What is meant by making a distinction between the Messengers?

Q. What is meant by making a distinction between the Messengers? If Muslims state that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah then does this mean they are making a distinction between the Messengers?

Ans.

1. The Quran itself sheds light on what is meant by making a distinction between the Messengers: إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكۡفُرُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَن يُفَرِّقُواْ بَيۡنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَيَقُولُونَ نُؤۡمِنُ بِبَعۡضٍ۬ وَنَڪۡفُرُ بِبَعۡضٍ۬ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَن يَتَّخِذُواْ بَيۡنَ ذَٲلِكَ سَبِيلاً “Surely those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers, and wish to make division between Allah and His Messengers, and say, “We believe in some (messengers) and disbelieve in some others” and wish to take a way in between that.” (4:150) Note that in the above verse the statement “We believe in some (messengers) and disbelieve in some others” qualifies the act of divisions between Allah and His Messengers to be the rejection of certain Messengers.
2. When Muslims believe in Muhammad as the Messenger of Allah then they are not guilty of this sin because it is Muhammad who made them to believe in all the Messengers. By believing in Muhammad, Muslims are in fact believing in all the Messengers without distinction that all were commissioned by Allah and all were worthy of reverence.
3. The statement “we believe in some (messengers) and disbelieve in some others” applies to those religious groups that openly reject some Messengers of God while claiming belief on others such as the Jews who believe in Moses and the Israelite prophets but reject Jesus and Muhammad, or to the Christians who accept all prophets prior to Jesus but reject Muhammad who was foretold by Jesus. So these are the groups that fall in the category of people who say “we believe in some (messengers) and disbelieve in some others.”
4. Muslims on the other hand do not say “we believe in some and disbelieve in others”. Rather The Muslim article of faith is in belief on all Messengers of Allah, from Adam till Muhammad. Therefore it is illogical to quote this verse and claim that it refers to Muslims.
5. By accepting and stating that Muhammad is the Messenger of God one is affirming his belief on all Messengers because it is the revelation of Muhammad that tells him to maintain belief on all Messengers. It should also be noted that the assertion that one should not take the name of Allah and Muhammad in the same sentence is very ridiculous and based on a complete ignorance of the Quran that only those jaundiced.by sheer prejudice are tantamount to swallow . This is so because it is the Quran itself that contains the statement “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” (48:29).
6. If saying “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” were a wrong act according to their logic then do these people accuse Allah of wrongdoing when it is He Himself who has made this statement? Each and every time one recites the verse of the Quran which mentions “Muhammad is the Messenger of God”, then is he committing an act of polytheism? According.to the warped logic of such deviant individuals this would be so! Such a suggestion of theirs is devoid of wisdom and is based entirely on prejudice. Whenever Muslims repeat the words “Muhammad ur Rasul Allah” whether in the Adhan or in Salat then they do not violate any Quranic injunction and are in fact proclaiming what has already been stated by Allah in the Quran. Denial of this very basic fact is nothing but delusion.