Please don’t be offended by this question. I'm just wondering about it and if you could answer this - it would be better. My question is "was the prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) literally chosen by Allah (in fact that was) or only He (peace be upon him) attain this highest honour by his actions and characteristics, as Allah "azzawajal said many times in the Holy Quran about the prophet that (paraphrase) 'in this way He "azzawajal made him(the prophet) able to convey His message to the nation he sent to? I mean what was exactly the reasons behind choosing particularly this man (Prophet Mohammad peace be upon him) apart from the whole uncountable creation of Allah "azzawajal? Thanks in advance.
2 Answers
Allah could do anything so he could've technically chosen another person but how I see it is that Allah guides those who seek guidance.
Sahih al-Bukhari 7536:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "My Lord says, 'If My slave comes nearer to me for a span, I go nearer to him for a cubit; and if he comes nearer to Me for a cubit, I go nearer to him for the span of outstretched arms; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.' "
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) before prophethood would meditate and contemplate life and the universe, seeking guidance and the truth.
We also know that all prophets before prophethood, lived just lives so there might be some requirements because if a dishonest or unjust person became a prophet then nobody would listen to him.
I believe he chooses the one who is qualified or most qualified to be a Prophet. Most people wouldn't be able to handle the hardships prophets deal with and would break down easily.
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@Stranger Indeed it would be perfect if you could tell the view of sect in which it is written. It's not well agreed upon scholars , as for a clear example is the vast difference in the sunni-shiite philosophy of Islam. Mar 13 at 16:18
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@An_Elephant The mainstream sect of Islam is Sunni Islam, so it would make sense to mention the sect only if it was written from the Shia perspective. However, this answer is perfectly valid for the Sunni point of view, and you can simply say "Islamic viewpoint" altogether when mentioning the Sunni view since once again, it's the mainstream sect of 85-90% Muslims. Mar 13 at 16:20
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@Stranger Mainstream according to whom ? Population is not the sole criteria. It is important to mention sect so that one may be aware that to what type of philosophy it belongs to. The more precise an answer is , the better is it. Mar 13 at 16:22
Based on the evidence of popular prophecy, Allah chose people from their own species as models, caliphs and guides to guide mankind. And this choice is not without reason. The talent for being prophet is placed in the institution of all human beings; But it does not reach the stage of actuality in all people; Rather, only a few people actualize the talent for being prophet with pure worship and do not commit sins .
[32:24]: We raised from among them leaders, guiding by Our command, when they patiently endured and firmly believed in Our signs.
Imam Sadiq says in the same context:
It is true that God Almighty chose human beings from the children of Adam and made their birth pure and their bodies pure and placed them behind men and women's wombs for His protection, not because of their debt to God, but because God knew at the time of creation that they obey Him and worship Him and do not do any kind of shirk [even secret shirk] towards Him. So, by obeying God, they have achieved this great honor and dignity in front of God.
Read more: [https://www.islamquest.net/fa/archive/fa1541]