The Qur'an is God's word which He bestowed from on high on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in passages of varying lengths over the period of his mission which lasted 23 years. God has undertaken to preserve the Qur'an intact for the rest of time. We do not find any variations, omissions or additions in any copy of the Qur'an, wherever it exists and whatever its date. The Qur'an endorses all divine messages assigned to earlier prophets and praises both the Torah and the Gospel stating that both contain 'guidance and light'. (5: 44 & 46) The Qur'an also praises all prophets who lived before Prophet Muhammad's time, naming 25 of them and stating that there were many others whom God has chosen not to identify for us. It further states that earlier messages including the Torah and the Gospel suffered some degree of distortion, as people in a position to perpetrate such distortion did so at different times to serve their own immediate interests.
God states in the Qur'an that He informed all prophets that He would be concluding His revelations to mankind when He sends the last of His messengers. He took a pledge from them all that they would follow this last messenger should he be given his mission in their own lifetime. "God made a covenant with the prophets: If, after what I have vouchsafed to you of the Scriptures and wisdom, there comes to you a messenger confirming the truth of what you have in your possession, you shall believe in him and you shall help him. 'Do you,' said He, 'affirm this and accept the obligation I lay upon you in these terms?' They answered: 'We do affirm it.' Said He: 'Then bear witness, and I am also a witness with you.' Then those who turn away afterward are indeed transgressors." (3: 81-82)
Since God Almighty made this covenant with all prophets, and since the covenant, by necessity, applies to all their followers, He gave them a good description of His last messenger so that they would recognize him when he begins to call on people to believe in what he advocates. In fact, God gives us in the Qur'an an account of what He said to Moses describing Prophet Muhammad to him: "My grace encompasses all things; so I will confer it on those who steer away from evil, and spend in charity, and who believe in Our signs - those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet whom they shall find described in the Torah and the Gospel that are with them. He commands them to do what is right and forbids them to do what is wrong, and makes lawful to them the good things of life and forbids them all that is foul. He lifts from them their burdens and the shackles that weigh upon them. Those, therefore, who believe in him, honor and support him, and follow the light that has been bestowed from on high through him shall indeed be successful." (7: 156-157)
This sums up the qualities of Prophet Muhammad, as identified in both the Torah and the Gospel: 1) He bids people to do what is right; 2) He forbids them all wrong deeds; 3) He makes lawful to them all good things; 4) His prohibitions apply to all that is foul; 5) He makes things easy for mankind, removing their burdens and constraints. This is indeed the sum up of the Islamic message. However, this description applies more to the message rather than the messenger who delivers it. What description is given in earlier divine books of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
We have several Hadiths reported by a number of the Prophet's companions, and all speaking in similar words, which adds to their authenticity. To quote them all will be repetitive. Therefore, we will concentrate on one of them, advising anyone who is interested to refer to Hadith anthologies. Abdullah ibn Sallam was a chief rabbi in Madinah when the Prophet arrived there. He went to the Prophet and ascertained that he was the one described in the Torah, then he declared himself a Muslim, thus becoming one of the Prophet's companions. He reports: "We find in our scriptures God's description of the Prophet as follows: 'We have sent you a witness, a bearer of good news and a warner; and a protector of the unlettered community. You are My servant and My messenger. I am calling him (i.e. the Prophet) Al-Mutawakkil. He is neither harsh nor rude, nor one who uses vulgar language in public. He does not repay a bad turn with its like, but rather overlooks such bad turns, pardons and forgives. I will not gather him to Me until he has set crooked beliefs straight and on the right way, so that people will come to declare their belief that there is no deity other than God. Through him We will cause blind eyes, deaf ears and sealed hearts to open."
Every single word of this description applies to Prophet Muhammad and his manners. He was never known to be rude or rough with anyone. On the contrary, his manners were the most refined. He was always ready with forgiveness, even for those who were hard against him and abused him personally. He never repaid abuse with similar abuse. As for the name Al-Mutawakkil, this is more of an attribute than a name. It means 'the one who places his trust in God'. This certainly applied to the Prophet. Indeed, every action and every move he made was done on the basis of placing his trust entirely in God. The Qur'an always urges believers to entrust all their affairs and their lives altogether to God. The practical example was best given by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The Prophet stayed alive until the message was completed, and he had established a striving community on the solid foundations of Islam. He built a model society that remains the shining light for all Muslim generations. With his actions God enabled eyes that has long been blind to see clearly, and ears that have been long deaf to hear even a whisper, and sealed hearts to open up to the truth of the divine message.