Note: The following transcript was generated using AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Muhammad – unquestionably the most controversial name in 2019. Many people love him; others hate him. The example of Muhammad is, you know, just an exemplar of the faith. He was a warlord? Who is the man? And more importantly, is he really a true prophet sent by God?
This is The Hot Seat.
Brothers and sisters, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you and to introduce you to a brand-new show and a brand-new podcast called The Hot Seat.
To understand a little bit more about The Hot Seat, we first have to understand the context of the modern-day world we find ourselves living in, in the year 2019. It is a world in which, perhaps, there are more doubts, misconceptions, and misinterpretations thrown around about the religion of Islam than in any other period of time in the history of mankind.
The internet is the number one source used by people globally to acquire information on any topic, and it is riddled with and full of false notions and erroneous ideologies about the Dīn of Allāh (دين الله – the religion of Allah).
Our kids—and ourselves—are being exposed to this kind of information on a daily, if not daily then at the very least, weekly basis. And whether we know it or not, whether we choose to accept it or not, it is having an effect on us—our hearts, our minds, and ultimately our understanding of this beautiful religion.
To further complicate the problem, many of us find ourselves living in Western societies where the governments, the social norms, and pressures are constantly trying to redefine what is good and what is bad, what is accepted and what is rejected, what Islam is and is allowed to be, and what Islam is never allowed to be.
All of this, my brothers and sisters, ultimately leads to confusion, it leads to ignorance, and—if Allāh permits—it can lead to misguidance.
The Hot Seat has therefore been designed, with the permission of Allāh alone, to counter these kinds of modern-day, contemporary issues head-on by using the knowledge and guidance of the Muslims of the past—the early generations of Muslims, the best of generations.
There is not a single Muslim on the face of the planet today who would doubt the fact that Allāh Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā (الله سبحانه وتعالى – Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He) completed our religion for us over 1400 years ago—and that that complete, holistic, perfect religion is just as applicable now, in the year 2019, as it was back then.
We truly do have classical solutions for contemporary problems.
However, this isn't your normal, average Islamic lecture series. First of all, it's not a lecture—it's a discussion between two parties, often opposing parties, in an attempt to reach the truth bi'idhnillāh (بإذن الله – with the permission of Allah).
And secondly—and perhaps more importantly—it's a unique, one-of-a-kind interactive podcast where you, from the comfort of your own home, have the opportunity to vote for and choose the topic we'll be discussing on the show.
You also have the chance to ask your own questions on these contemporary issues, and to grill the speaker—if you feel like he hasn’t been grilled enough on the show itself.
I'll be releasing details of how you can do both of those things at the end of this episode.
But for now, without any further ado, let's get into this episode of The Hot Seat.
I'm once again joined on The Hot Seat by Ustādh Abdur Rahman Khāfidullah. Ustādh, how are you doing today?
As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh (السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته – May peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you).
Wa ʿalaykum as-salām wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh (وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته – And may peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you too). I'm doing good, alḥamdulillāh (الحمد لله – praise be to Allah).
The votes have been counted once again. On the website, we had another three options, and the public has voted for the topic:
Was Muhammad ﷺ a false prophet?
So that's the issue we're going to be discussing today.
And as always, I want to start with an opening question. Since we're talking about prophethood, I want to talk about the concept of prophethood before we move on to Muhammad ﷺ.
What makes somebody a prophet?
الحمد لله رب العالمين، له الحمد الحسن والثناء الجميل، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، يقول الحق وهو يهدي السبيل، وأشهد أن سيدنا ونبينا محمدًا صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وأصحابه والتابعين لهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين، أما بعد
(All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. To Him belongs the best praise and the most beautiful commendation. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone with no partner. He speaks the truth and guides to the right path. I bear witness that our master and prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and his family, companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment—[may Allah send peace and blessings upon them]. As for what follows:)
When it comes to talking about the issue of a prophet, the scholars mention that there are four things that a person has to agree on or acknowledge. And without these four, the concept of prophecy or prophethood cannot really be discussed properly.
The first thing we need to affirm and accept is: المخبر، المنبئ، المرسل – al-mukhbir, al-munbi’, al-mursal (The One who informed, the One who gives revelation, the One who sends – i.e., Allah Himself)
That is, the One who sent this prophet—the One from whom the message is being conveyed—and that is Allāh ʿAzza wa Jall (الله عز وجل – the Mighty and Majestic).
So the person has to believe in Allah. You can't be an atheist and talk about prophethood.
The second thing that needs to be accepted is also: المخبر، المنبئ – al-mukhbir, al-munbi’ (The one who is sent – i.e., the Prophet himself)
And that's our discussion today.
The third one is: المضمون النبوة – al-maḍmūn al-nubuwwah (The content of the prophethood – i.e., the message)
What does the prophecy contain? What is it talking about? The message, basically. So the first is Allah ʿAzza wa Jall, the second is the Messenger, and the third is the message itself—so the Sharīʿah (الشريعة – divine law) and the legislations that he brings.
And the fourth one is: الواسطة – al-wāsiṭah (The intermediary)
The intermediary can sometimes be directly from Allah ʿAzza wa Jall, so there’s no one between Allah and the Prophet. And sometimes, there is the angel Jibrīl (جبريل – Gabriel), who is the intermediary between Allah and the Messenger.
So those are the four pillars when it comes to discussing prophethood.
As the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah (أهل السنة – the people of the Sunnah) mention, a prophet is not something a person can attain through effort and hard work. You can’t worship Allah a lot, engage in excessive ʿibādah (عبادة – acts of worship), do many good deeds, and then reach prophethood—like you can with righteousness or piety.
Prophethood is not attained by hard work. It is a gift from Allāh ʿAzza wa Jall.
Allah chooses who He wants to make the Prophet. As Allah said in the ayah: اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ — Allah knows best where to place His message. Allah knows where He's going to place this message and who He is going to give it to.
And so Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said: إِنَّ اللَّهَ نَظَرَ إِلَىٰ قُلُوبِ عِبَادِهِ — Allah looked at the hearts of His creation. Allah looked at the heart of His creation, and He chose Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and all the other Prophets from amongst their people. So they were chosen, they were selected, they were picked by Allah عز و جل.
Also, what we believe is that Prophets are male, not females. There are some scholars who took a strange opinion, an obscure opinion, and it's a fringe — it's not the mainstream belief — that a female can be a Prophet.
Those three scholars are Abu al-Hassan al-Ash'ari, and also al-Imam al-Qurtubi رحمه الله, and also Ibn Hazm. These three scholars, they said that a female can be a Prophet. They specifically mentioned the mother of Musa عليه السلام, because Allah said in the ayah: وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰ أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ — We sent a wahi (revelation) to the mother of Musa.
So they said, look, she's a Prophet. But here it meant الإلهام (al-ilham — inspiration). Allah directed her to do this particular thing, but that wasn't a revelation.
And the mother of Isa ابن مريم — they said that Jibreel came to her, and so this is what a Prophet is, right? Jibreel comes to them. But the scholars, they responded to that — that the Prophet is a male, not a female.
So, summarized and quick — this is what a Prophet is. Okay, so essentially we're talking about Allah, the Creator, speaking to a human being — whether directly or indirectly.
Why do you even feel like this is possible in the first place? So, the concept of the adillah — the evidences — and I really want to focus on the rational evidence: الأدلة العقلية على إمكان النبوءة — The rational evidences for the possibility of Prophethood. I want to focus on the rational evidences that there can be a Prophet.
Before we even say Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is a Prophet from Allah, let's first of all prove that there can be a Prophet.
So inshallah, there are five ways to prove — there are many more — but just five for this podcast, that there can be a Prophet. There is a rational argument for the plausibility of a Prophet.
The first one is: دليل الخلق والقدرة وقياس الأولى — The proof of creation, power, and a fortiori reasoning.
Allah created سبحانه وتعالى, and creating is more complicated and hard — but nothing is hard for Allah عز و جل. That's more complicated, but for Allah, there's nothing complicated or hard. If He's done that, then sending a Prophet and a Messenger is nothing hard to Him — it's very easy.
As Allah said in the ayah: وَرَبُّكَ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَيَخْتَارُ — And your Lord creates whatever He wills and chooses.
Allah is the one who creates, and then He's the one who chooses. So Allah chooses who He wants to make a Prophet. Allah chooses how this universe and this world is run, سبحانه وتعالى.
In another ayah, Allah says: رَفِيعُ الدَّرَجَاتِ ذُو الْعَرْشِ يُلْقِي الرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ — He is the One of high ranks, Owner of the Throne. He sends the spirit of His command upon whom He wills among His servants.
Allah created everything سبحانه وتعالى, and He chose from His slaves a Prophet.
In another ayah, Allah says: اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ — Allah knows best where to place His message.
Allah knows. He has the power, He has the ability, He has the strength. He knows who He's going to give this message to.
So the first rational argument for there being a Prophet is the fact that Allah created سبحانه وتعالى. And it's a logical absurdity that someone would put effort in something — and nothing is effort for Allah عز و جل, but I'm just trying to give us a human example.
If someone went into the kitchen — وَلِلَّهِ الْمَثَالُ الْأَعْلَىٰ — And to Allah belongs the highest example. We can't compare anything to Allah, but I'm just trying to bring the information close to the listeners. If someone went into the kitchen and they cooked food, and they made food, and then as soon as they cooked it, they chose to just throw it into the bin — or they just left it there and walked away from it — and then the next day they came and they did the same…
You'd say this person is insane. Why would you do this and then just get rid of it or just dismiss it or not do anything with it? وَلِلَّهِ الْمَثَالُ الْأَعْلَىٰ — Allah is the greatest example.
How is it possible that we say Allah تبارك وتعالى created this creation, He brought it to existence — which brings me to my second point.
Just before we move on to the second point — even though Allah has the ability and the power to send a Prophet — it doesn't necessarily mean that He did. It doesn't make it true.
Allah has the ability to do everything, yet He didn't do everything. There are certain things He did, certain things He doesn't do.
I mean Allah does everything سبحانه وتعالى, and everything He can do سبحانه وتعالى. We can't restrict Allah's ability.
But that brings me to my second point, which is: دليل العناية والحكمة — The proof of divine care and wisdom.
It goes against Allah's wisdom سبحانه وتعالى that He would create this whole entire universe, He would create the creation inside it, and there won’t be any aim and objective behind their creation.
Allah says: وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ — And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], “Worship Allah and avoid false gods.”
In another ayah, Allah says: أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى — Does man think he will be left neglected (without purpose)?
Did mankind actually think and assume that he will be left aimlessly, with no purpose — nothing behind his creation? So it's wisdom — it's from the wisdoms of Allah عز و جل — that He created us for a purpose.
In another ayah, Allah says: أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا — Did you think that We created you in vain?
Did you think that we created you for a joke — that we just created you for nothing?
The third argument for it is: دَلِيلُ الضَّرُورَةِ وَالْإِفْتِقَارِ وَالْحَاجَةِ — The proof of necessity, need, and dependence.
That we are in need of Allah عز و جل — like Allah سبحانه وتعالى. We are hungry. We need to know our Creator. We want to know this world that we’re in — who brought us here?
There’s that حاجة (need) and that hunger inside us that makes us want to know who our Creator is.
So you're in front of two paths — not a third. The first one is to say: إِمَّا أَن يَتْرُكَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ النَّاسَ — Either Allah عز و جل leaves the people... دُونَ أَن يُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ الطَّرِيقَ إِلَيْهِ — ...without clarifying to them the path to Him.
He just creates them, and He doesn't make a path for them.
Or you come to the second one, which is: You say: اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى يُبَيِّنُ لَهُمُ الطَّرِيقَ — Allah clarified the path for them... بِأَقْوَى الْأَدِلَّةِ وَالْبَرَاهِينِ — ...with the strongest evidences and proofs.
He clarified everything for us. Those are the two you have.
Why do you feel like this is a proof for— I'm not sure I'm making a connection — why you feel this is a proof for Prophethood?
Okay, Allah created us, and from His wisdom, He creates us for a purpose — I’m with you on that. And He would tell us what that purpose is.
But do you not believe in the concept of the fitrah — that we already know, without having a Messenger sent to us, what is right and what is wrong?
The scholars, they categorize the fitrah into two:
The fitrah of wanting to have a religion — it's in us all. It's something Allah placed inside every one of us — that we want to have a religion. We want to be slaves to Allah عز و جل. We want that ultimate Creator — that divine being that we will go back to. It's placed inside us.
Allah said in the ayah: Turn yourself to Allah عز و جل. And then look what Allah said — He said... The beginning of the ayah, Allah said: Turn yourself to Allah — and then Allah mentioned the concept, which is the fitrah.
I was watching a debate that took place between the militant atheist Richard Dawkins, and the debate was between him and John Lennox. If you go to YouTube and type in "The Fixed Point Foundation," I think it's called, the debate is on The God Delusion that Richard Dawkins wrote. Subhanallah, before the debate unravels and the discussion starts, Richard Dawkins says something that, subhanallah, really shocked me. He said, “Einstein felt it. We all of us share a kind of religious reverence for the beauties of the universe, for the complexity of life, for the sheer magnitude of the cosmos, the sheer magnitude of geological time, and it's tempting to translate that feeling of awe and worship into a desire to worship some particular thing—a person, an agent—you want to attribute it to a maker, to a creator.”
That's fitrah. That's the fitrah that Allah is referring to here—that you want a religion, you want to believe in your Lord.
The second type is fitriyat al-tahseen wa al-takbeeh—you see the concept of evil and good. There is a universal good that we all know. Before legislation came, we all know lying is bad. We all know killing and oppressing another person is bad. That's innately built in us. That's there. But when it comes to the detailed types of good, that cannot be attained except through what? Through legislation. That's the fitriyat that Shaykh al-Islam Taymiyyah called al-tahseen wa al-takbeeh.
And that is why Allah said in the ayah: وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلَا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ لَقَدْ جَاءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِالْحَقِّ What does that translate to? It means: وَقَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ—They said, “Praise to Allah ‘azza wa jalla,” the one who guided us to the good. وَمَا كُنَّا—We were not ones to be guided if Allah did not guide us. And look what they said after that: لَقَدْ جَاءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِالْحَقِّ—The messengers that came from our Lord have truly told us the truth, telling them to stay away from that which is evil.
And also, you know the ayah where Allah says: وَقَالُوا لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِي أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ Before that, Allah says: سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى So yes, the fitrah is also another evidence that the prophets exist.
Also, another thing that is a strong evidence to prove the possibility of a prophet is the concept of Allah's justice. Allah can't just create us, subhanahu wa ta’ala, and when He brings us to this universe, He punishes us on the Day of Judgment without having sent to us a prophet. This goes against Allah's justice, subhanahu wa ta’ala.
Allah says in the Qur’an: وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا We are ones who won’t punish them unless we send a messenger for them.
Wouldn’t it be more just for Allah just to speak to all of us directly? I mean, He had the ability to do that, right? He did, subhanahu wa ta’ala. And that's the concept of the fitrah, right? The fitrah is already something that’s placed inside you. It's there already. Even the detailed aspects of good and bad—why couldn’t He have just spoken to us directly? Why is it conditioned for us to believe in a man to attain salvation? Why can’t we just believe in God?
As I said at the beginning, the ayah: وَرَبُّكَ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَيَخْتَارُ مَا كَانَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ We have no choice. Allah tabarak wa ta'ala: لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ Allah is never questioned about what He does—they are the ones who are questioned. He does it because of wisdom that He knows, which we don’t necessarily know, subhanahu wa ta’ala.
See, we only have the pixel, and Allah has the whole picture. So we don’t really understand the intrinsic matters. But going back to the point I was saying—Allah’s justice, subhanahu wa ta’ala, and how fair He is, is that He can’t punish us on the Day of Judgment without sending us a messenger and a prophet to guide us.
وَمَا أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا لَهَا مُنذِرُونَ ذِكْرًا وَمَا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ Allah said that there was no nation, or no village, or no town that we destroyed except that there was a warner that came to them to warn them. Allah says: وَمَا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ—We were not oppressors. We were just.
In another ayah, Allah tabarak wa ta’ala says: رُسُلًا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ Prophets—what did the prophets do? Two things. They give glad tidings, and those prophets—they warn. And then Allah says: لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا Allah sends messengers with two things—they warn, and they give glad tidings. And then Allah tabarak wa ta’ala says: لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ So we don’t have any proof after the prophets and messengers come. There’s no proof for us. That’s it. Everything was clarified to us.
The final verse that I want to mention is: وَلَوْ أَنَّا أَهْلَكْنَاهُم بِعَذَابٍ مِّن قَبْلِهِ لَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا لَوْلَا أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًا فَنَتَّبِعَ آيَاتِكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن نَّذِلَّ وَنَخْزَى Allah says if we were to destroy them with our punishment before we send a messenger to them, they would have said, “Oh Allah, why didn’t you send a messenger to us so we can follow the things that he calls us to, and that we can be saved from being humiliated and disgraced?”
Those are the points that prove the possibility of a prophet.
Final one—just a final one—is: historically, prophets came. ‘Isa ibn Maryam is historically proven that he came, ‘alayhi as-salatu wa-salaam. Historically, prophets came. And this is an evidence of the possibility of prophets. It’s not like something that didn’t happen—it’s actually something that did happen.
When the disbelievers of Quraysh—the Arab pagans—they tried to dismiss that, because they knew that if they proved that there never came a prophet before, then they could probably put a question mark over the Prophet. So this is what they said: مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا فِي الْمِلَّةِ الْآخِرَةِ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا اخْتِلَاقٌ “We’ve never heard of this in the previous religions, in the previous nations—we’ve never heard this before. This is made up.” And then Allah responded to them. He said: وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ إِذْ قَالُوا مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ بَشَرٍ مِّن شَيْءٍ قُلْ مَنْ أَنْزَلَ الْكِتَابَ الَّذِي جَاءَ بِهِ مُوسَىٰ نُورًا وَهُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ تَجْعَلُونَهُ قَرَاطِيسَ تُبْدُونَهَا وَتُخْفُونَ كَثِيرًا وَعُلِّمْتُم مَّا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَنتُمْ وَلَا آبَاؤُكُمْ... Allah says: who is the one who sent down the book to Musa? This has historically taken place. It has actually happened.
So these five that I just mentioned—I’m quickly going to go over what those five are:
- دَلِيلُ الْخَلْقِ وَالْقُدْرَةِ وَقِيَاسِ الْأَوْلَى – Allah created and He has the ability. I gave the evidences for that.
- دَلِيلُ الْعِنَايَةِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ – Allah’s consideration and His wisdom for His creation.
- دَلِيلُ الضَّرُورَةِ وَالْحَاجَةِ وَالإِفْتِقَارِ – The need that we have for Allah. We need to know our Creator. We are in hunger to know who He is.
- دَلِيلُ الْعَدْلِ وَالإِلَهِ – Allah’s justice—that He doesn’t punish His creation without sending them a prophet.
- دَلِيلُ الْإِسْتِقْرَاءِ التَّارِيخِي – Historically, we know there came prophets before us who walked on the face of this earth.
Okay, before we move on, I’ve got a few questions on those five. The fourth one you mentioned is Allah’s justice. What do we believe about the prophets? Do we believe that they are guaranteed Paradise?
Yeah, prophets are promised Paradise. So now you have someone who, like you said, didn't work hard—actions—to attain the status of prophethood. Rather, they were chosen by Allah. And this person gets a free ticket into Paradise, whereas we have to work for our ticket into Paradise. How is that fair?
Prophets is not a gift. Prophecy is not a gift. Prophecy is not a gift—meaning it’s something Allah ʿAzza wa Jalla (Mighty and Majestic) gives to whomever He wishes.
When it comes to working for Paradise (Jannah), it's something that everybody has to come with. Working for Jannah is something that everyone has to come with—everyone exerts their effort toward it.
The only thing is: prophets will always be the ones who work for Jannah. They will always do that. It won’t happen that a prophet will—what?—not work for Jannah, not put in the effort.
Rather, prophets get it even harder than other ordinary creation. Meaning there are things that were obligatory on our Prophet that weren’t obligatory on his nation. Things he had to do that we don’t have to do—because of his station and his position.
And that’s not the only person we believe is going to enter Jannah. We know other creations of Allah who were alive and were informed that they would go to Paradise as well—and they weren’t prophets.
Second Question:
I get the impression that your main argument for the reason why Allah sent prophets is to teach us our religion. You mentioned that we don’t have any female prophets. That’s a stronger opinion—the opinion that you hold.
Are you of the belief that men and women have been created the same? If not—and I don’t believe you think that— If not, then how do women know how to live their lives?
I understand that male prophets were sent to teach men how to live their life. But aren’t women different? And if they are, then why weren’t there any female prophets to show them how to live their life?
You see, the difference between men and women is on the biological side of it. But on the spiritual side—if a woman does a righteous action and a man does a righteous action—in the eyes of Allah, it’s the same.
It’s the intention, the hard work, and the way they do it in accordance to the Sunnah (the Prophetic tradition)— That’s what’s looked at—not their gender.
But biologically—I’m not the only one who believes that— Even a feminist will say the same. Of course, biologically, men and women are not the same.
So Allah doesn’t want—Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā (Glorified and Exalted is He)—from His wisdom, To pressure and put this burden on women. Women have times within the month—they can’t handle these responsibilities.
For example, she will not be praying the Ṣalāh (obligatory prayer)—and the people need an Imām to lead them in prayer. And many other things.
So you see, what we have to understand is the relationship between— And I always say this—the relationship between the creating and the legislating.
Allah’s legislations are always in accordance with the nature of the person—their ability and their capability. It’s not random.
The legislation observes that—because no one can issue laws and commands over you except the One who knows you best. And that’s only Allah.
Now, moving on:
Okay, I think you made a strong claim for why prophethood, in general, can exist—and the proofs for that. I’d now like to take the conversation specifically to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
As we know—and you mentioned at the end—there were many prophets who have come in history. We’ve also been told there were false prophets in the past—or people who claimed prophethood. And in the future as well, there are going to be people who claim prophethood.
How do we know that Muhammad ﷺ is not one of these people?
Okay, that’s very good.
Now I have to prove and give a strong argument for al-burhān ʿalā ṣidq nubuwwat Muḥammad (البرهان على صدق نبوة محمد) — the evidences and proofs for the truthfulness of the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ.
This is after I’ve proven the possibility and plausibility of there being prophets.
There are eight points I can mention. If the podcast allows me to go through each and every one of them, that’s good. If not, then In shā’ Allāh (God willing) I might do another session on it.
The first one is: Dalālat al-ittiṣāf al-Nabī ﷺ bi-kamāl al-akhlāq ʿalā nubuwwatihi (دلالة اتصاف النبي ﷺ بكمال الأخلاق على نبوته) The indication that the Prophet ﷺ was characterized by perfect manners is a proof of his prophethood.
The Messenger’s characteristics and who he was as an individual is an evidence that he was a Prophet from Allah. And there are many attributes and characteristics of the Prophet ﷺ that point toward him being a Prophet.
But I’m going to stick to the most important one for the podcast— And that is: He had kamāl al-ṣidq (كمال الصدق) — complete truthfulness.
And I want to prove this concept of him being truthful from two angles:
- I want to mention that he was completely truthful.
- And the impossibility—or how it's inconceivable—for him to ever have lied or be a liar.
Let’s first of all look at what the people who were most close to him said. Not his followers, not his disciples, not his companions. I’m talking about his staunch enemies.
I’m talking about his staunch enemies who lived close to him, Who were looking for any reason not to believe in him.
What did they say about him?
Quraysh, when they saw the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, And he addressed them and preached to them, They said to him:
ما جربنا عليك كذبًا “We’ve never experienced you lying.”
Another narration says:
ما جربنا عليك كاذبًا “We’ve never known you to be a liar.”
Another narration says:
ما عهدنا عليك كذبًا “We’ve never known you to lie.”
Abū Ṭālib, the Prophet’s uncle—he had a poem where he praised the Prophet ﷺ. He said:
وأبيض يستسقى الغمام بوجهه ثمال اليتامى عصمة للأرامل يلوذ به الهلاك من آل هاشم فهم عنده في نعمة وفواضل
(Translation summary: A noble man, by whose face rain is sought—he is a support for orphans and a protection for widows.)
He said: "Our son is known—it’s affirmed—that he is not one to lie."
And I’ll tell you something very shocking that I came across—that proves his honesty and truthfulness ﷺ:
At the Battle of Badr, when it happened and the armies gathered—Abū Jahl was there. When the two armies saw one another—facing each other—someone said to Abū Jahl:
Do you think Muhammad lies?
These are two non-Muslims talking—looking at one another
This is the battle they're getting ready for the Prophet ﷺ. Abu Jahl said, “How would he lie about Allah, when we used to see him as the truthful one? And the reason why we called him the truthful one is because he has never lied to us.”
This is the Prophet ﷺ. So this is a testimony from a man who now wants to wage war against him. He's going to fight him. He's in the front row. And everyone who reads history would know Abu Jahl was the one who pushed for the Battle of Badr.
Another example I want to give you—from the people of the scripture: A Jewish man.
Quraysh—his people—knew the Prophet for forty years before he became a prophet. Allah wanted them to get to know Muhammad. The name they gave him was Muhammad Al-Amin (محمد الأمين) – Muhammad, the Trustworthy. That was his name.
The second point I want to bring is: A Jewish man, ʿAbdullah ibn Salam (عبد الله بن سلام), said: When the Messenger came to the city of Madinah, the people rushed to him. They wanted to see him. ʿAbdullah ibn Salam said: “I rushed to him so I could see him. I wanted to know him. I wanted to see who this man was, because I had heard about him—I wanted to know who Muhammad is.
He said: ‘I came, and when I looked and observed, and I got the chance to look at his face, I realized this is not the face of a liar.’
The first thing I heard him say was: 'Afshu al-salam (أفشوا السلام)' – Spread the greetings (of peace). He came to Madinah. Jews are living next to him. Look at his character and his morality.
And he said: 'Afshu al-salam, wa atʿimu al-taʿam, wa sallu wa al-nasu niyam, tadkhulu al-jannah bi-salam' (أفشوا السلام، وأطعموا الطعام، وصلوا والناس نيام، تدخلوا الجنة بسلام) – Spread peace, feed people, and pray while the people are sleeping—you will enter Paradise in peace.
So these were the people who were closest to him, and they testified that he was truthful.
If Prophet Muhammad ﷺ—now I want to go to the second part—if he was a liar, it would have been impossible for him to lie about Allah.
Allah made a covenant and an oath that He will destroy anyone who lies about Him.
Allah said in the ayah (verse):
"وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ • لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ • ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ" “And if he had fabricated against Us some sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand, and then We would have cut from him the aorta.” [Surah Al-Haqqah, 69:44-46]
Allah is saying: We will destroy him and humiliate him and annihilate him.
In another place, Allah says:
"إِذًا لَّأَذَقْنَاهُ ضِعْفَ الْحَيَاةِ وَضِعْفَ الْمَمَاتِ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُ لَهُ عَلَيْنَا نَصِيرًا" “Then We would have made him taste double [punishment] in life and double after death. Then he would not find for himself against Us any helper.” [Surah Al-Isra’, 17:75]
They wanted to come to you, Muhammad, and try to get you away from the legislation that was sent to you. They were trying to sway you away. If you did go in their direction and followed them, and you did what they wanted and distorted Our religion, We would have destroyed you, Muhammad. And you would never have found anyone to help you or aid you.
So he couldn’t have lied. It is impossible for him to lie.
How could he then be a liar when he was saddened for his people? Whenever his people didn’t follow him, he would be sad and emotional about it.
Allah said in the ayah:
"فَلَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَسَفًا" “Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, out of sorrow.” [Surah Al-Kahf, 18:6]
So all of the people at his time—obviously—they believed him to be truthful. Did they all accept the religion then? The people that came into contact with the Prophet—they didn’t all believe in him. They rejected his message. They didn’t want to take it from him.
But the rejection of the Prophet’s message had to do with something else. It had nothing to do with him not being truthful or honest.
Why was it that they didn’t want to take the Prophet’s message? What was the reason?
One of the reasons is ḥasad (حسد) – jealousy towards him.
Allah said in the ayah:
"وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يَرُدُّونَكُم مِّن بَعْدِ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفَّارًا حَسَدًا مِّنْ عِندِ أَنفُسِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْحَقُّ" “Many of the People of the Book wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from themselves, [even] after the truth has become clear to them.” [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:109]
So they had ḥasad (jealousy) towards the Messenger ﷺ. It had nothing to do with the concept that he was a liar.
The second point I want to mention is: The Prophet ﷺ was an Ummi (أمّي) – illiterate. He couldn’t read or write.
And I want to prove this from two angles:
1. Rational Evidence:
It makes sense that he was illiterate. Why? Because he was from a land and a people who were historically known to be illiterate. The Arabs—they were not known for reading or writing. They were known for memory and memorization.
So that’s a rational proof. It makes sense. He was in the middle of the desert.
There were some who could write though—very few. And they were pointed out. Those writers were known.
For example, Waraqah ibn Nawfal was a writer and he could read. He could read the previous scriptures.
Even when you look at the narrations that came regarding him, it would state— It categorically mentions that he was a reader because it was a unique characteristic. Not many people could do that.
2. Textual Evidence:
Allah mentioned in the Qur’an that the Prophet ﷺ was illiterate:
"هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ" “It is He who has sent among the unlettered (al-ummiyyīn) a Messenger from among themselves…” [Surah Al-Jumuʿah, 62:2]
And Ummi (أمّي) means one who is illiterate—he couldn’t read or write.
So that’s the second evidence—the verse I just mentioned.
It was a historical reality as well. Because if you go back and look at the time…
Let’s go back to the ayah you mentioned. What does it translate to?
So Allah ﷻ sent down among the Ummiyeen (الأميين) – the illiterate ones, as a plural. He’s referring to the people, but it also includes the Prophet ﷺ. He didn’t just mention that the Prophet ﷺ himself was illiterate—He used the plural "Ummiyeen", meaning the people at the time. Which supports my earlier argument that the Arabs were mostly illiterate—the majority of them couldn’t read or write.
Do we have any proof that the Prophet ﷺ himself was illiterate? Yes, textual proof. Allah says:
"النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ" – The illiterate Prophet [Surah Al-Aʿrāf, 7:157]
Why does him being illiterate prove his Prophethood?
Because he came with something that shocked the Arabs:
"وَإِن كُنتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِّن مِّثْلِهِ" “And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant, then produce a surah like it…” [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:23]
He came with a miracle. He came with the Qur’an.
They were mind-boggled. They were gobsmacked. They were shocked at what he brought ﷺ. “What is this?”
And that's another point I’m going to come to when I speak about the Qur’anic miracle — the Qur’anic discourse, the linguistic power in the Qur’an. The Prophet ﷺ was illiterate. He couldn’t read things before him. So how was he telling us — and this is another point I’m going to come to — about the unseen? How could he talk about previous nations when he wasn’t a reader?
If he could read, then someone might say he could have gotten this information from other sources, gathered it from different places.
Now what about the argument that: He was well-travelled. He worked with his first wife Khadijah in her business, so he met different people. He interacted with Jews, he interacted with Christians — and that’s how he came to know about the former scriptures, the former religions and cultures?
To say that the Messenger ﷺ was a traveller is actually a big mistake.
The reason I say that is because the Messenger ﷺ never left the Arabian Peninsula — except that he went to Shām (the Levant). That’s it. He didn’t travel much. He only travelled to one place — Shām — and nowhere else. So that’s a mistake that many people fall into.
Secondly, the Prophet ﷺ came with detailed knowledge. He came with great, detailed knowledge — things that were future events, things that hadn’t even happened yet — and also information about things that had happened in the past.
Let me just give you some examples of what he ﷺ spoke about.
He talked to us about Nabi ‘Isa:
وَأُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا تَأْكُلُونَ وَمَا تَدَّخِرُونَ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
‘Isa ibn Maryam — how he would tell people about what they stored in their houses, what they had. He told them!
Now, if you look at the Bible or Christian scriptures, they don’t have the historical events of ‘Isa when he was young. So where could the Prophet ﷺ have gotten this information from? There’s no other place!
Someone might say, “But there’s no way to verify whether this is true, if it's not found anywhere else.” But then we respond: if everything else the Prophet ﷺ said has been verified and proven accurate — then why would this one thing suddenly be questioned?
They might say, “Well, what if there are some things that aren’t accurate?” For example, they’ll bring up the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Messenger ﷺ said:
"I and the Hour have been sent like this" — and he joined his forefinger with his middle finger.
Meaning: very, very close.
Now, some argue, “That’s a problem — because if you look at modern-day false prophets like Joseph Smith from the Mormons, they also claimed the end of the world was near. Didn’t the Prophet ﷺ fall into the same problem? It’s been 1400 years and we’re still here.”
But here’s the response: In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Anyone who dies, then his Day of Judgment has come.”
So if you die — that’s it. Your hour has come. And we know from another hadith:
“The lifespan of my Ummah is between 60 to 70 [years], and few go beyond that.”
So when he said that his hour is close, it means that your own Qiyamah begins when you die. Because at death, your questioning begins. You’ve now moved on to the next world — the next dimension — the next phase.
Another thing: he ﷺ didn’t say the Day of Judgment will come in 1000 years. If he had said that and it didn’t happen, then you’d have a point. But all he did was gesture, to show how close the hour is in comparison to all of the previous prophets. Meaning: My coming is near the final hour.
That’s all.
Now, back to the point. When he ﷺ spoke about previous prophets, he gave detail. For example, when he spoke about Nabi Musa, or about the story of Nabi Yusuf. Or even when he spoke about the Romans and the Persians during their battles — he prophesied the outcome. He said:
غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ
“The Romans have been defeated…” And then, they will soon be victorious again.
He prophesied this — and it happened! No one at that time knew this. But the Romans later won.
In fact, Abu Bakr had a bet with someone on this issue. He betted that what the Prophet ﷺ said would happen — and he won that bet!
Also, the Prophet ﷺ gave one of the most powerful prophecies I’ve ever come across. It really touched me — especially when I read it in Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah’s Kitab al-Nubuwwat.
It’s the prophecy of Abu Lahab.
Abu Lahab was alive when Surah al-Masad was revealed:
تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ
The Prophet ﷺ told him while he was alive that he would be in the Hellfire. Now here’s the thing — if Abu Lahab had just said, “I believe!” — even just faked it — he would have disproved the Prophet ﷺ completely! He would have proven him to be a liar.
But what happened? Abu Lahab became even more stubborn in his disbelief. This, in itself, is a miracle — it shows that what the Prophet ﷺ said was going to happen no matter what.
Lastly, another prophecy — the conquering of Makkah. Allah said:
لَقَدْ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ رَسُولَهُ الرُّؤْيَا بِالْحَقِّ
The ru’yā here refers to wahi — revelation. He ﷺ was informed by Allah that he would conquer Makkah. And it happened, just like that.
So he ﷺ prophesied future events that he could not have known — and they came to pass.
Now, let’s talk about miracles.
Did he ﷺ come with miracles? Yes, two major ones.
First miracle: the splitting of the moon. The people of Makkah said, “Show us something!” And the Prophet ﷺ showed them the splitting of the moon. That’s why the ayah says:
اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ
The hour has come near, and the moon has split.
Second miracle: the Qur’an itself. The Qur’an is the strongest and most everlasting miracle.
Why? Because every prophet — their miracles ended with them. But the miracle of the Prophet ﷺ still remains to this day. It will remain until the Day of Judgment.
The Qur’an is here — alive. Recited. Preserved.
Now consider this: every prophet’s miracle suited their time and people.
- Nabi Musa — his people were into magic, so he was given miracles that countered magic.
- ‘Isa — his people were into medicine, so he brought miracles that surpassed it (bringing the dead back to life, by Allah’s permission).
- The Arabs? They were people of language. They had reached the peak of eloquence. So what was given to the Prophet ﷺ? The Qur’an — unmatched in eloquence, and not poetry.
Even the people of Quraysh were shocked — they knew poetry. But the Qur’an wasn’t poetry.
Let me give you an example.
There was a man named Unais al-Ghifari — the brother of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari. He was a master of poetry, one of the greatest poets of his time
So he said: "I heard the speech of the fortune-tellers—I just heard them. This man’s speech is not the speech of a fortune-teller or a magician. No, it’s not.
And I’ve placed his speech next to the speech of the poets. By Allah (والله), I swear, his speech doesn’t align with the speech of the poets. It’s nothing like their poetry.
By Allah (والله), Muhammad is truthful, and they are lying about him by what they are saying."
And Allah exposed their lies. He said in another ayah (verse):
"وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تُؤْمِنُونَ" "And it is not the word of a poet; little is it that you believe." (Surah Al-Haqqah, 69:41)
I’d like to do a separate episode, I think, on the Qur’an itself—why it’s a miracle exactly.
What’s the next point that you’d like to bring after that?
Another proof to show that he was a Prophet sent from Allah is the fact that at times, when he needed revelation—when he needed support—nothing was coming to him for a period of time.
This helps us, because if it was all coming from him…
Before I go into that point, there’s something I just wanted to mention.
The scholars mention this is one of the strongest evidences of the truthfulness of the Qur’an. The Qur’an that he came with—if you compare the speech he came with to his own personal speech—how could it so quickly transform into this level of eloquence?
When he spoke (normally), it was slightly different from it—the rhythm, the structure, everything was different. It shows you they were coming from two different sources.
One was from him, and the other was from who? Allah ʿazza wa jall (الله عز وجل).
And we’re talking about the wording here, not the legislation.
The Qur’an, when he recited it—it had a pattern, a particular structure. It was amazing. But when you look at his own speech, his own eloquence—it never reached the Qur’an.
Coming back—I think it’s appropriate to bring in an alternative shubha (doubt) that some people mention. That is, like you said: It’s clear the Qur’an was different from his normal speech, so he clearly wasn’t fabricating it himself.
Fine. Some people say: “We agree with that. But why do you believe it came from Allah? Why couldn’t it have come from the devil, for example?”
Some people bring up what’s known as “the satanic verses”, and it’s mentioned in some sources—an incident where Muhammad supposedly believed or mentioned that revelation came from Satan.
What do you have to say about this?
So the issue of the story of Al-Gharānīq (الغرانق)—the scholars proved its weakness. It’s fabricated (موضوع). There’s no basis to it. That’s the simple answer without going into too much detail.
It’s weak. It has no basis. There’s no evidence for it.
Rather, Allah tells us the nature of the relationship between the Prophet and the unseen.
I’ll give you an example. Allah says:
"تَنَزَّلُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ" "It descends upon every sinful liar." (Surah Ash-Shu'ara, 26:222)
And I just proved to you that the Prophet was not a liar.
أفَّاك – a forger, a person who lies and fabricates.
The verse says that shayāṭīn (الشياطين) descend upon liars. Most of them are liars—but Muhammad ﷺ was not a liar.
The Qur’an clarified that there was no relationship between him and the devils.
Coming back to the earlier point: Revelation delayed from him when there was great need for it.
Let me give you an example—the issue of Ḥādithatul Ifk (حادثة الإفك).
When the Messenger of Allah’s wife was accused of a heinous crime—this was his wife, his honor. If the Qur’an was all coming from him, and we all know when something happens to us personally, we want to react quickly, we want an answer immediately—yet for one month, he had no answer.
The ḥadīth mentions that ʿĀʾishah (عائشة) said:
“He stayed for a month. No revelation came down regarding my matter—nothing. So he had nothing to say to me.”
For an entire month—nothing. He didn’t speak.
Another example is the turning away from the Qiblah (قبلة). Allah says:
"قَدْ نَرَىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ..." "We have certainly seen the turning of your face toward the heaven..." (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:144)
He kept looking at the sky because he wanted to turn away from Bayt al-Maqdis (بيت المقدس) and face Mecca for prayer.
Why is he looking at the sky? Why not just make the decision himself?
Why doesn’t he just say: “I’m turning away from it. This is from Allah”?
Because he was waiting for revelation.
And there are many other examples—the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah (صلح الحديبية), and how it happened—all of it was from revelation.
He waited.
Let’s be honest—the Prophet ﷺ had some of the wisest people around him.
He had Abu Sufyān, the leader of Quraysh. He had Abu Bakr, from the most respected of Quraysh.
These people could see through a liar, a fraudster, a charlatan.
Don’t play with our minds.
Now, what if we look at some of the things that he came with that we know were different from the legislation?
There’s an argument out there that he actually lied for personal gain—he wanted wealth, power, fame, or women.
One specific claim they make is: “We know in Islam, a man is allowed a maximum of four wives, but he had more than that. So he’s breaking the rules for personal gain.”
What do you say about that?
If the Prophet ﷺ wanted women, at the start of his message, the Quraysh offered that to him.
They said to him: “If you want money, we’ll give it to you. If you want fame, we’ll give it to you. If you want women, we’ll give them to you. Just stop this. Stop dividing us.”
Quraysh clearly offered him all of this.
But anyone who looks at the Prophet’s life will realize—he never gained money. He lived a very poor life.
He was shunned by his own community. They made him leave Mecca.
Before he left for Madīnah, he turned around and looked at Mecca and said:
“Mecca, I love you. If it wasn’t for my people forcing me out, I would never have left you.”
He left his own hometown. That doesn't line up psychologically with someone seeking fame.
Rather, he suffered—his companions were killed, his followers were persecuted.
As for the marriages, as I said earlier—there were things that were obligated upon him that we would find difficult if we were told to do them.
So why don’t we consider those obligations as well?
Lastly, one powerful evidence is that the Prophet ﷺ was scolded by Allah in the Qur’an on multiple occasions.
He was corrected—told off for certain things he did.
Let me give you three examples (though there are more):
1. The issue of Zaynab bint Jaḥsh (زينب بنت جحش): She was the wife of Zayd ibn Ḥārithah (زيد بن حارثة), who was considered like a son to the Prophet ﷺ.
At one point, people called him Zayd ibn Muhammad, until Allah said:
"ادْعُوهُمْ لِآبَائِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ اللَّهِ" "Call them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah." (Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:5)
Zaynab and Zayd eventually separated, and the Prophet ﷺ was informed he would marry Zaynab.
He felt shy, reluctant to speak about it.
ʿĀʾishah (عائشة) said:
“If the Prophet ﷺ was to conceal anything from the Qur’an, he would have concealed this verse.”
Which verse is he talking about? If he would have ever concealed something, he would have concealed that verse. What does that verse tell him? That: "Are you scared of the people? Are you not scared of Allah? Are you scared of them? Allah is the one you should be scared of. Tell the people that Zayd is going to be your wife. Don’t be scared of it."
Another thing—another example—is when he asked forgiveness for his uncle, and Allah سبحانه وتعالى (Glorified and Exalted is He) scolded him for that. He said:
"مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُوا لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوا أُولِي قُرْبَىٰ" “It is not befitting for the Prophet and those who believe to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they are close relatives.”
Also, regarding the booty they took from the Battle of Badr—the Prophet ﷺ used the seventy captives taken as war booty and tried to use them to get ransom money from Quraysh. But Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:
"مَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ أَن يَكُونَ لَهُ أَسْرَىٰ حَتَّىٰ يُثْخِنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ تُرِيدُونَ عَرَضَ الدُّنْيَا وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ الْآخِرَةَ" “It is not fitting for a Prophet to have captives [of war] until he has thoroughly subdued [the enemy] in the land. You desire the commodities of this world, but Allah desires the Hereafter.”
So your argument is that because he was rebuked, it shows that nobody would rebuke themselves openly and publicly?
Exactly. No one would shame themselves and show themselves to be in the wrong—especially at a time when you have the whole region, the entire Arabian Peninsula, coming to you, believing in you. It doesn’t make sense to show them that you make mistakes.
Ok, and I think you might have touched on it just now when you were talking about his message being coherent and making sense. One of the other questions that some people ask is: “Ok, you’ve proved that he wasn’t a liar, he was truthful—I’m with you on that. But what if he genuinely believed he was receiving revelation, but he was just deluded?”
The concept of being deluded—and that it’s a mental health issue—that cannot be consistent with his biography. The way that he prepared his army, the way he controlled and ran his private affairs, the way he ran public affairs, the physical pain he went through when revelation came down on him—all of that does not align with someone who is deluded. It doesn’t go in line with his biography.
What about certain things in his biography that might appear to be strange? Do you genuinely believe that he flew on a winged horse into the seven heavens? I mean, surely that seems like a delusion—someone claiming that they went to the seven heavens?
Yes, he is claiming that this is what he did.
Unlike the previous miracles—like when Musa عليه السلام (peace be upon him) split the Red Sea open—he had witnesses. When ʿĪsā عليه السلام (Jesus, peace be upon him) brought people back from the dead (with the permission of Allah), he had witnesses. But here, it’s one man claiming that he went on a night journey to the seven heavens—with no other witnesses. Doesn’t this sound like a delusion to you? Do you genuinely believe this happened?
Of course I believe it happened. Let me explain something to you. Again, that statement has to be understood in the context of who he was—his life, his biography. This man has never lied before. There was no accusation prior to Islam, before he became a Prophet. No one accused him of being mentally deranged. No one claimed he had any mental health issues.
Not to mention—sorry—people didn’t claim he was possessed before he became a Prophet. It was only after Islam that they said those things, because they had their reasons. They were adversaries to him—they were against him—so they would say anything they could to accuse him, anything they could throw at him.
But do you think a deranged lunatic, for example, could come up with all of these points that I mentioned? For example, he mentioned some scientific things that are proven today to be true. The concept of embryology, for example—when he spoke about it in the Qur’an. He also spoke about the sensory system and where pain comes from if you get burned. Scientists have now proven that the pain comes from the skin—that it’s the skin that feels the pain and the heat.
All of this can’t come from someone who is deluded. He’s bringing facts to the table. He’s bringing things that are—you know—mind-boggling. They shocked the world.
Do you believe that there’s going to be another prophet after him?
No. He’s the final and last Prophet.
So because I believe he is truthful, and I believe him in everything else—in his biography, and the things that he brought to the table—I definitely believe there will never come a Prophet after him.
At the start of this podcast, you mentioned that one of the reasons why Allah sends prophets is to show mankind how to live their lives. We know that there are always new things coming up in the modern-day world. There are always new things. Do we not need clarification from Allah on how to deal with these new things?
Allah has already done that for us. Allah has given us the way forward for every single thing that we need. Nothing has been left out. Everything has been given to us—it’s been explained to us.
You're right, the Qur’an doesn’t talk about the—you know—detailed issues like that. And that’s why we believe there are general principles in the Qur’an. There is never going to come anything in the future except that it has already been explained to us.
But in what way? Like in details, case by case?
No—general principles were given. And those general principles apply until the Day of Judgment.
So, for example, at the time of the Messenger, alcohol was prohibited. And now, drugs have come, and other types of substances have come that intoxicate the mind. And that’s it—we’ll keep bringing it back to the alcohol ruling. Bring it back to that.
Ok, before we wrap up this episode, can you just give us a summary of your main points and your main arguments?
So first of all, dealing with the concept of prophethood and why it's even possible in the first place:
I mentioned five reasons:
- Allah created, and since Allah created, He has the ability—and it is more befitting for Allah—not only to create, but also to command His creation.
- It is from the wisdom of Allah that He would create a creation, and then command them and prohibit them. That is consistent with His wisdom.
- The creation is in need of Allah—to know their Creator: Who is He? Where is He? The creation is in need of this knowledge.
- It is from Allah’s ultimate justice that He sends us messengers to clarify everything to us. Otherwise, the Day of Judgment would come, and we’d be punished despite not having had a messenger sent to us. That doesn't align with Allah's justice.
- The fifth reason is historical evidence—that prophets have come. That is a brute fact.
After I proved the rational evidence for the plausibility of prophethood, and specifically for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, before moving on to the next point, I want to emphasize something:
The ʿaql (intellect)—the rational mind—itself has a place, and I believe we should even make a podcast on this: the relationship between reason and faith.
As the poet Ibn al-Qayyim said, the ʿaql will not be independent without the guidance of revelation. He said:
Like a branch without light—it is not perceptible until it sees it in the morning. When the light of prophethood has not reached, the ʿaql will not guide you. The light of prophethood is like the light of the sun to the sighted eye. So take it as your evidence in the ways of guidance—you will not find other evidence.
What many people don’t understand is that the ʿaql does have a place in our religion. But the ʿaql is like the eye. Your eye can see—but it needs light to see. You need to switch on the light so that your eye can perceive what’s in front of it. The eye by itself can’t see in darkness.
Likewise, ʿaql by itself cannot see—it needs light, and that light is revelation.
And we’ll talk about this in more detail, in shā’ Allāh taʿālā, when we speak about the relationship between reason and faith.
So those were the five rational evidences for the plausibility of a prophet.
Then, I mentioned seven evidences that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a prophet from Allah:
- The first one is that the Messenger ﷺ had the utmost moral conduct. And I only mentioned one aspect of that—his truthfulness.
- The second was Dalālat al-Ummiyyah (The Evidence of His Illiteracy)—that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was Ummi (illiterate).
- The third was the complete legislation that he came with—how comprehensive this religion is. I spoke about that from two angles:
- The fitrah (natural disposition)—that all humans have a built-in tendency to worship and connect to Allah.
- And also the built-in sense of morality—the innate desire to distinguish good from bad.
- But we can’t know every good and bad unless we have divine guidance—religion.
- I also spoke about the fact that he told us of the unseen—of things in the future that would happen, and many of them did happen just as he prophesied. And he also spoke of the past—things that were unknown to him, but were later confirmed to be accurate.
- I also mentioned the Qur’an—that it is a miracle he came with. A living miracle.
- The sixth was that the Prophet ﷺ was scolded by Allah in the Qur’an. And I gave three examples of this—how Allah corrected him publicly in the revelation.
- And lastly, I spoke about how revelation was delayed from coming down even when the Prophet ﷺ desperately needed it. He didn’t fabricate something to protect himself—he waited for the real revelation to come down. That proves he wasn't making it up.
Ok, just to wrap up—what is your advice for someone who doesn’t accept Muhammad ﷺ as the final Prophet? They believe in all the other prophets, but they don’t accept him.
Does this person believe in ʿĪsā (Jesus), peace be upon him?
Yes.
Well, then ʿĪsā ibn Maryam already told us about the coming of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. That is actually one of the evidences for his prophethood. That Prophet ʿĪsā foretold the coming of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
And that is mentioned in the Bible.
And Allah knows best.
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Until next time—
Fī amānillāh, Wassalāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh.
