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The Evidence
Section 3:
Issue of Khatam an-nabiyyin
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Translator’s Note:
The evidence given in the first two Sections is
sufficient to prove our case that we are Muslims. Nonetheless, we
did not rest content with just that, but proceeded to deal in full
detail with the various grounds cited by the defendants as to why
they consider us kafir. The bulk of the rest of the evidence
is of this nature.
The chief allegation against Hazrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad is that he denied that the Holy Prophet Muhammad was the
Last of the Prophets, and that he himself claimed to be a prophet.
The first point to note is that the term used for the Holy Prophet
in this connection in the Holy Quran is Khatam an-nabiyyin.
Throughout his writings, Hazrat Mirza affirmed in plain words
that he believed the Holy Prophet Muhammad to be the Khatam
an-nabiyyin. Not one sentence can be found to the contrary.
Hence, whatever may be said as to the interpretation of
this term, Hazrat Mirza cannot be accused of denying that the
Holy Prophet was Khatam an-nabiyyin. Therefore, he cannot
be called a kafir on this ground because what is required
for one to be called a Muslim is belief in the Quran as
revealed in Arabic, not belief in an interpretation of the Quran.
Accordingly, Section 3.1 gives
extracts from Hazrat Mirza’s writings to show that, using
the Quranic term Khatam an-nabiyyin, he expressed his full
belief that the Holy Prophet Muhammad was such. Section
3.2 shows what meaning and interpretation he gave to this
term. He clearly wrote many times that the meaning of the Holy
Prophet being Khatam an-nabiyyin is that after him no prophet
can come, whether a new prophet or one from the past. Holding
this belief, he obviously could not have claimed to be a prophet
himself, and in Section 3.3 are collected several
of his statements in which he refuted the false charge levelled
against him that he was claiming to be a prophet.
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3.1: Belief in Khatam an-nabiyyin
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and members of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at
Islam Lahore believe that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and the
blessings of God be upon him, is the Khatam an-nabiyyin. Hazrat
Mirza wrote as follows:
- “I believe that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
is the Khatam of the Prophets.” (Ainah Kamalat Islam,
p. 21)
- “I believe in the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
being the Khatam an-nabiyyin, and I know with perfect certainty
and I firmly believe that our Holy Prophet is the Khatam al-anbiya.”
(Nishan Asmani, p. 28)
- “I hold that our Messenger Muhammad mustafa, peace
be upon him, is the most excellent of messengers and the Khatam
an-nabiyyin.” (Hamamat al-Bushra, p. 8; new edition
p. 36)
- “I believe in God and His Messenger, and I also believe that
the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, is the Khatam an-nabiyyin.”
(ibid., p. 81; new edition p. 290)
- “My belief is that our Leader and Master Hazrat Muhammad,
peace be upon him, is the Khatam al-anbiya.” (Kitab
al-Barriyya, p. 182, footnote)
- “We believe that there is none worthy of worship except Allah
Almighty, and our Leader Muhammad mustafa, peace be upon him,
is His Messenger and the Khatam al-anbiya.” (Ayyam
as-Sulh, pp. 86 – 87)
- “As for belief, what God wants from you is that God is One,
and Muhammad, peace be upon him, is His Prophet and the Khatam
al-anbiya, and the greatest.” (Kishti-i Nuh, p. 15)
- “The finality of prophethood with the Holy Prophet is not
only due to his being the last in time, but also because all the accomplishments
of prophethood were completed with him.” (Lecture on Islam at
Sialkot, p. 6)
- “The age of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet, peace be
upon him, extends till the Day of Judgment, and he is the Khatam
al-anbiya.” (Chashma-i Ma‘rifat, p. 82)
- “I have written again and again that it is a real and actual
fact that our Leader and Master, peace be upon him, is the Khatam
al-anbiya.” (ibid., p. 324, footnote)
- “I swear by Almighty God that I am not a kafir. My
belief is: There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger
of Allah. And regarding the Holy Prophet, I believe [the verse
of the Quran]: He is the Messenger of Allah and the Khatam an-nabiyyin.
I swear to the truth of this statement of mine as many times as there
are holy names of God, and as many times as there are letters in the
Holy Quran, and as many times as there are virtues of the Holy Prophet
in the sight of God. None of my beliefs is opposed to the commands
of God and the Apostle.” (Karamat as-Sadiqeen, p. 25)
3.2: Meaning of Khatam an-nabiyyin
In his writings, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad has explained the meaning of
the term Khatam an-nabiyyin (or the synonymous term Khatam al-anbiya)
as follows:
- Having quoted the Khatam an-nabiyyin verse in Arabic, he
then translates and explains it in Urdu as follows:
“That is to say: Muhammad is not the father of any man from
among you, but he is the Messenger of God and the one to end the
prophets. This verse, too, clearly argues that after our Prophet,
peace be upon him, no messenger (rasul) shall come into the
world.” (Izala Auham, p. 614)
It should be noted that Hazrat Mirza has here translated the Arabic
term Khatam an-nabiyyin into Urdu as the one to end the
prophets.
- “The Holy Quran does not permit the coming of any messenger
(rasul) after the Khatam an-nabiyyin, whether a new
one or an old one.” (ibid., p. 761)
- “Our Holy Prophet being the Khatam an-nabiyyin is a
bar to the coming of any other prophet.” (ibid., p. 575)
- “‘Muhammad is not the father of any man from among
you, but he is the Messenger of God and the Khatam an-nabiyyin.’
Do you not know that the Merciful God has declared our Holy Prophet
unconditionally to be the Khatam al-anbiya, and in explanation
of this verse, our Prophet has said: ‘There is to be no prophet
after me’.” (Hamamat al-Bushra, p. 20; new edition
pp. 81 – 82)
- “The Holy Prophet had repeatedly said that no prophet would
come after him, and the hadith ‘There is to be no prophet
after me’ was so well-known that no one had any doubt about
its authenticity. And the Holy Quran, every word of which is absolute,
in its verse ‘he is the messenger of God and the Khatam an-nabiyyin’,
confirmed that prophethood has, in fact, ended with our Holy Prophet.”
(Kitab al-Barriyya, p. 184, footnote)
- “In the same way, by saying ‘There is to be no prophet
after me’, he [the Holy Prophet] closed the door absolutely
to any new prophet or a returning prophet.” (Ayyam as-Sulh,
p. 152)
- “After the finality of prophethood, no further prophet can
come in Islam.” (Raz Haqiqat, p. 16)
- “I firmly believe that our Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be
upon him, is the Khatam al-anbiya, and after him no prophet
shall come for this nation (umma), neither new nor old.”
(Nishan Asmani, p. 28)
- “The actual fact, to which I testify with the highest testimony,
is that our Prophet, peace be upon him, is the Khatam al-anbiya,
and after him there shall not come any prophet, neither old or new.”
(Anjam Atham, p. 27, footnote)
- “This news was given only by God Who sent our Holy Prophet,
peace be upon him, after all the prophets, in order to gather all
the nations under his banner.” (Haqiqat al-Wahy, Appendix,
p. 44)
3.3: Denial of claim to prophethood
Till the end of his life, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad constantly denied
the allegation that he was claiming to be a prophet, as shown below.
- “It is total slander by [Maulavi] Muhammad Husain [Batalvi]
to ascribe to me that I deny miracles and that I lay claim to prophethood,
and that I do not consider the Holy Prophet to be the Khatam al-anbiya,
God forbid. ... No, on the contrary, God is Witness that I believe
all these things, and as to those who reject these beliefs and practices
[of Islam], I consider them to be accursed and losers in this world
and the next.” (Majmu‘a Ishtiharat, vol. ii, p. 257)
- “Those people have fabricated a lie against me who say that
this man claims to be a prophet.” (Hamamat al-Bushra,
p. 8; new edition p. 36)
- “People did not understand my saying and said that this man
claims prophethood. But God knows that this saying of theirs is clear
falsehood. There is not a grain of truth in it, nor any basis for
it.” (ibid., p. 81; new edition p. 289)
- “By way of a fabrication, they slander me by saying that I
have made a claim to prophethood. ... But it should be remembered
that all this is a fabrication. Our belief is that our leader and
master, Muhammad mustafa, peace be upon him, is the Khatam
al-anbiya.” (Kitab al-Barriyya, p. 182, footnote)
- “I make no claim to prophethood. This is your mistake, or
you have some motive in mind. Is it necessary that the person who
lays claim to revelation should also be a prophet?” (Jang
Muqaddas, p. 67)
- “Ignorant opponents allege against me that this person claims
to be a prophet or apostle. I make no such claim.” (Pamphlet
Ayk Ghalati Ka Izala)
- “Can a wretched imposter who claims apostleship and prophethood
for himself have any belief in the Holy Quran? And can a man who believes
in the Holy Quran, and believes the verse ‘He is the Messenger
of God and the Khatam an-nabiyyin’ to be the word of God,
say that he is a messenger and a prophet after the Holy Prophet Muhammad?”
(Anjam Atham, p. 27, footnote)
- “Another stupidity is that, in order to provoke the ignorant
people, they say that this person has claimed prophethood. This is
a complete fabrication on their part.” (Haqiqat al-Wahy,
p. 390)
- “What ignorance, stupidity, and departure from truth, to say
that prophethood has been claimed.” (ibid., Appendix, p. 68)
- “In confronting the present Ulama, this humble servant has
... sworn many times by God that I am not a claimant to any prophethood.
But these people still do not desist from declaring me as kafir.”
(Letter to Maulavi Ahmad-ullah of Amritsar, 27 January 1904)
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