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The Observations of
the Holy Prophet(PBUH) About the Finality of Prophethood
The meaning of the word Khatam that emerges out of the
context of the Holy Qur'an and which is the same as given in all lexicons of the Arabic
language is also affirmed by the observations of the Holy Prophet(peace and blessings be
upon him). We quote some authentic traditions to illustrate the case in point:
 | The Holy Prophet
(PBUH)
observed: "The tribe of Israel was guided by prophets. When a prophet passed away,
another prophet succeeded him. But no prophet will come after me; only caliphs will
succeed me." (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib). |
| The Prophet of God
(PBUH)
affirmed: "My position in relation to the prophets who came before me can be
explained by the following example: |
A man erected a building and adorned this edifice with
great beauty, but he left an empty niche, in the corner where just one brick was missing.
People looked around the building and marvelled at its beauty, but wondered why a brick
was missing from that niche? I am like unto that one missing brick and I am the last in
the line of the Prophets." (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib).
(In other words, with the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the edifice of Prophethood has been completed and there is no empty niche in this
edifice to provide room for another prophet.)
Four traditions relating to this subject are recorded, in
Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada'il, Babu Khatimin-Nabiyyin. The latter tradition contains the
following additional sentence. "So I came and in me the line of Prophets has
ended."
The very same tradition in similar words has been reported
in Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul-Manaqib, Bab-Fadlin Nabi and Kitab-Adab, Bab-ul-Amthal. In Musnad
Abu Dawud Tayalisi this tradition has been incorporated among other traditions reported by
Jabir bin Abdullah; and its last sentence reads, "It is in me that line of Prophets
came to its final end."
Musnad Ahmad contains traditions reported by Hadrat Ubayyi
bin Ka'b, Hadrat Abu Sa'id Khudri and Hadrat Abu Huraira(may Allah be pleased with them)
on the same subject with a slight variation of words here and there.
| The Holy Prophet
(PBUH)
observed: "God has bestowed upon me six favors which the former Prophets did not
enjoy: |
I have been endowed with the gift of pithy and perfect
speech. I was granted victory owing to my awe. The spoils of war were made lawful unto me.
The whole earth has been made the place of worship for me and it has become the means of
purification for me also. In other words in my religion, offering of prayers is not
confined to certain specified places of worship. Prayers can be offered at any place over
the earth. And in case water is not available it is lawful for my people to perform
ablutions with earth(Tayammum) and to cleanse themselves with the soil if water for
bathing is scarce. I have been sent by Allah to carry His Divine message to the whole
world. And the line of prophets has come to its final end in me. (Muslim,
Tirmidhi,
Ibn Majah)
| The Prophet of Allah
(PBUH)
affirmed: "The chain of Messengers and Prophets has come to an end. There shall be no
Messenger nor Prophet after me." (Tirmidhi, Kitab-ur-Rouya Babu Zahab-un-
Nubuwwa,
Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat-Anas bin Malik) |
| The Holy Prophet
(PBUH)
observed: "I am Muhammad, I am Ahmad, I am the effacer and infidelity shall be erased
through me; I am the assembler. People shall be assembled on Doomsday after my time. (In
other words Doom is my only successor.) And I am the last in the sense that no prophet
shall succeed me." (Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada'il, Bab:
Asmaun-Nabi; Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul- Adab, Bab: Asma-un-Nabi; Muatta', Kitab-u-Asma
in-Nabi, Al- Mustadrak Hakim, Kitab-ut-Tarikh, Bab: Asma-un-Nabi.) |
| The Prophet of God
(PBUH)
observed: "God Almighty hath sent unto the world no apostle who did not warn his
people about the appearance of Dajjal( Anti-Christ, but Dajjal did not appear in their
time). I am the last in the line of Prophets and ye are the last community of believers.
Without doubt,then, Dajjal shall appear from amongst ye". (Ibn Majah,
Kitabul-fitan, bab:Dajjal). |
| 'Abdur Rahman bin Jubair
reported: "I heard Abdullah bin 'Amr ibn-'As narrating that one day the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) came out of his house and joined our company. His manner gave us the impression as
if he were leaving us.' He said, 'I am Muhammad, the unlettered prophet of Allah' and
repeated this statement three times. Then he affirmed: "There will be no prophet
after me'."(Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat'Abdullah bin Amr ibn'-As.) |
| The Holy Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Allah will send no Apostle after me, but only
Mubashshirat. It was said: what is meant by al-Mubashshirat. He said : Good vision or
pious vision". (Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat Abu Tufail, Nasa'i, Abu Dawud) (In other words
there is no possibility of Divine revelation in future. At the most if some one receives
an inspiration from Allah he will receive it in the form of "pious dream." |
| The Holy Prophet
(PBUH) said:
"If an Apostle were to succeed me, it would have been 'Umar bin Khattab."
(Tirmidhi,Kitab-ul- Manaqib) |
| The Holy Prophet
(PBUH) told
Hadrat 'Ali, "You are related to me as Aaron was related to Moses(peace be upon him).
But no Apostle will come after me." (Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab Fada'il
as-Sahaba) |
This tradition is recorded in Bukhari and Muslim in the
account of the Battle of Tabuk also. Musnad records two traditions narrated by Hadrat Sa'd
bin Abi Waqqas ( may Allah be pleased with him) on this subject. The last sentence in one
of these traditions runs as follows : "Behold there is no prophethood after me."
Detailed accounts of the traditions incorporated in Abu
Dawud Tayalisi, Imam Ahmad and Muhammad bin Ishaque report that on the eve of his
departure for the battle of Tabuk, the holy Prophet (PBUH) had resolved to leave Hadrat
'Ali behind him in order to look after the defense and supervise the affairs of Medina.
The hypocrites thereupon began to spread insinuations and rumours about Hadrat 'Ali.
Hadrat 'Ali went to the Prophet and submitted : 'O Prophet of Allah, are you leaving me
behind among women and children?' On this occasion in order to set his mind at peace the
Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "You are related to me as was Aaron with Moses."
In other words "as Hadrat Moses on the Mount Tur had left Hadrat Aaron behind to look
after the tribe of Israel, so I (Muhammad) leave you behind to look after the defense of
Medina." At the same time apprehending that this comparative allusion to Hadrat Aaron
might later on give rise to heresies, the holy Prophet (PBUH) immediately made it clear
that "There will be no Prophet after me."
| Thauban reports: "The Holy
Prophet (PBUH) observed: And there will arise Thirty imposters in my Ummah and each one of
them will pronounce to the world that he is a prophet, but I am the last in the line of
the Prophets of God and no Apostle will come after me." (Abu Dawud,
Kitab-ul-Fitan) |
Abu Dawud in 'Kitab-ul-Malahim' has recorded another
tradition reported by Abu Huraira in the same subject. Tirmidhi has also recorded these
two traditions as reported by Hadrat Thauban and Hadrat Abu Huraira. The text of the
second tradition runs thus: "It will come to this that thirty imposters will arise
and each one of them will put forth his claim to be the Apostle of God."
| The Holy Prophet
(PBUH)
observed: "Among the tribe of Israel who went before you there indeed were such
people who held communion with God, even though they were not his Prophets. If ever there
arose a person from among my people who would hold communion with God, it would be none
else but 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him)." (Bukhari,
Kitab-ul-Manaqib) |
A version of this same tradition in `Muslim' contains
Muhaddithuna instead of Yukallimuna. But then Mukalima and Muhaddith bear identical
meaning i.e., a man enjoys the privilege of holding direct communion with God or a person
who is addressed by the Almighty from the unseen. Thus we conclude that if there had been
any person among the followers of Muhammad who could hold communion with God without being
raised to the dignity of prophethood, it would have been `Umar.
| The Prophet of God
(PBUH) said:
"No Prophet will come after me and there will, therefore, be no other community of
followers of any new prophet." (Baihaqi,Kitab-ul Rouya; Tabarani) |
| The Holy Prophet
(PBUH)
observed: "I am the last in line of the prophets of God and my Masjid is the last
Masjid (referring the holy Masjid of the Prophet)." [Referring to this tradition disbelievers in the Finality of
Prophethood argue that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) called his mosque (Masjid) `the last
mosque' despite the fact that it is not the last mosque, as countless other mosques have
been built after it all over the world. Similarly when the Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed:
`I am the last Prophet,' it did not mean that the line of prophets had ended, but that
Muhammad (PBUH) was the last as regards his excellence amongst the Prophets of God and
Mosque was the last one in the same sense. Such foolish reasoning is an irrefutable proof
of the fact that these people have lost the faculty of perceiving the true meaning of the
words of God and those of His Prophet(PBUH). Even a cursory glance through the whole chain
of traditions in the context of which this particular tradition has been recorded makes
true import of the words of the Holy prophet clear to any man. In this context the various
traditions which Imam Muslim has recorded on the authority of Hadrat Abu Huraira, Hadrat
`Abdullah bin `Umar and the mother of the Faithful Hadrat Maimuna narrate that there are
only three mosques in the world to which the greatest sanctity is attached, and these are
sacred above all other mosques. Worship in these mosques is rewarded with thousandfold
blessings in comparisons to offering prayers in other mosques. It is because of this
reason that it has been declared lawful to undertake a journey to these mosques to offer
prayers therein. No other mosque, save these three, can claim such sanctity that a person
should make a journey to offer worship there leaving all other mosques. Among the three
mosques which bear the greatest sanctity in Islam, the first one is `Masjid Al-Haram'
which was built by Hadrat Abraham(peace be upon him); the second one is the`Masjid
al-Aqsa' which was erected by Hadrat Sulaiman (peace be upon him); and the third mosque is
`Masjid-i-Nabawi' in the Holy city of Medina which was founded by the Holy
Prophet(PBUH).
The observation of the Holy Prophet in regard to `the last mosque' should be viewed in
this context. The words of the Prophet(PBUH) meant that no Prophet would come after him,
hence there would be no fourth mosque after the last Masjid-i-Nabawi(a mosque of the last
Prophet). It follows, therefore, that no other mosque should bear such sanctity, that
worship in it should be rewarded with more blessings in comparison with worship in other
mosques and further there shall be no fourth mosque towards which it is lawful or even
desirable for people to make a journey in order to offer prayers.] (Muslim,
Kitab-ul-Hajj; Bab:Fadl-us-Salat
bi Masjidi Mecca wal Medina) |
A large number of such traditions of the Holy Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) have been reported by the companions and a
great many compilers have recorded them from authoritative sources. A study of these
traditions shows that the Holy Prophet on several occasions, and in various ways and in
different words made it explicitly clear that he was the last Prophet of God; That no
prophet would follow him and that the line of prophets had ended in him. Furthermore,
those would claim to be Prophets and Messengers of God after his time would be imposters
and liars. [In contrast to the observations of the Holy Prophet the
deniers of the Finality of Prophethood quote the following words scribed to Hadrat
`Aisha:
"Say, indeed, that the Holy Prophet is the Final Apostle of God; but say not that no
prophet will come after him." In the first place it is an audacity to quote the words
of Hadrat `Aisha for contradicting the explicit command of the Holy Prophet(PBUH).
Moreover the very words attributed to Hadrat `Aisha are not authentic. No authoritative
work on Hadith contains this observation of Hadrat `Aisha nor any notable compiler of
traditions has recorded or referred to it. This tradition is derived from a commentary
entitled Durr-i- Manthur and a compilation of Hadith Known as Takmilah Majma-ul- Bihar,
but its source and credentials are unknown. It is the height of audacity to put forward a
statement of a lady companion in order to contradict the explicit observations of the Holy
Prophet which the eminent traditionists have transmitted on the most authentic chains of
transmission.]
There can be no authentic, creditable and conclusive
interpretation of the words of the Holy Qur'an, Khatam-un- Nabiyyin, than that given by
the Holy Prophet (PBUH) for the credentials of the Holy prophet (PBUH) need no proof and
the authority of his words is unassailable. His words are authentic and a proof in itself.
When the Prophet is explaining a Nass of the Holy Quran, his explanation is the most
authentic and a proof positive.
The question is who else besides the Holy Prophet (PBUH),
to whom the Qur'an was revealed, is better qualified to comprehend its meaning and to
explain its contents to us? And he who advances an alternative explanation, shall we
regard his claims as worthy of our consideration let alone our acquiescence?
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