Question

Can you please explain to me what budhism is? Someone said that budah he could have been a prophet before Muhammad(P.b.u.h) ? Do buddist call him God? Did he even exist? Could he have been a prophet before?

Answer:

Bismillahi Ta'ala,

Walaikum Assalam,

We cannot say for certain whether a particular religious figure of the past was a prophet or not. Many teaching from different figures of the past suggest that they could have been prophets, or they may have been in contact with some God fearing people.

While this possibility is there, it is neither our Islamic duty to confirm or deny these claims. Teachings of many in the past has been corrupted and misunderstood. It is neither an integral part of our Iman nor a requirement of our deen to affirm the status of these figures and their beliefs. 

While Budhists themselves regard budha as someone super human (mahapurṣh) there are many hindus who regard him as a manifestation of God (autār).

As Muslims our faith is clear, our doctrine is pristine monotheistic and our practices are well established in Quran and Sunnah. 

Wallahu A'lam,

Wassalamu `alaykum, 

Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi
www.fatwa.ca