Question:

Assalamu alaykum,

There are some people like brawelis who say that Prophet Muhammad is noor and that he was the first noor but than they say he was created from another noor, so how can he be the first noor or first creation if he is made from another noor?

And can we say that Prophet Muhammad is noor?

Answer:

Praise and thanks are due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. We ask Allah to raise the rank of our master Muhammad and to protect his nation from whatever he feared for it.

Short Answer: The first creation is water, and Allah told us in al-Qur’an that {From water Allah made every living thing}. Prophet Muhammad is a human being (Bashar) like us. And he is a living thing, thus he is made from water. Yes we can say he is Noor BUT in the sense that he is a guide (Hadi) to the people by his teachings. Because noor when applied to the Prophet, or to the Qur’an, or to Allah, it does not mean literal light, rather it means guidance (Hidayah) as Qurtubiy and all Muslim scholars from the four schools affirmed. as-Suddiy narrated in his Tafsir with different Isnad from a group of the Companions’ children: “Allah did not create anything of what He created before water”.

Detailed Answer with proofs:

Some people claim that Prophet Muhammad is created as the first creation. In fact they claim that he is not a human being, rather they say he is created from light literally. And that’s due to their mis-understanding to al-Qurt’an and Hadith.

It’s been confirmed among the scholars that one cannot make ta’weel (assigning certain meanings other then what’s apparent) to verses from al-Qur’an unless there’s a proof from the hadith or mental proofs. This is according to the known rule with the ‘usoolioon (scholars of creed):

“اتفق الأصوليون على أنَّ النص لا يُؤول إلا لدليل سمعي ثابت أو دليل عقلي قاطع فقالوا: لا يجوز تأويل النص لغير ذلك وإن ذلك عبث والنصوص تُصان عن العبث، ذكر ذلك كثير منهم كصاحب المحصول.  فبعد هذا يبطل تأويل المؤولين لحديث أولية الماء بأنّ أوليته نسبية لتأييد قولهم: إن أول ما خلق الله نور محمد.”

Therefore it’s false to interpret the clear Ayah that means [Water is first Creation] with a hadith that says “the first creation is the light of the prophet”.

That’s why the scholars they said about Hadith Jabir claiming that the first creation is the light of Prophet Muhammad is fabricated. And imam as-Suyutiy declared that this hadith is not authentic. And al-Hafidh of al-Ghummari of our time declared this this hadith is fabricated, and the claim that it’s attributed to al-Bayhaqiy is false. It’s attribute to Abdul-Razzaq falsely as well, as it’s not found in Musannaf Abdul-Razzaq, nor in his Jami^ nor in his Tafsir. Likewise Ahmad bin as-Siddiq al-Ghummari considered this hadith fabricated due to its weakness in context because it claims that “The first creation is the light of the Prophet, it was created from the Light of Allah”. Allah created all the lights and darknesses, and He is not a light. And the text of this fabricated hadith clearly renders that the light of the Prophet is not the first!.

Proofs from Qur’an:

Allah mentioned in Qur’an clearly that the first creation was water. Allah said:  قال الله تعالى:﴿وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاء كُلَّ شَىْءٍ حَيٍّ﴾ سورة الأنبياء/30

Which means [Allah created everything from water] Sruat al-‘Anbiya/30.

And the saying of Allah: (وجعلوا له من عباده جزءا)

Allah dispraised the blasphemers for such a saying. Allah said in Surat az-Zukhruf, Verse 15 Which means: [They claimed among the slaves is a part of Allah.] How could the slave, who is in need of rest, drink, and food, and who gets tired, who perspires, and who defecates, be part of Allah, the Almighty and Powerful? Allah is clear from being a body or being composed of bodies.

Allah said: قوله تعالى: قل إنما أنا بشر مثلكم

[Qul innama ‘Ana Basharum-Mithlukum Yuha ilay]

which means  [O Muhammad tell them that you are a human being like you, Allah sends on me the revelation].

So he is a human being, but the best of Allah’s creations!!.

Proofs from Hadith:

Al-Bukhariyy, al-Bayhaqiyy and Ibn al­Jarud related that a group from Yemen came to the Prophet and asked him about the begining of the creations and so the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam said: “كان الله ولم يكن شىء غيره” which means: “Allah existed eternally and there was nothing else.” This hadith proves that Allah was alone in al-‘azal, (the status of existence without a beginning,) i.e., before creating any of the creation. There was nothing with Him: no place, no space, no sky, no light, and no darkness.

And Ibn Hibba related a hadith from the orute of Abu Huraryrah that the Prophet said: “Everything was created from water”.

And as-Suddiy narrated in his Tafsir with different Isnad from a group of the Companions’ children: “Allah did not create anything of what He created before water”.

And Ibn Hajar said in the explanation of al-Bukhariy that this hadith indicated that water was the first creation, and then Allah created the throne.

And in the Tafsir of Abdul-Razzaq from the route of Qatadah in explaining the Ayah :(وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاء) in surat Hud/7 that means [He created the water, then the throne] , he said: “this is the beginning of the creations before He created the heavens and the skies. And Ibn Jarir reported that Mujahid said about this ayah “Before he created anything else”.

Proofs from the Scholarly Sayings:

Imam as-Suyutiy said “Hadith Jabir about the eternal Nur is not authentic”. Some claimed that it was mentioned by al-Hafidh Abdur-Razzaq, but that’s not true. This is not found in his Musannaf nor in his Jami^ nor in his Tafsir.

Imam al-Hafidh as-Suyootiy said in al-Hawiy in al-Fatawa 1/325 he said: “as for the hadith of the eternity of the noor of the Prophet, it has no basis of truth” and he said: “it has no valid isnad”. So it’s fabricated hadith. They claim that Abdur-Razzaq mentioned it from the route of Ibnul-Munkadir from Jabir, and that’s a lie, the one who made it sinned.

al-Hafidh and Muhaddith Ahmad al-Gummariy said in the introduction of his book called “al-Mughir ^alal-Jami^ as-Saghir” he said: “the hadiht that the thing that Allah created is the noor of your prophet o jabir, he created him from his noor before all things is FABRICATED” and so Sheikh Abdullah al-Harariy confirmed that by saying “this Hadith ought to be fabricated”.

A hadith that was narrated by as-Suddiy al-Kabir from Ibn ^Abbas (Hadith Mawquf)  that “Allah did not create anything from what he created before the water”.

Al-Qurtubiy the great Mufassir said in his tafsir al-Jami^ that “the Prophet is “Diya'” and that refers to his guidance and clarifications to people”.

Qadi ^Iyad in his book al-Shifa said: “He (The Prophet) is Nur in the sense that he clarifies and guides the people”.

Some quote this translated Ayah: “Allah said: “From Allah has come to you a Light and a Book manifest.” (5:15)”
Let’s look at the original text. The Arabic text for this Ayah is:
قال تعالى: (يا أهل الكتاب قد جاءكم رسولنا يبين لكم كثيراً مما كنتم تخفون من الكتاب ويعفو عن كثير قد جاءكم من الله نور وكتاب مبين)
 
Clearly here we can see that what came to us is a book with guidance. Because Allah said: Nur from Allah and a book guiding you, who is this nur? the Prophet who guided the people to Islam, because in the beginning of the Ayah Allah named him “Rasuluna Yubaiyin lakum” our messenger clarifying to you! And that’s how he guided the people.
 
Some claim to be sufis and such and they quote:
“Qadi `Iyad said: “He [the Prophet] was named a Light because of the clarity of his case and the fact that his Prophecy was made manifest, and also because of the illumination of the hearts of the believers and the knowers of Allah with what he brought.””
 
Again the translation of Qadi ^Iad Rahimahullah here that the Prophet is Nur (not light) and his nur (guidance) gave nur (illuminated) the hearts of the believers (guided them) with what he brought”. This quote itself is a refutation to those who claim that the Prophet is light literally!! Did the Prophet really put light in our hearts literally? or did he put guidance??
 
Imam al-Qurtubiy said about this Ayah:  (قد جاءكم من الله نور)
 
He said:
أي ضياء قيل: الإسلام. وقيل: محمد عليه السلام عن الزجاج. “وكتاب مبين” أي القرآن فإنه يبين الأحكام، وقد تقدم. “يهدي به الله من اتبع رضوانه” أي ما رضيه الله. “سبل السلام” طرق السلامة الموصلة إلى دار السلام المنزهة عن كل آفة، والمؤمِّنة من كل مخافة وهي الجنة. وقال الحسن والسدي: “السلام” الله عز وجل فالمعنى دين الله – وهو الإسلام – كما قال: “إن الدين عند الله الإسلام” [آل عمران: 19]. “ويخرجهم من الظلمات إلى النور” أي من ظلمات الكفر والجهالات إلى نور الإسلام والهدايات. “بإذنه” أي بتوفيقه وإرادته.
 
Qurtubiy said:
“Nur which means illumination of guidance. And it was said it means Islam”. and he quoted the Ayah:
“ويخرجهم من الظلمات إلى النور”
 
and he said: “Meaning he brings them out of the darknesses of kufur and ignorance to the nur (light) of Islam and guidance”.
 
He also said:
وسمى نبيه نورا فقال: “قد جاءكم من الله نور وكتاب مبين” [المائدة: 15]. وهذا لأن الكتاب يهدي ويبين، وكذلك الرسول.
 
Which means: “And he named his Prophet Nur and said: “قد جاءكم من الله نور وكتاب مبين” and this is because the book guides and clarifies, and likewise the Prophet”.
 
And he said:
“والله متم نوره” أي بإظهاره في الآفاق.
 
Which means: “Allah will keep and show his Nur wide spread in the horizons”
 
 
And he said about the Ayaha: الله نور السماوات والأرض in the Ayah:
الله نور السماوات والأرض مثل نوره كمشكاة فيها مصباح المصباح في زجاجة الزجاجة كأنها كوكب دري يوقد من شجرة مباركة زيتونة لا شرقية ولا غربية يكاد زيتها يضيء ولو لم تمسسه نار نور على نور يهدي الله لنوره من يشاء ويضرب الله الأمثال للناس والله بكل شيء عليم}.
 
He said:
قوله تعالى: “الله نور السماوات والأرض” الآية. النور في كلام العرب: الأضواء المدركة بالبصر. واستعمل مجازا فيما صح من المعاني ولاح فيقال منه: كلام له نور. ومنه: الكتاب المنير..
 
Which means: “the saying of {Allah is the nur (one who guides) of the skies and earth} al-Ayah, an-Nur in the Arabic language the lights that are seen by eyes. ANd it was used metaphorically (Majaz) in which is accepted based on the meanings and based on that (metaphorical expression) you say “a speech that has a nur” and “the illuminated (munir) book”.
 
Then he said:
فيجوز أن يقال: لله تعالى نور من جهة المدح لأنه أوجد الأشياء،
وهو سبحانه ليس من الأضواء المدركة جل وتعالى عما يقول الظالمون علوا كبيرا. وقد قال هشام الجوالقي وطائفة من المجسمة: هو نور لا كالأنوار، وجسم لا كالأجسام. وهذا كله محال على الله تعالى عقلا ونقلا على ما يعرف في موضعه من علم الكلام.

Which means: “And it’s permissible to say that Allah has nur with the meaning of praise, because he created all the creations” and he said: “and He the almighty is not like the lights that the eyes see, Allah is clear and exalted from what the unjust (disbelievers) attribute to him. And Hisham al-Jawaqiliy and a group from the Mujassimah (who attribute the bodily parts to Allah) said: He is a light not like other lights and a body not like other bodies. But this is impossible to attributed to Allah mentally and from the Qur’an and Hadith as it’s known from its context of ^ilumulkalam..

In Brief:
Allah is not literal light, nor is the Prophet.
Allah Exists without a place. Prophet Muhammad is a Human being.
Allah guides. Allah made Prophet Muhammad a guide to people as well.

Conclusion:

Therefore it’s confirmed in the hadith that the first creation is water. Claiming that Prophet Muhammad is the first creation belies al-Qur’an and al-Hadith and therefore is not accepted. Allah exists before the creations, without a place. He is not a body, He has no shape or image, He does not need any of his creations and does not resemble any of his creation.

Beneficial information: It’s not necessary if something is first, that it’s the best. Those who think that Prophet Muhammad is the first creation, and claim that indicates his high status is wrong, because Satan was created before Adam, yet Adam is higher in status then Satan even before Satan blasphemed.

Prophet Muhammad is the best of Allah’s creations. He has the highest rank of all teh Prophets, in fact, of all mankind. When he spoke as if nur came out of his mouth, and when he walked he looked taler then others, he was the most charismatic and most beautiful of all the creations. May Allah increase his high rank more and gather us under his banner in Paradise ameen.

We ask Allah by the status and virture of Prophet Muhammad to keep us steadfast on the Sunnah of the Prophet and Allah knows best.

Allah knows best.