This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Khatm-e-Nubuwwat.
The Last Brick
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
إن مثلي ومثل الأنبياء من قبلي كمثل رجل بنى بيتا، فأحسنه وأجمله إلا موضع لبنة من زاوية، فجعل الناس يطوفون به ويعجبون له، ويقولون : هلا وضعت هذه اللبنة؟ قال : فأنا اللبنة، وأنا خاتم النبيين
"Someone built a beautiful and magnificent house but left a space for one brick in a corner. People would walk around this building, marvel at its excellence, and say, why was the space for the brick left empty? This is the example of the palace of prophethood; its last brick is me, and the first bricks are the previous prophets. After me, the chain of prophethood is ended, and I am the Seal of the Prophets."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 3535, Sahih Muslim: 2286/22)
This hadith has a deep connection with the finality of prophethood. Here, by saying قبلي, the Prophet (peace be upon him) made it clear that all the prophets who came before him came before him, and at the end of the hadith, he stated that after him, there will be no prophet. So this parable is for the absolute palace of prophethood, meaning that with the arrival of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the building of prophethood was completed, and now there is no room left for any new prophet.
Qadi Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him) (544 AH) writes:
فسر فى الحديث المراد بهذا المثل، وأن الأمر به تم والإنذار به ختم .
"The hadith explains by example that the chain of prophethood was completed after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and no one will come after him to frighten (warn)."
Reference: (Ikmal al-Muallim: 255/7)
Allama Ibn Hubayrah (may Allah have mercy on him) (560 AH) writes:
في هذا الحديث ما يدل على أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم تمم النقائص وسد الثلم، وكمل العوز، وليس هذا مما يدل على أنه مشبه فى صغر البنيان بموضع اللبنة من ذلك البنيان ولكنه شبه بأن البنيان تمم به، وكمل بشريعته ، فلم يبق بعده إعوان، ولا وراء ، نبي ، وكان صلى الله عليه وسلم الذى كتب له تكملة الأعمال كلها .
"This hadith indicates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) placed the brick in the empty space of the palace of prophethood, closing the cracks and fulfilling the need. This does not prove that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was likened to a small empty space in the building of prophethood, but rather he was likened to the one through whom the building of prophethood was completed and perfected by his Shariah. Therefore, no need remains, nor will there be any prophet after him. All deeds for the Prophet (peace be upon him) have been completed."
Reference: (Al-Ifsah 'an Ma'ani al-Sihah: 407/6)
Hafiz Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) (676 AH) writes:
فيه فضيلته صلى الله عليه وسلم وأنه خاتم النبيين .
"This explains the excellence of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that he is the Seal of the Prophets."
Reference: (Sharh Sahih Muslim: 51/15)
Allama Barmawi (may Allah have mercy on him) (831 AH) writes:
لولا موضع روي برفع (موضع) على الابتداء، أو الخبر محذوف، نحو : لولا زيد لكان كذا ، و (لولا تحضيضية ، لا امتناعية، والفعل محذوف، أى لولا ترك، أو سوي موضع اللبنة، وبالنصب، أى لولا تركت موضع، فإن قيل : المشبه به واحد، والمشبه متعدد، قيل : لان الأنبياء كلهم كواحد فيما قصد فى التشبيه، وهو أن المقصود من تعيينهم ما تم إلا باعتبار الكل، كالدار لا تتم إلا بجميع اللبنات، أو أن التشبيه ليس من باب تشبيه المفرد بالمفرد، بل تشبيه تمشيلي، فيؤخذ وصف من جميع أحوال المشبه، ويشبه بمثله من أحوال المشبه به، فيقال : شبه الأنبياء وما بعثوا به من إرشاد الناس إلى مكارم الأخلاق بدار أيس على قواعدم ورفع بنيانه، وبقي منه موضع لبنة، فنبينا صلى الله عليه وسلم بعث لتتميم مكارم الأخلاق، كأنه هو تلك اللبنة التى بها إصلاح ما بقي من الدار .
"لولا is either the subject or the predicate of a deleted subject. Like it is said: If Zaid were not, then it would be like this. Here لولا is a particle of emphasis, not negation, and its verb is omitted. The meaning is: why was the space for the brick left, or why was it not placed in the space for the brick? If it is said that its similitude has more than one simile, the answer is that in the simile all the prophets are like a singular individual. The purpose of specifying the prophets is that the completion of the palace was through all the prophets, just as a house is built by joining bricks. Or the answer is that here a singular is not likened to a singular, but this is a metaphorical simile, so the attribute common to all the individuals of the simile is likened to the same attribute of the simile. Therefore, it will be said that the guidance towards the noble morals of the prophets is likened to a house that is established on its foundations and its building is lofty but has a space for one brick left. Then our Prophet (peace be upon him) was sent to complete the noble moral values, as if he is that brick with which the rest of the building was completed."
Reference: (Al-Lami' al-Subih bi Sharh al-Jami' al-Sahih: 120/10)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) (852 AH) writes:
في الحديث ضرب الأمثال للتقريب للأنهام وفضل النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم على سائر النبيين وأن الله ختم به المرسلين وأكمل به شرائع الدين .
"The hadith uses an example to explain and declares the superiority of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) over all the prophets and states that after him, Allah ended the chain of prophets and completed the laws and ordinances of the religion."
Reference: (Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari: 559/6)
