On Praising the Highly Praised One ﷺ

The Prophet of Islam is commonly known to have been given a unique Arabic name that was not given to any before him—Muhammad, “the oft-praised one.” The word ‘Muhammad’ is actually an intensive of the passive participle ‘Mahmud‘; whereas the latter means “the praised one,” Muhammad means to be praised more frequently, at a highly intense level. Such is the case with the most influential religious figure (some would say human being) in history. He has been praised East and West on the tongue of practicing believers for over fourteen centuries. However, as a poet once wrote, none has praised him like God Himself has praised him. It is fascinating to reflect on the manner and extent to which God has praised His final Messenger in the Qur’an, essentially proving him to be worthy of the rank of the best of mankind.

Although the Qur’an mentions the name of Muhammad only four times, it alludes to his lofty status and praiseworthy qualities in numerous verses. The believers, as well as the Prophet himself, are reminded by God of his exalted nature and of his being sent as a mercy and a light to humanity, among other descriptions.

Surah Qalam (The Pen), verse 4 states: وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ (Wa innaka la ‘ala khuluqin adheem; Verily, thou standest on an exalted standard of character). It is due to his exemplary character that Muhammad is chosen by God to be a messenger, and thereby to be further polished through Revelation and rapport with the Divine. Given that he is the last of the prophets with the accounts of the previous prophets related to him, Muhammad  is able to learn from his predecessors and imbue himself with the best of their qualities. Thus, he is the Imam al-Mursaleen, the leader of the Messengers, the best of them and also in a sense, a product of them, as God would decree it. He is the “Seal of the Prophets” (Khatim an-Nabiyyin) and a culmination of them and is therefore sent to all humanity (al-alamin), whereas the others were sent to specific groups of people. The mystic Dirini described this sense of Muhammad being the culmination of all the prophets in the following poem:

He took the purity of Adam, the
lamentation of Noah. Part of his
teaching contains the knowledge of
Idris. Included in his ecstatic
experiences is the grief of Jacob. Within
the mystery of his ecstasy is the
endurance of Job. Enfolded in his
bosom is the weeping of David. A part
only of the riches of his soul exceeds the
wealth of Solomon. He gathered into
himself Abraham’s friendship with God.
He attained the converse of Moses,
God’s interlocutor, and was more
exalted than the highest kings. He excels
the prophets as the sun excels the moon,
the ocean the drop.

In Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 56, the Qur’an states emphatically that God and His angels praise and bless the Prophet and commands that the believers do so as well:

إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا

Verily, Allah and His angels send
blessings on the Prophet: O ye that
believe! Send ye blessings on him, and
salute him with all respect. (33:56 ; Yusuf Ali)

Significantly, Islamic scholars have noted that praising the Blessed Prophet is the only act that man participates in with God (See Muhammad Man of God, p. 78). Practicing Muslims are commanded to send blessings on the Prophet during the daily ritual prayers, and to do so outside of that is considered both a general obligation and a virtue. Ibn Abbas described that God’s prayers on the Prophet refers to His Mercy on him. Al-Qushayri mentioned that sending prayers upon the Prophet was a mercy from God for anyone who did so, while for the Prophet it is distinction from God and increased honor. Popular Islamic piety also holds that sending prayers upon the Prophet earns the believer forgiveness of sins as well as a raising in rank before God.
In Surah Inshirah, verse 4, the Qur’an indicates the extent to which God has praised the Prophet through a question: وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ (“Did we not exalt your fame?”) Qadi ‘Iyad in his biography of the Prophet , Ash-Shifa, relates from a hadith that Gabriel came to the Prophet and explained that God had exalted the Prophet’s fame by mentioning him along with Himself. In the Shahadah, or testament of belief that all Muslims must state, the name of Muhammad is coupled with the Name of God: Lailaha illa Allah, Muhammad ar-Rasulullah (There is no god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God). Sufi mystics have alluded to the idea that the shahadah containing Muhammad’s name is inscribed on the base of the Divine Throne, and that it is by these words that Adam sought forgiveness from the Lord after being expelled from Heaven. This would imply that even a prophet sought intercession through Muhammad , before Muhammad even stepped foot on the earth.

One might wonder how it is that God, to Whom belongs all praise as the opening verse of the Qur’an states, would exalt a mere human being and place his name alongside His Holy Name. Muhammad himself was very conscious of his servitude to God and warned against his followers raising him to the level of the Divine the way the Christians had with Jesus. He knew he was only a man to whom revelation had come: قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ فَٱسْتَقِيمُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ وَٱسْتَغْفِرُوهُ وَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُشْرِكِينَ (Say thou: “I am only a mortal like you. It is revealed to me that your God is One God. So take a straight path to Him, and ask forgiveness of Him!” And woe to the idolaters); not an angel or superhuman.

He was not omniscient or omnipotent, but only knew that which God had taught him. However, God made following him and obeying him a means to reach God Himself. In Surah Ahzab, the Qur’an states:  لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّـهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ وَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّـهَ كَثِيرًا (“Ye have indeed in the Messenger of God a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in God and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of God”; 33:21). Likewise, in Surah Ali-Imran the Qur’an commands Muhammad to say: قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّـهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَٱللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ (“If you love God, then follow me and God will love you” ;3:31). Thus to obey the Prophet is to obey God and to know the Prophet is to better know God. So it is that praising the Prophet is a method of praising God. Ja’far as-Sadiq related a Hadith Qudsi in which God states, “No one mentions you as the Messenger but that he mentions Me as the Lord.”

The Prophet through his exalted character embodied the Divine Attributes to the fullest extent possible for a created being. This is the basis of the Haqiqa Muhammadiyya, the Muhammadan Reality: Muhammad represents the outward manifestation (Dhuhur) of the unseen Divine (Butun). The Qur’an describes Muhammad as possessing Divine qualities such as mercy (rahmah) as well as being rauf (kind) and rahim (merciful). Although he is not all-hearing, he is described as being a highly good listener: وَمِنْهُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ ٱلنَّبِىَّ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ أُذُنٌ قُلْ أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ لَّكُمْ يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّـهِ وَيُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ رَسُولَ ٱللَّـهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (“”And among them are those who hinder the Prophet, saying: “He is an ear.” Say thou: “An ear of good for you,” — he believes in God, and he believes the believers — “and a mercy for those among you who heed warning.” And those who hinder the messenger of God, for them is a painful punishment””; 9:61) Several mystics have alluded to the idea of Muhammad being referred to in the famous Light Verse of Surah An-Nur, wherein God is called the Light of the Heavens and the Earth and a parable is used to describe that Light. Al-Ghazali in his treatise Mishkat al-Anwar (The Niche for Lights) considers Muhammad to be the light upon light (nurun ‘ala nur) at the end of the verse; this would imply that Muhammad is the ultimate metaphor for the Divine Light. Muhammad is more explicitly referred to as a source of light in Surah al-Ahzab (33;45-46):

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ شَـٰهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا

وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى ٱللَّـهِ بِإِذْنِهِۦ وَسِرَاجًا مُّنِيرًا

O Prophet! Truly We have sent thee
As a Witness, a Bearer of Glad
Tidings, and Warner,-
And as one who invites to Allah’s
(grace) by His leave, and as a lamp
spreading light. [Yusuf Ali]

After being called a “witness (shahid), a bearer of glad tidings (bashir), and a warner (nadheer),” Muhammad is called an “illuminating lamp.” The word siraj used in this verse is also used to describe the sun in a later verse in Surah Nuh. In that verse, the moon is called nur whereas the sun is called siraj. Since the sun disseminates light whereas the moon only reflects it, some Qur’an exegetes have commented that the Prophet is like the sun in the strength and power of his light. However, the verse makes clear that the light of the Prophet   is sourced from God, the Ultimate Reality,
and he spreads it only by God’s leave (bi ithnihi).

In reflecting on the nature of the Prophet and God’s esteem for him in the Qur’an, some expounders of the Haqiqa Muhammadiyya have been led to believe that the entire universe was created for Muhammad . There is nothing in the Qur’an, however, that would suggest this to be the case. One cannot deny after reading the Qur’an that Muhammad is al-Mustafa, the chosen one, and Ahmad, the one of highest praise. One can easily comprehend him to be khayr al-khalq, the best of the creation, and indeed Habib Allah, the beloved of God. Yet the Qur’an states clearly and simply that God created mankind in order that He be known and worshipped: وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ (“And I created the domini and the servi only that they should serve Me” ;51:56).

Muhammad   is so highly praised because he is the perfect worshipper, or servant, of God. His embodiment of exalted Divine Attributes does not lead him away from the humility and surrender due from him as a created being. As Ibn ‘Arabi explained, Muhammad had perfect passivity and servant-ness (‘ubudiyya) with God, and perfect activity and lordship (rububiyya) with people. One might say that Muhammad fulfilled the purpose of God’s creating him better than anyone else, and in that sense is the pride of the universe, the most perfect created being. However, to say that he was himself the very purpose of the creation is something very different and unsubstantiated. It behooves us as believers to hold the Highly Praised One as exemplar, celebrating his excellency as we attempt to reach our own potential as spiritual beings and vicegerents of God.

Works Cited:
Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Muhammad Man of God. Kazi Publications: Chicago, 1995.
Qadi ‘Iyad al-Yahsubi. Muhammad: Messenger of Allah. Ash-Shifa of Qadi ‘Iyad.
Translated by Aisha Bewley. Madinah Press: Scotland, 2006.
Schimmel, Annemarie. And Muhammad is His Messenger: The Veneration of the
Prophet in Islamic Piety. The University of North Carolina Press: Chapel Hill, 1985.