Finality of Prophethood
The Islamic Information and News Network (IINN) is happy to announce that
the Islamic book, Finality of Prophethood, by Syed Abul
A'la Maududi, a renowned scholar from Pakistan, will be made available
electronically. We will insha Allah bring it out in parts due to its
length. That Muhammad (S.A.W.) is the last Messenger and Prophet of
Allah is a simple fact for any Muslim. The book gives a detailed study
why. The book is under copyright by The Islamic Publications
Limited, 13-E, Shah Alam Market, Lahore
(Pakistan). It may be purchased from
major Islamic bookstores in the U.S.A. If you
happen to own the book and notice any
typographic or other errors in the computer
copy, please notify us by email at:
MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITNET The obvious omissions from the book are the
two maps which we could not produce in ASCII
format and a few Arabic phrases. The Arabic
phrases however have been transliterated into
the text. M.I. Zahid January 5, 1994
The Finality of Prophethood
by
S. Abul A'la Maududi
Foreword
Of all the conspiracies hatched against Islam in modern times, the most
dangerous is a false claim to Prophethood made in the beginning of this
century. This claim has been the main cause of wide spread mental chaos
amongst the Ummah for the last sixty years. Like all other schisms, the
root cause of this mischief is that the Muslims are generally ignorant
of their religion. Had they been truly imbued with its knowledge and
developed a clear understanding of the article of faith relating to the
finality of Prophethood, it would have been well-nigh impossible for any
false claimant to Prophethood to take root and thrive among the people
of Islam after the last ministry of Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him). At this juncture the most perfect and
effective remedy for eradicating this evil is to educate the maximum
number of people in the best possible manner about true faith in the
finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and
stressing the importance and value of this article of faith in the
religion of Islam. It is also imperative that all doubts and skeptical
notions about the final ministry of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
should be dispelled through reason and logic. This booklet has been
prepared to serve this very purpose. Readers who find it useful should
take a step further and extend their full co-operation in the
propagation of its contents. This booklet ought to reach all literate
people and they having studied it themselves should read it out to the
non-literate. It is hoped that a study of this booklet will not only
immunize people who have not been contaminated with this malady but
would also make the truth manifest to the right-minded persons among
those who have received some of its germs. However, those who have
fallen victim to falsehood and are impervious to all reason--for them,
hope and salvation lies only with Allah.
Abul A'la Maududi Lahore: February 12, 1962.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and the Most Beneficent
Finality of Prophethood
by
S. Abul A'la Maududi
"O people ! Muhammad has no sons among ye men, but verily, he is the
Apostle of God and the last in the line of
Prophets. And God is Aware of everything."
(Surah Al Ahzab: 40)
This verse has been revealed in the fifth Ruku' (para or passage) of Surah
al-Ahzab. In this Ruku' Allah has provided answers to all those
objections raised by the hypocrites, which had given rise to a storm of
calumnies, slander and mischief in respect of the marriage of Holy
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with Hadrat Zainab (may Allah be
pleased with her).
These hypocrites argued that Zainab was the wife of an adopted son of the
Holy Prophet and by this connection she stood in the position of the
Prophet's daughter in-law. Hence, after her divorce from Zaid, the
Prophet had taken his own daughter-in-law as wife.
In order to refute this allegation Allah told clearly in verse 37 that this
marriage had Divine sanction behind it and was made to serve as a lawful
precedent for Muslim men to marry the wives of their adopted sons after
they had been divorced by their husbands. Later in verses 38 and 39,
Allah affirmed that no power could hinder the Prophet from discharging a
Divine obligation. The Prophets are ordained to fear God, not the
people. It has been an invariable practice of the Apostles to transmit
the Divine message without any extraneous care and to perform the duties
enjoined upon them by Allah without fear or hesitation. Afterwards a
verse was revealed which extinguished the basis of all objections. In
the first place, they had charged "You have taken your daughter-in-law
as wife, in contravention of your own law that the wife of a son is
forbidden to his father."
In refutation of this charge it was affirmed by the Almighty:
"Muhammad had no sons among ye men..." thereby making
absolutely clear that the man whose divorced
wife was taken into wedlock by the Prophet being
not his real son; the act, therefore did not
imply violation of it.
The argument of their second charge ran thus: "Admitted that the adopted
son is not the real one, and on that basis a father might lawfully marry
the divorced spouse of his adopted son, but where was the compulsion for
the Prophet to do so?"
Allah affirmed in answer to this charge: "But, verily, he is the
Apostle of Allah". The implication is
that it was Allah's mandate to the Holy Prophet
to wipe out all prejudices and declare all
taboos that pagan custom had unnecessarily
imposed upon the people, as lawful. In this
respect the Prophet's action was unequivocal and
left no room for doubt. (see footnote 1,
below.)
In order to lay particular emphasis upon this point Allah observes: (Khatim
Al-Nabbiyeen) "And he is the last in the line of Prophets,"
which means that no messenger nor even a Prophet
charged with the mission of carrying out reforms
in the sphere of Law or society which might have
been omitted (God forbid) during the lifetime of
Muhammad (PBUH) will ever succeed him. Since
Allah ordained the ministry of Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) to be final, it was, therefore,
imperative that he should accomplish the task of
uprooting this pagan custom. Later the
point has been further emphasized in the
revelation (Wa Kan ul-Allahi Be-kulle Shai-in 'Aleema):
"God is Aware of everything." The
true import of this revelation is that Allah
deemed it best to remove this pagan custom
through the agency of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
and that Allah only could take cognisance of the
harm that the perpetuation of this infidel
custom would have entailed. Allah was well aware
that the line of Prophethood ended in Muhammad (PBUH)
whose precedent the whole ummah would follow,
and had he not done away with this custom, there
would arise no man comparable in status to
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who could accomplish the
task. And suppose a reformer had arisen in later
times who would break this custom, his act would
not have constituted a universal or permanent
precedent for Muslims of all ages and all
countries to follow. No other person that
follows will embody the Divine sanctity which
attaches to the person of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Hence the precedent of no man but Muhammad has
the potential of wiping out the idea of all
pagan customs from the souls of men for all
times to come. ________________
footnote 1.
At this point those who deny the finality of
Muhammad's Prophethood (PBUH) demand to know the
tradition in which this allegation has been
reported. This query in fact lays bare their
ignorance. The Holy Qur'an furnishes answers to
the charges of the mischief-mongers at several
points without actually mentioning the charge.
In each case, however, the relevant text bears
unmistakable evidence as to which allegation is
being answered. In the present case also the
answer contains the substance of the question.
The use of the conjunctive word "but" at the end
of the first sentence presupposes that part of
the question had yet to be dealt with. The
second sentence, therefore, furnishes answer to
the remaining part of the question. The first
sentence had revealed to the objectors the
answer to their charge that 'Muhammad had
married his daughter- in-law.' However, the
second point of the question "where was the
compulsion for the Prophet to do so" still
called for an answer. This answer was provided
by the next sentence in the text. "But
verily, Muhammad is the Apostle of God and last
in the line of Prophets of God." The point
may be further explained by taking an
illustration from ordinary conversation. Someone
says "Zaid had not risen, but that Bakr has
stood up." Now this conveys the sense that Zaid
has not risen, but the matter does not end
there, as it gives rise to the query, "If Zaid
has not risen, who has stood up then?" The
subordinate clause of the above sentence "but
Bakr has stood up" supplies an answer to this
query. It is the same in the above case.
The Verdict of the Text of the Qur'an
A group who has raised the heresy of a new
prophethood in modern times explains the meaning
of the idea of the "Finality of Prophethood" as
the 'Stamp of Prophethood' thereby implying that
all prophets who would succeed Muhammad (PBUH)
will bear his stamp and will attain to
prophethood by his seal alone. No one, in other
words, who does not bear the seal of Muhammad (PBUH)
will attain the status of Prophethood. But the
context in which the term "the last in
the line of Prophets" has been
revealed in the Holy Qur'an leaves no scope for
such speculation. If indeed the term
"last in the line of Prophets" does
bear the meaning intended by this group, then
this term is surely out of place in the context
in which it has been revealed. Furthermore, when
the term is charged with this meaning it
distorts the whole purpose of the revealed
verse. In this verse God refutes the charge
and dispels doubts created by the mischievous
people about the marriage of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
with Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her), the
divorced wife of the Prophet's adopted son, Zaid.
Does it stand to reason to make a sudden
interpolation in this context of the point that
Muhammad (PBUH) was the 'seal of Prophets' and
that Allah had delegated to him the authority of
attesting the bonafides of succeeding prophets ?
This interpretation bears no connection with the
context-not the least even and is contrary to
the purpose of Divine argument against the
heretics. If this interpretation were true the
non- believers might well have argued: "There is
no hurry in doing away with this custom now. You
might safely leave this task for your successor
prophets who will bear your stamp."
According to a second interpretation of the idea
of the finality of Prophethood advanced by this
group it is said that the term "Last in
the line of Prophets"
means the "exalted Prophet." They further explain that the line of Apostles will
continue, though the excellence of Prophethood has been culminated in the person
of Muhammad (PBUH). This interpretation is no less defective and harmful than
the other one. It hardly bears any relation to the context and, in fact, conveys
a contradictory sense of the verse. Taking this thread of argument the infidels
and hypocrites would have plausibly pointed out, "Sir, there will be other
prophets after you, howsoever inferior in status compared to you, to fulfil the
Divine mission, why must you take it upon yourself to remove this custom also?"
The Dictionary Meaning of the Word 'Khatam-al-Nabiyyin'
It is evident that the text can bear one meaning and it is that
Khatam-al-Nabiyyin stands for the Finality of Prophethood
with a clear implication that the prophethood has been culminated and
finalized in Muhammad (PBUH). It is not only the context that supports
this interpretation but also the lexicography.
According to Arabic lexicon and the linguistic usage
Khatam means to affix seal; to close, to come to an end; and to
carry something to its ultimate end. Khatama al-'Amala is equivalent
to 'Faragha min al-'Almali' which means 'to get
over with the task.' 'Khatama al-Ina' bears the
meaning 'The vessel has been closed and sealed
so that nothing can go into it, nor can its
contents spill out.'
'Khatam-al-kitab' conveys the meaning 'The letter has been enclosed and
sealed so that it is finally secured.'
'Khatama-'Ala-al-Qalb' means 'The heart has been sealed so that it cannot
perceive anything new nor can it forswear what it has already imbibed.'
'Khitamu-Kulli-Mashrubin' implies 'the final taste that is left in the
mouth when the drink is over.'
Katimatu Kulli Shaiinn 'Aqibatuhu wa Akhiratuhu means "The end in the case
of everything denotes its doom and ultimate finish." Khatm-ul-Shaii
Balagha Akhirahu conveys the sense, "To end a thing means to carry it to
its ultimate limit."
The term Khatam-i-Qur'an is used in the similar sense and the closing
verses of Qur'anic Surahs are referred to as Khawatim. Khatim-ul-Qaum
Akhirhuum means "The last man in the tribe." (Refer to Lisan-ul-'Arab;
Qamus and Aqrab-ul- Muwarid). (see footnote 2, below.)
For this reason all linguists and commentators agree that
Khatam-ul-Nabiyyin means 'The Last in the line of Prophets.' The word
Khatam in its dictionary meaning and linguistic usage does not refer to
the post office stamp which is affixed on the outgoing mail. Its literal
meaning is the 'seal' which is but on the envelope to secure its
contents.
________________ footnote 2.
We have referred to three lexicons here, yet the
elucidation of this point is not confined to
these works alone. All authoritative
dictionaries of the Arabic language interpret
the word Khatam in the sense that we have given
to it. But the deniers of the Finality of
Prophethood in their endeavor to make a sneaky
assault on the religion of God argue that if we
refer to someone as 'Last of the Poets' or 'Last
of the Legists' or 'Last of the Commentators',
we do not necessarily mean that no poet, legist
or commentator will come after them; rather we
only mean to say that all excellence of their
act has been concentrated in such men. The
actual position, however, is that when we do use
these exaggerated epithets for someone we do not
thereby replace or remove the original meaning
of the word 'Last'. It is preposterous to assume
that by its metaphorical use to refer to the
excellence or perfection of a man, the word
'Last' loses its original or real significance
which is 'Final'. Such an assumption can only be
accepted by a person who lacks elementary
knowledge of the rules of grammar. There is no
grammatical principle in any language by which
the metaphorical meaning of a word may be taken
as its real or original meaning. Besides, the
metaphorical meaning in no case replaces or
obliterates the real and basic meaning of the
word.
When you tell an Arab 'Ja Khatam ul-Qaum', he will certainly not take it to mean
that 'the perfect or the most excellent man of the tribe has come.' He will, on
the other hand, take it to mean that 'the whole tribe, even to the last man, has
come.' There is another point to be considered. Such terms as the 'Last
Poet', the Last Legist' or the 'Last Narrator of
hadith' are eulogies used by men for other human
beings whom they deem to be perfect and
excellent. Those who use these hyperboles for
other men certainly can not say, nor do they
know, that people of such excellence will come
in later times or not. So in human language
these appellations are hyperboles, but when God
uses for a person that such and such quality has
been culminated in him, there is no reason to
take it in the metaphorical sense in the strain
of human expression. If Allah had pronounced
someone as 'Last Poet', he would have been last
poet in the literal sense of the word. If Allah
appoints someone as His 'Last Prophet', there is
absolutely no possibility of any other person
attaining to that dignity after that.
God is Omniscient. Man has but limited knowledge. This being so, how can one
construe the human praise of a person as 'Last Poet' or the last of the jurists
in the same sense as God's pronouncement of a person as the 'Last Prophet'?
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:
(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)." (see footnote 3)
(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. (see footnote 4).
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?
________________ footnote 3:
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.
________________ footnote 4 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.
The Consensus of the Companions
After the Holy Qur'an and sunnah, the consensus
of the companions of the holy Prophet (PBUH)
holds the third position. All authentic
historical traditions reveal that the companions
of the prophet (PBUH) had unanimously waged a
war on the claimants to the prophethood and
their adherents after the demise of the Holy
Prophet (PBUH). In this connection the case
of Musailama is particularly significant. This
man did not deny that Muhammad (PBUH) was the
Prophet of God; he claimed that God had
appointed him as a co- prophet with Muhammad to
share his task. The letter which had addressed
to the Holy Prophet just before the Mussailama's
death reads: "From Musailma the prophet of
God to Muhammad the Prophet of God(PBUH). I wish
to inform you that I have been appointed as your
partner to share in the burden of prophethood."
The historian Tabari has recorded a tradition
which says that the `call to prayers'(Adhan)
which Musailama had devised for his followers
included the words, "I testify that Muhammad is
the Prophet of God." Despite Musailama's
clear affirmation of the Prophethood of Muhammad
(PBUH), he was declared an apostate and
ostracised from the society of Islam. Not only
this but a war was waged on Musailama. History
also bears witness to the fact that the tribe of
Hunaifa (Banu Hunaif) had accepted Musailama's
claim to prophethood in good faith. They had
been genuinely led to believe that Muhammad
(PBUH) had of his own accord declared Musailama
as his partner in prophethood. A man who had
learnt Qur'an in the Holy City of Medina went to
the tribe of Banu Hunaifa and falsely
represented the verses of the Qur'an as having
been revealed to Musailama.
Though Banu Hunaifa had been deliberately misinformed, nevertheless the
companions of the Holy Prophet did not recognize them as muslims and sent an
army against them. There is no scope here for taking the view that the
companions had fought against them as rebels and not as apostates. Islamic Law
lays down that in the event of a war against the rebel Muslims, the prisoners
taken in battle shall not be taken into slavery. The law further requires that
even the rebellious Dhimmis, when taken as prisoners in battle, shall not go
into slavery. But when military action was taken against Musailama and his
followers, Hadrat Abu Bakr declared that the women and children of the enemy
would be taken as slaves; and when they were taken prisoner in battle, they were
enslaved. From among these a girl was given as a slave to Hadrat `Ali. She bore
him a son named Muhammad bin Hanfiya, who is a renowned figure in the history of
Islam. (Al- Badaya wan-Nihaya, Vol. VI, pp. 316 & 325) This event is a clear
proof of the fact that when companions fought
against Musailama, they did not charge him with
rebellion. The charge against him was that he
had preferred a claim to prophethood after the
line of Prophets had ended in Muhammad (PBUH)
and he had thus misled other people to affirm
faith in his claim of prophethood. The action
against Musailama was taken immediately after
the death of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) under the
leadership of Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddique (may God
be pleased with him), and it had the unanimous
support of the entire body of the companions.
There can be found no better and explicit
example of the consensus of the companions than
this.
The Consensus of all the Ulema of the Ummah
Next in line of authority after the consensus of
the Companions stands the consensus, in matters
of religion, of those ulema of the Muslims who
came after the time of Companions (may God be
pleased with them). A glance through the history
of Islam from the first century up to the modern
times reveals to us the fact that the ulema of
all periods in every Islamic country of the
world are unanimous in their conviction that no
new prophet can be raised after Muhammad (PBUH).
They all agree in the belief that anyone who
lays a claim to Prophethood after Muhammad
(PBUH) and anyone who puts faith in such a claim
is an apostate and an outcast from the community
of Islam.
The following facts are appended as an illustration of this:
- A man in the time of Imam Abu Hanifa (80 A.H.-150 A.H.) laid claim to
Prophethood and said "Let me show you the proofs of my prophethood." The
great Imam thereupon warned the people: "Anyone who asks of this man the
credentials of prophethood, shall become an apostate, for the Prophet of
God (PBUH) has explicitly declared: "No prophet will come after me."
(Manaqib al-Imam-i-Azam Abi Hanifa, Ibn Ahmad al-Makki, Vol. I, p.161,
published in Hyderabad, India, 1321 A.H.)
- `Allama Ibn Jarir Tabari (224 A.H.-310 A.H.) in his renowned
commentary of the holy Qur'an gives the following interpretation of the
verse, 'walakin Rasul Allahi wa Khatam-ul Nabiyyin': "He has closed and
sealed the prophethood and the door (of prophethood) shall not open for
anyone till the end of the world." (Vide Commentary of Ibn-i-Jarir, Vol.
22, p.12)
- In his book `Aqida-i-Salfia, while explaining the beliefs of the pious
forbearers and particularly those of Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Abu Yusuf and
Imam Muhammad, Imam Tahavi (239 A.H.-321 A.H.) writes that Muhammad
(PBUH) is a highly venerable servant of God. He is the chosen Prophet
and the favorite Messenger of Allah. He is the last of the Prophets,
Leader of the pious, chief of the Messengers of Allah and the beloved
one of the Lord. After him every claim to Prophethood is an error
manifest and worship of one's evil-self." (Sharah al-Tahawiya
Fil-'Aqidat-ul-Salfia, Dar-ul-Ma'arif, Egypt, pp. 15, 87, 96, 97, 100,
102)
- `Allama Ibn Hazm Andulasi (384 A.H.-456 A.H.) writes: "It is certain
that the chain of Divine revelations has come to an end after the death
of the Holy Prophet(PBUH). The proof of this lies in the fact that none
but a prophet can be the recipient of Divine revelations and God has
affirmed that Muhammad has no sons among ye men and he is the Messenger
of God and that He has sealed the office of Prophethood." (Al-Mohallah,
Vol. 1, p.26)
- Imam Ghazali (450 A.H-505 A.H.) says `If the right of denying the
authority of consensus be admitted, it will give rise to many
absurdities. For example, if someone says that it is possible for a
person to attain the office of Prophethood after our Apostle
Muhammad(PBUH), we shall not hestitate to pronounce him as an infidel,
but in the course of a controversy the man who wishes to prove that any
reluctance in pronoucing such a person as an apostate is a sin shall
have to seek the aid of consensus in support of his arguments, because
reason is no arbiter against the possibilty of the existance of a `new
prophet.' As regards the followers of the `new prophets' they will not
be utterly incapable of making various interpretations of La Nabiya
Ba`di, "There will be no Prophet after me"
and Khatam-ul-Nabiyyin, `Last of the Prophets.' A follower of the `new
prophets' might say that Khatam-ul-Naibiyyin, `Last of the Prophets'
bears the meaning "last of the prominent Messengers." If you argue that
"prophets" is a common word, he would very easily give this term a
particular significance with regard to his own `prophethood.' In respect
of `No Prophet will come after him', such a man would contend that this
expression does not say that `No Messengers will follow him.' There is a
difference betwen a Prophet and a Messenger. The status of a Prophet is
higher than that of the Messenger. The fact is that such absurdities can
be indulged in ad infinitum. It is not difficult, in our view, to make
different interpretations of a word. Besides, there is no ample scope
for people to commit blunders ever and beyond these points in the
exposition of these clear words. We cannot even say that those who make
such interpretations are guilty of the denial of clear injunctions. But
to refute those who have but their faith in the false expositions we
shall say that the entire Ummah by a consensus of opinion recognizes
that the words `No Prophet shall come after him' and the context of the
traditions suggests that the Holy Prophet meant that `No Prophet, nor
Messenger shall follow him.' Furthermore, the Ummah is agreed on the
point that above words of the Holy Prophet leave no scope for a
different interpretation than given to it by the consensus of the Ummah
and he who would not join the consensus is no more than a dissident.
(Al-Iqtisad Fil Aiteqad, p.114, Egypt)
[We have quoted here the original Arabic text (in the Urdu Edition)
of the opinion of Imam Ghazali because the deniers of the idea of the
Finality of Prophethood have vehemently challenged the authenticity of
this reference.)
- Mohy-us-Sunnah Baghawi ( died 510 A.H.) writes in his commentary
Ma`lam-al-Tanzil: "God brought the line of Prophets to an end with him.
Hence he is the final Prophet.......Ibn `Abbas affirms that God(in this
verse) has given His verdict that no Prophet will come after the Prophet
Muhammad(PBUH)." (Vol. 3, p. 158)
- `Allama Zamakhshri (467 A.H.-538 A.H) writes in his commentary
entitled Kashshaaf, "If you ask how Muhammad can be the last of the
Prophets when Hadrat `Isa (Jesus Christ) will appear towards the end of
the world? I shall reply that the finality of Prophethood of Muhammad
(PBUH) means that no one will be endowed with prophethood after him.
Hadrat 'Isa is among those upon whom prophethood was endowed before
Muhammad(PBUH). Moreover, Hadrat 'Isa will appear as a follower of
Muhammad and he will offer prayers with his face towards the Qiblah of
Islam, as a member of the community of the Muslims." (Vol. 2, p. 215)
- Qazi 'Iyad (died 544 A.H.) writes: " He who lays a claim to
prophethood, affirms that a man can attain the office of prophethood or
can acquire the dignity of a prophet through purification of soul, as is
alleged by some philosophers and sufis; similarly a person who does not
claim to be a prophet, but declares that he is the recipient of Divine
revelation, all such persons are apostates and deniers of the
prophethood of Muhammad(PBUH), for Muhammad (PBUH) has conveyed the
message of God to us that he is the final Prophet and no Prophet will
come after him. He had also conveyed to us the Divine message that he
has finally sealed the office of Prophethood and that he has been sent
as a Prophet and a Messenger to the whole of mankind. It is the
consensus of the entire Ummah that these words of the Holy Prophet are
clear enough and eloquently speak of the fact that they can admit of no
other interpretation or amendment in their meaning. Hence there is no
doubt that all these sects are outside the pale of Islam not only from
the view-point of the consensus of the Ummah but also on the ground of
these words having been transmitted with utmost authenticity." (Shifa,
Vol. 2, pp. 270- 271)
- `Allama Shahrastani (died A.H. 548), in his renowned book, Almilal wan
Nahal, writes: "And similarly who says that a prophet shall come after
Muhammad (PBUH), there are no two opinions that such a man is an
infidel." (Vol. 3, p. 249)
- Imam Razi (543 A.H.-606 A.H.), in his work Tafsir Kabir while
explaining the meaning of the verse Khatam-un-Nabiyyin states: "In this
context the term Khatam-un Nabiyyin has been used in the sense that a
Prophet whose ministry is not final may leave some injunctions or
commandments incomplete or unexplained thus providing scope for a
succeeding prophet to complete the task. But the Prophet who will have
no successor is more considerate and provides clear guidlines for his
followers, for he is like a father who knows that after him there will
be no guardian or patron to look after his son."(Vol. 6, p. 581)
- Allama Baidawi(died A.H. 685), in his commentary, Anwar-ul-Tanzil,
writes: "In other words he, Muhammed (PBUH), is the last of all
Prophets. He is the one in whom the line of Prophets ends or the one
whose advent has sealed the office of Prophethood. The appearance of
Hadrat 'Isa (peace be upon him) after Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) is not a
contradiction of the finality of Muhammed's Prophethood, because Hadrat
Isa will appear as a follower of the Shariah of Muhammed." (Vol. 4, p.
164)
- 'Allama Hafiz-ud-Din Al-Nasafi (died A.H.710), in his commentary,
Madark-ut-Tanzil, writes: "And he Muhammad(PBUH) is the one who has
brought the line of prophets to an end...in other words he is the last
of all prophets. God shall not appoint another prophet after him. In
respect of Hadrat `Isa(peace be upon him) it may be stated that he is
among those who were appointed Prophets before the time of
Muhammad(PBUH). And when Hadrat `Isa appears again, he will be a
follower of the Shar'iah of Muhammad, and one among faithful." (p. 471)
- `Allama `Alau-din Baghdadi (died A.H. 725) in his commentary, Khazin,
writes: "Wa Khatam-un-Nabiyyin,' in other words, God has ended
prophethood in him, Muhammad(PBUH). Henceforth there is no prophethood
after him, nor is there any partner with him in prophethood...Wa Kan
Allahu Bikulle Shaiin `Alima, God is aware that no prophet will come
after him." (pp. 471-472)
- Allama Ibn Kathir (died A.H. 774) writes in his well- known
commentary, "Hence this verse is a clear proof of the fact that no
prophet will come after Muhammad(PBUH) and when it is said that no
prophet will come after him it is a foregone conclusion that no
messenger will succeed him either, for the office of a messenger holds
prominence over the office of a prophet. Every messenger is a prophet,
but all prophets are not messengers. Any one who lays a claim to
prophethood after Muhammad(PBUH) is a liar, a disruptionist, an
imposter, depraved and a seducer despite his wonderous jugglery and
magical feats. Any one who would make this claim in future till the end
of the world belongs to this class. (Vol. 3, pp. 493-494)
- Allama Jalal-Ud-Din Suyuti (died A.H. 911) writes in his commentary
entitled Jalalain, "God is aware of the fact that no prophet will
succeed Muhammad (PBUH) and when Isa (PBUH) will reappear in the world
he will act according to the Shariah of Muhammad (PBUH)." (p. 768)
- Allama Ibn Nujaim (died A.H. 970) in his renowned work of the canons
of Fiqh entitled, 'Al-Ashbah wan-Nazair', Kitab- us-Siyyar:Bab:
al-Raddah, writes: "A person who does not regard Muhammad (PBUH) as the
last Prophet of God is not a Muslim, for the finality of Muhammad's
prophethood is one of those fundamental articles of faith which a Muslim
must understand and believe." (p. 179)
- Mulla Ali Qari (died A.H. 1016) in his commentary Fiqh Akbar, writes:
"To lay a claim to Prophethood after the ministry of our Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) is a sheer infidelity by the consensus of Ummah." (p.
202)
- Shaikh Isma'il Haqqi (died 1137 A.H.) while elucidating this verse in
his commentary Ruh-ul-Bayan, writes: "Asim reads the word Khatam with a
vowel stress on the letter ta which means the instrument of stamping and
sealing, just as 'Printer' is the machine which imprints. The
connotation of the word is that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was the last of
all prophets and God has sealed the office of prophethood through his
agency. In Persian the same meaning will be expressed by the term 'Mohar
Paighambran'. The seal of Prophets i.e., his (Muhammad's) advent sealed
the door of prophethood and the line pf prophets ended in him. Other
reciters pronounce the word Khatim with the vowel point under the letter
ta which means to say that Muhammad (PBUH) was the one who sealed the
doors of prophethood. In Persian the same meaning will be expressed by
the term 'Mohar Konindai Paighambran,' 'Sealer of the prophets,' so both
ways the word Khatam bears one and the same meaning........Henceforth
the Ulema of the Ummah of Muhammad(PBUH) will inherit only spiritual
eminence from him. The inheritance of Prophethood is extinct, for
Muhammad(PBUH) has sealed the office of Prophethood for all time to
come. The appearance of Hadrat Isa (PBUH) after Muhammad(PBUH) is not a
contradiction of the finality of Muhammad's prophethood. The term
Khatam-un-Nabiyyin makes it clear that no one will be appointed a
prophet after Muhammad(PBUH).
Hadrat Isa (PBUH) was appointed
Prophet before Muhammad(PBUH) and Isa(PBUH) will appear as a follower of
the Shari'ah of Muhammad(PBUH). He (Isa)(PBUH) will offer prayers with
his face turned towards the Qiblah designated by Muhammad(PBUH). Hadrat
Isa (PBUH) will be one among the faithful of Islam. He will neither
receive any Divine revelation nor will issue new injunctions; he will
act as a follower of Muhammad(PBUH). `Ahl-Sunnat wal Jam'at (the Sunni
sect) believe that no prophet will come after our holy Prophet
Muhammad(PBUH) because God has affirmed: "wa-lakin Rasul Allahi wa
Khatam-un-Nabiyyin", and the Prophet has said: La Nabiya Ba`di (There
will be no Prophet after me.) Henceforth anyone who says that a prophet
will succeed Muhammad(PBUH) will become an apostate, because he has
denied a basic article of faith. Similarly anyone who casts doubt about
the finality of Muhammad's prophethood, will also be declared an
infidel, because the foregoing discussion has distinguished right from
wrong. And any claim to prophethood after Muhammad(PBUH) is absolutely
false."
- In Fatawa-i-Alamgiri which was compiled by the eminent scholars of the
Indian sub-continent at the command of Aurangzeb Alamgir, in the 12th
century Hijri, it is recorded: "A man who does not regard Muhammed
(PBUH) as the final Prophet of God, is not a Muslim, and if such a man
claims to be a messenger or prophet of God, he shall be proclaimed an
apostate." (Vol. 2, p. 263)
- Allama Shoukani (died 1255 A.H.) in his commentary, Fath-ul-Qadeer,
writes: "A majority of people have read the word Khatam with the vowel
point under the letter ta but 'Asim reads the same word with vowel
stress on ta. The first reading means that Muhammed (PBUH) ended the
line of Prophets (peace of Allah be upon them) i.e., in other words the
Holy Prophet came last of all the Prophets. The second reading means
that the Holy Prophet was the seal by which the office of Prophethood
was finally closed; and that his advent lent grace to the group of
Allah's Prophets.
- Allama Alusi (died 1270 A.H.) in his commentary, Ruh-ul-Ma'ani,
writes: "The word 'Prophet' is common, but the word 'Messenger' has a
particular significance. Hence when the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is called
the 'Seal of Prophets,' it necessarily follows that he is also the 'Seal
of Messengers.' The implication of the Holy Prophet's position as 'the
Last of all Prophets and Messengers of God' is that by his(PBUH)
elevation to the dignity of Prophethood in this world, the same dignity
has henceforth been abolished and no man can attain that dignity now."
(Vol. 22, p. 32)
"Anyone who claims to be the recipient of Divine
revelations as a prophet after the advent of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH),
shall be declared an infidel. There is no difference of opinion among
Muslims on this point." (ibid., vol.22, p.38) "The affirmation in the
Book of God of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as `the Last of the Prophets' is
unequivocal. The Sunnah has clearly explained this and the Ummah has
reached a consensus on it. Hence anyone who lays a contradictory claim
against this position shall be declared an apostate (ibid., vol.22, p.
39)
These are the expositions of the leading savants, jurists, scholars of
Hadith and commentators of every realm of Islam, from the sub-continent
of India to Morocco and Spain (Andulus) and from Turkey to Yemen. We
have indicated their years of birth and death in each case so that the
reader may realise at first glance that this list includes eminent
authorities of every century of the Islamic History falling between the
first and thirteenth century. We might even have added expositions by
the learned doctors of Islam belonging to the fourteenth century; but we
omitted the Ulema of the 14th century purposely because someone might
state that these scholars had explained the meanings of Khatam-i-Nabuwat
as 'the Seal of all Prophets' to refute the claim of the 'new prophets'
of the modern age.
It cannot, however, be said that the ulema of the past centuries entertained
feelings of animosity against a later day personality claiming to be a prophet.
These writings also make it clear beyond doubt that from the first century up to
the present-day the entire Muslim world has unanimously taken the expression
Khatam-un-Nabiyyin to mean `the Last of all Prophets.' Muslims of all periods
have been unanimous in the belief that the office of prophethood has been sealed
after the advent of the holy Prophet(PBUH). There has never been any difference
of opinion among muslims that any person who prefers a claim to prophethood and
those who believe in such a claim to prophethood are outside the pale of Islam.
It is now up to all reasonable persons to judge that in the face of all this
massive evidence- the plain dictionary meaning of the phrase
'Khatam-un-Nabiyyin' the interpretation of the Quranic verse in its true
perspective, the exposition of the Holy Prophet himself and the consensus on the
finality of prophethood of Muhammad(PBUH) of the entire body of muslims all over
the world from the time of the companions of the Holy prophet to the present day
followers of Islam-what scope is left for an alternative interpretation and what
justification can they give for opening the door of prophethood for a new
claimant. Furthermore, how can those people be recognized as Muslims who have
not only expressed their opinion in favour of opening the door to prophethood,
but they have, in fact, catapulted a man into the mansion of the Prophets of God
and have become the followers of this trespasser? In this connection three more
points are noteworthy.
Is GOD the Enemy of our Faith?
In the first place, Prophethood is a delicate
matter. According to the Holy Qur'an the idea of
Prophethood is such a fundamental article of
faith that one who believes in this idea is a
believer and he who disbelieves is an infidel.
If a man does not put his faith in a prophet, he
is an apostate; similarly if he believes in the
claim of an imposter to be a prophet, he becomes
an infidel. In such a delicate and important
matter Omniscient God certainly cannot be
expected to have made a slip. If there were to
be a Prophet after the time of Muhammad (PBUH),
God would have made this possibility clear in
the Holy Qur'an or He would have commanded His
Apostle Muhammad to make a clear declaration of
it. The Apostle of God would never have passed
away without having forewarned his people that
other Apostles would succeed him and that his
followers must put their faith in the succeeding
prophets. Had God and His Messenger (PBUH)
any intention of undermining our faith by hiding
from us the possibility of opening the door of
Prophethood after the advent of Muhammad (PBUH)
and the coming of a new prophet, thus leaving us
in a quandary that if we did not believe in the
ministry of a new prophet we would apostate from
Islam? Further than this, not only were we kept
in the dark by God and His Messenger (PBUH)
about all this, but, on the contrary, they made
observations and affirmations which the Ummah
for the last thirteen [now fourteen] hundred
years has taken to mean and even today holds the
view that no prophet will come after Muhammad
(PBUH). Could God and His Messenger really
temper with our faith? Supposing for a moment
that admittance to the office of Prophethood is
open and a new Prophet does appear, we shall
refuse him without fear. For this refutation,
God might call us to account on the Day of
Judgement; but we shall place the whole record
of His own affirmations and injunctions before
Him and this evidence will prove that
(God-forbid) Allah's Book and the Sunnah of His
Messenger had led us to disbelieve the new
prophet and had thus condemned us to be
infidels. We have no fear that after considering
this record God Almighty will consider it fit to
punish us for blasphemy against the new Prophet.
But if the door of Prophethood is in fact closed
and no Prophet will arise after Muhammad (PBUH),
and despite this fact a person puts his faith in
the claim of a new prophet, that person should
think well indeed as to what record can be
presented before God in his defense to avoid the
punishment for blasphemy and to achieve
salvation? Such a man should look through the
material of his defense before he is produced in
the August Court of the Almighty. He should
compare this material with the record that we
have presented and then judge for himself if the
material upon which he is relying for his
defense is worth the trust of a reasonable man
and can he court the risk of facing the charge
of blasphemy and be punished for it with the
kind of defense that he has at his disposal?
Do We Need a Prophet Now?
The second point which requires consideration is
that Prophethood is not a quality to be acquired
by any person who proves himself worthy of it by
devoting himself to prayers and righteous deeds.
Nor is it anything like a reward given in
recognition of good service. Prophethood is an
office and Allah appoints some person to this
office to fulfill a special need. When such a
need arises, God appoints a Prophet to fulfill
it. Allah does not send prophets in rapid
succession when there is no need or when the
need has been fulfilled. When we refer to the
Quran in order to find out conditions when the
Prophets were appointed by Allah, we come to
know that there are only four conditions under
which the Prophets have been sent unto the
world. Firstly there was need for a prophet
to be sent unto a certain nation to which no
prophet had been sent before and the message
brought by the Prophet of another nation could
not have reached these people. Secondly,
there was need for appointing a prophet because
the message of an earlier Prophet had been
forgotten by the people, or the teachings of the
former prophets had been adulterated and hence
it had become impossible to follow the message
brought by that Prophet. Thirdly, the
people had not received complete mandate of
Allah through a former prophet. Hence succeeding
prophets were sent to fulfill the task of
completing the religion of Allah. Fourthly,
there was need for a second prophet to share the
responsibility of office with the first prophet.
It is obvious that none of the above needs
remains to be fulfilled after the advent of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Holy Quran
says that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has been sent
as a bearer of instructions for the whole
mankind. The cultural history of the world bears
testimony to the fact that since the advent of
the Holy Prophet (PBUH) up to the present time
such conditions have always prevailed in the
world which were conducive to transmitting his
message to all nations at all times. It follows,
therefore, that different nations no longer need
different prophets after the time of the Holy
Prophet (PBUH). The Holy Quran and the records
of Hadith and the biographical details of the
life of Muhammad (PBUH) stand witness to the
fact that the Divine message brought into this
world by the Holy Prophet is extant in its
original and pure form. The Prophet's message
has suffered no process of distortion or
falsification. Not a single word has been added
to or expunged from the Holy Book which the
Prophet (PBUH) brought unto the world from
Almighty Allah, nor can anyone make additions to
or delete anything from it till the Day of
Resurrection. The message which the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) conveyed by word and action has
been transmitted to us in such comprehensive,
pure and original form that we feel as if we
were living in the environment and period of the
Holy Prophet (PBUH). In this way the second
condition under which prophets are sent unto the
world has also been fulfilled. Thirdly the
Holy Qur'an clearly affirms that God has finally
completed His Divine Mission through the agency
of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Hence there is no
room for a new prophet to carry the divine
mission to completion. As regards the
fourth condition, if a partner were really
needed he would have been appointed in the time
of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to share the burden
of his ministry. Since no co- prophet was
appointed, this condition also stands fulfilled.
We should, therefore, look around for a fifth
condition under which a new prophet might be
needed after Muhammad (PBUH). If a man argues
that people have fallen into depravity, hence
there is need for a new prophet to reform the
degenerate people, we shall ask him: when did a
prophet ever come to introduce reforms only that
we should need one now to carry out the work of
reformation? A prophet is appointed so that he
may be the recipient of Divine revelation and
Divine revelations are made with express purpose
of transmitting a new message or to correct the
wrongs that have crept into an earlier religion.
When the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) have been preserved in their
original and comprehensive form and when the
Divine mission has been completed by Muhammad
(PBUH), all possible need for the transmission
of Divine revelations have now been fulfilled
and there is further need only of reformers to
cleanse the evils of mankind, but there is no
room for the prophets.
A New Prophethood is a Curse Rather than a Blessing for the Ummah
The third point which needs consideration is
that whenever a prophet is sent unto a certain
people the question of faith and infidelity
invariably arises among these people. The
faithful form one Ummah and the disbelievers
automatically form different community. The
difference that keeps these two communities
apart is not peripheral or superficial but a
basic and fundamental difference of belief or
disbelief in a prophet; and those two
communities can never merge with each other
unless people of one side decide to surrender
their faith.
In addition, these two Ummahs obtain guidance and derive their law from two
different sources. One sect follows the law emanating from the Divine message
and Sunnah of the Prophet they believe in; the other community is fundamentally
opposed to the idea of this Prophet being the law-giver. On this basis, it
becomes an impossibility for these two sections to join in a unified and
cohesive society. It will be perfectly clear to a man who keeps the above facts
in view that the Finality of Prophethood is a great blessing from Allah for the
people of Islam. It is due to this that the Ummah has been able to form a
permanent universal brotherhood. The belief in the finality of Prophethood
has secured Muslim society from the danger of
any fundamental dissension which might result in
permanent division in its ranks. Now every man
who accepts Muhammad (PBUH) as a divinely
appointed Guide and Leader and also is not
inclined to seek instruction from any other
source except the Divine message of the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) is a member of the brotherhood of
Islam and on this basis, can join this
brotherhood at any time. If the office of
Prophethood had not been sealed once and for all
after Muhammad (PBUH), the people of Islam could
never have forged a cohesive society; for every
new prophet would have shattered the unity of
the Ummah. A reasonable man after a little
deliberation will come to the conclusion that
when a prophet has been sent to the whole
mankind (not just to a certain group or nation),
and when the Divine message has been completely
transmitted through this Prophet and further
when the teachings of the Prophet have been
fully preserved, the office of prophethood
should be sealed after him in order that the
whole world may unite in allegiance to this
Prophet and form one brotherhood of the
faithful. Only in this way can universal
brotherhood of Islam be secured against needless
dissensions which might have repeatedly erupted
on the appearance of every successive prophet.
A prophet may be a shadow or a buruzi prophet;
or "a prophet who is law-giver and the bearer of
a Divine book." The appearance of anyone of the
above God-appointed prophets will invariably
have the social consequence of his followers
forming one Ummah and his detractors being
condemned as infidels and hence outside the pale
of Islam. This division of mankind is
unavoidable when the need for a prophet is
inevitable. But in the absence of such a need,
it is utterly impossible to expect that Allah in
His Wisdom and Beneficence will needlessly cause
strife among His creatures on the question of
faith and disbelief, thus for ever preventing
His creatures to form one Ummah. Hence what is
confirmed by the Qur'an and what is clearly
affirmed to be true by the Sunnah and the
consensus of the Ummah, is also corroborated by
reason. Reason demands that the office of
prophethood should remain sealed hereafter for
all time to come.
The Reality of `Masih' i.e. "The Incarnation of Jesus Christ"
The propagandists of the new prophethood usually
tell the Muslim laity that the traditions have
foretold the arrival of a `Christ incarnate'.
They argue that Christ was a prophet, hence his
re-emergence is not contrary to the concept of
the finality of prophethood. The concept of the
finality of prophethood is valid, but,
nevertheless the idea of the arrival of `Christ
incarnate' is also tenable. Further on,
they explain that `Christ incarnate' does not
refer to the Christ, son of Mary(PBUH).
Christ(PBUH) is dead. The person whose arrival
has been foretold in the tradition is a `man
like Christ',`An incarnation of Jesus. And he is
such and such a person who has already arrived.
To follow him is not contrariwise to belief in
the Finality of prophethood.' To expose the
fallacy of this case we record here authentic
traditions on this subject with full references
to the authoritative works on Hadith. After
going through this collection of Ahadith, the
reader can judge for himself as to how the
observations of the Holy Prophet(PBUH) are being
presented today in a form which bears no
relation to their original shape and content.
Traditions Relating to the Descent of Christ, Son of Mary
- Hadrat Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (PBUH) of God said:
"I swear by Him Who hath power over my life, the son of Mary shall descend
among ye as a Just ruler. He will break the cross and kill the swine;[see
footnote 5] and he will put an end to war." (Bukhari,
Kitab Ahadith al-Anbiya; Bab: Nuzul 'Isa Ibn Maryam; Muslim, Bab: Bayan
Nuzul 'Isa; Tirmidhi, Abwab-al-Fitan; Bab Fi Nuzul 'Isa; Musnad Ahmad,
Marwiyat Abu Huraira)
In another tradition the word jizya has been substituted for
harb, "war", i.e., he will abolish the
jizya on non-believers. [see footnote 6]
- Another tradition reported by Hadrat Abu Huraira says,
"The Doomsday shall not be established before the descent of Jesus, son of
Mary," and these words are followed by the text as given in the
tradition above. (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Muzalim: Bab: Kasr-ul- Salib Ibn Majah,
Kitab-ul-Fitan al-Dajjal.)
- Hadrat Abu Huraira reports that the Apsotle (PBUH) of Allah observed:
"What will you be like when the son of Mary shall descend among ye and a
person among ye will discharge the office of Imam (leader in Prayers)."[see
footnote 7] (Bukhari, Kitab Ahadith Anbiya, Bab: Nuzul Isa; Muslim,
Nuzul Isa; Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat Abu Huraira)
- Hadrat Abu Huraira reports the Apsotle (PBUH) of Allah having said:
"Christ, son of Mary, will then kill the swine and remove the Cross. A
congregation for prayer will be held for him. He will distribute such an
enormous quantity of goods that none will be left in need of anything. He
will abolish taxes. He will encamp at Rauha (a place situated at a distance
of 35 miles from Medina) and from there, set out to perform Hajj or Umrah or
both." (The reporter is in doubt as to which of these two had been
mentioned by the Holy Prophet (PBUH). (Musnad Ahmad, Silsila Marwiyat Abi
Huraira; Muslim, Kitab-ul-Hajj; Bab Jawaz-ul- Tamatttu fil-Hajj
wa-al-Qir'an)
- Hadrat Abu Huraira relates that the Prophet (PBUH) of God after
mentioning the exile of Dajjal said: "The Muslims will be preparing
for war with Dajjal and they will be falling in line in preparation for
offering Prayers and the Takbir will have been said for Prayers when in the
meantime Christ (PBUH), son of Mary, will descend and lead Muslims in
Prayer. The enemy of God, Dajjal, on seeing him will start melting like salt
in water. If Christ (PBUH) would leave Dajjal alone, he would melt and die
anyway, but God will cause Dajjal to be slain at the hand of Christ (PBUH)
and Christ will display his spear strained with the blood of Dajjal to the
Muslims."
(Mishkat, Kitab-ul-Fitan, Bab: al-Malahim, quoted by Muslim)
________________ footnote5 The implication of "breaking the
Cross" and "killing of the swine" is that Christianity will become defunct
as a religion. The whole edifice of the Christian religion is based on the
belief that God crucified His only son (i.e. Hadrat Isa (PBUH) on the Cross
and caused him to suffer this 'accursed' death so that he might thus expiate
for the sins of man. Among the followers of God's Prophets, the Christians
are unique in having rejected the entire Shariah of God and retaining this
belief only. The swine has been declared unlawful by all the Prophets,
but the Christians have gone as far as to make it lawful. Hence when
Jesus(PBUH) will proclaim on his appearance, "I am not the son of God; I did
not die on the Cross, nor did I expiate for the sins of anyone," the whole
basis of Christian belief will be demolished. Similarly, the second
distinctive charactertistic of Christianity will vanish when Jesus(PBUH)
will say: "I never declared the swine lawful for my followers nor did I
proclaim them free from the restraints of Divine Law."
________________ footnote 6 In other words this expression
means that differences between the followers of various religions will
vanish and the whole mankind will join the brotherhood of Islam.
Consequently, there shall no longer be any war or cause for imposing
religious tax on anyone. This interpretation is supported by Tradition No. 5
and 15 quoted hereafter.
________________ footnote 7 The implication is that
Jesus(PBUH) will not act as the leader of Prayers. He will offer Prayers
behind the already existing Imam of Muslims.
- Hadrat Abu Huraira reports that the Apostle (PBUH) of Allah affirmed:
"No Prophet shall come during the period between me and Jesus (PBUH). And
Jesus shall descend. Recognize him when you see him; he is a man of medium
height and of a rudy, fair complexion. He will be dressed in two pieces of
yellow garment. The hair of his head will appear as if water is trickling
out of them, though his hair would not be wet. He will fight for the cause
of Islam. He will break the Cross into pieces. He will slay the swine. He
will abolish the Jizya on non-believers. In his time God will put an end to
all other faiths except the religion of Islam. And Christ will kill Dajjal.
He will live on this earth for a period of forty years and at the end of
this period he will pass away. The Muslims will offer the funeral prayers of
Christ (PBUH). (Abu Dawud, Kitab-ul-Malahim, Bab: Khuruj-ul-Dajjal;
Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat Abu Huraira)
- Hadrat Jabir bin Abdullah reports that he heard the Prophet (PBUH) as
saying: "Then Christ, son of Mary, will descend. The leader of the
Muslims will say to him, "Come, lead us in Prayer," but he will reply, "No
be thou your own leaders in prayer."[see
footnote 8] He will say this out of respect for the dignity that
God has bestowed on the people of Islam." (Muslim, Bayan Nuzul Isa
ibn Maryam; Musnad Ahmad, Basilsila Marwiyat Jabir bin Abdullah)
- In connection with the episode of Ibn Sayyad, Jabir bin Abdullah relates
that Umar bin Khattab (RAA) submitted: "O Apostle of God, allow me to
slay him. In reply the Prophet of God observed, "If indeed this man is he
(referring to Dajjal), then he shall be slain by Christ, son of Mary. You
shall not slay him. But if this man is not he (Dajjal), then you have no
right to kill an individual from amongst those with whom we have guaranteed
protection (Dhimmies)." (Mishkat, Kitab-ul-Fitan, Bab: Qissa Ibn
Sayyad, quoted by Shara al-Sunnah al-Baghawi).
- Jabir b. Abdullah relates that while narrating the episode of Dajjal, the
Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "At that time Christ, son of Mary, will
suddenly descend among the Muslims. A congregation will be assembled for
prayer and he shall be asked: " O Spirit of God, come forward and lead (us
in Prayer)." But he will say, 'No, your own Imam shall step forward and act
as the leader.' Thus when the Muslims will have offered the morning Prayer,
they will set out to do battle against Dajjal. When that liar will look on
Christ (PBUH), he will start melting like salt in water. Christ (PBUH) shall
advance towards him and slay him. And it will come to pass that every stone
will cry out: 'Spirit of Allah, this Jew is hiding behind me.' Not a single
follower of Dajjal will escape slaughter." (Musnad Ahmad, Basissila
Riwayat Jabir b. Abdullah)
________________ footnote 8 The implication of this
observation of Christ (PBUH) is that "Someone from amongst you should act as
your leader."
- Hadrat an-Nawas b. Sam'an (while relating the story of Dajjal) reports:
"Meantime when Dajjal will be engaged in perpetrating such deeds, God shall
send Christ, son of Mary. Christ (PBUH) will descend near the white tower in
the eastern quarter of Damascus, wearing two pieces of yellow garment and
resting his hands upon the arms of two angels. When he will bend his head,
it would seem that drops of water would fall down from his head and when he
will raise his head it would seem as if pearls would be trickling in the
form of drops. Any infidel who will be within reach of the air of his
breath, and the air of his breath willr each as far as his eye would see -
will not escape death. Later the son of Mary will pursue Dajjal and will
overtake him at the gate of Lydda [see footnote 9]
and put him to death." (Muslim, Dhikr Dajjal; Abu Dawud, Kitab
ul-Malahim, Bab: Khuruj; Dajjal; Tirmidhi, Abwab-ul-Fitan; Bab: Fi Fitna
al-Dajjal; Ibn Majah, Kitab ul-Fitna, Bab: Fitna al-Dajjal)
- Abdullah b. Amr b. al-As says that the Apostle of God (PBUH) observed:
"Dajjal will arise in my people and will survive for forty (here the
reporter is not certain whether the Prophet mentioned forty days or forty
months or forty years). Then God shall send Christ, son of Mary, unto the
world. He will resemble in appearance with 'Urwa b. Masud (a companion of
the Prophet). Christ will pursue Dajjal and put him to death. Following this
for a period of seven years the state of the world will be such that a
quarrel between two individuals will be unknown." (Muslim,
Dhikr-ul-Dajjal)
________________ footnote 9 Please note that Lod (modern Lydda)
is situated at a distance of few miles from Tel Aviv, the capital of the
State of Israel in Palestine. The Jews have built a large air-base at this
place.
- Hudhaifa b. Usaid al-Ghifari reports that "once the Holy
Prophet(PBUUH) visited us when we were sitting in company and talking to
each other. The holy Prophet(PBUH) enquired: "What are you talking about?"
The people said,"we were talking about the doomsday." The holy Prophet(PBUH)
observed :"Doomsday shall not be established before the appearance of ten
signs. He then enumarated those signs as:
- Smoke
- Dajjal
- Daabba
- Rising of the sun in the West
- The descent of Christ son of Mary (PBUH)
- Appearance of Yajuj and Majuj
- Formation of three huge cavities or landslide on the earth,
one in the east
- Second in the west,
- and third in the Arabian Isles,
- Finally, a huge conflagration which will arise in Yemen and
drive people towards the plain of Doom."
(Muslim, Kitab ul-Fitan wa Ashtrat-us Sa'h:Abu Dawud, Kitab ul- Malahim,
bab: Amarat ul-Sa'h).
- It is reported by Thauban, the freed slave of the Holy Prophet that the
holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "God will grant protection from
Hell-fire to two groups from among the people of my Ummah. One group
consists of those who will invade India; the other group will consist of
those who will align themselves with Christ, son of Mary(PBUH)."
(Nasa'i,Kitab ul-jihad;Musnad ahmad, Bisilsila Riwayat Thauban)
- Mujamme b. jaria Ansari reports: "I heard the Holy Prophet(PBUH) as
saying: Christ, son of Mary will slay Dajjal at the gate of Lod(Lydda)."
(Musnad Ahmad , Tirmidhi, Abwab-ul-Fitan).
- Abu Umama al-Bahli(mentioning Dajjal in the course of a long tradition)
reports "Exactly when the Imam of the Muslims will step forward to
lead the morning prayers, Christ son of Mary(PBUH) will descend among them.
The Imam will retreat to make room for Christ to lead the prayers. But
Christ patting the Imam in the middle of his shoulders will say "Nay thou
shall act as leader, for this congregation has assembled to follow you in
prayer." Hence the Imam will lead the prayers. When the prayer is over
Christ(PBUH) will command, `Open the Gate.' The gate shall be thrown open.
Dajjal will be present outside the gate with a host of seventy thousand
Jewish troops. As soon as Dajjal catches the sight of Christ (PBUH), he will
say to him," I shall strike you with such force that you will not survive
the blow." Christ (PBUH) will pursue and overtake him at the Eastern gate of
Lod(Lydda). God will cause the jews to be defeated. Earth shall be filled
with muslims as a vessel is filled to the brim with water-the entire world
shall recite the same Kalima and worship shall be offered to none else
except God Almighty."
(Ibn Majah,Kitab-ul-Fitan ; Bab : Fitan Dajjal)
- `Uthman b. Abi al-`As reports that he heard the Prophet of God (PBUH) as
saying: "And Christ son of Mary will descend at the time of morniing
prayer. The leader of the muslims will say to him, "O spirit of God, Be thou
our leader in prayer." He will answer "The people of this Ummah are leaders
unto each other." At this, the leader of the muslims shall step forward and
lead the prayers. When the prayer is over, Christ(PBUH) will take hold of
his weapon and advance towards Dajjal. Dajjal, on seeing Christ shall start
melting like lead. Christ (PBUH) will slay him with his weapon. The
companions of Dajjal will be defeated. They will flee away, but will not
find a hiding place anywhere. Even the trees will cry out,"O pious, this
infidel is hiding behind me," and the stones will say, "O pious, this
unbeliever has taken cover behind me." (Musnad Ahmad, Tabarani,
Hakim)
- Samura b. Jundub (in a long tradition) ascribes this saying to the Holy
Prophet (PBUH): "Then at morning time Christ, son of Mary, shall
descend among the Muslims. And Allah shall cause Dajjal and his hosts to
suffer a most crushing defeat. Even the walls and roots of the trees will
cry out, "O pious, this infidel is hiding behind me. Come and strike him to
death." (Musnad Ahmad, Hakim)
- A tradition related to 'Imarn b. Husain says that the Prophet of God
(PBUH) observed: "There will always be a group of people among my
followers who will keep firm faith in right and they shall overwhelm their
opponents till God issues a decree and Christ son of Mary (PBUH) descends
upon earth." (Musnad Ahmad)
- With reference to the episode of Dajjal, Hadrat 'Aisha (may Allah be
pleased with her) reports that "Hadrat 'Isa (PBUH) will descend and
slay Dajjal. After this Hadrat 'Isa (PBUH) shall rule over the earth as a
just leader and a benevolent sovereign for a period of forty years."
(Musnad Ahmad)
- Safina, the freed slave of the Apostle of God (PBUH) reports (in
connection with the episode of Dajjal) that "Hadrat 'Isa (PBUH) will
descend and God shall put an end to the life of Dajjal near the slope of
Afiq"[see footnote 10]. (Musnad Ahmad)
- Hadrat Hudaifa b. Yama relates (with reference to Dajjal),
"When the Muslims will fall in lines to offer prayers, Christ son of Mary
(PBUH) shall descend from heaven before their eyes. He will lead the
prayers. When the prayers are over he will say to the people: "Clear the way
bewteen me and this enemy of God." God will give victory to the Muslims over
the hosts of Dajjal. The Muslims will inflict dire punishment upon the
enemy. Even the trees and stones will cry out, "O Abdullah, O Abdul Rahman,
O Muslim, come, here is a Jew behind me, kill him." In this way God will
cause the Jews to be annihilated and Muslims shall be the victors. They will
break the Cross, slaughter the swine and abolish Jizya (levied on
non-Muslims)." (Mustadrak Hakim - A brief version of this tradition
has been recorded in Muslim. Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath-ul-Bari Vol. VI, p. 450
declares this tradition to be authentic.)
The above are twenty-one traditions which have been transmitted on the
authority of fourteen companions of the Holy Prophet and have been
recorded with correct references in the most authoritative books on
Hadith. In addition to these, there are numerous other traditions
relating to the same subject, but we have not reproduced them here for
the sake of brevity. We have taken as example only those traditions
which are sound and authentic as regards chain of transmission.
________________ footnote 10 Afiq known as Fiq in modern
times is a city in Syria, situated on the
borderline between Syria and Israel. There is a
lake called Tibriya a few miles toward the west
of the city. This lake is the source of river
Jordan. Towards the southwest of this lake,
there is a path between the mountains which
descends two thousand feet to the point in the
lake of Tibriya where the river rises. This
mountainous path is called the slope of Afiq.
The Verdict of these Traditions
Anyone who reads the above traditions will come
to the conclusion that they do not mention the
advent of a promised Masih or a like Masih or
projection of Masih. The texts referred to above
leave no scope for any man who is born of human
sperm from the womb of a woman to declare "I am
that Masih whose advent was foretold by the Holy
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)." All the above
traditions clearly and definitively proclaim the
descent of that Holy Christ who was born to Mary
without the instrumentality of father two
thousand years ago. It is certainly of no avail
at this juncture to open the debate as to
whether the Holy Christ is dead or exists alive
somewhere in the world. Supposing he is dead,
God has the power to raise him alive[see
footnote 11], otherwise also it is not beyond the Divine power of God to
keep a man alive somewhere in the cosmos for as
long as thousands of years; and to bring the man
back to the world at His Will. At any rate, a
believer in the veracity and sanctity of the
traditions will have no doubt that the
traditions foretell the advent of 'Christ son of
Mary' and no one else. On the contrary, if a
person has no faith in the traditions, he would
not be a believer in the descent of anyone, for
traditions are the only bases of the doctrine of
Descent. In view of all this, it is a strange
kind of funny logic to take the doctrine of
Descent derived from the traditions and having
torn out the clear reference to Christ son of
Mary, establish a modern day 'Christ incarnate'
in place of Mary's son.
Yet another point which is made equally clear by the traditions is that
Christ son of Mary will not descend in the capacity of a newly appointed Apostle
of God. He will not receive any Divine revelations. He will not be the bearer of
any new message or repository of a fresh mandate from God, nor will he amend,
enlarge or, abridge the Shariah of Muhammad (PBUH), nor indeed will Christ son
of Mary be brought into the world to accomplish the renewal of faith. Christ son
of Mary (PBUH) will not call upon the people to put their faith in his own
prophethood, nor will he found a separate community of followers[see
footnote 12]. He will be appointed to accomplish a particular task and
this will be to root out the mischief of Dajjal. To serve this purpose,
Jesus(PBUH) will descend in such manner that those Muslims among whom he
appears, will have no doubt at all about his identity as Jesus son of Mary whose
advent at a most opportune time was foretold by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Jesus(PBUH) will join the community of Muslims and will offer prayers behind the
incumbent Imam of the Muslims[see footnote 13]. He will allow the
incumbent Imam of the Muslims to supersede him so as to make it clear beyond any
shadow of doubt that he has not descended to assert his position as a Prophet or
to carry out the office of Prophethood. There is no doubt that in the presence
of a Prophet among a community of people no other person can assume the office
of an Imam or a leader. Hence when Jesus(PBUH) will become an individual member
of the Fraternity of Islam, this fact will in itself proclaim to the world that
he has not descended to assume the office of a Prophet. On this basis,
therefore, the question of opening the seal of Prophethood at the second coming
of Christ is completely irrelevant.
It might be said (without actually comparing the two situations) that
Jesus's advent will be like the appointment of a former Head of State to render
some State service under the regime of the present Head of State. It is not too
difficult for a man of ordinary common sense to understand that the appointment
of a former Head of State to render some State duty under the regime of present
Head is not a violation of the constitution of the State. Two cases, however, do
violate the State Law. In the first case, if a former Head of State makes a bid
to assume that office once again. In the second case, if a person refutes the
existence of the former regime of a defunct Head of State, for this would be
tantamount to challenging the validity of the tasks carried out by the former
regime. In the absence of any one of the above two eventualities, the mere
appointment of a past Head of State to a State duty does not change the
constitutional position. The same applies to the second advent of Christ, son of
Mary. The seal of Prophethood is not violated by his second advent. However, if
he assumes the office of Prophethood once more and starts performing the duties
of a Prophet or conversely a man repudiates the sanctity of Christ (PBUH) as a
former Prophet, both these cases constitute a violation of God's law in respect
of the creation of Prophets. The traditions have clearly ruled out the existence
of both these possibilities. On the one hand, the traditions affirm that no
Prophet shall come after Muhammad (PBUH). At the same time, they foretell the
second coming of Christ, son of Mary. This is sufficient to make it clear that
during his second advent in the world, Christ will not discharge the duties of a
Prophet.
In the same manner, his advent will not give rise to a new question of faith
or apostasy among the followers of Islam. Any one who repudiates the sanctity of
Christ as a former Prophet is an apostate. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) himself
affirmed Christ's sanctity as a former Prophet. The followers of Muhammad (PBUH)
therefore, have from the beginning, always believed in the sanctity of Christ as
a former Prophet. This belief will hold good even at the time of the second
advent of Christ. At that time Muslims will not put faith in the ministry of a
new Prophet. They will retain their belief in the sanctity of Christ as a former
Prophet. This position is neither contrary to faith in the Finality of
Prophethood today nor will it be derogatory to this belief at the time of
Christ's second advent in the world. The last point which is made clear by
these other traditions and numerous others
pertains to the fact that Dajjal (for the
suppression of whose grave misdeeds God will
send Christ, son of Mary(peace be on him), will
arise among the nation of Jews and that he will
impose as 'Masih.' No one can understand
the reality of this fact without studying the
history of the Jews and their religious beliefs.
After the death of Hadrat Sulaiman (PBUH) [i.e.
Solomon], the tribe of Israel suffered perpetual
decline until it came to pass that they became
slaves of the Babylonian and Assyrian Empires
and their imperial masters dispersed them over
the face of the earth. At that moment in their
history the Prophet of the Jews began to deliver
the glad tidings of the arrival of a 'Masih'
from God who will redeem them from disgrace. On
the basis of such prophecies the Jews had long
awaited the advent of a 'masih' who would be a
king. This king would fight and win territories.
He would gather Jews from all over the world and
assemble them in Palestine. He would create a
mighty Jewish Empire. Contrary to all their
eager expectations when the God-appointed
'Masih', Christ son of Mary (PBUH) came without
an army to win countries, the Jews repudiated
his Prophethood and determined to put an end to
his life. Since then the Jews all over the world
have awaited the rise of a 'Masih Mau'ud,' 'The
Promised Messiah,' the glad tidings of whose
arrival had been delivered to them by their
Prophets of yore. Their literature abounds with
the wishful dreams of this millennium. The Jews
have for centuries been savoring the imaginary
pleasure afforded by the description of this
millennium in Talmud and the works of the
Rabbis. The Jewish nation has cherished the hope
that this 'Promised Messiah' would be a great
military and political leader. He will restore
to them the country between the rivers Nile and
Euphrates (which the Jews have always coveted as
their patrimony). He will gather Jews from all
parts of the world and assemble them once again
in this country. Today when we look at the
affairs of the Middle East in the perspective of
the prophecies of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), we
perceive at once that the stage has been set for
the emergence of the Dajjal who as was foretold
by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) would rise as a
'Promised Messiah' of the Jews. The Muslim
people have been ejected from a large part of
Palestine and in that part a Jewish State named
'Israel' has been set up. Jews from all over the
world are converging at this place. America,
Britain and France have helped to make this
Jewish State a formidable military power.
The Jewish scientists and technocrats are
developing this country fast with the massive
aid of Jewish capital. The military and
technical potential of Israel poses a grave
threat to the neighboring Muslim countries. The
leaders of Israel have never concealed their
design of redeeming 'the land of their
patrimony.' The map of the future Jewish State
which they have been publishing for a long time
is given on the following page. [Map omitted] It
shows that they wish to include in the Jewish
State the whole of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan,
nearly all the area of Iraq besides taking
Askandron from Turkey, Sinai and Delta area from
Egypt and Upper Hejaz and Najd areas from Saudi
Arabia. This of course includes the Holy City of
Madina also. In this context, it is quite clear
that taking advantage of the critical conditions
created by a World war, the Jews will certainly
make a bid to grab these areas. And at this
juncture will arise Dajjal whom the Jews will
deem as their 'Promised Messiah.' The Holy
Prophet (PBUH) not only prophesied the advent of
this Dajjal but also had warned the Muslims that
they would suffer colossal hardships and one day
will seem like one year of suffering and
calamity. It was for this reason that the
Prophet of God (PBUH) used to pray for
protection against the great evil of 'Dajjal
Masih' and he used to enjoin his followers to
implore Allah to save them the severity of these
evil times. It is certain that Allah will
not send any 'Christ Incarnate' to combat with
this 'Dajjal Masih.' He will appoint the real
Christ, the Christ who was born of Mary, and
whom the Jews had declined to acknowledge as a
Prophet two thousand years ago. He will send the
same Christ whom the Jews believed they had put
out of their way by killing him. The place where
the real Christ will descend is not in India,
Africa or America. It is in Damascus that he
will appear, because this place will be the
actual battle ground at that time. Look at the
map no. 1 [map has to be omitted]
and you will find that Damascus lies at a
distance of hardly 50-60 miles from the orders
of Israel. If you recall the text of the
traditions we have cited above, you will find it
not too difficult to understand that Dajjal will
penetrate into Syria with 70,000 Jewish troops
and will take position before Damascus. At this
moment of crisis, Christ son of Mary (PBUH) will
descend near a white minaret in the Eastern
quarter of Damascus. After the morning prayers,
Christ (PBUH) will advance with the Muslims for
fighting against Dajjal. The enemy will retreat
before the powerful assault of Christ son of
Mary, and Dajjal will run away towards Israel by
way of the slope of Afiq (Reference to Tradition
No. 21). Christ (PBUH) will pursue Dajjal and
destroy him on the airfield of Lydda (Traditions
No. 10-14- 15). A great slaughter of the
Jews will ensue and every one of them will be
annihilated. The nation of Jews will be
exterminated (Traditions No. 9-15-21). At
the proclamation of truth by Christ, the
Christian religion will become extinct
(Traditions No. 1-2-4-6). And the followers of
all religions, their former having renounced
allegiances, will amalgamate to form the one and
only brotherhood of Islam. The traditions reveal
this fact clearly beyond any doubt. In view
of the above, the propaganda network that has
been set up in our country in the name of Masih
Mau'ud, 'the Promised Messiah', is
unquestionably a false and bogus venture.
One of the funniest aspects of this base
movement is that the person who deems himself
the subject of the prophecies of Muhammad (PBUH)
has given this interesting explanation of his
identity as 'Christ son of Mary': "He (God
Almighty) named me Mary in the third part of
Barahin-i-Ahmadia. Later, as is evident from
Barahin-i--Ahmadia I was reared in the form of
Mary for two years. Then, my body was filled
with the soul of Christ just as the body of Mary
was filled with Christ's soul and in a
metaphorical sense I became pregnant with the
soul of Christ. At last after a period of many
months (lasting not more than ten months) I was
metamorphosed from Mary into Christ by a Divine
revelation which has been recorded at the end of
part four of Barahin-i-Ahmadia. Hence in this
way I became the son of Mary." (Kashti-e-Noah,
pp. 87-89). In other words he became Mary
in the first place, then got pregnant, and
lastly from his own abdomen he issued forth as
Christ son of Mary. There was one snag left,
however. According to the traditions, Christ son
of Mary, would appear in Damascus, which has
been a prominent and famous place in Syria for
several thousand years and still exists by this
name on the map of the world. This
difficulty was explained away by another
fanciful statement: "Let it be known that in
respect of the interpretation of the word
'Damascus', God Almighty has explained to me in
a revelation that in this place the name
Damascus has been given to a village whose
inhabitants possess the characteristics of Yazid
and are followers of the habits and ideas of the
impure Yazid. This town of Qadian, because of
the reason that most of its residents possess
the traits of Yazid in their character, is akin
to and bears certain resemblance to Damascus
(marginal note of Izala-i-Auham, pp. 63-73).
But that was not all. Yet another problem
demanded clearance, i.e., the traditions had
prophesied that Christ would descend near a
white pillar. This problem was finally solved
when the new 'Christ' got a white pillar built
for him. The traditions mentioned that the white
pillar would be standing prior to the descent of
Christ near it and in Qadian the pillar was
built after the appearance of 'Masih Mau'ud.'
But never mind the discrepancy. Anyone who reads
the above interpretations of this 'Masih Mau'ud'
with open eyes will arrive at the conclusion
that a clear fraud has been openly perpetrated
by an imposter.
________________ footnote 11 Those who deny this possibility
should go through verse 259 of Surah al-
Baqarah, in which God affirms in clear words
that He let one of His creatures lie dead for a
hundred years and at the end of this period He
raised the man alive.
________________ footnote 12 The
Ulema of Islam have explained this question in
detail. 'Allama Taftazani (722 A.H. - 792 A.H.)
in Shara 'Aqaid-i-Nasafi writes: "It is
established that Muhammad (PBUH) is the Final
Prophet......If it is said that according to the
Hadith the descent of Christ (PBUH) will take
place after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) we shall
say, "Yes, this fact has been mentioned in the
traditions. But Christ (PBUH) will appear as a
follower of Muhammad (PBUH). The Shariah of
Christ stands abrogated. Hence he will neither
receive any Divine revelations, nor will he
establish any canon. In all his actions he will
represent Muhammad(PBUH) only." The same
view point has been re-affirmed by 'Allama Alusi
in Tafsir Ruh- al-Ma'ani: Later when Christ
(PBUH) appears, he will retain his dignity as a
former Prophet. After all, God will certainly
not divest him of this dignity, but he will not
follow his former mandate, because the Shariahs
of all prophets, including that of Christ
(PBUH), stand abrogated. Hence it will be a
Divine obligation upon Christ (PBUH) to follow
in letter and spirit the law of Muhammad (PBUH).
He will receive no Divine revelation, nor will
he be charged with the duty of giving new
religious laws. In all his deeds, Christ will
act as a representative of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) and he will function as a deputy
and one among the rulers of the followers of
Muhammad (PBUH). Imam Razi further
elucidates this point like this: The period of
the Prophets extended as far as the advent of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). When Muhammad (PBUH)
was raised as a Prophet, the era of the advent
of new Prophets came to an end. It is not beyond
comprehension that Christ (PBUH), after his
descent, will act as a follower of Muhammad
(PBUH).
________________ footnote 13 Although two traditions (No.5 and
21) bear ample evidence that Jesus (PBUH) will
act as leader in the first prayer after his
descent, the majority of the traditions which
are comparatively more authentic (vide No.
3,7,9,15,16) speak of the fact that Jesus(PBUH)
will decline to lead the prayers. He will call
upon the incumbent Imam of the Muslims to step
forward and lead the prayers. All scholars of
traditions and commentators are agreed on this
latter point.
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