Truth about Khatm-e-Nabuwat — Page 104
construction, that the word •~, (after) has not been used here in term of period and it means that if there were to be a· prophe't other than the Holy Prophet it would have been Omar, for, he had in him the spitit of a law-maker. Briefly &peaking, the tradition does not relate to the question of appointment in terms of time but in terms of replacement of the Holy Prophet (peace be. on him). There is four-fold conclusive evidence which supports ·this construction :-. (1) The word '. . \a!' (after) is very commonly' used in Arabic in the sense of 'instead,' and here the word•~• carries this meaning. •If there had been another Prophet instead of me it would have been Omar". (2) another tradition of the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him) furnjshes the saine explanation. It _clear- ly says 'Had I not been appointed, Omar would have been instead. " (3) Hazrat Omar's own life sho"'s that he was an eminently gifted law-maker. And. since our Holy Prophet (Allah bless him) was a law-giving Prophet in the tradition • under reference he. merely pointed out that the time called for a Divine Law and that 'if I had not been •appointed Omar would have been. " (4) According to the consensus of opinion as well as the statement of the • Holy Prophet (Allah bless him) Hazrat Abu Bakr held the posit- iQn of eminence in the holy order of -companions. If there h~d been a • question of absolute prophet- hood then 'surely Hazrat Abu Bakr deserved • the honour and not Hazrat Omar. '!'his further confirms the view that ·in this· tradition • an. emphasis has been laid on the legal • acumen of Hazra t Omar who excelled Hazrat Abu Bakr in this particular field. Since this discussion has become fairly lengthy I will now. confine myself to brief references in my 10,