Examples of Khātam Used in Other
Contexts
This argument stems from the article A Misunderstanding Removed - Ahmadis Do Believe in the Holy Prophet (saw) As Khataman nabīyeen under the section “Use of the Word Khatam.”
Ahmadi Argument:
The title khātam al-nabīyīn can only mean best of the prophets rather than end of the prophets. This is confirmed by other uses of the word khātam:
In Tafsīr Sāfi, Imām ‘Ali bin Abi Talib عليه اسلام was referred to as Khātam al-Awliya' (Seal of the Saints).
Hasan bin Wahāb referred to Abū Tamām, the compiler of Himasa, as Khātam al-Shu’ara (Seal of the Poets).
In Kanz al-‘Amāl, the Prophet Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام referred to Ibn ‘Abbās رضي الله عنه as Khātam al-Muhajirīn (Seal of the Migrants).
No one would have said that ‘Ali bin Abi Talib كرم الله وجه was the last wali (saint) of Allah, that Abū Tamām was the last poet to ever exist, or that there are no religious migrants after Ibn ‘Abbās رضي الله عنه. Clearly, one can see that the usage of khātam in the above examples do not indicate finality, but indicate eminence or the highest position. This is how the word khātam is used in Arabic literature. Based on these examples, when the Prophet Muhammad عليه و على آله صلاة الله was described as khātam al-nabīyīn, this does not mean he is the last of the prophets. Rather, it means he is the best of the prophets. Due to this meaning, there can be other prophets, such as Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.
Muslim Response:
The response to the above argument is three-fold. First, this method of analysis on the words of the Qur’ān is erroneous. Second, rather than using the definition of the word khātam as provided by external sources that are unrelated to the Qur’ān, one must instead analyze how the Prophet Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام defined the word khātam. Third, one must analyze how Mirza Ghulam Ahmad himself originally understood the meaning of the word khātam based on his own writings.
Method of Analysis of Qur’ānic Words
The refutation below is highly technical, so anecdotal examples are provided to help carry the point across.
Some of the Christian groups attack Islam by alleging that Muslims worship the Prophet Muhammad. They argue that the word salāh (صلاة) means prayer, the ritual act of worship that Muslims perform for Allah five times a day. Then, they point out that in Sūrah Al-Ahzab, verse 57, the same word is used.
إِنَّ
اللَّهَ
وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ
يُصَلُّونَ
عَلَى
النَّبِيِّ
يَا أَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
صَلُّوا
عَلَيْهِ
وَسَلِّمُوا
تَسْلِيمًا
Allah sends down His blessings on the Prophet and His angels
pray for him. O ye who believe, you
too should invoke His blessings on
him and salute him with the salutation of peace.
- Muhammad ‘Ali translation
They argue that if the word salāh means prayer, then the above translation of this verse is incorrect, and it really means that Allah, the angels, and the Muslims pray to the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم. This argument is incorrect because the original meaning of salāh is blessing or connection. Over time, the word salāh evolved to mean ritual prayer. However, modern evolutions in the Arabic language do not retroactively change the meaning of the Qur’ān. This verse says that Allah and the angels bless the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم, and the Muslims are commanded to send their blessings upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم as well.
For those who are versed in the English language, the discussion above will make sense when one considers the word gay. In poetry and music from the early 1900s, the word gay meant happy, cheerful, or content. Now, the meaning of the word gay has radically changed to mean homosexual. If someone said, “I am gay” 100 years ago, it would mean that he/she is happy, but according to the modern colloquial definition and usage, it would mean that the person is a homosexual.
The
illustrations above show that the meaning of words can change over time. Therefore,
one can establish the premise that to correctly understand a statement, one
must use the definition of a word contemporary to the speaker, not contemporary
to the interpreter.
The Usūl al-Tafsīr (the principles of Qur’ānic exegesis) acknowledges this fundamental principle. When attempting to gain deeper insight into the usage of a word, the mufasirun (the interpreters of the Qur’ān) would commonly refer to pure Arabic poetry and literature to understand how words were used in other texts. However, not all poetry and literature was used without discrimination. Relative to the Qur’ān, Arabic literature is divided into four categories or periods in time:
A) Pre-Islamic literature, meaning literature that was composed before the time of the Prophet عليه الصلاة والسلام. Examples of this category include the literature of Imra’ al-Qays, al-‘Ayshī, and al-Nābighah
B) Literature contemporary to the Qur’ān, meaning literature that was
composed during the lifetime of the Prophet صلى
الله عليه و
سلم.
Examples of poets in this category include Labeed and the famous companion
Hassān ibn Thābit رضي
الله عنه
C) Early literature, meaning literature that appeared in early Islamic history. Examples from this category include Jarīr and Farazdaq
D) Latter literature, which started from the last period and continues until the present
Concerning the first two categories, there is no dispute that this literature may be used to interpret the Qur’ān. During category A, the language of the Arabs was still in its purest form and had not yet evolved away from this state. During category B, the literature produced by the Arabs was contemporary to the Qur’ān. Therefore, this era’s meanings of words bore the same meaning as the words of the Qur’ān. There is dispute about the validity of using category C to interpret the Qur’ān. During the period in which category C came about, the meanings of words began to evolve away from their purest forms and began to be understood primarily by their contextual meanings. In general, this category is rejected as an unacceptable period when it comes to the interpretation of the Qur’an. Likewise, there is absolutely no dispute that the literature from category D is completely rejected as a valid source to interpret the Qur’ān. This is because contemporary usage of Arabic can radically differ from Qur’ānic Arabic. Also, there is no clear date to distinguish between categories C and D, so literature from these two categories is generally rejected when it comes to interpreting the Qur’ān.
The Ahmadis
bring examples of uses of the word khātam
that seem to mean best rather
than last. However, these uses in
Arabic literature are invalid examples. Most of the statements listed above
fall into category C at a time when the language began to change in meaning.
Others fall into category D, whose literature is completely rejected in
Qur’ānic exegesis. In other words, hypothetically, even if the meaning of
the khātam did evolve to mean
“best,” the modern evolution of Arabic does not retroactively change the
meaning of the Qur’ān.
The words of the Qur’ān are understood according to their contemporary definition, not modern definition. The examples provided by the Ahmadis are rejected as invalid sources to use when trying to understand the meaning of khātam.
Khātam as Defined by the Prophet
Rather
than using sources that are both unrelated to the Qur’ān and Sunnah and
from a time period during which the meanings of words began to change, it is
most appropriate to see how the Prophet himself defined the meaning of
khātam al-nabīyīn and what expressions he related it to. One
example of this is the following hadīth:
وأخرج
ابن مردويه عن
ثوبان رضي
الله عنه قال: قال
رسول الله صلى
الله عليه
وسلم : إنه
سيكون في أمتي
كذابون
ثلاثون كلهم
يزعم أنه نبي،
وأنا خاتم
النبيين لا
نبي بعدي
Ibn
Mardaweh reported from Thawbān رضي الله
عنه that the Messenger of
Allah عليه
الصلاة
والسلام said,
“In my nation, there will be thirty arch-liars, each who will say ‘I am a
prophet,’ and I am the seal of the prophets; there are no prophets after me.”
وأخرج
أحمد عن حذيفة
رضي الله عنه
عن النبي صلى
الله عليه
وسلم قال : في
أمتي كذابون
ودجالون سبعة
وعشرون، منهم
أربع نسوة
وإني خاتم النبيين
لا نبي بعدي
Translation Here
One
can see based on the two narrations above that the Prophet صلى
الله عليه و
سلم explained that there
would be false prophets in this nation. Then, he rejected the false prophets by
affirming that he was khātam
al-nabīyīn and compared it to lā
nabī ba’adī. In other words, these two statements, khātam
al-nabīyīn and lā nabī ba’dee, based on their meaning and
association to each other, lead to the same understanding. Since lā nabī ba’adī literally
translates to no prophets after me, khātam
al-nabīyīn has the same meaning, and both are used to reject any
later claimants to prophethood.
Ahmadi Rebuttal: Weak or Possibly Fabricated hadīth of the Prophet[1]
The Ahmadis could respond by stating that it was none other than the prophet who called Ibn ‘Abbās the Seal of the Migrants. Based on the context, this shows that khātam means “best”. It could not possibly mean “last” because there have been thousands of other religious immigrants in the Muslim world. The hadīth is listed in the book Kanz al-‘Amāl as follows:
النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "يا عباس أنت خاتم المهاجرين كما أنا خاتم النبيين"
The Prophet, Prayers
of Allah and peace of Allah upon him said, “O ‘Abbās! You are the Seal of
the Migrants as I am the Seal of the Prophets.”
There are two narrators
in this hadīth’s chain of narrators, Al-Harith ibn Al-Zubayr and
Isma'īl ibn Qays ibn Sa’ad.
Regarding Al-Harith ibn
Al-Zubayr, Ma’mar ibn Rashid Al-Azdī (d. 151h) criticized him by saying
“His knowledge has gone”, meaning he does not have knowledge of hadīth.
Regarding Isma'īl
ibn Qays ibn Sa’ad, Imām Al-Bukhārī, the compiler of Sahīh
Al-Bukhārī, and Al-Daraqānī said he was “not known to
narrate [hadīth]”. Clarifying this statement, Ibn Qattan said that Al-Bukhārī
said, “If I say about anyone that he is not known to narrate [hadīth],
then it is not permissible to narrate from him.” Al-Nasāī, the author
of Sunan al-Nasāī said his hadīth narration is weak (ضعيف).
Another version of this
hadīth is reported as follows in Kanz
Al-‘Amāl
اطمأن
يا عم فإنك
خاتم
المهاجرين في
الهجرة كما
أنا خاتم
النبيين في
النبوة
Rest
assured o' Uncle, for you are the seal of the immigrants in the immigration as
I am the seal of the prophets in prophethood.
The clause “in the
migration” (في
الهجرة) would seem to indicate that ‘Ibn Abbās was the last
migration in the specific migration from Makkah to Madīnah. Either way,
the hadīth critics Al-Shashi and Ibn ‘Askar are both reported to have said
this hadīth is very weak (ضعيف
جدا), which
is the lowest category of hadīth authentication. It is a mursal narration
(disconnected from the Prophet), reported from Ibn Shahb Al-Zahri, who died in
124H, to Ibn ‘Askar, who died in 571H. Between these two are 447 years where
the chain of transmission is completely unknown, so fabrications, additions,
and alterations cannot be verified whatsoever.
Khātam
as Defined by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad[2]
While the writings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad do not define the meaning of Khātam, he himself originally used the word khātam to mean last or final during the period before he claimed prophethood. In other words, he originally held the position that khātam meant last and therefore khātam al-nabīyīn meant last of the prophets. His works are available on the official Ahmadiyya Muslim Community website.[3] Below are three examples where he used khātam to mean last or final. Based on the context, it is clear that he could not have meant to use khātam to mean best.
Khātam al-Walad
(The Last Son)
“I was Khātam
al-Walid (Seal of the Children) for my Father. No child was born after me.”
Transliteration: Aur ba enhama / Main apnay waalid kay liya khātam
al-walad tha, meray baad koi bacha padha nai hoa.
Braheen-e-Ahmadiyya, Volume 5, Page 113
Roohani Khazain, Volume 21
One could attempt to translate Khātam al-Walid to mean “Best of the Children”, but the following sentence removes any possible doubt.
Khātam Al-Anbiyya (The Last Prophet)
"Some of the prophecies in the early books of God
regarding Hazrat ‘Esā عليه
السلام have similar meaning to this prophecy [of
Mirza] in which it is mentioned that the Jews will not accept him. As has
also been mentioned in Injeel with reference to these prophecies that the stone
they had rejected was in fact the corner stone, that is, He [‘Esā bin
Marīam] was the khātam al-anbiyah for the Israelite
Prophets....similarly God has told me that they reject you but I will make you
Khātam al-Khulafa'."
Transliteration: Khuda Ta'ala ki pehli Kitabon main baz paishgooyan aisi paishgoi kay hum ma'nay hazrat Isa (as) ki nisbat hain jin mai kaha hai kay yahood in ko qabool nahi karaingay.Jaisa kay injeel mai bhi inhain paishgoeeyon kay hawala sai kaha hai kay jid patthar ko ma'amaron nai radd kia wohi konay ka sara hua.Ya'ni Israeli nabīyoon ka khatam-ul-anbiya hua.
Braheen Ahmadiyya, Part 5, Page 267
Roohani Khazain, Volume 21
It is without dispute that ‘Esā bin Marīam was the last prophet in the Israelite chain of Prophets. After ‘Esā bin Marīam, the Prophet Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام came. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad referred to him as the “khātam al-anbiyah for the Israelite prophets”, thus acknowledging that the meaning of khātam is final or last.
Khātam al-Khulafa (The Last Khalifah)
“According to
Spirituality, I am Khātam al-Khulafah in Islam. Just as Maseeh Ibn
Marīam is the Khātam al-Khulafah in the Israelite Chain.”
Transliteration: Roohaniyat ki row sai Islam mai Khatimul Khulafa hoon jaisa keh Masih Ibn Marīam Israeli Silsila kailiay Khatimul Khulafa tha.
Kishtee-e-Nooh, Page 17
Roohani Khazain, Volume 19
This is an even more explicit usage by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of the word khātam to mean “last”. ‘Esā bin Marīam was the final prophet from the Israelite chain, and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad used this word to express this reality.
The above quotes demonstrate that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad himself originally held the belief that the word khātam meant “last”. If one takes the meaning of khātam from the quotes above, then khātam al-nabīyīn can be accurately translated as “the last of the prophets”.
Conclusion
This attempt by the Ahmadis to show that the word khātam means “best” is flawed for multiple reasons, including the following:
A) The examples they provide of the usage of khātam are from various types of literature that are unrelated to the Qur’ān and written during a period when the meanings of words had begun to evolve from their classical understanding.
B) The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم himself defined khātam al-nabīyīn as a rejection of false prophets and combined its meaning with lā nabī ba’adī. The attempted Ahmadi rebuttle of mentioning when the prophet used khātam to mean best are from fabricated sources.
C) Based on his writings, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad himself originally accepted that khātam means “last.”
Khātam al-nabīyīn means that there are no prophets after Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام.
Questions to ask Murabbis
1. If the Prophet عليه صلاة الله defined khātam al-nabīyīn with no prophets after him and the false prophets, does this prove that the khātam al-nabīyīn really means that after the Prophet Muhammad عليه صلاة الله, there are no prophets?
2. Why did the Promised Messiah use the word khātam in his writings in a way that strongly suggests he believed it meant last?