who takes an oath by him. Because of the Prophet’s respectability and virtues, Allah takes an oath by his life in the Noble Book as He (Glorified is He) says:
By your life! They were wandering blindly in their drunkenness! Surah Al-Hijr: 72
And Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “There is no creation at all of Allah more honorable than Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), and I have not heard Allah taking an oath by the life of anyone but him, as He (Glorified is He) says:
By your life! They were wandering blindly in their drunkenness! Surah Al-Hijr: 72
[The explanation of the Quran by At-Tabari]
Proof of his virtues is that the miracles of all the other Prophets were limited to their lifetime, but the main miracle of the Prophet (peace be upon him)—the Quran—will remain until the Resurrection Day. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
Every Prophet was given miracles because of which people believed, but what I have been given is Divine Revelation [which has been recorded] which Allah has revealed to me. So I hope that my followers will outnumber the followers of the other Prophets on the Day of Resurrection> related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim
The gift from Allah to the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not limited to the miracle the Prophet (peace be upon him) was given which will remain until the end of the world, but Allah (Glorified is He) promised to also protect and preserve the Quran from errors and alterations for all time, until the Resurrection Day. Allah (Glorified is He) says:
It is We Who have sent down the Reminder and We Who will preserve it Surah Hijr: 9
But He (Glorified is He) entrusted the preservation of the books of earlier Prophets to their nations, as He (Glorified is He) says about the previous books:
…by what they had been allowed to preserve of Allah´s Book Surah Ma’idah: 44
That is, He (Glorified is He) gave the responsibility of preserving the books to the Prophets’ followers.
The presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him) with his nation was one of the reasons they were protected from any punishment. Allah refers to this when He (Glorified is He) says:
Allah would not punish them while you were among them. Allah would not punish them as long as they seek forgiveness Surah Al-Anfal: 33
This is the greatest position on the Resurrection Day, one which cannot be given to any but one of the true slaves of Allah. It will be given to the Prophet (peace be upon him). Abdullah ibn Al-As related that he heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say,
…then beg from Allah to grant me the means of approach, which is a rank in Paradise fitting for only one of Allah's true slaves; and I hope that I may be that one. If anyone who asks that I be given the means of approach, he will be assured of my intercession related by Muslim
The Prophet (peace be upon him) will be allowed to intercede many times on the Resurrection Day, the greatest one being the “Greatest Intercession” which is also called the Praiseworthy Station that Allah promised him in His saying:
And in some part of the night rise from sleep and pray as additional worship for you; your Lord may well raise you to a Praiseworthy Station Surah Al-Isra’: 79
This is to start the people’s account quickly and to relieve them from the difficult situation. Before this, Allah delays the account, causing the people to wait for a long time in the gathering place on the Resurrection Day and so they become so distressed and anxious that they cannot withstand it anymore and as a result they say, “Who will intercede for us with our Lord,” in order for Him to pass judgement among His slaves as they will wish to leave that place. As a result, the people will go to the Prophets, but each one will say, “I am not able for this (to intercede),” until they reach our Prophet [Muhammed] (peace be upon him) who says,
I am able for it, I am able for it
related by Al-Bukhari
Therefore, he will intercede for them that judgement may be passed. This is the Greatest Intercession, and it is one of the things that belong exclusively to the Prophet (peace be upon him).
What is the proof that the Greatest Intercession is exclusively for the Prophet (peace be upon him)? And what do you think is the wisdom in this role being exclusively for him?
And the Prophet (peace be upon him) will intercede for the inhabitants of paradise to enter it. Anas ibn Malik mentioned this point as he (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
I will go to the door of paradise on the Resurrection Day and ask for it to be opened. The guard will say, ‘Who are you?’ so I will say, ‘Muhammed.’ Then he (the guard) will say, ‘Concerning you, I have been ordered not to open [the door] for anyone before you’ related by Muslim
In another narration, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
I will be the first interceder for [people to enter] paradise related by Muslim
This is a river in paradise which Allah (Glorified is He) gave the Prophet (peace be upon him). Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) relates “One day the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sitting among them (the Companions) and he dozed off. He then raised his head, smiling. They asked him, ‘What makes you smile. Oh Messenger of Allah?’ He said,
A surah has just been revealed to me,’ and then recited, ‘In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.’ Verily We have given you the Kawthar (fount of abundance). Therefore, turn to your Lord to pray and offer sacrifice. Surely, you enemy is the one who is cut off (from good) Surah Kawthar: 1–3 Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘Do you know what Kawthar is?’ They said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘It (Kawthar) is a river which my Lord, the Exalted and Glorious, has promised me, and there is an abundance of good in it. It is a cistern and my people will come to it on the Day of Resurrection, and the number of cups there will be equal to the number of stars. Then a slave (from among the people gathered there) will be turned away’ [i.e. snatched away and separated (from the others)]. Upon this, I will say, “My Lord, he is one of my people,” and He (the Lord) will say, “You do not know that he innovated new things (in Islam) after you”’ related by Muslim
To proceed:
It has become clear from the above that Allah favored the Prophet (peace be upon him) greatly, and that he held a high position with Allah, as Allah chose him from all mankind, and preferred him above all the other Prophets and Messengers. He expanded his chest, raised high the esteem which others will remember him by, removed his difficulties and raised his position with Him (Glorified is He) even higher.
And if Allah favored him (peace be upon him) and raised his position, it is more appropriate for us to admire him, appreciate him, respect him and obey his orders. Allah (Glorified is He) says:
So that you might all believe in Allah and His Messenger, honour and respect him, and glorify Him (Allah) in the morning and the evening Surah Al-Fath: 9
And Allah (Glorified is He) says:
Do not make your summoning of the Messenger the same as your summoning of one another. Allah knows those of you who sneak away. Those who oppose his command should take heed lest a trial befall them or a grievous punishment comes upon them Surah An-Nur: 63
And we should bear witness that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has noble qualities, just as Allah has told us about him, without exaggerating or underrating his level. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is a slave of Allah and His Messenger.
After we have learnt of the Prophet’s great merits in this life and the next, how, do you think, can we give him his rights, here in this world?
