Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers

 

Please clarify the evidences that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the last messenger and prophet. As all evidences are clear that he is the last prophet only and does not indicate that he is the last messenger.

Praise be to Allaah.

The scholars (may Allaah
have mercy on them) differed concerning the difference between a Prophet and
a Messenger. The majority of scholars are of the view that a Prophet is one
who received Revelation from Allaah but was not commanded to convey it,
whereas a Messenger is one who received Revelation and was commanded to
convey it. 

But despite this difference
of opinion, they are unanimously agreed that a Messenger is superior to a
Prophet, and that a Messenger attained the honour of Prophethood and more.
Hence they said: Every Messenger is a Prophet, but not every Prophet is a
Messenger. 

Thus it is clear that
everything which says that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets and that there is no Prophet
after him indicates that there is no Messenger after him either, because
there cannot be any Messenger who is not also a Prophet. 

If the text said that the
Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the
Seal of the Messengers, that would not suggest that there would be no
Prophet after him, because it would be possible for there to be a Prophet
who was not a Messenger.  

But, the text states that
the Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is
the Seal of the Prophets and that there will be no Prophet after him and
this means that there can be no Prophet after him and no Messenger after
him. 

Ibn Katheer (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: 

“but he is the Messenger
of Allaah and the last (end) of the Prophets” [al-Ahzaab 33:40].
This verse states that there will be no Prophet after him, and if there will
be no Prophet after him, then there can be no Messenger after him either,
because the status of Messenger is higher than the status of Prophet; a
Messenger is also a Prophet but the converse is not necessarily the case. 

Tafseer Ibn Katheer
(3/645). 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: If he was the Seal of the Prophets then he
was also the Seal of the Messengers for sure, because there is no Messenger
who is not also a Prophet. Hence it is said: Every Messenger is a Prophet
but not every Prophet is a Messenger. End quote. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn
‘Uthaymeen (1/250). 

And Allaah knows best.