Tirmidhi

Explanation:
1:
This is the well-known hadith regarding which the people of innovation (ahl al-bid‘ah) have fallen into excessive exaggeration, to the extent that it has led to the disparagement of other prophets (alayhim as-salam). However, in reality, it only states that the decree (as predestination) of prophethood for me was made before the creation of Adam (alayhis-salam). It is evident that if Allah had written a decree for someone on the Day of Eternity (azal), then that was before the creation of Adam (alayhis-salam). These are the established words of this hadith; other wordings are not established, such as: (Kuntu nabiyyan wa Adam bayna al-ma’i wa al-teen) (“I was a prophet when Adam was between water and clay”), and similarly, (Kuntu nabiyyan wa la ma’un wa la teen) (“I was a prophet when there was neither water nor clay, i.e., I was a prophet even before the creation of the universe”). Regarding these wordings, the scholars of hadith have said (la asl lahu), meaning that there is not even a weak, let alone a sound, chain of transmission for this hadith with these wordings. May Allah protect us from exaggeration.