No Prophet After Me

No Prophet After Me

The hadith of Bukhari,which is most often quoted by the non Ahmadi Muslims is as follows:

لاَ نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي

This hadith translates to there will be no prophet after me or besides me. This hadith in reality supports the Ahmadiyya viewpoint on prophethood. The word ba’di which literally means after me, has three main ways of interpretations according to the Arabic language. The first is used as a Zarf Makan, meaning it refers to something being after or behind something else (I.e, A car parked behind another car). It can also imply a physical absense of one from a specific area for a small period of absense or a long period of absence, meaning death. A second meaning which falls under Zarf Zaman, refers to the coming of something after its predecessor in time. There is also a third meaning of the word ba’d which is supported by the Qur’an, which refers to being in the opposition of something. Allah States:

تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَ اللَّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ {7}

“These are the Signs of Allah which We rehearse unto thee with truth. In what word, then, after rejecting that of Allah and His Signs will they believe?” (Chapter 45 Verse 7)

This ayah literally states that “In what word, then, After Allah and his signs will they believe?” However, it is clear that the word after here refers to “besides” and Allah has no ending.

Again Allah States:

أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِ غِشَاوَةً فَمَنْ يَهْدِيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ اللَّهِ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ {24}

“Hast thou seen him who conceives of his god according to his own fancy, and whom Allah has adjudged astray on basis of His knowledge, and whose ears and whose heart He has sealed up, and on whose eyes He has put a covering? Who, then, will guide him after Allah has condemned him? Will you not then heed?”(Chapter 45 Verse 24)

Here as well the word ba’d has a meaning of “besides Allah”. Using this definition of the word ba’d, it shows that there can be no prophet after the Holy Prophet Muhammad^saw who brings a teaching which contradicts and alters the Qur’an or the words of the Prophet^saw. If we were to say that the word ba’d is after me in time alone, then it would mean Allah also has an end according to the logic of the non Ahmadi Muslims, God Forbid. These verses simply show us that no one can guide a person aside from Allah, rather than Allah having an end. A Bukhari hadith which further supports the view of Ahmadi Muslims, showing how the Prophet Muhammad^saw had used this word as well, is as follows:

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي حُسَيْنٍ، حَدَّثَنَا نَافِعُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ قَدِمَ مُسَيْلِمَةُ الْكَذَّابُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ إِنْ جَعَلَ لِي مُحَمَّدٌ الأَمْرَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ تَبِعْتُهُ‏.‏ وَقَدِمَهَا فِي بَشَرٍ كَثِيرٍ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ، فَأَقْبَلَ إِلَيْهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَمَعَهُ ثَابِتُ بْنُ قَيْسِ بْنِ شَمَّاسٍ، وَفِي يَدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قِطْعَةُ جَرِيدٍ، حَتَّى وَقَفَ عَلَى مُسَيْلِمَةَ فِي أَصْحَابِهِ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ لَوْ سَأَلْتَنِي هَذِهِ الْقِطْعَةَ مَا أَعْطَيْتُكَهَا، وَلَنْ تَعْدُوَ أَمْرَ اللَّهِ فِيكَ، وَلَئِنْ أَدْبَرْتَ لَيَعْقِرَنَّكَ اللَّهُ، وَإِنِّي لأَرَاكَ الَّذِي أُرِيتُ فِيكَ مَا رَأَيْتُ ‏”‏‏.‏ فَأَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏”‏ بَيْنَمَا أَنَا نَائِمٌ رَأَيْتُ فِي يَدَىَّ سِوَارَيْنِ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ، فَأَهَمَّنِي شَأْنُهُمَا، فَأُوحِيَ إِلَىَّ فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِ انْفُخْهُمَا، فَنَفَخْتُهُمَا فَطَارَا فَأَوَّلْتُهُمَا كَذَّابَيْنِ يَخْرُجَانِ بَعْدِي ‏”‏‏.‏ فَكَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا الْعَنْسِيَّ وَالآخَرُ مُسَيْلِمَةَ الْكَذَّابَ صَاحِبَ الْيَمَامَةِ‏.‏

Narrated Ibn Abbas: Musailama-al-Kadhdhab (i.e. the liar) came in the life-time of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) with many of his people (to Medina) and said, “If Muhammad makes me his successor, I will follow him.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) went up to him with Thabit bin Qais bin Shams; and Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was carrying a piece of a datepalm leaf in his hand. He stood before Musailama (and his companions) and said, “If you asked me even this piece (of a leaf), I would not give it to you. You cannot avoid the fate you are destined to, by Allah. If you reject Islam, Allah will destroy you. I think that you are most probably the same person whom I have seen in the dream.” Abu Huraira told me that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ); said, “While I was sleeping, I saw (in a dream) two gold bracelets round my arm, and that worried me too much. Then I was instructed divinely in my dream, to blow them off and so I blew them off, and they flew away. I interpreted the two bracelets as symbols of two liars who would appear after me. And so one of them was Al-Ansi and the other was Musailama Al-Kadhdhab from Al-Yamama.”(Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Hadith #817)

In this hadith, the word Ba’di is used for two false prophets who both appeared in the time of the Holy Prophet^saw rather than after him. It is used in the sense of being n opposition, against, or besides. This further makes it clear that these ahadith refer to a prophet coming against the shariah of Muhammad^saw.

Lastly the ahadith tell us that the latter day Messiah would be a prophet. The Holy Prophet Muhammad^saw ha made it clear that the messiah would indeed have the title of a Nabi. He^saw states:

 نَبِيُّ اللَّهُ عِيسَى وَأَصْحَابُهُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ رَأْسُ الثَّوْرِ لأَحَدِهِمْ خَيْرًا مِنْ مِائَةِ دِينَارٍ لأَحَدِكُمُ الْيَوْمَ فَيَرْغَبُ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ عِيسَى وَأَصْحَابُهُ فَيُرْسِلُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهُمُ النَّغَفَ فِي رِقَابِهِمْ فَيُصْبِحُونَ فَرْسَى كَمَوْتِ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ثُمَّ يَهْبِطُ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ عِيسَى وَأَصْحَابُهُ إِلَى الأَرْضِ فَلاَ يَجِدُونَ فِي الأَرْضِ مَوْضِعَ شِبْرٍ إِلاَّ مَلأَهُ زَهَمُهُمْ وَنَتْنُهُمْ فَيَرْغَبُ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ عِيسَى وَأَصْحَابُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ فَيُرْ

“Jesus and his companions would then be besieged here (at Tur, and they would be so much hard pressed) that the head of the ox would be dearer to them than one hundred dinars and Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would supplicate Allah, Who would send to them insects (which would attack their necks) and in the morning they would perish like one single person. Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then come down to the earth and they would not find in the earth as much space as a single span which is not filled with their putrefaction and stench. Allah’s Apostle, Jesus, and his companions would then again beseech Allah” (Sahih Muslim 2937a)

And  The Holy Prophet^saw States:

حَدَّثَنَا هُدْبَةُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ آدَمَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ لَيْسَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ نَبِيٌّ – يَعْنِي عِيسَى – وَإِنَّهُ نَازِلٌ ‏.‏

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (as). He will descend.(Sunan Abi Dawud 4324)

Many more ahadith prove that the latter day messiah would indeed be a prophet, and these have already been quoted above in the section of “Reality of Prophethood from the Ahadith”.

The non Ahmadi Muslims also try claiming that the word “la” means all types of prophethood has ended. This is comletely false and has no basis at all from the Qur’an or the ahadith. The Holy Prophet^saw has used a sentence which is extremely similar in regards to the Caesar and Chosroes. He^saw states:

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ هَمَّامٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ هَلَكَ كِسْرَى ثُمَّ لاَ يَكُونُ كِسْرَى بَعْدَهُ، وَقَيْصَرٌ لَيَهْلِكَنَّ ثُمَّ لاَ يَكُونُ قَيْصَرٌ بَعْدَهُ، وَلَتُقْسَمَنَّ كُنُوزُهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ‏”‏‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Khosrau will be ruined, and there will be no Khosrau after him, and Caesar will surely be ruined and there will be no Caesar after him, and you will spend their treasures in Allah’s Cause.” He called, “War is deceit'(Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Hadith #267)

However, it is clear that there were many Caesars and Chosroes after them. Again it is stated:

حَدَّثَنِي إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ حَمْزَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عَمْرٍو الأَوْزَاعِيُّ، عَنْ عَبْدَةَ بْنِ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدِ بْنِ جَبْرٍ الْمَكِّيِّ، أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ كَانَ يَقُولُ لاَ هِجْرَةَ بَعْدَ الْفَتْحِ‏.‏

Narrated Mujahid bin Jabir Al-Makki:`Abdullah bin `Umar used to say, “There is no more Hijrah (i.e. migration) after the Conquest of Mecca.”(Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Hadith #239)

However, we know that there were much more migrations after the conquest of Mecca. This hadith being used for ending all prophethood would not make sense and once again the non Ahmadi Muslims are ignoring the prophecies of the latter day Messiah.