'Khataman-Nabiyyine': The Seal of Divine Favours

On the Advent of Prophet-Reformers in Islam

'O children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you relating to you My revelations, then whoever fears Allah and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.” (Al-Arraf 7: 36).

This directive has been given to those who believe in the Holy Quran. When a prophet is sent among them in the future, they must be careful not to deny him. On the contrary, they must welcome him with open arms and reform themselves so as not to be ashamed before God on the Day of Judgment. But if there was no prophet after the revelation of the Holy Qur’an, how can one follow this direction found in this same book? Especially when it teaches us the following prayer: 

“Guide us on the right path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed Your favours.”

Allah (swt) here asks us to pray that we should be among those who have been rewarded by Him. Moreover, the Holy Quran mentions four dignities that are accessible to those who receive the favours of Allah (swt), namely: The rank of prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs and the pious ones - those who walk on the right way.

“Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger ... these are among those upon whom Allah bestows His blessings, namely, the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. And what good companions are these!” (An-Nisa 4 : 70)

Thus, of these four categories of rewards, the prophets rank first. How then can we say that there will be no more prophets in Islam?

Our Holy Prophet (pbuh) has been called Khataman-Nabiyyine, and a misinterpretation of this term has given rise to a great misunderstanding where we have translated it as meaning ‘last prophet’, while in reality it means ‘seal of the prophets’, that is, without the seal of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) or without his confirmation [i.e. without any one confirming the fact that he is the follower of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and Islam, coming as an Islamic reformer based on Islamic teachings and the approval of Allah], no prophet can come any more. To become a prophet, one must be a disciple / follower of the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

Hazrat Aisha (ra) explained the term “Khataman-Nabiyyine” in these words: “Say he is ‘Khataman-Nabiyyine’ but do not say that there will be no more prophets after him.” (Takmila Majma’ul-Bihar, 85).

To be the seal of the prophets is an honour, to be the last of the prophets gives no greatness whatsoever. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) himself said, “I am superior to all previous and future prophets.” (Ad-Dailmi)

Uniting the Muslim Ummah: the Big Question

An Encounter with the Mullahs in Triolet

On Thursday 20 February 2014, I was in the North of Mauritius in one of its biggest villages called Triolet. On the way I met two Mullahs coming from Bangladesh. They presented themselves to me after greeting Salaam, and with very good and sweet words they invited me in the mosque at about 10:00a.m. I met many other Muslims coming from Bangalore and India. They asked me my name and before I have finished giving my full name, when I reached: Munir Ahmad, one of the Mullahs told me that his Burzuq’s name is Munir Ahmed, but then when I gave completed my full name: Munir Ahmad Azim, all of them looked at me with big surprised eyes and they suddenly turned aggressive.

Gone were the good and sweet words! Their tone changed and they immediately asked me: “You have proclaimed that you are the Mohyuddin, Khalifatullah etc.”

Without any hesitation and fear to creatures, although they were in great numbers in the mosques, I replied them in the affirmative.

They then asked me a series of questions pertaining to the titles I have received from Allah, wanting to know who told me that I was the Khalifatullah, Mohyuddin etc. I told them that it is my Creator, my Rab, in whose hands my life, health, food, dignity and honour are found.  They did not believe me and called me liar and thus started a debate on the finality of prophethood in which they believe.

Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah as Final Guidance

Among other questions concerning the Mahdi and Messiah to come, they put to me put a question to me regarding a Hadith, “I have left for you the Book of Allah and the Sunnah, if you hold fast to it you will never go astray.”

Meaning of “Khatamun-Nabiyyin"

The term “Khatamun-Nabiyyin” which when literally translated means ‘Seal of the prophets’ is grammatically a compound phrase. It is a matter of common knowledge that when two words join together to make a phrase, they do not necessarily give their literal meaning. For example, ‘Ibn’ means ‘son’ and ‘Sabil’ means way; but when these words is joint together to make ‘Ibn-Sabil’ it does not reflect an absolutely literal meaning. We thus don’t consider it to mean: ‘Son of the path’, it only means a traveller. 

Such titles was also a practice of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) whereby he used to name his companions according to sometimes memorable events or simply because of the situation in which he found them. For example, he named his cousin, son-in-law and his fourth successor Ali (ra), Abu Turab, which literally means: Father of the soil/sand, which of course Hazrat Ali (ra) was not literally one, but the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) gave him the name as an adjective or attribute and not as a literal meaning. So the real sense of a phrase is determined by grammar, its usage in language and the context in which it is used.

It is an established and unchangeable rule of Arabic grammar and language that when the word ‘Khatam’ is used in the praise of a person and its combining word is a ‘group of talented people’, it never means that the person called ‘Khatam’ is the last or final to appear in respect of time. It always means that in the opinion of the user, the person concerned is the perfect and supreme in that ‘group of talented people’ and that he has achieved the last and final grade in that particular excellence. The Islamic literature is full of such instances and not a single example can be cited against this rule.  

Prophet Muhammad: The Perfect Role Model

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) is the only human and divine prophet to have reached the degree of perfect excellence, such excellence which is agreeable to human nature and the Creator Himself. With the revelation of the Holy Quran upon his humble self, Allah told him to say to the people: 

“If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you, forgive you your sins.” (3: 32).

The declaration of the Holy Quran is clear. It is set with such a condition which is agreeable to the ways of Allah, which is: Obey Allah and Obey the Prophet. Guidelines to obeying Allah are found in obeying the prophet and manifest the exquisite nature of being a good listener of the divine revelations and putting those instructions into practice.

There is abundant historical evidence to prove that those who have reformed their lives, by deciding to mould their lives according to the Holy Prophet’s model emerged from the abyss of ignorance and barbarism and poverty to be the teachers of arts and sciences and morals and social good, and it is them who became the masters of the world. They did not only attain the utmost temporal progress, but also set such an example of religious and spiritual life of piety and righteousness and purity and chastity that Allah (twa) Himself proclaimed in the Holy Quran:

 “Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Allah.” (98: 9)

The fact is that the more the example of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is taken into consideration and acted upon, the more the door of divine salvation opens to let manifest the love of Allah for such a devoted servant of Allah and true follower of the Seal of all prophets.

The Elixir of Truth in Divine Prophecies

March 23 is an important date in the modern history of spiritual Islam. It was on this Day in 1889 that the the Jamaat-e- Ahmadiyya was established by the Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian. [Inset: a photo from the 2005 Jalsa Salana at Qadian, which the present writer attended]. He initiated the Bai’at Programme through which devout Muslims could express their allegiance to the Divine appointee. In a special speech to mark the occasion on Saturday, 23 March 2013 the Chosen Messenger of our times, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius spoke at length about the sacred, foundational prophecies that undergird the belief about the coming of Divine Messengers/Massihs’/Mahdis’ in the Latter Days of Islam. The speech beautifully captures the essence of Divine prophecies foretold in the sacred writings of Muslims, Christians and the seers of other religious. It demonstrates how these prophecies have been fulfilled in the times of the Promised Massih (as) and also reflects on their contemporary significance. The spiritual outlook regarding the continuity of Divine revelations and the appearance of Divine Messengers in future, who will speak with the Holy Spirit, as emerging from the writings of the Promised Massih (as) and as discussed in the speech must be of special interest to devout Ahmadis.   

Read the Extracts from the Speech:

Today 23 March 2013 establishes 124 years since an event took place in the once unknown small village – Qadian – situated in the province of Punjab in India. It was an event destined to change the course of history. In Islamic literature, the Quran predicts a thousand years during which Islam will suffer an extraordinary decline.

“He regulates His command from the heaven to the earth; then shall it ascend to Him in a day the measure of which is a thousand years of what you count.” (As-Sajdah 32: 6).

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) has predicted that this decline will not begin until three hundred years after his advent: “The best century is the one in which I live, then the second and the third will be good, afterwards lies will spread, truth shall disappear; cruelty, excesses, differences and divergences shall appear”. (Miskat, Bukhari & Tirmidhi).

Muhammad (sa) and the Seal of Prophethood

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).