It is a common feature of modern Islam to present its religion as a unique, 1400-year-old religion of Arab origin, with Muhammad identified exclusively as “the Prophet of Islam.” This characterisation is so pervasive that even when many Muslims acknowledge a deeper historical connection to earlier Patriarchs, for all practical purposes this link is, at best, tenuous.
To reinforce the perception of modern Islam as an exclusively distinct religion, Muslims can often employ several methods. These range from dismissing any utility of the Israelite scriptures (based on interpolations or scribal mistakes), to exceptionalising the final message of God as the only message from God, or the final messenger as the only one worthy of consideration and as an example. There are various ways in which many Muslims do this, but this article focuses specifically on the concept of Prophetic “superiority” which has been one of the primary tools used to establish this narrative.
One of the ways in which some Muslims validate the distinctiveness of Islam is by asserting the “superiority” of the final Prophet. This notion of superiority varies across different Islamic sects, ranging from declaring him the “best” Prophet and therefore the only one worthy of emulation, to transcending humanness into the realm of the semi-divine. However, it was to be foreseen given his warning: “Do not laud me as the Christians have done with the son of Mary. I am simply a servant, so refer to me as the servant of God and His Messenger.” (al-Bukhārī) This warning echoes the historical precedent set by the early Christian community, which exaggerated the status of Jesus to establish Christianity as a unique and superior tradition.
Modern Islam appears to have followed a similar trajectory, misrepresenting both the final revelation of God and the teachings of His final messenger. To be clear, my intent here is to disabuse the primordial tradition God explicitly refers to in the Quran – and the very same tradition His final messenger advocated – of misrepresentation and mischaracterisation.
Distinguishing Between Privilege and Superiority
It is essential to recognise that while certain messengers of God were granted specific privileges (tafdīl), the notion of privileges does not imply superiority. For instance, God spoke to Moses, unveiled. (Quran 4:164) Jesus was aided by the holy spirit to walk on water and feed the masses, he brought life to the unliving and the dead back to life on appeal to God. (Quran 3:49). Similarly, Muhammad was granted unique privileges: he could cause terror in enemies even as far as a month’s march away, the entire earth was consecrated as a place of prayer in the updated law – as were the spoils of war made lawful to consume; Muhammad was inspired with words concise but impressively comprehensive and he was dispatched by God to all humans as opposed to a specific nation – as the seal of prophethood. (Jābir and Abū Hurairah; al-Bukhārī and Muslim). The Prophet also stated: “I am a leader (sayyid, in Arabic) of the sons of Adam, and I say this with no intent to boast.” (Abū Hurairah; Muslim)
However, when a man referred to Muhammad as “the best of creation” using the Arabic word khair, he replied, “That is Abraham” (Anas b. Mālik; Muslim). Furthermore, he stated, “Whoever says I am better than Jonah son of Amittai tells a lie,” (al-Bukhārī and Muslim) seemingly warning his companions of disparaging Jonah for fleeing Ninevah (Quran 37:142).
The confusion surrounding these issues is often exacerbated by inaccurate translations. The term “tafdīl” does not mean “best” but refers to being privileged in certain aspects. Similarly, “best” (khair) and “privilege” (tafdīl) are distinct terms that should not be conflated. If the notion of Muhammad being the “best” Prophet held theological significance, a response that posits the last statements as humility would be inapt since it is unreasonable to suggest that the noble Prophet misled his followers out of humility when it was his duty to clarify such matters.
So what can we ascertain from these discussions? Firstly, it is clear that some messengers were granted privileges in certain respects. God states, “We privileged some of these messengers above others: God spoke to some; others He raised in rank…” (Qur’an 2:253). However, Muhammad himself emphasised, “Do not assert me as superior (khair) to Moses,” and “Do not compare between Prophets to determine which deserves preference (tafdīl).” (Abū Hurairah; al-Bukhārī and Muslim). Thus, while some prophets were privileged, God does not provide a definitive ranking for comparison, making the question of whether Muhammad is the “best” Prophet both immaterial and a distraction from the more meaningful points to understand.
Ironically, we see the sectarian results today – “Our prophet Muhammad” in distinction to “Your prophet Jesus” or the curious statement of Muslims to Christians: “We respect Jesus” as if he were some external peripheral figure to the believers, well-regarded from a distance but belonging to others. God speaks of those who follow some prophets as opposed to others: “As for those who ignore God and His messengers and want to make a distinction between them, saying, ‘We believe in some but not in others,’ seeking a middle way, they are really disbelievers. We have prepared a humiliating punishment for those who disbelieve. But God will give rewards to those who believe in Him and His messengers and make no distinction between any of them. God is most forgiving and merciful.” (Quran 4:150-152) Yet these are sentiments to which many Muslims frightfully draw close.
While personal feelings about the status of Muhammad may vary, the Prophet did not prohibit internal sentiments. However, it is crucial to recognise the danger of using such comparisons to justify “religious” exclusivity or superiority. Just to be clear, I am not advocating syncretism but exclusivism – the tradition of Abraham as revived by the Ishmaelite legacy. My intent is not to preach the confirmation or denial of superiority but to undermine the discussion altogether by calling attention to the Prophet’s guidance on the matter and rebuking what such comparison is popularly used for. It is fundamentally careless to acknowledge that the Prophet Muhammad forbade privileging God’s prophets or lauding him over Moses, only then to proceed to do that very thing – “I acknowledge that we’re not meant to laud him but let me preach that he is the best – and better than Moses, and if you say doing so is wrong it means you hate him!” Such reasoning is fundamentally delinquent.
Now a usual retort to pointing out the obvious from the Prophetic statements tends to be: “But Muhammad also said, “If Moses was alive, he would have no option but to follow me. This shows he’s better!””
Firstly, this translation mischaracterises the final Prophet’s point. He said, “If Moses were alive, it would not suffice him except following me.” The question that follows is, not suffice Moses in what exactly? Well, the context of the hadith (in one variant) describes Umar as presenting some Jewish writings to the final Prophet which he felt might be authoritative. The Prophet’s response was that God’s Law with its final amendments sent through the Ishmaelites was now to endure, and that previous iterations of the Law were non-operational. Moses following Muhammad meant following the updated and completed law. How this logical point suggests Muhammad is superior to Moses evades simple logic. If Abdullah delivers a computer programme to you and then a few years later John delivers the updated version and states that if Abdullah were still around that he’d be using the updated version, how does that tell us that John is “better” than Abdullah?!
You see, using the Prophet’s statement out of context is a profound mischaracterisation of the event and what the Prophet was actually talking about.
So why does God tell us that He privileged some messengers more than others?
Well, the entire passage in 2:253 read in context, that is after King Saul overcame a large force with a smaller one, and the weaker David succeeded against the mightier Goliath, tells us that “These are the revelations of God which We deliver to you with the truth, and you truly are one of the messengers. We privileged some of these messengers above others.” God was telling the final Prophet that he too would be privileged with abilities to overcome a larger force with his smaller one and aided in delivering the truth like those privileged before him. God continues, saying that “If God had so willed, their successors would not have fought each other after they had been brought clear signs. But they disagreed: some believed and some disbelieved” alluding to the split amongst the Hanīfic and Pagan Ishmaelites. The rejectors of Quraish, the Prophet’s tribe, so too fought the faithful of Quraish, and just as the intra-warring Israelites, “If God had so willed, they would not have fought each other, but God does what He wills.” (Quran 2:253)
God’s privileging of certain messengers does not serve to establish a hierarchy among them but instead underscores the unity and continuity of the prophetic mission. In Prophethood there is no “superiority”. Just like Moses or Jesus, privileging Muhammad has no practical purpose except being weaponised, as the Jews and Christians have done with their respective religions, for misplaced polemics that singles out modern Islam as a unique religion of Arab origins founded 1400 years ago, seemingly in opposition to other ‘religions’. But this is a modern mischaracterisation of what ought to be the case: the Ishmaelite Prophet Muhammad was sent, just as His Israelite cousin Jesus did so before him, to call all the Semites back to the tradition of Abraham – a call which would thereafter extend to non-Semites. Yet it seems that modern Muslims have simply followed Jews and Christians down the same hole and created another unique religion.
Now whether one feels the final messenger is the “best” Prophet, evidently, it was never meant to be up for discussion. It is a distraction with which Satan intends to subvert the faithful and split up the entire Abrahamic Prophetic cohort like the Jews and Christians, about whom God said to Muhammad, “This community of yours is one and I am your Lord: be mindful of Me – but they have split their affair into separate independent scriptures (i.e. religions), each elated in their own. So leave them for a while steeped in their misguidance.” (Quran 23:52-54)
Ultimately, the notion of prophetic superiority is a distraction that undermines the fundamental unity of the Abrahamic tradition. Submission to God through adherence to His entire code, as presented in the Qur’an, is not a new or distinct “religion” but a continuation and affirmation of the tradition of the Patriarchs. Muhammad was sent as a messenger, like his Israelite predecessors, to call all people back to primordial monotheism which was to acknowledge God as the only true sovereign. Thus, any attempt to frame a unique and separate religion betrays both the spirit and the letter of the Qur’anic message.
The truth is simple, that God has revealed the final Proclamation and sent His Ishmaelite messenger with amended laws and an explicit message for people to return to the tradition of Abraham – it is to remain faithful to the universal message that God has revealed throughout history. “This is a warning just like the warnings sent in former times” (Quran 53:56) with Muhammad commanded: “Say, ‘My Lord has guided me to a straight path, a long-standing code, the tradition of Abraham, a man of godliness (Hanīf) who did not ascribe sovereignty to others.’” (Quran 6:161)
So, in the context of what God tells us, what is “knowledge” and “faith” here, and how does God want us to see it holistically?
“Those of them who are well grounded in knowledge whilst faithful have faith in what has been revealed to you and in what was revealed before you – those who perform the daily connection (salāh), pay the tax, and believe in God and the Last Day. To them We shall give a great reward. We have sent revelation to you as We did to Noah and the prophets after him, to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon. To David We gave scriptures, as well as to other messengers We have already mentioned to you, and to other messengers We have not mentioned. To Moses God spoke directly. They were all messengers bearing good news and warning, so that mankind would have no excuse before God once the messengers had been sent. God is almighty and all wise.” (Quran 4:162-165)
