عَلَى نَبِيِّهِ مُحَمَّدٍ
Upon His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Two well-known explanations of the derivation of nabī connect it either with nabaʾ, news, or nabwah, elevation. The first draws attention to revelation and divine communication; the second to the elevated station of prophethood. These are linguistic explanations of different aspects of the title.
Rasūl literally means one who is sent. Prophets and messengers are servants chosen by Allah to communicate guidance. The precise technical distinction between these terms is explained in more than one way in theological literature; the central issue here is the divine origin of their mission.
Affirming Muhammad's ﷺ prophethood is part of Islamic faith; it does not ascribe divinity to him. It affirms his reception and delivery of Allah's guidance.