either they had not been permitted to wage jihad, or they had been granted permission but the spoils were not made lawful for them. Instead, they would gather the booty in one place until a fire descended from heaven and consumed it.

5 – A further distinction of our Prophet Muḥammad—peace and blessings be upon him—is the universality of his call and the all-embracing scope of his mission. Every messenger before him was sent only to his own people and for a limited span of time, whereas the message of our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—extends to all people. The Exalted says, “We have sent you only universally to mankind, as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner” (Sabaʾ 28). Indeed, his mission encompasses both jinn and humans, for Allah also says, “We have sent you only as a mercy to all the worlds” (al-Anbiyāʾ 107). His message will continue in force until the Hour is established.
The breadth and permanence of this Muḥammadan message are due to the elements of endurance and the qualities of immortality that Allah placed within it, and to the comprehensive foundations upon which He established it.

7 – In the remaining wording of the ḥadīth the term “people” (al-nās) does not explicitly include the jinn, yet there is unanimous agreement that he—peace and blessings be upon him—was sent to both orders of creation. The wording is simply an instance of mentioning the higher class to imply the lower.

8 – Allah, exalted be He, will manifest the full measure of this noble Prophet’s virtue and his lofty rank on the Day of Resurrection by granting him the Praised Station (al-maqām al-maḥmūd). This is the Greatest Intercession that the foremost messengers—peace be upon them—will decline, passing it from one to another until leadership and honor settle upon him alone. When he accepts it, he will prostrate beneath the Throne, praising his Lord with hymns that Allah inspires to him; then his request will be granted and his intercession accepted on that tremendous, arduous Day, bringing relief to all creatures. Concerning this station, Allah addressed His Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—saying: “And during a part of the night keep vigil with it as an additional act of devotion, that your Lord may raise you to a Praised Station” (al-Isrāʾ 79).

9 – The entire earth has been made a mosque for him and for his community, so he may pray wherever the time of prayer overtakes him, with no place singled out to the exclusion of another, whereas other prophets were not