Al Imran: (144) And Muhammad is not but...

There are several issues herein:

Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and Al-Dahhak reported that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived at Uhud, he commanded the archers to remain at the base of the mountain and not move, whether the command was for or against them.

When they took their positions and charged the disbelievers, they routed them. Ali killed Talha ibn Abi Talha, the standard-bearer of the polytheists. Al-Zubayr and Al-Miqdad then charged the polytheists. The Messenger (peace be upon him) charged with his companions, routing Abu Sufyan.

When some of the people saw the disbelievers fleeing, a group of the archers rushed toward the spoils of war. Khalid ibn Al-Walid, who was commanding the polytheists' right flank, saw the archers scattering and charged the Muslims, routing them, scattering their ranks, and causing many casualties among the Muslims.

Abdullah ibn Qumay'ah Al-Harithi threw a stone at the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), breaking his incisor and wounding his face. He then advanced, intending to kill him. Mus'ab ibn Umayr, who was the standard-bearer at Badr and Uhud, defended him until Ibn Qumay'ah killed him. Ibn Qumay'ah then thought he had killed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and shouted, "I have killed Muhammad!" A crier (who was Satan) shouted, "Behold, Muhammad has been killed!"

The news of his death spread among the people. At that moment, some Muslims said, "If only Abdullah ibn Ubayy could secure amnesty for us from Abu Sufyan." A group of hypocrites said, "If he were a prophet, he would not have been killed. Return to your brethren and your religion."

Then, Anas ibn Al-Nadr, the uncle of Anas ibn Malik, said: "O people! If Muhammad has been killed, then the Lord of Muhammad is alive and does not die! What use is life to you after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)? Fight for what he fought for, and die upon what he died upon." He then said, "O Allah, I seek Your pardon for what these people are saying." He then drew his sword and fought until he was killed, may Allah have mercy on him.

Some of the Muhajirun passed by an Ansari man who was writhing in his blood. They said, "O so-and-so, are you aware that Muhammad has been killed?" He replied, "If he has been killed, then he has delivered the message! Fight for your religion!"

When that disbeliever wounded the face of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and broke his incisor, Talha ibn Ubaydullah carried him. Abu Bakr, Ali, and a number of others defended him.

Then the Messenger (peace be upon him) began to call out, saying, "To the servants of Allah!" A group of his companions gathered around him. He admonished them for their retreat. They replied, "O Messenger of Allah, may our fathers and mothers be sacrificed for you! The news of your death reached us, and terror overwhelmed our hearts, so we turned our backs."

The meaning of the verse, {And Muhammad is not but a messenger. Messengers have passed away before him}, is that he will pass away just as they passed away. Just as their followers remained steadfast in their religion after their passing, you must remain steadfast in his religion after his passing. This is because the purpose of sending messengers is to convey the message and establish the proof, not for their physical presence among their people forever.

Abu Ali stated that the term Rasul (Messenger) comes in two forms:

1. It refers to the one who is sent (the sender).
2. It refers to the message itself.

Here, it refers to the one who is sent, as evidenced by the verse: {Indeed, you are of the messengers} (Al-Baqarah: 252) and {O Messenger, convey} (Al-Ma'idah: 67).

The form fa'ul (like Rasul) can sometimes imply the object, like rakub (mount) or halub (milking animal), which are things ridden or milked. Rasul can mean the message, as in the poetry:

Meaning, I did not send them with a message (risalah). This is also supported by the Almighty's saying: {Indeed, We are the messengers of your Lord}, which we will discuss in its proper place, God willing.

Then He said: {And Muhammad is not but a messenger. Messengers have passed away before him}... and there are several issues here:

Issue 1: The Interrogative Particle and the Conditional Clause

The interrogative particle entered upon a conditional clause, though it is fundamentally related to the consequence (jaza'). The meaning is: "Will you turn back on your heels if Muhammad dies or is killed?" This is analogous to saying, "Is Zayd standing?" You are inquiring about his standing, but you have placed Hal (Is/Are) upon a noun. Allah knows best.

Issue 2: The Prophet's Immunity from Death/Killing

The Almighty stated in many verses that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not be killed: {Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die} (Az-Zumar: 30); {But Allah will protect you from the people} (Al-Ma'idah: 67); and {That He may make it prevail over all religions} (As-Saff: 9).

Therefore, no one can argue: "Since it was known that he would not be killed, why did the verse mention 'or killed'?" The answer to this is multifaceted:

1. The Truth of a Conditional Statement: The truth of a conditional proposition does not necessitate the truth of its two parts. You say: "If five were even, it would be divisible by two equal parts." The conditional statement is true, but both parts are false. Similarly, Allah says: {If there were therein any deities other than Allah, there would have been corruption in both} (Al-Anbiya: 22). This is true, yet there are no other deities, nor is there corruption. The same applies here.
2. The Purpose of Admonishment (Ilzam): This was revealed as a means of admonishment. Moses (peace be upon him) died, yet his nation did not revert from his teaching. The Christians claim Jesus (peace be upon him) was killed, yet they have not abandoned their religion. Similarly, here, the point is that the passing of the Prophet should not cause reversion from the religion.
3. Death vs. Killing: Death does not necessitate the reversion of the Ummah from the religion; thus, killing should not necessitate reversion either, as there is a distinction between the two events. When the context returns to this meaning, the purpose is to refute those who doubted the validity of the religion and intended to apostatize.

Issue 3: The Meaning of "Turning Back on Your Heels"

The phrase {turn back on your heels} means becoming disbelievers after having believed. It is said of anyone who returns to what they were previously: they returned backward, turned on their heels, or retreated.

The hypocrites said to the weak Muslims: "If Muhammad is killed, return to your religion." Some of the Ansar replied: "If Muhammad is killed, the Lord of Muhammad is not killed; so fight for what Muhammad fought for."

The essence of the statement is that Allah clarified that his death does not cause weakness in the religion, based on two proofs:

1. By analogy with the death and killing of all other prophets.
2. The need for the Prophet is for conveying the religion; after that, there is no need for him. Therefore, his death does not necessitate the corruption of the religion. Allah knows best.

Issue 4: Removing Doubt about Divine Speech

No one can argue that the statement {And Muhammad is not but a messenger} implies doubt on Allah's part, which is impermissible. We say that the meaning is: whether this event (death/killing) occurred or not, it has no effect on the weakness of the religion or the obligation to apostatize.

Then the Almighty said: {And whoever turns back on his heels, never will he harm Allah in the least}. The purpose here is to emphasize the warning, as every intelligent person knows that the disbelief of the disbelievers does not harm Allah; rather, it harms only themselves. This is like when a man admonishes his son and says, "What you are doing does not harm the heavens and the earth," intending that the harm returns to the son.

Then, He followed the warning with a promise: {And Allah will recompense the grateful}. This means that when doubt occurred in the hearts of some due to that defeat, but did not occur in the hearts of the strong, learned believers, they thanked Allah for their steadfastness in faith and strong adherence to it. Consequently, Allah praised them by saying: {And Allah will recompense the grateful}.

Muhammad ibn Jarir Al-Tabari narrated from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said the meaning of {And Allah will recompense the grateful} refers to Abu Bakr and his companions. It is also narrated from him that he said Abu Bakr is among the grateful, and he is one of the beloved of Allah. Allah knows best what is correct.