The Life of the Prophet Muhammad by Ibn Kathir - Volume 1 of 4

230 T ~ LIFE E OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
Imm Abad stated that 'Abd al-R&mm related to hi, as did Man~ar b.
Sa'id, from Badil, from 'Ahd Allah h. Shaqiq, from Maysara al-Fajr, who stated
that he said, "0 Messenger of God, when were you a prophet?" And he replied,
"While Adam was between spirit and body."
The line of transmission of this tradition is also excellent.
Ihrzhim h. Tahman related it similarly, along with HammXd idb. Zayd and
Kbalid al-Hadhdhii' from Badil h. Maysara.
Aba Nu'aym related it from Muhammad b. Wmar b. Aslam, from
Muhammad h. Bakr b. 'Amr al-BXhili, from Shaybzn, from al-Hasan b. Dins,
from 'Ahd All& b. Sufyan, from Maysara al-Fajr, who said that he asked, "0
Messenger of God, when were you a prophet?" He replied, "While Adam was
between spirit and body."
The ha& Aha Nukym stated in his book Dalz'rl al-Nubumwa (Srgns of the
Prophethood) that Abn 'Amr b. Hamdan related to him, quoting al-Hasan b.
Sufyzn, quoting Hishiam b. 'Ammar, quoting al-Walid h. Muslim, from
Khulayd h. Da'laj, and Sa'id, from Qatada, from al-Hasan, from Aha Hurayra,
from the Prophet (SAAS), about Almighty God's words, "And when we made a
covenant with the Prophets." He said, "I was the first of the Prophets in creation,
and the last of them to be sent."
He then related it from Hish-am h. 'Amms from Baqiyya, from Sacid b.
Nusayr, from Qamda, from al-Hasan, from Aha Hurayra, traced hack similarly.
He also related it through Sa'id b. Aba 'Araha and Shaybzn, from Qatgda
who said, "It was related to us that the Messenger of God (SAAS) said the like."
And this account is very firm and reliable. But God knows best.
This acknowledges the extremely high regard in which he is held among the
heavenly host of angels, that he is recognized among them for having been the
Seal of the Prophets even before the soul was blown into Adam. This is because
God's knowledge of that was prior, most assuredly before the creation of the
earth and heaven. And so all that remained necessary was to make reference to
the recognition there was among the heavenly hosts. But God knows best.
Ahii Nucaym reported from a hadith of 'Abd al-biq from Ma'mar, from
Hammiam, from Aha Hurayra, the hadith being agreed upon as stating, "We are
those who will have precedence at Judgement Day and who will he judged
before the other creatures, even though they were brought the Scriptures before
we were, we receiving them after them."
Aba Nu'aym added at the end, "And he (SAAS) was the last of them to
receive a mission, and through him the prophethood ended. He will take precedence
on Judgement Day, because he was the first covenanted for prophethood."
He then said, "That hadith depicts the high honour of the Messenger of
God (SAAS) regarding God's appointing him to the prophethood before the
completion of the creation of Adam. It is likely that it is this affirmation that