Rama, Lakshmana and Others

Question

Zayd says: it is possible that Rama and Lakshmana were prophets in their own time, and people corrupted their teaching and defamed them; therefore one should not speak ill of them. Zayd takes confirmation of his statement from the word of Allah (“Allah has sent His messenger to every corner of the world”): it is possible that these very Rama and Lakshmana came to India as prophets.

Answer

So long as there is no proof from a Shar‘i evidence, it is not correct to be certain of anyone’s prophethood; to speak ill of anyone without cause is also not correct. Therefore silence is the most cautious course. One whose kufr is established by Shar‘i evidence is indeed a kafir and will be called a kafir; he cannot be called a Muslim.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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