It is written in the Quran:

Mohammad is no more than a prophet: other prophets have passed away before him. (3:144)

This verse shows that the Prophet of Islam, on whom be peace, and God’s blessings, was just a prophet like all the other prophets. There is no hierarchical difference between him and other prophets. All the prophets have brought one and the same religion. No prophet was superior to others; nor was the religion of any prophet more complete than the religion of any other.

But in one way, Mohammad was different from other prophets: he was the last of the prophets, whereas the others were just prophets. In the words of the Quran, “Mohammad is the father of no man among you, but he is the Prophet of God, and the last of the messengers.” (33: 40) Other prophets were intermediary links in the chain of prophethood: he was the final link. The Prophet himself put it this way: “I, and the Prophets who passed before me, can be linked to a palace, which had been built very beautifully, but one brick still remained to be put into place. Onlookers admired the beauty of the palace, but noticed that there was room for one more brick. I am that brick, and I am the last of the Prophets.”

One, who studies the life and history of the Prophet Mohammad, will find some aspects which are not found in the lives of other prophets. The Quran has specified that he differed from other Prophets only in that he was the final Prophet. So it is important that we understand that these supplementary aspects are connected with his position as the last of the Prophets; they must be explained according to the concept of the finality of his Prophethood, rather than any other concept. That which is common to him and the other prophets can be attributed to his position as a prophet; that which is not common to him and the other prophets can be attributed to his position as the last of the Prophets.

For instance, Mohammad gained political supremacy over his opponents. His religion came to occupy a dominant and commanding position in a large portion of the world. There is a difference here between Mohammad and the other prophets, for this is something that is not found in others. The reason for this difference is that Mohammad was the last of the Prophets. Since no prophet was going to come after him, it was essential that the religion which he brought should be preserved. No power should be able to alter it. When the Book of God is altered, another prophet has to come to the world. Since, according to God’s scheme, no other prophet was destined to come, it was imperative that permanent and reliable arrangements be made for the preservation of the Book that was revealed to Mohammad. This aim was achieved by means of political domination.

This was the special reason that Mohammad and his followers were granted supremacy over Arabia and the neighbouring countries. In this way, a government which was powerful enough to ensure the preservation of the final Book of God for centuries was established. If this had not happened, the enemies of Islam would surely have destroyed the Quran, or changed it so much that it ceased to be the Book of guidance that it was really meant to be. The Prophet Mohammad was granted power so that the religion which he brought could be preserved. History shows that, through political domination, this aim was fully achieved.

This is the picture of the Prophet Mohammad which we obtain from the Quran, and the picture provided by the Quran can be the only accurate and true picture of him.