Was the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, purely a human being or was he Noor (light)? I hope for a detailed answer with proofs.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds.  I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was a human being from the progeny of Aadam . Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):

•        {Say (O Muhammad): "I am only a man like you. It has been inspired to me that your Ilaah (God) is One Ilaah (God i.e. Allaah)…}[Quran, 18:110]

•        {And We sent not before you (Muhammad) but men to whom We inspired, so ask the people of the reminder [the Scriptures: the Tawraah (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] if you do not know. And We did not create them (the Messengers) with bodies that ate not food, nor were they immortals…}[Quran, 21:7-8]

Allaah The Almighty also refutes the sayings of the polytheists (which mean):

•        {And they say: "Why does this Messenger (Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) eat food, and walk about in the markets (like ourselves)…}[Quran 25:7]

•        {And We never sent before you (O Muhammad) any of the Messengers but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets…}[Quran 25:20]

Thus, prophets and messengers, due to their human qualities, sleep and wake up, fall sick and get well, and face trials and difficulties that are even more arduous than those of any other human being.

In addition, because they are human, prophets and messengers naturally take part in human activities and occupations. For example, Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, worked as a trader before embarking on his prophetic mission; Prophet Daawood (David) was a blacksmith, and Prophet Zakariyya (Zachariah) was a carpenter. Furthermore, all the prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention, grazed sheep. However, prophets and messengers are the best of all humankind, for Allaah The Almighty chose them, elevated them and reared them under His eye.

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, stated that the angels were created from light, the Jinn from fire and Aadam from what was described to us i.e. from dust. This Hadeeth was reported by Muslim . Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {…the likeness of Aadam. He created him from dust…}[Quran, 3:59]

Thus, whoever pretends that Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was created from light considers him, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to be an angel. This saying is similar to that of the polytheists as mentioned in the Quran (which means): {And nothing prevented men from believing when the guidance came to them, except that they said: "Has Allaah sent a man as (His) Messenger?"}[Quran, 17:94]

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was no more than a human being and Allaah The Almighty ordered him to declare this, as is revealed in the Quran (what means): {Say (O Muhammad): "Glorified (and Exalted) be my Lord (Allaah) above all that evil they (polytheists) associate with Him! Am I anything but a man, sent as a Messenger?"}[Quran, 17:93] There is no piece of evidence in the Quran or the Sunnah (Prophetic tradition) that contradicts this fact: that he was just a human being from the progeny of Aadam who was himself created from dust, not from light.

Some of those who have exceeded the proper bounds set by Sharee’ah (Islamic legislation) believe that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was created from light, and all the other prophets, Paradise, Hell, Al-Kursi (the Chair), Al-‘Arsh (the Throne), etc. were created from his light. This belief is unfounded and false and in disagreement with the texts of the Quran and the Sunnah.

Such exaggerators based their belief on a fabricated Hadeeth that was reported from Jaabir . In this Hadeeth, Jaabir asked, "O Messenger of Allaah! Tell me about the first of Allaah's Creation.” He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “O Jaabir! At first, Allaah has created the light of your Prophet from his light; and when He wanted to create the creation, He divided that light into four parts. He created the pen from the first part, the tablet from the second part, Al-'Arsh from the third part. He then divided the fourth part into four smaller parts. So, He created the Heavens from the first, the earth from the second, Hell and Paradise from the third. He then divided the small fourth part into smaller parts …" So many people know the start of this Hadeeth, but do not know its end. If they knew its end they would believe in its falsehood.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Ghammari said in his book Al-Mugheer ‘Ala Al-Ahadeeth Al-Mawdoo'ah Fil-Jami' As-Sagheer, “It is a fabricated Hadeeth; if it is narrated in full, everyone will believe in its falsehood. The remainder of this Hadeeth may be in two big pages, full of weak words and abominable meanings.” 

Rashid Rida stated in his Fatwas vol. 2/Page: 447 that the above-mentioned Hadeeth is baseless. Imaam As-Suyooti when was asked about this Hadeeth said, “It has no reliable foundation.”

Allaah Knows best.