Truth about Khatm-e-Nabuwat — Page 30
while referring to the other Prophets, Allah the Great omits the word p1ophets and suffixes only with "righteous and the witnesses". He says: -:. . ~. ~t~JJ1$' ~. . ,;. -L\. ,. -:. . . \ -=-·~, 0~ ,,. ,,. I. - , '. . ~-' , "J. ,- ~. . . ,,,. ,·. . . . . ,,,,,,. . ,~~. , l~~'~t""i. . 1. ,. . . ,) -. . -o. ,,. 4V~,-\~f_, "'Those who truly believe in Allah and His Prophets are righteous and witnesses unto their Lord". 1 • The cl~ar distinction betw,-en the respective meaning of the two verses undf'r reference is too stroug an evidence to leave any room for doubt in any mind as to the fact that, while the followers of the E'arlier prophets could become righteous and witnesses, they could not, by virtue of allegiance to them, be eligible to the grace of Prophethood, but that, on the other hand, the followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace of Allah be on him and His blessings) have- within their reach, the opportunity to attain to prophet- hood through obedience to the Prophet, in addition to the opportunity to be< ome righteous and witnesses, according to their respective merits~ If a question arises here as to the use of the word • ~• in the above quoted verse of Sura Nisa, in the sense of 'with' and that it means that the followers of. the Holy Prophet (peace be on him and His blessings) cannot become prophets but are 'only eligible to their company, this would be a narrow-minded construction because, actually the word 'r: has not been used in respect of prophets alone, but has been used in respect of "those whom Allah has favoured", which term comprises all, prophets, righteous, witnesses and pious J. Suro Al-Hadid, ,err• 20. 80