Did Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) Have Assurance of His Own Salvation?
In the summer of 2010, I had a debate on this topic with Christian polemicist and apologist, Tony Costa, in Toronto, Canada. Below is a transcript of my opening statement.
Assalamu Alaykum and Greetings to Everyone.
I would like to thank you all for taking time off from your busy schedules and participating with us today for this discussion.
The topic is, “Was Muhammad Assured Of His Salvation?” not whether I, the Prophet’s companions, Muslims in general, Christians, or anyone else is assured of his or her salvation. Rather, we are specifically speaking about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and I hope that the discussion stays focused on that.
The evidence for my position is quite clear. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself said with confidence that he is going to heaven.
It is reported in Saheeh Muslim, Book 001, Number 384:
Anas b. Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: I will come to the gate of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. and would seek its opening. and the keeper would say: Who are you? I would say: Muhammad. He would then say: It is for you that I have been ordered not to open it for anyone before you.
So here we see that the Prophet (peace be upon him) not only said that he would go to Paradise, but that the gate of Paradise won’t open for anyone before him.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said in an authentic hadeeth in Musnad Ahmad, Hadeeth no. 12013:
وأنا سيد الناس يوم القيامة ولا فخر وأنا أول من يدخل الجنة يوم القيامة ولا فخر
And I am the master of the people on the Day of Judgment and I say this with no pride and I am the first one who would enter Paradise on the Day of Judgment and I say this with no pride.
Here the Prophet (peace be upon him) is saying that he would be the first one to enter Paradise.
Also, we know that the Prophet (peace be upon him) wouldn’t have said such a thing unless Allah revealed it to him, as one could see by reading Surah 69, Ayahs 44-46.
However, Surah 6, Ayah 50 states:
Say (O Muhammad SAW): “I don’t tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor (that) I know the unseen; nor I tell you that I am an angel. I but follow what is revealed to me by inspiration.”
Here the Prophet (peace be upon him) is ordered by Allah to say that he doesn’t know the unseen. However, Surah 11, Ayah 49 states:
Such are some of the stories of the unseen, which We have revealed unto thee: before this, neither thou nor thy people knew them. So persevere patiently: for the End is for those who are righteous.
Also, Surah 3, Ayah 179 states:
Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good. Nor will Allah disclose to you the secrets of the Ghaib (unseen), but Allah chooses of His Messengers whom He pleases. So believe in Allah and His Messengers. And if you believe and fear Allah, then for you there is a great reward.
These verses clarify that Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not know certain elements of the unseen realm independently but dependently upon Allah’s revelation to him.
This means that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is claiming that Allah informed him about the fact that he would enter Paradise.
The Qur’an describes the believers in Surah 49, Ayah 15:
The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Apostle then they doubt not and struggle hard with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah; they are the truthful ones.
The Qur’an also says in Surah 2:285:
The Messenger (Muhammad SAW) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. They say, “We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers” - and they say, “We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).”
So here the Qur’an claims that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a believer. It also claims that believers do not doubt. This means that Muhammad (peace be upon him) had no doubts that he was receiving revelation from Allah telling him that he was going to paradise.
Also, the Qur’an says to Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Surah 48, Ayah 2:
That Allah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future and complete His Favour on you, and guide you on the Straight Path;
Notice that the verse is saying that Muhammad (peace be upon him) has had his past and future sins forgiven. If all his sins are forgiven then it logically follows that salvation is a necessary result for him.
So it appears to me that the evidence is strikingly clear in affirming that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was assured of his salvation. However, some arguments have been put forth to try and contradict this notion.
Argument 1: Muhammad himself said that he doesn’t know what will happen to him and even the Qur’an ordered him to say this
The response to this is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) uttered this statement before it was revealed to him that his sins would be forgiven because the verse stating this was revealed in the middle period in Medina, while the Prophet’s statement was said in accordance with Surah 46, Ayah 9 which was revealed prior in Mecca. Also, when one examines the hadeeth where the Prophet (peace be upon him) uttered this statement in Saheeh Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 266, he or she could clearly see that it is being uttered in the very beginning of the Medinan period. We have to remember and bear in mind that the Prophet (peace be upon him) received revelation gradually and have to make sure we read the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) statements in their proper chronological context.
Argument 2: The Qur’an teaches that Allah is a deceiver, so Allah could be deceiving Muhammad and Muhammad realized this and wasn’t assured of his salvation because he felt that Allah could be deceiving him
Now I am fully aware that Christians have theological objections against the notion that God could deceive; however, that is not related to the topic. What must be addressed is whether Muhammad (peace be upon him) doubted his salvation because Allah has the ability to deceive.
Some people cite Surah 7, Ayah 99, which states:
Have they become sure about Allah’s scheming/deceit (makra Allahi)? None are sure about Allah’s scheming/deceit (makra Allahi) except the people who are losers.
Then they would claim that this verse illustrates that no one could be sure about Allah’s deceit, including Muhammad (peace be upon him).
However, all orthodox Muslim scholars have always understood this verse to be referring to those who reject Allah and His Messenger. This is even made clear when one reads the context of the verse just by reading the three verses prior to it.
Secondly, even if we were to assume that this verse is also applicable to believers, we have to make sure that we differentiate between deception (makr) and treachery (ghadr). In the Arabic language, treachery (ghadr) is a false promise of security, while deception (makr) is the act of misleading someone into believing something. Muslim scholars have stated that deception (makr) is allowed in Islam in certain instances such as war, while treachery (ghadr) is never allowed.
So here we could see that there is a distinction. So Allah’s promise of security to Muhammad (peace be upon him) and then breaking His promise would be an act of treachery (ghadr) and not deception (makr). However, Allah has never stated that He would perform an act of treachery (ghadr) on anyone.
Thirdly, we have never seen Muhammad (peace be upon him) expressing doubt about his salvation due to Allah possibly deceiving him or committing treachery against him. He only appears to be assured of his salvation.
Argument 3: The Islamic sources say that Muhammad “maybe” going to heaven and not certainly, so Muhammad had doubts
The Qur’anic verse being alluded to is Surah 17, Ayah 79, which states:
And during a part of the night, pray beyond what is incumbent on you; maybe your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory.
Two responses to this argument are:
1) The Qur’anic verse is talking about the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) role as an intercessor on the Day of Judgment and not whether he would be entering Paradise.
2) The Arabic word translated as “may” isعسى (‘assa). Ibn Mandhur in his famous Lisaan al-Arab dictionary – which is argued by many to be one of the most authoritative Arabic dictionaries - says that the word ‘assa could linguistically either indicate probability or certainty depending upon context. He said:
عسى في كلامهم رجاءٌ ويَقِين
‘Assa in their speech (i.e. the Arabs) could either mean hope and expectation or certainty and conviction. (Ibn Mandhur, Lisaan Al Arab, Volume 15, page 54; under the word عسا)
Even in the English language, the word “may” could either be used to express contingency and possibility OR cause and ability.
An example of it expressing possibility is the statement, “I may grab me a cheeseburger after this debate.” An example of it expressing cause and ability is the statement, “Sign the contract so that we may begin doing business.” The word may, is connected to the signing of the contract and doing business. The signing of the contract would be the cause to exert ability to doing business. So context determines how the word “may” is being used, and the same thing applies in the Arabic language.
Respected Qur’anic commentator Imam Al-Qurtubi said:
عَسَى " مِنْ اللَّه وَاجِبَة.
‘assa from Allah is an obligation. (Abu 'Abdullah Al-Qurtubi, Tasfir al Jami' li-ahkam al-Qur'an, Commentary on Surah 9:18, Source)
The reason why ‘assa with the intended meaning of expressing ability when applied to Allah indicates certainty is because there is nothing that could prevent Allah from achieving that task.
An example from the Qur’an showing that the word ‘assa (i.e., may) refers to certainty is when Allah revealed Surah 9, Ayah 102, which states:
And there are others who confessed their faults. They mixed good works with others that are evil. It may be that ALLAH will turn to them with compassion. Surely, ALLAH is Most Forgiving, Merciful.
Waakharoona iAAtarafoo bithunoobihim khalatoo AAamalan salihan waakhara sayyi-an AAasa Allahu an yatooba AAalayhim inna Allaha ghafoorun raheemun
This verse was revealed regarding a group of companions who committed a grave sin that they regretted. They felt so bad that they tied themselves to the wall of the mosque and said that they would stay as they were until the Prophet (peace be upon him) untied them. However, the Prophet (peace be upon him) swore by Allah that he wouldn’t untie them until Allah declares their innocence. Then Surah 9, Ayah 102, which I just cited (containing the word ‘assa) was revealed. Once it was revealed, the Prophet (peace be upon him) untied them.
The question here is why would the Prophet (peace be upon him) do that if the word ‘assa indicated that their repentance would be possibly accepted? The answer is because it didn’t. The Prophet (peace be upon him) understood that they were definitely forgiven, and that is why he agreed to untie them.
Imam Al Tabari, in his commentary, said that this verse shows Allah definitely forgiving them and that this is how the Arabs used to speak.
Other scholars have also pointed out that ‘assa could mean suitable. So the verse is trying to say that it is only suitable that Allah forgives them since they have repented.
Hence, this third argument is not convincing.
Argument 4: Muhammad used to constantly pray excessively; why would he do this if he was assured of his salvation?
The answer is provided in Saheeh Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 361:
Narrated Aisha:
The Prophet used to offer prayer at night (for such a long time) that his feet used to crack. I said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Why do you do it since Allah has forgiven you your faults of the past and those to follow?” He said, “Shouldn’t I love to be a thankful slave (of Allah)?’
So here we see that the Prophet’s worship wasn’t done because he wasn’t confident in Allah’s promise to him that he would enter Paradise. Rather, he used to worship much because of his gratitude and love towards Allah.
However, we also have to bear in mind that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) feared Allah. Fearing Allah is one of the righteous attributes of the believers as one could read in Surah 13, Ayah 21. Muhammad (peace be upon him) being guaranteed salvation and having his sins forgiven only means that he has been protected from dwelling in the fire. It doesn’t mean that he won’t face painful trials from Allah during his life. It doesn’t mean that he didn’t fear the Day of Judgment, where there would be so much turmoil and disaster. It doesn’t mean that he didn’t fear a painful death.
So yes, the Prophet (peace be upon him) feared Allah, but that in no way meant that he had no confidence in Allah’s promises and revelations to him.
Argument 5: Islam teaches that human beings have no free will and that Allah could place in Hell whomever he pleases even if they have faith and do good deeds, and this gave Muhammad doubts about his salvation
This is completely untrue. This is not the orthodox Islamic view of predestination.
Surah 18:29, 25:57, 73:19, and other verses show how human beings have the free will to choose what path they would like to follow. Surah 7:147-148, 27:90, 37:39, 45:15, and many others show that people are punished for the actions that they committed. Surah 2:26, 14:27, and many others show that Allah misguides those who are evildoers. He doesn’t misguide people to become evildoers. No, He misguides those who are evildoers and have chosen to be evil and reject Allah by keeping them misguided.
I am not going to delve into this matter any further since it is not related to the topic. Regardless of whether Islam teaches that one would enter Paradise due to his free will or God’s will or both working and being harmonized together, doesn’t change the fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was promised and assured of his salvation.
Whether the Prophet (peace be upon him) was assured of his salvation because Allah elected him to be so, or because he thought he earned it, or whether Allah bestowed His mercy upon him for his efforts is completely irrelevant and has nothing to do with the topic. We are not discussing how or why Muhammad (peace be upon him) was assured of his salvation, but whether he was assured of his salvation. Hence, this objection would be nothing more than a red herring if it were to be raised.
There are some who appeal to the following hadeeth from Saheeh Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 77, Number 593, which states that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
Narrated’ Abdullah:
Allah’s Apostle, the truthful and truly-inspired, said, “Each one of you collected in the womb of his mother for forty days, and then turns into a clot for an equal period (of forty days) and turns into a piece of flesh for a similar period (of forty days) and then Allah sends an angel and orders him to write four things, i.e., his provision, his age, and whether he will be of the wretched or the blessed (in the Hereafter). Then the soul is breathed into him. And by Allah, a person among you (or a man) may do deeds of the people of the Fire till there is only a cubit or an arm-breadth distance between him and the Fire, but then that writing (which Allah has ordered the angel to write) precedes, and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it; and a man may do the deeds of the people of Paradise till there is only a cubit or two between him and Paradise, and then that writing precedes and he does the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it.”
They would argue that this hadeeth shows that Allah’s decree could force someone who is doing good deeds and is on his way to Paradise to commit sins and then end up in hellfire.
First of all, the Qur’an makes it clear that Allah does not make any believer’s good deeds go to waste. Allah says in Surah 7:170:
And as to those who hold fast to the Book (i.e. act on its teachings) and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), certainly, We shall never waste the reward of those who do righteous deeds.
Secondly, scholars have understood this hadeeth in different ways. One group of scholars said that this hadeeth is emphasizing the fact that someone may be striving so hard his entire life, but near the end of his life, temptation overcomes him, and then he apostatizes. They understand this narration in light of another hadeeth found in Musnad Ahmad, Hadeeth no. 11768, which states that it's possible that someone may commit evil all his life then change at the end and do righteous deeds and then enter Paradise and vice versa. However, this is a minority view.
The majority of scholars have argued that this is referring to the person who only outwardly does righteous deeds, but inwardly he isn’t sincere. They understand this hadeeth in light of another hadeeth from the Prophet (peace be upon him) found in Saheeh Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, 147:
“A man may seem to the people as if he were practising the deeds of the people of Paradise while in fact he is from the people of the Hell) Fire, another may seem to the people as if he were practicing the deeds of the people of Hell (Fire), while in fact he is from the people of Paradise.”
So the scholars would understand the phrase “till there is only a cubit or two between him and Paradise,” to mean that the man is so close to Paradise if only he were to make his intentions sincere. And they would understand the phrase “and then that writing precedes” to be referring not to our destiny that was recorded in the preserved tablet, but to the books in which there are two angels who record our good and bad deeds as alluded to in Surah 82:11.
The word “precedes,” (in Arabic فيسبق عليه) is stressing on the fact that reality precedes appearance. So if there is a contradiction between someone’s outward actions and that which is recorded (since the angels are given the ability to know whether the action is being done out of sincerity or not) then that which is recorded will precede and determine the fate of the individual. This interpretation is reinforced by other hadeeths such as that found in Musnad Ahmad, Hadeeth no. 9896. So this argument is not convincing either.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said in Saheeh Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 367:
Narrated Habib bin Abi Thabit:
I went to Abu Wail to ask him (about those who had rebelled against ‘Ali). On that Abu Wail said, “We were at Siffin (a city on the bank of the Euphrates, the place where me battle took place between ‘Ali and Muawiya) A man said, “Will you be on the side of those who are called to consult Allah’s Book (to settle the dispute)?” ‘Ali said, ‘Yes (I agree that we should settle the matter in the light of the Qur’an).” ‘Some people objected to ‘Ali’s agreement and wanted to fight. On that Sahl bin Hunaif said, ‘Blame yourselves! I remember how, on the day of Al-Hudaibiya (i.e., the peace treaty between the Prophet and the Quraish pagans), if we had been allowed to choose fighting, we would have fought (the pagans). At that time ‘Umar came (to the Prophet) and said, “Aren’t we on the right (path) and they (pagans) in the wrong? Won’t our killed persons go to Paradise, and theirs in the Fire?” The Prophet replied, “Yes.” Umar further said, “Then why should we let our religion be degraded and return before Allah has settled the matter between us?” The Prophet said, “O the son of Al-Khattab! No doubt, I am Allah’s Apostle and Allah will never neglect me.” So Umar left the place angrily and he was so impatient that he went to Abu Bakr and said, “O Abu Bakr! Aren’t we on the right (path) and they (pagans) on the wrong?” Abu Bakr said, “O the son of Al-Khattab! He is Allah’s Apostle, and Allah will never neglect him.” Then Sura Al-Fath (The Victory) was revealed.”
He also said in Saheeh Muslim, Book 001, Number 41:
I bear testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and I am His messenger. The bondsman who would meet Allah without entertaining any doubt about these (two fundamentals) would enter heaven.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that he has no doubts that he is the Messenger of Allah, and he also said that one would enter Paradise if he entertains any doubts about Allah being the only God worthy of worship and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. I have also provided clear statements from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself where he said that he will enter Paradise.
If he had no doubts that he was the Messenger of Allah, then that means that he had no doubts about Allah revealing to him that he would be going to Paradise. If he had no doubts about his salvation, then that means that he was assured about his salvation, and that is the answer to today’s question.
Thank you very much.