This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Khatm-e-Nubuwwat.
Review of Objections Raised Against the Belief in the Finality of Prophethood
Every Muslim believes in the finality of prophethood; whoever does not believe in the finality of prophethood is not a Muslim. This belief is established with certainty through explicit texts and the consensus of the Ummah, leaving no room for doubt. However, questions are raised about this belief, so it has been deemed appropriate to mention these objections and present their scholarly review, so that Muslims may come out of doubts and uncertainties and live under the life-giving shade of the belief in the finality of prophethood:
The Prophethood of Sayyiduna Umar ibn Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him):
It is attributed to Sayyiduna Bilal رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
لو لم أبعث فيكم، لبعث عمر .
"If I had not been sent, then Umar ibn al-Khattab would have been sent."
Reference: (Al-Kamil by Ibn Adi: 175/4, Al-La'ali al-Masnu'ah by Al-Suyuti: 277/1)
The narration is false.
Zakariya ibn Yahya al-Waqar Abu Yahya al-Masri is severely criticized.
Imam Ibn Adi رحمه الله says:
يضع الحديث .
"He used to fabricate hadiths."
Reference: (Al-Kamil fi Dhu'afa al-Rijal: 174/4)
Imam Al-Daraqutni رحمه الله says:
منكر الحديث، متروك .
"He is abandoned and his hadith is rejected."
Reference: (Sunan al-Daraqutni: 333/1)
Imam Ibn Adi رحمه الله says:
سمعت مشايخ أهل مصر يتنون عليه فى باب العبادة والإجتهاد والفضل وله حديث كثير بعضها مستقيمة وبعضها ما ذكرت وغير ما ذكرت موضوعات وكان يتهم الوقار بوضعها لأنه يروي عن قوم ثقات أحاديث موضوعات والصالحون قد رسموا بهذا الرسم إن يرووا فى فضائل الأعمال موضوعة بواطيل ويتهم جماعة منهم بوضعها .
"I saw the sheikhs of Egypt praising his worship, asceticism, and virtue. He narrated many hadiths, some true and some fabricated. I have mentioned some and not others. The accusation of fabricating hadiths is placed on the narrator named Waqar. He narrated fabricated hadiths from trustworthy narrators. The pious are known for narrating fabricated and false hadiths in virtues of deeds, and a group of them is accused of fabricating hadiths."
Reference: (Al-Kamil fi Dhu'afa al-Rijal: 176/4 - 178/4)
Imam Ibn Hibban رحمه الله after mentioning him in
Reference: (Al-Thiqat: 254/8)
says:يخطئ ويخالف .
"He makes mistakes and contradicts trustworthy narrators."
Hafiz Al-Dhahabi رحمه الله says:
ليس هو بالقوي فى الحديث، ضعفه أبو سعيد بن يونس .
"There is no 'Qawmi' in hadith, Ibn Yunus declared him weak."
Reference: (Tarikh al-Islam: 84/6)
He is also called a liar.
Reference: (Diwan al-Du'afa: 145)
Abu Bakr ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Maryam Ghassani is weak according to the majority of hadith scholars.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله declared him weak.
Reference: (Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 7974)
Hafiz Al-Dhahabi رحمه الله writes:
ليس حديثه بصحيح، ضعفه أحمد وغيره لكثرة حديثه .
"His hadith is not authentic; Imam Ahmad and others declared him weak due to narrating many rejected hadiths."
Reference: (Diwan al-Du'afa: 463)
Regarding this narration, Imam Ibn Adi رحمه الله says:
هذا عن بلال بهذا الإسناد غير محفوظ وإنما يروى هذا عن عقبة بن عامر وبلال عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ومع هذا ما قلب متنه لأن الرواية لو كان بعدي نبي لكان عمر .
"This chain attributed to Sayyiduna Bilal رضي الله عنه is not reliable. This narration has also been narrated from Sayyiduna Uqbah ibn Amir رضي الله عنه and Sayyiduna Bilal رضي الله عنه from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, whose text is authentic."
Reference: (Al-Kamil fi Dhu'afa al-Rijal: 176/4)
Hafiz Ibn al-Jawzi رحمه الله says:
"This narration is not established from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم."
Reference: (Al-Mawdu'at: 320/1)
It is attributed to Sayyiduna Uqbah ibn Amir رضي الله عنه that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
لو لم أبعث فيكم لبعث فيكم عمر .
"If I were not sent among you, Umar ibn al-Khattab would have been sent."
Reference: (Al-Kamil fi Dhu'afa al-Rijal Ibn Adi: 334/5)
The narration is false.
Abdullah ibn Waqid Abu Qatada Harani is weak and abandoned according to the majority.
Imam Muslim رحمه الله called his hadith abandoned.
Reference: (Al-Kunni: 696/2)
Imam Abu Zur'ah رحمه الله said his hadith is weak.
Reference: (Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil Ibn Abi Hatim: 192/5)
Imam Yahya ibn Ma'in رحمه الله says:
ليس به بأس إلا أنه كان يختلط فى الحديث .
"There is no harm in him, but this hadith is confused."
Reference: (Tarikh Ibn Ma'in narrated by al-Duri: 383/4)
Imam Bukhari رحمه الله called his hadith rejected.
Reference: (Al-Tarikh al-Kabir: 219/5)
Imam Abu Hatim Razi رحمه الله says:
تكلموا فيه، منكر الحديث، وذهب حديثه .
"Hadith scholars criticized him; his hadith is rejected and weak."
Reference: (Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil Ibn Abi Hatim: 192/5)
Imam Nasai رحمه الله said "abandoned hadith."
Reference: (Al-Du'afa wa al-Matrukin: 337)
Imam Ibn Hibban رحمه الله says:
كان أبو قتادة من عباد أهل الجزيرة وقرائهم ممن غلب عليه الصلاح حتى غفل عن الإثقان فكان يحدث على التوهم فيرفع المناكير فى أخباره والمقلوبات فيما يروي عن العقات حتى لا يجوز الاحتجاج بخبره وإن اعتبر بما وافق الرقات من الأحاديث معتبر .
"Abu Qatada was among the worshippers and reciters of the Arabian Peninsula. He had a good reputation, but he became negligent in narrating hadiths, was prone to error, narrated rejected hadiths as raised (marfu'), and narrated inverted hadiths as raised even when narrating from trustworthy narrators. His narration is not reliable, but if it agrees with trustworthy narrators, it is acceptable."
Reference: (Kitab al-Majruhin: 29/2)
Imam Al-Daraqutni رحمه الله said "weak."
Reference: (Al-‘Ilal, quoted in Encyclopedia of Al-Daraqutni’s Statements: 382/2)
Hafiz Ibn Sa'd رحمه الله writes:
لم يكن فى الحديث بذاك .
"There was nothing in his hadith."
Reference: (Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd: 486/7)
Hafiz Al-Bazzar رحمه الله says:
لم يكن بالحافظ ... وكان يعلط فيلقن الصواب فلا يرجع .
"He was not a Hafiz, he made mistakes and when corrected, he did not revert."
Reference: (Musnad Al-Bazzar: 4855)
Imam Abu 'Urooba Harani رحمه الله says:
كان يتكل على حفظه، فيغلط .
"He relied on his memory and made mistakes."
Reference: (Tahdhib al-Tahdhib Ibn Hajar: 67/6)
Imam Saleh Jazirah رحمه الله says:
ضعيف مهين .
"He is very weak."
Reference: (Tahdhib al-Tahdhib Ibn Hajar: 67/6)
Imam Jariri رحمه الله says:
غيره أوثق منه .
"Others are more trustworthy than him."
Hafiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله writes:
هذه العبارة، يقولها الجريري فى الذى يكون شديد الضعف .
"Jariri رحمه الله uses this phrase for very weak narrators."
Reference: (Tahdhib al-Tahdhib Ibn Hajar: 67/6)
Hafiz Abu Ahmad Hakim رحمه الله says:
حديثه ليس بالقائم .
"His hadith is not authoritative."
Reference: (Tahdhib al-Tahdhib Ibn Hajar: 67/6)
Hafiz Juzjani رحمه الله says:
غير مقنع .
"His narrations are not noteworthy."
Reference: (Ahwal al-Rijal: 308)
Hafiz Al-Dhahabi رحمه الله says:
أحد الضعفاء .
"He is weak."
Reference: (Tarikh al-Islam: 104/5)
He is also called "abandoned."
Reference: (Talkhis al-Mawdu'at: 100/1)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله said "abandoned."
Reference: (Taqrib al-Tahdhib: 3687)
He also says:
متفق على ضعفه .
"There is consensus on his weakness."
Reference: (Tabaqat al-Mudallisīn: 55)
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal رحمه الله after endorsing him says:
أظنه كان يدرس ، ولعله كبر واختلط .
"I think he also practiced tadlis (concealment), perhaps due to old age he became confused."
Reference: (Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil Ibn Abi Hatim: 192/5)
Imam Ibn Adi رحمه الله says:
هو عندي كما قال فيه أحمد بن حنبل .
"In my view, his status is as Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal رحمه الله described."
Reference: (Al-Kamil fi Dhu'afa al-Rijal: 325/5)
Allama Mu'allimi رحمه الله says:
كان أولا متماسكا، حتى أثنى عليه بعض الأئمة، ثم فسد جدا فترك، فليس بشيء ألبتة .
"Initially, his condition was better; some imams praised him, but then due to severe memory deterioration, he was abandoned. Therefore, he is definitely weak."
Reference: (Al-Fawa'id p. 485)
Mus'ab ibn Sa'id Abu Khuthaymah, although truthful and good in hadith, is also a narrator of rejected hadiths, and this is among his rejected narrations.
Imam Ibn Adi رحمه الله says:
يحدث عن النقات بالمناكير، ويصحف عليهم ... والضعف على حديثه بين .
"He narrates rejected hadiths from trustworthy narrators and distorts them. His hadith is clearly weak."
Reference: (Al-Kamil fi Dhu'afa al-Rijal: 91,89/8)
Imam Saleh Jazirah رحمه الله says:
لا يعقل ما يقول .
"He did not even understand what he said."
Reference: (Lisan al-Mizan Ibn Hajar: 44/6)
Imam Ibn Hibban رحمه الله says:
ربما أخطأ يعتبر حديثه إذا روى عن الثقات وبين السماع فى خبره لأنه كان مدلسا وقد كف فى آخر عمره .
"He sometimes made mistakes, was a tadlis narrator, became blind in old age, and if he explicitly states hearing (sama'), his narration will be reliable."
Reference: (Al-Thiqat: 175/9)
Hafiz Ibn Qattan Al-Fasi رحمه الله says:
يضعف .
"He has been declared weak."
Reference: (Bayan al-Wahm wa al-Ilham: 86/2)
Hafiz Al-Haythami رحمه الله said "weak."
Reference: (Majma' al-Zawa'id: 101/3)
Imam Abu Hatim رحمه الله said "truthful."
Reference: (Al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil Ibn Abi Hatim: 309/8)
Hafiz Al-Dhahabi رحمه الله said "truthful."
Reference: (Al-Mughni fi al-Du'afa: 660/2)
After mentioning some of his narrations, he writes:
ما هذه إلا مناكير وبلايا .
"These narrations are rejected and confusing."
Reference: (Mizan al-I'tidal fi Naqd al-Rijal: 120/4)
Hafiz Ibn al-Jawzi رحمه الله says:
"This narration is not established from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم."
Reference: (Al-Mawdu'at: 320/1)
It is attributed to Abdullah ibn Jubayr al-Hadrami that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said to Umar رضي الله عنه:
لو لم أبعث لبعثت .
"If I were not sent, you would be sent."
Reference: (Al-La'ali al-Masnu'ah fi al-Ahadith al-Mawdu'ah: 277/1)
The narration is false.
◈ Abdullah ibn Waqid Harani is severely criticized, confused, and a tadlis narrator, as mentioned earlier.
◈ Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Utbah Ramli's endorsement is not found.
Also, the narration is mursal (missing a link).
It is attributed to Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
لو لم أبعث فيكم لبعث عمر، أيد الله عمر بملكين يوفقانه ويسيدانه فإذا أخطأ صرفاه حتى يكون صوابا .
"If my mission was not among you, Umar would have been sent. Allah has supported Umar رضي الله عنه with two angels who guide him to the truth, and if he errs, they turn him back to the right path."
Reference: (Al-La'ali al-Masnu'ah fi al-Ahadith al-Mawdu'ah: 277/1)
The narration is false.
◈ Ishaq ibn Najiḥ is unanimously considered a deceiver, liar, abandoned, and hadith rejecter.
◈ Ata' Khorasani has no meeting or hearing from any companion; this is a frequently transmitted mursal narration.
◈ Husayn ibn Abdur Rahman ibn Hamran.
◈ Isa ibn Marwan.
◈ Abdullah ibn Isa ibn Harun.
All three require authentication.
Sayyiduna Uqbah ibn Amir رضي الله عنه narrates:
لو لم أبعث فيكم نبيا لبعث عمر بن الخطاب نبيا .
"If my mission was not among you, Umar ibn al-Khattab would have been the Prophet."
Reference: (Al-Kamil fi Dhu'afa al-Rijal: 80/4)
He is very weak.
◈ Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Sa'id Ghazi, known as Ibn Nubi, has no recorded biography.
◈ Abdullah ibn Lahi'ah is weak, tadlis, and confused.
◈ Rashdin ibn Sa'd is weak according to the majority of hadith scholars.
Hafiz Al-Dhahabi رحمه الله writes:
قال ابن عدي : قلب رشدين متنه، إنما متنه لو كان بعدي نبي لكان عمر .
"Rashdin ibn Sa'd altered its text; the original text is: If there was a prophet after me, it would be Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه."
Reference: (Mizan al-I'tidal: 50/2)
It is attributed to Sayyiduna Uqbah ibn Amir رضي الله عنه that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
لو لم أبعث فيكم لبعث عمر بن الخطاب .
"If I were not sent among you, Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه would have been sent."
Reference: (Zawa'id Fada'il al-Sahaba by Al-Qutay'i: 676)
There is an ambiguous narrator in its chain, making it weak.
Hafiz Ibn Adi رحمه الله called it "inverted."
Reference: (Al-Kamil fi Dhu'afa al-Rijal: 175/4)
Hafiz Iraqi رحمه الله called it "rejected" and the hadith: لو كان بعدي نبي لكان عمر is known.
Reference: (Al-Mughni 'an Hamal al-Asfar: 1054)
Allama Saghani رحمه الله (650 AH) said it is "fabricated."
Reference: (Al-Mawdu'at: 77)
Allama Ibn Battal رحمه الله (449 AH) writes:
إن العرب تقول فى لو : إنها تجيء لامتناع الشيء لامتناع غيره، كقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم : لو كان بعدي نبي لكان عمر، ولا سبيل أن يكون بعده نبي كما لا سبيل أن يكون عمر نبيا .
The Arabs say about the word لو that it indicates two things are mutually dependent, meaning if one does not exist, the other does not exist either. As the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "If there was a prophet after me, it would be Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه." Since Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه is not a prophet, no one else can be a prophet.
Reference: (Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari: 42/3)
Allama Ibn al-Arabi رحمه الله (543 AH) writes:
إن العرب تقول فى لو : إنها تجيء لامتناع الشيء بامتناع غيره، كقوله عليه السلام : لو كان بعدي نبي لكان عمر، ولا سبيل أن يكون بعده نبي ، كما لا سبيل أن يكون عمر نبيا .
The Arabs say about the word لو that it indicates two things are mutually dependent, meaning if this thing does not exist, the other does not exist either. As the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "If there was a prophet after me, it would be Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه." Since Sayyiduna Umar رضي الله عنه is not a prophet, no one else can be a prophet.
Reference: (Al-Masalik fi Sharh Muwatta Malik: 293/3)
