Verse:35 Commentary Commentary

The Qur'anic addresses in masculine gender normally include women: The Wisdom behind it

In the usual injunctions of the noble Qur'an, though, both men and women have been included as addressees, but generally the address is made to men. Women are included there as a corollary. Everywhere, by using the words: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ (0 those who have believed) women have been addressed as being included and contained therein. This releases a hint suggesting that all matters relating to women are shielded, concealed and curtained. In this, there is honor and esteem for them. Particularly, if we were to ponder over the entire Qur'an, we shall discover that no woman except Sayyidah Maryam bint ` Imran (علیہا السلام) has been referred to by her personal name. Instead, when comes the occasion to mention them, they have been mentioned under the cover of their attribution to men, such as, اِمرَأۃ فِرعَون (the woman or wife of the Pharaoh), اِمرَٔۃُ نُوح (the wife of Nuh) and اِمرَأۃ لُوط (the wife of Lut). The exception of Sayyidah Maryam (علیہا السلام) may perhaps be for the reason that Sayyidna 'Isa (علیہ السلام) 'Sell could have not been attributed to any father, therefore, the attribution had to be to the mother. So, it was for this attribution that her name was disclosed. And it is Allah who knows best.

Though, this style of the Qur'an was rooted in great wisdom and expediency, yet it was natural that women should have a feeling of some sort of discomfort about it. Therefore, there are several narrations in Hadith in which women have been reported to have said to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ،"We see that Allah Ta' ala mentions only men everywhere in the Qur'an and it is them alone that He addresses. This tells us that women have almost no good in them. We are scared about our acts of ` Ibadah. May be, even that is not accepted from us (reported by al-Baghawi from the blessed wives). Similar submissions of this nature from Sayyidah Umm 'Umarah al-Ansariyyah appear in Tirmidhi with the authority rating of hasan (good) and from Sayyidah Asma' bint ` Umays ؓ in some other narrations. And in all these narrations, this very submission has been identified as the cause of the revelation of the verse cited above.

In these verses special mention has been made of the acceptability of their deeds to mollify the hearts of women. Here, it has been made very clear that the touchstone of acceptance and appreciation with Allah Ta' ala is the righteousness of deeds and the spirit of obedience to Him. In this, there is no discrimination between man and woman.

The Injunction of Making the Dhikr of Allah Abundantly and Its Wisdom

Islam stands on five acts of ` Ibadah or worship - Salah, Zakah, Siyam (fasting), Hajj and Jihad. But, there is just no injunction in the entire Qur'an that commands any act of Ibadah from out of these to be done abundantly. However, the doing of the Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah (by heart or tongue) abundantly has been ordered in several verses of the Holy Qur'an as in Surah Al-Anfal (8:45) and Surah Al-Jumu'ah (62:10) while in the present verse of Surah Al-Ahzab it was said: وَالذَّاكِرِ‌ينَ اللَّـهَ كَثِيرً‌ا وَالذَّاكِرَ‌اتِ (and the men remembering Allah much and the remembering women - 35).

What is the wisdom behind it? To begin with, it can be said that the Dhikr of Allah is the essential spirit of all acts of worship as it appears in a narration of Sayyidna Mu` adh Ibn Anas ؓ . Someone asked the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ،"Who from among the Mujahidin deserves the best of returns?" He said, "One who makes the Dhikr of Allah most abundantly." It was asked again, "Who from among the fasting is most reward-worthy?" He said, "One who makes the Dhikr of Allah most abundantly." Then, similar questions were asked about Salah, Zakah, Hajj and Sadaqah. Every time he said: 'One who makes the Dhikr of Allah most abundantly,' that is, he or she is more deserving of the reward (reported by Ahmad, from Ibn Kathir)

Secondly, it is the easiest of all acts of ` Ibadah. The Shari'ah too has placed no condition for it. Be it with wudu' or without, be it lying, sitting, or walking, the Dhikr of Allah can be done at all times. It demands no hard labor from anyone nor does it require any formal free time. Yet, so great is the effect and benefit of the Dhikr of Allah that, through it, even worldly chores transform into worship and religious acts. The prayers that are made before and after eating, on going out and on coming back, before travel, in travel and on returning home, and before and after starting a business have all been taught to us by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . The outcome of this enormous, treasure of prophetic prayers is that no Muslim should do anything at any time while he or she may be heedless toward or negligent of Allah. And should one make it a point to recite these prayers as part of what he or she has to do in life and its work, then, dunya becomes deen, i.e. worldly duties start releasing the fragrance of faith, a wonderful experience indeed. Verse:36 Commentary Commentary

It has been repeatedly explained earlier that the majority of injunctions appearing in Surah Al-Ahzab relate to the reverence, love and perfect obedience of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم or to the prohibition of causing any pain to him. The verses cited above have also been revealed in connection with some incidents of this nature.

One such incident related to Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah who was the slave of someone. It was during the days of Jahiliyyah that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had bought him from the famous bazaar of ` Ukaz. He was still very young at that time. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had freed him after purchasing him, and further honored him by adopting him as his son as was the common practice under the Arab custom of the time and went on to bring him up. In Makkah al-Mukarramah, he was called by the name of Zayd Ibn Muhammad. The Qur'an declared it to be an erroneous custom of the Jahiliyyah and prohibited the calling of the so-called or adopted son of a person as his 'son' and ordered that he should be attributed to his real father. Revealed in this connection were verses that have appeared earlier within this Surah: ادْعُوهُمْ لِآبَائِهِمْ (Call them by (the name of) their (real) fathers - 5) After the revelation of these injunctions, the noble Sahabah abandoned the practice of calling him by the name of Zayd Ibn Muhammad and started attributing him to his father, Harithah.

A subtle point

Not even the name of the greatest of the great Sahabi - of course, except that of the blessed prophets - was ever mentioned throughout the Qur'an with the sole exception of Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah! Some respected elders while describing the wisdom behind it have said that the attribution of his parentage to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when severed under the injunction of the Qur'an had him deprived of a great personal honor. However, Allah Ta' ala had it compensated by mentioning him in the Qur'an by name. Thus, the word: زَید (Zayd), being a word of the Qur'an, has its own distinct status. On every letter of this word, in accordance with the promise in Hadith, ten good deeds are recorded in the Book of Deeds. So, when his name is recited in the Qur'an, the reciter gets thirty good deeds in return just for pronouncing his name!

Even the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to give him respect. Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ says, 'Whenever he has sent him on a military expedition, it is invariably him that he has made the commander of the forces.' (Ibn Kathir)

A lesson to remember

This, in a nutshell, was the reality of slavery at the advent of Islam when slaves were educated and trained till they became achievers and whoever from them proved his class and capability was given the rank of leaders.

When Zayd Ibn Harithah grew to be a young man, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم chose Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh, the daughter of his paternal aunt for marriage with him. A formal proposal of marriage was sent. Since Sayyidna Zayd was branded with the conventional label of being a freed slave, Sayyidah Zainab and her brother, ` Abdullah Ibn Jahsh rejected this proposal on the basis that they were nobler than him in terms of family and lineage.

Revealed upon this incident was the verse: مَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ (And it is not open for a believing man or a believing woman - 36). The instruction given there is: When the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم orders someone to do something as an obligation, it becomes obligatory for that person to do it. The choice of not doing it does not remain valid under Islamic Law - even if the required act may not be obligatory or necessary in its origin. But, once he does order someone to do that, it become incumbent and obligatory on him. And should someone not do so, his or her action has been termed as open error at the end of the verse.

When Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh ؓ and her brother heard this verse, they retracted from their rejection and agreed to the proposal of marriage. Thus, the marriage was solemnized. The dower of the bride was paid by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم on behalf of Sayyidna Zayd which was ten dinars [ equal to approximately 4 tolas of gold), (equal to approximately 18-1/2 tolas of silver), one beast of burden, complete pair of ladies dress, 15 mudd (approximately 25 kilos) of flour and 10 mudd (approximately 5 kilos) of dates (Ibn Kathir). The well-known event in the background of the revelation of this verse is, according to the majority of commentators, no other but this very account of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh (Ibn Kathir, Qurtubi and Mazhari).

Ibn Kathir and some other commentators have also reported two additional events of this nature. There too, it has been said that the cited verse has been revealed in the background of those events. One of these events is about Sayyidna Julaibib ؓ whose proposal to marry the daughter of an Ansari Sahabi was turned down by the father and his family. When this verse was revealed, they agreed and the marriage was solemnized. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم made a du'a (prayer) for extended means of livelihood for them. The noble Companions say that Allah had placed such barakah in their home that it was known to be the most generously kept home of Madinah at-Tayyibah. Later, Sayyidna Julaibib ؓ met with his shahadah in a Jihad. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم bathed and shrouded his body with his own blessed hands.

A similar event relating to Umm Kulthum bint 'Uqbah Ibn Abi Mu'ait has been reported in Hadith narrations (Ibn Kathir, Qurtubi) and there is no contradiction in them. It is possible that several events of this nature may have been the cause of the revelation of the verse.

The Injunction to consider the principle of کفو (kuf) in marriage

The reason why Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh ؓ and her brother ` Abdullah had initially rejected the proposal of marriage with Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah was that the two of them had no familial and lineal homogeneity, which is desirable even in the sight of the Shari'ah. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that girls should be married in their کفو (kuf': equal, alike, matching) (to be explained later). Therefore, a question arises here as to why the excuse of Sayyidah Zainab and her brother was not accepted in this case?

The answer is that the equality, rather equalness (کَفَاءت :kafa' ah) and likeness of spouses in their religion is certainly incumbent and necessary for the validity of the marriage. The marriage of any Muslim girl with any disbeliever is not halal (lawful) under the consensus of the Muslim ummah - even if the girl agrees to it. The reason is that this is not simply the right of a woman which may be dropped at her pleasure. Instead, it is the right of Allah and a Divinely imposed duty. On the contrary, equality of the spouses in financial and lineal status is the right of the girl and in the matter of lineal equality, the guardians too have right along with the girl. If a sane and adult girl, despite being from a wealthy family, were to drop her right by agreeing to marry some pauper, the choice is hers. And in lineal equality, if the girl and her guardians, all of them, abandon this right for the sake of some other major expedient consideration and agree to the proposal of marriage from a person who is lesser than them in terms of lineage and family status, then, they have the right to do so. In fact, should this be in view of higher religious consideration, the act of surrendering this right is most desirable and praiseworthy. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has, on several occasions, recommended that this right should be ignored and marriage should be solemnized because of higher and more beneficial religious considerations.

And clear indicators set forth in the noble Qur'an prove that the right of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم on the men and women of his ummah is more than that of anyone else. In fact, it is more than that of their own self - as the Qur'an says: النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ that is, 'The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves - 33:6.' Therefore, in the case of Sayyidah Zainab ؓ and her brother, ` Abdullah, when the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم advised them to ignore their right to lineal equality and ordered them to agree to the marriage with Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah ؓ ، it was their duty to bypass their personal opinion and their own rights in the face of this prophetic order. Therefore, it was on this refusal from them that this injunction of the Qur'an was revealed.

As for the lineal consideration in marriage, one may ask when it was worthy of consideration in the sight of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself, why would he himself not go by it? The answer to this doubt is already clear from the earlier submission, that is, this consideration is worth surrendering in favour of other higher and more beneficial religious considerations. During the blessed period of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، several marriages were solemnized among non-equals (ghayr-kuf' ) as based on these very kinds of beneficial religious considerations which do not violate the principle.

The Issue of Equality in marriage (Kaf'ah)

Marriage (nikah) is a matter in which the absence of homogeneity in the temperaments of the spouses disturbs the purpose of marriage, disturbs the process of fulfilling each other's rights and breeds mutual disputes. Therefore, the Shari` ah has ordered that kafa'ah (mutual likeness) should be taken into consideration. But, it never means that a man of high family background starts taking a man from a family lesser than him as low and mean. In Islam, the criterion of low and high is based on Taqwa and love for one's faith. Whoever does not have it, no matter how noble his family is, he yet has no status in the sight of Allah. So, this order to take kafa'ah (mutual equality) into consideration in marriages has been given only to keep the management of matters smooth and straight.

In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been reported to have said that the nikah (marriage) of girls should invariably be through their guardians (that is, it is not appropriate even for a pubescent girl that she settles the transaction of her nikah (marriage) all by herself. Modesty demands that this matter should be handled by her parents and guardians). And he said that the nikah of girls should invariably be solemnized within their kuf' (equal, like). Though, the authority of this Hadith is weak but, with the support from the reports and sayings of the noble Sahabah, it becomes worth being used as an argument. In Kitab ul-'Athar, Imam Muhammad has reported Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ saying: "I shall issue an operative order that no girl from some high and recognized family should be given in marriage to another having a lesser status." Similarly, Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ and Sayyidna Anas ؓ have also stressed that kafa'ah (likeness) should be taken into consideration in nikah (marriage) - as reported from several authorities. Imam Ibn Humam has also written about it in details in Fath al-Qadir.

Hence, the outcome is that the consideration of kafa'ah (equalness and likeness) in nikah (marriage) is desirable in religion, so that the spouses live in accord and harmony. But, should some other important consideration, more important than this kafa'ah, come up, then, it is permissible for the woman and her guardians that they surrender this right of theirs and marry in ghayr kuf, that is, other than equal and like. Particularly so, when there is some religious consideration in sight - if so, it is better and more merit worthy to do so, as proved from several events pertaining to the noble Sahabah. Incidentally, from this we also know that these events do not negate the basic premise of the issue of kafa'ah. Allah knows best. Verse:37 Commentary The Second Event

As ordered by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh ؓ ' was solemnized with Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah ؓ . But, their temperaments did not match and merge with each other. Sayyidna Zayd used to complain about the sharpness of her tongue, the airs she assumed because of her inborn lineal nobility and her failure to listen to him. On the other side, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was informed through revelation that Zayd would divorce her where after she would be married to him. On a certain day, Sayyidna Zayd presented these very complaints before the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and showed his intention to divorce her. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had, though, come to know through Divine revelation that things would transpire in a way that Zayd would divorce her after which she would be married to him, but it was for two reasons that he stopped Sayyidna Zayd from giving a divorce. Firstly, because giving a divorce, though permissible in the Shari'ah of Islam, it is not desirable. In fact, it is the most detested and repugnant of things permissible - and the happening of something as a creational (Takwini) imperative does not affect the operative religio-legal order (al-hukm at-tashri' ). Secondly, also crossing his blessed heart there was the thought: If Zayd were to give divorce and Zainab were to be married to him consequently, the Arabs would, very much in line with their custom of the Jahiliyyah, throw taunts on him that he had married the wife of his son. Although, the Qur'an has already demolished this custom of Jahiliyyah in the previous verse of this very Surah Al-Ahzab, following which there was no danger for a believer, even no scruple about it. But disbelievers, who reject the authority of the Qur'an itself, would still come out with their taunts because of their pagan custom of taking an adopted son as the real son in all aspects of the Law. This very apprehension also became the cause of his prohibiting Sayyidna Zayd from divorcing his wife. Revealed thereupon was an endearing reprimand from Allah Ta' ala in the following verses of the Qur'an:

mmmm

وَإِذْ تَقُولُ لِلَّذِي أَنْعَمَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَاتَّقِ اللَّـهَ وَتُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ مَا اللَّـهُ مُبْدِيهِ وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللَّـهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَاهُ

And (remember) when you were saying to the one who was favored by Allah and favored by you," Keep your wife to yourself, and fear Allah." And you were concealing in your heart what Allah was going to reveal, and you were fearing people, while Allah is more entitled to be feared by you. (33:37)

The 'one favored' referred to here means Sayyidna Zayd ؓ and the first favour bestowed on him by Allah was that he was made a Muslim and secondly, that he was given the honor of staying in the company of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم . As for the favour done to him by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، the first thing he did was that he gave him his freedom from slavery. Secondly, he favored him by grooming and training him under his personal charge, he made him into a person who was respected even by the greatest of the great among the Sahabah. Onwards from here appears what he said to Sayyidna Zayd: اِمسِک عَلَیک زَوجَکَ وَ اتَّقِ اللہَ (Keep your wife to yourself and fear Allah). It means: 'Hold your wife in your bond of marriage, and do not divorce her and fear Allah.' The order to fear Allah at this place could also be taken to mean that divorce is a detested and repugnant act from which he should abstain. And it could also be taken in the sense that once he decides to hold her in his nikah, let not his temperamental distaste become a cause of falling short in the fulfillment of her due rights. What the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said was correct and sound in its place. But, after having learnt about the event as it would transpire through Divine revelation and after the intention of nikah with Sayyidah Zainab ؓ having emerged in his heart, this advice of not divorcing given to Sayyidna Zayd ؓ had remained at the level of a sort of formal expression of good wishes - something not appropriate to the station of a messenger of Allah, particularly so because, along with it, included therein was the apprehension of taunts from the people. Therefore, in the cited verse, the admonition was revealed in the words which mean, 'you were concealing in your heart what Allah was going to reveal.' When the information about his marriage with Sayyidah Zainab ؓ was conveyed to him from Allah and the intention of marriage had already crossed his heart, then, the act of hiding this intention and indulging in such formal remarks was not appropriate to his station. As for the apprehension of taunts from people, it was said, 'and you were fearing people, while Allah is more entitled to be feared by you - (37). In other words, 'when you knew that this thing is going to take place as a matter destined by Allah Ta' ala - without there being any apprehension or danger of His displeasure in that case - then, simply because of the apprehension of taunts from people, such remarks were not appropriate.'

The details of this event appearing above have all been taken from Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Qurtubi and Ruh ul-Ma' ani. As for the particular tafsir of the verse: تُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ مَا اللَّـهُ مُبْدِيهِ (you were concealing in your heart what Allah was going to reveal - 37) that is, 'the thing that he kept to himself was the intention that should Zayd give the divorce, he would marry her in accordance with the Divine decree' - this tafsir was reported by Tirmidhi, Ibn Abi Hatim and other Hadith experts from a narration of Sayyidna ` Ali Ibn Husain Zain ul-` Abidin. Its words are as follows:

اَوحَی اللہُ تعالیٰ اِلَیہِ صلى الله عليه وسلم اَنَّ زَینَبَ سَیُطَلِّقُھَا زَیدُ وَّ یَتَوَوَّجُھَا بَعدَہ، عَلَیہِ الصَّلوٰۃ وَ السَّلَامُ (روح از حکیم ترمذی)

Allah Ta` la had informed the Holy Prophet t through revelation that Zainab is going to be divorced by Zayd and after that she was to be married to him - Ruh ul-Ma'ani from Tirmidhi.

And Ibn Kathir has reported the following words with reference to Ibn Abi Hatim:

اِنَّ اللہَ اَعَلَمَ َبِیَّہ؛ اَنَّھَا ستکُونُ مِن اَزوَاجِہٖ قَبلَ اَن یَّتَزَوَّجَھَا فَلَمَّا اَتَاہُ زَیدُ لِیشکُوھَا اِلَیہِ قال اَتَّقِ اللہَ وَاَمسِک عَلَیکَ زَوجَکَ فَقَالَ اَخبَرتُکَ اِنِّی مُزَوِّجُکَھَا وَتُخفِی فی نَفسِکَ مَا اللہُ مُبدِیہِ؛

Allah Ta' ala had made His prophet know that she (Sayyidah Zainab) will also become one of his blessed wives. After that, when Zayd came to him with a complaint against her, he said, 'Fear Allah, keep your wife, do not divorce her.' Thereupon, Allah Ta' ala said, 'I had made it known to you that I shall have her married to you, and you were concealing in your heart the thing that Allah was going to disclose.'

The majority of commentators - Zuhri, Bakr Ibn al-` Ala', al-Qushairi and Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn al-Arabi - have adopted this very tafsir, that is, the mention of the thing he was keeping to himself was but this intention of marriage under Divine revelation. Counter to this there are narrations in which the words," and you were concealing in your heart" have been explained as love for Zainab. About this tafsir, Ibn Kathir has said, 'we did not like to mention these narrations as none of these is sound.'

Then the words of the Qur'an themselves lend support to this very tafsir mentioned above on the authority of Sayyidna Zain ul-` Abidin because, in this verse, Allah Ta' ala has Himself said very clearly that the thing hidden in the heart was what Allah Ta' ala is going to disclose - and the thing that Allah Ta' ala disclosed in the next verse (37) is nikah or marriage with Sayyidah Zainab as said in: زَوَّجْنَاكَهَا (We gave her into your marriage -37) (Ruh ul-Ma'ani)

To protect oneself against taunts thrown by people is praiseworthy unless it affects some objective of the Shari'ah

A question arises here as to why the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم chose to conceal this matter which became the cause of Divine displeasure only to avoid the taunts of a hostile people? To answer that, it can be said that there is an essential general rule in this matter which stands proved from the Qur'an and Sunnah. According to this rule, when doing an act may cause misunderstanding among people or may invite their taunts, then, in order to protect the faith of people and save them from the sin of throwing taunts, it is permissible to avoid that act, subject to the condition that this act itself should not be one of the objectives of the Shari'ah, and no religious injunction of halal and haram is related with it - even though, the act in itself be praiseworthy; In this matter, a precedent exists in the Hadith and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم who said: When the Baytullah was constructed during the period of Jahiliyyah, several things have been done contrary to the original structure laid out by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . First of all, some part of Baytullah was left outside the constructed area. Then, there were two doors for people to enter inside the Baytullah in the original foundational plan of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، one towards the East and another towards the West because of which there used to be no difficulty with the entry in and exit from Baytullah. The people of the Jahiliyyah made two unwarranted changes in it. They blocked the Western door totally and raised the Eastern door which used to be at ground level so high that no one could enter inside it without the help of a ladder. The purpose was to let only those they permitted go in.

The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: 'Had there been no danger of throwing neo-Muslims into misunderstanding, I would have raised the Baytullah once again in accordance with the Abrahimic foundation.' This Hadith is present in all authentic books. From this we know that it was to save people from misunderstanding that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم abandoned this intention of his, an intention which was, otherwise, praiseworthy in the light of the Shari'ah. And against this there came no admonition from Allah which also shows that this conduct of his was acceptable with Him. But, this matter of reconstructing the Baytullah in accordance with the Abrahimic foundation was not something among the objective of Shari'ah, nor something relating to the precepts of halal and haram.

As for the event of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab ؓ ، there was an Islamic legal objective to be achieved therewith, that is, to refute an evil custom of the Jahiliyyah and to dispel, practically and openly, the erroneous notion of marriage being unlawful with the divorced wife of an adopted son. The reason is that eradication of wrong customs, dragging on and on among peoples for ages, becomes actually possible only when it is implemented practically and demonstrated openly. The Divine command had unfolded to fulfill this objective in a perfect manner in the case of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab ؓ . On the basis of this deposition, the apparent dichotomy between the abandonment of the reconstruction of Baytullah and the implementation of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab ؓ as Divinely ordained stands resolved, and answered.

And it seems that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم took the oral communication of this injunction which has appeared in the earlier verses of Surah Al-Ahzab (Verses 4 5) as sufficient for declaring the law, while the need and wisdom of its practical demonstration escaped his attention. Therefore, he let it remain concealed despite the knowledge and intention. Allah Ta' ala put it right and said: لِكَيْ لَا يَكُونَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ حَرَ‌جٌ فِي أَزْوَاجِ أَدْعِيَائِهِمْ إِذَا قَضَوْا مِنْهُنَّ وَطَرً‌ا (so that there may not be a problem for the believers in marrying wives of their adopted sons, when they finish their desire for them - 37). It means: We gave Zainab in marriage to you so that Muslims do not have to face any practical difficulty in marrying the divorced wives of adopted sons.

And the statement: زَوَّجْنَاكَهَا literally means: 'We solemnized her nikah with you' or 'We gave her into your marriage.' This tells us that Allah Ta' ala blessed this nikah with such distinction that He Himself solemnized it - which makes it exempt from the usual conditions of nikah or marriage. And it could also mean : 'We gave the command for this nikah, now you marry her in accordance with the Islamic rules and conditions.' Some of the commentators have preferred the first probability while some others have gone by the second.

As for the saying of Sayyidah Zainab ؓ before other women, "Your nikah was done by your parents. My nikah was done by Allah Ta' ala Himself on the heavens," which appears in Hadith narrations, it turns out to be true both ways. Under the first probability, it is very clear while the other one too is not contrary to it. Verse:38 Commentary Prefacing an answer to doubts and objections

The opening sentence of verse 38: سُنَّةَ اللَّـهِ فِي الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِن قَبْلُ ۚ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ‌ اللَّـهِ قَدَرً‌ا مَّقْدُورً‌ا (a customary practice of Allah in the case of those who have gone before--- And Allah's command is pre-determined by destiny - 38) is a preface to doubts to be encountered in the wake of this marriage, particularly about why so much concern was shown in the case of this marriage despite there being other wives in the household. It was said: 'This is a sunnah of Allah (His customary practice not restricted to Muhammad al-Mustafa t. It has continued to be so in the case of earlier prophets as well, that is, under the dictate of beneficial religious considerations, permission was given for multiple marriages. Well recognized among them are Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) and Sayyidna Sulaiman Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) had one hundred wives in his nikah and Sayyidna Sulaiman (علیہ السلام) ، three hundred. Now, if permission came for the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to have several marriages under beneficial religious considerations - this nikah being included therein - why should it be taken as something far-fetched? Neither is it contrary to the dignity and status of a prophet and messenger of Allah, nor against the norms of zuhd and taqwa. In the last sentence, it was also said that the matter of nikah (marriage) too, like that of rizq or sustenance, is Divinely decided as to who will be married to whom. That which is written in the eternal destiny has to occur. In this event relating to Sayyidna Zayd ؓ and Sayyidah Zainab ؓ the factors of their mutual temperamental difference, the displeasure of Sayyidna Zayd ؓ and then his resolve to divorce her were all chains of this very creational and destined imperative. Verse:39 Commentary Mentioned next are particular attributes of the prophets علیہم السلام about whom we have learnt a while ago that they were permitted to have several wives in earlier times. It was said: الَّذِينَ يُبَلِّغُونَ رِ‌سَالَاتِ اللَّـهِ (those who convey the messages of Allah and have awe of Him and have no awe of anyone except Allah - 39), that is, all these esteemed prophets, may peace be upon them, convey the messages of Allah to their respective communities without fear of anyone.

A wise consideration

Perhaps, in this, there may be a hint towards the wisdom behind the multiplicity of marriages allowed to the noble prophets (علیہم السلام) in that all their sayings and doings must necessarily reach their communities, while being men, they spend a substantial part of their time in the section of the house where women and children live. During this time, if there comes a revelation or the prophet himself gives some order or does something, it all becomes a property held by their wives in trust on behalf of the community which can be transferred to it through wives alone. Other alternates are not free of difficulties. Therefore, should prophets have several wives, it would become easier to convey accounts of their words and deeds and their personal character in family life. Allah knows best.

The second attribute of the noble prophets has been described as: وَيَخْشَوْنَهُ وَلَا يَخْشَوْنَ أَحَدًا إِلَّا اللَّـهَ (and have awe of Him and have no awe of anyone except Allah - 39) It means that these prophets keep fearing Allah and fear none but Allah. It is also included there that they, if appointed to preach something by practicing it as based on beneficial religious consideration, never fall short in it - and if some people throw taunts at them for doing so, they do not fear it.

A doubt and its answer

Here, while mentioning the prophets, it has been said that they do not fear anyone except Allah. But, in the verse previous to it while referring to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم it was said: تَخْشَى النَّاسَ (you fear people - 37). How would this be correct? The answer is that, in the cited verse, this matter of prophets not fearing anyone other than Allah has been mentioned in connection with the conveying of Divine messages while the Holy Prophet t, faced the fear of being taunted in a matter which was obviously of a worldly nature. It had nothing to do with his mission and prophethood. But, as soon as it became clear to him from the cited verses that this marriage too was a part of the practical aspect of his mission and prophethood, no fear of taunts, thereafter, from anyone stopped him from doing what he had to. And this marriage took place despite the objections raised by many disbelievers - which they still keep doing. Verse:40 Commentary Commentary

The verse quoted above refutes the contention of those people who, in accordance with the custom of the days of ignorance, used to call Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ as son of the Messenger of Allah and used to taunt at the nikah (marriage) of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with Sayyidah Zainab ؓ ، after she had been divorced by Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah ؓ that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had married his son's wife. It was enough to say in refutation that the father of Sayyidna Zayd ؓ is not the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم but Harithah ؓ . But in order to emphasis the matter, the statement has been generalized in the following words: مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّ‌جَالِكُمْ (Muhammad is not a father of any of your men). The sense is that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has no son at all. How can it be asserted against him that he has a son and that his divorced wife is forbidden to him because of being his son's wife?

A brief expression for this statement could have been (Muhammad is not a father of any of you). But the wise Qur'an, by adding the word (مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّ‌جَالِكُمْ ) (any of your men) has removed a possible objection that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is father of four sons - three sons Qasim, Tayyib and Tahir ؓ born to Sayyidah Khadijah ؓ and Ibrahim born to Sayyidah Mariyah al- Qibtiyyah ؓ but all of them died during childhood and none of them reached manhood. It can also be said that at the time of revelation of this verse, none of his sons was alive, because Qasim, Tayyib and Tahir had died, while Ibrahim ؓ was not born at that time.

Although the objection of the opponents had been adequately replied by the above sentence, yet in order to remove other doubts as well, it is stated لَـٰكِن رَّ‌سُولَ اللَّـهِ (but a messenger of Allah). The word لٰکِن lakin (but) is used in Arabic language to remove any doubt that could be raised about the preceding statement. In this case, a doubt could be raised against the negation of the statement that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is not a father of any one. One could say that every prophet and messenger is the father of every man and women of his Ummah, and therefore the negation of his fatherhood would be tantamount to negation of his prophethood. This doubt has been dispelled by لَـٰكِن رَّ‌سُولَ اللَّـهِ )but a messenger of Allah) which means that the rules regarding permissibility or impermissibility of marriage are applicable to the real and biological fatherhood that is quite different from a spiritual fatherhood enjoyed by the prophets in relation to the members of their Ummah. In this relationship these laws do not apply. Now the meaning of the full sentence is that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is not the biological father of any of the men of the Ummah but he is the spiritual father of all of them.

This is also a rejoinder for another sarcasm that some Mushriks (polytheists) had uttered against the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that (Allah forbid) he is اَبتَر (issueless) that is, since he has no male offspring to continue the lineage and to propagate his message further; after a few days the whole story would come to an end. The above words have made it clear that although he has no biological sons, yet the biological sons are not in any case essential to spread the message of prophethood or to maintain and propagate it. This function is normally performed by one's followers who are his spiritual children, and since he is the spiritual father of the whole Ummah who are there to carry forward his mission, he excels all of you in the number of his (spiritual) children.

Then, once the prophethood and messenger-ship of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was mentioned here in which he carries a very special and distinct excellence over all other prophets, this distinctive eminence surpassing all other prophets has been indicated by the following words: وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ ( and the Last of the Prophets).

There are two ways to read the word Imam Hasan ؓ and 'Asim read this word as خَاتَمَ khatam whereas other leading scholars read it as khatim. The meaning remains the same in both cases, that is, 'the last of the prophets'. In both the cases, the word means the 'last' as well as the 'seal'. The meaning of the seal is also the 'last' because the seal is applied to something when it is intended to be closed. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been called the seal of the prophets because the process of sending new prophets has come to an end on his advent. This is the gist of the explanation given in Tafsir Ruh ul Ma' ani, Tafsir of Al-Baydawi and Ahmadi. The fact that both the words ' khatam' and 'khatim' carry the same meaning in this sentence has been affirmed by all the famous lexicons of the Arabic language.

Ibn Sidah, for example, in his Almuhkam states that the the words 'khatim' and 'khatimah' with regard to everything means its end and its termination.

The gist is that both readings of the verse (khatam and khatim) convey the same meaning, that is, the Holy Prophet has concluded the line of prophets; he has succeeded all the prophets and he is the last among all of them.

The Holy Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم attribute of being the last of all the prophets demonstrates his excellence and distinction in all the perfections of prophethood and messenger-ship, because in general, all things progress gradually reaching completion at the highest stage, and the end result is the real objective. The Holy Qur'an has stated this clearly in الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي (Today, I have perfected your religion for you and have completed My blessings upon you, - 5:3).

The religions of the previous prophets were also complete with regard to their respective times - none was defective. But absolute perfection was reached by the religion of the Holy Prophet Muhammad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم which is the authority for all the ancient and modern human beings and will continue to be so up to the Doomsday.

By adding the phrase 'last of the prophets' after negating his being a father of a male boy, another point has been clarified here. The polytheists used to pass negative remarks against the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم by saying that he has no son, and therefore his lineage would not continue. By saying that he is the last of the prophets it is indicated that these remarks are based on ignorance, because he is the spiritual father of the whole Ummah which follows him and being the last prophet, all the races and nations to come in this world till the Doomsday would be included in his Ummah; as such the number of persons in his Ummah would be more than in other Ummah and his spiritual sons would be more than those of other prophets.

The Holy Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم being the last prophet has also told us that his kindness and affection for his spiritual sons (i.e. for his Ummah) would be more than that of other prophets and he would be fully seized of the concern to identify and appreciate the needs which may arise till Doomsday because no prophet or wahy (Divine revelation) would come after him. The prophets preceding him did not have this concern because they knew that when the nation would deviate and adopt erring ways, other prophets would come after them and reform the nation. But the Last Prophet t was seized of the concern that he should impart instructions to the Ummah for all the situations that it may face uptill Doomsday. The ahadith of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم bear witness to the above, because he has told us even the names of most of those people who could be followed and who would come after him. Similarly, he has told us the details about the leaders who would misguide humanity in a manner that anybody who cares to ponder over those warnings would not have the slightest doubt left in his mind. That is why the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said تَرَکتُم علٰی شَرِیعَۃِ بَیضَآِء لَیلُھَا و نَھَارُھا سَوَاُء I have left (you) on such an illuminated path where it does not make any difference whether it is day or night; there is no danger of being misguided at any time."

Another point to note in this verse is that Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم has been referred to in the beginning of the sentence as a rasul (messenger) and as such it would have been apparently more appropriate to use the word khatam-ur-rusul or khatam-ul-mursalin (the last of the messengers ) for him. But the wise Qur'an has, instead, used the word khatam-un-nabiyyin (the last of the prophets). The reason is that according to the consensus of scholars, there is a difference between Nabi (prophet) and rasul (messenger). Nabi is that person whom Allah Ta' ala (the Almighty) has selected for the reformation of His slaves and has honored him with His Wahy (revelation), irrespective of whether He has given him a Book and a new Shari'ah (set of revealed rules and precepts) or He has appointed him to guide the followers of a previous Nabi according to a previous Nabi's Book and Shari'ah, like Sayyidna Harun (علیہ السلام) was appointed to guide and reform his followers according to the Book and Shari'ah of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) . On the contrary, the word rasul (messenger) is used exclusively for a particular Nabi who has been given a Book and a new Shari'ah. As such Nabi is more general than Rasul.

So the meaning of this verse is that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، being the last of the prophets, has concluded the line of prophets and no prophet will come after him, irrespective of whether he is given a Book and a Shari'ah or he succeeds a previous Nabi to follow his Book and Shari'ah.

It is now very clear that all kinds of prophets appointed by Allah came to an end with the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ; no prophet will be appointed after him.

Imam Ibn Kathir, in his Tafsir, says:

فَھٰذِہ الاَیۃُ اَنَّہ لَا نَبٰیَّ بَعدَہ وَاَذَا کَانَ نَبٰیَّ بَعدَہ فلا رسول بِالطَّرِیقِ الاَولٰی لِاَنَّ مَقَامَ الرِّسَلَۃِ ا ؟ خَصُّ مِن مَّقَام النُّبُوَّۃِ رَاِنَّ کُلَّ رَسُولِ نَبِیُّ وَّلَا یَنعَکِسُ بِذٰلِکَ وَرَدَتِ الاَحَادِیثُ المُتَوَتِرۃ عَن رَّسُول اللہِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِن حَدِیث جَمَاعَۃِ مِّنَ الصّحابَۃِ

"This verse is the unambiguous proof of the belief that there would be no Nab' after the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and since there would be no Nabi , there is no question of there being any rasul after him because Nabi is a general term and rasul is particular. And this is the belief which is evidenced by mutawatir ahadith which have reached us through the reports of a very large number of the Noble Companions ؓ ."

The Literal explanation of this verse has been given here in considerable detail because one imposter by the name of Mirza Qadiyani, considering this verse to be a hindrance in his way, has distorted the meanings of the verse and has introduced a host of conjectures in its explanation. The foregoing, al-Hamdulillah, is a befitting reply.

The Issue of Termination of Prophethood

That the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was the last of the prophets who has sealed and thus terminated prophethood, and that no other prophet is to be appointed after him and every claimant to prophethood is a liar and an infidel are well-settled issues on which there has been complete unanimity and consensus right from the days of the noble companions upto the date. Therefore there was no need for a lengthy discussion on this subject. But the Qadiyani sect has put in a lot of effort to create doubts in the minds of Muslims on this issue; by publishing hundreds of pamphlets and books they have tried to misguide those Muslims who are not well versed in religious knowledge. So this humble author has written a book titled "Khatm-e-Nabuwwat" in which this issue has been fully detailed and clarified in the light of one hundred Qur'anic verses, more than two hundred ahadith and hundreds of dictum of the classic as well as later scholars and learned people; the Qadiyani deception and doubts created thereby have been fully refuted. Some important points from that book are being reproduced here.

The Holy Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم Being the Last Prophet does not negate the descent of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) in the last days

It is proved from many verses of the Qur'an and from mutawatir ahadith that in the last days before the doomsday, Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) would come into this world again, kill Dajjal (the Antichrist) and bring all misguidance to an end. The detailed proofs of this fact are given in my Arabic book 'At-tasrih'. Mirza Qadiyani, denying the descent of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) has proclaimed himself to be the predicted Masih with the reasoning that if reappearance of Sayyidna ` Isa Ibn Maryam (علیہا السلام) who was a prophet of Israelites, is accepted, then it would negate the Holy Prophet's t being the last of the prophets.

The clear reply is that the Holy Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم being the last prophet means that nobody would be appointed as a prophet after him; it does not imply that somebody who was appointed a prophet earlier would be dismissed from his prophethood or that such a prophet would not be able to return to this world. But, of course, the prophet who returns to this world for the reformation of the Ummah of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم while maintaining his prophethood, would carry out the reforms in the Ummah in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، as clarified in authentic ahadith.

Imam Ibn Kathir, in explanation of this verse, has said:

والمراد بکونہ علیہ السّلام خاتمھم انقطاع حدوث وصف النبوّۃ فی احد مّن الثقلین بعد تحلیتہ (علیہ السلام) بھا فی ھٰذِہ النشأۃ ' والمراد بکونہ علیہ السَّلام خاتمھم انقطاع حدوث وصف النبوۃ فی احد مّن الثقلین بعد تحلیتہ (علیہ السلام) بھا فی ھٰذہ النشأۃ، ولا یقدح فی ذٰلِک ما اجمت علیہ الامّۃ واشتھرت فیہ الاخبار ولعلھا بلغت مبلغ التواتر المعنوی و نظق بہ الکتاب علٰی قول و وجب الایمان بہ و اُکفر منکرہ کالفلاسفۃ من نزول عیسٰی (علیہ السلام) آخرالزمان لانَّہ کان نبیِّا قبل ان یحلی نبیّنا صلى الله عليه وسلم بالنبوۃ فی ھٰذِہِ النشأۃ .

"The Holy Prophet being the last of the prophets means that the office of prophethood stands terminated after him. No one would get this office after him. But it does not have any effect on the fact of the descent and reappearance of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) in the last days on which there is a consensus of the whole Ummah and which is proved by a large number of ahadith that are almost mutawatir and by the Qur'an itself according to some interpretations, because he had been given prophethood before the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ."

Distortion of the Meaning of Prophethood and invention of new kinds of Prophethood

This claimant of prophethood adopted a new trick to pave the way for his claim by inventing a new kind of prophethood which simply does not exist in Qur'an and Sunnah and neither is there any proof for it, but according to him this new kind of prophethood does not negate the decree of Qur'an regarding the termination of prophethood. Briefly, he has introduced in prophethood the concept of reincarnation, which is well known in Hinduism and other religions. His contention is that if a person is dyed in the color of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ، by virtue of his complete obedience to him and by following his footsteps, his coming to this world is the coming of the Holy Prophet himself; such a person is in fact the shadow and incarnate demonstration of none else but the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . Therefore, his claim does not negate the belief in the termination of prophethood after him.

But how can this invented kind of prophethood find its way to Islamic beliefs? There is no proof of it. Besides, the belief in termination of prophethood is a basic belief of Islam and as such it has been so thoroughly clarified by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم under different topics at various times that no imposter can distort it. The full details can be seen in this author's book referred to earlier, but only some necessary proofs of this belief are being presented here.

Sahih of Bukhari, Sahih of Muslim and almost all books of Hadith have reported from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ with authentic chain of narrators that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said,

ان مثلٰی ومثل الانبیآء من قبلی کمثل رجل بنی بیتاً فاحسنہ واجملہ الاموضع لبنیۃ من زاویۃ فجعل الناس یطوفون بہ ویعجبون لہ ویقولون ھلّا : وضعت ھذہ اللبنۃ ؟ وانا خاتم النبیین رواہ احمد والنسایٔی والترمذی و فی الفاظہ فکنت ان سددت موضع اللبنۃ وختم بی البنیان

"The example of all the prophets before me and of myself is like a man has built a very strong and well decorated house in one corner wall of which space has been left vacant for one brick; people roam about in the home to see it and admire the construction but all of them say that why did not the builder put a brick in that space also which would have completed the construction. I am that last brick (of the palace of prophethood) " and in some versions he said "I have filled up that vacant space and thus completed the palace of prophethood."

The gist of this eloquent simile is that prophethood is like a grand palace composed of Prophets صلى الله عليه وسلم . This grand palace was complete in all respects before the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم except for the placement of one brick. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم completed this grand palace by filling up that vacant space for one brick. Now there is no more space for any prophet or messenger. Even if it is supposed that there are other kinds of prophets and messengers, there is just no more space for them in the palace of prophethood.

In another Hadith narrated by Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ reported in Sahihs of Bukhari, Muslim, Musnad of Ahmad, etc., the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said:

کانت بنو اسرایٔل تسوسھم الانبیاء کلّما ھلک نبی خلفہ وانہ لانبی بعدی و ویکون خلفاء فیکثرون (الحدیث)

"The politics and administration of Banu Isra'il was being handled by the prophets themselves. When one prophet expired, another prophet would take his place. And after me there is no prophet, but of course, there would be my khulafa' (caliphs - successors) who would be numerous."

This Hadith has made it clear that there would be no prophet after the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the education and instruction of the Ummah would be carried out by his Khulafa'. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has explicitly and clearly told us that there is no prophethood of any kind after him, otherwise he would have mentioned it in this Hadith where he has mentioned Khulafa'.

Sahibs of Bukhari and Muslim have reported a Hadith narrated by Sayyidna Abu Hurairah

لَم یَبقَ مِن النُّبُوَّۃِ اِلَّا المُبَشِّرَات

"Nothing is left of prophethood except mubashshirat (true dreams ) ".

As reported in Musnad Ahmad, etc., Sayyidah Siddiqah 'A' ishah ؓ and Sayyidah Umm Kurz al- K'abiyyah ؓ have stated that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said:

لا یبقی بعدی من النبوۃ شیء الّا المشرات قالوا : یا رسول اللہ ! والمبشرات ؟ قال : الرؤیا الصّالحۃ یراھا المسلم او تری لہ (طبرانی - کذی ری الکنز)

"Nothing is left of prophethood after me except mubashshirat. The noble companions asked: 0 Holy Prophet ! What is mubashshirat? He replied, 'True dreams that a Muslim sees himself or somebody else sees about him."

This Hadith has so explicitly told that no kind of prophethood, either one with a new law or without it, either Zilli (shadowy) or Buruzi (incarnate), is possible after the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ; people would only have mubashshirat (true dreams) through which they would find out a few things.

Musnad of Ahmad and Tirmidhi carry a narration of Sayyidna Anas Ibn Malik ؓ wherein the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said:

إن الرسالۃ والنبوۃ قد انقطعت فلا رسول بعدی ولا نبی (رواہ الترمذی و قال : ھذا حدیث صحیح)

"No doubt risalah (messenger-ship) and nubuwwah (prophethood) stand terminated after me; after me there would neither be a rasul (messenger) nor a Nabi (prophet)

This Hadith has made it clear that prophethood even without a new law is simply not there after the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم what to say of zilli or buruzi prophethood which are neither any form of prophethood nor are they recognized as such in Islam.

The objective is not to collect here all the ahadith pertaining to the issue of termination of prophethood; more than two hundred ahadith on this subject have been put together in my book "Khatm-e-Nabuwwat". The objective, by quoting a few of them is to advise that the categories of zilli and buruzi prophethood invented by Mirth Qadiyani is without any basis or proof, and moreover the ahadith quoted above have told explicitly that there is no kind of of prophethood whatsoever left to come after the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .

That is why, right from the days of the noble companions uptill today, all the schools of Muslim Ummah are unanimous on the belief that there cannot be any kind of Nabi or Rasul after the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and whoever claims to be so is a liar and denier of the Qur'an and is a disbeliever. The first general consensus of the noble companions had evolved on this very issue as a result of which a holy war (jihad) was fought with Musaylimah, the liar, the false claimant of prophethood, during the period of the first Khalifah Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ in which he (Musailimah) and his followers were killed.

The dictums and clarifications of the past Imams and wise scholars of the Ummah are reproduced in considerable detail in the book "Khatm-e-Nabuwwat", some of them are being copied here also.

Ibn Kathir, in his tafsir, writes under this verse:

اخبر اللہ تعلٰی فی کتابہ و رسولہ اللہ صلى الله عليه وسلم فی السنۃ المتواترۃ عنہ أنہ لا نبی بعدہ الیعلموا ان کل من ادعی ھذا المقام بعدہ فھو کذاب افّاک دجّال ضالّ مضل۔ ولو تحرّق و شعبذ واتی بانواع السحرالطلاسم النیرنجیات فکلھا محال و ضلال عند اولی الالباب کما اجری اللہ سُبحَنَہ علی ید الاسود لعنسی بالیمن و مسلِمۃ الکذاب بالیمامۃ من الاحوال لفاسدہ و الاقوال الباردۃ ما علم کُلّ ذی لُبّ وفھم وحجی انھما کاذبان ضالان لعنھما اللہ تعالیٰ وکذلک کہ مدع لذٰلک الی یوم القیامۃ حتّٰی یختموا بالمسیح الدجّال۔ (ابن کثیر)

"Allah Ta' ala in this Book and the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in successive ahadith has informed that there is no Nabi after the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم so that people should know that whoever claims to be a prophet after him is a liar, a cheat, an imposter, a deviator who misguides others, no matter how many conjuring tricks he shows, magic spells he binds or talismanic wonders and sorceries he performs which are, in fact, sheer fallacies recognized as such by the people who have knowledge and understanding. Allah Ta' ala had let such perverse acts and utterances manifested at the hands of Aswad Al-'Ansi (claimant of prophethood) in Yemen and Musaylimah, the liar, (another claimant of prophethood) in Yamamah in a way that every intelligent and comprehending person, after hearing and seeing them, knew that both of them were liars and misguided. May Allah curse them. In the same way anyone who claims to be a prophet upto the Doomsday is a liar and an infidel and this stream of claimants of prophethood would end at Dajjal, the Anti-Christ."

Imam Ghazzali, while explaining the above mentioned verse and discussing the belief in the termination of prophethood, has observed in his book 'Al-Iqtisad fil I'tiqad' as follows,

و لیس فیہ تاویل ولا تخصیص ومن اَوَّلَہُ یتخصیص فکلامہ من الھذیان لا یمنع الحکم بتکفیرہ لاَّنہ مکذّبُ لھذا النص الذی اجمعت الامۃ علٰی انہ غیر مإوّل ولا مخصوص۔

"The entire Ummah has unanimously understood from these words and from circumstantial evidences that there will never be a prophet after him ever, nor will ever come a messenger of Allah. These words (of the verse) can neither be interpreted in any other sense, nor can their generality be restricted."

Qadi ` Iyad in his book 'Ash-shifa', after declaring that a person who claims to prophethood after the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is a liar and an infidel who does not believe in this verse, has observed as follows:

واجمعت الامۃ علیٰ حمل ھذا الکلام علیٰ ظاھرہ وانّ مفھومہ المراد بہ دون تاویل ولا تخصیص فلا شک فی کفر ھٰؤلاء الطوایٔف کلھا قطعاً اجماعاً وسمعاً

"The Ummah holds by consensus that this discourse bears the obvious meaning and that this verse means what it says, without any other interpretation or any exception. Therefore, there is no doubt in the kufr (infidelity) of all those sects (who follow any claim out of prophethood) rather their kufr stands absolutely proved in view of the consensus of the Ummah and the express texts of the Qur'an and Sunnah.