Q 2: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: I was the first prophet created and I was the last sent. Is this Hadith Sahih (authentic)? A: The mentioned Hadith was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) with the following wording: I was the first prophet to be created and the last of them to be sent. Some narrations include the following additional part: My creation began before theirs. This Hadith is Da`if (a Hadith that fails to reach the status of Hasan, due to a weakness in the chain of narration or one of the narrators). It was mentioned by (Part No. 3; Page No. 246

A: The mentioned Hadith was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) with the following wording: I was the first prophet to be created and the last of them to be sent. Some narrations include the following additional part: My creation began before theirs. This Hadith is Da`if (a Hadith that fails to reach the status of Hasan, due to a weakness in the chain of narration or one of the narrators). It was mentioned by (Part No. 3; Page No. 246) Tammam in his book "Fawa'id", Abu Nu`aym in "Dala'il Al-Nubuwwah" and Al-Tha`laby in his "Tafsir". Its Sanad (chain of narrators) includes Baqiyyah and Sa`id ibn Bishr who are both weak narrators. It was also mentioned by Al-Suyuty in "Al-Durar Al-Muntashirah fi Al-Ahadith Al-Mushtahirah." Al-Dhahaby mentioned this Hadith among the Gharib Hadiths (Hadiths with a single narrator usually at the beginning of the chain of narration) narrated by Sa`id ibn Bishr. It was narrated as Mursal (a Hadith with no Companion of the Prophet in the chain of narration) by Qatadah on the authority of Abu Hurayrah. Thus, this Hadith cannot be cited. There is no authentic evidence that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was the first of creation like what some people think.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.