By: Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amn Puri
Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, was a human being. This belief is firmly established through the Qur'an, Hadith, and the consensus of the Ummah. In contrast, some people hold the belief that the Prophet ﷺ was outwardly a human but, in reality, he was light (Nur). This belief, devoid of any substantial evidence, is extremely misleading and amounts to disbelief (kufr). No one can deny that the Prophet ﷺ belonged to the human race, which is why certain Rafidhi (a sect within Shia Islam) and misguided Sufis of this era claim that the Prophet ﷺ was merely cloaked in human form.
It is important to note that the polytheists of Makkah and the disbelievers of previous nations refused to believe in the Prophets primarily because they were human beings like themselves. Throughout history, disbelievers have always considered the human nature of Prophets to be incompatible with prophethood and messengership. Even today, some people deny the humanity of the Prophet ﷺ. In reality, this is a denial of a fundamental truth. When the disbelievers of Makkah attempted to reject the prophethood of the Prophet ﷺ by arguing that he was a human, the Qur'an did not respond by denying his humanity and urging them to believe. Instead, Allah provided ample evidence in several clear verses that the Prophet ﷺ was indeed a human being.
In one instance, Allah Almighty says:
"And nothing prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them except that they said: 'Has Allah sent a human as a messenger?' Say, 'If there were angels walking securely on the earth, We would have sent down for them from the heaven an angel as a messenger.'"
(Al-Isra, 17:94-95)
In this verse, Allah refutes the polytheists by stating that since humans reside on earth, it is only appropriate that the guidance and leadership for humans should come from a human being. If angels had inhabited the earth, then a messenger from among the angels would have been sent. This clearly establishes that the Prophet ﷺ was indeed human. Otherwise, Allah could have responded to the polytheists by saying that the Prophet ﷺ was merely cloaked in human form but was, in reality, light. Such a response would have completely nullified their objection, as they believed that a human could not be a messenger.
Furthermore, all the Prophets before the Prophet ﷺ were also human beings. This is Allah's law that for the guidance of humans, only a human can be a Prophet.
Allah Almighty says:
"And you will never find in Allah's way any change."
(Al-Ahzab, 33:62)
Even at the time of the Prophet's ﷺ appointment, this divine law did not change.
Allah Almighty says:
"Qaf. By the glorious Qur'an. But they wonder that there has come to them a warner from among themselves, and the disbelievers say: 'This is a strange thing.'"
(Qaf, 50:1-2)
The phrase "from among themselves" indicates that the Prophet ﷺ was from the same species as those to whom he was sent. This is why the polytheists were astonished that a human being from among them claimed to be a Prophet. They wondered how a human could be the Messenger of Allah.
In another verse, Allah says:
"Is it a wonder to the people that We have sent revelation to a man from among them?"
(Yunus, 10:2)
When the disbelievers of Makkah expressed doubt and suspicion about the Prophet's ﷺ humanity, Allah addressed them in two ways:
"And We sent not before you [as messengers] except men to whom We revealed [the message], so ask the people of the message if you do not know."
(An-Nahl, 16:43)
"And We sent not before you [as messengers] except men to whom We revealed [the message], so ask the people of the message if you do not know."
(Al-Anbiya, 21:7)
"And nothing prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them except that they said: 'Has Allah sent a human as a messenger?' Say, 'If there were angels walking securely on the earth, We would have sent down for them from the heaven an angel as a messenger.'"
(Al-Isra, 17:94-95)
Then Allah says: If you still deny that a Prophet can be a human, my Lord has commanded me to say:
"Say: Sufficient is Allah as a witness between me and you. Indeed, He is ever, concerning His servants, Acquainted and Seeing."
(Al-Isra, 17:96)
Now, it is up to you whether you believe or not.
Then Allah, through the Prophet ﷺ himself, proclaimed his humanity:
"Say, 'I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed...'"
(Al-Kahf, 18:110; As-Sajda, 32:6)
"Say, 'I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed...'"
(Fussilat, 41:6)
Furthermore, when the disbelievers of Makkah demanded several miracles from the Prophet ﷺ, Allah instructed him to say:
"Say: 'Exalted is my Lord! Was I ever but a human messenger?'"
(Al-Isra, 17:93)
In another place, it is stated:
"There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves..."
(At-Tawba, 9:128)
And further:
"Just as We have sent among you a messenger from yourselves reciting to you Our verses..."
(Al-Baqara, 2:151)
Regarding the disbelievers, Allah says:
"And they did not appraise Allah with true appraisal when they said, 'Allah did not reveal to a human being anything.'"
(Al-An'am, 6:91)
In response, Allah says:
"Say, 'Who sent down the Book that Moses brought as light and guidance to the people?'"
(Al-An'am, 6:91)
The people of Noah rejected the prophethood of Noah for the same reason. Allah says:
"We do not see you except as a man like ourselves..."
(Hud, 11:27)
The Sunni scholar, Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (224-310 AH), explains this verse in his Tafsir:
"They denied the prophethood of their prophet Noah by saying, 'O Noah, we do not see you but as a human like ourselves.' They meant by this that he was a human being like them in creation, form, and species. They were rejecting the idea that Allah would send a messenger from among humans to His creation."
(Tafsir al-Tabari, 12/36)
Pharaoh and his advisors said the same about Moses and Aaron:
"Should we believe in two men like ourselves?"
(Al-Mu'minun, 23:47)
Allah says:
"And We have already sent messengers before you and assigned to them wives and descendants. And it was not for a messenger to come with a sign except by permission of Allah. For every term is a decree."
(Ar-Ra'd, 13:38)
Imam al-Tabari (224-310 AH) explains this verse in his Tafsir:
"Allah Almighty says:
O Muhammad! Certainly, We sent messengers before you to nations that passed before your nation, and We made them humans like you. They had wives whom they married and children from whom their lineage continued. We did not make them angels who neither eat nor drink nor marry. Had that been the case, We would have sent a messenger from the angels to your people as We did to previous nations, but We sent a human messenger from among them, just as We sent human messengers to previous nations."
(Tafsir al-Tabari, 13/216)
In response to a demand made by the polytheists, Allah says:
"And if We had made him an angel, We would have made him [appear as] a man, and We would have covered them with that in which they cover themselves."
(Al-An'am, 6:9)
Imam Ibn Hibban (354 AH) comments on a Hadith:
"The chosen one, the best of humans, performed the prayer and forgot."
(Sahih Ibn Hibban, Hadith 4074)
Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701-774 AH) explains the verse "I do not say to you that I am an angel" as:
"I do not claim to be an angel; I am just a human being like other humans, but I receive revelation from Allah. It is because of this that Allah has honored and blessed me."
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 6/41, Maktabat Awlad al-Shaykh lil-Turath)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (773-852 AH) mentions about the disbelievers of Makkah:
"The disbelievers of Quraysh considered it impossible that Muhammad ﷺ could be a messenger from Allah because he was a human being like themselves."
(Fath al-Bari, 10/191)
Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, was a human being. This belief is firmly established through the Qur'an, Hadith, and the consensus of the Ummah. In contrast, some people hold the belief that the Prophet ﷺ was outwardly a human but, in reality, he was light (Nur). This belief, devoid of any substantial evidence, is extremely misleading and amounts to disbelief (kufr). No one can deny that the Prophet ﷺ belonged to the human race, which is why certain Rafidhi (a sect within Shia Islam) and misguided Sufis of this era claim that the Prophet ﷺ was merely cloaked in human form.
It is important to note that the polytheists of Makkah and the disbelievers of previous nations refused to believe in the Prophets primarily because they were human beings like themselves. Throughout history, disbelievers have always considered the human nature of Prophets to be incompatible with prophethood and messengership. Even today, some people deny the humanity of the Prophet ﷺ. In reality, this is a denial of a fundamental truth. When the disbelievers of Makkah attempted to reject the prophethood of the Prophet ﷺ by arguing that he was a human, the Qur'an did not respond by denying his humanity and urging them to believe. Instead, Allah provided ample evidence in several clear verses that the Prophet ﷺ was indeed a human being.
In one instance, Allah Almighty says:
"And nothing prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them except that they said: 'Has Allah sent a human as a messenger?' Say, 'If there were angels walking securely on the earth, We would have sent down for them from the heaven an angel as a messenger.'"
(Al-Isra, 17:94-95)
In this verse, Allah refutes the polytheists by stating that since humans reside on earth, it is only appropriate that the guidance and leadership for humans should come from a human being. If angels had inhabited the earth, then a messenger from among the angels would have been sent. This clearly establishes that the Prophet ﷺ was indeed human. Otherwise, Allah could have responded to the polytheists by saying that the Prophet ﷺ was merely cloaked in human form but was, in reality, light. Such a response would have completely nullified their objection, as they believed that a human could not be a messenger.
Furthermore, all the Prophets before the Prophet ﷺ were also human beings. This is Allah's law that for the guidance of humans, only a human can be a Prophet.
Allah Almighty says:
"And you will never find in Allah's way any change."
(Al-Ahzab, 33:62)
Even at the time of the Prophet's ﷺ appointment, this divine law did not change.
Allah Almighty says:
"Qaf. By the glorious Qur'an. But they wonder that there has come to them a warner from among themselves, and the disbelievers say: 'This is a strange thing.'"
(Qaf, 50:1-2)
The phrase "from among themselves" indicates that the Prophet ﷺ was from the same species as those to whom he was sent. This is why the polytheists were astonished that a human being from among them claimed to be a Prophet. They wondered how a human could be the Messenger of Allah.
In another verse, Allah says:
"Is it a wonder to the people that We have sent revelation to a man from among them?"
(Yunus, 10:2)
When the disbelievers of Makkah expressed doubt and suspicion about the Prophet's ﷺ humanity, Allah addressed them in two ways:
"And We sent not before you [as messengers] except men to whom We revealed [the message], so ask the people of the message if you do not know."
(An-Nahl, 16:43)
"And We sent not before you [as messengers] except men to whom We revealed [the message], so ask the people of the message if you do not know."
(Al-Anbiya, 21:7)
"And nothing prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them except that they said: 'Has Allah sent a human as a messenger?' Say, 'If there were angels walking securely on the earth, We would have sent down for them from the heaven an angel as a messenger.'"
(Al-Isra, 17:94-95)
Then Allah says: If you still deny that a Prophet can be a human, my Lord has commanded me to say:
"Say: Sufficient is Allah as a witness between me and you. Indeed, He is ever, concerning His servants, Acquainted and Seeing."
(Al-Isra, 17:96)
Now, it is up to you whether you believe or not.
Then Allah, through the Prophet ﷺ himself, proclaimed his humanity:
"Say, 'I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed...'"
(Al-Kahf, 18:110; As-Sajda, 32:6)
"Say, 'I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed...'"
(Fussilat, 41:6)
Furthermore, when the disbelievers of Makkah demanded several miracles from the Prophet ﷺ, Allah instructed him to say:
"Say: 'Exalted is my Lord! Was I ever but a human messenger?'"
(Al-Isra, 17:93)
In another place, it is stated:
"There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves..."
(At-Tawba, 9:128)
And further:
"Just as We have sent among you a messenger from yourselves reciting to you Our verses..."
(Al-Baqara, 2:151)
Regarding the disbelievers, Allah says:
"And they did not appraise Allah with true appraisal when they said, 'Allah did not reveal to a human being anything.'"
(Al-An'am, 6:91)
In response, Allah says:
"Say, 'Who sent down the Book that Moses brought as light and guidance to the people?'"
(Al-An'am, 6:91)
The people of Noah rejected the prophethood of Noah for the same reason. Allah says:
"We do not see you except as a man like ourselves..."
(Hud, 11:27)
The Sunni scholar, Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (224-310 AH), explains this verse in his Tafsir:
"They denied the prophethood of their prophet Noah by saying, 'O Noah, we do not see you but as a human like ourselves.' They meant by this that he was a human being like them in creation, form, and species. They were rejecting the idea that Allah would send a messenger from among humans to His creation."
(Tafsir al-Tabari, 12/36)
Pharaoh and his advisors said the same about Moses and Aaron:
"Should we believe in two men like ourselves?"
(Al-Mu'minun, 23:47)
Allah says:
"And We have already sent messengers before you and assigned to them wives and descendants. And it was not for a messenger to come with a sign except by permission of Allah. For every term is a decree."
(Ar-Ra'd, 13:38)
Imam al-Tabari (224-310 AH) explains this verse in his Tafsir:
"Allah Almighty says:
O Muhammad! Certainly, We sent messengers before you to nations that passed before your nation, and We made them humans like you. They had wives whom they married and children from whom their lineage continued. We did not make them angels who neither eat nor drink nor marry. Had that been the case, We would have sent a messenger from the angels to your people as We did to previous nations, but We sent a human messenger from among them, just as We sent human messengers to previous nations."
(Tafsir al-Tabari, 13/216)
In response to a demand made by the polytheists, Allah says:
"And if We had made him an angel, We would have made him [appear as] a man, and We would have covered them with that in which they cover themselves."
(Al-An'am, 6:9)
Imam Ibn Hibban (354 AH) comments on a Hadith:
"The chosen one, the best of humans, performed the prayer and forgot."
(Sahih Ibn Hibban, Hadith 4074)
Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701-774 AH) explains the verse "I do not say to you that I am an angel" as:
"I do not claim to be an angel; I am just a human being like other humans, but I receive revelation from Allah. It is because of this that Allah has honored and blessed me."
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 6/41, Maktabat Awlad al-Shaykh lil-Turath)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (773-852 AH) mentions about the disbelievers of Makkah:
"The disbelievers of Quraysh considered it impossible that Muhammad ﷺ could be a messenger from Allah because he was a human being like themselves."
(Fath al-Bari, 10/191)