Question: Is it possible, through the practice of Islam, to reach a level higher than that of the Prophet Muhammad?
Answer:
assalamu alaykum
This is not possible, and there is a consensus of the ummah that the Prophet (blessings upon him) is the greatest of creation.
As Imam al-Laqqani stated, “It is obligatory (wajib) on every morally responsible person to believe that the Prophet (blessings upon him) is the best of all creation, and the one who denies it commits a sin and is guilty of innovation.” (Sharh Jawharat al-Tawhid)
Prophethood is a rank that works cannot achieve. It is something that can only be bestowed upon an individual by Allah Most High. The Prophet (blessings upon him) was the seal of the prophets and the greatest of them. All that remains after him is wilaya, which can never reach the rank of prophethood.
[Ustadh] Salman
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Salman Younas was born and raised in New York and graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Political Science and Religious Studies. After studying the Islamic sciences online and with local scholars in New York, Ustadh Salman moved to Amman. He studies Islamic law, legal methodology, belief, hadith methodology, logic, Arabic, and tafsir. Ustadh Salman’s personal interests include research into the fields of law/legal methodology, hadith, theology, as well as political theory, government, media, and ethics. He is also an avid traveler and book collector. He currently resides in Amman with his wife.