Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
First, I ask Allah to forgive me and the person who asked me this question and to guide us all to the straight path. One of my colleagues is having a problem with this for a long time, and he is not convinced by my answer.
Did Allah Most High discriminate by creating prophets and giving them special attributes since we all know that they (peace be upon them) are going to Paradise? We are not sure whether we will go to Paradise, even if we pray and do our best, because we are not infallible like prophets. His point is that, after all, everything is predestined and created, and known by Allah.
Answer
Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for asking, and may He put conviction and reliance in the heart of your friend that Allah is the Wisest, the Most Just.
I must point you first to this excellent answer which makes the rest of my answer superfluous:
If Everything Was Created for the Prophet, Is This Not Unfair to Others Who Suffer?
Discrimination
Allah Most High does not discriminate by choosing some of mankind to be prophets, instead, the need for human prophets arose in order to teach religion to the people, and Allah fulfilled this need by giving revelation to them, and that was the best way to do it. The Quraysh argued that an angel should have been sent instead of a man:
Allah Most High says in the Quran, “They say, ‘Why has no (visible) angel come with him?’ Had We sent down an angel, the matter would have certainly been settled (at once), and they would have never been given more time (to repent).” [Quran, 6:9]
Also, Allah Most High said, “Say, (O Prophet,) ‘Had there been angels walking the earth, well-settled, We would have surely sent down for them an angel from heaven as a messenger.’” [Quran, 17:95]
Allah’s Decree
Your friend would be mistaken to think that he is underprivileged in some way. If he has been given faith, the ability to worship and the ability to repent, he has been given a path to salvation. Our only duty is to obey the call of Allah and fulfill our covenant with our Lord and strive against or lowly egotistic desires.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was a perfect human being, and we must take none other than him as our role model. He deserves nothing less than praise, blessings and peace. Ask him to recall how difficult the life of Muhammad was (Allah bless him and give him peace) and how much he suffered for the spread of this religion and umma.
Please see these links for more detail:
The Perfection of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) – Ustadh Fethullah Gulen on Removing Doubts
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.