Muhammad - The Final Prophet
Quranic evidence
i) “Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah is ever Aware of all things.” (Quran. 33:40)
One may argue the above verse refers to a messenger only, and that Mirzah is a prophet not a messenger, however it does not:
Most Islamic commentators agree that "messenger" (rasūl) refers to those who bring a divine revelation which includes a new doctrinal system, while a "prophet" (nabī) is one who explains ethical teachings on the basis of an existing religion. Every messenger is a prophet, but not every prophet is a messenger.
So to explain it simply, Muhammad did what all prophets did, he taught ethical teachings, he re-iterated that God is one, he said what all the past prophets said, BUT he also brought a book, a new message, so therefore he was a prophet but who also brought a message, hence he was a messenger. From this it is evident God means all messengers and prophets will be no more after Muhammad. For example, all cardiologists are doctors, but not all doctors are cardiologists. The term messenger is a more specific but encompasses prophets too.
ii) “…This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My Grace upon you, and have chosen Islam for you as your religion…” (Quran 5:3)
Why would God say he has PERFECTED this religion yet send another prophet after Muhammad. When something is perfect there is no need to touch it. Some may argue then why is God sending Imam Mehdi? Imam Mehdi will NOT be a prophet, he will not change Islam. He will be an Imam, a leader for the Muslims. Then some may argue why is God sending Jesus again? Jesus will not be teaching anything new, he will be sent to kill Da Jaal and to bring peace to the lands, he will be praying behind Imam Mehdi. Whereas Mirza Ghulam Ahmed has no role other than to be a prophet, which seems unnecessary as God perfected the religion of Islam with Muhammad. But to send someone again to fix the religion, means it cannot have been perfected in the first place. As Mirza Ghulam Ahmed tried to teach new things. Did Allah the almighty make his mind up that ‘This day have I perfected your religion for you’ but then he forgot to add some more things so sent Mirza Ghulam Ahmed?
iii) Hadith to prove Muhammad was the last prophet:
This section is very clear cut and important, backed by sahih hadiths. If after reading these hadiths, and Mirza Ghulam Ahmed turns out to be false, can one stand infront of the prophet pbuh on the day of judgement and say ‘sorry prophet pbuh, you were not very clear in your statements, I thought Mirza Ghulam Ahmed was a prophet, your statements were very confusing’?
A little about sahih hadiths- the science behind hadiths is that extreme scrutiny is used to qualify a hadith, in a very brief summary, how it works is like this, the name of each person in the chain of narration has to go back to the prophet pbuh. Then each persons personality is looked at, did they ever lie, were they practising etc. Then multiple chains of people from the prophet down to us is looked at, the more chains narrating the same hadith, the stronger the likelihood of that hadith. Then they also look at how the sahabas practiced as they would practice according to the hadith. A famous example was when Imam Bukhari was collecting the hadith from a pious person, he was observing this persons behaviour and witnessed him waving an empty bucket to heard his animals. When asked by Bukhari that why were you waving this bucket, the man replied I want to trick the animals into believing I have food for them so they follow me. On hearing this Bukhari decided not to take any hadiths from this man, as if he could lie to the animals he could like to men. This is how strict hadith collection was.
Below are hadiths about the final prophet;
"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 (literally, successors) will succeed me." Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib
Muhammad 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
"So I came and in me the line of Prophets has ended." Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada'il, Bab-ul-Khatimin-Nabiyyin and Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul-Manaqib, Bab-Fadlin Nabi and Kitab-Adab, Bab-ul-Amthal.
The very same tradition in similar words has been incorporated among other traditions reported by Jabir ibn Abd-Allah; and its last sentence reads, "It is in me that line of Prophets came to its final end." Musnad Abu Dawud Tayalisi
Musnad Ahmad contains traditions reported by Ubay ibn Ka'b, Abu Sa`id al-Khudri and Abu Hurairah on the same subject with a slight variation of words here and there. Musanad Ahmad bin Hanbal
Muhammad observed: "God has bestowed upon me six favours which the former Prophets did not enjoy:
1) I have been endowed with the gift of pithy and perfect speech.
2) I was granted victory owing to my awe.
3) The spoils of war were made lawful unto me.
4) The whole earth has been made the place of worship for me and it has become the means of purification for me also. In other words in my religion, offering of prayers is not confined to certain specified places of worship. Prayers can be offered at any place over the earth. And in case water is not available it is lawful for my people to perform ablutions with earth (Tayammum) and to cleanse themselves with the soil if water for bathing is scarce.
5) I have been sent by Allah to carry His Divine message to the whole world.
6) The line of prophets has come to its final end in me. Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah
Note the last statement. The line of prophets has come to its final end.
Muhammad 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
Muhammad states the chain has come to an end. Once again very clear.
Muhammad 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. (this hadith has been quoted countless times in many books)
Muhammad says above ‘...And i am the last in the sense that no prophet shall succeed me’. How clear is this statement yet we still question Allah and his Messenger?
Muhammad 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
Above the prophet says ‘I am the LAST in the line of prophets....’
'Abdur Rahman bin Jubair reported: "I heard Abdullah bin 'Amr ibn-'As narrating that one day the Holy Prophet 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.
Muhammed above says ‘there will be no prophet after me’.
Muhammad 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 someone receives an inspiration from Allah he will receive it in the form of "pious dream.". However Mirza Ghulam Ahmed claims to be the prophet and claims to have spoken to God and the angels.
Muhammad said: "If an Apostle were to succeed me, it would have been 'Umar bin Khattab." Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul- Manaqib
Note: ‘IF’ and apostle was to succeed me. IF, IF, and IF it happened it would be Umar bin Khattab. Not Mirza Ghulam Ahmed. Umar bin Khattab was a sahabah. And the prophet was trying to emphasize how amazing Umar was.
Muhammad told Ali, "You are related to me as Aaron was related to Moses. 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 Tabouk also. Musnad records two traditions narrated by Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas 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 report that on the eve of his departure for the battle of Tabouk, Muhammad had resolved to leave 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 Ali. Ali went to Muhammad and said: "'O Prophet of Allah, are you leaving me behind among women and children?'" On this occasion in order to set his mind at peace Muhammad 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 defence of Medina." At the same time apprehending that this comparative allusion to Aaron might later on give rise to heresies, as Aaron did become a prophet with Moses, Muhammad immediately made it clear that "There will be no Prophet after me." Abu Dawud Tayalisi, Imam Ahmad and Muhammad bin Ishaque
Thauban reports: "Muhammad 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
Is Mirza Ghulam Ahmed one of those imposters? The definition of an imposter is someone who convincingly fools people.
Abu Dawood in Kitab-ul-Malahim has recorded another tradition reported by Abu Hurairah in the same subject. Tirmidhi has also recorded these two traditions as reported by Thauban and Abu Hurairah. 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."
Muhammad 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." 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 prophet hood, it would have been `Umar.
Muhammad 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 last sermon of the prophet Muhammad which has been mention in almost all all books of Hadith. Sahih Al-Bukhari: “....O People, no prophet or apostle will come after me, and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O people, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Quran and my example, the Sunnah, and if you follow these you will never go astray.
A large number of such traditions of Muhammad have been reported by the Sahabah (companions) and a great many compilers have recorded them from authoritative sources. A study of these traditions shows that Muhammad 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 impostors and liars.
- There can be no authentic, creditable and conclusive interpretation of the words of the Qur'an, Khatam-un-Nabiyyin, than that given by Muhammad for the credentials of Muhammad need no proof and the authority of his words is unassailable. His words are authentic and a proof in itself. When Muhammad is explaining a Nass of the Qur'an, his explanation is the most authentic and a proof positive.