The Concept of 'Nabi' in Our Claims

Divine Revelations Today

Given the debate between the Ahmadi Muslims and Salafi Muslims as well as the other Muslim groups, I have decided today to devote my Friday Sermon on the subject of Nabuwwah (prophethood) and status of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as the “Khatam-an-Nabiyyine”.

Just like for the Promised Messiah of the past century, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the revelations I have been bestowed upon as a divine grace contain the words Nabi and Rassool, not once but several times. Messenger can also mean prophet. I have been addressed as Rassool by my Beloved Creator several times. 

A "Nabi" after Prophet Muhammad ?

However, if we agree on the fact that the Holy Prophet Muhammad is the seal of the prophets, and that no other prophet could come after him in the world, I would say that of course, any old or new prophet cannot come in the sense that my opponents as well as those of the Promised Messiah (as) seem to believe; for verily while slandering and accusing the Muhammadan prophets of Kufr (disbelief/ infidelity), but ironically at the same time they expect a prophet of an ancient Ummah (Community) to revive the perfect Ummah of Muhammad (pbuh).

They await the return of Jesus Christ – Isa (as); that is to say, in other words, they believe in the continuity of the latter’s prophethood of the latter and in the divine revelations received by him for a period of forty years, a period longer than that enjoyed by the Holy Prophet (pbuh) himself, and so such a belief is clearly wrong as it is disavowed by the verse of the Holy Quran:

“... He is the Messenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets.” (Al-Ahzab, 33: 41)

And also by the following tradition: “... La Nabi Ba’adi” (No prophet after me). 

And I totally agree with the Holy Quran. This Quranic verse of the Holy Quran contains a great prophecy that has escaped the attention of my opponents. It means that after the death of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) no member of any religion other than Islam will receive the gift of prophethood and no man, be him Hindu, Jewish, Christian or so-called Muslim (Muslim in name only) cannot justifiably be called Nabi.

Blessings of "Nubuwwah" within the Ummah

The only approach to accede to this high position is the path of the Siddiqeen (Truthful) or those who lose themselves in the love of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). Whoever takes this path may get the privilege as a “Zill” to wear coat of prophethood, that is to say, by being a perfect reproduction of the spiritual image of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and loving the latter (pbuh) out of a sincere love, he is given to wear the mantle of prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself. A claimant of prophethood of this nature cannot be a rival of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) because he gets all his strengths and favours through him; and therefore the spiritual position that he reaches is only for the glorification of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).

Moreover he is known in heaven as Muhammad and Ahmad at the same time. Thus the greatness of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is not reached by any other person (even not his Zill), while his Zill (spiritual double/ reflection) still owes him a debt of gratitude.

Some Questions on Eating Pork

All in all I must say that I did not intend to do another Friday sermon on the subject of ‘Pork’, but after last Friday’s sermon on this subject, and on what that Mullah Basharat Naveed said, so I received several questions on the topic of ‘Pork’, from people in Mauritius, and those of the neighbouring islands also such as Reunion Island, Madagascar, the Seychelles and even Rodrigues. So through this Friday sermon, I will answer those questions. Insha-Allah, may Allah help me and give me the best answer to their question and that they are satisfied; and may Allah (swt) illuminates their hearts to Islam, Ameen.

1^st Question: Being Christian, I have no difficulty to eat pork and I ask you then why are Muslims not allowed to enjoy this so delicious food, like the Christians do?

I reply that this question is somewhat surprising, because according to the scriptures, even Christians are not allowed to eat pork. Well! Let’s see what the Bible says about pork, “You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.” (Leviticus 11: 7-8). The same command is repeated in Deuteronomy (14: 8).

So, to make a commentary on these verses: the laws were inculcated and obeyed because they embodied the divine will. Pork, though one of the most common foods is one of the worst. God had forbidden Jews to eat pork, not merely to assert His authority, but because it was not a healthy food for humans.

2^nd Question: We, Christians want to know, what was the teaching of Jesus Christ on this subject?

The teaching of Jesus Christ was the same. He clearly said that the laws of the Old Testament were to be obeyed without change. So the answer I give you not only concerns our Christian brothers and sisters, but is also for all our Jewish brothers and sisters.

So in response I say:

Jesus Christ (pbuh) said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 5: 17-19)

‘Jesus is in the Third Heaven’

Religious beliefs sometimes have a tendency to challenge common sense. Thus, the Christians hold the belief that the founder of their religion, i.e., Jesus, Son of Mary is the literal ‘Son of God’. Likewise, defying gravity, logic of reason and experience of history, sections of the Muslims continue to hold the belief that the Prophet Jesus (as) is still ‘alive’, two millennium after his birth and they say that he would physically descend in our times among the Muslims as their Imam!

     

No doubt, in the Muslim spiritual tradition, Jesus (as) is one of the great messengers of the Almighty, celebrated along with Hadhrat Muhammad (sa). However, the ‘belief’ on or the myth of, a physically alive Jesus crept into Islam/among the Muslims in the medieval period when the influx of Christians into Islam led to a mixing of ‘cultures’ and the dogmas of the Christians found their way into, replacing the traditional Muslim understanding on the matter, shaped by the Qur’an and taught by the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa). In a special Sermon delivered on September 07, 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius throws searching light on the physical death of Jesus (as), as emerging from the express Qur’anic verses and the opinions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) on the matter.    

Read the Extracts from the Sermon:

Allah says in the Holy Qur'an:

Fa lammaa tawaffay tanii kunta ‘Antar-Raqiiba ‘alayhim: wa ‘Anta ‘alaa kulli shay-‘in Shahiid.

But when You cause me to die, You were the Guardian over them, and You are, over all things, Witness. (Al-Maida 5: 118)

Death and life are not alike. If God has given us life, He also decreed death for us, humans, and all living creatures that He has placed in the universe. And verily, in death, there is life and in life, there is death.

The Festival of Easter : Religion, Myth and History

Across the world, the Christian communities today are celebrating the Festival of Easter. The religious practice of Easter seeks to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ (as). The rituals and traditions that make up this festival have interesting origins in the ancient world. In other words, the lineage of the present festival and associated rituals can be traced back to the pagan worship norms of ancient communities. As it happened, the pagan practices were adapted and modified and transformed to a ‘Christian’ milieu. It is apparent that to accommodate the deviations from the original message of Jesus (as), much theological engineering was done to reshape and reconstruct the belief systems within Christianity as well.  In his Friday Sermon of 29 March 2013, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius throws searching light on the pagan origins of these Christian religious practices by drawing upon the studies and writings of Christian scholars.  

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

Easter is a day that is honoured by nearly all of contemporary Christianity and is used to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Hazrat Isa (as)). Christian believes that Jesus (as) rose again from the dead three days and three nights after he was crucified. The holiday often involves a church service at sunrise, a feast which includes an “Easter Ham”, decorated eggs and stories about rabbits. Free thinking Christian scholars in bewilderment have often questioned all these incongruous activities. Why rabbits? Why not a puppy or any other animals? Rabbits do not lay eggs, why not orange or onions etc., because they also roll. Why are these traditions so ingrained in Easter Sunday? And what do they have to do with the resurrection of Jesus?