Superiority Of The Prophet (sws)

July 10, 2024

4 min read 4 min

Question

I have a question regarding the status and position of the Prophets. Who do you believe is the greater Messenger, Jesus or Mohammed?

Answer

The Qur’anic verses, which shape the Muslim stance in this regard, take two aspects of issue. Though parallel yet both of these aspects are correlated and are mentioned to serve the same purpose. First, it makes it clear to the believers that the correct approach in regards to the status of different divine missionaries is that they all are appointed divine messengers and prophets and promulgate the same religion. The purpose of their mission is told to be the same i.e. warning the mankind of the Day of Judgment and giving glad tidings of the everlasting bliss for the righteous. The Holy Qur’an says:

Mankind was a single nation. (They differed) and God raised His prophets who came giving glad tidings and warnings, and with them He revealed His book with the decisive word so that it may judge between people in that in which they differ.[1] And none but the very people whom it was given to differed about it even after clear instructions had come to them, merely because of their mutual hatred and enmity. [2:212]

This and a host of other verses lead us to believe that as divine messengers and guides for mankind in religious affairs, all of them were equal status.

As for the question of discovering absolute superiority of a prophet over the other, reason and revelation both deny this. The Almighty clearly tells that all of the prophets were his select whom he loved and are to be equally respected by the Muslims. (Islam calls those Muslims who adhered to the true teachings of all the prophets)

However, some of these prophets were gifted with special favours and miracles. As the Qur’an says:

These messengers, We have made some of these to excel the others among them; to some of them Allah spoke; others He exalted by degrees of ranks; to Jesus the son of Mary We gave manifest signs, and strengthened him with the holy spirit. If Allah had so willed, succeeding generations would not have fought among each other, after clear proofs had come to them, but they wrangled, some of them believed and others rejected. If Allah had so willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah accomplishes what he wills. [2:253]

This shows that some of the Prophets were given special favours to strengthen them in their missions like Jesus was strengthened by the Holy Spirit and the Almighty spoke directly to Moses. The Holy Qur’an tells that David received Psalms as a favor exclusive for him.

This does not necessitate any bifurcation between the messengers in terms of their greatness or superiority by default. The verse quoted above clarifies the issue and makes it plain that the followers should not have found distinctions in term of the status of their prophets and thus reject other prophets of God. The correct approach in this regard is to consider all of them true Divine appointees and love them as their prophets of God. It is only according to the God’s plan of test and trial that He bestows some with some qualities which others lack. This does not entail any general bifurcation in the class of the prophets. At some other places the Holy Qur’an mentions that we need not bifurcate between the messenger of God and need to believe in all of them and the revelation they brought as a principle. It is only due to lack of authenticity and corruption, that the scriptures given to the previous prophets, are not followed by the Muslims. Divine revelations cannot be mutually contradicting in principle. However, it is can only show improvement with the introduction of new directives regarding for example the affairs that are adapted with the growth of culture and civilization.

In the light of foregoing explanation the answer to your question would be that Islam does not take the matter and rather discourages this line of thinking. We do not and should not strive to find such distinction among any of the prophets in terms of their original status with God and their greatness in measures of power vested to them by God.

[1]This shows that God’s religion has always been the same. That select religion is Islam. This is the very natural religion the mankind followed since its conception.

Answered by: Tariq Mahmood Hashmi

Date: 2015-01-10