Allah The Almighty distinguished the Prophet, , from all previous prophets with a group of virtues and characteristics that honored his status among the Prophets and raised his rank among the Messengers. This is not surprising since he was the seal of all the Prophets and Messengers, and the best of all creatures in the sight of Allah The Almighty.
By characteristics of honor we refer to the favors and virtues that Allah The Exalted bestowed on the Prophet, , with which He distinguished him from other prophets, may Allah exalt their mention. These characteristics include the following:
- Allah The Almighty did not address the Prophet, , by his proper name but did so by the title of prophethood and of the Divine Message, which were the two most important titles of our Prophet, . Allah The Almighty addressed him thirteen times in the Quran, Saying (what means): {O Prophet}, and twice in the Soorah of Al-Maa’idah Saying (what means): {O Messenger}. In other words, Allah The Almighty addressed the Prophet, , by his best attributes and highest rank. This distinguishing characteristic was not given to any other prophet, as Allah The Almighty addressed other prophets by their proper names; Allah The Almighty Says, for example, (what means): {And We said: ‘O Adam…’}[Quran 2:35]: {[The Day] when Allah will say: ‘O Jesus, Son of Mary…’}[Quran 5:110]: {It was Said: ‘O Nooh…’}[Quran 11:48]: {[Allah] said: ‘O Moosa…’}[Quran 7:144] and: {We called to him: ‘O Ibraaheem…’}[Quran 37:104]
- The times when the Prophet, , was addressed by his name was when the context required his name to be mentioned as a means of testifying to his prophethood and in confirming his role as the Seal of all Prophets. Allah The Almighty says (what means): {Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets.}[Quran 33:40]. The Prophet, , was addressed in this way four times in the Quran. It is relevant to mention here that Allah The Almighty forbade Muslims from addressing Prophet Muhammad, , by his proper name. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Do not make [your] calling of the Messenger among yourselves as the call of one of you to another}[Quran 24:63] This means that Allah The Almighty forbade believers from addressing the Prophet, , in familiar terms like they would address one another. Instead, He commanded them to call him by the title of prophethood and of the Divine Message to honor him and to show how high his status was. This is also a unique characteristic of the Prophet, , which was not given to any other Prophet or Messenger, for Allah The Almighty told us that the previous nations would address their Prophets and Messengers by their proper names, for example the people of Moosa, may Allah exalt his mention, addressed him saying: {‘O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods.’}[Quran 7:138]; The people of ‘Eesa (Jesus, may Allah exalt his mention,) addressed him saying: {[And remember] when the disciples said, "O Jesus, Son of Mary}[Quran 5:112]; The people of Hoode, may Allah exalt his mention, addressed him saying: {They said: ‘O Hoode, you have not brought us clear evidence.’}[Quran 11:53]
- Allah The Almighty swore by the life of the Prophet, , Saying (what means): {By your life, [O Muhammad], indeed they were, in their intoxication, wandering blindly.}[Quran 15:72]. Certainly this shows the great honor that Allah The Almighty bestowed on the Prophet, , and his great status in the sight of Allah. Likewise, this honor was not bestowed on any other prophet.
- Allah The Almighty mentions the Prophet, , before all other prophets, may Allah exalt their mention, in the majority of Quranic verses. For example, Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
· {Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And we revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Descendants, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].}[Quran 4:163]
· {And [mention, O Muhammad], when We took from the prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant.}[Quran 33:7]
- The Prophet, , led the prophets, may Allah exalt their mention, in prayer in Jerusalem and this also affirms his privilege and honor. The Prophet, , said that on the night of Al-Israa’ and Al-Mi‘raaj (the Night Journey) he met a group of prophets, including Ibraaheem (Abraham), Moosa (Moses) and ’Eesa (Jesus), may Allah exalt their mention, and led them in prayer. It is known that leading ordinary people in prayer is an honor, let alone leading the honorable prophets, may Allah exalt their mention!
- Allah The Almighty took the covenant of the prophets, may Allah exalt their mention, to believe in the Prophet, , and support him. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And [recall, O People of the Scripture], when Allah took the covenant of the prophets, [saying]: ‘Whatever I give you of the Scripture and wisdom and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you, you [must] believe in him and support him.’ [Allah] said: ‘Have you acknowledged and taken upon that My commitment?’ They said, ‘We have acknowledged it.’}[Quran 3:81]. Allah The Exalted told His Prophets that they have to support and believe in the Prophet, , when he comes. Indeed the Prophets, may Allah exalt their mention, acknowledged the mission and prophethood of Prophet Muhammad, , something which did not occur for any other prophet. ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib and Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with them, said, “Allah The Almighty never sent a prophet unless He took his covenant to support and believe in Muhammad if he was sent during the life time of that prophet. Allah The Almighty also commanded every prophet to take the covenant for his people to support and believe in Prophet Muhammad if he was sent while they were living.”
- Allah The Almighty supported the Prophet, , by putting fear in the hearts of his enemies, even if they were distant from him, which also never happened to any other prophet before him. The Prophet, , said: “I have been supported with fear [in the hearts of my enemies] as far as a month’s journey.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
- The nation of the Prophet, , is also the best of all nations. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {You are the best nation produced [as an example] for humankind}[Quran 3:110]. The Prophet, , also said: “You are the fulfillment of seventy nations and you are the best and most noble of them in the Sight of Allah.” [Narrated by At-Tirmithi] Of course the nobility that Allah The Almighty bestowed on this nation is for the sake of its Messenger Muhammad, , who is the most honorable creature and the most honored Messenger in the sight of Allah The Almighty.
- The plague and the Antichrist cannot enter his city (Madeenah). The Prophet, , said: “There are angels guarding the entrances of Madeenah; neither plague nor the Antichrist will be able to enter it.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
- We must love the Prophet, , more than ourselves, our families, properties and children. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Say, [O Muhammad]: ‘If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.’}[Quran 3:24] The Prophet, , also said: “None of you will have faith until he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] In another Hadeeth the Prophet, , said that a person will not be a believer: “Until he loves him more than himself.” [Al-Bukhari]
- The Prophet, , will be first for whom the Earth will be cleft open; he will be the only one to carry Liwaa’ Al-Hamd (the Banner of Praise), and he will be the first one to enter Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. The Prophet, , explained all of this saying: “I shall be pre-eminent among the descendants of Aadam on the Day of Resurrection, and in my hand will be the Banner of Praise, and this is no boast. There will be no prophet, Aadam or any other, who will not be under my banner. I shall be the first for whom the Earth will be cleft open, and this is no boast.” [At-Tirmithi] In the narration of Ad-Daarimi, the Prophet, , added: “I will be the first one to enter Paradise on the Day of Resurrection, and this is no boast.”
- Allah The Almighty will resurrect the Messenger, , to a Praised Station. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {It is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a Praised Station.}[Quran 17:79]. This Praised Station is that of intercession, which Allah The Exalted has given only to him. On the Day of Resurrection, all people will bow down on their knees and every nation will follow its prophet saying, “O so and so, intercede for us with your Lord,” but all prophets will refuse to assume this task and so people will come to the Prophet, , who will intercede. This is the day when Allah The Almighty will resurrect him to the Praised Station. [Al-Bukhari]
- The followers of the Prophet, , will be larger in number than the followers of any other prophet on the Day of Resurrection. It was narrated that the nations will pass by the Prophet, , on the Day of Resurrection. A prophet will pass in front of him with one man, another with two men, another with three men, and another with nobody at all. Then the Prophet, will look and see a huge gathering with a large number of people covering the horizon. He will ask: “What prophet do those people follow?” It will be said to him, “This is your Ummah.”
Finally, all these honorable characteristics we mentioned here were bestowed only upon the Prophet, , which demonstrates the status of the Prophet, , and his rank in the sight of Allah The Almighty. Little wonder then that the Messenger of Allah, , is the favored prophet and the chosen one.