WHO WAS THE GREATEST MAN ON EARTH
PROPHET MUHAMMAD
The Last Messenger of God and The Seal of The Prophets
(Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)
There are many claimants to the title of Prophet of God, but Muhammad (peace be upon him) had claimed to be the last Messenger of God (Rasulullah) and hence the Seal of the prophetic order.
A Prophet of God must satisfy many criteria to be worthy of the claim, so we shall apply some of these to him - based only on objective, independent analyses of his life, mission and achievements.
1. A PROPHET OF GOD MUST HAVE DIVINE AUTHORITY FOR HIS CLAIM, AND THIS MUST BE EVIDENT TO THOSE WHO STUDY HIS LIFE OBJECTIVELY - EVEN THOSE WHO ARE NOT HIS FOLLOWERS.
“The essential sincerity of Muhammad’s nature cannot be questioned: and a historical criticism that links no facts, yields nothing to credulity, weights every testimony, has no partisan interest, and seeks only the truth, must acknowledge his claim to belong to that order of prophets...”
- Annie Bessant (Theosophist/The Life & Teachings of Muhammad/Madras 1932.
“He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope’s pretension and Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammad, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its support.”
- Rev. Bosworth Smith/Mohammad and Mohammadanism/London 1874
“(The Quran) is the literal revelation of God, dictated to Muhammad by Gabriel, perfect in every letter. It is ever-present miracle witnessing to itself and to Muhammad, the Prophet of God. Its miraculous quality resides partly in its style, so perfect and lofty that no one could produce a single chapter to compare with its briefest chapter, and partly in its content of teachings, prophecies about the future, and amazingly accurate information such as the illiterate Muhammad could never have gathered of his own accord.”
- Harry Gaylord Dorman/Towards Understanding Islam/New York 1948.
2. THE LAST PROPHET OF GOD - WITH SUCH AN IMPORTANT MISSION - MUST BE PROPHESISED IN PREVIOUS SCRIPTURES. ALTHOUGH THESES PROPECIES ARE OPEN TO VARYING INTERPRETATIONS, COMPELLING EVIDENCE CAN BE OBTAINED IF VARIED SOURCES ARE EXAMINED.
OLD TESTAMENT (OT)