Khatamun Nabiyyeen – ‘No Prophet will come after me’

If the Holy Prophet informed us that ‘La nabia baadi’ – No prophet will come after him’, why did he inform us that Jesus, a Prophet, will come after him?

This is the dilemma that we have to solve? On the one hand, the Holy Prophet informs us that no prophet will come after him and on the other hand he tells us that Hazrat Isa Ibn Mariam who Muslims recognise as a prophet, will be coming after him? Was he confused? Did he lie? Did he himself not understand? Why has he contradicted himself?

One solution to this problem is that what the Holy Prophet meant was that no prophet will directly follow him. He will not be succeeded immediately by another prophet. This is supported by a Hadith, as told by Hazrat Ayesha Allah be pleased with her:

Certainly, do say, he (the Holy Prophet) is the Seal of all Prophets, but do not say, there is no prophet after him Takmala Majma-ul Bahar Vol 4 p85 & Durr-i-Manthoor Vol 5 p104

Why should Hazrat Ayesha Allah be pleased with her say this, when after all she was the wife of the Holy Prophet, surely she would have known if no prophets could really not come after the Holy Prophet?

Then there is another problem. When the Holy Prophet’s son Ibrahim passed away at 16 months, the Holy Prophet is reported to have said:

If he (Hazrat Ibrahim) had survived he would have been a true prophet Ibn Majah, Kitab ul Janaiz

This incident happened four years after the Khatamun Nabiyyeen verse had been revealed. Why did the Holy Prophet say this when he knew that no prophets can come after him? He should have said that even if he lived he would never have been a prophet!

Another suggested solution to this problem is that when Hazrat Isa returns, he will no longer be a Prophet, but then what did Hazrat Isa do in heaven to lose his Prophethood? Has a prophet ever had his Prophethood taken away from him before? No that cannot be the answer!

Some scholars say that as he was a prophet before the Holy Prophet, therefore he is not a new prophet. This does not make sense. The fact is that whether he had already come or not, when he comes he will still be a prophet, therefore being a prophetafter the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet has also supported this view by declaring four times that Hazrat Isa will be a‘Nabiyyullah’ – ‘Prophet of Allah’ when he appears, as said in Muslim Kitabul Fitan wa Ashratu As-sa’ah.

  Next Topic