This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Irshad Ullah Maan's book The Search for Truth.
Question: What is the status of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in the religion revealed by Allah?
Answer: Allah Almighty has specially appointed you ﷺ as a Messenger and revealed His Book upon you and commanded the complete explanation of it: [وَ اَنۡزَلۡنَاۤ اِلَیۡکَ الذِّکۡرَ لِتُبَیِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ اِلَیۡہِمۡ] And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.
Reference: (An-Nahl:44)
This noble verse contains two points::
[1] The wording and their arrangement (i.e.) delivering the complete text of the Holy Quran to the Ummah exactly as Allah Almighty revealed it.
[2] Explaining the meaning and significance of words, sentences, or the entire verse so that the Muslim Ummah can act upon the Wise Quran.
Question: What is the status of the explanation of the Holy Quran given by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?
Answer: In religious matters, the sayings of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ are according to the command of Allah: [وَ مَا یَنۡطِقُ عَنِ الۡہَوٰی]،[اِنۡ ہُوَ اِلَّا وَحۡیٌ یُّوۡحٰی]
[And he does not speak from his own desire.] It is only a revelation revealed.
Reference: (An-Najm:3, 4)
Therefore, it is said: [مَنۡ یُّطِعِ الرَّسُوۡلَ فَقَدۡ اَطَاعَ اللّٰہَ] Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah.
Reference: (An-Nisa:80)
This is why decisive authority in religious matters belongs to Allah Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ. It is stated: [فَاِنۡ تَنَازَعۡتُمۡ فِیۡ شَیۡءٍ فَرُدُّوۡہُ اِلَی اللّٰہِ وَ الرَّسُوۡلِ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ تُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِاللّٰہِ وَ الۡیَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ] So if you differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day.
Reference: (An-Nisa:59)
It is understood that Islam means following Allah Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ.
Question: Do the Prophets, peace be upon them, receive revelation besides the scriptures?
Answer: Certainly, the Prophets, peace be upon them, receive revelation besides the heavenly scriptures, and acting upon this revelation is as necessary as acting upon the words of Allah. One type of revelation besides the scripture is the dreams of the Prophets. Consider the dream of Ibrahim, peace be upon him: [فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَہُ السَّعۡیَ قَالَ یٰبُنَیَّ اِنِّیۡۤ اَرٰی فِی الۡمَنَامِ اَنِّیۡۤ اَذۡبَحُکَ فَانۡظُرۡ مَاذَا تَرٰی ؕ قَالَ یٰۤاَبَتِ افۡعَلۡ مَا تُؤۡمَرُ ۫ سَتَجِدُنِیۡۤ اِنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰہُ مِنَ الصّٰبِرِیۡنَ]،[فَلَمَّاۤ اَسۡلَمَا وَ تَلَّہٗ لِلۡجَبِیۡنِ]،[وَ نَادَیۡنٰہُ اَنۡ یّٰۤاِبۡرٰہِیۡمُ]،[قَدۡ صَدَّقۡتَ الرُّءۡیَا ۚ اِنَّا کَذٰلِکَ نَجۡزِی الۡمُحۡسِنِیۡنَ]
[Then when he reached the age to run with him, he said, "O my son! Indeed I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you, so see what you think?" He said, "O my father! Do as you are commanded; if Allah wills, you will find me among the patient." So when they both had submitted and he had laid him down on his forehead, We called to him, "O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the vision." Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good.]
Reference: (As-Saffat:102-105)
In this verse, the act of slaughtering the son in the dream is described as a command from Allah.
Question: Did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ also receive revelation in a dream?
Answer: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once saw in a dream that he was entering the Kaaba and performing Tawaf. Since this dream was also a type of revelation, the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, set out for Makkah with the intention of performing Umrah along with the Prophet ﷺ. However, the disbelievers of Makkah stopped him ﷺ at the place of Hudaybiyyah, and the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was made there, according to which it was decided that he ﷺ would perform Tawaf of the Kaaba the following year instead of that year. When confusion arose among the Companions regarding the Prophet’s ﷺ dream, Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه asked him ﷺ: Did you not inform us that we would enter Makkah? The Prophet ﷺ replied: Yes! I did inform you, but I did not say that it would happen on this journey. Upon returning, Allah revealed the verses: [لَقَدۡ صَدَقَ اللّٰہُ رَسُوۡلَہُ الرُّءۡیَا بِالۡحَقِّ ۚ لَتَدۡخُلُنَّ الۡمَسۡجِدَ الۡحَرَامَ اِنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰہُ اٰمِنِیۡنَ] Indeed, Allah showed His Messenger the truth in a dream. You will surely enter al-Masjid al-Haram in safety, if Allah wills.
Reference: (Al-Fath:27)
It is understood that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also received revelation in dreams.
Question: Were commands revealed through revelation other than the Holy Quran?
Answer: Undoubtedly, commands were revealed besides the Holy Quran as well. For example, the first Qibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims was Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), towards which Muslims faced and prayed for 16-17 years. The command to designate Bayt al-Maqdis as the Qibla is not mentioned in the Holy Quran, but Allah says: [وَ مَا جَعَلۡنَا الۡقِبۡلَۃَ الَّتِیۡ کُنۡتَ عَلَیۡہَاۤ اِلَّا لِنَعۡلَمَ مَنۡ یَّتَّبِعُ الرَّسُوۡلَ مِمَّنۡ یَّنۡقَلِبُ عَلٰی عَقِبَیۡہِ] And We made the Qibla which you used to face only to test who would follow the Messenger and who would turn on their heels.
Reference: (Al-Baqarah:143)
It is understood that the command to designate Bayt al-Maqdis as the Qibla was given by Allah through hidden revelation. Revelation other than the Holy Quran is also called hidden revelation (Sunnah).
