Tabligh Guide — Page 18
(American Edition) 18 ِ َِضَِ ہللا ُ عَنْہ ُ قَال َ رَسُوْل ُ ہللا عَن ْ حُذَیْفَۃ َ ر ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص ْ ُْکُْ مَا ٓ شَآء َ ہللا ُ اَن ْ تَکُون ُ النُّبُوَّۃ ُ فِي ُثَُّ تَکُوْن ُ خ ًِلَفَۃ ٌ عَل ہ مِنْھَاج ِ النُبُوَّۃ ِ مَا ٓ شَا ٓ ء َ ہللا ُ اَن ْ تَکُو ٰلہ َ ُثَُّ یَرْفَعُھَا ہللا ُ تَعَا َ تَکُوْن َُثَُّ ن َکا عَاضَّا فَيَکُوْن ُثَُّ تَکُوْن ُ مُل ٰلہ یَرْفَعُھَا ہللا ُ تَعَا َ ُثَُّ یَرْفَعُھَا مَا ٓ شَآء َ ہللا ُ اَن ْ یَکُوْن ٰلہ َ ہللا ُ تَعَا ُثَُّ تَکُوْن ُ خ ٰلہ َ ُثَُّ یَرْفَعُھَاہللا ُ تَعَا َکا ج ََبَِیَّۃ ا فَتَکُوْن َ مَا ٓ شَآء َ ہللا ُ اَن ْ تَکُوْن ٌ ُثَُّ تَکُوْن ُ مُل ًلَفَۃ ِ ُثَُّ سَکَتَ. عَل ہ مِنھَاج ِ النُّبُوَّۃ Ḥ a ḍ rat Hudhaifah relates that the Holy Prophet said: “Prophethood shall remain among you as long as God wills. He will bring about its end and follow it with Khilāfat on the precepts of Prophethood for as long as He wills and then bring about its end. Kingship shall then follow to remain as long as He wills and then come to an end. There shall then be tyranny, which shall remain as long as God wills and come to an end upon His decree. There will then emerge Khilāfat on the precepts of prophethood. Then he remained silent. ” (Musnad A ḥ mad) It is thus clear that the institution of Khilāfat was to return with the advent of the Imām Mahdī and Promised Messiah who, as the Ḥadīth makes clear, would be a prophet. Since Ḥ a ḍrat Mirzā Masroor Aḥ mad is the present Khal ī fa, Bai‘at must be done at his hand. 4. Kh ā ta mun - Nabiyyin “I have firm faith that Ḥ a ḍ rat Mu ḥ ammad (may peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) is Kh ā tamun - Nabiyy ī n, the seal of all the prophets. ” The following verse of the Qur’ān introduces the belief of Kh ā tamun-Nabiyy ī n: َ ِّی َٖ ؕ و َ کَان ِ و َ خَاتَم َ النَب ّلل ی کِن ۡ رَسُوۡل َ ا ی مَا کَان َ مُحَمَد ٌ اَبَاۤاَحَد ٍ مِن ۡ رِجَالِکُم ۡ وَل ﴾ ٪ ِ َشَۡء ٍ عَلِیۡمًا ﴿ ُبِکُل ّلل ی ا “Muḥ ammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allāh and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allāh has full knowledge of all things. ” (33[Al -A ḥ z ā b]:41) Kh ā tamun-Nabiyy ī n means that Ḥ a ḍ rat Mu ḥ ammad, may peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him, is the last of the law-bearing prophet who attained the loftiest spiritual rank having personified and perfected the highest and most noble qualities attainable by a messenger. It does not mean, however, that the appearance of more prophets is barred. The term Kh ā tam has the primary denotation of superiority in rank, reaching the peak of something. Ḥ a ḍ rat ‘Alī was called Kh ā tamul-Auliy ā (Taf ṣī r-e- Ṣā f ī , 33:41) and Ḥ a ḍ rat Ibn ‘ Abb ā s Kh ā tamul-