In his Friday Sermon of 14 September 2012, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius explained the concept of
Prophethood in Islam. By focussing on the Qur’anic title of the Holy Prophet of
Islam Muhammad (sa)- Khataman-Nabiyyeen- the Khalifatullah points to the colossal
mistakes that have crept into the mainstream belief through the ebb and flow of centuries and the
serious consequences it entailed for the fortunes of the Muslim Ummah. By
closing the door of revelation in the Ummah, Muslims have cut at the “root of all spiritual and temporal understanding” and
deprived itself of the great blessing of
Divine Guidance, points out the Messenger of Allah of our times.
Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:
Almighty God
appointed the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) the holder of the seal. This degree of
excellence was barred to all other prophets since the beginning of time. One,
who meticulously follows his footsteps, can be awarded the attributes of
prophethood. But the Holy Prophet (sa) is gifted with much more than
this. A spiritual and intimate linkage with him can elevate an “Ummati”
to the exalted status of a prophet.
It was thus
that thousands of the followers of the Holy Prophet were converted by his grace
into saints of a high order. But there was to be others
among the Ummah who would be wrapped in the silver linings of a prophet. One was the Mahdi and the Promised Messiah of
the last century and for this century it refers to this humble self, the Muhyi-ud-din Khalifatullah. We are
that person whom the Holy Prophet (sa) had himself described as prophet on four
occasions (Sahih Muslim).
The perfect man
to whom the Holy Quran was revealed, was not limited in his vision nor was
there any deficiency in his sympathy in the sharing of sorrows. Both from the
point of view of time and space, his soul was charged with perfect sympathy for
human beings. He was, therefore, bestowed a full share of the manifestations of
nature and he was made Khatamal-Anbiya, meaning not that no one would
henceforth received any spiritual grace from him, but that he possessed the Seal
of Prophethood and that without the attestation of that seal, no grace
could reach anyone and that for his people, the door of converse with the
Divine would never be closed. Beside him, there was no Prophet who possessed
the seal. It is only through this seal that a prophethood can now be bestowed
for which it is a condition that the recipient must be a follower of the Holy
Prophet (sa).
His (the Holy Prophet’s) high courage and sympathy did not wish to leave
his people in a condition of inferior status and bar to them the door of revelation, which is the root of
all spiritual and temporal understanding. Yet, in order to preserve the
sign of the closing of all (previous) prophethoods, he desired that the grace
of revelation should be reserved for the ranks of his followers only. It was in
this sense that the Holy Prophet (sa) had been appointed as Khatamal-Anbiya.
It is, therefore, established till the Day of Judgement that a person who does
not show true obedience to him (the Holy Prophet of Islam) and who does not
devote his full being to obeying him, cannot become the recipient of perfect
revelation (Wahi-i-Nabuwwat). Direct prophethood has been ended with the
Holy Prophet (sa). But prophethood which means the receipt of (perfect)
revelation through the grace of Muhammad (sa) will continue till the Day of
Resurrection. This is so that the door of perfection of mankind should never be
closed and this sign should never disappear from the world.
God does not
create another God like Himself because His attribute of Unity and of being Peerless,
is eternal and it prevents Him from doing so. But He does create a sample of
His peerless Being by investing in one of His creations a reflection of His
attributes. This process started with the beginning of the world and would
continue till the ultimate cloud of dust, the final frozen wasteland emerges
and puts an end to all that is animate in the universe. The lineage of
prophethood can, therefore, never lapse nor can its true profile ever change.
This has been the Divine intent so far and this is His purpose for which
mankind was created. The institution of prophethood is eternal
and its denial is delusive sophistry.
We are neither dealing here with the birth pangs of a new idea nor with
some aberration from the thoughtful thinking of the renowned Muslim theologians
of the past. This “Ummah”
has never suffered from a paucity of religious scholars and there are few
instances where the idea of the finality of Prophethood has synchronized
unconditionally with the meaning of Khataman-Nabiyyeen in any of the
Hadiths or commentaries of the Holy Quran during the last 1400 years. This is
not the end of the line.
The Quran and the Traditions are replete with prophecies about the
appearance of Mahdi, Promised Messiah, and Reviver of Faith in the latter days. The Messiah, in accordance with the Quranic
analysis is a prophet, not only in his second advent but till eternity. The
truth of the matter is that there is a consensus in the “Ummah” about the
appearance of a prophet after the Holy Prophet (sa), notwithstanding the loud
but empty protestations of the present-day brand of Ulema.
The core of the controversy however, rests with the
identification of the coming Jesus. Our opponents allege that Jesus of Nazareth who
appeared among the Jews 2000 years ago is still physically alive somewhere in
the heavens and is destined to be the Promised Messiah for the Muslims and the
rest of mankind.
The Jamaat
Ul Sahih Al Islam and the Jamaat Ahmadiyya’s view is that
Jesus son of Mary died a natural death in his own time. The Quran and the
traditions clearly state that a man from among the “Ummah” would appear
in the latter days in the power and spirit of Jesus and would be designated ‘Isa’
and the Promised Messiah. The Holy Prophet (sa) distinguished beyond a shadow
of doubt Jesus of Nazareth from Ahmad, the Promised Messiah for the Muslims by
clearly describing the distinctive features of both the Prophets in Sahih
Bukhari. It proves, if nothing else, that Jesus son of Mary and the Promised Messiah
of this “Ummah” are tow entirely different persons; one was already dead
and the other had yet to appear. It does nothing for Jesus of Nazareth and less
than nothing for the Mullahs who await the resurrection of the dead in this
world and not the hereafter.
As already
pointed out, the freeze on Prophethood applies to such claimants only as are
outside the pale of Islam and the Quran. An ‘Ummati Nabi’ cannot bring a
new Shariah nor could be operated outside the zone of the eternal prophethood
of the Holy Prophet (sa). This is the true meaning of Khatme-Nabuwwat as
explained in the Quran and the Hadith. There are thousands of instances of this
type of prophethood in the mosaic dispensation. The only difference is that
after the appearance of the Holy Prophet (sa), all spiritual denominations are
restricted to the Muslim Community till the Day of Judgement.
It is thus
clear that it is not the Ahmadis and the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam who violate
the prestige of the Holder of the Seal. In fact we are dealing with a
determination of the maulvis to destroy the basis on which Islamic values have
been built. The appearance of Jesus of Nazareth among the Muslims would
demolish for all times the supremacy of Islam on all other religions. Not only
this; it would also shatter the Seal of Prophethood of Muhammad the Leader and
chief of all mankind. There are no doors that could not be unlocked; except the
door of Khatme-Nabuwwat which could never be unlocked by an outsider.
True theology has never been the metier of
half-baked mullahs. If you sow the wind, you can only reap the whirlwind. Our maulvis
exalted the status of Christ so much that they never felt contended till he sat
on the right hand of God in the Heavens. On the other hand, the Holy Prophet
lay buried on earth. A true Muslim would shudder even to think of the
consequences of a situation such as this.
The wrath of
God fell on this people for this insult to the holiest and noblest of all
mankind – the Holy Prophet (sa). Physical might and power of the world was
transferred to the Christians for this reason only. All scientific knowledge
and sophisticated technology became the handmaiden of the non-Muslims. Muslim
nations of the world with all their oil wealth, manpower and immense resources,
stood like beggars at the door of their Christian lords for seeking crumbs of
favour from here and there.
Less dear to
the heart of our Maulvis, but equally important is this issue; there is yet
time to make amends. The Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam is at present at the top of
the hate-list of their co-religionists. The Muslims have been living in the
middle of nowhere for the last one hundred years. Let them reconsider their
anti-Jamaat
Ul Sahih Al Islam stance, so painfully primitive up till now.
Oh Muslim
brothers and sisters! Spare a glance of sympathy for the sake of Muhammad (sa),
the Chosen one, the Best of the creation, if nothing else.