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by S. Abul A'la Maududi
In the Name of Allah,
the Most Merciful and the Most
Beneficent
"O people ! Muhammad has
no sons among ye men, but verily, he is
the Apostle of God and the last in the
line of Prophets. And God is Aware of
everything." (Surah Al Ahzab:
40)
This verse has been revealed in the
fifth Ruku' (para or passage) of Surah
al-Ahzab. In this Ruku' Allah has
provided answers to all those objections
raised by the hypocrites, which had
given rise to a storm of calumnies,
slander and mischief in respect of the
marriage of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) with Hadrat Zainab (may
Allah be pleased with her).
These hypocrites argued that Zainab
was the wife of an adopted son of the
Holy Prophet and by this connection she
stood in the position of the Prophet's
daughter in-law. Hence, after her
divorce from Zaid, the Prophet had taken
his own daughter-in-law as wife.
In order to refute this allegation
Allah told clearly in verse 37 that this
marriage had Divine sanction behind it
and was made to serve as a lawful
precedent for Muslim men to marry the
wives of their adopted sons after they
had been divorced by their husbands.
Later in verses 38 and 39, Allah
affirmed that no power could hinder the
Prophet from discharging a Divine
obligation. The Prophets are ordained to
fear God, not the people. It has been an
invariable practice of the Apostles to
transmit the Divine message without any
extraneous care and to perform the
duties enjoined upon them by Allah
without fear or hesitation. Afterwards a
verse was revealed which extinguished
the basis of all objections. In the
first place, they had charged "You
have taken your daughter-in-law as wife,
in contravention of your own law that
the wife of a son is forbidden to his
father."
In refutation of this charge it was
affirmed by the Almighty:
"Muhammad had no sons
among ye men..."
thereby making absolutely clear that
the man whose divorced wife was taken
into wedlock by the Prophet being not
his real son; the act, therefore did not
imply violation of it.
The argument of their second charge
ran thus: "Admitted that the
adopted son is not the real one, and on
that basis a father might lawfully marry
the divorced spouse of his adopted son,
but where was the compulsion for the
Prophet to do so?"
Allah affirmed in answer to this
charge:
"But, verily, he is the
Apostle of Allah".
The implication is that it was
Allah's mandate to the Holy Prophet to
wipe out all prejudices and declare all
taboos that pagan custom had
unnecessarily imposed upon the people,
as lawful. In this respect the Prophet's
action was unequivocal and left no room
for doubt. (see footnote 1,
below.)
In order to lay particular emphasis
upon this point Allah observes: (Khatim
Al-Nabbiyeen)
"And he is the last in the
line of Prophets,"
which means that no messenger nor
even a Prophet charged with the mission
of carrying out reforms in the sphere of
Law or society which might have been
omitted (God forbid) during the lifetime
of Muhammad (PBUH) will ever succeed
him. Since Allah ordained the ministry
of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be final,
it was, therefore, imperative that he
should accomplish the task of uprooting
this pagan custom.
Later the point has been further
emphasized in the revelation (Wa Kan
ul-Allahi Be-kulle Shai-in 'Aleema):
"God is Aware of
everything."
The true import of this revelation is
that Allah deemed it best to remove this
pagan custom through the agency of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and that Allah
only could take cognisance of the harm
that the perpetuation of this infidel
custom would have entailed. Allah was
well aware that the line of Prophethood
ended in Muhammad (PBUH) whose precedent
the whole ummah would follow, and had he
not done away with this custom, there
would arise no man comparable in status
to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who could
accomplish the task. And suppose a
reformer had arisen in later times who
would break this custom, his act would
not have constituted a universal or
permanent precedent for Muslims of all
ages and all countries to follow. No
other person that follows will embody
the Divine sanctity which attaches to
the person of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Hence the precedent of no man but
Muhammad has the potential of wiping out
the idea of all pagan customs from the
souls of men for all times to come.
footnote 1.
At this point those who deny the
finality of Muhammad's Prophethood (PBUH)
demand to know the tradition in which
this allegation has been reported. This
query in fact lays bare their ignorance.
The Holy Qur'an furnishes answers to the
charges of the mischief-mongers at
several points without actually
mentioning the charge. In each case,
however, the relevant text bears
unmistakable evidence as to which
allegation is being answered. In the
present case also the answer contains
the substance of the question. The use
of the conjunctive word "but"
at the end of the first sentence
presupposes that part of the question
had yet to be dealt with. The second
sentence, therefore, furnishes answer to
the remaining part of the question. The
first sentence had revealed to the
objectors the answer to their charge
that 'Muhammad had married his daughter-
in-law.' However, the second point of
the question "where was the
compulsion for the Prophet to do
so" still called for an answer.
This answer was provided by the next
sentence in the text.
"But verily, Muhammad is the
Apostle of God and last in the line of
Prophets of God."
The point may be further explained by
taking an illustration from ordinary
conversation. Someone says "Zaid
had not risen, but that Bakr has stood
up." Now this conveys the sense
that Zaid has not risen, but the matter
does not end there, as it gives rise to
the query, "If Zaid has not risen,
who has stood up then?" The
subordinate clause of the above sentence
"but Bakr has stood up"
supplies an answer to this query. It is
the same in the above case.
The Verdict of the Text of the
Qur'an
A group who has raised the heresy of a
new prophethood in modern times explains
the meaning of the idea of the
"Finality of Prophethood" as
the 'Stamp of Prophethood' thereby
implying that all prophets who would
succeed Muhammad (PBUH) will bear his
stamp and will attain to prophethood by
his seal alone. No one, in other words,
who does not bear the seal of Muhammad (PBUH)
will attain the status of Prophethood.
But the context in which the term
"the last in the line of
Prophets"
has been revealed in the Holy Qur'an
leaves no scope for such speculation. If
indeed the term
"last in the line of
Prophets"
does bear the meaning intended by
this group, then this term is surely out
of place in the context in which it has
been revealed. Furthermore, when the
term is charged with this meaning it
distorts the whole purpose of the
revealed verse.
In this verse God refutes the charge
and dispels doubts created by the
mischievous people about the marriage of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with Zainab (may
Allah be pleased with her), the divorced
wife of the Prophet's adopted son, Zaid.
Does it stand to reason to make a sudden
interpolation in this context of the
point that Muhammad (PBUH) was the 'seal
of Prophets' and that Allah had
delegated to him the authority of
attesting the bonafides of succeeding
prophets ?
This interpretation bears no
connection with the context-not the
least even and is contrary to the
purpose of Divine argument against the
heretics. If this interpretation were
true the non- believers might well have
argued: "There is no hurry in doing
away with this custom now. You might
safely leave this task for your
successor prophets who will bear your
stamp."
According to a second interpretation
of the idea of the finality of
Prophethood advanced by this group it is
said that the term
"Last in the line of
Prophets"
means the "exalted
Prophet." They further explain that
the line of Apostles will continue,
though the excellence of Prophethood has
been culminated in the person of
Muhammad (PBUH). This interpretation is
no less defective and harmful than the
other one. It hardly bears any relation
to the context and, in fact, conveys a
contradictory sense of the verse. Taking
this thread of argument the infidels and
hypocrites would have plausibly pointed
out, "Sir, there will be other
prophets after you, howsoever inferior
in status compared to you, to fulfil the
Divine mission, why must you take it
upon yourself to remove this custom
also?"
The Dictionary Meaning of the Word 'Khatam-al-Nabiyyin'
It is evident that the text can bear
one meaning and it is that
Khatam-al-Nabiyyin stands for the Finality
of Prophethood with a clear
implication that the prophethood has
been culminated and finalized in
Muhammad (PBUH). It is not only the
context that supports this
interpretation but also the
lexicography.
According to Arabic lexicon and the
linguistic usage Khatam
means to affix seal; to close, to come
to an end; and to carry something to its
ultimate end.
Khatama al-'Amala is equivalent to 'Faragha
min al-'Almali' which means 'to get over
with the task.' 'Khatama al-Ina' bears
the meaning 'The vessel has been closed
and sealed so that nothing can go into
it, nor can its contents spill out.'
'Khatam-al-kitab' conveys the meaning
'The letter has been enclosed and sealed
so that it is finally secured.'
'Khatama-'Ala-al-Qalb' means 'The
heart has been sealed so that it cannot
perceive anything new nor can it
forswear what it has already imbibed.'
'Khitamu-Kulli-Mashrubin' implies
'the final taste that is left in the
mouth when the drink is over.'
Katimatu Kulli Shaiinn 'Aqibatuhu wa
Akhiratuhu means "The end in the
case of everything denotes its doom and
ultimate finish." Khatm-ul-Shaii
Balagha Akhirahu conveys the sense,
"To end a thing means to carry it
to its ultimate limit."
The term Khatam-i-Qur'an is used in
the similar sense and the closing verses
of Qur'anic Surahs are referred to as
Khawatim. Khatim-ul-Qaum Akhirhuum means
"The last man in the tribe."
(Refer to Lisan-ul-'Arab; Qamus and
Aqrab-ul- Muwarid). (see footnote 2,
below.)
For this reason all linguists and
commentators agree that
Khatam-ul-Nabiyyin means 'The Last in
the line of Prophets.' The word Khatam
in its dictionary meaning and linguistic
usage does not refer to the post office
stamp which is affixed on the outgoing
mail. Its literal meaning is the 'seal'
which is but on the envelope to secure
its contents.
footnote 2.
We have referred to three lexicons here,
yet the elucidation of this point is not
confined to these works alone. All
authoritative dictionaries of the Arabic
language interpret the word Khatam in
the sense that we have given to it. But
the deniers of the Finality of
Prophethood in their endeavor to make a
sneaky assault on the religion of God
argue that if we refer to someone as
'Last of the Poets' or 'Last of the
Legists' or 'Last of the Commentators',
we do not necessarily mean that no poet,
legist or commentator will come after
them; rather we only mean to say that
all excellence of their act has been
concentrated in such men. The actual
position, however, is that when we do
use these exaggerated epithets for
someone we do not thereby replace or
remove the original meaning of the word
'Last'. It is preposterous to assume
that by its metaphorical use to refer to
the excellence or perfection of a man,
the word 'Last' loses its original or
real significance which is 'Final'. Such
an assumption can only be accepted by a
person who lacks elementary knowledge of
the rules of grammar. There is no
grammatical principle in any language by
which the metaphorical meaning of a word
may be taken as its real or original
meaning. Besides, the metaphorical
meaning in no case replaces or
obliterates the real and basic meaning
of the word.
When you tell an Arab 'Ja Khatam
ul-Qaum', he will certainly not take it
to mean that 'the perfect or the most
excellent man of the tribe has come.' He
will, on the other hand, take it to mean
that 'the whole tribe, even to the last
man, has come.'
There is another point to be
considered. Such terms as the 'Last
Poet', the Last Legist' or the 'Last
Narrator of hadith' are eulogies used by
men for other human beings whom they
deem to be perfect and excellent. Those
who use these hyperboles for other men
certainly can not say, nor do they know,
that people of such excellence will come
in later times or not. So in human
language these appellations are
hyperboles, but when God uses for a
person that such and such quality has
been culminated in him, there is no
reason to take it in the metaphorical
sense in the strain of human expression.
If Allah had pronounced someone as 'Last
Poet', he would have been last poet in
the literal sense of the word. If Allah
appoints someone as His 'Last Prophet',
there is absolutely no possibility of
any other person attaining to that
dignity after that.
God is Omniscient. Man has but
limited knowledge. This being so, how
can one construe the human praise of a
person as 'Last Poet' or the last of the
jurists in the same sense as God's
pronouncement of a person as the 'Last
Prophet'?
The Observations of the Holy
Prophet(PBUH) About the Finality of
Prophethood
The meaning of the word Khatam that
emerges out of the context of the Holy
Qur'an and which is the same as given in
all lexicons of the Arabic language is
also affirmed by the observations of the
Holy Prophet(peace and blessings be upon
him). We quote some authentic traditions
to illustrate the case in point:
- The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "The
tribe of Israel was guided by
prophets. When a prophet passed
away, another prophet succeeded him.
But no prophet will come after me;
only caliphs will succeed me."
(Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib).
- The Prophet of God (PBUH)
affirmed: "My position in
relation to the prophets who came
before me can be explained by the
following example:
A man erected a building and
adorned this edifice with great
beauty, but he left an empty niche,
in the corner where just one brick
was missing. People looked around
the building and marvelled at its
beauty, but wondered why a brick was
missing from that niche? I am like
unto that one missing brick and I am
the last in the line of the
Prophets." (Bukhari,
Kitab-ul-Manaqib).
(In other words, with the advent
of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the
edifice of Prophethood has been
completed and there is no empty
niche in this edifice to provide
room for another prophet.)
Four traditions relating to this
subject are recorded, in Muslim,
Kitab-ul-Fada'il, Babu
Khatimin-Nabiyyin. The latter
tradition contains the following
additional sentence. "So
I came and in me the line of
Prophets has ended."
The very same tradition in
similar words has been reported in
Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul-Manaqib,
Bab-Fadlin Nabi and Kitab-Adab,
Bab-ul-Amthal. In Musnad Abu Dawud
Tayalisi this tradition has been
incorporated among other traditions
reported by Jabir bin Abdullah; and
its last sentence reads, "It
is in me that line of Prophets came
to its final end."
Musnad Ahmad contains traditions
reported by Hadrat Ubayyi bin Ka'b,
Hadrat Abu Sa'id Khudri and Hadrat
Abu Huraira(may Allah be pleased
with them) on the same subject with
a slight variation of words here and
there.
- The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "God
has bestowed upon me six favors
which the former Prophets did not
enjoy:
(Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
- The Prophet of Allah (PBUH)
affirmed: "The chain of
Messengers and Prophets has come to
an end. There shall be no Messenger
nor Prophet after me." (Tirmidhi,
Kitab-ur-Rouya Babu Zahab-un-
Nubuwwa, Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat-Anas
bin Malik)
- The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "I
am Muhammad, I am Ahmad, I am the
effacer and infidelity shall be
erased through me; I am the
assembler. People shall be assembled
on Doomsday after my time. (In other
words Doom is my only successor.)
And I am the last in the sense that
no prophet shall succeed me."
(Bukhari and Muslim,
Kitab-ul-Fada'il, Bab: Asmaun-Nabi;
Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul- Adab, Bab:
Asma-un-Nabi; Muatta', Kitab-u-Asma
in-Nabi, Al- Mustadrak Hakim,
Kitab-ut-Tarikh, Bab: Asma-un-Nabi.)
- The Prophet of God (PBUH)
observed: "God Almighty
hath sent unto the world no apostle
who did not warn his people about
the appearance of Dajjal(
Anti-Christ, but Dajjal did not
appear in their time). I am the last
in the line of Prophets and ye are
the last community of believers.
Without doubt,then, Dajjal shall
appear from amongst ye".
(Ibn Majah, Kitabul-fitan,
bab:Dajjal).
- 'Abdur Rahman bin Jubair reported:
"I heard Abdullah bin
'Amr ibn-'As narrating that one day
the Holy Prophet (PBUH) came out of
his house and joined our company.
His manner gave us the impression as
if he were leaving us.' He said, 'I
am Muhammad, the unlettered prophet
of Allah' and repeated this
statement three times. Then he
affirmed: "There will be no
prophet after me'."(Musnad
Ahmad, Marwiyat'Abdullah bin Amr
ibn'-As.)
- The Holy Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him)
said: "Allah will send no
Apostle after me, but only
Mubashshirat. It was said: what is
meant by al-Mubashshirat. He said :
Good vision or pious vision".
(Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat Abu Tufail,
Nasa'i, Abu Dawud) (In other words
there is no possibility of Divine
revelation in future. At the most if
some one receives an inspiration
from Allah he will receive it in the
form of "pious
dream."
- The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: "If
an Apostle were to succeed me, it
would have been 'Umar bin
Khattab."
(Tirmidhi,Kitab-ul- Manaqib)
- The Holy Prophet (PBUH) told
Hadrat 'Ali, "You are
related to me as Aaron was related
to Moses(peace be upon him). But no
Apostle will come after me."
(Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab Fada'il
as-Sahaba)
This tradition is recorded in
Bukhari and Muslim in the account of
the Battle of Tabuk also. Musnad
records two traditions narrated by
Hadrat Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas ( may
Allah be pleased with him) on this
subject. The last sentence in one of
these traditions runs as follows : "Behold
there is no prophethood after
me."
Detailed accounts of the
traditions incorporated in Abu Dawud
Tayalisi, Imam Ahmad and Muhammad
bin Ishaque report that on the eve
of his departure for the battle of
Tabuk, the holy Prophet (PBUH) had
resolved to leave Hadrat 'Ali behind
him in order to look after the
defense and supervise the affairs of
Medina. The hypocrites thereupon
began to spread insinuations and
rumours about Hadrat 'Ali. Hadrat
'Ali went to the Prophet and
submitted : 'O Prophet of Allah, are
you leaving me behind among women
and children?' On this occasion in
order to set his mind at peace the
Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "You
are related to me as was Aaron with
Moses." In other words
"as Hadrat Moses on the Mount
Tur had left Hadrat Aaron behind to
look after the tribe of Israel, so I
(Muhammad) leave you behind to look
after the defense of Medina."
At the same time apprehending that
this comparative allusion to Hadrat
Aaron might later on give rise to
heresies, the holy Prophet (PBUH)
immediately made it clear that "There
will be no Prophet after me."
- Thauban reports: "The
Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: And
there will arise Thirty imposters in
my Ummah and each one of them will
pronounce to the world that he is a
prophet, but I am the last in the
line of the Prophets of God and no
Apostle will come after me."
(Abu Dawud, Kitab-ul-Fitan)
Abu Dawud in 'Kitab-ul-Malahim'
has recorded another tradition
reported by Abu Huraira in the same
subject. Tirmidhi has also recorded
these two traditions as reported by
Hadrat Thauban and Hadrat Abu
Huraira. The text of the second
tradition runs thus: "It
will come to this that thirty
imposters will arise and each one of
them will put forth his claim to be
the Apostle of God."
- The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed:
"Among the tribe of Israel who
went before you there indeed were
such people who held communion with
God, even though they were not his
Prophets. If ever there arose a
person from among my people who
would hold communion with God, it
would be none else but 'Umar (May
Allah be pleased with him)."
(Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib)
A version of this same tradition
in `Muslim' contains Muhaddithuna
instead of Yukallimuna. But then
Mukalima and Muhaddith bear
identical meaning i.e., a man enjoys
the privilege of holding direct
communion with God or a person who
is addressed by the Almighty from
the unseen. Thus we conclude that if
there had been any person among the
followers of Muhammad who could hold
communion with God without being
raised to the dignity of
prophethood, it would have been
`Umar.
- The Prophet of God (PBUH) said: "No
Prophet will come after me and there
will, therefore, be no other
community of followers of any new
prophet."
(Baihaqi,Kitab-ul Rouya; Tabarani)
- The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "I
am the last in line of the prophets
of God and my Masjid is the last
Masjid (referring the holy Masjid of
the Prophet)." (see footnote
3) (Muslim, Kitab-ul-Hajj;
Bab:Fadl-us-Salat bi Masjidi Mecca
wal Medina)
A large number of such traditions
of the Holy Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) have
been reported by the companions and
a great many compilers have recorded
them from authoritative sources. A
study of these traditions shows that
the Holy Prophet on several
occasions, and in various ways and
in different words made it
explicitly clear that he was the
last Prophet of God; That no prophet
would follow him and that the line
of prophets had ended in him.
Furthermore, those would claim to be
Prophets and Messengers of God after
his time would be imposters and
liars. (see footnote 4).
There can be no authentic,
creditable and conclusive
interpretation of the words of the
Holy Qur'an, Khatam-un- Nabiyyin,
than that given by the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) for the credentials of the
Holy prophet (PBUH) need no proof
and the authority of his words is
unassailable. His words are
authentic and a proof in itself.
When the Prophet is explaining a
Nass of the Holy Quran, his
explanation is the most authentic
and a proof positive.
The question is who else besides
the Holy Prophet (PBUH), to whom the
Qur'an was revealed, is better
qualified to comprehend its meaning
and to explain its contents to us?
And he who advances an alternative
explanation, shall we regard his
claims as worthy of our
consideration let alone our
acquiescence?
footnote 3:
Referring to this tradition
disbelievers in the Finality of
Prophethood argue that the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) called his mosque (Masjid) `the
last mosque' despite the fact that it is
not the last mosque, as countless other
mosques have been built after it all
over the world. Similarly when the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) observed: `I am the last
Prophet,' it did not mean that the line
of prophets had ended, but that Muhammad
(PBUH) was the last as regards his
excellence amongst the Prophets of God
and Mosque was the last one in the same
sense. Such foolish reasoning is an
irrefutable proof of the fact that these
people have lost the faculty of
perceiving the true meaning of the words
of God and those of His Prophet(PBUH).
Even a cursory glance through the whole
chain of traditions in the context of
which this particular tradition has been
recorded makes true import of the words
of the Holy prophet clear to any man. In
this context the various traditions
which Imam Muslim has recorded on the
authority of Hadrat Abu Huraira, Hadrat
`Abdullah bin `Umar and the mother of
the Faithful Hadrat Maimuna narrate that
there are only three mosques in the
world to which the greatest sanctity is
attached, and these are sacred above all
other mosques. Worship in these mosques
is rewarded with thousandfold blessings
in comparisons to offering prayers in
other mosques. It is because of this
reason that it has been declared lawful
to undertake a journey to these mosques
to offer prayers therein. No other
mosque, save these three, can claim such
sanctity that a person should make a
journey to offer worship there leaving
all other mosques. Among the three
mosques which bear the greatest sanctity
in Islam, the first one is `Masjid
Al-Haram' which was built by Hadrat
Abraham(peace be upon him); the second
one is the`Masjid al-Aqsa' which was
erected by Hadrat Sulaiman (peace be
upon him); and the third mosque is
`Masjid-i-Nabawi' in the Holy city of
Medina which was founded by the Holy
Prophet(PBUH). The observation of the
Holy Prophet in regard to `the last
mosque' should be viewed in this
context. The words of the Prophet(PBUH)
meant that no Prophet would come after
him, hence there would be no fourth
mosque after the last Masjid-i-Nabawi(a
mosque of the last Prophet). It follows,
therefore, that no other mosque should
bear such sanctity, that worship in it
should be rewarded with more blessings
in comparison with worship in other
mosques and further there shall be no
fourth mosque towards which it is lawful
or even desirable for people to make a
journey in order to offer prayers.
footnote 4
In contrast to the observations of
the Holy Prophet the deniers of the
Finality of Prophethood quote the
following words scribed to Hadrat
`Aisha: "Say, indeed, that the Holy
Prophet is the Final Apostle of God; but
say not that no prophet will come after
him." In the first place it is an
audacity to quote the words of Hadrat
`Aisha for contradicting the explicit
command of the Holy Prophet(PBUH).
Moreover the very words attributed to
Hadrat `Aisha are not authentic. No
authoritative work on Hadith contains
this observation of Hadrat `Aisha nor
any notable compiler of traditions has
recorded or referred to it. This
tradition is derived from a commentary
entitled Durr-i- Manthur and a
compilation of Hadith Known as Takmilah
Majma-ul- Bihar, but its source and
credentials are unknown. It is the
height of audacity to put forward a
statement of a lady companion in order
to contradict the explicit observations
of the Holy Prophet which the eminent
traditionists have transmitted on the
most authentic chains of transmission.
The Consensus of the Companions
After the Holy Qur'an and sunnah, the
consensus of the companions of the holy
Prophet (PBUH) holds the third position.
All authentic historical traditions
reveal that the companions of the
prophet (PBUH) had unanimously waged a
war on the claimants to the prophethood
and their adherents after the demise of
the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
In this connection the case of
Musailama is particularly significant.
This man did not deny that Muhammad
(PBUH) was the Prophet of God; he
claimed that God had appointed him as a
co- prophet with Muhammad to share his
task. The letter which had addressed to
the Holy Prophet just before the
Mussailama's death reads:
"From Musailma the prophet of
God to Muhammad the Prophet of
God(PBUH). I wish to inform you that I
have been appointed as your partner to
share in the burden of
prophethood." The historian Tabari
has recorded a tradition which says that
the `call to prayers'(Adhan) which
Musailama had devised for his followers
included the words, "I testify that
Muhammad is the Prophet of God."
Despite Musailama's clear affirmation
of the Prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH),
he was declared an apostate and
ostracised from the society of Islam.
Not only this but a war was waged on
Musailama. History also bears witness to
the fact that the tribe of Hunaifa (Banu
Hunaif) had accepted Musailama's claim
to prophethood in good faith. They had
been genuinely led to believe that
Muhammad (PBUH) had of his own accord
declared Musailama as his partner in
prophethood. A man who had learnt Qur'an
in the Holy City of Medina went to the
tribe of Banu Hunaifa and falsely
represented the verses of the Qur'an as
having been revealed to Musailama.
Though Banu Hunaifa had been
deliberately misinformed, nevertheless
the companions of the Holy Prophet did
not recognize them as muslims and sent
an army against them. There is no scope
here for taking the view that the
companions had fought against them as
rebels and not as apostates. Islamic Law
lays down that in the event of a war
against the rebel Muslims, the prisoners
taken in battle shall not be taken into
slavery. The law further requires that
even the rebellious Dhimmis, when taken
as prisoners in battle, shall not go
into slavery. But when military action
was taken against Musailama and his
followers, Hadrat Abu Bakr declared that
the women and children of the enemy
would be taken as slaves; and when they
were taken prisoner in battle, they were
enslaved. From among these a girl was
given as a slave to Hadrat `Ali. She
bore him a son named Muhammad bin
Hanfiya, who is a renowned figure in the
history of Islam. (Al- Badaya
wan-Nihaya, Vol. VI, pp. 316 & 325)
This event is a clear proof of the
fact that when companions fought against
Musailama, they did not charge him with
rebellion. The charge against him was
that he had preferred a claim to
prophethood after the line of Prophets
had ended in Muhammad (PBUH) and he had
thus misled other people to affirm faith
in his claim of prophethood. The action
against Musailama was taken immediately
after the death of the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) under the leadership of Hadrat
Abu Bakr Siddique (may God be pleased
with him), and it had the unanimous
support of the entire body of the
companions. There can be found no better
and explicit example of the consensus of
the companions than this.
The Consensus of all the Ulema of
the Ummah
Next in line of authority after the
consensus of the Companions stands the
consensus, in matters of religion, of
those ulema of the Muslims who came
after the time of Companions (may God be
pleased with them). A glance thr |
