This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Khatm-e-Nubuwwat.
Distortion of the Quran and the Belief in the Finality of Prophethood
The Holy Quran demands from us that we accept it exactly as Muhammad (peace be upon him) conveyed it; the meaning and interpretation of the Quran is exactly what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) explained, and what the consensus of the Ummah understood. Now, understanding any meaning of the Quran that the Salaf (early generations) did not understand is misguidance and distortion of the Quran. Below are verses from which some people derive meanings that are neither in accordance with reason, nor with the language, nor with the Imams of the Salaf, nor with the Quran itself. The unequivocal principle of the Quran is that after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), there is no prophet. Now, deriving the concept of the sending of a prophet after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) from other verses of the Quran is itself against the Quran, which leads to contradiction in the Quran, whereas Allah says:
لَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا
"If the Quran had been from anyone other than Allah, they would surely have found in it much contradiction."
Reference: (An-Nisa: 82)
The absence of contradiction itself is proof that the Quran is the Book of Allah, and deriving meanings against the finality of prophethood from the Quran is like proving contradiction in the Quran. Similarly, the consensus of the predecessors of the Ummah, i.e., the Companions and the Followers, understood from the Quran that there is no possibility of the coming of any shadowy, manifest, or other prophet after Muhammad (peace be upon him). Consider:
Allah Almighty says:
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ إِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِي
"O Children of Adam! If there come to you messengers from among yourselves reciting to you My verses."
Reference: (Al-A'raf: 35)
This verse addresses the progeny of Adam until the Day of Judgment, but it does not prove that the chain of prophethood and messengership will continue in every era. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
ليس بيني وبين عيسى نبي .
"There is no prophet between me and Jesus (peace be upon him)."
This verse addresses the people of the intermediate period between the sending of Jesus (peace be upon him) and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). So, did any prophet come during that time? If someone derives from this verse the rule that a prophet must come in every era, then why did no prophet come in that intermediate period? It is proven that this rule is not established from this verse; rather, one prophet suffices for many eras after him. Similarly, the prophethood of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) suffices until the Day of Judgment, and there is consensus of the Ummah on this.
Allah Almighty says:
اللَّهُ يَصْطَفِي مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا وَمِنَ النَّاسِ
"Allah chooses messengers from among the angels and the people."
Reference: (Al-Hajj: 75)
This verse states that the selection of prophets and messengers is by Allah alone; it does not state that a prophet will be born in every era. He chose prophets as long as He willed, and then He ended the chain of prophets. This is proven by other verses of the Quran, hadiths, and the consensus of the Ummah.
Allah Almighty says:
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ 6 صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ
"O Allah! Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor."
Reference: (Al-Fatiha: 6-7)
Undoubtedly, prophethood and messengership are blessings, but it is not necessary that every blessing continues in every era, just as the revelation of the Quran is a blessing, but now its revelation is complete. Similarly, prophethood is a blessing, but now it has ended.
The honor and perfection of the finality of prophethood came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him); being the Seal of the Prophets is also a blessing.
Allah Almighty says:
وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا
"Those who obey Allah and the Messenger will be with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favor — of the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions."
Reference: (An-Nisa: 69)
It is completely wrong to argue from this verse that by obeying Allah and the Messenger, a servant can become a righteous person, truthful, martyr, or prophet. The companionship mentioned in this verse means companionship in Paradise, as the next part of the verse states:
وَحَسُنَ أُولَئِكَ رَفِيقًا
"Excellent are those as companions."
It does not mention becoming a prophet or shadowy prophet. Allah Almighty says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا
"Allah is with the righteous."
Reference: (An-Nahl: 128)
So, does this verse mean that Allah, may He be protected, is righteous? Because He is with the righteous? It is proven that companionship does not mean identity.
If this is taken to mean becoming a prophet through obedience, then everyone could become a prophet, even women.
Allah Almighty says:
وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا
"We do not send the punishment upon any people until a messenger has been sent to them."
Reference: (Bani Isra'il: 15)
The objection is that when punishment comes, surely a messenger must have come before it, so prophethood is ongoing.
From the verse, it is only understood that if there were no chain of prophethood and messengership, Allah would not send punishment, because punishing without establishing proof is against Allah's mercy. This does not mean that whenever punishment comes, a messenger must necessarily come immediately before it. The real purpose of sending a messenger is to establish proof. So, when the invitation of one messenger is present in the world, by which proof has been established, then the invitation of the first messenger suffices for punishment. We believe that the sending of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), is for the entire world and for the common people until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, with his coming, proof has been established for all those people wherever his invitation has reached, and the general proofs of the invitation have been explained. When the proof for the entire world is complete with his coming, there is no need for a new prophet to come for the punishment to come.
Reference: (Khatm-e-Nubuwwat by Muhaddith Gondalvi, pp. 65-66)
Allah Almighty says:
وَبِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ
"They believe in the Hereafter."
Reference: (Al-Baqarah: 4)
Here, the meaning of the Hereafter is taken as the previous revelation, which is completely wrong and against Quranic expressions, hadiths, consensus, language, and reason.
Wherever the Hereafter is mentioned in the Quran, it means the Day of Judgment, for example:
وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ
"And the life of the Hereafter is best and more lasting."
Reference: (Al-Ankabut: 64)
Allah Almighty says:
وَجَعَلْنَا فِي ذُرِّيَّتِهِ النُّبُوَّةَ وَالْكِتَابَ
"We placed prophethood and the Book among their descendants."
Reference: (Al-Ankabut: 28)
From this verse, it is argued that prophethood was placed in all the descendants of Abraham (peace be upon him), therefore prophethood is ongoing.
This argument is explicitly false; it does not mean that prophets will always continue to come, but it means that all the prophets who came after Abraham (peace be upon him) were from his progeny. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the last link in this chain; after him, the chain of prophethood ended. This verse does not mention that prophets will always continue to come. The verse also mentions the revelation of the Book, meaning that whoever receives the revelation of the Book will be from the progeny of Abraham (peace be upon him). This does not mean that the revelation of Books will continue until the Day of Judgment.
Those who argue from this verse that prophets will always continue to come are not willing to apply their argument to the next part of the verse, where they also accept that the Quran is the last Book.
Allah Almighty says:
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّينَ لَمَا آتَيْتُكُم مِّن كِتَابٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُ ۚ قَالَ أَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمْ إِصْرِي ۖ قَالُوا أَقْرَرْنَا ۚ قَالَ فَاشْهَدُوا وَأَنَا مَعَكُم مِّنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ
"Allah took a covenant from the prophets: 'I will give you the Book and wisdom, then a messenger will come to you confirming what is with you. Do you believe in him and support him?' They said, 'We believe and bear witness.' He said, 'Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.'"
Reference: (Aal Imran: 81)
From this verse, it is argued that every prophet who comes after is a confirmer of the previous prophets, so the meaning of Khatam an-Nabiyyin (Seal of the Prophets) will be "Confirmer of the Prophets."
This argument is also a distortion of the Quran. Allah Almighty says:
وَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ كِتَابٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِمَا مَعَهُمْ
"When there came to them a Book from Allah confirming what was with them."
Reference: (Al-Baqarah: 89)
So, does the last Book also mean confirmer of the Books? And will the chain of revelation of Books be considered ongoing? Those who interpret Khatam an-Nabiyyin as "Confirmer of the Prophets" and believe in the continuation of prophethood also accept the Quran as the last Book.
The meaning of these verses is that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) confirmed all the previous prophets, and similarly, the Quran confirmed all the previous Books.
After confirming the previous prophets, the Quran informed that no prophet will come after. Therefore, this verse proves that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the last prophet. There is no prophet after him.
Allah Almighty says:
هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ 2 وَآخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ
"It is He who has sent among the unlettered a messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error."
Reference: (Al-Jumu'ah: 2-3)
The meaning of this verse is that Allah sent a messenger among the unlettered who purifies their souls and teaches them the Book and wisdom. This teaching of the Book and wisdom is also for those who come after the unlettered because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was not sent only to the unlettered but to all humanity.
Allah Almighty says:
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا كَافَّةً لِّلنَّاسِ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
"And We have not sent you except as a bringer of good tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most of mankind do not know."
Reference: (Saba: 28)
All humanity includes all people of the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and after. Therefore, the meaning of this verse is that the teaching of the Book and wisdom is for the unlettered and those who come after. Taking this to mean that a separate prophet will be sent for those who come after is against this verse of the Quran, which states that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sent to all humans, and it is also against the verse of Khatam an-Nabiyyin, the hadiths of the Messenger (peace be upon him), the consensus of the Ummah, and nature. Therefore, this verse is a strong proof for the finality of prophethood.
Allah Almighty says:
قُلْتُمْ لَنْ يَبْعَثَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ رَسُولًا
"You say that after Joseph (peace be upon him), Allah will never send a messenger."
Reference: (Al-Mu’min: 34)
To believe that Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him) is the last prophet is indeed a kufr belief because this belief was fabricated by that nation itself.
Whereas the belief in the finality of the prophethood of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is stated in the Quran, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) himself informed us that there is no messenger or prophet after him. Therefore, in both these examples, the end is the last.
Allah Almighty says:
وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الْأَقَاوِيلِ 44 لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ 45 ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ
"If they attribute falsehood to Us, We will surely seize them by the right hand and cut off their life artery."
Reference: (Al-Haqqah: 44-46)
This verse is about a true prophet; it means that if a true prophet lies about Allah, then Allah will cut off his life artery. This verse does not mean that whoever lies about Allah will immediately have his life artery cut off; he will be punished and seized, but it is not necessary that it happens in this world; it can also happen in the Hereafter.
