Alternate Qirā’āt
of the Qur’ān and Khātim
Suppose the Ahmadis were correct and the meaning of khātam with the fatĥa meant seal of attestation[1], while khātim with the kasra meant the last one. Even then, according to the other qirā’āt of the Qur’ān, the divine text of the Qur’ān does indeed say khātim with the kasra.
Background in the Qirā’āt of the Qur’ān[2]
The Qur’ān was revealed through Angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام in the Arabic language. As in all languages, there were multiple dialects of Arabic. To accommodate for the various dialects of the time, the Qur’ān was revealed in various dialects.
The Qur’ān was originally compiled in a single copy for
mass distribution by Zayd bin Thābit رضي
الله عنه under the direction of ‘Uthmān bin
'Affān رضي الله
عنه in the year
The compilation of the Qur’ān that ‘Uthmān bin 'Affān رضي الله عنه preserved contained only the letters of the Qur’ān, not any of the diacritical marks present in modern copies of the Qur’ān, such as the fatĥas, dhammas, kasras, sukūns, etc. This was done intentionally for several reasons, one of which was to allow for the differences in the qirā’āt.
The qirā’āt (singular is qirā’) are slight differences in the reading of the Qur’ān, stemming originally from the different dialects, which were revealed to Prophet Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام. The differences consist of differences in the pronunciations of certain letters, the style of recitation, and most important for this discussion, adjustments in the actual meanings of the words. While the general meanings of the verses remain the same, the small differences serve to bring forth new shades of interpretation, all originating from the same divine letters.
One example of this is the difference in Sūrah Fātihah. It is completely valid to recite the fourth verse as follows:
مَلِكِ
يَوْمِ
ألدِّينِ
Maliki Yowmi al-Dīni
The difference between the two
There are ten preserved variant readings of the Qur’ān: seven authentically preserved and three that are acceptable. Of the ten, the Hafs an ‘Asim style has become the de-facto standard and is the most common qirā’ recited in most parts of the Muslim world. By proximity, this is the style that the Ahmadis refer to. Despite the prominence of the Hafs style, all of the other styles are equally legitimate, as they have all been authentically recorded to originate from Prophet Muhammad. In other words, Hafs ‘an ‘Asim is no more authentic than Warsh, Qalūn, or any other style.
Use
of Khātim in the Qur’ān
As stated above, Mirza Bashir-ud-din Mahmud Ahmad wrote that khātim would mean “the last one”, but argued the divine text says khātam. However, of the ten preserved qirā’āt of the Qur’ān, nine say khātim with the kasra below the tā'.[3][4]
Below is a picture of the qirā’ of Qaloon on the authority of Nāf'i
written with the kasra:
Below is a picture of the qirā’ of Warsh on the authority of Nāf'i written with the kasra:
Below is a picture of the qirā’ of Qumbul on the authority of Ibn Kathīr written with the kasra:
Below is a picture of the qirā’ of al-Buzzī on the authority of Ibn
Kathīr written with the kasra:
Below is a picture of the qirā' of al-Sūsī on the authority of
Ibn 'Amr with the kasra:
Below is a picture of the qirā' of al-Dūrī on the authority of
Ibn 'Amr:
Below is a picture of the qirā' of Hishām on the authority of Ibn
'Aāmir:
Below is a picture of the qirā' of Ibn Dhakwān on the authority of
Ibn 'Aāmir:
Below is a picture of the qirā'a of Khallad on the authority of Hamza:
Below is a picture of the qirā' of al-Hārith on the authority of
al-Kasa'ī:
Below is a picture of the qirā' of al-Dūrī on the authority of
al-Kasa'ī:
Below is a picture of the qirā' of Khalaf on the authority of Hamza:
Even if the Ahmadis insist that the meaning of خاتَم (khātam with the fatĥa) is seal of attestation, the alternate qirā’āt of the Qur’ān explicitly say خاتِم (khātim, with the kasra), meaning the last one, thus confirming that Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم is the last prophet of Allah. The translation of khātim al-nabīyīn would be last of the prophets.
Ahmadi Rebuttal:
Adam Hani Walker, in his book Finality of Prophethood, Conclusive Proofs From the Holy Qur’ān, Blessed hadīth and Sayings of our Righteous Predecessors, under “Section 2.1 Khātam/Khātim?” wrote:
It is very valid that they make this
assertion because the word khatim does indeed mean last and this use of the
kasra vowel is a valid pronunciation as in accordance with the seven agreed
upon forms. However, even this interpretation would in no way adversely affect
the claim of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) because he has very clearly stated
that the Holy Prophet (saw) is the last prophet to be sent by Allah (swt) in
the sense that after him the blessing and attainment of prophethood is not
credited to the beholder, but rather it returns to the Holy Prophet (saw) who,
through the Grace of Allah (swt), is the only fountainhead of prophethood. He
is in fact the ‘Sahib an-Nabuwwah’ (possessor of the prophethood). Thus, the
verse, usually taken to mean that ‘the Prophet Muhammad (saw) is the last and
final prophet’ in terms of finality of prophethood implying that there will be
absolutely no more prophets after him of any sort, is more accurately explained
as ‘he (saw) is the seal of the prophets’, implying that he (saw) was the ‘seal
of prophethood’ in terms of being the absolute ‘apex and perfection of
prophethood’.
Continuing, he wrote that khātam is the agreed upon recitation style of the Muslims and was taught by ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه.
Muslim Response
Walker acknowledges that khātim is a legitimate pronunciation, confirms that its meaning is last, confirms that the ayah would be translated as last of the prophets, but then insists that the meaning of last of the prophets is more accurately translated as apex and perfection of prophethood. He insists on this position without providing any evidence as to why the apparent meaning is not the actual meaning of the ayah.
Walker's interpretation also contradicts with
Mirza Bashir-ud-Deen Mahmood Ahmad's interpretation of khātim al-nabīyīn. In Invitation to Ahmadiyyat, under
the section “Meaning of khatam al-nabiyyin,” he wrote:
But many seem to forget that in the divine text, the
word khatam is used by God with a fatha, that is, a stroke above it, not with a
kasra, a stroke below it. Khatam means 'seal.’ Khatim would mean 'the last
person' or 'the last one'. Now 'seal' has the function of attestation. The
verse in question would, therefore, mean that Muhammad, the Holy Prophet (on
whom be peace), is the seal of the prophets.
In this paragraph, Mirza Bashir-ud-Deen Mahmood Ahmad confirms that khātim al-nabīyīn means last of the prophets.
Additionally, Maulawi Nur-ud-Din was questioned how Mirza Ghulam Ahmad could be a prophet despite the clear and definitive narration “there is no prophets after me.”[5] In response, he wrote:
Then in the Holy Quran the Holy Prophet is
called Khatamun Nabiyyin (Seal of the Prophets) and not Khatimun Nabiyyin (the
last of the Prophets). The Holy Quran affirms that the Jews were after slaying
the Prophets. Does this mean all Prophets, or some of them?
Ironically, even though the two paragraphs above were written to argue in favor of the continuation of prophethood, they refute the argument by Walker, who did not provide any evidence for his interpretation anyways.
Therefore, the Qur’ān explicitly states that Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام is the last messenger of Allah.
Questions
to ask Murabbis
1. If Allah uses the word Khātim in the alternative recitation styles of the Qur'ān, how is the prophethood of the Promised Messiah possible?
2. If Mirza Bashir-ud-Deen Mahmood Ahmad said khātim means “the last one”, does the ayah khātim al-nabīyīn adversely affect the claims of the Mirza Ghulam Ahmad?
3. If khātim al-nabīyīn, which translates to last of the prophets, does not mean that there will be no prophets after Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم, how does one express the thought of finality of prophethood?