And He called me ‘al-’Aqib...

And He called me ‘al-’Aqib,' for I am the last of His prophets; none shall succeed me as such. And He made me the Messenger of mercy and repentance, the Imam of all those who stand before others and lead them in the prayers, since it was I who led all the prophets for congregational prayers. Moreover, I am also al-Qayyim, al-Kamil, and al-Jami’.'‘ First, It was the Light of Muhammad When Allah intended to create the living beings, He first created the noor (light) of Muhammad.

Refer to al-Qastalani's Al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyah , Vol. 1, pp. 5, 9, and 10, where he quotes the Prophet's traditions to this effect as transmitted by Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah al-Ansari[^1] and Ali ibn Abu Talib. In his Muruju al-Thahab , the well-known historian al-Mas’udi[^2] quotes a lengthy tradition from Ali to the effect that when Allah created, first of all, the Light of Muhammad, He said to it: “You are My chosen one and the Trustee of My Light and Guidance.

It is because of you that I am going to create the earth and the skies, lay down reward and punishment, and bring into being the Garden and the Fire.’ Then the tradition goes on to speak about the family of the Prophet, about the creation of angels, the souls, the cosmos, the covenant taken from the souls which combined the belief in the One God with acceptance of Muhammad's Prophethood.

This is why Ibn ‘Abbas narrates saying that the Prophet said: “I was Prophet when Adam was between soul and body (i.e. when Adam's creation was in its preliminary stages)’ (see at-Tabrani's book Al-Mu’jam al-Kabir, and Vol. 1, p. 4, of Al-Khasa'is al-Kubra ). Muhammad's Light adorned the ‘Arsh (Throne) of God. Aeons later, Adam was created. That Light was then placed in his forehead.

It continued its journey, generation after generation, through numerous prophets and their successors till it came to Prophet Ibrahim. From Ibrahim (Abraham), it came to his eldest son, Prophet Isma’il (Ishmael).

The Prophet said: “Verily Allah chose Isma’il from the progeny of Ibrahim, and chose Banu Kinanah from the progeny of Isma’il, and chose Quraish from Banu Kinanah, and chose Banu Hashim from Quraish, and chose me from Banu Hashim.’ At-Tirmithi has narrated this tradition from Wasilat ibn al-Asqa' and has said that this tradition is sahih (correct or authentic).