Prophets Creation And Spiritual Status
The spiritual and physical connection
There exists a very strong and a unique relationship of Adam (alaihi salaam) with Prophet Muhammad ﷺ unlike with any other prophet. The relationship that exists between both is a spiritual one and physical, which includes revelation and descendancy. One major factor of this relationship is the process of revelation that began with the father of humankind, first prophet of Allah ﷻ on earth namely Adam (a.s). Allah ﷻ chose to complete the revelation process with the stamp and seal of prophet hood through the last prophet and messenger, Muhammad ﷺ. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Adam (a.s) in the assembly of Prophets. The covenant taken by Allah ﷻ from the all the souls in their heavenly existence bears witness that Adam (a.s) was chosen to be the ancestor of all humankind and prophets including Muhammad ﷺ, as per Al Quran 7:172. Additionally Allah made another covenant with the souls of all prophets, in their primordial existence in the heavens, before they were sent on earth: “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 (Muhammad) confirming what is with you, you [must] believe in him and support him.”[1] This prophetic covenant witnessed the fact that every prophet, including Prophet Adam (a.s), was honored with prophethood due to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the best creation of Allah ﷻ, the leader of all messengers. Due to this covenant, previous prophets mentioned Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to their followers and traces of his references are still found in many scriptures such as those of Bible, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Buddhist etc. The existence of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Adam (a.s) in the heavens. In regards to this covenant[2] which Allah ﷻ took from all prophets and messengers, numbering a total of 124,000, per ahadith sources, proves Prophet Muhammad’s existence and leadership in the spiritual world even before humankind's existence. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also said: “Verily I was written in Allah's Presence as the Seal of Prophets while verily Adam was still kneaded in his clay.” And that “I was a Prophet while Adam was still between the spirit and the body.”[3] The covenant of the Prophets and the traditions prove Prophet Muhammad's existence before humankind's existence. This would explain to us why many classical Imams have chosen to quote a prophetic hadith that mention him being created as a nur (light): “O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light (nur) of your Prophet from His light (Nur), and that light remained in the midst of His Power for as long as He wished, and there was not, at that time, a tablet or a pen or a paradise or a fire or an angel or a heaven or an earth. And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four parts and from the first made the pen, from the second the tablet, from the third the throne, [and from the fourth everything else].”[4] Thus Muhammad ﷺ was born through the lineage of Adam (a.s) but Adam (a.s) like all other creation came to exist through his nur (light). Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is an expression of Allah’s mercy for the children of Adam (a.s) In Islam, the underlying purpose for entire creation is that it has come to exist due to the mercy of Allah ﷻ. Allah’s Mercy is infinite as compared to His wrath. This is established by a hadith-e-qudsi (sacred tradition) where we are informed: “Verily, Allah when He created the creation, He wrote with His Hand concerning Himself, that: ‘My Mercy prevails over My wrath.’”[5] Amazingly, Allah ﷻ refers to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the mercy for entire creation including Adam (a.s) and his children: “We have sent you (Muhammad) forth as nothing but mercy to the entire Universe.” [6] This explains that on the Day of Judgment large segment of humankind will beg all prophets to intercede for them but none will be able to, except Prophet Muhammad [7]. Therefore his intercession is going to be accepted by Allah ﷻ for whoever is deserving which is a proof for us that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a mercy for entire creation especially for all descendants of Adam (a.s). Allah ﷻ forgives Adam (a.s) sin due to His beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah said ‘When Adam made the mistake, he asked: O Allah! I ask you for the sake of Muhammad to forgive me. Allah said ‘O Adam! How do you recognize Muhammad when I have not yet created him? Adam said: ‘O Allah! When you created me and blew into me the spirit, I lifted my head and saw written on the Arsh (Your throne) La ilaaha illallah Muhammadur rasoolullah[8]. So, I got to know that you would only join your name with him who is most beloved to you.' Allah said: ‘O Adam! You have spoken the truth. Indeed Muhammad is more beloved to me than anything is and when you asked me for his sake, I pardoned you. If Muhammad were not in existence, I would not have created you.”[9] Please note that this incident does not contradict the Quran where Allah ﷻ says that Adam and Hawwa (Eve) (alaihim us salaam) begged for forgiveness in the following words “they said: Our Lord! We have been unjust to ourselves, and if You forgive us not, and have (not) mercy on us, we shall certainly be of the losers.”[10] Since Quran is not a book that carries details of all incidents, therefore many incidents recorded in books of ahadith are reference for details on those events that are in the Quran, such as the one of Adam’s forgiveness. Thus, Adam's forgiveness and him being sent to earth from whom entire humankind will continue to descend is due to the forgiveness Allah ﷻ granted him through mercy of all creation, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ descended from Adam (a.s) through a pure lineage Imam Al Qastallani[11] has mentioned the following narrations in his famous al-Mawahib al-laduniyya bi al-minah al-Muhammadiyya[12] from several companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that mention his descent through pure lineage from Prophet Adam (a.s): “Hawwa (Eve) (a.s) gave birth to forty sons from Adam (a.s), in twenty births; but she gave birth to Sheesh (Biblical Seth) (a.s) separately, out of respect to Our Master Muhammad ﷺ, whose light moved from Adam to Sheesh (Seth). Before Adam’s death, he gave Sheesh (Seth) custody over his children, and he, in turn, entrusted the children with the testament of Adam: to put this light only into pure women. This testament continued, century after century, until Allah gave this light to Abdul Muttalib, prophet's grandfather and his son Abdullah, prophets father. In this way, Allah kept pure the impeccable lineage of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ from the fornication of the ignorant.” Ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu) said, “Muhammad ﷺ said: "Nothing of the fornication of ignorance has touched my birth. I was born by no other than the marriage of Islam.” Hisham ibn Muhammad Al Kalbi, famous historian and collector of genealogies, narrated that his father said, “I counted for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ five hundred mothers, and I never found in any of them a trace of fornication, or any of the ignorant ones affairs.” Ali (a.s) said that the Prophet ﷺ said, “I came forth from marriage, I did not come from fornication; from Adam until I was born to my father and mother, nothing of the fornication of ignorance has touched me.” Ibn Abbas (r.a) said Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “My parents never committed fornication. Allah kept moving me from the good loins to the pure wombs, purified and refined; whenever there were two ways to go, I was in the best of them.” In Sahih Al Bukhari, Abu Huraira (radiAllahu anhu) relates that the Prophet ﷺ said, “I have been sent from the best generations of the sons of Adam, one after the other, until I reached the one I am in.” Therefore, Adam (a.s) relationship with Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is necessary to know that as they both are incumbent for the existence of humankind and their guidance. References: [1] Al Quran 3:81 [2] Al Quran 3:81 [3] Narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, and al-Hakim in his Mustadrak and Tirmidhi narrated it and said it hasan sahih, and it is authenticated by al-Hakim 2:609 as sahih, and also narrated by Ibn Abi Shayba in his Musannaf 14:292, and al-Bukhari in his Tarikh 7:374 - Haddad, Various Questions Answered by Shaykh Gibril Haddad 2007 [4] Famously recorded in The Musannaf of Abdul Razzaq - Please view for more details http://www.sunnah.org/sources/musannaf/musannaf_f.htm [5] Jami Tirmidhi [6] Al Quran 21:107 [7] Please see my post The Mercy of Allah + Prophetic Intercession = Salvation [8] ‘There is no god but Allah (swt) and Muhammad is His messenger.’ Also referred to as a short shahadah (testimony of faith). [9] recorded in al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, Baihaqi in Dalail an-Nubuwah, Tabarani in his Kabeer, Abu Naeem in his Hilya and ibn Asakir in Tarikh Damishq report from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (radiyallahu ta’ala anhu) (Also from Imam Subki in Shifa as-Siqam and Shihab in Naseem - For references click here. [10] Al Quran 7:23 [11] Shihab al-Din Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr al-Qastallani al-Qutaybi al-Shafi'i (1448–1517 CE) - Famous Muhaddith (Hadith Expert). [12] al-Mawahib al-laduniyya bi al-minah al-Muhammadiyya (The Divinely-Granted Gifts in the Form of the Muhammadan Grants), Part One, The Creation of His Sacred Body - Translated by Shaykh Gibril Haddad – As-Sunnah Foundation of America
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