Life of Ahmad — Page 835
as REMOVES A MISCONCEPTION 835 Prophets and not the tail. He is the greatest, not because he appeared last of all, but because he has brought a law which is absolutely final and can never be replaced or excelled. Ibn-e-Khalad u n also mentions this meaning in his Muqaddama. 210 Ali bin Muhammad Sultan al-Q a r i (Mullah Ali Q a r i ) interprets this phrase, in the same sense. He says 211 that it means that there will not come a Prophet after Muhammad sa who should cancel his law and who is not a follower of his. Shaikh Muhyyud D i n ibn-i- ‘Arab i says 212 that the prophethood which brings law is finished with the advent of Muhammad sa. Shah Waliullah Mu h addith rh of DeIhi writes 213 that Muhammad sa was the last of the Prophets in the sense that there will appear no one after him to promulgate a new law for the people. Sayyid Abdul Kar i m J i l a n i rh says, 'the prophetic law is finished and completed with the Holy Prophet sa and he was Kh a tamun Nabiyy i n 214. ' Maul a na Abdul H ayi of Lucknow says: 'It is not impossible that a new Prophet may appear during or after the age of Muhammad sa , but the bringing of a new code of religion is an absolute impossibility'. 215 The second verse which is produced in support of this doctrine is: 210 Vol. 2. p. 165, Paris. L 211 Mau du ‘ a t-e-Kab i r p. 69 212 Fa sus ul Hikam p 140. 213 Taf hi m a t-e-Il a hiyya. No 53. 214 Al-Ins a nul K a mil , chap. 36. 215 Dafi‘was a wis f i asr ibn ‘Abb a s ra , p. 12