This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Khatm-e-Nubuwwat.
Belief in the Finality of Prophethood: In the Light of the Understanding of the Ummah
Observe what the scholars of the Ummah have understood from the texts of the Quran and Sunnah:
◈ Imam Ajri, may Allah have mercy on him (360 AH):
Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Hussain Ajri, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
باب ذكر ما ختم الله عز وجل بمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم الأنبياء وجعله خاتم النبيين
"The statement of the finality of Prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon him, meaning that you, peace be upon him, are the very last Prophet."
Reference: (Al-Shari'ah: 1471/3)
◈ Allama Ibn Hazm, may Allah have mercy on him (456 AH):
Allama Ibn Hazm, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
قد صح عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بنقل التواتر التى نقلت نبوته وأعلامه وكتابه أنه أخبر أنه لا نبي بعده إلا ما جاءت الأخبار الصحاح من نزول عيسى عليه السلام الذى بعث إلى بني إسرائيل وادعى اليهود قتله وصلبه فوجب الإقرار بهذه الجملة وصح أن وجود النبوة بعده عليه السلام باطل
"Just as the prophethood of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, his name, and his book are established through continuous transmission, similarly, his being the last prophet is also established through continuous transmission. There is no prophet after the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, except that the hadiths about the descent of Sayyiduna Isa, peace be upon him, are authentic. He was sent to the Children of Israel, and the Jews claim that they killed Isa, peace be upon him. Acceptance of all these matters is obligatory, and the existence of prophethood after the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is false."
Reference: (Al-Fasl fi al-Milal wa al-Ahwa' wa al-Nihal : 68/1)
He further states:
هذا مع سماعهم قول الله تعالى : وَلٰكِن رَّسُولَ اللهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ وقول رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : لا نبي بعدي، فكيف يستجيزه مسلم أن يثبت بعده عليه السلام نبيا فى الأرض، حاشا ما استتناه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى الآثار المسندة الثابتة فى نزول عيسى بن مريم عليه السلام فى آخر الزمان
"Allah Almighty says: وَلٰكِن رَّسُولَ اللهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ but you are the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. Similarly, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said there is no prophet after me. Some people, despite hearing these statements, speak against the belief in the finality of prophethood. How can any Muslim affirm the existence of a prophet on earth after the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him? However, Sayyiduna Isa, peace be upon him, will descend; his exception has been correctly stated by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in authentic hadiths."
Reference: (Al-Fasl fi al-Milal wa al-Ahwa' wa al-Nihal : 138/4)
He also states:
قال تعالى : قُلْ اَبِاللّٰهِ وَ اٰیٰتِهٖ وَ رَسُوْلِهٖ كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِءُوْنَ 65 لَا تَعْتَذِرُوْا قَدْ كَفَرْتُمْ بَعْدَ اِیْمَانِكُمْ فهؤلاء كلهم كفار بالنص ، وصح الإجماع على أن كل من جحد شيئا صح عندنا بالإجماع أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أتى به؛ فقد كفر، وصح بالنص أن كل من استهزا بالله تعالى، أو بملك من الملائكة، أو بنبي من الأنبياء عليهم السلام، أو بآية من القرآن، أو بفريضة من فرائض الدين، فهي كلها آيات الله تعالى، بعد بلوغ الحجة إليه؛ فهو كافر، ومن قال بنبي بعد النبى عليه الصلاة والسلام، أو جحد شيئا صح عنده بأن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قاله، فهو كافر ، لأنه لم يحكم النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فيما شجر بينه وبين خصمه
"Allah Almighty said: قُلْ اَبِاللّٰهِ وَ اٰيٰتِهٖ وَ رَسُوْلِهٖ كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِءُوْنَ 65 لَا تَعْتَذِرُوْا قَدْ كَفَرْتُمْ بَعْدَ اِيْمَانِكُمْ O Prophet! Say, do you mock Allah, His verses, and His Messenger? Do not offer excuses; indeed, after believing, you have disbelieved. All these people are disbelievers based on the text. Whoever denies the teachings of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, upon which the Ummah is unanimous, that person is unanimously a disbeliever. Similarly, it is established from the text that whoever, after the proof has been established upon him, mocks Allah, any angel, any prophet, any sign, or any obligation of the religion, is a disbeliever. Because all these are symbols of Allah and the religion. To accept anyone as a prophet after the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is also disbelief, and whoever denies any hadith proven from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is also a disbeliever. Because he has not accepted the Prophet, peace be upon him, as the judge and arbitrator between himself and the opponent."
Reference: (Al-Fasl fi al-Milal wa al-Ahwa' wa al-Nihal : 142/3)
It should be noted that the mission of Sayyiduna Isa ibn Maryam, peace be upon him, as a prophet was only to the Children of Israel; however, in our Ummah, he will come as a reviver of the religion and will follow the Shariah of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
◈ Qadi Iyaz, may Allah have mercy on him (544 AH):
He writes:
أمكم بكتاب الله وسنة نبيكم وهذا كلام حسن؛ لأن عيسى ليس يأتى لأهل الأرض رسولا ولا نبيا مبعوثا، ولا بشريعة جديدة؛ لأن محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم خاتم النبيين، وشريعته ناسخة لجميع الشرائع راسحة إلى يوم القيامة، وإنما يحكم عيسى بها
"Sayyiduna Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him, will lead according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of Mustafa, peace be upon him. This is a beautiful statement. Sayyiduna Isa, peace be upon him, will not come as a prophet or messenger for the people of the earth, nor will he bring a new Shariah. He will follow the Muhammadan Shariah, peace be upon him, for Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the Seal of the Prophets, and his Shariah abrogates all previous Shariahs until the Day of Judgment."
Reference: (Ikmal al-Muallim bi Fawaid Sahih Muslim: 473/1)
◈ Allama Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him (671 AH):
Allama Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
ذهب قوم إلى أن بنزول عيسى عليه السلام يرتفع التكليف، لئلا يكون رسولا إلى أهل ذلك الزمان، يأمرهم عن الله تعالى وينهاهم، وهذا أمر مردود بالأخبار التى ذكرناه من حديث أبى هريرة، وبقوله تعالى: وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ ، وقوله عليه الصلاة والسلام : لا نبي بعدي ، وقوله : وأنا العاقب يريد آخر الأنبياء وخاتمهم، وإذا كان ذلك فلا يجوز أن يتوهم أن عيسى ينزل نبيا بشريعة متجددة، وغير شريعة محمد نبينا صلى الله عليه وسلم، بل إذا نزل، فإنه يكون يومئذ من أتباع محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم
"Some people say that after the coming of Jesus (peace be upon him), people will no longer be bound by Shariah, and if the people of that time follow Shariah, it will imply that Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was sent to them and warned them about Allah's commands and prohibitions. But this is a rejected and false view. It is wrong to consider Jesus (peace be upon him) as the bearer of a new Shariah. Read the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), and observe Allah's statement: وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ Similarly, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There will be no prophet after me. He also said: I am the last prophet to come. With these hadiths, it is impossible to think that Sayyiduna Jesus (peace be upon him) will come with a new Shariah; rather, he will descend as a follower of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)."
Reference: (التذكرة بأحوال الموثى وأمور الآخرة : 792/2)
