True Insights into the Concept of Khatm-e-Nubuwwat — Page 16
[ 16 ] Profound Interpretations of Kh a tamun-Nabiyy i n by Muslim Thinkers ‘All a mah ‘Abdur Ra h m a n bin Khald u n rta (died 808 A. H. ) is mentioned as a noted Muslim thinker in the White Paper. He writes: Saintliness is analogous to prophethood; just as there are various ranks in prophethood, there are similar ranks in sainthood. One who possesses the best of the saintly qualities is called Kh a tamul-Auliy a ’ , just as the one who possesses the best of the qualities of prophethood is known as Kh a tamul-Anbiy a. ’ ( al- Muqaddimah ibn-e-Khald u n , vol. 1, p. 271) That is to say, kh a tam does not mean the last with respect to time, but the ultimate according to degree or rank. If we use it to mean ‘the last’ with reference to time, then we have to agree that sainthood has come to an end, God forbid, and the ummah will be deprived of sainthood. Hadrat Ab u Sa‘id Mub a rak Ibn-e-‘Al i Mukharram i rta (died 513 A. H. ), the patron saint of no less a person than Hadrat Syed ‘Abdul-Q a dir J i l a n i rta , states:.