Holy Prophet (SAW)’s Superiority over All the Prophets

The Holy Qur’an shows that every Prophet was a follower of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] as is said:

 ‘You shall believe in him and help him.’—Al-e-‘Imran, 3:82

In this way, all Prophets became followers of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him].

[Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 21, p. 300]

The Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] combines the names of all the Prophets in himself inasmuch as he possessed all their diverse excellences. So he is Moses and Jesus and Adam and Abraham and Joseph and Jacob. This is indicated in the verse:

Meaning that: the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] should combine in himself all the diverse guidance which other Prophets had brought.

al-An‘am, 6:91

This shows that the dignity of all Prophets was combined in the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]; and his name Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] also points to this, for it means greatly praised, and great praise can only be imagined when all the varied excellences and special qualities of the different Prophets are combined in the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. There are many verses in the Holy Qur’an which set forth clearly that the being of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] on account of its qualities and excellences, was a combination of all the Prophets. Every Prophet finding in him an appropriate relationship with himself imagined that he would come under his name.

At one place the Holy Qur’an sets forth that this Prophet has the closest relationship with Abraham. In a Hadith of Bukhari, the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] says that he has a close relationship with Jesus and that his being is combined with the being of Jesus. This confirms the saying of Jesus that the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] would appear under his name and so it happened that when our Messiah [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] appeared, he completed the incomplete works of the Messiah of Nazareth and bore witness to his truth and cleared him of the calumnies which the Jews and the Christians had uttered against him, and thus gave pleasure to the soul of Jesus.

[A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 5, p. 343]

Divine revelation is a mirror in which the perfect attributes of God Almighty are seen, according to the inner cleanliness of the Prophet who is the recipient of the revelation. As the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was higher than all the other Prophets in the purity of his soul, the expansion of his mind, his chastity, modesty, sincerity, trust, fidelity and love of the Divine, God, the Glorious, anointed him with the perfume of special excellence in excess of any other Prophet. His bosom and heart which were broader and holier and more innocent and brighter and more loving than the bosom and heart of any who had passed before him, and who were to come after him, were considered worthy that such Divine revelation should descend upon him as should be stronger and more perfect, higher and more complete, than the revelation vouchsafed to all those who were before him and all those who were to come after him, and which should serve as a clear, wide and large mirror for reflecting Divine attributes. That is why the Holy Qur’an possesses such high excellences that the brightness of all previous books is cast into the shade before its fierce and brilliant rays. No mind can put forth a verity which is not already contained in it and no reason can present any argument which is not already presented in it. No speech can affect the hearts so powerfully as the strong and full of blessings effect it produces upon millions of hearts. Undoubtedly it is a clear mirror reflecting the perfect attributes of the Divine in which all is found that is needed by a seeker to arrive at the highest grades of understanding.

[Surmah Chashm Arya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 2, pp. 71-72, footnote]

The Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was the best of the Prophets and had a higher status than all the Messengers, and God desired that as by his personal qualities he was the Chief of all the Prophets, so from the point of view of his overt services also, he might be proclaimed to the world as better and higher than all. Therefore, God Almighty extended his beneficence to the whole of mankind, so that his efforts and his endeavours might be generally manifested and should not be confined to a particular people, as was the case with Moses and Jesus, and so that enduring severe persecution from every direction and every people, he should be entitled to the great reward which will not be bestowed upon other Prophets.

[Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 1, pp. 653-654]

It is my belief that if, leaving the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] aside, all the Prophets who had preceded him had combined to perform the task and to carry out the reform which the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] performed and carried out, they would not have been able to do so. They had not the heart and the strength which had been bestowed upon the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. If anyone should say that this shows disrespect towards the other Prophets, he would be guilty of uttering a calumny against me. It is part of my faith to honour and respect the Prophets, but the Holy Prophet's superiority to all other Prophets is the principal part of my faith and my whole being is saturated with it. It is not within my power to exclude it.

Let my unfortunate opponent, who is sightless, say what he pleases, but our Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] performed a task, which all the others combined together, or separately, could not have performed.

 ‘That is Allah's grace; He bestows it on whom He pleases.’—al-Jumu‘ah, 62:5

[Malfuzat, Vol. II, p. 174]

The holy books of the Jews state clearly that a saviour like Moses will be sent for them. This means that he would appear at a time when the Jews would be passing through a state of suffering and humiliation as was imposed upon them in the time of Pharaoh. Then they would be delivered from torment and disgrace by believing in him. There is no doubt that our lord and master Muhammad, the chosen one [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was the personage for whom the Jews had been waiting throughout the ages and in whom the prophecy of the Torah was most clearly fulfilled. When the Jews believed in him many great kings were raised among them. This is clear proof that God Almighty forgave their sins because of their accepting Islam and had mercy on them as was promised in the Torah.

[Ayyam-us-Sulah, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 14, pp. 302-303]

The greatness that was bestowed upon Jesus was on account of his following the Holy Prophet Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] for Jesus was informed of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and believed in him and attained salvation through his belief.

[al-Hakam, 30 June 1901, p. 3]

Now we compare Jesus with the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] in the matter of the treatment accorded to them by the governments of their respective days and how their prestige and Divine support were manifested. When we do this, it becomes clear that in contrast with the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] Jesus not only fails to exhibit signs of Godhead, he even fails to demonstrate the signs of a Prophet. When the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] sent his message to the rulers of his time, the Roman Caesar, on receipt of the Holy Prophet's message, breathed a sigh that he was caught among the Christians and that if he had been free, it would have been a matter of pride for him to present himself to the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and to wash his feet like a slave. But a wicked and evil-hearted ruler, the Chosros of Iran, was affronted and sent soldiers to arrest the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. They arrived in Medina towards the evening and told the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] that they had been sent to arrest him. The Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] disregarded what they had said and invited them to accept Islam. At that time the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was in the mosque accompanied only by three or four companions, but the royal emissaries were trembling in awe of him. In the end they asked what answer should they take back concerning his arrest to their lord. The Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] asked them to wait till the next day. The following morning when they came, the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] said to them: He whom you call lord and god, is no god. God is the Being Who is not subject to death or destruction. Your god was killed last night. My True God set up his son Sherweh over him and last night he was killed by the hand of his son. This is my reply.

This was a great miracle witnessing which thousands of people of that country believed in the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] because in fact Khusro Pervez, the Chosros, had been killed that night. This is not a statement like the vague statements of the Gospel, but is supported by historical evidence. Mr. Davenport has also mentioned this event in his book.

As against this, the lack of esteem in which Jesus was held by the rulers of his time is well known. Probably the Gospels still contain the record of Herodius sending Jesus to Pilate as an accused person. He remained for a time in custody and his godhead did not come into play. No monarch said that it would be a matter of pride for him to serve Jesus and to wash his feet. Pilate handed him over to the Jews. Was this his godhead? What a contrast is there between the two persons who encountered similar circumstances, but with opposite results. In one case, a proud and arrogant monarch was incited by Satan to order the arrest of the claimant to Prophethood, but he was overtaken by the Divine curse and was murdered with great humiliation at the hands of his own son. In the second case, a person whom—regardless of his real claims—his extravagant followers raised to the heavens,
was in fact arrested and sent into custody of the cruel police as an accused person from one town to another.

[Nur-ul-Qur’an, No. 2, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 9, pp. 384- 386]