Qur’an 46:9: Did Muhammad Know He Was Saved?

Qur’an 46:9Qur’an 46:9 · Saheeh InternationalSay, "I am not something original among the messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am not but a clear warner."Qur’an 46:9 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source has Muhammad say he does not know what will be done with him or with his hearers. Sahih al-Bukhari 1243Sahih al-Bukhari 1243 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanBy Allah, I too wish him good, but by Allah, I do not know what Allah will do with me though I am Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).Sahih al-Bukhari 1243 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen the Source has him say the same beside the death of Uthman bin Maz‘un, while calling himself God’s messenger. The New Testament letters written to people who believe in the Son say they may know that they have eternal life.

Key Points

• Saheeh International at Qur’an 46:9Qur’an 46:9 · Saheeh InternationalSay, "I am not something original among the messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am not but a clear warner."Qur’an 46:9 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source has him say he is not something original among the messengers, and that he does not know what will be done with him or with them.
• Ibn Kathir’s abridged tafsir reports that Ikrimah, al-Hasan, and Qatadah said the clause about not knowing was abrogated by Qur’an 48:2, the promise of forgiveness for his past and future sins.
• Ibn Kathir draws a rule from the Uthman bin Maz‘un report: no one may declare a specific person bound for Paradise except those Allah or his messenger named.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 1243Sahih al-Bukhari 1243 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanBy Allah, I too wish him good, but by Allah, I do not know what Allah will do with me though I am Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).Sahih al-Bukhari 1243 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen the Source has him say, by Allah, he does not know what Allah will do with him, though he is Allah’s messenger.
• 1 John 5:131 John 5:13 · King James VersionThese things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.1 John 5:13 · King James VersionOpen the Source says these things were written so that those who believe on the name of the Son of God may know that they have eternal life.
• John 5:24John 5:24 · King James VersionVerily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.John 5:24 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the one who hears his word and believes the one who sent him has everlasting life and has passed from death to life. John 10:28John 10:28 · King James VersionAnd I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.John 10:28 · King James VersionOpen the Source says he gives them eternal life and no one plucks them out of his hand.
• Salvation by Scales of Deeds or by Grace? is the Qur’an’s scales on the last day. Muhammad’s Intercession and Blessings is the later hope of his intercession.

What Does Qur’an 46:9 Mean?

Saheeh International renders Qur’an 46:9Qur’an 46:9 · Saheeh InternationalSay, "I am not something original among the messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am not but a clear warner."Qur’an 46:9 · Saheeh InternationalOpen the Source:

Say, “I am not something original among the messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am not but a clear warner.”

Qur’an 46:9 · Saheeh International

Qur’an · accepted by Muslims

The sentence has three parts. He is not a new kind of messenger: the Arabic is bid‘an min ar-rusul, which Ibn Kathir’s English renders “a new thing among the Messengers.” He does not know the outcome for himself or for the people in front of him. He follows what is revealed, and he warns.

Ibn Kathir’s abridged tafsir of that verse glosses the opening as meaning he is not the first messenger who ever came to the world, so the hearers should not treat his coming as an unprecedented incident. On the clause about not knowing what will be done with him or with them, the tafsir reports Ali bin Abi Talhah from Ibn Abbas. The ayah, he said, “was followed in revelation by” Qur’an 48:2, “That Allah may forgive for you your sins of the past and future.” It then says that “‘Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, and Qatadah all said that this Ayah was abrogated” by that verse, and that when a Muslim asked what Allah would do for the rest of them, 48:5 was revealed, on admitting believing men and women to Gardens. That is the classical Muslim answer to this page’s question: the not-knowing was real when it was spoken, and a later revelation answered it for Muhammad.

What Rule Does Ibn Kathir Draw?

Ibn Kathir does not stop at abrogation. He tells the Uthman bin Maz‘un report from Imam Ahmad, the same scene Bukhari 1243 records, and draws a rule from it:

This and similar texts indicate that it is not allowed to declare that a specific person will enter Jannah except for those who were distinctly indicated by Allah or his Messenger.

He names examples, beginning with “the Ten.” They are the ten companions in Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 3747, where Abdur-Rahman bin Awf reports Muhammad naming Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Talhah, az-Zubair, Abdur-Rahman bin Awf, Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas, Sa‘eed bin Zaid, and Abu Ubaidah bin al-Jarrah as in Paradise. On his reading, assurance is given to named persons by revelation. An ordinary believer is not told the outcome in advance.

Did Muhammad Know He Was Saved?

Sahih al-Bukhari 1243Sahih al-Bukhari 1243 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanBy Allah, I too wish him good, but by Allah, I do not know what Allah will do with me though I am Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).Sahih al-Bukhari 1243 · Muhammad Muhsin KhanOpen the Source, in Muhammad Muhsin Khan’s English, records him at the death of Uthman bin Maz‘un:

By Allah, I too wish him good, but by Allah, I do not know what Allah will do with me though I am Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ).

Sahih al-Bukhari 1243 · Muhammad Muhsin Khan

Sunni hadith

The setting is a funeral. In the fuller version Ibn Kathir gives from Imam Ahmad, the woman is Umm Al-‘Ala’, who had nursed Uthman in her house. A woman of the Ansar had spoken as if Uthman’s honor with God was already known. Muhammad corrects that certainty, and he includes himself. He wishes the dead man good. He does not claim to know Allah’s decision about his own end, and he says this while naming himself Allah’s messenger. Sunni Muslims receive Bukhari as sound. The report does not say he denied being a messenger. It says he did not know what Allah would do with him.

A Muslim reading holds both lines: 46:9 and this hadith come before 48:2, on the abrogation Ibn Kathir reports, and the community still hopes in God’s mercy, the scales, and the messenger’s intercession. Muhammad’s Intercession and Blessings quotes that hope. Salvation by Scales of Deeds or by Grace? quotes the heavy scale and the verses of mercy. The fair concession is that Islam is not a ledger with no mercy. The sentence in 46:9 and in Bukhari 1243 is still a refusal to claim knowledge of his own outcome.

What Does the New Testament Say About Knowing You Are Saved?

1 John 5:131 John 5:13 · King James VersionThese things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.1 John 5:13 · King James VersionOpen the Source tells the people who believe on the name of the Son of God that the letter was written so that they may know they have eternal life. The knowledge is tied to the Son, not to a guess about a hidden decree. John 5:24John 5:24 · King James VersionVerily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.John 5:24 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the hearer who believes the one who sent Jesus has everlasting life, does not come into condemnation, and has passed from death to life. John 10:28John 10:28 · King James VersionAnd I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.John 10:28 · King James VersionOpen the Source says Jesus gives his sheep eternal life, they shall never perish, and no one plucks them out of his hand. Romans 8:1Romans 8:1 · King James VersionThere is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.Romans 8:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source says there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Those lines are addressed to believers. They are not a claim that Muhammad spoke them. They are the Christian answer to the same question his verse leaves open: can a person know what God will do with him? The Gospel’s answer is the Son, received, not a scale still waiting and not a messenger who says he does not know his own end. What Does the Bible Say About Salvation? is that gift. Jesus is God, the one who gives the life those verses name.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Qur’an 46:9 the Sword Verse?

No. The verse is in Al-Ahqaf. It is a word about the messenger’s knowledge. It is not the fighting verses of Surah 9.

What Did Umm Al-‘Ala’ See in Her Dream?

In the report Ibn Kathir gives, she went to sleep distressed and saw that Uthman owned a running water spring. Muhammad told her, “That was his (good) deeds.” The report ends on deeds, not on a declaration that Uthman was saved.

Keep Reading

• Who Was Muhammad?
• What Do Christians Believe About Muhammad?
• Salvation by Scales of Deeds or by Grace?
• Muhammad’s Intercession and Blessings
• What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?
• Was Muhammad Sinless?