Question:
The hadith of the Prophet ﷺ when he was asked when were you considered a Prophet, he said: “Before the soul was breathed into the body of Ādam ﷺ.”
What is the condition of the hadith and what is its meaning?
Answer:
The hadith is authentic in Sahīh Al-Musnad, so what is it’s meaning?
Is its meaning that the Prophet ﷺ was a Prophet before the soul was breathed into Ādam ﷺ i.e before it was revealed to him when he was a Prophet?
It means that it was written in the Lawh (Preserved Tablet) that he is a Prophet, and Ādam ﷺ was still clay, and also before the soul being breathed into him, not that the Prophet ﷺ was a Prophet before it was inspired to him and this speech was transmitted by Shaykh ul-Islām upon agreement of the people of knowledge on the rendering a disbeliever the one who says this, and that the one who says verily the Prophet ﷺ was a Prophet before he was sent, before the inspiration was revealed to him then he has disbelieved, and that the meaning of the hadith is that it is written with Allāh that he is a Prophet, as for that he was a Prophet before it was inspired to him then this goes against the Qurān, goes against the Sunnah, goes against the proofs.”
Answered by: Shaykh, the Allamah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu Abdirrahman Yahya bin Ali Al-Hajuri – may Allah preserve him
Source: https://t.me/sh_yahia_duroos/7792
Translated by: Abu ‘Abdillāh ‘Omar bin Yahya Al-‘Akawi