Was Muhammad Sent Only to the Arabs?
By Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute
Moderator’s Introduction
Today’s debate addresses a highly consequential question in Islamic theology:
Was Muhammad a universal messenger for all mankind, or was he sent exclusively to the Arabs?
Representing the Argument for Exclusivity is Scholar A.
Representing the Argument for Universality is Scholar B.
The debate follows an academic format: opening statements, rebuttals, and closing arguments.
OPENING STATEMENTS
**Scholar A (Exclusivity):
"Muhammad was sent only to the Arabs."**
I will demonstrate—using the Qur’an alone—that Muhammad’s mission was limited to the Arab peoples, specifically the Quraysh and neighboring Arabian tribes.
1. The Qur'an Teaches That Every Nation Has Its Own Messenger
Surah Yunus 10:47 states:
“Every nation has its messenger.”
If every nation was individually assigned a prophet, then Muhammad cannot logically be the prophet of all nations.
2. Prophets Are Sent in Their Own Language to Their Own People
Surah Ibrahim 14:4:
“We have not sent a messenger except in the language of his people.”
Muhammad spoke Arabic and belonged to an Arab tribe.
Thus his "people" are Arabs — not Africans, not Indians, not Europeans.
3. Earlier Nations Already Received Their Messengers
Surah An-Nahl 16:36:
“We certainly sent a messenger to every nation…”
The Qur'an claims Africans, Indians, and Persians had prophets before.
Thus Muhammad cannot be their prophet.
4. The Qur'an Explicitly Declares Different Shari’as for Different Peoples
Surah Al-Mā’idah 5:48:
“To each of you We prescribed a law and a method.”
Different peoples = different laws = different messengers.
5. Muhammad Sent to a People Who Had Never Received a Messenger Before
Surah As-Sajdah 32:3:
“So that you may warn a people to whom no warner has come before you.”
This describes Arab pagans, not the whole world.
6. Muhammad Was One Among Many Regional Messengers
Surah Ya-Sin 36:6:
“To warn a people whose forefathers were not warned.”
Again—Arabs only.
7. The Qur'an Distinguishes Between “Two Former Nations” and Muhammad’s Own Nation
Surah Al-An’ām 6:156–157:
Here Allah speaks to a new nation different from the “two nations” (Jews and Christians) who already had scriptures.
Who is this new nation?
The Arabs.
8. The Qur’an Is a Book in “Clear Arabic” Sent to an Arab Prophet
Surah Ash-Shu’ara 26:195:
“In a clear Arabic language.”
Then Allah adds:
“If We had revealed it to a non-Arab… they would not have believed.”
Thus the Qur'an is not universal.
9. Muhammad Sent to “The Mother of Cities (Mecca) and its Surrounding Regions”
Surah Al-An’ām 6:92; Surah Ash-Shūrā 42:7:
“To warn the Mother of Cities and those around it.”
“Those around it” cannot mean the whole world; it refers to nearby Arab regions.
10. Qur'an Revealed in Arabic for Arabs
If the Qur'an were for all humanity, why restrict it to Arabic only?
No universal scripture demands one ethnic language.
Conclusion of Scholar A
Based solely on Qur’anic evidence, Muhammad is not a prophet for all humanity.
He is the prophet for the Arabs only, and the Qur'an is their regional scripture.
**Scholar B (Universality):
"Muhammad was sent to all mankind."**
Scholar B acknowledges the verses cited but provides interpretive arguments common in Islamic theology.
1. The Qur'an Uses Gradual Revelation
Muslims argue that early verses emphasize Arabs because Muhammad was starting with his own people.
2. Universality Claimed Explicitly
Two verses are commonly cited:
-
Surah Al-Anbiya 21:107:
“We have sent you as a mercy to the worlds.”
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Surah Saba 34:28:
“We have sent you to all mankind.”
These verses form the basis for universality.
3. “Language” Does Not Limit Audience
They argue: Moses spoke Hebrew but Jews still believe his message is universal in moral terms.
4. Arabs Were the First Audience, Not the Only Audience
Muslims say the Qur’an began with Arabs but extended globally through dawah.
5. “Every Nation Has a Messenger” Indicates Continuity, Not Exclusivity
Thus Muhammad fulfills earlier prophets and unifies humanity.
REBUTTALS
Scholar A Responds
✔ Verse 34:28 Does Not Override 10:47, 14:4, 16:36, 42:7
The universal claim contradicts earlier foundational principles:
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Every nation has its prophet.
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Prophets are sent to their own people.
-
Each nation has its own law.
These cannot harmonize with a universal prophet.
✔ “Mercy to the Worlds” Does Not Mean “Messenger to the Worlds”
It is a poetic honorific, not a doctrinal definition.
✔ A truly universal message cannot be locked in one ethnic language
Why is the Qur'an:
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eternally Arabic
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untranslatable (translations are not Qur’ans)
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limited to Arab culture, law, and context?
✔ The Qur'an repeatedly points only to Arabs
Not once does it name Africans, Persians, Chinese, or Europeans as part of Muhammad’s mandate.
Scholar B Responds
Scholar B appeals to Islamic consensus:
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Muslim scholars historically agree that Muhammad is universal.
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The Qur'an was revealed in Arabic simply because Muhammad was Arab.
But Scholar B cannot negate the explicit limiting verses.
CLOSING STATEMENTS
Scholar A (Exclusivity)
The Qur’an itself—consistently, repeatedly, and explicitly—defines:
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Muhammad = Messenger to Arabs.
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Each nation = its own messenger.
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Qur'an = Arabic message for Arabic speakers.
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Mission field = Mecca and its regional tribes.
No verse can overturn this structural doctrine.
Therefore:
Muhammad is not the prophet of the world.
He is the prophet of the Arabs.
Scholar B (Universality)
Muslim theology relies heavily on later interpretations and hadith, not the explicit Qur’anic text.
But the Islamic consensus still insists on Muhammad’s universal mission.
FINAL VERDICT (Moderator)
A textual analysis of the Qur'an as it reads literally strongly supports Scholar A’s position:
The Qur’an repeatedly limits Muhammad’s mission to:
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His people
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His language
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His region
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His tribe
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His culture
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His historical context
Universal claims appear later and are contradicted by foundational principles.
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