The Ahmadis often present isolated quotes from past scholars of Islam that seem to agree with their position about the finality of prophethood. This appears to add validity to their claim, because it suggests that their opinion is the agreed-upon position of traditional Islamic scholarship. To counter this tactic, presented below is a list of authentic quotations or summarized positions from the official list of Islamic scholars whom the Ahmadis accept as the Mujaddidīn. The list is specifically focusing on those whom they officially embrace, because the scholars who held the Islamic position is innumerable.
In A Book of Religious Knowledge (For Ahmadi Muslims), section 5, under the section titled “The Institution for Mujadadiyyat in Islam”, the Ahmadis present the list of past Islamic scholars who they claim are the Mujaddidīn. These are the ones who the Ahmadis believe Allah chose to revive Islam. They conclude this list by saying that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the Mujaddid of the 14th century.
Hypothetically, even if some Islamic personalities of the past agreed with the Ahmadi position, their views do not define Islam, and Muslims are not obligated to follow them. Islam is defined primarily by the Qur’ān and prophetic guidance and not by venerated personalities. However, the list below is a canonized set created by the Ahmadis themselves affirming that these figures of the past were specifically chosen by Allah to revive Islam. Ironically, none of these great Islamic scholars agreed with the Ahmadi position on the continuation of prophethood. Each of them wrote explicitly about the finality of prophethood, that there are no prophets of any kind after Muhammad. None of them made a reference to law-bearing vs. non-law-bearing or zillī prophethood and burūzi prophethood. They only wrote that prophethood itself had ended with Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام.
1st Century ‘Umar bin Abdul Aziz
2nd Century Ahmad ibn Hanbal
The following is an excerpt from The Book of ‘Aqīdah of Imām Ahmad ibn Hanbal: (كتاب العقيدة للإمام أحمد بن حنبل)
وأما الرافضة فقد أجمع من أدركنا من أهل العلم أنهم قالوا إن علي بن أبي طالب أفضل من أبي بكر الصديق وإن إسلام علي كان أقدم من إسلام أبي بكر فمن زعم أن عليا بن أبي طالب أفضل من أبي بكر فقد رد الكتاب والسنة يقول الله تعالى محمد رسول الله والذين معه الآية فقدم الله أبا بكر بعد النبي ولم يقدم عليا وقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لو كنت متخذا خليلا لاتخذت أبا بكر خليلا ولكن الله قد اتخذ صاحبكم خليلا يعني نفسه ولا نبي بعدي.
As for the Rafidites [the “refuseniks,” a term used to refer
to Shiites], all of the scholars whom we have encountered have been of the
consensus that they [the Shiites] have said that Ali Ibn Abū Talib is
greater than Abū Bakr Al-Siddīq and that Ali had become Muslim before
Abū Bakr Al-Siddīq. Therefore, whoever alleges that Ali Ibn Abū
Talib is better than Abū Bakr has rejected the Book and the Sunnah. Allah,
the Most High, says “Muhammad, the Prophet of God, and those who are with him…”
and the rest of the verse; thus, Allah has given precedence to Abū Bakr
after the Prophet. He has not given precedence to Ali after the Prophet. The
Prophet, peace be upon him, said “If I were to take someone as a friend, I
would take Abū Bakr as a friend, but Allah has taken yours truly as His friend,” meaning himself, and there is no
prophet after me.
3rd Century Abul Hasan al-‘Asharī
Abul Hasan al-‘Asharī is best known for his scholarship in the field of theological defense and his refutation of the Mu’tazilī beliefs, a deviant theology that formed in the 2nd century Hijri. In The Ash’ari ‘Aqeedah, The Creed of the Muslims: A Translated Summary by the al-Ghazzali Centre for Islamic Sciences and Human Development, in section 1.4b, it reads:
1.4b. The Final Messenger
He sealed his messengership, warning, and prophethood with his Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, whom He made the last of the Messengers – “A bringer of good news and a warner, calling to Allah by His permission and an illuminating lamp.”
4th Century Abū Bakr Baqlanī
5th Century Al Ghazālī
The following is from Ihya’ ‘Ulūm al-Dīn (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), a very famous book written by Imām al-Ghazali. The quote is from Book II, under the The Third Pillar Concerning the Knowledge of the Works of God, Involving Ten Principles:
The tenth principle is that God sent Muhammad as the last of the prophets and as an abrogater of all previous laws before him, the laws of the Jews and the Christians and the Sabians. God upheld him with unmistakable miracles and wonderful signs, such as the splitting of the moon, the praise of the pebbles, causing the mute animal to speak, as well as water flowing from between his fingers, and the unmistakable sign of the glorious Qur’ān with which he challenged the Arabs.
6th Century 'Abdul Qadir
al-Jilānī
The following two quotes are from The Secret of Secrets, in the Introduction.
All Praise is due to Allah; He is a
munificent, gracious, and compassionate Lord, Who has gathered all knowledge in
His Essence and Who is the creator of all knowledge for eternity. The cause,
the reason of all existence, is from His existence. All praise is due to Allah,
and He has sent the Glorious Qur’ān that bears in its essence the reason
for its revelation, which is to remind men of Allah; He sent it to the guide
who leads men on the path of truth with the mightiest of all religions. All
peace and blessings be upon His beloved prophet Muhammad, who was not taught by
man, but by Him. He is His last prophet, the last link in the chain of
prophethood who was brought to a world gone astray, the most honoured among His
prophets, honoured by the most honoured of divine books. His progeny are
guides for seekers; his companions were chosen among the good and benevolent.
May abundant peace and blessings be upon their souls.
This is under the sub-section titled “On the Beginning of Creation” in the Introduction.
The Prophets kept coming, and the divine
message continued until there appeared the great spirit of Muhammad صلى
الله عليه و
سلم, the last of the
messengers who saved people from distraction. Allah Most High sent him to open the eyes of
the hearts of the heedless. His purpose was to awaken them from the sleep of
unconsciousness and to unite them with the Eternal beauty, with the Cause, with
the Essence of Allah. Allah says in His Holy Qur’ān:
Say: This is
my way. I call to Allah with the certainty of insight - I and those who follow
me... (Sura Yusuf, 108)
to indicate
the path of our Master, the Prophet صلى الله
عليه و سلم.
7th Century Ibn Taymiyya
In his Book of Emaan: According to the Classical Works of Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, translated by Dr. Muhammad Naim Yasin, Ibn Taymiyyah wrote:
Faith in the Prophet Muhammad صلى
الله عليه و
سلم
We must also believe that Muhammad ibnu Abdullah عليه الصلاة والسلام is the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, His servant and chosen one, that he صلى الله عليه و سلم never worshipped idols, nor associated anything with Allah for one single moment, nor committed a single sin or vice of any kind.
We must also believe that he صلى الله عليه و سلم is the seal of the prophets. This is explicitly mentioned in the Qur’ān in the verse:
Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the seal of the prophets.
It is also attested by the ahaadeeth of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم who said, "My similitude in comparison with the other prophets before me is that of a man who has built a house excellently and beautifully, except for a place of one brick in a corner. The people went around about it and wondered at its beauty and said, 'Would that this brick would be put in its place!' So I am that brick, and I am the last of the Prophets’." The Prophet also said, "I am Muhammad and Ahmad; I am al-Maahee through whom Allah will eliminate kufr (disbelief); I am al-Haashir who will be the first to be resurrected, the people being resurrected thereafter, and I am also al-Aaqib (that is, there will be no prophet after me)".
We firmly believe that there is no prophethood following that of the Messenger of Allah عليه الصلاة والسلام, that any person claiming to be a prophet is a perverted liar. The Prophet عليه الصلاة والسلام said, "The hour will not be established till about thirty dajjaals (liars) appear, each claiming to be a prophet. I am the seal of the prophets; there is no prophet after me."
8th Century Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani
9th Century Jalāl al-Din
al-Suyūtī
The following is from the Tafsīr of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūtī, Chapter 33, verse 40:
Muhammad is not the
father of any man among you: he is not Zayd’s biological father, and so it is
not unlawful for him to marry his [former] wife Zaynab [after him]; but, he is
the Messenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets, and so he will not have a
son that is a [fully grown] man to be a prophet after him (a variant reading
[for khātim al-nabīyyīna] has khātam al-nabīyyīn,
as in the instrument [known as a] ‘seal’, in other words, their [prophethood]
has been sealed by him). And God has knowledge of all things, among these is
the fact that there will be no prophet after him, and even when the lord
Jesus descends [at the end of days], he will rule according to his [Muhammad’s]
Law.
10th Century Muhammad Tahir Gujrati
11th Century Ahmad Sirhindi
Throughout his
works, Sirhindi frequently refers to Prophet Muhammad عليه الصلاة
والسلام as the last prophet. In the preface of The
Proof of Prophethood, Sirhindi wrote:
Infinite thanks be to Allahu ta'ala, who
has sent Prophets to guide people to the way of salvation and who has revealed
four of His major Books to them; these Books contain no aberration or abnormality.
The Book He has revealed to His Last Prophet, Muhammad ('alaihi 's-
salam), is Qur’ān al-karim, in which everything necessary for His human
servants has been revealed, unbelievers have been warned of Hell's torment,
while believers who carry out the requirements of Islam have been given the
good news of Paradise... He has sent him as the last prophet to
communicate the fact that Allahu ta'ala is One to His servants, and to treat
their sick hearts.
Let it be known that this servant, that
is, [al-Imām ar-Rabbani Mujaddid al-Alf ath-Thani] Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Ahad,
who is greatly in need of Allahu ta'ala's compassion and the first of them to
invoke Him to protect him, his ancestry, masters, and disciples against the
troubles of the Rising Day, has seen with regret that the people of our time
have become increasingly slack in believing in the necessity of prophets'
coming, in the twenty-five prophets whose names are given in the Qur’ān
al-karim, and in obeying the religion brought by the last prophet. Moreover,
some powerful people with authoritative positions in
In his letter to
Mullah Arif Hutani Badahshi collected in the book Makatubāt, Sirhindi wrote:
It should be
understood well that Khalilullah Ibrahīm 'alaihissalam' explained very
well the fact that it is wrong to worship things other than Allahu ta'ala. He
thoroughly closed all the gates that would lead to disbelief. For this reason,
he became the Imām of prophets. He surpassed them all 'alaihi wa
alaihimus-salawatu wattahiyyat'. For, the highest point of progress in worldly
life is to realize well the fact that there is nothing to be worshipped other
than Allahu ta'ala. For, the exact meaning of the saying, "Allahu ta'ala
alone is worthy of being worshipped," which is communicated by the second
part of the beautiful word "lā ilaha illAllah," will be
understood only in the Hereafter. Nevertheless, because the last prophet
'alaihi wa alaihimussalawatu wattaslimat' was honored with seeing Allahu ta'ala
in this world, he attained many things of the exact meaning of that word in
this world, too.
12th Century Shah Wali Ullah
In his book Al-Musawwa Sharh al-Muwatta’, a commentary on the famous book of Islamic law by Imām Mālik, under the section “The Ruling of the Khawārij, the Jahmiyya and their likes”[1], Shah Wali Allah al-Dehlawi writes:
وكذلك
من قال في
الشيخين أبي
بكر وعمر
مثلاً ليسا من
أهل الجنة مع
تواتر الحديث
في بشارتهما
أو قال: ان
النبي -صلى
الله عليه
وسلم- خاتم النبوة
ولكن معنى هذا
الكلام أنه لا
يجوز أن يسمو
بعده أحد
بالنبي، وأما
معنى النبوة
وهو كون الإنسان
مبعوثاً من
الله تعالى
إلى الخلق
مفترض الطاعة
معصوماً من
الذنوب ومن
البقاء، على
الخطأ فيما
يرى فهو موجود
في الأئمة
بعده ، فذلك
هو الزنديق .
وقد اتفق جماهير
المتأخرين من
الحنفية
والشافعية
على قتل من
يجري هذا
المجرى والله
أعلم
Similarly, whoever claims concerning the two shaykhs [Abu Bakr and ‘Umar] for example that they are not [to be] the inhabitants of Paradise, even though it is mass narrated in the hadīth that they were given the good news [of entering Paradise];
or whoever states that the Prophet is the seal of Prophethood, but that this term means that no one after him can be named a "prophet", and that as for that meaning of prophethood which is [a human sent by Allah to the people, obedience to whom is required, protected from sins and remaining in error] that, this (meaning of) prophethood can still be found in the leaders of the Community after him; then this person is a heretic (zindīq). Furthermore, the majority of the later Hanafī and Shāfi'ī scholars are unanimous in agreement that such a person deserves capital punishment, and Allah knows best.
13th Century Ahmad Brelwi
14th Century Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
The Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's writings went through many stages and evolutions in beliefs. During the early stages, Ahmad unconditionally wrote that there are no prophets after Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم. However, as time passed and the faith evolved, he changed his position to allow for the possibility of new prophets. This change is outlined in the book A Misconception Removed, where he changes his position and says prophets can continue to come through the mediums of zill and burūz. Because of this, Ahmadis will likely say that the following quotes are out of context in the greater scope of his works. What is important to note is that all of the following quotes were written before A Misconception Removed was first published in 1901. Thus, at one point, without exceptions for non-law-bearing prophets, zillī prophets or burūzi prophets, even Ahmad believed that Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم was the last prophet[2].
Meaning
Muhammad (prayers of Allah and peace be upon him) is not the father of any of
you, but is a prophet of Allah and ender of the prophets. This verse
logically proves that after our nabī, peace be upon him, there will be no
nabī.
- Izala Auham, Page 431
A
believer of Muhammad’s (prayers of Allah and peace be upon him) khātam
al-nabīyīn and have firm belief that our Prophet Muhammad (prayers of
Allah and peace be upon him) is the seal of the prophets and after him (saw), there
will be no prophet for this ummah, old or new, and no Qur’ānic
commandments will be cancelled to the slightest, not even a dot. But,
Muhaditheen will come.
- Nishan Asmani, page 30
Muhammed
(prayers of Allah and peace be upon him) said it again and again that no new
nabī would come after him (prayers of Allah and peace be upon him). And
the hadīth ‘no nabī after me’ was so well-known that no one had any
doubts about its meaning. And the Holy Qur'ān with every word as binding
confirmed this by the verse “Walakin Rasool Allah e wa khatm an nabīyyeen”
that prophethood has ended in our nabī Muhammad pbuh. Then how was it
possible that someone come as a prophet after Muhammad pbuh in the real sense
of prophethood? This could have destroyed the very fabric of Islam.
- Kitab Al-Bariyyah, page 217
Allah
Tala, by calling Muhammad (prayers of Allah and peace be upon him) as
khātam al-nabīyīn in Qur'ān and Muhammad (prayers of Allah
and peace be upon him) by declaring lā nabī ba’adī, gave
the decision that no one can come as a prophet after Muhammad (prayers of Allah
and peace be upon him) in [the] real sense of prophethood.
- Kitab Al-Bariyyah, page 218
[1] The Khawārij and the Jahmiyya were two deviant sects of Islam which nolonger exist today as viable groups. Notice that Shah Wali Allah rejects the continuation of prophethood in a chapter about deviant groups of Islam.
[2] This is one possible reason why the Lahori Ahmadi sect, who also believe he is a Mujaddid, vehemently argues that Ahmad was not a prophet and cite his earliest works.