Basics of Religious Education — Page 22
22 22 22 22 22 B ASICS OF R ELIGIOUS E DUCATION - F IFTH E DITION Both the Ahmadis and the non-Ahmadis believe that the Holy Prophet of Islam is Khaatamun-nabiyyeen , i. e. Seal of the Prophets , but they differ as to the interpretation of this Qur’anic term. The verse is: Muhammad sa is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets (33:41) According to the non-Ahmadis, all doors to prophethood are forever closed and nobody can attain prophethood after the Holy Prophet sa , who, in their view, was the last prophet in order of time. The Ahmadis, however, regard this view as derogatory to the Holy Prophet of Islam sa , for it represents him as the one who put an end to the greatest gift of God, viz. , prophethood. According to the Ahmadi belief, all doors to the prophethood are now closed, except the door of the Holy Prophet sa. It is through this door alone that prophethood (i. e. without a new law) is now attainable. The Holy Qur’an (4:70) describes the divine gift of prophethood as still attainable by the followers of the Holy Prophet sa. He is thus the Seal of Prophets , i. e. , he is not only a great prophet but also a prophet-maker. In conformity with the Holy Qur’an (35:25), the Ahmadis revere all those great men as prophets (e. g. , Zoroaster, Buddha, Krishna and Rama Chandra) whom a larger section of humanity has accepted as Divine messengers. Their teachings may have been tampered with but, according to the Ahmadis, the original teachings which these holy men gave were based on Divine revelation. The non-Ahmadis, however, denounce this attitude of the Ahmadis towards these reformers and refuse to acknowledge them as prophets — a view which is against the Qur’anic teachings. (35:25) Most of the non-Ahmadis hold that when the Jews tried to arrest Jesus Christ in order to hang him on the cross, God changed the appearance of another man and made him look exactly like Jesus Christ. This change deceived the Jews who seized the transfigured person and crucified him, while God raised Jesus to heaven in order to put him beyond the reach of the Jews. Since then, Jesus has lived in the second heaven with his physical body and would Interpretation of Khaatamun- nabiyyeen (Seal of the Prophets) Belief in all the Prophets Belief Regarding Jesus Christ as I I I I I S L A M S L A M S L A M S L A M S L A M — A — A — A — A — A H M A D I Y Y H M A D I Y Y H M A D I Y Y H M A D I Y Y H M A D I Y YA A A A AT T T T T -T -T -T -T -T H E H E H E H E H E R R R R R E V I V E V I V E V I V E V I V E V I VAL AL AL AL AL O F O F O F O F O F I I I I I S L A M S L A M S L A M S L A M S L A M 1. 6 1. 6 1. 6 1. 6 1. 6