The antiquity of the prophethood of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)

Sayyiduna al-Irbad bin Sariyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "With Allah Almighty I am the Seal of the Prophets, while Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) was at that time still kneaded in his clay. And I will tell you about the very first of it: I am (the result of) the supplication of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the glad tidings given by Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him), and (the result of) the dreams that my mother saw. The mothers of the prophets see dreams like this."

In one narration the words are: "When the noble mother of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave birth to him, she saw a light by which the palaces of Syria were lit up."

In one narration the words are: "And (I am) the one concerning whom Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) gave glad tidings to his people."
Imam Ahmad recorded it with several chains, and al-Bazzar and at-Tabarani recorded something similar, with these words: "I will tell you its meaning: the supplication of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) refers to this supplication: 'O Allah, raise up among them a Messenger from among themselves.' The glad tidings of Sayyiduna Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him) refers to his saying: 'I am a bringer of glad tidings of a Messenger who will come after me, whose name will be Ahmad.' And the dream of my mother refers to the dream she saw in her sleep, that she gave birth to a light by which the palaces of Syria were lit up." Of the various chains of Imam Ahmad, the narrators of one are the narrators of the Sahih, except for Sa'id bin Suwayd, and Ibn Hibban declared him thiqah (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Maysarah al-Fajr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, when was your being a prophet recorded?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) was between the soul and the body."
Imam Ahmad and at-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Abdullah bin Shaqiq narrates the statement of a man: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, when were you made a prophet?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) was between the soul and the body."
Imam Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: It was said: "O Messenger of Allah, when were you recorded as a prophet?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) was between the soul and the body."
At-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and al-Bazzar also recorded it; its chain contains Jabir bin Yazid al-Ju'fi, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Maryam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A Bedouin came and stopped before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), while many people were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at that time. He said: "Will you not give me something that I may learn and carry with me, which will benefit me and will do you no harm?" The people said: "Stop! Sit down." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Leave him; this man asks only so that he may learn." The people made room for him until he sat down. He asked: "What was (the beginning) of your prophethood?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty took a covenant from me just as He took the covenant from the prophets." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: "And when We took from the prophets their covenant, and from you, and from Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa and Isa bin Maryam, and We took from them a firm covenant." (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) "I am the glad tidings of Sayyiduna al-Masih Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him), and the mother of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw in a dream that a lamp came out from between her (legs), which lit up the palaces of Syria." The Bedouin said: "Hah?" and brought his head close to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), for there was some weakness in his hearing. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "And there is more beyond that."
At-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators have been declared trustworthy.