been repudiated while they were only envoys of another messenger, they could have said, “Then send to the one who dispatched us, or to his companions; they know that we are truthful in transmitting his message,” which is impossible in the case of men sent directly by Allah.
Moreover, His words, “When We sent to them two” (Qur’an 36:14), are an explicit declaration that Allah Himself is the Sender. Anyone dispatched by someone other than Allah is sent only by that person; Allah did not send him. In the same way, no one says of those whom Muhammad b. ʿAbd Allah sent that they are messengers of Allah. Thus it is never said of Dihyah b. Khalīfah al-Kalbī that Allah sent him, nor of al-Mughīrah b. Shuʿbah, ʿAbd Allah b. Hudhāfah, or others whom the Prophet dispatched.
Indeed, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—sent his envoys to the kings of the earth: Dihyah b. Khalīfah to Caesar, ʿAbd Allah b. Hudhāfah to Chosroes, and Ḥāṭib b. Abī Baltaʿah to the Muqawqis, as mentioned earlier. It is common knowledge that no one says of these men that Allah sent them; among Muslims they are not called “messengers of Allah,” and by unanimous agreement it is impermissible to include them in Allah’s statement, “Indeed, We sent Our messengers with clear proofs” (Qur’an 57:25).
So if even Muhammad’s own envoys—peace and blessings be upon him—are not covered by the Qur’anic term “messengers of Allah,” how could anyone contend that the term includes the envoys of some other messenger? The purpose here is to elucidate the meanings of the Qur’an and what Allah—blessed and exalted—intended by His words: “when the messengers came to it, when We sent to them two” (Qur’an 36:13).