Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, is the Seal of the Prophets. This belief is explicitly proven by the texts of the Quran and Hadith. For a Muslim, the texts of the Quran and Hadith are sufficient proof for the religion. But it is the utmost mercy of Allah Almighty that He has established the fundamentals of religion not only through the legal texts but also through historical evidence so that the creation is given complete proof and
لِّيَهْلِكَ مَنْ هَلَكَ عَن بَيِّنَةٍ وَيَحْيَىٰ مَنْ حَيَّ عَن بَيِّنَةٍ
“so that the one who perishes does so after having been given clear proof, and the one who lives does so after having been given clear proof.”
Similarly, when we reflect on the history from the blessed time of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, to this present era, we find such historical evidences that prove that you ﷺ are the Seal of the Prophets. The purpose of our article is to mention these evidences. Identification of these evidences is required, not going into detail. Muhammadan
From Syedna Adam to Syedna Isa bin Maryam, all the Prophets entrusted the responsibility of implementing the Shariah to their Ummah at the time of their passing, but as time passed and later generations came, gradually corruption began to appear in the Shariah. Since the chain of Prophets continued, Allah Almighty did not promise the eternal protection of the Shariah of those Prophets, rather the responsibility of protecting the legal laws of this Ummah was given to the scholars. Therefore, when this corruption became so severe that the original face of the Shariah was distorted and humanity once again began to approach the ultimate limits of polytheism and misguidance, in such circumstances Allah Almighty would select another Prophet or Messenger who would begin to teach humanity their original nature, that is, monotheism and knowledge of Allah.
But since the Shariah of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, was revealed for all time, Allah Almighty promised its protection until the Day of Judgment:
إنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
“This is the Shariah We have sent down, and We will surely be its guardian.”
Before us is the reality of this promise. Fourteen centuries have passed, yet the Quran is being read around the world without a single letter changed. The blessed Hadiths of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, continue to benefit the people of the world to this day. Consider the means Allah Almighty has created for the complete protection of the Shariah:
The Rightly Guided Caliphs:
All the Prophets were given helpers (supporters) by Allah Almighty. But the role played by the supporters named Muhammad Rasulullah, especially the Rightly Guided Caliphs, in the protection of the religion was not played by the supporters of previous Prophets.
During his lifetime, the Prophet ﷺ explicitly declared the succession of the Caliphate after him. Now, when we reflect on the era of these Rightly Guided Caliphs, it becomes very clear how they made Islam dominant over all the major powerful nations of that time, and these personalities implemented the Shariah of Muhammad throughout the world.
During the Caliphate, not even the smallest negligence was tolerated in religious matters, and for the proof of any Shariah ruling, all stages of investigation, criticism, and consultation were present.
During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr Siddiq, the various parts of the Quran were compiled into one manuscript. Later, Uthman رضي الله عنه ordered the enforcement of the manuscripts according to a single dictionary, that is, the dictionary of Quraysh. Allah Almighty granted full acceptance of this order of the third Caliph among Muslims worldwide, which is a clear indication of the protection of the Quran.
Those who understand the secrets and wisdom of the obligatory Zakat know that this duty is a fundamental element for the peace, stability, and moderation of Islamic society. Soon after the death of the Prophet ﷺ, some people denied this duty and caused a great fitnah (trial) in the community. Imagine if the timely sword of Siddiq had not crushed this fitnah, how deep the cracks would have been in the strong structure of Islam. Similarly, the first Caliph was determined to crush the movement of Musaylimah the Liar.
Also, look at the strictness of Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه especially for the protection of Hadith, and generally observe the efforts of the Companions in the mirror of authentic history. You will surely say that these are the initial causes or historical evidences on the basis of which the Shariah of Muhammad has remained preserved to this day.
Reformers of the Ummah:
As time passes and we move further away from the Prophetic era, the spiritual condition of the Ummah is deteriorating, and this is an obvious matter. Obviously, the firmness in faith and belief during the time of the revelation of the Qur’an was not the same standard in later periods; rather, the decline increased with the passage of time. However, since Allah Almighty has destined that the laws of this Ummah remain alive until the end of the world, Allah Almighty has, from time to time, raised such individuals who, through their knowledge and practice, have kept the spiritual essence of the Ummah alive, due to which the Muslims have never faced a total downfall. The blessed saying of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, is:
ان الله يبحث لهذه الامة على رأس كل مائة من يحددلها دينها –
“Allah will raise for this Ummah at the end of every century those who will renew its religion.”
Summary of the explanation of Sahib Aun Al-Ma’bood under this Hadith:
’’رأس المائتہ‘‘ does not refer to the beginning of the century but rather to its end. The clear evidence for this is that Imam Zahri, Ahmad bin Hanbal, and other early and later scholars agree that Umar bin Abdul Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, was the reviver of the religion at the end of the first century, while Imam Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, was the reviver who came at the end of the second century. Umar bin Abdul Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, passed away in 101 AH, while Imam Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, passed away in 204 AH.
Revival of the religion means to revive those practices of the Book and Sunnah that have become weak and to enforce them, along with uprooting innovations and superstitions that have appeared.
It is not necessary that there be only one reviver at the end of each century; there can be more than one.
Imam Suyuti writes in Mirqat al-Su’ud:
There is consensus among the muhafizheen (preservers) on the authenticity of this hadith, including Hakim, Baihaqi, and Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on them. This same statement has been narrated by Imam Al-Qummi in Sharh al-Jami’ al-Saghir from his teacher.
Imam Suyuti has mentioned the names of the revivers who came up to his time in his poetic work “تحفتہ المهتدین باخبار المحد دین“.
The author of ‘Aun al-Ma’bud’, Allama Shams al-Haq Azimabadi, may Allah have mercy on him, has mentioned the revivers who appeared up to the thirteenth century according to his knowledge. (انتہیٰ ملخضاً)
The existence of these revivers throughout the passing days and nights of history is an observational proof that the prophethood of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, will remain illuminated on the horizon of the world until the Day of Judgment. واللہ الحمد
The Group of Mansurah:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: لايزال من امتى امة قائز : بامر الله لا يضرُهم من كذبهم ولا من خذلهم حتى یاتی امر الله وهم على كذالك۔
“A group from my Ummah will always remain steadfast on the religion of Allah. Those who reject them and those who abandon supporting them will not harm them. Allah’s command (the Day of Judgment) will come while these people remain steadfast on the true religion.”
Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, while discussing this hadith in his Sharh Muslim, writes:
This hadith is a clear miracle of the truthfulness of prophethood. Because a group characterized by this trait has, by the grace of Allah, existed from the time of the Prophet ﷺ until today, and this group will remain steadfast until the coming of Allah’s command (the Day of Judgment or near the Day of Judgment) mentioned in the hadith.
History testifies that in every era, the people of truth have existed who, with the sword, pen, and tongue, have washed away the artificial structures of falsehood like sand, and falsehood has never been able to spread completely throughout the entire Ummah.
Imam Bukhari identified this group as the people of knowledge.
(1) Their Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al-Madani has referred to this group as Ahl al-Hadith, (1) صحیح البخاری کتاب الاعتصام بالكتاب والسنة، باب قول النبی ﷺ لاتزال طائفة — الحديث
(2) While Ahmad bin Hanbal’s words are that if this group is not Ahl al-Hadith, then I do not know which other group it could be.
(3) This group, in the true sense, is the inheritor of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Their existence in every era is a clear proof of the finality of prophethood, and ان شاء اللہ these people will continue to fulfill the right of the inheritance of prophethood until the Day of Judgment.
Practical Continuity (Amali Tawatur):
The religious symbols that Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, bestowed upon his Ummah have remained practically alive from the time of the Sahabah until today. Look at the annual gathering of Hajj, the fasting and worship during Ramadan, the five daily prayers, the system of Zakat, the rules of buying and selling, the restrictions on marital relations, the rights of individuals over one another and their mutual transactions; in short, all the manifestations of social and individual life have existed wholly or partially from the Prophetic era until today. In the nineteen histories of fourteen centuries, you cannot find any period in which any religious symbol has been completely suspended. The Shariah of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, continues to shine throughout the world today, and this light will never dim until the Day of Judgment.
In the Quranic Scriptures:
Allah Almighty has granted the Uthmani Mushaf acceptance throughout the world, creating a tangible means for the preservation of the Quran, and this continuous chain has persisted with consistency until today. The truthfulness of the prophethood of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, is a miracle that has remained a challenge for the entire world from that time until now, which no one collectively can break. This challenge will remain until the Day of Judgment. The existence of this book revealed to the Seal of the Prophets ﷺ is a proof for the continuity of the Muhammadan Shariah, and to deny it is equivalent to denying the sun in broad daylight.
Quran in the Hearts:
From the time of the revelation of the Quran until today, countless hearts have been protecting this divine light in every era. The memorization of a book from beginning to end, word for word, in the exact same order by millions of people is a unique characteristic of the Holy Quran. No other book in the world is honored with this distinction.
If one reflects, this reason for preservation is stronger than the first reason because it is conceivable that due to some accident, a written document might be lost or humanity might be forcibly kept away from it, but this trust of Allah cannot be snatched away from the hearts of millions of people.
Muhaddithin:
The hadith of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, is the Shariah, and considering the importance of the source of Shariah, the Companions did not spare any effort in its preservation. Then the Tabi‘in and after them the group of Muhaddithin continued this chain. As a result, by the grace of Allah, the legacy of Prophethood is preserved with us today.
Look at the efforts of the Muhaddithin in the course of history. The chain of narration is a special feature of this Ummah, and it is the Muhaddithin who have made this chain as pure as gold by dedicating all their energies to provide the Ummah with a direct measure to distinguish between authentic and weak chains of narration, so much so that even fair-minded non-Muslims cannot hide their envy and longing for this invaluable treasure of the Muslims.
Study the conditions and extremely strict principles of the Muhaddithin for the proof of any hadith. The principles of the Muhaddithin are like a fortified iron wall that no falsehood, even if it comes in the form of Gog and Magog, can break through, let alone make a hole in it; it is beyond their reach.
حتی یلج الجمل فی سم الخياط
The Muhaddithin are the shining stars of the sky of Prophethood. It is from these stars that the secret of the beauty of the sky is revealed.
These stars guide the lost to their destination, and they are the protectors of the sky to limit the reach of devils until the Day of Judgment. Any devil who, in his arrogance, tries to touch the sky will be burned by them continuously.
The Muhaddithin have entrusted the keys to the treasures of the truthfulness of Prophethood to the Ummah, by which the people of the Ummah have benefited from the light of Prophethood until today. These same Muhaddithin have established a standard before the people of the world such that the deceivers and liars who try to touch the sky of Prophethood remain disgraced and provide a lesson for the world forever.
Indeed, the existence of the Muhaddithin is a clear sign for the continuity of the Prophethood of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Jawaami’ al-Kalim:
You ﷺ said:
“I have been sent with comprehensive meanings of words.”
Meaning, Allah Almighty granted you the power of eloquence and fluency such that a few words from your noble tongue were sufficient to determine many meanings, wisdoms, commands and prohibitions, halal and haram, and other rulings.
Jawami’ al-Kalim is one of these six special qualities of yours ﷺ that no other prophet or messenger received before you, as explicitly stated in the mentioned hadith.
The conditions of the world are rapidly changing; new types of issues are emerging. The advancement of science and media that has reached us now has provided tools that centuries ago were unimaginable to the human mind. Despite all this, the heirs of Muhammad the Messenger ﷺ, the scholars, have always derived the Shariah solutions to all these modern issues from the Quran and Hadith, guiding the Ummah of Muhammad. All these are blessings of Jawami’ al-Kalim, which is a miracle of yours ﷺ that will remain until the Day of Judgment, so the Ummah will never need any other or new Shariah.
Here is a sincere invitation to those Muslims who verbally accept Muhammad the Messenger ﷺ as the Seal of the Prophets but repeatedly say, “You cannot solve all Shariah issues from the Quran and Hadith.”
By Allah Almighty, no Muslim who accepts Muhammad the Messenger ﷺ as the Seal of the Prophets can ever make such a claim because the purpose of this claim is that the Quran and Hadith are incomplete.
اعاذنا اللہ منہ
Warning:
The confirmation of Ijma’ (consensus) and Qiyas (analogy) as Shariah evidences is present in the Quran and Hadith. For details, see Dr. Abdul Karim Zaidan’s “Al-Wajeez fi Usool al-Fiqh” discussions on “Ijma’” and “Qiyas.”
Therefore, the primary sources of Shariah are the Quran and Hadith, while Ijma’ and Qiyas are their secondary sources.
Complete Code of Life :
Whether human life is social or individual, the Shariah of Islam has provided guidance on all its aspects. There is no single aspect of the necessities of life that Shariah has overlooked.
What are the demands of human nature? What is the secret of the survival of humanity? In which principles is its welfare and well-being embedded? Should its family, regional, and national level relations and affairs be within a certain scope? Is there a balanced path through which a person expends his energies in such a way that while gaining personal benefits, other people remain protected from any kind of harm as a result of his activities?
If you study attentively the objectives and secrets of the religion given by Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, you will find answers to all these questions.
Islam has obligated a Muslim to perform certain acts of worship to remain connected with his Lord, but it has not absolutely prohibited him from seeking worldly gains. Neither is there such excessive severity that a person becomes weary and disgusted, nor is there such freedom that a person becomes absolutely sovereign, subjugates the dominion of his true Creator to his own self, and makes life unbearable for others through his tyranny.
Tell me, is there even the slightest deficiency in this system for which we should await any other code for its completion?
Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, is the Seal of the Prophets. After the way of life given by him, there is absolutely no need for any new system.
Warning:
The descent of Jesus (peace be upon him) and the emergence of the Mahdi aim to practically implement the Muhammadan Shariah throughout the world, not to alter its principles and laws. Therefore, the descent of Jesus (peace be upon him) and the emergence of the Mahdi are indeed among the evidences of the finality of prophethood of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم.
Claimants of Prophethood:
The commentator of Aqeedah Tahawiyyah, Qazi Ali bin Ali Al-Dimashqi, on page 94 (Muhtazab), while discussing the finality of Prophethood, writes:
’’لان الله تعالى لما اعبر انه عالم النبيين فمن المحال ان بان مدع يدعى النبوة ولا تظهر امارة كذبه ل دعواه‘‘
’’Since Allah Almighty has declared the completion of the chain of Prophethood upon Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, it is not possible for anyone after you ﷺ to claim Prophethood without signs of falsehood appearing before the people regarding that person.’’
Qazi Ali bin Ali, may Allah have mercy on him, is one hundred percent correct. From Aswad Ansi and Musaylimah the Liar to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani and Riyaz Ahmad who called himself Gohar Shahi, look at the lives and ends of all these claimants of Prophethood. Can any of these people be compared to any one of the Prophets from Sayyidna Adam to Sayyidna Muhammad ﷺ? The lives of all these Prophets were exemplary for the rest of humanity; Allah Almighty blessed them with impeccable character. There was not even a trace of worldly greed in their lives. They confirmed their words through their actions. The Prophets always prevailed over their opponents in the field of arguments. Allah Almighty declared their truthfulness through various miracles.
Do you find any of these qualities in the lives of those liars who claimed Prophethood? Far from possessing the attributes of Prophethood, these people stained their lives with such filthy deeds that even an ordinary person’s hair would stand on end at the thought of them.
The reality is that these very claimants themselves serve as a lesson to confirm the finality of Prophethood upon Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and these liars have only strengthened this belief in the Ummah of Muhammad by adding another knot of firmness that:
Since Amina, no mother has given birth to such a perfect human being who is a follower of all the beautiful attributes of humanity. That great human being whose speech is Shariah, so silence is also Shariah; whose smile is considered religion, so tears are also religion. Just as Shariah is formed from his happiness, so too laws of Shariah are established from his anger. Whose waking is Shariah, so sleeping is also Shariah; when he eats, it becomes Shariah; when he drinks, it becomes Shariah; to the extent that every step taken by this sacred being for human needs becomes a manifestation of Shariah.
Since Amina, no mother has given birth to such a perfect human being who was unlettered yet left behind an ocean of knowledge when he departed from this world. Whose every moment of life, despite the passage of a long time, shines like a clear and transparent mirror. Like the full moon on the fourteenth night, which, despite being thousands of miles away from the earth, spreads its light over all the inhabitants of the earth; however, even that moon has a flaw that it disappears after a few hours, but the light of my Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, will continue to spread its radiance on the walls of the Day of Judgment. Yes! Since Amina, no mother has given birth to such a perfect human being. ———— My pen, which is sowing these few words of love and reverence, does not have eyes to shed tears!
وصلى الله على خير خلقه محمد و على آله وصحبه اجمعين !
