Monday 22 Jumada al-akhirah 1446 - 23 December 2024
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Was the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sent to all creatures, meaning the jinn, humans and others?

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Publication : 05-10-2024

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Question

What I know is that Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to all the living, accountable humans and jinn with the message of Islam. But must I also believe that Allah sent him to all creatures? As it is known that the word creatures is more general and includes more than just humans and jinn. Secondly: I know that his message was not only for the humans and jinn of his own time; rather it is for all the humans and jinn, those who lived at his time and those who came after them, but until when? Is it until the first of the major signs of the Hour appear, or until the Hour itself begins?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

The Muslims are unanimously agreed, and it is narrated in mutawatir reports from our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that Allah did indeed send him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to the jinn and humankind.

(Majmu‘ al-Fatawa by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, 4/204 and 11/303)

With regard to the angels, most of the scholars are of the view that he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was not sent to them.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was sent to the two races, humankind and the jinn, but he was not sent to the angels. (End quote from Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, 12/222.

He also said in his book an-Nubuwwat (2/232):

The signs of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) which prove his prophethood must be miracles that are extraordinary for both humans and jinn, but it is not stipulated that they should be things that the angels are unable to do, because they (meaning the prophets) were not sent to the angels. (End quote)

Based on that, it is not correct to say that Allah sent our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to all creatures, because he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was not sent to the angels. Similarly, he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was not sent to other creatures which possess no reason, because they are not accountable and are not required to follow any divine system of law, such that a messenger would be sent to them from among them or from among others. Rather those who are made accountable, and Allah, may He be exalted, has made them qualified to be accountable, are humankind and the jinn, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was sent to both of them, as noted above.

Secondly:

All of creation testifies to the truthfulness of the message of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) except the disbelievers among humankind and the jinn. Ahmad (14333) narrated that Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There is nothing between heaven and earth but it knows that I am the Messenger of Allah, except the sinners among the jinn and humankind.” The commentators on al-Musnad classed it as authentic. According to the version narrated by at-Tabarani: “… Except the disbelievers among the jinn and humankind.”

Thirdly:

The message of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to humankind and the jinn will remain until Allah inherits the earth and all those on it. Therefore everyone of the two races whom Allah creates until that time is accountable and is required to believe in the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and follow him.

But when the sun rises from its place of setting, a seal will be placed on people’s deeds, and whoever had not believed in the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) before that will not benefit from his belief, if he believes after the sun has risen from its place of setting. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

{Do they [then] wait for anything except that the angels should come to them or your Lord should come or that there come some of the signs of your Lord? The Day that some of the signs of your Lord will come, no soul will benefit from its faith as long as it had not believed before or had earned through its faith some good} [Al-An‘am 6:158].

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The Hour will not begin until the sun rises from its place of setting. When the people see that, all those who are on earth will believe, but that will be when no soul will benefit from its faith as long as it had not believed before.” (al-Bukhari and Muslim)

And Allah knows best.

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Source: Islam Q&A