This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Khatm-e-Nubuwwat.
There is no prophet between Sayyiduna Isa (Jesus) عليه السلام and the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم
Sayyiduna Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
أنا أولى الناس بابن مريم، والأنبياء أولاد علات، ليس بيني وبينه نبي .
"My relationship with Ibn Maryam عليه السلام is the closest; the prophets are paternal brothers, and there is no prophet between me and Isa عليه السلام."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 3442, Sahih Muslim: 2365)
The words of Sahih Muslim are:
ليس بيني وبين عيسى نبي .
"There is no prophet between me and Isa عليه السلام."
Benefit: What is meant by the intermediate interval?
This hadith pertains to the interval between the mission of Sayyiduna Isa (Jesus) عليه السلام and the mission of the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, during which no prophet came. The narration that mentions a prophet between Sayyiduna Isa عليه السلام and the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is weak.
Some people have used this hadith to argue that there was no prophet between the mission of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم and the descent of the Messiah, but this is not correct; no evidence supports this, and the consensus of the Ummah is against this meaning. Even if we assume that this hadith refers to the period from the mission of the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم until the descent of the Promised Messiah عليه السلام, it does not affect the issue of the finality of prophethood, because:
◈ The hadith clarifies that the Promised Messiah is Sayyiduna Isa ibn Maryam عليه السلام himself, so any claim of prophethood before his descent would be false.
◈ The descent of Sayyiduna Isa ibn Maryam عليه السلام near the Day of Judgment from the sky is an established truth proven by the Qur’an, mutawatir hadiths, and the consensus of the Ummah.
◈ Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه narrates that on the Day of Judgment, people will go to various prophets for the great intercession, and they will also go to Sayyiduna Isa عليه السلام and say: O Isa! Intercede for us with your Lord regarding our judgment. He will say that he cannot help at that time and will instruct them:
لٰكن ائتوا محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم، فإنه خاتم النبيين .
“Go to Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم; he is the last prophet.”
He is present today, and the sins before and after him have been forgiven. Isa عليه السلام will say: Tell me, if a container is sealed with a seal, is it possible to access the contents without breaking the seal? People will say no, and Isa عليه السلام will say:
إن محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم خاتم النبيين .
“Indeed, Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is the last prophet.”
Reference: (Musnad al-Imam Ahmad: 248/3 and its chain is authentic)
Sayyiduna Isa عليه السلام gave a beautiful example to explain that just as it is impossible to access the contents of a sealed container without breaking the seal, similarly, for this matter, one must go to the sealed entity, who is the last prophet.
