Truth About the Split — Page 58
58 the Prophets) goes also to prove the same thing, viz. that after the Holy Prophet sa no other Prophet is to appear who should attain the rank of prophethood except through obedience to him. In other words, whoever should after the Holy Prophet sa attain the rank of Nabi must be one from among the followers of the Holy Prophet sa and must achieve the rank through the spiritual grace of the Holy Prophet sa. Regarding the prophecy Ismuhu Ahmad contained in the Holy Quran (Al-Saff, 61:6), my opinion is that the passage contains a double prophecy, relating to two persons, one a counter-type and the other his prototype. The counter-type of course is the Promised Messiah as , while the prototype is the Holy Prophet sa. The passage under reference speaks directly about the counter-type. A reference to the prototype of course comes in, but only indirectly inasmuch as the counter- type of a Prophet necessarily presumes the existence of his original. Thus the verse does furnish a prophecy regarding the original Prophet from whom the immediate subject of the prophecy derived his dignity. The prophethood of the Holy Prophet sa was not a derived one. He was an original Prophet who was not indebted to any human teacher for the grace of prophethood, but was himself a dispenser of grace to others. To consider him as a recipient of spiritual