Who Is Muhammad?
Muhammad, son of Abdullah, son of Abdul Muttalib, was the unlettered Prophet sent from the [tribe of] Quraysh among the unlettered people in the seventh century. Allah sealed prophethood with him and revealed to him the Quran, which is recited today and preserved within the covers of the Mushaf [Holy Book]. Despite what they may mistakenly believe, Muslims do not truly know Muhammad.
This call to follow him and emulate him faithfully, as presented in this booklet The Path of Muhammad, cannot succeed in its highest form unless it provides a comprehensive understanding of Muhammad. Such an understanding makes following him a rational, evidence-based practice that appeals to and convinces even the most sophisticated contemporary minds of its value and necessity.
Apostleship, Prophethood, and Sainthood
To truly understand Muhammad, one must carefully examine his statement: “My words are Shari‘ah, my actions are the path, and my state [of being] is reality.” This statement highlights the three ranks of his station: the rank of the apostleship (risalah), the rank of prophethood (nubuwwah), and the rank of sainthood (wilayah).
Prophethood is the foundation, situated between two poles: above it is sainthood, and below it is the apostleship. When prophethood reaches full maturity, it emanates the [apostolic] message as a function. As it further matures, it occasionally ascends into the ranks of sainthood. This is why we assert that prophethood is the root.
Revelation began with prophethood. The first verses of the Quran revealed in an absolute sense were the verses of prophethood: “Read in the name of your Lord who created, created man from a clinging substance. Read, and your Lord is the most Generous - Who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not.” (96:1–5)
Once the Prophet became ready and his prophecy matured, the verses of apostleship were revealed: “O you who covers himself, arise and warn, and glorify your Lord, and purify your garments, and abandon defilement, and do not confer favor to seek gain, and for your Lord be patient.” (74:1–7)
The Prophet explained this process, saying: “My Lord disciplined me, and so made my discipline most excellent, and then He said: ‘Take what is pardoned, enjoin what is right, and turn away from the ignorant.’” (7:199)
The opening part of this saying reflects prophethood, while the latter part reflects apostleship. Though this statement is read in one instance, the events it describes unfolded over a much longer period.
The phrase “My Lord disciplined me, and so made my discipline most excellent” reflects a process that spanned forty years - the time it took for prophethood to fully mature, from birth to the prophetic mission. This considers prophethood as beginning with birth, but in truth, the prophethood of our Prophet is eternal.
It began to manifest in the physical realm while he was in the solitude of the womb. This manifestation grew more evident throughout the various stages of his youth. By the time he withdrew from society to the cave of Hira, the early stages of its maturity had begun. After fifteen years of seclusion and devotion, its dawn broke with the commencement of Quranic revelation.
Regarding the eternal nature of his prophethood, the Prophet said: “I was a prophet while Adam was between water and clay.” This statement means he was a prophet, aware of his prophethood, in eternity.
This truth became apparent when he entered the physical world. While still a fetus in his mother’s womb, he was distinct from other fetuses. His mother experienced none of the nausea, aversion, or unease typically associated with pregnancy. Instead, his presence brought her health, joy, and enduring happiness during her waking hours. Even in her sleep, she experienced comforting and uplifting visions.
Similarly, his childhood, adolescence, and youth were unlike those of others. He became certain that he was created for a purpose far beyond that of his peers. This certainty grew so strong that it led him to withdraw from society and seek solitude in the cave.
Regarding the three ranks of his station, the Prophet said on the night of his ascension:
“My Lord asked me, ‘O Muhammad, do you know what the Exalted Assembly disputes about?’ I replied, ‘You, my Lord, know best.’ He then placed His hand on my shoulder, and I felt its coolness between my chest, which granted me the knowledge of the first and the last. He taught me various forms of knowledge: knowledge that He commanded me to keep secret, knowing that no one but me could bear it; knowledge that He gave me the choice to share; and knowledge that He commanded me to convey to the general and specific members of my community - human and jinn [creatures made from fire] alike.”
The knowledge he was commanded to convey to the general and specific members of his community pertains to the knowledge of apostleship (risalah), which includes the Quran preserved between the covers of the Mushaf, as well as its clarification. This clarification encompasses legislation suited to the community’s needs and interpretation aligned with the community’s capacity. The Prophet said: “We, the group of prophets, were commanded to speak to people according to their level of understanding.”
Thus, the message [of apostleship] does not encompass the full clarification of the Quran, as some may think, neither in legislation nor in interpretation. This is for a variety of reasons, which make it impossible.
The knowledge he was given the choice to share falls partially within the domain of sainthood (wilayah) and partially within the domain of prophethood (nubuwwah). Some assume that the Prophet was obligated to convey everything he received from his Lord. Such an assumption reflects a lack of understanding of the true nature of religion.
In his station of sainthood, the Prophet is greater than in his station of prophethood. This is because, in prophethood, he received revelation through Gabriel, while in sainthood, he received directly from Allah without an intermediary. He referenced this during the night of ascension when Gabriel accompanied him to the utmost limit at the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary (Sidrat al-Muntaha) and said to him: “Here you are with your Lord, and I must remain behind.”
The Prophet responded, “Is this a station where the beloved abandons his beloved?” Gabriel replied, “This is my limit. If I were to advance a single step, I would be incinerated.”
The Prophet then said, “I was thrust into the light,” referring to the light of the Divine Essence. Gabriel could not withstand the light of the Divine Essence because he lacks a self (nafs). This moment marked the beginning of the Prophet’s sainthood.
The apostolic message is the revelation of the Quran, along with a body of legislation that the Prophet was commanded to convey to all people. Prophethood includes the revelation of the Quran and a body of legislation that the Prophet was commanded to practice for himself.
Thus, through apostleship, he is the bearer of Shari‘ah, and through prophethood, he is the bearer of the path, or what may be called his Sunnah. There is overlap between his Shari‘ah and his Sunnah, and they share common ground. Here, however, we refer specifically to the obligations that distinguished the Prophet from the rest of his community in terms of worship and conduct.
For example, while his Shari‘ah is binding on his community, certain aspects of his Sunnah were obligations unique to him. These aspects were part of his personal Shari‘ah and are not obligatory for his followers unless they voluntarily commit to them as part of their spiritual journey, striving to emulate him through devotion, practice, and perfect imitation, in accordance with the verse: “Say: If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you.” (3:31)
The decisive conclusion regarding the three ranks is that prophethood represents a unique form of Shari‘ah to which the Prophet was prepared through Allah’s grace and by long practice of a life of seclusion. This practice granted him heightened awareness and clarity of thought. Through continued striving in this unique Shari‘ah - through knowledge and actions based on that knowledge, in both worship and conduct - the Prophet’s awareness and clarity of thought grew continually. This ongoing refinement increasingly prepared him to shoulder the responsibilities of apostleship, guiding, teaching, and leading with ever-growing excellence.
At the higher end of prophethood lies sainthood (wilayah), representing the refined and subtle aspect of prophethood, while apostleship (risalah) represents its denser and more tangible aspect. Regarding the ongoing alertness of his thought and awareness, the Prophet said: “A veil comes over my heart, so I seek Allah’s forgiveness seventy times a day and night.”
And the veil here is the veil of light, which refers to the veil of thought. Whenever his thought about Allah becomes clouded by the inclinations of his natural disposition, he seeks forgiveness from Allah, and his thought returns to clarity. Through this clarity, the life of feeling expands, as the heart receives the emanations of relief (tarawih) - the relief of nearness.
Regarding the peak of his ascent in witnessing this nearness - witnessings of sainthood (wilayah) - he said: “There is a moment I have with Allah that no close angel or sent messenger can contain.”
Thus, the three ranks are interconnected: prophethood qualifies, from its lower extreme, for apostleship, and from its higher extreme, it produces sainthood. Prophethood is dynamic and ever-evolving, continually ascending through greater knowledge and the corresponding actions. Allah said to His Prophet: “Do not hasten with the Quran before its revelation is completed to you, and say, ‘My Lord, increase me in knowledge.’” (20:114)
With each increase in the enlightenment of prophethood, the Prophet’s qualification for bearing the responsibilities of apostleship grew on one hand, while the fruits of sainthood ripened with finer and deeper insights on the other. The fruits of sainthood are the ethereal insights into the Divine Essence. Through this knowledge of the subtleties and mysteries of the Eternal Essence (al-dhat al-qadeema), the created self (al-dhat al-muhdatha) becomes unified. This unification results from the harmony of the forces inherent in the human structure, leading to inner peace, which enables each individual to achieve their unique individuality, setting them apart from the rest of humanity.
Achieving this individuality through the unification of the human self is the ultimate purpose of Allah’s command for us to worship Him through the creed of monotheism. For while Allah is not in need of monotheism, the human self, fractured by fear, is the one in dire need of unification.
