Is the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the best of creation?

 

Is there any evidence that our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the best of creation?.

Praise be to Allaah.

There is a great deal of evidence about the virtues and
unique characteristics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), but as far as we know there is no text that clearly states that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the best of
creation. What has been narrated is that he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) is the best of mankind and the leader of the sons of
Adam. 

Muslim (4223) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “I will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the
Day of Resurrection, and the first one for whom the grave is opened, and the
first one to intercede and the first one whose intercession will be
accepted.” 

The scholars understood from this text and others which speak
of the virtues of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) that he is the best of Allaah’s creation. 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh
Saheeh Muslim: 

This hadeeth indicates that he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) is superior to all of creation, because the view of Ahl
al-Sunnah is that humans are better than the angels, and he (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) is superior to humans and others. End
quote. 

The scholars all described the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) as the best of creation, and it will be
sufficient to refer to a few of them, so as to avoid making this article too
lengthy. 

Imam al-Shaafa’i in al-Umm (4/167)

Imam ‘Abd al-Razzaaq al-San’aani in al-Musannaf
(2/419)

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa
(1/313 and 5/127 and 468)

Ibn al-Qayyim in Tahdheeb al-Sunan, hadeeth no. 1787,
quoting from ‘Awn al-Ma’bood.

Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, commentary on hadeeth no.
6229

Al-Mardaawi in al-Insaaf (11/422)

Al-Aloosi in Rooh al-Ma’aani (4/284)

Al-Taahir ibn ‘Ashoor in his Tafseer (2/420)

Al-Sa’di in his Tafseer (51, 185, 699)

Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shanqeeti in
Adwa’ al-Bayaan (9/215)

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa
(2/76, 383) 

The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas
were asked: Should we say that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) is the best of mankind or the best of creation? Is there
any evidence that he is the best of creation as many people say? 

They replied: 

Many texts in the Qur’aan and Sunnah speak of the greatness
of our Prophet Muhammad and his sublime status before his Lord, may He be
exalted, through the noble attributes and unique characteristics that Allaah
bestowed only upon him, which indicates that he is the best of  creation,
the most honoured by Allaah and the greatest in status before Him. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Allaah has sent down to you the book (the Qur’aan), and
Al‑Hikmah (Islamic laws, knowledge of legal and illegal things, i.e. the
Prophet’s Sunnah — legal ways), and taught you that which you knew not. And
Ever Great is the Grace of Allaah unto you (O Muhammad
صلى الله عليه وسلم)”

[al-Nisa’ 4:113] 

It is difficult to list all the different types of honour
that Allaah has bestowed, for example: Allaah took him as a close friend
(khaleel); He made him the Seal of His Messengers; He revealed the best of
His Books to him, and made his message one that applies to both mankind and
the jinn until the Day of Resurrection; He forgave him his past and future
sins; He caused miracles to happen at his hand that superseded those of all
the Prophets who came before him; he will be the leader of the sons of Adam
(on the Day of Resurrection), the first one for whom the grave will be
opened, and the first one to intercede and the first one whose intercession
will be accepted; in his hand will be a banner of praise on the Day of
Resurrection; he will be the first one to cross al-siraat (a bridge across
Hell), the first one to knock at the gate of Paradise and the first one to
enter it … and many other unique characteristics and miracles that are
mentioned in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, which led the scholars to agree
unanimously that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) is the greatest of creation in status before Allaah, may He be exalted.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

The Muslims are unanimously agreed that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the greatest of creation in
status before Allaah, and no other created being has any status that is
higher than his or any power of intercession that is greater than his. 

From what has been mentioned above and elsewhere it is clear
that our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
is the best of the Prophets and the best of creation, and the greatest of
them in status before Allaah, may He be exalted. But in addition to these
virtues and unique characteristics, he (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) is no more than a human being, so it is not permissible to call
upon him or seek his help instead of Allaah, as Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“Say (O Muhammad
صلى الله عليه وسلم): ‘I am only
a man like you. It has been revealed to me that your Ilâh (God) is One Ilaah
(God __
i.e. Allaah). So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work
righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord’”

[al-Kahf 18:110] 

And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send
blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.
End quote. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
(26/35). 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah Aal al-Shaykh, Shaykh
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) did not
confirm that, noting that there is no clear text concerning that, and he
said: 

The well known view of many scholars is that Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the best of creation. 

But in order to be on the safe side we should say: Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the leader of the sons
of Adam and the best of mankind and the best of the Prophets, and so on,
following what is said in the texts. I do not know of any report which says
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the
best of all creation in all senses. … So it is better in such matters to
follow what it says in the texts. For example, if someone asks: Did Allaah
favour the sons of Adam in general over all other created beings? We would
say: No, because Allaah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):  

“And indeed We have honoured the Children of Adam, and We
have carried them on land and sea, and have provided them with At‑Tayyibaat
(lawful good things), and have preferred them above many of those whom We
have created with a marked preferment”

[al-Isra’ 17:70] 

He did not say “above all of those whom We have created”.
Therefore it is better for a person who adhere to that which is mentioned in
the texts and not go beyond that. Praise be to Allaah, we know that Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets
and the noblest and best of the Messengers, the most honoured of them by
Allaah, may He be exalted. The evidence for that in the Qur’aan and Sunnah
is well known. As for that for which there is no clear evidence, then in
order to be on the safe side we should refrain from that. But it is well
known that you will find many scholars saying that Muhammad is the noblest
of creation. End quote from Liqaa’aat al-Baab il-Maftoohah (53/11).