Allah says;
يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ قَدْ جَاءكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ عَلَى فَتْرَةٍ مِّنَ الرُّسُلِ
...
O People of the Scripture! Now has come to you Our Messenger making (things) clear unto you, after a break in (the series of) Messengers,
Allah is addressing the People of the Book -- the Jews and the Christians, saying that He has sent His Messenger Muhammad to them, the Final Prophet, after whom there will be no Prophet or Messenger. Rather, He is the Final Messenger who came after a long time passed between him and `Isa, son of Maryam peace be upon them.
There is a difference of opinion about the length of time between `Isa and Muhammad.
Abu Uthman An-Nahdi and Qatadah were reported to have said that;
this period was six hundred years.
Al-Bukhari also recorded this opinion from Salman Al-Farisi.
Qatadah said that;
this period was five hundred and sixty years,
Ma`mar said;
that it is five hundred and forty years.
Some said that this period is six hundred and twenty years.
There is no contradiction here if we consider the fact that those who said that this period was six hundred years were talking about solar years, while the second refers to lunar years, since there is a difference of about three years between every one hundred lunar and solar years. As in Allah's statement,
وَلَبِثُوا فِي كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَثَ مِايَةٍ سِنِينَ وَازْدَادُوا تِسْعًا
(And they stayed in their Cave three hundred years, adding nine.) (18:25) meaning, nine more lunar years to substitute for the difference between lunar and solar years, thus agreeing with the three hundred years that the People of the Book knew about.
We should assert again that the time period we mentioned here was between `Isa, the last Prophet to the Children of Israel, and Muhammad, the Last Prophet and Messenger among the children of Adam.
In the Sahih collected by Al-Bukhari, Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,
إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِابْنِ مَرْيَمَ لاََنَا لَيْسَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ نَبِي
I, among all people, have the most right to the son of Maryam, for there was no Prophet between Him and I.
This Hadith refutes the opinion of Al-Qudai and others, that there was a Prophet after `Isa called Khalid bin Sinan.
Allah sent Muhammad after a period of time during which there was no Prophet, clear path, or unchanged religions. Idol worshipping, fire worshipping and cross worshipping flourished during this time. Therefore, the bounty of sending Muhammad was the perfect bounty at a time when he was needed the most.
Evil had filled the earth by then, and tyranny and ignorance had touched all the servants, except a few of those who remained loyal to the true teachings of previous Prophets, such as some Jewish rabbis, Christian priests and Sabian monks.
Imam Ahmad recorded that Iyad bin Himar Al-Mujashi said that the Prophet gave a speech one day and said,
وَإِنَّ رَبِّي أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أُعَلِّمَكُمْ مَا جَهِلْتُمْ مِمَّا عَلَّمَنِي فِي يَوْمِي هَذَا
My Lord has commanded me to teach you what you have no knowledge of and of which He taught me this day,
كُلُّ مَالٍ نَحَلْتُهُ عِبَادِي حَلَلٌ
`All the wealth that I gave to My servants is permissible.
وَإِنِّي خَلَقْتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ كُلَّهُمْ وَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ أَتَتْهُمْ فَأَضَلَّتْهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِمْ وَحَرَّمَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا أَحْلَلْتُ لَهُمْ وَأَمَرَتْهُمْ أَنْ يُشْرِكُوا بِي مَا لَمْ أُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا
I created all My servants Hunafa (monotheists). But, the devils came to them and deviated them from their religion, prohibited for them what I allowed and commanded them to associate others with Me (in worship), which I gave no permission for.'
ثُمَّ إِنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ نَظَرَ إِلى أَهْلِ الاَْرْضِ فَمقَتَهُمْ عَرَبَهُمْ وعَجَمَهُمْ إِلاَّ بَقَايَا مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَايِيلَ
Then Allah looked at the people of the earth and disliked them all, the Arabs and non-Arabs among them, except a few from among the Children of Israel.
وقَالَ إِنَّمَا بَعَثْتُكَ لاَِبْتَلِيَكَ وَأَبْتَلِيَ بِكَ
Allah said (to me), `I only sent you to test you and to test with you.
وَأَنْزَلْتُ عَلَيْكَ كِتَابًا لاَأ يَغْسِلُهُ الْمَاءُ تَقْرَأُهُ نَايِمًا وَيَقْظَانَ
I sent to you a Book that cannot be washed by water (it is eternal), and you will read it while asleep and while awake.'
ثُمَّ إِنَّ اللهَ أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أُحَرِّقَ قُرَيْشًا فَقُلْتُ يَارَبِّ إِذَنْ يَثْلَغُوا رَأْسِي فَيَدَعُوهُ خُبْزَةً
Allah has also Commanded me to burn (destroy) Quraysh. So I said, `O Lord! They will smash my head and leave it like a piece of bread.'
فَقَالَ اسْتَخْرِجْهُمْ كَمَا اسْتَخْرَجُوكَ واغْزُهُمْ نُغْزِكَ
He said, `I will drive them out as they drove you out, and when you invade them We will help you.
وَأَنْفِقْ عَلَيْهِمْ فَسَنُنْفِقَ عَلَيْكَ وَابْعَثْ جَيْشًا نَبْعَثْ خَمْسًا أَمْثَالَهُ
Spend on them (your companions) and We will spend on you, send an army and We will send five armies like it (in its support).
وَقَاتِلْ بِمَنْ أَطَاعَكَ مَنْ عَصَاكَ
Fight with those who obey you, against those who disobey you.
وَأَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ ثَلَأثَةٌ
And the inhabitants of Paradise are three:
ذوُ سُلْطانٍ مُقْسِطٌ مُوَفَّقٌ مُتَصَدِّقٌ
وَرَجُلٌ رَحِيمٌ رَقِيقُ الْقَلْبِ بِكُلِّ ذِي قُرْبَى وَمُسْلِمٍ
وَرَجُلٌ عَفِيفٌ فَقِيرٌ ذُو عِيَالٍ مُتَصَدِّقٌ
a just, prosperous, and charitable ruler;
A merciful man who has a kind heart toward every relative and every Muslim;
a forgiving, poor man with dependants (who is charitable).
وَأَهْلُ النَّارِ خَمْسَةٌ
And the inhabitants of the Fire are five:
الضَّعِيفُ الَّذي لاَ دِينَ لَهُ
وَالَّذِين هُمْ فِيكُمْ تَبَعٌ أَوْ تَبَعًا شَكَّ يَحْيى لاَا يَبْتَغُون أَهْلًا وَلاَا مَالاًا
وَالْخَايِنُ الَّذِي لاَا يَخْفَى لَهُ طَمَعٌ وَإِنْ دَقَّ إِلاَّ خَانَهُ
وَرَجُلٌ لاَ يُصْبِحُ وَلاَ يُمْسِي إِلاَّ وَهُوَ يُخَادِعُكَ عَنْ أَهْلِكَ وَمَالِكَ
وَذَكَرَ الْبَخِيلَ أَوِ الْكَذَّابَ وَالشِّنْظِيرَ الفَاحِش
the weak one with no religion;
those who follow after you not for family reasons nor wealth;
and the treacherous who does not hide his treachery, acting treacherous in even the most insignificant matters;
and a person who comes every morning and every evening, is cheating your family or your wealth.'
And he mentioned the stingy, or the liar, and the foulmouthed person."
Therefore, the Hadith states that Allah looked at the people of the earth and disliked them all, both the Arabs and non-Arabs among them, except a few among the Children of Israel, or a few among the People of the Book as Muslim recorded. The religion was distorted and changed for the people of the earth until Allah sent Muhammad , and Allah, thus, guided the creatures and took them away from the darkness to the light and placed them on a clear path and a glorious Law.
Allah said,
...
أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا جَاءنَا مِن بَشِيرٍ وَلاَ نَذِيرٍ
...
lest you say, "There came unto us no bringer of glad tidings and no warner."
meaning, so that you, who changed the true religion, do not make it an excuse and say, "No Messenger came to us bringing glad tidings and warning against evil."
...
فَقَدْ جَاءكُم بَشِيرٌ وَنَذِيرٌ
...
But now has come unto you a bringer of glad tidings and a warner.
There has come to you a bringer of good news and a warner, Muhammad.
...
وَاللّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
And Allah is able to do all things.
Ibn Jarir said this part of the Ayah means,
"I am able to punish those who disobey Me and to reward those who obey Me."
