A study into the life of the Prophet (s), his background, his sublime character, his conduct among his companions, the way he treated his enemies, the fact that he did not ask for anything in return for all his efforts, and how he was willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of his prophetic mission leave no room for any doubts about his truthfulness and that he was the noble prophet of God.
Allah's infinite wisdom requires Him to send prophets for the purpose of man's guidance so that through their instructions man can reach the purpose of creation which is perfection and nearness to Allah. Now the question that should be addressed here is whether there is any way through which we can recognize the true prophets of Allah. The significance of this question is intensified when we read in the history that there have been many individuals each of whom falsely claimed to be the prophet of God and this way they succeeded to create deviation in human societies. For this reason, we need to learn some methods through which we can distinguish the true prophets from those who were no more than some liars seeking public attention and personal gains even at the expense of creating mischief and misguidance among people.
As a general rule, just as God's wisdom necessitates sending prophets to people, it is also necessary that he introduce some ways to us through which we can verify the prophets' claims. Due to the fact that the question which is addressed in this article is specifically about the prophet of Islam, the ways mentioned here apply specifically to the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (s).
Miracles
The chief way through which we can verify the truth of the Prophet's claim is the miracles that he performed over the course of his mission. These miracles, if one goes through all of them with fairness, would leave no doubt about the Prophet's truthfulness in his claim. Furthermore, in his everlasting miracle, the Quran, the Prophet (s) has challenged mankind and even the Jinn in different verses to produce the like of this Quran and he even went so far as to invite them to bring even a chapter like the Quran and as you may know, the shortest chapter in the Quran contains only three verses,
Or do they say, “He has forged it”? Say, “Then produce a single chapter like it, and call upon whomever you can, apart from God, if you are truthful.”1
This challenge has remained unanswered for centuries and, up untill now, the Arabic-speaking enemies from among the people of the Book as well as the atheist schools, have been unable to bring the like of the Qur’an despite their hostility towards Islam and despite the support which they have enjoyed from the various sources of power. The Quran, foretelling their inability to do that 14 centuries ago, said,
If mankind and jinn came together to produce the like of this Quran, they could never produce the like of it, even if they backed up one another.2
Glad tidings in previous divine books about Prophet Muhammad (s)
The Prophet (s) used to argue with the Jews and Christians that the good news of his prophethood was mentioned in their books but the only reaction from them was silence, denial and concealing such good news in the old and new testaments.
Those to whom We have given the Scripture recognize him [i.e. the Prophet] as they recognize their own children. But some of them conceal the truth while they know.3
Those who follow the Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel in their possession…4
Those who would like to study this matter furthure can refer to a series of clips produced by Sayed Mahdi Mudarresi titled as 'The Best of Creation' in which he speaks about mentions made to the Prophet in previous divine books. These clips can easily be found on YouTube.
The Content of the Prophet's Message
Studying the message of the Prophet (s), we come across the loftiest of teachings which affected all aspects of man's life. He invited people to monotheism and worshipping only one God and negated any form of deficiency and flaw from God at a time when worshipping Idols had become an inseparable part of people's lives.
He established the foundation of justice and benevolence and sowed the seeds of affection and brotherhood among the tribes who would previously spend many years fighting one another over trivial matters.
A study into the life of the Prophet (s), his background even before he was appointed as a prophet [when he was known among people as 'Muhammad, the truthful'], his sublime character, his conduct among his companions, the way he treated his enemies, the fact that he did not ask for anything in return for all his efforts, and how he was willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of his prophetic mission leave no room for any doubts about his truthfulness and that he was the noble prophet of God.
Footnotes:
1. The Holy Qur'an, [10:38]
2. The Holy Qur'an, [17:88]
3. The Holy Qur'an, [2:146]
4. The Holy Qur'an, [7:157]