TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Letter: The greatest Prophet of all

In reference to Mr

The Jakarta Post
Sat, May 21, 2011

Share This Article

Change Size

Letter: The greatest Prophet of all

I

n reference to Mr. Aries Musnandar’s letter “The History of Abrahamic religions” published in The Jakarta Post on May 16, allow me to share my views.

There is nowhere in the Koran that mentions that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the last prophet and that there is no prophet or prophecy afterward. What the Koran says is that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the khatam annabyeen (seal of all prophets) (33:41).

According to the Arabic language rules, whenever the world khatam is followed by a plural it always means “the greatest of all those who succeed them in the same field”. So it cannot be twisted as “last” or “final”.

Arabic language is full of such examples, where this world is used in the above mentioned context.

Once the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) said, “I am khatam-al-annbiyya o, Ali and you are khatam-ul-aulia” (Tafsir Safi 33:41).

If the word khatam is taken as last or final here, it would mean, “I am the last or final prophet o, Ali, and you are the last wali [saint].” Whereas Islam is full of saints after Hazrat Ali (may Allah bestow mercy on him). Even here, in Indonesia, there were the wali songo (nine saints).

The meaning khatam becomes even clearer in the explanation of Hadrat Aysha (may Allah be pleased with her), a wife of the Prophet. She said, “You may say [Muhammad] is khatam-ul-annbiya (the greatest of all prophets) but do not say ‘there will be no prophet after him’”. (Durr-e-Mansoor, Volume 5, page 204).

Apart from this, those who consider the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to be the last prophet are also waiting for Jesus (may Allah be pleased with him), the son of Mary, to come down from heaven.

NU, the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia agrees with this idea. “It is obligatory for us to believe that Jesus will descend in latter days as [prophet and messenger].” (Ahkam-ul-Fuqha, NU Solution to Islamic Law, page 52).

The question is, then, when will Jesus come, and who will become the last prophet? Jesus or Muhammad (peace be upon them)?

This also proves that jumhur ulama (the majority of the knowledgeable clerics) are still waiting for a prophet after Muhammad (peace be upon him).

But that is not all. Many great scholars in Islam, whom today’s jumhur ulama pay great respect and refer to (for example Muhyyuddin Ibne Arabi, Imam Abdul Wahhab Sharani, Mullan Ali Qari, Imam Jalal-ud-Din Sayuti and many others), are of the opinion that a subordinate prophet after Muhammad could appear in Islam.

And this does not contradict the Hadith ‘La Nabiya Badi.“[There will be no prophet after me] as long as he does not bring a new Sariyan [book of law] and fully obey the Prophet of Islam [peace be upon him]”.

The only civilized solution for Ahmadiyah is that they should also be respected as Muslims as Mr. Aries expects to be respected while differing from others. And leave the matter to God.

Fazal-e-Mujeeb
South Jakarta

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.