By Muhammad Mbaye
(United Kingdom)
A challenge regarding the
title “Khataman-Nabiyyin”
I will now present to Imam Abdoulie Fatty, with the help of God, the topic of “Khatamun-Nabiyyin” which he excitedly quoted in many of his speeches and sermons to prove that the door of prophethood is hermetically closed. And in this manner The Standard readers will see the beauty of flowers of Ahmadiyyat by the grace of God. It is a universal fact that one cannot appreciate the beauty of another without being compared. So the beauty of a flower can only be realised when there are thorns around it. So, my dear readers, carefully ponder this humble gift of mine with an open heart. This is an opportunity for you to investigate this evidence and deliberate over the following arguments. As the saying goes in this Persian couplet:
“If you have nothing to say, nobody will bother you;
But since you have spoken, bring forth your arguments.”
And I entrust my affairs to God. Verily, God watches over His servants. (ch.40: v.45)
Now I turn to the subject in question.
Introduction of Surah Al- Ahzab
Now we shall take the famous verse of Khataman-Nabiyyin from Surah Al-Ahzab. In reality, this verse is at the centre of all discussions between Ahmadis and you or non-Ahmadis. This magnificent verse is as follows:
ما کان محمد ابا احد من رجالکم و لکن رسول اللہ و خاتم النبیین و کان اللہ بکل شیء علیما
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah has full knowledge of all things”. Al-Ahzab (33:41).
Our opponents like Mr. Fatty assert that this verse of the Holy Qur’an, Allah has referred to the Holy Prophet as Khataman-Nabiyyin, which means “the last of the Prophets.” He understands the title Khatamun-Nabiyyin to infer a meaning of last, final, end or bringing to a close all of the Prophets. However, Ahmadis believe that this magnificent verse of the Holy Qur’an is a spiritual crown as it were, which has been placed on the head of our King and Master, Prophet Muhammad (saw). We believe that in this verse, Allah the Almighty has honoured our beloved Master with an appellation the like of which has not been afforded to anyone else in the world. We do not believe that in this verse the title Khatamun–Nabiyyin implies the end of prophethood as we know it. Such an interpretation not only contradicts other verses and the ahadith, but also defies common sense and logic. If Khatamun Nabiyyin is understood to mean “last of the prophets” as non-Ahmadis assert, we can easily refute this erroneous translation merely on the basis of rationality, even if we were to analyse the verse under discussion independently. This is because there is enough internal evidence present in this verse alone to conclusively establish that the meaning of Khatamun-Nabiyyin is not “last of the prophets’.
An allegation upon the Holy Prophet (saw)
It is a well-known fact by the decree of Allah, the Holy Prophet (saw) did not have any male progeny. All of the sons passed away at a very young age, and after his migration to Madinah, his son Ibrahim (as) also passed away in infancy. The enemies would often taunt the Prophet (saw) by saying that he did not have any sons, and after his demise his religious dispensation would also wither away. In Arabic the word used to refer to someone who is without male progeny is “abtar”. In response to the allegation, Allah revealed the following verses of surah Al- Kauthar.
“Surely, We have given thee abundance of good; so pray to thy Lord and offer sacrifice. Surely, it is thy enemy who is without issue.” (Al-Kauthar.v.108)
In these verses Allah has rebutted the allegation that the Prophet (saw) would be without issue and his religious dispensation would be uprooted after his demise, but remember that it is the enemies of Islam who would remain without progeny. However, this rebuttal would be nothing more than a claim, until and unless it is established that the Holy Prophet (saw) did not remain without issue, and was granted a male heir. On one hand in Surah Al-Kauthar, Allah has responded by saying that it is not the Prophet (saw) who would be without issue, rather, his enemies would confront this grim fate. On the other hand however, in Surah Al –Ahzab, Allah states that the Holy Prophet (saw) is not a father of any men. This appears to be a very clear contradiction between these two verses of the Holy Qur’an. How then can this seemingly apparent contradiction be solved?
A uniquely salient feature of the Holy Qur’an is that whenever it makes a claim, it supports its own claim with sound argumentation. If a claim is made in another verse of the Quran, its supporting argumentation can be found in another verse of the Holy Quran in great detail. This is why the scholars said, “The Holy Qur’an is such that parts of it are a commentary of other parts.”
In actuality, it is this famous verse of Khatamum-Nabiyyin that categorically affirmed that the Holy Prophet (saw) did not remain without issue and he is indeed granted a male offspring. It is this wonderful verse that explains and elaborates how the Prophet (saw) did not have any biological sons, but was indeed granted a vast male progeny – a spiritual progeny of followers and prophets. It is important to reiterate one fundamental point before explaining the true purport of this verse. If the verse of Khatamun-Nabiyyin was interpreted to infer that the Holy Prophet (saw) is not the biological father of any sons and prophethood has also come to an end with his advent, as non-Ahmadis assert, then as we have mentioned above, there would be a very obvious contradiction between the verses of Surah Al-Kauthar and the verse of Khatamun-Nabiyyin. The reason being that in Surah Al- Kauthar, Allah has responded to the allegations of the disbelievers by clearly stating that the Holy Prophet would not remain without male progeny, rather, his enemies would confront this fate. However, in the verse of Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Allah the Almighty has stated: “Muhammad (saw) is not the father of any of your men.” Furthermore, history clearly shows that the Holy Prophet (saw) did not receive any male children.
We ask our opponents that if a non-Muslim was to raise the objection that in Surah Al-Kauthar Allah claims that the Holy Prophet (saw) would not remain without male progeny, yet history shows that Prophet Muhammad (saw) did not receive any male children. This obviously means that the claim in Surah Al- Kauthar is merely a claim, and the Prophet (saw) (God-forbid) did in fact remain without issue and the allegation of the disbelievers was correct, what response then would our non-Ahmadi opponents provide? Of course, they would have no response, because they themselves believe that the verse of Khatamun-Nabiyyin negates the physical progeny of the Prophet (saw) and also brings all forms of prophethood to a close.
Our opponents interpret the verse of Khatamun-Nabiyyin to be a verse of complete negation, in which the male progeny as well as the future possibility of prophethood have been negated completely. However, if the verse of Khatamun-Nabiyyin is understood not merely as a verse of complete negation, but of the affirmation of some sort of male progeny belonging to the Holy prophet (saw), then the seemingly apparent contradiction between the verse of Khatamun-Nabiyyin and Surah-Kauthar is removed and the allegation of the disbelievers that the Holy Prophet (saw) would remain without issue is also conclusively refuted.
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