Is Belief In Muhammad ﷺ Necessary?
All verses of the Quran must be understood in their respective contexts, and narrations must be understood in the light of the Quran. An argument on the basis of the Quran that belief in Prophet Muhammad SAW is not necessary is invalid. Without belief in Prophet Muhammad there’s no divine significance to the Quran. Also the narration that you referenced is in a completely different context. Besides, without belief in Prophet Muhammad as a prophet of God, any narration is just words that may have been uttered by a historical figure. As stated in the thread I referenced above and explained in the video within, belief in prophets is not an absolute requirement for salvation. However, there has to be some justification for not believing in a prophet, for example, a person didn’t know about him or despite his sincere effort could not reach a satisfactory conclusion about the prophet.