The virtue of the final messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him)

When Allah will resurrect the first and the last on the day of resurrection, our Messenger (peace be upon him) will be the leader of the children of Adam, carrying the banner of praise. On that day the Prophets and the Messengers will be beneath his banner. The Messenger (peace be upon him) said:

"I will be the leader of the children of Adam on the day of resurrection, and I am not boasting. In my hand there will be a banner of praise, and I am not boasting. There will be no prophet that day, Adam or anyone else, but he will be beneath my banner. I will be the first one to intercede and the first one to be called upon to intercede, and I am not boasting." – This is narrated by Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah.[1]

When the people's distress on that day becomes to intense, the people will ask the great Messengers to intercede with Allah to pass judgement among his slaves. The Messengers will try to avoid that, each of them telling them to go to someone else, until, when they come to Prophet 'Eesa (Jesus), he will say: "Go to Muhammad (peace be upon him), the slave whose past and future sins were forgiven by Allah."

This will be his status on that great day. This is only because of the favours that Allah bestowed upon him, his great characteristics, noble attitude, striving for the sake of Allah and doing as he commands. Allah has blessed him with his virtues in his own self, in his call and in his ummah. For example, he took him as a close friend as he did with Prophet Ibraaheem (Abraham). According to a hadith narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh and by Abu 'Awaanah,

"Allah has taken me as a close friend as he has took Ibraaheem as a close friend" [2]

He gave him the noble Qur'an, the like of which was given to no other Prophet or Messenger:

"And indeed, we have bestowed upon you seven of Al-Mathaani [seven repeatedly-recited verses], [i.e. Soorah al-Faatiha] and the Grand Qur'an" (Qur'an 15:87)

Allah singled him out to receive six things that were not given to any Prophet before him. According to the hadith,

"I have been favoured over the Prophets with six things: I have been give concise speech; I have been supported with fear (from me, cast in the hearts of my enemies); the spoils of war have been made permissible to me; the earth has been made a means of purification and a place of worship for me; I have been sent to all of mankind; and I am the last of the Prophets."

- This is narrated by Muslim and Tirmidhi. [3]

[1] Majmoo' al-Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam

[2] Tahqeeq at-Tahaawiyah. See Sharh at-Tahaawiyah, pp. 175.

[3] Saheeh al-Jaami', 2/21

Source: Al-Ashqar, Umar S., The Messengers and the Messages, IIPH, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2003, p. 282-283.