Q. In my home country people often refer to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the best of all God’s messengers. They use terms like Ashraf Al-Anbiya and Sayyid Al-Mursaleen. However, in more than one verse of the Qur’an there is clear indication that believers must never draw any distinction between God’s messengers. How can the said descriptions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which seem to be reiterated by all scholars, be reconciled with this Qur’anic order?
W.H. Rizvi
A. When you read the verses that require all believers not to draw distinction between God’s messengers, you recognize that they refer to belief, not to ranks among prophets whom God chose as His messengers to mankind. Thus, the verse in Surah 2 reads: “The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him by his Lord, and so do the believers. Each one of them believes in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers. We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” (2: 285) You note the change of address in the verse with the first two sentences which report the attitude of God’s messengers. The last sentence quotes all believers who make no distinction between God’s messengers, but believe in them all as bearers of God’s messages to mankind.
The following verse is even clearer in its reference to belief: “Those who deny God and His messengers, and want to make a distinction between belief in God and belief in His messengers, and say: ‘We believe in some but we deny others,’ and want to pursue a path in between — those, in truth, are unbelievers.” (4: 150-151)
This means that a Muslim cannot speak of a prophet in a way that appears to be of no consequence if he did not believe in him. Thus, an Arab Muslim cannot refer to Prophet Moses and say: ‘Well, he was a messenger to the Jews and I am not concerned with him.’ Such an attitude brings the person concerned into disbelief in God. We must believe in all God’s prophets and messengers, drawing no distinction whatsoever between them.
As for rank, some prophets and messengers are certainly given a higher one. God mentions in the Qur’an that he has given preference to some prophets. He says: “Those are the Messengers! We have exalted some of them above others. To some God spoke directly, and some He raised in rank. We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.” (2: 253) The verse speaks of some aspects of the honor with which God favored some of His messengers, such as Moses to whom God spoke directly and Jesus whom He strengthened with the Holy Spirit. Abraham was granted the great honor of having the line of prophethood in his seed. Needless to say, Muhammad has been honored with being the one who brings the line of prophethood to its close, with his message applicable for the rest of time.
God also refers to messengers who were endowed with great resolve. These were Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them and all other prophets and messengers). Since they have been given such greater resolve, they are of a higher rank.
Time to Read Certain Surahs
Q.1. I normally read Surahs 36, 56 and 67 in the morning, before going to work. Someone has told me that I am not doing the right thing, since there are different times for reciting different surahs. Thus, Surah 18 should be read on Friday, and Surah 56 after Isha prayer, etc. Could you please enlighten me as to whether a certain Hadith specifies such timings?
Q.2. Can I do the tawaf on behalf of a person who is ill, or on behalf of a relative who is away? I am also told that supplication in Tahajjud prayer is certain to be answered. May I ask what is the minimum rak’ahs in Tahajjud prayer.
T. Khan
A.1. Any part of the Qur’an may be read at any time as an act of worship which earns rich reward from God. This means that there is nothing wrong with your reading of these surahs in the morning. However, there are a number of Hadiths that recommend reading certain surahs at particular times, such as the Hadith recommending reading Surah 18, Al-Kahf, on Friday, and reading Surah 36, Yaseen for any purpose. Other Hadiths of this nature, recommending reading certain surahs at particular times are, generally speaking, either lacking in authenticity or, at best, of the hasan grade, which is lower than authentic. Having said that, I want to add that suggesting that it is wrong to read any part of the Qur’an at any time is wrong. The Qur’an may be read at all times and its reading gives us rich blessings.
A.2. It is not known that the tawaf could be offered on behalf of someone else. Certainly the pilgrimage or the Umrah may be offered on behalf of another person, as clearly indicated in several Hadiths, and the tawaf is an essential part of both duties, but this does not apply to it when offered as a Sunnah on its own. The tawaf is a form of prayer, and prayers generally are not offered on behalf of others.
Tahajjud is voluntary night worship which is recommended on any night. It has no minimum or maximum number of rak’ahs. It is offered two rak’ahs at a time, which may be as long as one wishes. You can read long passages of the Qur’an in such prayer, even if this means carrying your copy of the Qur’an in your hand and reading out of it. You may also prolong your prostration to glorify God as many times as you wish. If Tahajjud is offered in the early hours, i.e. the time preceding Fajr or dawn prayer, then it is offered at its most appropriate time. If you follow it with supplication, or include your supplication in your night worship, it is certain to be answered, because the supplication, or dua’, is coupled with a good action. Moreover, God has promised to answer our prayers and God’s promise always comes true.
