Table of Contents
The Final Stage of Revelation
The completion of the message of Islam refers to the final phase of revelation to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the establishment of the religion in its full and perfect form. This completion marked the end of divine law being revealed to any prophet after him, and it fixed the guidance that humanity must follow until the Day of Judgment.
Allah Himself described this completion in the Qur’an. During the Farewell Pilgrimage, a verse was revealed that many scholars consider to have been among the last verses of law:
“This day I have perfected for you your religion, completed My favor upon you, and have approved for you Islam as religion.”
(Qur’an 5:3)
This verse is a clear declaration that the message is no longer in a stage of development. It is perfected, the favor of Allah is completed, and Islam is confirmed as the final way of life for humanity.
The message of Islam is perfect, complete, and final. No new revelation, law, or prophet will come after the completion of this message.
Revelation Reaching Its Fullness
Before the completion of the message, revelation descended over 23 years in different stages. Early revelation focused on faith, recognition of Allah, and moral purification. Later revelations brought laws, social rules, and details of worship. As the Prophet ﷺ approached the end of his life, the religion reached a point where nothing essential for guidance was left out.
The Qur’an describes the Qur’an itself as a full clarification and mercy:
“And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.”
(Qur’an 16:89)
This does not mean that the Qur’an mentions every small worldly detail. It means that all matters needed for salvation, belief, worship, lawful and unlawful, and the general framework for individual and social life are fully clarified, either directly in the Qur’an or through the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
The Prophet ﷺ stated clearly that he had conveyed everything that people need in order to be guided:
“There is nothing that will bring you closer to Paradise and keep you further from Hellfire except that I have commanded you with it, and there is nothing that will bring you closer to Hellfire and keep you further from Paradise except that I have forbidden you from it.”
(Reported in Musnad Aḥmad)
This shows that by the end of his mission, no crucial guidance was left untaught. The message is not missing any essential piece. Humanity can always return to Revelation to find the principles needed to walk the path of Allah.
Completion and the End of Legislative Revelation
One of the most important meanings of the completion of the message is the end of legislative revelation. Before Islam, laws and commands changed gradually from one prophet to another, according to time, place, and people. With Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, this process ended.
Allah says:
“Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets.”
(Qur’an 33:40)
The term “seal of the prophets” indicates finality. The Prophet ﷺ himself explained that his prophethood closed the door to all prophets after him. In a well known hadith he said:
“The example of me and the prophets before me is like a man who built a house, and he completed it and made it beautiful, except for the place of one brick in a corner. People would go around it and admire it, and say, ‘If only this brick were put in its place.’ I am that brick, and I am the seal of the prophets.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
The “house” in this hadith represents the building of divine guidance throughout history. The final brick represents the final touch that completes the structure. With the message of Muhammad ﷺ, the building is complete and needs no further bricks.
Completion of the message also means that no new religious law will be added to Islam and no part of it can be removed. Any claim of new revelation or a prophet after Muhammad ﷺ is a claim that directly contradicts the Qur’an and the clear Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ warned:
“There will be among my nation thirty liars, all of them claiming that he is a prophet, but I am the seal of the prophets, there is no prophet after me.”
(Reported in Abū Dāwūd and at Tirmidhī)
Whoever claims prophethood after Muhammad ﷺ is a liar. The door of revelation and new divine law closed with the completion of his message.
Protection of the Completed Message
When Allah completed the message, He also guaranteed its preservation. Previous scriptures were altered or lost over time, so new prophets were needed to correct and renew the original message. With the final and complete message, Allah promised that He would preserve it until the end of time.
Allah says about the Qur’an:
“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will be its guardian.”
(Qur’an 15:9)
This divine protection is part of the completion. Since there will be no new revelation, the existing revelation must remain safe from corruption. This preservation occurs through memorization, study, writing, and the continuous practice of the religion by the scholars and the community, by the will of Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ also explained that there will always remain a group from his ummah upon the truth:
“A group from my ummah will continue to be manifest upon the truth. Those who oppose them will not harm them until the command of Allah comes while they are still upon that.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
This means the completed message will never be fully lost. There will always be people who carry and defend it, showing that the guidance is living and accessible for those who seek it sincerely.
The Completed Message as Universal Guidance
The completion of the message also means that it is not limited to a tribe, a nation, or a specific time. Previous prophets were often sent to specific peoples. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sent with a message for all humanity and even for the jinn.
Allah says:
“And We have not sent you except comprehensively to mankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner.”
(Qur’an 34:28)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“I have been given five things which were not given to anyone before me… Every prophet used to be sent to his nation only, but I have been sent to all of mankind.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
Universality is one of the signs that the message is complete. Since no new prophet will come, this one message must be suitable for all places and times. This suitability comes from the perfect balance between fixed principles and flexible applications. The core beliefs, major acts of worship, and clear laws do not change. Within this framework, there is room for ijtihād, scholarly understanding, and application to new circumstances.
The message of Islam is for all people and all times. Its principles are fixed and complete, while their application can address every new situation through sound understanding.
Completion and the Role of the Ummah
Once the message was complete, the responsibility of carrying it forward shifted from prophets to the community of believers. The Muslim ummah became the witness over humanity by conveying, explaining, and living the final revelation.
Allah says:
“And thus We have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you.”
(Qur’an 2:143)
The Prophet ﷺ conveyed the message perfectly, and he made his ummah bear witness to this fact in a famous narration. During the Farewell Pilgrimage, after addressing the people and teaching them, he asked:
“You will be asked about me, so what will you say?”
They said, “We bear witness that you have conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust, and sincerely advised the ummah.”
He then raised his finger to the sky and said, “O Allah, bear witness, O Allah, bear witness, O Allah, bear witness.”
(Reported in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
This moment symbolizes the passing of the responsibility. The Messenger ﷺ has done his part completely, and now the community must guard, teach, and exemplify the final message. The completion of revelation does not mean the end of effort. It means that the form of effort changes from receiving revelation to understanding, preserving, and acting upon it.
Stability and Security in a Completed Religion
The completion of the message also brings stability to faith and practice. Believers no longer live in uncertainty about future changes in revelation or law. The fundamentals of their religion are fixed and known. They can build their lives and societies on a clear and reliable foundation.
The verse of completion, already cited, includes the phrase “completed My favor upon you.” Completion here is a mercy, because it removes confusion and gives certainty. The believer knows that the path to Allah is mapped out. Nothing that leads to Paradise has been hidden, and nothing that leads to Hell has been left unmentioned in principle.
The Prophet ﷺ pointed to this clarity when he said:
“I have left you upon clear guidance, its night is like its day, no one deviates from it after me except one who is destroyed.”
(Reported in Ibn Mājah)
Allah has perfected the religion and made its guidance clear. Any path that contradicts this final message is misguidance, even if it appears attractive.
The Completion of the Message and Human Accountability
Because the message is complete, preserved, clear, and final, people are fully accountable for how they respond to it. Allah does not punish a people without sending them guidance. With the last revelation, the proof has been established against humanity.
Allah says:
“[We sent] messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allah after the messengers. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.”
(Qur’an 4:165)
When the final messenger has come and the message is preserved, the excuse of “not knowing” is removed for those to whom the truth reaches clearly. The completion of the message means the completion of proof. Those who accept it and live by it can hope for Allah’s mercy. Those who reject it knowingly and proudly are turning away from the final and complete guidance of their Creator.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, no one from this nation, Jew or Christian, hears of me, then dies without believing in what I was sent with, except that he will be among the people of the Fire.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
This does not speak about those who never truly heard or understood the message, whose case is with Allah. Rather, it emphasizes that once the complete message reaches a person clearly, their response to it becomes a decisive matter.
Living Under the Light of a Completed Message
For a new learner of Islam, understanding that the message is complete brings both comfort and responsibility. Comfort, because there is no need to search for new prophets or hidden books. Everything needed for guidance is already present in the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah. Responsibility, because one must now turn to this final message with seriousness, learn it, and strive to live by it.
The believer approaches the completed message with submission, trust, and love. Allah says:
“But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have decided and submit in [full] submission.”
(Qur’an 4:65)
This verse shows that accepting the completed message is not only an idea in the mind. It is a practical submission to the guidance that Allah has sent through His final Messenger ﷺ.
In everyday life, living under a completed message means returning to the Qur’an and Sunnah in matters of belief, worship, law, character, and personal choices. It means respecting the limits set by Allah and His Messenger, neither adding practices that have no basis in revelation nor removing what has been clearly commanded. The completed message becomes the unchanging reference for a changing world.
The completion of the message requires believers to refer every matter of belief and practice back to the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah, accepting their guidance without adding or subtracting from the religion.
Through this completed message, Allah opened a clear and permanent way for human beings to know Him, worship Him, and reach His pleasure. Nothing essential is missing, nothing more is needed, and nothing can replace it. The rest of history unfolds under the light that was perfected and completed during the life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.