Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 48
48 AHMADIYY AT mised to the righteous after their demise, in either case the statement amounts to an absurdity. Another difficulty in the way of the bodily. ascent of Jesus to heaven is, what became of his habitat after such an ascent and how are his physical needs being met? There is a well-known saying of the Holy Prophet: 'Had Moses and Jesus been alive they would have had no choice but to follow me. ' This clearly means that in the estimation of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, Jesus was as dead as Moses. That should be conclusive even in the eyes of the orthodox divines. II The finality of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, is still a matter of fierce controversy between the bulk of the orthodox Muslims and the members of the Ahmadiyya Moven1ent. The central issue in this context is the verse of the Holy Quran: 'Muhammad is not the father of any of your males, but he is the Messenger of Allah and Seal of the Prophets; Allah has full knowledge of all things' (33:41). Thus the issue resolves itself into the exact conno- tation of the expression Seal of the Prophets, keeping in mind the context of the verse. There is not the least doubt that the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement believed sincerely and whole-hear- tedly that the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, was the Seal of the Prophets in its truest and most exalted connotation. For instance, he has said: I call to witness the Glory of God and His Majesty that I am one of the faithful, a Muslim, and I believe in Allah, the Exalted, in His Books, in His Messengers, in His angels and in the life after death. I believe that our Prophet Muhammad, the Elect of God, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the most eminen t of the prophets and the Seal of the Prophets [HamamatulBushra, p. 8]. Again, he has said: The charge made against me and my Com-