This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Khatm-e-Nubuwwat.
Meaning of Muqfi
One of the names of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is Muqaffi, which is synonymous with 'Aaqib'. Please observe the explanations of the linguists and the noble hadith scholars, may Allah have mercy on them.
Abu Mansur Azhari, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 370 AH), writes:
قال شمر : المقفي نحو العاقب، وهو المولي الناهب؛ يقال : قفى عليه، أى : ذهب به، فكأن المعنى أنه آخر الأنبياء، فإذا قفى فلا نبي بعده، قال : والمقفي : المتبع للنبيين .
"(Imam al-Lugha) Shammar (bin Hamdawiyah, may Allah have mercy on him, d. 255 AH) says that Muqaffi is synonymous with Aaqib, meaning the one who ends or concludes. In Arabic, قفّي عليه means: so-and-so ended or finished something. Therefore, مقفي means that the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the last Prophet; after him, there is no Prophet. You came after all the Prophets."
Reference: (Tahdhib al-Lugha: 247/9)
Allama Zamakhshari, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 538 AH), writes:
أنا المقني، عقبه وقفاه : بمعنى : إذا أتى بعده يعني أنه آخر الأنبياء عليهم السلام .
"Muqaffi means that the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ came after the Prophets; coming after the Prophets means that you ﷺ are the last Prophet."
Reference: (Al-Fa'iq fi Gharib al-Hadith: 10/3)
Qadi Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 544 AH), writes:
أنا المقفي، فمعناه معنى العاقب، قال شمر : هما بمعنى، يقال : قفى عليه ، أى ذهب به ، فكان معناه : أنا آخر الأنبياء، وقال ابن الأعرابي : المقفي المتبع للنبيين .
"I am Muqaffi, which is synonymous with Aaqib. Imam al-Lugha Shammar, may Allah have mercy on him, says Muqaffi is synonymous with Aaqib, meaning the one who ends or concludes. In Arabic, قفى عليه means: so-and-so ended or finished something. So, Muqaffi means that the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the last Prophet; after him, there is no Prophet. Ibn al-A'rabi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: You ﷺ came after all the Prophets."
Reference: (Ikmal al-Mu'allim: 322/7)
Allama Ibn Qarqool, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 569 AH), writes:
قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم : وأنا المقفي، هو الذى ليس بعده نبي، وقيل : المتبع آثار من قبله من الأنبياء، وقد جاء فى الحديث مفسرا : الذى ليس بعدي نبي .
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: I am Muqaffi. Muqaffi means one after whom there is no Prophet. Muqaffi is also interpreted as the one who comes after the earlier Prophets. The explanation and interpretation of this word come in the hadith: الذي ليس بعدي نبي There is no Prophet after me."
Reference: (Mutala' al-Anwar: 393/5)
Allama Ibn Athir, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 606 AH), writes:
في أسمائه عليه الصلاة والسلام المقفي، هو المولي الذاهب، وقد قفى يقني فهو مقف، يعني أنه آخر الأنبياء المتبع لهم، فإذا قفى، فلا نبي بعده .
"One of the names of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is Muqaffi, meaning the one who ends or concludes. It is a noun of the form 'Taf'il', meaning the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the last Prophet, and after him, there is no Prophet."
Reference: (Al-Nihaya fi Gharib al-Hadith: 94/4)
Hafiz Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 676 AH), writes:
قال العلماء : معناهما يحشرون على أثري وزمان نبوتي ورسالتي وليس بعدي نبي .
"Among the scholars, the meanings of these two words Aaqib and Muqaffi are that the Day of Resurrection will be in my Prophethood and Messengership because after me, there is no Prophet."
Reference: (Sharh al-Nawawi: 105/15)
Allama Tayyibi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 743 AH), writes:
المقفي، قيل : هو على صيغة الفاعل، المولي الناهب يقال : قفى عليه أى ذهب به، وكأن المعنى : هو آخر الأنبياء فإذا فني، فلا نبي بعده، فمعنى المقفي والعاقب واحد، لأنه تبع الأنبياء صلوات الله عليهم وهو المقفي لأنه المتبع للنبيين، وكل شيء يتبع شيئا، فقد قناه، يقال : هو يقفو أثر فلان أى يتبعه، قال الله تعالى : ثُمَّ قَفَّیْنَا عَلٰۤى اٰثَارِهِمْ بِرُسُلِنَا، وسميت قافية البيت بها لأنها كلمة تتبع سائر الكلمات وسمي القفا لأنه خلف الوجه، هذا أحد الوجهين فى تسمية النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم المقفي .
"Muqaffi is read as an active participle, meaning that you have ended Prophethood. In Arabic, it is said: قفّى عليه, meaning so-and-so ended or finished something. When you ﷺ passed away, there was no Prophet after you. Muqaffi and Aaqib are synonymous words; the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came at the end of all the Prophets. Everything that comes after someone is at the end of the first. In Arabic, it is said: يقفو أثر فلان, meaning he came after so-and-so. Allah's command is: ثُمَّ قَفَّيْنَا عَلٰۤى اٰثَارِهِمْ بِرُسُلِنَا Then We sent after them Our Messenger. The last verse of a poem is called Qafiyah because it comes at the end of the poem; the back of the neck is called Qafah because it is at the back of the face. One reason for naming the Messenger of Allah ﷺ Muqaffi is this."
Reference: (Sharh al-Tayyibi: 3684/12)
Allama Fayoumi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 770 AH), writes:
سمي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم العاقب لأنه عقب من كان قبله من الأنبياء أى جاء بعدهم .
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was named Aaqib because you ﷺ come after the earlier Prophets."
Reference: (Al-Misbah al-Munir: 419/2)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 852 AH), writes:
المقفي أى جئت فى أثر الأنبياء أخيرا .
"Muqaffi means that I have come at the end of all the Prophets."
Reference: (Huda al-Sari p. 175)
