“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are severe against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking bounty from Allah and His pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the traces of prostration. That is their description in the Torah. And their description in the Gospel is like a seed that sends forth its shoot, strengthens it, as it grows stout and rises firmly upon its stalk, delighting the sowers, so that He may enrage the disbelievers through them. Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward.” (48:29)

Introduction to the Fourth Edition

With this, we present to esteemed readers the fourth edition of the book The Path of Muhammad. The third edition sold out quickly, and the demand for the book continues to grow, heralding the imminent revival of the purified Sunnah. This will be the day when blessings will be completed, joy will encompass all the people of the earth, and delight will prevail: “Say: In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy, let them rejoice. It is better than what they accumulate.” (10:58)
The time has come; the era of the brethren (Ikhwan) has arrived, those whom the Prophet foretold and longed to meet, as mentioned in his hadiths. We previously included a narration of this longing in the introduction to the third edition of this book. Here, we provide another narration: Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah came to the cemetery and said: ““Peace be upon you, dwelling of believing people. If Allah wills, we will join you soon. I wish I could see my brethren. The companions asked, Are we not your brethren, O Messenger of Allah? He replied, You are my companions, but my brethren are those who have not yet come. They asked, How will you recognize those of your nation who have not yet come, O Messenger of Allah? He said, What do you think? If a man has horses with white foreheads and legs among horses that are all black, will he not recognize his own horses? They said, Certainly, O Messenger of Allah! He said, They will come with bright faces and limbs from ablution, and I will precede them at the Basin. Some men will be driven away from my Basin as a stray camel is driven away. I will call to them: Come here! It will be said: ‘They changed after you.’ ‘So I will say: Be gone! Be gone!’”
Just as the brethren are mentioned in the hadith cited in the introduction to the third edition, they are also referenced in the Quran: “And others among them who have not yet joined them. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.” (62:3)
We have already explained the hadith and this verse in previous discussions, rendering repetition here unnecessary.
We begin this introduction with a Quranic verse that supports the hadith about the brethren. This verse speaks of both the companions (Ashab) and the brethren (Ikhwan).
The phrase “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” reflects the descent from the Ahmadian message to the Muhammadan message, which addresses people according to their capacity for understanding, as wisdom dictates.
The phrase “and those with him” refers to the companions, who were the initial and primary recipients of the Muhammadan message. The verse describes them as: “Severe against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking bounty from Allah and His pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the traces of prostration.”
This refers to their description in the Torah (Old Testament), representing the first community - the community of believers, the companions.
The phrase “their mark is on their faces from the traces of prostration” can refer to the light on their faces, a blessing of ablution and prayer. It may also include a physical mark on their foreheads, resembling the callus on a camel’s knee, from frequent prostration.
The verse continues: “And their description in the Gospel”, referring to the New Testament, meaning the second resurrection, which signifies the Muslim nation.
The phrase “like a seed that sends forth its shoot, strengthens it, and it grows stout and rises firmly upon its stalk” refers to growth and multiplication, much like the increase in rewards through acts of worship. These rewards are described in terms of knowledge of Allah and nearness to Him, as highlighted in the verse: “The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed of grain that grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. Allah multiplies for whom He wills. And Allah is All-Encompassing and All-Knowing.” (2:261)
This rapid multiplication of knowledge of Allah is achieved through contemplation during worship, not merely by performing acts of worship. The Prophet said: “Contemplation for an hour is better than seventy years of worship.”
The capacity for contemplation in worship is the defining characteristic of the brethren (Ikhwan), whereas the capacity for worship itself was the hallmark of the companions (Ashab).
In the path of ascension (al-mi‘raj), the subtle emerges from the dense, while in the path of descent, the dense emerges from the subtle. Based on this universal principle, the Gospel emerged from the Torah, just as the Muslim nation (Ummat Al-Muslimeen) will emerge from the believing nation (Ummat Al-Mu’mineen), the Ahmadian message will emerge from the Muhammadan message, and the brethren (Ikhwan) will emerge from the companions (Ashab). This is because the differences in existence are differences in degree, not kind. There are no differences in kind, as such differences would imply otherness, and there is no otherness in existence.
Moving through the degrees of differing magnitudes represents progression along the path of proximity to Allah. All creation continues its journey toward Allah, without ceasing, across all realms - this world, the intermediary realm (Barzakh), and the Hereafter. The dwellers of Hell progress toward Allah, as do the dwellers of Paradise. This journey persists eternally, beyond eternity, in the infinite (as-sarmad). There is no escape from Allah: “There is none in the heavens and the earth but will come to the Most Merciful as a servant. He has enumerated them and counted them precisely. And all of them will come to Him on the Day of Resurrection alone.” (19:93–95)
The journey toward Allah is an ascension - an elevation through degrees of proximity, a process of evolution. Evolution is harmony with the components of the environment, both its temporal and spatial aspects.
Based on this principle, the brethren (Ikhwan) represent an evolution from the companions (Ashab). While the companions are believers (Mu’mineen), the brethren are Muslims (Muslimeen). While the companions are people of faith (‘aqida), the brethren are people of knowledge (‘ilm). While the companions are in the stage of faith (iman), the brethren are in the stage of certainty (yaqin). While the companions are followers of the Muhammadan Shari‘ah, the brethren are followers of the Ahmadian Sunnah. Each of these concepts has been elaborated upon within this book and may be referred to in its appropriate sections.
What concerns us most here is outlining the path for extracting the brethren from the companions, to clarify the way for the emergence of the human of tomorrow - a human capable of living a life that is both profound and expansive, a life of thought and feeling. This human is the ultimate goal of religion since the inception of religion. Indeed, this human is the purpose of life itself, preceding even religion.

The Path of Muhammad

It is the path because it is the path of fertile, creative love. The All-Wise, Almighty said about it: “Say: If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you.” (3:31)
Through the Path of Muhammad, religion becomes a way of life through which existence is guided, enabling progress toward the highest levels of fulfillment - a life of thought and a life of feeling.