With Love to Muhammad (sa) - The Khatam-un-Nabiyyin — Page 55
Examples of Kh ā tam used in other contexts 55 the Kh ā tam-ul-Awliy ā ’ [ Seal of the Saints ]. There is no wal ī after me except one who is from my followers and upon my covenant]) 40. These quotations show that Hazrat Mirz ā Ghul ā m Ahmad as believed that there would be Awliy ā ’ and Khulaf ā ’ after him and he could not have called himself the Last of the Khulaf ā ’ or the Last of the Awliy ā ’. Moreover, this holds true from a historical point of view. Hazrat ‘ Ī s ā as was indeed the last prophet for the Israelites or the Kh ā tam-ul-Anbiy ā ’ for them but the system of Khil ā fah continued after him. In this sense, Hazrat ‘ Ī s ā as cannot possibly be called the Last of the Khulaf ā ’. Instead, Hazrat Mirz ā Ghul ā m Ahmad as calls him the Best of the Khulaf ā ’ for those who came after him. As a result, both Hazrat ‘ Ī s ā as and Hazrat Mirz ā Ghul ā m Ahmad as share the title of Kh ā tam ul- Khulaf ā ’ as they are the best of the Khulaf ā ’ among those Khulaf ā ’ coming after them. Questions for Farhan Khan: 1. If the word kh ā tam did not idiomatically mean “best” at the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa , why did he repeatedly use it in this sense in his statements? 2. What does he think about the fact that Hazrat Im ā m Raz ī translated Kh ā tam-an-Nabiyy ī n as “Best of the prophets” while knowing full well what the Us ū l-ut-Tafs ī r are? 40 Khutba Ilh ā miyya , Page 35