Both Ṣaḥīḥ collections likewise relate:
“I have been sent to the black and the red.” (1)
It has been interpreted as meaning “to the Arabs and the non-Arabs,” and it has also been said, “to humankind and the jinn.” The soundest meaning, however, is even more comprehensive than that.
The point is that the glad tidings of his coming, ﷺ, are found in the scriptures handed down from the prophets before him. Prophethood continued in this way until it reached the last prophet of the Children of Israel, Jesus son of Mary, who proclaimed this very good news among them. Allah has conveyed his words:
“And when Jesus son of Mary said, ‘O Children of Israel, I am indeed the Messenger of Allah to you, confirming the Torah that is before me and bringing good news of a Messenger who will come after me whose name is Ahmad.’” (al-Ṣaff 61:6)
Muhammad’s statements—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—that his mention is found in the earlier scriptures, whether in the Qur’an he delivered or in the authentic ḥadīths already cited, together with the universally acknowledged fact that he was among the most intelligent of creation, all decisively attest to the truth of his claim. Had he not been certain of what he declared, such a claim would have been one of the greatest deterrents to people following him, and no rational person would have ventured it. Thus, even those who oppose him agree that he was of the keenest intellect; in reality, he was the most intelligent of all.
Moreover, his call spread to the farthest East and West, and the dominion of his community embraced the horizons with a universality no nation before them had ever achieved. If Muhammad ﷺ had not been a prophet, his harm would have exceeded that of every other person. In that case the prophets would surely have warned against him in the strongest terms and urged their nations to avoid him altogether—for all of them cautioned, in their scriptures, against the callers to misguidance, forbade their peoples from following and imitating them, and explicitly mentioned the Antichrist, the one-eyed impostor. Even Noah, the first of the messengers, warned his people about him. It is well known, however, that no prophet ever warned against Muhammad, nor dissuaded people from him; rather, their reports consist solely of praise and commendation, glad tidings of his advent, commands to follow him, prohibitions against opposing him, and instructions to remain under his authority.
Allah the Exalted says:
“And [remember] when Allah took the covenant of the prophets: ‘Whatever I have given you of Scripture and wisdom, then there comes to you a messenger confirming what you have—you must believe in him and support him.’ He said, ‘Do you affirm and accept My charge on that?’ They said, ‘We affirm.’ He said, ‘Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses. So whoever turns away after that—it is they who are the defiantly disobedient.’” (Āl ʿImrān 3:81–82)
Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Allah did not send any prophet without taking from him the pledge that if Muhammad were sent while he was alive he would believe in him and support him, and He commanded him to take the same pledge from his nation: that if Muhammad were sent while they were alive, they would believe in him and follow him.” (2) Reported by al-Bukhārī (3).