Hisham ibn ʿAmmar said in his book “al-Mabʿath”: ʿIsa ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Nuʿmani related to me, al-Masʿudi related to us, from Abu Saʿid and from Saʿid ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbas with regard to the verse, “We have only sent you as a mercy to all the worlds” (21:107). He said: “Whoever believes in Allah and His messengers is granted complete mercy in this life and the next, whereas whoever does not believe in Allah and His messengers is counted among those who deserve the swift punishment that used to befall the earlier nations—chastisement, trials, stones from the sky, and the swallowing of the earth.”

Allah the Exalted also says: “Have you not considered those who exchanged Allah’s favor for disbelief and led their people to the house of ruin?” (14:28). Ibn ʿAbbas explained: “The favor is Muhammad, and those who traded Allah’s favor for ingratitude are the unbelievers of Quraysh”—that is, the same applies to everyone who denies him among all people—just as Allah says: “Whoever disbelieves in him among the factions—his rendezvous is the Fire” (11:17).

Abu Nuʿaym said: “If someone objects that Allah named Noah—peace be upon him—by one of His own beautiful names when He said, ‘Indeed, he was a grateful servant’ (17:3), we reply: Allah named Muhammad ﷺ with two of His names when He said, ‘He is compassionate and merciful toward the believers’ (9:128).”

He continued: “Allah addressed the other prophets by their personal names—‘O Noah!’ ‘O Abraham!’ ‘O Moses!’ ‘O David!’ ‘O John!’ ‘O Jesus, son of Mary!’—whereas He addressed Muhammad ﷺ with honorific titles: ‘O Messenger!’ ‘O Prophet!’ ‘O you who are wrapped (al-Muzzammil)!’ ‘O you who are enveloped (al-Muddaththir)!’ Such forms take the place of a teknonym conferred as a mark of distinction.”

“When the idolaters attributed folly and madness to their prophets, each prophet answered for himself. Noah said: ‘My people, there is no folly in me; rather, I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds’ (7:67); Hud—peace be upon him—said the like. When Pharaoh declared, ‘I truly think you, Moses, are bewitched’ (17:101), Moses replied, ‘You know full well that none has sent down these signs but the Lord of the heavens and the earth as proofs, and I truly think you, Pharaoh, are doomed’ (17:102), and so forth.

“As for Muhammad ﷺ, Allah Himself undertook to answer their slanders about him with His own noble speech. They said, ‘O you upon whom the Reminder has been sent down, you are surely mad (6). Why do you not bring us the angels, if you are truthful?’ (15:6–7); so Allah said, ‘We do not send down the angels except with truth, and then they would not be granted any respite’ (15:8).

“They said, ‘Tales of the former peoples which he has had written down, and they are dictated to him morning and evening (5).’ Say: ‘It has been sent down by the One who knows the secret in the heavens and the earth; truly, He is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful’ (25:5–6).

“They said, ‘Is he a poet? We are waiting for some fatal turn of fortune to overtake him’ (30). Say: ‘Wait then; I too am waiting with you’ (52:30–31).

“Allah says: ‘It is not the word of a poet—how little you believe! (41) Nor is it the word of a soothsayer—how little you take heed! (42) It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds’ (69:41–43).

“Those who disbelieve were about to trip you up with their looks when they heard the Reminder, and they say, ‘He is surely mad’” (68:51); yet Allah affirms: “It is nothing but a reminder for all the worlds” (68:52).

“He also says: ‘Nūn. By the pen and what they write, (1) you, by the grace of your Lord, are not mad; (2) indeed, you shall have an unending reward, (3) and you are surely upon a magnificent character’ (68:1–4).

“And He says: ‘We certainly know that they claim, “It is only a human being who teaches him.” The tongue of the one they hint at is foreign, whereas this is clear Arabic speech’ (16:103).”