Life of Ahmad — Page 839
as REMOVES A MISCONCEPTION 839 not a Prophet. The words cannot refer to any remote future. They were used and meant for that particular occasion. The word ba‘d is often used in this sense. In Al-A‘r a f 7:151 this word is translated by Pickthall as 'after I had left you'. The word ba‘d is also used in the sense of i. e. , with 220. Taken in this sense the sentence L a Nabiyya ba‘d i would mean that there was no Prophet with him. It is curious to note that in the Shia traditions the words used are Laisa ma‘ i Nabiyyun i. e. , there is no Prophet with me. 221 In another tradition the words reported are quite clear. The Prophet sa added 'except that thou art not a Prophet'. 222 There is another tradition also which is very clear. 'Dost thou not desire to be what Aaron as was to Moses as except that thou art not a Prophet?' 223 Taking the word ba’d to mean 'after' we can interpret the sentence in another way. If we go into the idiom of the language we find that the words are not to be taken in their literal sense. There is another tradition where the Holy Prophet sa says: 'When Chosroe dies there will be no Chosroe after him, and when Kaisar dies there will be no Kaisar after him'. 224 220 Ibid. 221 Amalee. 222 T abaq a t-e-Kab i r , vol. 5, p. 15. 223 Bih a rul Anw a r, Kit a bul Man a qib , vol. 9, Iran. 224 Bukh a r i , vol. 4, Egypt, p. 91.