in everything that any friend of Allah may say.

Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“Say: We believe in Allah, and in what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes; and in what Moses and Jesus were given, and in what the prophets were given from their Lord.” (Qur’an 2:136)

He, Exalted be He, also says:
“But true piety is found in the one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets.” (Qur’an 2:177)

For this reason, faith in all the prophets and in everything they were granted is mandatory. Whoever denies even a single prophet whose prophethood is known is, by consensus of the Muslims, a disbeliever, and whoever reviles him must likewise be put to death. By contrast, as for someone who is not a prophet, no one becomes an unbeliever merely for opposing him, nor is anyone executed simply for insulting him—unless that insult is accompanied by something that lawfully permits the taking of life.

The settled view of the early generations of this community—the Companions, the Followers who excelled in their footsteps, the leading imams, and the overwhelming majority of Muslims—is that the best of this ummah after its Prophet is Abu Bakr, followed by ‘Umar; and after the prophets, there is no one superior to these two. This community is the best of all communities.

It is authentically reported in the two Ṣaḥīḥs that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Among the nations before you there were men who were inspired; if anyone of that sort exists in my ummah, it is ‘Umar.”

The muḥaddath is one who is inspired and inwardly addressed.