THE PROPHET AS A HUMAN BEING
The Qur’an describes the Prophet of Islam as a human being like any other. What distinguished him from others was not his being something other than human, but, rather his being a prophet, as well as being a human being. This is illustrated by the following verses from the Qur’an:
Am I anything but a human apostle? (17:93)
I am but a mortal like yourselves. It is revealed to me that your God is one God. (18:110)
Their apostles said to them: We are nothing but mortals like you. (14: 11)
This was something natural, and gave credence to the practical example set by the Prophet of Islam for the benefit of all human beings. It is quite clear that his ability to convince rested on his being a human being like all others; on his having feelings of the same nature as other human beings; and on his being made of the same flesh and blood as others. If all these things had not been found in common between the Prophet and other human beings, the command to follow the example of the Prophet would have been rendered impracticable.
The greatness of the Prophet of Islam lay in adopting a superior code of ethics as a human being, so that he should come up to the highest standard of conduct in all matters. Had he been cast in some superhuman mould, his exemplary character could not have served as a model for human beings.