4. Among the exclusive privileges of our Messenger Muhammad

(PBUH) is that he was granted the Ever-Glorious Qur't\n, the ever­ lasting miracle to which the two worlds of the jinn and mankind surrender. The Ever-Glorious Qur't\n is the most eloquent book that the jinn and mankind have not been able to produce a match for it. Moreover, eloquent people amongst the followers of all religions have acknowledged their failure to produce a single surah comparable with even its shortest surah. 5. The Prophet was also distinguished for his Ascension to the Heavens. He reached the highest place, the place of the Lot Tree, where the creaking ofPens writing man's records could be heard.

He was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer to Almighty Allah. As for the privileges and qualities by which the Prophet (PBUH) is distinguished from the members ofhis nation, Imam Al-Qurtubi, in his exegesis of the Quran, has said, (~lmighty Allah gave specific legislative privileges to the Prophet (PBUH), which were not shared by any of his nation, with regard to obligation, prohibition and permissibility. For example, he was obligated to. observe some matters not obligatory on others; he was prohibited from doing some matters not prohibitedfor others; and he was permitted to do some matters not permissible for others. While some of such privileges were unanimously accepted by all Muslims, others were held controversial." Then Al-Qurtubt mentions these specific privileges granted to the Prophet. Among these privileges mentioned by Al-Qurtubt is that the Prophet was commanded to observe Tahajjud (the Night Vigil Prayer).

It was reported that the night prayer was held obligatory upon the Prophet until he died. Allah, Exalted be He, says: "0 you who wraps himself [in clothing] - arise [to pray] the night, exceptforalittle." (Quran: AI-Muzzammil: 1-2) According to the Quran, the observance of Tahajjud was held obligatory upon .the Prophet at the beginning of his mission, but it was abrogated afterwards. In this regard, Allah says: '~nd from [part of] the night, pray with it [i.e., recitation of the Quyan] as additional [worship] for you../' (Quran: AI-Ism: 79) Similarly, when the Prophet (PBUH) offered a supererogatory act of worship, he never fell short of offering it persistently. Likewise, he and his family were prohibited to receive properties given in charity. He was also allowed to observe continuous fasting without a break:.

He was also permitted to keep more than four wives at the same time. In the same way, he was allowed to fight in Mecca. The property he left could never be inherited and his wives were prohibited to get married either after his death or upon divorce. There are also a number of other privileges and qualities given to the Prophet (PBUH). We are going to tackle only three of the greatest privileges granted to the Prophet (PBUH).

They are Al-Isrtl' and AI-Mi 'rtlj (the Prophet's Night Journey and Ascension), the universality of his message and his being the Seal of Prophets. I) Al-Isrtf and Al-Mi'r4j Allah, Exalted be He, says: "Exalted is He Who took His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muhammad] by night from Al-Masjid Al-Hartlm to Al-Masjid Al-Aq~a, whose surroundings We luwe blessed, to show him ofOur sips. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing." (Quran: AI-Ism: 1) In his commentary on the aforementioned Qur'anic verse, Al-HAfl~ Ibn Kathtr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "Almighty Allah glorifies Himself and exalts His Greatness for the infinite Omnipotence He possesses. There is no deity or lord but Allah Alone, 'Who took His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muhammadp. The Quranic adverb"" nigh"indicates that thejourney was carried out at night.

The mosque mentioned in the Quranic phrase YromAI­ Masjid Al-Haram' refers the Holy Mosque ofMecca. eTo Al-Masjid AI-Aql4i'refers to AI-Aq~tl Mosque located at lliytl (now referred to as Jerusalem), the origin of the prophets who descended from Ibrdhim (Abraham). Thus they were congregated for the Prophet in their birthplace and he led them in prayer. Leading prophets in prayer refers to the Prophet's merit as a great leader and pioneering head of them all (peace be upon them all). The Qurtmic phrase 'Whose surroundings We have blessed' means that the precincts of AI-Aq~d Mosque were blessed with crops and fruits. In explaining the purpose of the journey.

Allah says, 'to show him of Our signs' i.e. to let Muhammad see our great signs. According to another verse, Allah says, 'He certainly saw of the greatest signs of his Lord: Finally. the verse was concluded with Allah's saying, 'Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seein¥ which affirms that He is All-Hearing ofHis servants' utterances, the believers and the disbelievers among them and He is, moreover, the All-Seeing. Accordingly, He will give everyone what he deserves in this life and the life to come." AI-Mirdj is an Arabic word, which literally refers to the means through which a man ascends to high places. Its nature and how the Prophet was transported to the heavens is a matter solely known by Allah. We should believe in it without occupying ourselves with questioning the know-how.

According to the scholars of Hadith, AI-Isrd' occurred only once at Mecca after the Prophet's proclamation of Islam and a year, or a year and two months, before the immigration to Medina, as remarked by Ibn 'Abdul-Barr. Al-Isrd' and Al-Mi 'rdj in the Quran and the Sunnah: In his exegeSiS of the Quran. Al-Ha.flz Ibn Kathir says: "The truth is that the Prophet (PBUH) was transported from AI-Hardm Mosque of Mecca to AI-Aq£d Mosque of Jerusalem while awake at night. He was conveyed by AI-Burdq 11 and upon reaching the gate of AI-Aq~d Mosque at Jerusalem, he tethered AI­ Burdq to the gate. He, upon entering the mosque, offered a two­ rak 'ah prayer facing its qiblah and, then, he received the Mi'rdj, which is similar to a ladder with rungs.

He ascended by it up to the nearest heaven to the earth and then to the higher heavens. Upon reaching every heaven, he was welcomed by its dwellers. He greeted all prophets in the heavens, everyone in his respective degree and place. In the sixth heaven, he met Musd (Moses), the one to whom Allah spoke directly. In the seventh heaven, he met Ibrdhim (Abraham), the intimate friend ofAllah.

Then the Prophet The dominant majority of Muslim scholars maintain that AI-Isra' of the Prophet (PBUH) was in both soul and body. The substantiating proof lies in the Qur'anic verse, which provides: "Exalted is He Who took His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muhammad] by night from Al-Masjid Al-Hardm to Al-Masjid Al-Aq(a, whose Glorification of Allah is only issued in great matters of concern. Had it been a dream, it would not have been incredible, the disbelievers would not have belied the Prophet, and those Muslims, who renounced Islam, would not have renounced it upon hearing the Prophet talking to people about that event. Likewise, the word 'Servant: mentioned in the Qur'anic verse, refers to both body and soul. Allah, Exalted be He, says: "Took His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muhammad] by night." (Quran: AI-Isra': 1) And says: a trial for the people." (Quran: AI-Isra': 60) Ibn 'Abb~ has said: "The Sight which Allah's Messenger ofAllah (PBUH) was shown on the Night Journey was actual sight (i.e., not a dream)." (Related by Al-Bukhari) Allah also says: "The sight [of the Prophet] did not swerve, nor did it transgress [its limit]:' (Quran: An-Najm: 17) Sight is an indication that AI-Isra' was carried out in soul and body.

Being carried on AI-Buraq, a small brilliant white beast, necessarily requires the existence of the body since the soul does not need a means of transport when moving. On the other hand, other people maintain that the Prophet was taken, during AI-Isra', in soul only. This view was reported by Ibn Isnaq on the authority of 'Rishah and Mu' awiyah (may Allah be pleased with them). It was also reported from AI-Hasan Al-Ba~rt This view does not necessarily imply that AI-Isra' was only a dream. It indicates that the Prophet's soul was detached from his body and then transported to make the journey.

Proponents of this view argue that it is one of the special qualities of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). A dream may be a series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Therefore, a sleeper may imagine himself ascending to the heavens or traveling to Mecca while his soul is still motionless, but only the angel might produce such ideas or emotions for him. There is a clear distinction between visioning something in a dream and experiencing it through the soul alone. In addition, those who believed that AI-Isra' was solely carried out in the Prophet's soul substantiated their view by the Prophetic b.adith narrated on the authority of Sharik Ibn Abu Namir from Anas Ibn Malik who reported the Prophet (PBUH) as saying: "Then when I woke up, Ifound myself lying in AI-Hijr (the unroofed portion of the Ka 'bah which at present is in the form of an enclosed area beside the Ka 'bah)." This view may be refuted for two reasons.

First, this Prophetic b.adith includes a transmission fault attributed to Sharik, for the memorizers of b.adiths found faults in the b.adith of AI-Isra' attributed to Sharik. Second, the words 'woke up' may be contextually interpreted as a mere change of state rather than getting up. In this regard, Ibn Kathir says, "This interpretation sounds more preferable than rejecting the narration ofSharik." Ibn Kathir further added: "We do not doubt the Prophet's having a dream about AI-Isra' before it occurred, which came true afterwards. The Prophet (PBUH) did not see a vision except that it would become true afterwards. This point was further elaborated on when talking about the earliest beginnings of revelation.

That is, the Prophet saw what really happened to him before receiving the revelation in the form ofpre-prophecy glad tidings." Was the Prophet's Ascension Repeated?: Al-Hifi.z Ibn Kathir, after maintaining the Prophetic b.adiths listed with regard to this subject, said: "The main conclusion of our overall understanding of all the Prophetic b.adiths, including the ~ab.ib. (authentic), b.asan (good) and da 'if (doubtful) b.adiths thereof, is that the Prophet's AI-Isra' occurred only once." Although transmitters have reported various relevant b.adiths and some of them may add or skip specific words in the story, they are all susceptible to error. Besides, whoever regarded the various differing reports concerning the story of Al-Isra' as an indication that there was more than one Isra' should be considered as adopting an erring view and would be mistaken. Some of the later scholars claimed that the Prophet (PBUH) was transported from Mecca to Jerusalem once, and ascended from Mecca to the heavens in another journey. They further claimed that he also traveled from Jerusalem to the heavens in a third trip.

Such scholars falsely assumed that they could evade the paradoxical situation concerning the number of journeys by providing this view. This view however seems odd. No one of our righteous Salaf (early Muslim scholars) were reported to have said that. Had the journey been repeated, the Prophet (PBUH) would have informed us about that. Some Sufis alleged that Al-Mi 'raj occurred thirty times.

Some further claimed that it happened thirty four times, one being in both soul and body and the rest being only in soul. It is also said that AI-Isra' occurred twice, once in the state of awakening and the other while sleeping. Proponents of that view attempted to reconcile the narration of Sharik and the mainstream hadiths. Some other people argued that the journey occurred twice, one before the Revelation and the other after it. Others claimed that it occurred three times, one before the Revelation and two after it.

Whenever they suspect the interpretation of a Prophetic hadith, they increase the number of journeys. Ibnul-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) has said: "What an amazing situation was that ofthose who claimed that the Prophet (PBUH) was transported many times! How could they assume that Allah, in every journey, prescribed prayers as fifty and then, due to the solicitude of the Prophet who frequented Allah and Masa (Moses) many times, they were reduced to five? Did Allah say in every journey that He has finally assigned the prescribed prayers and relieved the burden levied on His bondmen?" Ibn Kathir has said: "Some transmitters ofhadiths narrated the story ofAI-Isra' and AI­ Mi'raj differently. They sometimes dropped some well-known details or even forgot them.

They sometimes elaborated the meaning of the story in particular stances and abridged the text in other occasions. Thereupon, whoever interprets each version as a different journey is certainly erroneous. All contexts maintain that the Prophet (PBUH) greeted each prophet in the heavens only once and that Allah prescribed prayers only once too. How should one claim that the journey occurred so many times? It is utterly impossible." 2) The Universality of Muhammad's Prophethood and Refutation of Deniers' Claims: A group of the Jews and Christians and those who follow them allege that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was solely sent to Arabs, not to the People of the Scriptures.

They say, "If Muhammad's religion is true, our religion is true as well, and there are various ways to draw near to Allah." They compare the difference of religions to the various schools of scholars and Imams; if one school is correct, this does not necessarily entail that the other schools are wrong. This assumption, however, is apparently false, because if they believed in the prophethood of Muhammad, they should consequently believe in whatever he would inform them about. The Prophet has decisively maintained that he is the Messenger of Allah to all people, therefore no one should belie him, instead his words should be taken for granted. The Prophet, moreover, sent his messengers with messages to kings and rulers all over the globe to invite them to accept Islam. He sent messages to Caesar of the Roman Empire, Khosrau of Persia, Negus of Abyssinia and Al-Muqawqis of Egypt, and all the other major rulers at the Prophet's time.

The Prophet (PBUH) also fought against the People of the Scripture (the Jews and Christians), captivated their offspring and deemed killing them lawful after they (Le., the Jews and Christians) broke peace treaties. He also obliged them to pay the jizyah 12. This has been proven according to authentic reports. Therefore, he invited the People of the Scripture to embrace Islam as he did with the polytheists. He engaged in military combats against Banu Qaynuqa', Banu An-Nadir and Banu Quraydhah and the people of Khaybar who were all Jews after they broke treaties held with him.

He, moreover, captivated their women and children and took their properties as war booties. Furthermore, he fought against the Christians in the year of (the battle of) TabUk, in which Zayd Ibn Hirithah, the Prophefs freed slave and Ja' far (may Allah be pleased with them) were killed. The Prophet also imposed the payment of the jizyah on the Christians of Najran. Similarly, the Prophet's Rightly-Guided Caliphs fought against the People of the Scripture and enjoined them to pay the jizyah willingly while being humble. The Quran, which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, frequently calls the People of the Scripture to follow his message.

The Quran declares the disbelief of those who do not follow his call. Almighty Allah says: "0 you who were given the Scripture, believe in what We have sent down [to Muhammad}, confirming that which is with you ..... (Qur'l1n: An-Nisi': 47) In the Qur'ful, Allah addresses the People of the Scripture so many times by saying: He also says: "Those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists were not to be parted (from misbelief}..." (Qur'Mi: Al-Bayyinah: 1) This style is oft repeated in the Qur'Mi. Allah, Exalted be He, says: "Say, [0 Muhammad}, '0 mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all, (from Him) to Whom belongs the dominion of the And says: ~d We have not sent you except comprehensively to mankind.••" (Qur'Mi: Saba': 28) It is also repeatedly reported that the Prophet said: "[ have been given superiority over other Prophets in five respects..."] Among those five respects, he said, r:.. Every Prophet had been sent to his people in particular but [ have been sent to all mankind in general." It is authentically proven that the Prophet (PBUH) was sent to the jinn and mankind.

This is substantiated by a number of proofs maintaining that the Prophet invited the People of the Scriptures to believe in his message. and declared the disbelief of those who renounced his call. He also commanded Muslims to fight against them until they embrace Islam or pay the jiziah willingly in full humbleness. He was reported to have fought against them and sent military campaigns against them. He also imposed the jiziah on them, killed their fighters, captivated their women and children and took their properties as war booties. He also besieged Bano.

QaynuqA' and then expelled them to Azru' At. Similarly, he besieged Bano. AnNadir and expelled them to Khaybar, regarding 13 whom Allah revealed the surah of Al-Hashr • The Prophet also besieged Bano. Quraydhah when they broke their treaty with the Prophet. Accordingly, he killed their men, captivated their women and took their properties.

It is fully maintained in the surah of Al-Ab.ztlb 14. Likewise, the Prophet fought against the people of Khaybar and conquered their territory. He killed their men, captivated their women and allotted their land among the believers. This is 15 mentioned in the surah of AI-Fatb. • The Prophet also imposed the jiziah on the Christians, regarding whom parts of the surah of Alu 'Imrdn 16 were revealed. Moreover, he conquered territories owned by the Christians in the year of (the battle 00 Tabftk, regarding whom Allah revealed verses in the surah of I7 At-Tawabah • In most of the suras revealed at Medina, such as Alu 'Imrdn, 1B An-Nisd and AI-Md'idah 19, there are numerous calls directed to the People of the Scripture to embrace Islam.

The Prophet's Rightly-Guided Caliphs like' Umar and Abft Bili, and the MuhdjirCm and the An~dr21, who are well-known for their full obedience 10 to the Prophet and complete observance of his commands. have conquered the Roman and Persian Empires. In addition, they fought against the People of the Scripture and the Magi and enjoined them to pay the jiziah willingly while being humble. According to one of the ~ib. badiths, the Prophet is reported to have said: "By the One in Whose Hands my soul rests, no Jew or Christian will hear about me without believing in me but will be cast into the Hellfire." Sa'id Ibn Jubayr said: "In support of the meaning of this Prophetic badith, we quote the Qurtmic verse, which provides, ~ •• But whoever disbelieves in it from the [various] factions the Fire is his promised destination' (Quran: Hftd: 17) The meaning of this badith is authentically attributed to the Prophet (PBUH)." Therefore, Muhammad is thus, the Messenger of all peoples and groups. The Prophet (PBUH) frequently affirmed that he was sent as the Messenger of the People of the Scripture and others. Henever told a lie.

He could never fight against people without a divine command from Allah. and never declared people's blood and properties lawful without Allah's permission. Whoever belies Allah by claiming that he (PBUH) has been commanded to fight against a particular people, while in reality not being commanded so, is definitely regarded as a liar and unjust. Allah, Exalted be He. says: "And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah or SIIys, ~It has been inspired to me: while nothing has been inspired to him..." (Quran: AI-An'~: 93) In addition to being a liar, such a person is deemed among the worst people tending to spread mischief in the earth. He is also considered worse than tyrant rulers, for such tyrant rulers usually fight people for the sake of subjecting them to their wills without even inviting them to Paradise or warning them against Hellfire through the claim of being messengers from Allah. Even Pharaoh and the tyrants like him are not included in such an abominable category.

Only false prophets like Musaylimah and Al-Aswad Al-~si are included in this category of the worst liars. Thus, once verified as a true Prophet, everything he conveys should be regarded as true and therefore his obedience becomes obligatory. Almighty Allah says: "And We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by Similarly, ifhe calls the People of the Scripture to follow him, such a call must be regarded as true. Further, whoever believes in the Messenger of Allah without accepting that his call is also for the People of the Scripture is regarded as erroneous like the ones who believe in Moses but falsely assume that Moses was supposed not to make exodus to Ash-Sham 12 or let the Israelites depart Egypt. Moreover, such people would be regarded as ones alleging that Allah did not command Moses to do so nor to observe the Sabbath, and that he did not receive the revelation of the Torah nor did he have direct speech with Allah.

Such is the case of those who believe in Jesus but claim that he was not sent to the Children of Israel, and that the Children ofIsrael did not have to obey him, and that he oppressed the Jews. Therefore, Allah, Exalted and Glorified be He, says: "Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers and wish to discriminate between Allah and His Messengers and say, 'We believe in some and disbelieve in others: and wish to adopt a way in between. Those are the disbelievers, truly. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment:' (Qur'a.n: An-Nisa: 150-151) 3) Muhammad's: The Concluding Message Almighty Allah concluded all messages with the revelation of Muhammad's message. Almighty Allah says: "Muhammad is not the father of[any} one ofyour men, but [he is} (Qur'a.n: Al-Ahzab: 40) r The Prophet, moreover, is reported to have said: «I am the Seal of the prophets.

There will be no Prophet to come after me." According to this lJ.adtth, the finality of prophethood necessitates the finality of the Divine Revelation, since the absence of the general case requires the absence of the specific one. Sealing prophethood by the prophethood ofMuhammad (PBUH) means that neither a prophet will appear again nor a new divine legislation may be enacted after him. Jesus' new coming at the end of life does not contradict this statement, since Jesus (PBUH) will follow Prophet Muhammad's legislation. He will not follow his own legislation, which has been already abrogated. Thus, he will become a successor of the Prophet and a ruler among his nation.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the seal of all prophets and messengers (peace be upon them all), was dispatched with the most perfect Book, the most comprehensive legislation. He was sent with a legislation held adequate for the needs of all creatures everywhere until the Last Day. By his coming, Allah concluded Prophethood. In the Two SalJ.t1J.s (the Two Authentic Books of Al-Bukhtrri and Muslim), Jabir Ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: «My similitude in comparison with the other prophets is that of a man who has built a house completely and excellently exceptfor a place of one brick. When the people enter the house, they admire its beauty and say, < But for a place of a brick (how splendid the house will be)!''' According to the narration maintained in Muslim's Authentic Book of Hadtth, he added: <: ..

Thus. 1 have come to finalize the chain ofProphets." According to a third narration related by Al-Bukhtrri and Muslim, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated a further addition, which complements the aforementioned lJ.adtth. It provides: ~ .. The people go about it, but say, 'Would that this brick be put in its place!' So 1 am that brick, and 1 am the last of the Prophets." Moreover, the Prophet (PBUH) said: "The Children of Israel used to be ruled and guided by prophets; whenever a prophet died, another would take over his place. However, there will be no prophet after me, but there will be caliphs." (Related by Al-Bukhari) JAbir Ibn Samurah also narrated: "I saw a seal on the back of the Prophet (PBUH) looking like an egg of a pigeon." (Related by Muslim) Al-HMiz said in his book entitled, 'Fatbul-Bari ft Sharb SaI1tbul-Bukhari (the Bestowal of the Creator in Expounding Al-Bukhari's Sabib): 'i1I-Qurtubi maintained that all authentic badiths agreed that the seal ofprophethood appeared on the Prophet's left shoulder. It was a prominent reddish object, which would be equal in size to the egg of a pigeon when it shrank, and it would be equal in size to a handful when it stretched".

And Allah knows best. Scholars explained why the seal of Prophethood was on the left shoulder of the Prophet. They maintained, "It should be closer to his heart." As-Suhaili maintained that the seal of Prophethood was put on the Prophet's shoulder, since Satan can easily penetrate the human body through that part. Therefore, the Prophet (PBUH) was guarded against Satanic insinuations. Al-HMQ; said: "It is of Allah's mercy on His servants that He sent Muhammad (PBUH) to them.

It is also a means ofhonor to conclude the prophets andmessengersand to perfect the religion with him (PBUH). According to the Quri2n and the Sunnah of the Prophet, it is fully clear that no prophet will come after him. This declaration is fully demonstrated to denounce any straying liar who may claim prophethood later even if being equipped with all sorts ofmagic, spells and charms. All such acts, ifproduced, should be regarded as mere deceptions. Examples of those who falsely claimed prophethood after the death of the Prophet (PBUH) are AI-Aswad Al- 'Ansi in Yemen and Musaylimah Al­ Kadhdhab in Yamamah.

They produced such apparent paradoxes and absurdities, which unveiled their deception and untruthfulness; may the curse ofAllah befall them. Allah will unveil the falsehood of every impostor claiming to be a prophet until the Day ofResurrection when those falsely claiming the prophethood are concluded with the Antichrist. Allah will expose, before true believers and scholars, the absurdities such a liar produces. This is out of Allah's beneficence toward His creatures. Such imposters never enjoin good or forbid evil except for a hidden reason or bad intention they may secretly retain.

They always showfalsehood and wickedness through their deeds and sayings. Almighty Allah says: "Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend? They descend upon every sinful liar." (Quran: Ash-Shu' ara,': 221-222) On thecontrary, trueprophets (peace be upon them) showtruthfulness, right guidance, uprightness and equity in whatever they say, command, do or produce of miracles and proofs which prove their prophethood. Prayers and peace ofAllah be upon them all. People are not, however, in need of a new legislation after the revelation of Muhammad's message, since it adequately responds to the needs ofhumanity.

Therefore, there is no reason for sending a new prophet after Muhammad (PBUH). But one may argue that the Muslim nation has come to a decline, so that a new prophet may work on its reform. To this, one may say that reform is not an adequate reason for the revelation of a new message after Muhammad (PBUH). A prophet is always dispatched to receive Divine Revelation; the reason for Divine Revelation is people's need for a new legislation or to complement the principles of a preceding divine message. It may also be needed to purify preceding legislations ofall alterations and forgeries.

Since Allah has preserved the Quran and ultimately perfected the religion ofIslam, no needfor further prophets will arise. The Muslim nation is only in need ofreformers." This is quoted form Ar-Radd 'Ala AI-Qadyaniyyah (Refuting the false claims of Al-Qadyaniyyah2l) with slight changes made by the author. Allah proclaims the finality of prophethood by sending Muhammad (PBUH) in His saying: (~uhammad is not thefather of[any] one ofyour men, but [he is] the messenger ofAllah and seal [i.e., the last] of the prophets. And ever is Allah, ofall things, Knowing:' (Quran: Al-AhzAb: 40) -------~ .. .. -- ..­ ------------------­ . -..~- .. It is, thus, well-known that the Quran remains preserved as a comprehensive book of people's legislations and regulations exactly as it was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Similarly, the Sunnah of the Prophet remains as the enunciator of the Quran's meanings and thus it serves as a living example of the Prophet Allah, Exalted be He, says: Ifyou disagree over anythin~ refer it to Allah and the c( • • • Messenger:' (Qur'~n: An-Nisa: 59) Reference to Allah means recourse to His Book, and reference to the Messenger after his death means seeking solutions in his Sunnah. Therefore, the world is no more in need of further prophets and new legislations after the coming of Muhammad (PBUH). If Allah sends more prophets or messengers, they will not add to the main fundamentals of Islamic faith or to the Islamic legislation. Allah has perfected the religion and accomplished His law. He says: "This day I have perfectedfor you your religion and completed My (Quran: AI-Ma'idah: 3) If the reason behind dispatching messengers only lies in inviting people to their messages and spreading it among them, it may be easily carried out by Muslim scholars, since they should stand for propagating the message among people.

In addition, whoever believes in the continuity of prophethood or accepts the view of anyone believing so should be regarded as an apostate. Therefore, the Companions fought against those who falsely alleged prophethood after the death of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and regarded them as apostates. This view is unanimously agreed upon by earlier and later Muslim scholars. The Significance of Concluding Prophethood with Muhammad: Prophethood was conduded with the Message of Muhammad because he was sent to all peoples and nations until the Last Day. Accordingly, Almighty Allah says: '~ We have not sentyou except comprehensively to mankind as a bringer ofgood tidings and a warner. ••" (Quran: Saba': 28) He also says: ~ •• And We have notsent you, [0 Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds." (Quran: AI-Isra': 105) Moreover, He says: "Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion upon His Servant that he may be to the worlds a warner!' (Quran: AI-Furqan: 1) Allah, further, says: "Say, [0 Muhammad], '0 mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all..!" (Quran: AI-A'rM: 158) Since Muhammad's Message is generally intended for all peoples all over the globe, it should be perfect and thus meet the needs of people.

Allah, Exalted be He, says: '~ .• This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion!' (Quran: AI-Maidah: 3) He also says: '~ .. And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims!' (Quran: An-Nahl: 89) He further maintains: '~d We have revealed to you, [0 Muhammad], the Book [i.e., the Qur'dn] in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it.. !' (Quran: AI-Maidah: 48) In his argument against AI-Qadyaniyyah, Shaykh Abul-A' Ii Al-Mawdtidi has maintained: "Jf we peruse the Quriln to enumerate the reasons why Allah sends a prophet to a particular nation, we may discern the following four reasons: