Who he is

Every Muslim says it in the shahada: Muhammadun rasulullah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Believing in him is part of believing in the messengers, one of the six pillars of iman.

• He is Muhammad son of Abdullah, from the tribe of Quraysh in Makkah.
• Revelation came to him at the age of forty. He taught in Makkah for thirteen years, then moved to Madinah, and lived there ten years. He died at sixty-three¹.
• The Quran calls him by name: Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah².

This chapter is about what we believe about him. For the story of his life, from his birth to his last days, read the Seerah. For the prophets before him, see The prophets and messengers.

The seal of the prophets

Allah says: Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets³. A seal closes something. It means he is the last prophet. No prophet and no messenger comes after him.

Nabi ﷺ gave a picture of this. He said the prophets before him are like a man who built a beautiful house, but left one brick missing in a corner. People walked around it, loved it, and said: if only that brick were put in its place. Then he said: I am that brick, and I am the last of the prophets⁴.

• This is something all Muslims agree on. It is part of the creed, not a side opinion.
• Nabi ﷺ warned that about thirty liars would come, each claiming to be a messenger of Allah⁵. So anyone who claims to be a prophet after him is not telling the truth.
• Because he is the last, the message he brought is complete. The Quran and his Sunnah are the guidance for everyone until the Last Day.

Sent to all people, as a mercy

Before him, each prophet was sent to his own people. Muhammad ﷺ was sent to everyone.

• Allah says: We sent you to all people, to bring good news and to warn⁶.
• Allah told him to say: O people, I am the Messenger of Allah to you all⁷.
• Nabi ﷺ said: every prophet was sent to his own nation only, and I have been sent to all mankind⁸.

A mercy to the worlds

Allah says: We did not send you except as a mercy to the worlds⁹. His message is a mercy for people of every land, color and language, in every time after him.

His enemies hurt him for years. Once the Companions asked him to curse the people who were fighting Islam. He said: I was not sent to curse. I was sent as a mercy¹⁰.

His character

Allah Himself praised his manners: and you are of a great character¹¹. When someone asked Aisha about his character, she said: his character was the Quran¹². He lived what the Quran teaches.

• Gentle in speech. He never used rude or bad words. He said: the best of you are those with the best character¹³.
• Easy, not harsh. When he had a choice between two things, he chose the easier one, as long as it was not a sin. He never took revenge for himself¹⁴.
• Humble at home. Aisha said he used to help and serve his family in the house, and when the time of prayer came he went to pray¹⁵.
• He cared about us. Allah says our hardship weighs on him, he is anxious for our good, and he is kind and merciful to the believers¹⁶.

That is why Allah calls him the best example for anyone who hopes in Allah and the Last Day¹⁷. His life shows how the Quran looks when a human being lives it.

His miracles

Allah supported every prophet with signs. The signs given to Muhammad ﷺ are many. We only teach those that come in the Quran or in sahih (authentic) hadith. Many popular stories about him are weak, and we do not need them.

The greatest miracle: the Quran

• Nabi ﷺ said: every prophet was given signs that made people believe, but what I was given is the revelation Allah sent me¹⁸.
• He did not read or write before the Quran came¹⁹. Yet he brought a book that no one could match.
• The Quran challenges anyone in doubt to bring one surah like it²⁰. Even if humans and jinn worked together, they could not do it²¹.
• Other miracles were seen by the people of their time. The Quran is a miracle you can read today.

Other miracles from sahih reports

• The splitting of the moon. The people of Makkah asked him for a sign, and he showed them the moon split in two²². Allah says: the Hour has come near, and the moon has split. Still, when they see a sign, they turn away and call it magic²³.
• Water from his fingers. At Hudaybiyah, 1,500 people had almost no water. He put his hand in a small pot, and water flowed between his fingers like a spring. They all drank and made wudu²⁴.
• The tree trunk that cried. He used to give the Friday talk leaning on a palm trunk. When a minbar (pulpit) was made and he moved to it, the trunk cried like a child, until he came down and held it²⁵.
• The Night Journey. In one night, Allah took him from the Sacred Masjid in Makkah to the Farthest Masjid in Jerusalem²⁶, and then up through the heavens²⁷.

A human being, and the slave of Allah

Muslims love Nabi ﷺ deeply. Part of loving him is to speak about him the way he asked us to.

• Allah told him to say: I am only a human being like you, but revelation comes to me that your God is One²⁸.
• Nabi ﷺ said: do not exaggerate in praising me, as the Christians did with the son of Maryam. I am only a slave. So say: the slave of Allah and His Messenger²⁹.
• He did not own benefit or harm for himself, except as Allah willed, and he did not know the unseen on his own³⁰. He knew what Allah showed him³¹.
• Dua is to Allah alone. We love him, follow him and send salawat on him. We do not pray to him or ask him for what only Allah can give.

This is not making him small. The title slave of Allah is the highest honor a human being can have, and Allah uses it for him in the Quran³².

Loving him

Loving Nabi ﷺ is not an extra. It is part of iman.

• He said: none of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children and all people³⁶.
• Umar once said: you are dearer to me than everything, except myself. Nabi ﷺ said: not yet, until I am dearer to you than yourself. Umar said: now, by Allah, you are dearer to me than myself. Nabi ﷺ said: now, Umar³⁷.
• A man asked him: when is the Hour? He asked: what have you prepared for it? The man said: not much prayer, fasting or charity, but I love Allah and His Messenger. Nabi ﷺ said: you will be with those you love. Anas said nothing had made them happier³⁸.

How love shows

• Learn about him. You cannot love someone you do not know. Read his life in the Seerah.
• Follow him. Allah says: say: if you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you and forgive your sins³⁹.
• Send salawat on him often (below).
• Love what he loved: his family, his Companions, and the believers.

Following his Sunnah

The Sunnah is the way of Nabi ﷺ: what he said, what he did, and what he approved. It comes to us in the hadith. It explains the Quran and shows how to live it. See Where belief comes from for how the Quran and Sunnah work together.

• Allah says: whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah⁴⁰.
• Allah says: whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, stay away from it⁴¹.
• Nabi ﷺ said: all of my ummah will enter Jannah, except the one who refuses. They asked: who would refuse? He said: whoever obeys me enters Jannah, and whoever disobeys me has refused⁴².

Do what you can, and keep it balanced

• He said: when I forbid you something, stay away from it. When I tell you to do something, do as much of it as you can⁴³.
• Three men once wanted to do more than him: one would pray all night, one would fast every day, one would never marry. He said: I pray and I sleep, I fast and I break my fast, and I marry. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me⁴⁴.
• So following him is not about being harsh on yourself. It is about his balance: worship, family, work, rest, and good manners.

Salawat: sending blessings on him

Allah says: Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings on him, and greet him with peace⁴⁵. This is called salawat (or salah on the Prophet).

• The reward: he said: whoever sends one blessing on me, Allah sends ten blessings on him⁴⁶.
• Do not be stingy with it. He said: the stingy person is the one who hears my name and does not send salawat on me⁴⁷.
• Your salam reaches him. Allah has angels who travel the earth and bring him the salam of his ummah⁴⁸. When someone greets him, Allah returns his soul to him so he can return the greeting⁴⁹.
• On Friday, send more. He said: send many blessings on me on Friday, because your blessings are shown to me⁵⁰.

What to say

• The short form: sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, may Allah bless him and give him peace. In writing it is often shown as ﷺ.
• The full form he taught, said in the tashahhud of salah: Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad, kama sallayta ala Ibrahim wa ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. You are the Praised, the Glorious. Then the same with barik (send Your blessings)⁵¹.

His intercession on the Day of Judgement

Shafa'ah (intercession) means asking Allah for good for someone else. On the Day of Judgement, nobody can intercede except with Allah's permission⁵², and for those Allah is pleased with⁵³.

• Allah has given Nabi ﷺ a special intercession⁵⁴. He said: I will be the first to intercede, and the first whose intercession is accepted⁵⁵.
• Every prophet had one special dua that was sure to be answered, and each used it in this life. Nabi ﷺ said: I have saved mine to intercede for my ummah on the Day of Resurrection⁵⁶. It reaches, if Allah wills, everyone from his ummah who dies without shirk⁵⁷.
• His intercession even reaches believers who fell into major sins⁵⁸.
• Abu Hurairah asked who would be happiest with his intercession. He said: the one who says la ilaha illallah sincerely, from the heart⁵⁹.

So the way to his intercession is tawhid, following him, and asking Allah: O Allah, grant me the intercession of Your Prophet. More about that Day is in Resurrection and judgement.

Where Muslims differ, kindly

All of Ahl al-Sunnah (mainstream Sunni Muslims) agree on everything above: he is the last prophet, sent to all, the best of creation, to be loved, followed and blessed, and still a human slave of Allah who is not prayed to. A few practices around him are discussed among scholars. You will meet both views, so here they are calmly.

The Mawlid (his birthday)

• Many scholars allow a gathering to remember his life, read the Seerah, send salawat and feed people, as long as nothing wrong is mixed in.
• Many other scholars say it was not done by Nabi ﷺ or the Companions, so it should not be made into a special act of worship.
• Both agree on what matters more: love for him shows every day, in following him. Follow scholars you trust, and do not let this divide families or masjids.

Visiting his masjid in Madinah and greeting him there is covered in Visiting Madinah.

Common questions

Do I have to say ﷺ every time I hear his name?

All scholars agree it is strongly encouraged. Some say it is required each time you hear his name, others say less often. He called the one who hears his name and does not send salawat stingy⁶¹. It takes one second, and Allah sends ten blessings back⁶².

I am a new Muslim. Do I love him enough?

Love grows as you get to know him. Read a little of his life each week in the Seerah, and send salawat on him. Remember the man who said he had not done much, but loved Allah and His Messenger: you will be with those you love⁶³.

Someone online says he is a new prophet, or brings a new revelation.

Muhammad ﷺ is the seal of the prophets⁶⁴, and he warned that liars would make this claim⁶⁵. No new revelation comes after him. Do not follow such a person.

Can I ask Nabi ﷺ directly to help me?

Make your dua to Allah. You may ask Allah by your love for His Prophet, and ask Him to grant you his intercession. Nabi ﷺ himself taught us to say: the slave of Allah and His Messenger⁶⁶.

Is it okay to have a picture or drawing of him?

No. Muslims everywhere avoid drawing or showing him, out of respect, and to protect his image from being made into something to worship or to mock. We know him by his words, his manners and his life.

My children ask why we follow someone who lived 1,400 years ago.

Tell them he was sent to all people, in every time⁶⁷. His message is from Allah, and his way is the best example of how to live it⁶⁸. Then show them his kindness, his smile and his patience. Children learn love from stories, not from rules.