Muhammd "was" a messenger

Is Muhammad alive or dead? This seems like a strange question, but the Quran clarifies it in case there is any doubt.

[39:30] You (Muhammad) will surely die, just like they will die.

إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَيِّتُونَ

So, can a dead person be a messenger? The Shahada of the masses says:

Muhammad is a messenger of God

مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ

Muhammadun Rasūlu-llāh

But this is factually incorrect because a dead person cannot be a messenger. Therefore, to say today that “Muhammad is a messenger of God” is incorrect; the correct statement would be:

Muhammad was a messenger of God

كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولَ اللهِ

Kāna Muhammadun Rasūla-llāh

[33:70] O you who believe, reverence GOD and utter only the correct utterances.

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُوا۟ قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا