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Why Is Prophet Muhammad Mentioned in the Shahadah?

02 September, 2022
Q Well, my question is about the Shahadah: "There's no God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet". I read a lot about Islam and I'm still in the same chaos: why make a mention only about Muhammad? What about the other prophets? We're talking about the Oneness of God, but not about the Quran as a book; we're not saying: "There's the Quran and Muhammad was the one who received it from the Only God called Allah". You may say this is because he's the last Prophet; YES, I can understand that! But there is not enough reason there; because, we're talking about a "universal reality". – that there's only One God., and Muhammad was only a human, a lucky and amazing one, but still you know, why mention him? I’m not convinced about that; for Muslims all the prophets are important and what is special about Muhammad is that he is the last one - that's why he's special, I know. I read the Quran and I cry and feel it and discover there's a lot about all other prophets... And, I keep thinking the same; Why mention Muhammad?? Why can't the most important sentence in the whole world be about God alone? Why mention along with him a wonderful man and prophet too? Thank you for your patience to read my question. I am looking forward to your answer.

Answer

Professor Shahul Hameed
02 September, 2022

Short answer:

  • In short, the two parts of the Shahadah are like the two sides of the same coin: One part states one’s acceptance of the One True God, which relates to one’s faith and conviction, which is inward.
  • The other states one’s acceptance of God’s Messenger on earth, which relates to one’s commitment to live in obedience to God’s commandments, which expresses itself in one’s outward life as lived daily.
  • Prophet Muhammad was a living example of how to implement Islam, and by following his example, we are obeying God’s commands in the Quran.

Salam Dear Reader,

Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.

There are mainly two aspects of the significance of the second part of the Shahadah, namely: “Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of Allah”.

Prophet Muhammad Came With the Final Revelation

First: Allah Almighty is the Transcendental Creator and Sustainer of the universe, Who does not ‘materialize’ or appear before us.

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We learn about Allah and His guidance through the Messenger who Allah Himself chose.

This applies to all the Messengers of Allah, not only to Muhammad (peace be upon him).

But, Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Final Messenger of Allah who came to coordinate, confirm and complete the earlier messages.

So he is not just one messenger among many; rather he represents all the Messengers of Allah before him.

Actually Muhammad fulfills and revalidates all the earlier messages through his mission. Thus, he stands for the completion of Allah’s guidance for mankind.

Prophet Muhammad Was The Living Quran

Second: God’s guidance is not just for our academic study, but for our applying it in space and time.

The role of Prophet Muhammad is not merely to teach us, but to practically demonstrate to us how we can live by God’s guidance.

This means that the Quran is, as it were, the ‘theory’; and the Sunnah (the example of Prophet Muhammad) is the ‘practical form’ of that theory.

Islam affirms and underscores the importance of the Quran (the precept) and the Sunnah (the example) together.

This points to the fact that it is not enough for us just to ‘worship’ God as an ascetic devotee would; but also to live here as members of human society, making use of the blessings God has given us, and observing the limits set by God.

For this purpose, we need a practical model who would not only convey God’s message to us, but also LIVE that message here below, as God wants us to live it.

You may know the Gospel verse that is generally misinterpreted by the Christians about Jesus: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9).

Jesus said this in answer to Philip’s demand to see God. As it has been made clear by other verses, we humans cannot see God; we can only see God’s human messenger.

This messenger’s duty is not only to convey to us the word of God revealed to him, but also to demonstrate to people how one can lead a life of unconditional submission to God’s will; seen in the spirit of Jesus’ famous words of complete surrender to God’s will: “Not as I will, but as You will!” (Matthew 26:39)

To Follow Prophet Muhammad is to Obey Allah

In short, the two parts of the Shahadah are like the two sides of the same coin: One part states one’s acceptance of the One True God, which relates to one’s faith and conviction, which is inward.

The other states one’s acceptance of God’s Messenger on earth, which relates to one’s commitment to live in obedience to God’s commandments, which expresses itself in one’s outward life as lived daily.

That is why Allah in the Noble Quran commands:

You who believe! Obey Allah and His Apostle… (Quran 8:20)

Say: “If you do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins… (Quran 3:31)

He who obeys the Apostle, obeys Allah… (Quran 4:80)

These verses make clear that the acceptance of the Prophet is the acceptance of Allah.

This is because it is the Prophet who received the Noble Quran and brought it then to people.

So, any person who questions the Prophet, is actually questioning Allah and His Quran.

Hence, the affirmation of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the natural corollary of the declaration of faith in Allah.

In other words, the second part of the Shahadah derives its significance from the first; so it becomes incumbent on any one who accepts the first part of the Shahadah, to accept the second part, too.

And Allah knows best.

I hope this helps.

Salam and please keep in touch.

(From Ask About Islam archives)

Please continue feeding your curiosity, and find more info in the following links:

Why Follow the Prophet to Be Successful?
Prophet Muhammad – The Spiritual Leader
The Powerful Message from God to Muhammad
Muhammad shahadah
About Professor Shahul Hameed
Professor Shahul Hameed is an Islamic consultant. He also held the position of the President of the Kerala Islamic Mission, Calicut, India. He is the author of three books on Islam published in the Malayalam language. His books are on comparative religion, the status of women, and science and human values.