With Love to Muhammad (sa) - The Khatam-un-Nabiyyin — Page 30
30 With Love to Muhammad sa the Kh ā tam-un-Nabiyy ī n the verse is studied in its proper context of praise in rebuttal to insults, and in view of other verses of the Holy Qur’ ā n which promise the coming of prophets, the meaning of Last of the prophets simply cannot be applied to the phrase Kh ā tam-an- Nabiyy ī n, and the only possibility is to take the literal meaning of the one who attests to the truth of the prophets. Fourth, an objection to the non-Ahmad ī understanding is that the word kh ā tim is Ism F ā ‘il and if the meaning of last is to be taken, then the literal translation of kh ā tim would be the one who ends or the one who finishes. This meaning cannot be applied to the phrase Kh ā tim-an-Nabiyy ī n because the Holy Prophet sa is definitely not someone who has the authority to “finish” the prophets. This authority rests entirely with All ā h as He is the One who can finish the prophets, not the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa. Fifth, it must be remembered that in Ibn Al-Anb ā r ī , Kit ā b Al-Mas ā hif , there is a narration that ‘Abd-ur-Rahm ā n Aslam ī ra states: a َ خاتِم a اCُرءdKُا a اHا a ؓ اFب a اب a ابن a ّ cَ@ a ْ َرَّبdB a َ اFحiWن a و a َ اFحWن a ُ اCُرء a ُ eDت a َ خاتَم a و a اCرءdKْا a F a B`ال a اFتاء a بWaر a اeFَّبiّiن a و a اFتاء a ب_تح a اeFبiّiن اﷲ a اdFُوBِّق. I was appointed to teach Hazrat Im ā m Hassan ra and Im ā m Hussain ra the Holy Qur’ ā n. Then, once, Hazrat ‘Al ī bin Ab ī T ā lib ra passed by me [and] I was teaching them to read Kh ā tim-an-Nabiyy ī n , with the kasra on t ā ’. Then, he [Hazrat ‘Al ī ra ] said to me: “Teach them to recite wa Kh ā tam-an-Nabiyy ī n , with the fatah on t ā ’. May All ā h enable you to!”