Understanding La Nabiyya Ba’adi

Introduction

This article will explain the true meaning of the ahadith about “La Nabiyya ba’di” which means “No prophet after me”. Non-Ahmadi Muslims claim that these ahadith prove that absolutely no prophet can come after our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). This is their misunderstanding. This understanding not only contradicts their own beliefs as they believe Isa (A.S) will come after Muhammad (S.A.W) but it also goes against Quran and mutawatir ahadith.

In this article, we will prove that

1. No Quranic verse nor any hadith says that all kinds of prophethood have closed off until Qiyamah.
2. All Muslims; non-Ahmadis, and Ahmadis agree that an ummati(non-law bearing) prophet will come after Muhammad (S.A.W).

Continuity of Prophethood

Before we explain what each of the La Nabiyya ba’di ahadith means, it is better to establish a base and look at what does Quran and ahadith say about prophethood. We will briefly talk about this topic as it has already been explained in the articles here. (add link)

Quran

Quran is clear that prophethood within Islam is open until the Day of Judgement. It also clearly tells us that Islam is the final and per religion by Allah and no new shariah (law) can come.

اَلۡیَوۡمَ اَکۡمَلۡتُ لَکُمۡ دِیۡنَکُمۡ وَ اَتۡمَمۡتُ عَلَیۡکُمۡ نِعۡمَتِیۡ وَ رَضِیۡتُ لَکُمُ الۡاِسۡلَامَ دِیۡنًا

“This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion.”

[Quran 5:3]

But it does not negate the possibility that no prophets can actually come after Muhammad (S.A.W). It actually says the opposite and we have many verses on this matter.

Verse #1

یٰبَنِیۡۤ اٰدَمَ اِمَّا یَاۡتِیَنَّکُمۡ رُسُلٌ مِّنۡکُمۡ یَقُصُّوۡنَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ اٰیٰتِیۡ ۙ فَمَنِ اتَّقٰی وَ اَصۡلَحَ فَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَیۡہِمۡ وَ لَا ہُمۡ یَحۡزَنُوۡنَ

“O children of Adam, if Messengers come to you from among yourselves, rehearsing My Signs unto you, then whoso shall fear God and do good deeds, on them shall come no fear nor shall they grieve.”

[Quran 7:35]

This is a huge prophecy that prophets can still come within Islam and it proves that prophets are always raised from the community they are sent to. The above verse is valid till the Day of Judgement (like any verse in the Holy Quran) where Allah clearly addresses the future generations i.e the people after the Holy Quran was revealed. He also uses the same word “مِّنۡکُمۡ “(minkum) which has been used for the latter-day Messiah in the ahadith, for example, Sahih Bukhari 3449 and Sahih Muslim 155d.

Verse #2

اَللّٰہُ یَصۡطَفِیۡ مِنَ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃِ رُسُلًا وَّ مِنَ النَّاسِ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ سَمِیۡعٌۢ بَصِیۡرٌ

“Allah chooses His Messengers from among angels, and from among men. Surely, Allah is All- Hearing, All-Seeing.”

[Quran 22:75]

It is the sunnah of Allah that He chooses prophets from among humans. That sunnah cannot be ended. Again, if prophets within Islam couldn’t come within Islam, then Allah would have explicitly called it out by saying “Allah chooses His Messengers from among men EXCEPT Muslims.”

Anyways, we have many such verses within the Holy Quran that clearly indicate that the prophets can come in the future, and nowhere does it say that prophethood is completely closed off. But obviously, prophets within Islam only.

Read more here.

Ahadith

Just like the Quranic verses, we have even more explicit mentions of the coming of a future prophet in ahadith.

Hadith #1

In the below hadith, the latter-day Messiah is called a prophet 4 times in Arabic (3 in English). This clearly proves that the latter-day Messiah is indeed a prophet, no matter what anyone claims otherwise.

وَيُحْصَرُ 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

“… 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 …”

[Sahih Muslim 2937a]

Hadith #2

Another hadith from Musnad Ahmad gives a prophecy that Khilafat will be established in the latter days after the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah is clearly referred to as a prophet as indicated by the words Khilafah ala Minhaji-Nabuwwah (Khilafat on the precepts of Prophethood). This nabuwwah is the nabuwwah of the latter-day Messiah. This is the view of all Sunnis and the scan of the hadith proves that.

“Prophethood would remain among you so long as Allah wills. Then Allah the Exalted would raise it up. Then Caliphate on the precepts of Prophethood would be established and remain among you for as long as Allah wills. Then Allah the Exalted would raise it up. Then despotic rule would remain among you for as long as Allah wills. Then Allah the Exalted would raise it up. Then a tyrannous rule would remain among you for as long as Allah wills. Then Allah the Exalted would raise it up. Then the Caliphate on the precepts of Prophethood would be established again (Khilafah ala Minhaji-Nabuwwah). Then, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) remained silent.”

[Musnad Ahmad, 4/273, #18596]

Hadith #3

This hadith makes it clear that there will be no prophet between Muhammad (S.A.W) and the latter-day Messiah, who will be a prophet himself and will not bring new Shariah (law) but follow Islam.

قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : ” ألا إن عيسى ابن مريم ليس بيني وبينه نبي ولا رسول ، ألا إنه خليفتي في أمتي بعدي ، ألا إنه يقتل الدجال ، ويكسر الصليب ، وتضع الحرب أوزارها ، ألا فمن أدركه منكم فليقرأ عليه السلام ” قال أبو هريرة : ” إني لأرجو أن أكون أول من أقرئه السلام من أبي القاسم صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وآكل من جفنته “

The Holy Prophet Mohammed SAW said: “Listen! There is no prophet and messenger between me and the coming Jesus. He will be the deputy (caliph) in my Ummah after me. Verily, He will kill the Dajjal and break the cross and abolish war. Anyone among you who sees him should tell him my salaam”

[Tabarani, Hadith #4895]

Similarly, we have more Ahadith that prove that prophethood is open within Islam which can be read here.

Khatam-an-Nabiyyin

We just proved from Quran and Ahadith that prophets can come after the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), specifically the latter-day Messiah. Next, it is required that we explain what the term Khatam-an-Nabiyyin actually means since non-Ahmadi Muslims quote it to prove that prophethood ended after Muhammad (S.A.W).

Khatam-an-Nabiyyin is a title of superiority for Muhammad (S.A.W) which translates to “Seal of the Prophets”. The primary meaning of Khatam is to “seal/stamp” as per Arabic lexicons Lisan al Arab, Tajul Aroos, and Lane’s Lexicon.

Briefly, according to the meaning of the word خاتم the expression خاتم النبیین can have four possible meanings:

(1) That the Holy Prophet was the Seal of the Prophets, i.e. no Prophet, past or future, can be regarded as true unless his prophethood bears the seal of the Holy Prophet. The prophethood of every past Prophet must be confirmed and testified to by the Holy Prophet and nobody can attain to prophethood after him except by being his أمتی (follower). All claims to prophethood must be judged and tested by reference to the revelation received by the Holy Prophet and to his teachings.

(2) That the Holy Prophet was the best, the noblest and the most perfect of all the Prophets and that he was also a source of embellishment for them. This is proven by the usage of Khatam by multiple scholars and usage in Arabic literature which can be read here.

(3) That the Holy Prophet was the last of the Law-bearing Prophets. This interpretation has been accepted by many eminent Muslim theologians, saints, and savants such as Ibn ‘Arabi, Shah Wali-Allah, Imam ‘Ali Qari, Mujaddid Alif Thani, etc. According to these great scholars and saints, no Prophet can come after the Holy Prophet who should abrogate his Millah or should not be in his Ummah. This will be expanded on later in this article also.

(4) That the Holy Prophet was the last of the Prophets, but only in this sense that all the qualities and attributes of prophethood found their most perfect and complete consummation and expression in him; خاتم in the sense of being the last word in excellence and perfection is of common use.

For the purpose of this article, a very basic summary like this is sufficient. For a detailed explanation, please read the article here.

Laa Nabiyya Ba`di

In this section, we will be explaining the true meaning of the ahadith that have the statement Laa Nabiyya Ba`di. Non-Ahmadi Muslims claim that we do not follow Quran and Ahadith since we believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (A.S) is a prophet of Allah. But they forget that the Messiah by definition is a prophet as we have proven earlier. They also forget that every Muslim believes that a prophet will come after Muhammad (S.A.W). The only difference is in the identity of the Messiah. Non-Ahmadi Muslims say it will be Isa (A.S) but we say it is Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (A.S).

Hadith #1 – No prophet but Caliphs

The Prophet (ﷺ) said,

“The Israelis used to be ruled and guided by prophets: Whenever a prophet died, another would take over his place. There will be no prophet after me, but there will be Caliphs who will increase in number.” The people asked, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! What do you order us (to do)?” He said, “Obey the one who will be given the pledge of allegiance first. Fulfil their (i.e. the Caliphs) rights, for Allah will ask them about (any shortcoming) in ruling those Allah has put under their guardianship.“

[Sahih al-Bukhari 3455]

Non-Ahmadi Muslims quote this hadith with a specific focus on the phrase “There will be no prophet after me” and ignore the rest of the hadith including its context. They say it clearly says no prophet can come after Muhammad (S.A.W) but rather the context of the hadith refutes them.

Firstly, all non-Ahmadi Muslims believe that Isa (A.S) will come after Muhammad (S.A.W). He is a prophet and will remain one even on his second coming. Thus, claiming that no prophet can come after Muhammad (S.A.W) actually refutes those who are waiting for Isa (A.S) to come in the latter days, which is almost all non-Ahmadi Muslims. If someone disagrees that Isa (A.S) will not be a prophet on his second coming, please read this short article.

Secondly, the context of the hadith gives a completely different picture. The hadith tells us that no prophet will succeed Muhammad (S.A.W) just like prophets of Bani Israel used to succeed each other. This means no prophet will come “right after” Muhammad (S.A.W) because as we saw in the other ahadith that

1. The Messiah has to come in the latter days and he is a prophet. Thus, the interpretation that no prophet can ever come after Muhammad (S.A.W) would contradict those verses and ahadith.
2. The prophet won’t come after Muhammad (S.A.W) Caliphs will succeed him, not a prophet.

In summary, Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) explains that when prophets among the Bani Israel died, another prophet would take his place. For example,

• Solomon (A.S) succeeded David (A.S).
• John (A.S) succeeded Zechariah (A.S).
• Joseph (A.S) succeeded Jacob (A.S) who succeeded Isaac (A.S).

He then says that after he dies, he won’t be succeeded by a prophet but a Caliph.

Thirdly, the word ba’adi can also refer in terms of the status and rank of the prophets. So the phrase “No prophet after me” or “Laa Nabiyya Ba`di”, means that a prophet of similar status and influence cannot come after Muhammad (S.A.W) i.e law bearing prophet. This is already explained in detail below, under explanation #2 of the Hadith #2.

Hadith #2 – Umar (R.A) would have been a prophet?

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ لَوْ كَانَ بَعْدِي نَبِيٌّ لَكَانَ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ

Narrated ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir:

that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “If there was to have a Prophet after me, it would have been ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab.”

[Jāmi’ Tirmidhī 3686]

Non-Ahmadis show this hadith to prove that even if a prophet was to come after Muhammad (S.A.W), it would have been Umar (R.A) and not Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (A.S). Thus, using this statement, he is a false prophet.

This understanding is again wrong as we have already explained what La Nabiyya ba’di means.

1. We know from the other ahadith that no prophet can come after Muhammad (S.A.W) because Caliphs have to succeed him (i.e come right after him) as seen from the Sahih al-Bukhari 3455 and the Musnad Ahmad, 4/273, #18596. Thus, Umar (RA) could not have been a prophet after Muhammad (S.A.W).
2. We also know that Umar (R.A) could not be a prophet until 30 dajjals have arrived as explained in Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2218.
3. We also know that once 1 and 2 are completed, the Messiah will arrive who is a prophet. This is explained in Tabarani, Hadith #4895.

This proves that the above hadith is specific to Umar (R.A) and not to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (A.S) because only Umar (R.A) could not have been a prophet after Muhammad (S.A.W) due to the 3 bullet points above. These do not apply to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (A.S) because he did not succeed Muhammad (S.A.W) as a prophet, nor did he come before 30 dajjals, rather he came at the time when the Messiah was supposed to arrive.

Hadith #3 – Ibrahim prophet? (Not words of Muhammad S.A.W)

قُلْتُ لاِبْنِ أَبِي أَوْفَى رَأَيْتَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ابْنَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ مَاتَ صَغِيرًا، وَلَوْ قُضِيَ أَنْ يَكُونَ بَعْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَبِيٌّ عَاشَ ابْنُهُ، وَلَكِنْ لاَ نَبِيَّ بَعْدَهُ‏.

Narrated Isma`il:

I asked Abi `Aufa, “Did you see Ibrahim, the son of the Prophet (ﷺ) ?” He said, “Yes, but he died in his early childhood. Had there been a Prophet after Muhammad then his son would have lived, but there is no Prophet after him.“

[Sahih al-Bukhari 6194]

This narration is used by non-Ahmadi Muslims to prove that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (A.S) is a false Messiah and a prophet because the Sahaba (R.A) clearly understood the statement “no prophet after” just as they understand it.

Firstly, we reject this narration on the basis of Dirayat as it is blasphemous. How can we accept that the station of Khatam-an-Nabiyyin, which is the most important title of Muhammad (S.A.W) is in danger because of the life or death of one child? This is because the interpretation that Ibrahim died only because it would contradict the Khatamiyat of Muhammad (S.A.W) is disrespectful.

Secondly, even if we take this hadith to be valid as per the rules of Dirayat, the interpretation that we have provided in the previous ahadith still applies.

1. We know from the other ahadith that no prophet can come after Muhammad (S.A.W) because Caliphs have to succeed him (i.e come right after him) as seen from the Sahih al-Bukhari 3455 and the Musnad Ahmad, 4/273, #18596. Thus, Ibrahim could not have been a prophet after Muhammad (S.A.W)
2. We also know that Ibrahim could not be a prophet until 30 dajjals have arrived as explained in Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2218.
3. We also know that once 1 and 2 are completed, the Messiah will arrive who is a prophet. This is explained in Tabarani, Hadith #4895.

Thirdly, the word ba’adi can also refer in terms of the status and rank of the prophets. So the phrase “No prophet after me” or “Laa Nabiyya Ba`di”, means that a prophet of similar status and influence cannot come after Muhammad (S.A.W) i.e law bearing prophet. This is already explained in detail above, under explanation #2 of the Hadith #2.

Hadith #4 – Ali (R.A) is to me as Harun (A.S) was to Musa (A.S)

قَالَ ‏ “‏ أَلاَ تَرْضَى أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنِّي بِمَنْزِلَةِ هَارُونَ مِنْ مُوسَى إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ نَبِيٌّ بَعْدِي

Narrated Sa`d:

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) set out for Tabuk. appointing `Ali as his deputy (in Medina). `Ali said, “Do you want to leave me with the children and women?” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Will you not be pleased that you will be to me like Aaron to Moses? But there will be no prophet after me.“

[Sahih al-Bukhari 4416]

This is another hadith that the non-Ahmadi Muslims bring to prove that no prophets can come after Muhammad (S.A.W). This not only goes against their own beliefs that Isa (A.S) will come after Muhammad (S.A.W) but it is also a misunderstanding. There are multiple different explanations for this.

Explanation #1

The hadith very simply states that Ali (R.A) is not a prophet after Muhammad (S.A.W) as Muhammad (S.A.W) won’t be succeeded by a prophet but Caliphs and the prophet can only come after 30 dajjals have come. This is consistent with the explanation we just gave above.

1. We know from the other ahadith that no prophet can come after Muhammad (S.A.W) because Caliphs have to succeed him (i.e come right after him) as seen from the Sahih al-Bukhari 3455 and the Musnad Ahmad, 4/273, #18596. Thus, Ali (R.A) could not have been a prophet after Muhammad (S.A.W).
2. We also know that Ali(R.A) could not be a prophet until 30 dajjals have arrived as explained in Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2218.
3. We also know that once 1 and 2 are completed, the Messiah will arrive who is a prophet. This is explained in Tabarani, Hadith #4895.

Explanation #2

The word ba’adi can also refer to terms of the status and rank of the prophets. So the phrase “No prophet after me” or “Laa Nabiyya Ba`di”, means that a prophet of similar status and influence cannot come after Muhammad (S.A.W) i.e law bearing prophet.

This interpretation is not something we just made up but it is proven from multiple ahadith and the explanation of the Muslim scholars of all times.

Hadith #1 – No Caesar after Caesar

إِذَا هَلَكَ كِسْرَى فَلاَ كِسْرَى بَعْدَهُ، وَإِذَا هَلَكَ قَيْصَرُ فَلاَ قَيْصَرَ بَعْدَهُ، وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَتُنْفِقُنَّ كُنُوزَهُمَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “When Khosrau perishes, there will be no (more) Khosrau after him, and when Caesar perishes, there will be no more Caesar after him. By Him in Whose Hands Muhammad’s life is, you will spend the treasures of both of them in Allah’s Cause.”

[Sahih al-Bukhari 3618]

In this hadith, Muhammad (S.A.W is prophecizing that there will be no more Khosrau and Caesar after the current one. For those who don’t know, Caesar is the title of the Byzantine Emperor while Khosrau is the title of the Persian Emperor. Thus if ba`di meant what non-Ahmadi Muslims are trying to prove (even though it goes against them since they believe Isa (A.S) is coming) then Muhammad (S.A.W) actually did a failed prophecy, God forbid. Both these empires continued to exist until years after the death of Muhammad (S.A.W), and many Khosrous and Caesars ruled after him.

The true meaning of this hadith is that no Khosrau or Caesar will have the same authority and power as the current one and their empires will be on the decline. So ba`di here means that the status of the next emperor would lessen. This is the view of all Sunni and Shia Muslims in refutation of the Islamophobes who bring this hadith to prove that Muhammad (S.A.W) was wrong in his prediction, and thus is a false prophet.

In his commentary on the Sahih Bukhari hadith, Imam al-Khattabi (932-1010/310-388 AH) said:

“The meaning of ‘when Caesar is ruined, there will be no Caesar after him’ is that there shall not be any Caesar who would be as powerful and influential as the Caesar of that time. The Caesar then was living in Jerusalem, a city without visitation rights where Christians did not have complete religious rites. No one had ever gone to Rome without having visited the city either publicly or secretly. So, the Caesar of the time was expelled from the city and its treasures were rendered open, and no Caesar ever held control over the city afterwards.”

[‘A’alamul Hadith, 1447/2]

This is also the view of the scholars the like of Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani (1372- 1449 AD/750-870 AH) and Abu Hatim al-Razi (811–890 AD/189-268 AH).

So just like ba`di means that the Emperor of the same status cannot come in the future, similarly, ba`di also means that a prophet of the same status as Muhammad (S.A.W) cannot come i.e a prophet who brings a new law cannot come. But an ummati (a non-law bearing) prophet can come who has a lesser status than Muhammad (S.A.W). This is exactly what we already showed above when quoting the verses and ahadith in the section with the title “Continuity of prophethood”.

Hadith #2 – No Hijrah after Hijrah

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 al-Bukhari 3899]

This hadith also expands on the previous hadith on Khosrau and Caesar by using the term ba’da. We know that Hijrah or migration continues to this day. People migrate from one place to another even now and taking the meaning that no hijrah can ever happen after the conquest of Mecca is actually proving that Muhammad (S.A.W) lied, God forbid. So if we take it into context just like the other hadith, it proves 2 things,

1. Hijrah of the same status as the Conquest of Mecca won’t happen just like emperors of the same status as Khosrau and Caesar cannot come after or no prophet of the same status like Muhammad (S.A.W) cannot come after him.
2. It also means that the Conquest of Mecca was the last migration in the time of Muhammad (S.A.W). Thus, when he says no prophet will come after him, it is also specific to his time period that no prophet will succeed him or come right after him. This is already explained above.

Ayesha (R.A) explains Muhammad (S.A.W) is not the ABSOLUTE last prophet

Moreover, the explanation that non-law-bearing prophets can come after Muhammad (S.A.W) is also given by Ayesha (R.A) herself and multiple scholars of Islam. She says,

قولوا انه خاتم النبیین ولا تقولوا لا نبی بعدہ

“Certainly, do say, he (the Holy Prophet) is the Seal of all Prophets (Khataman Nabiyyin), but do not say, there is no prophet after him.“

[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah; v.14, p.521]

In this narration, she clearly explains that Khatam-an-Nabiyyin is not a term to prove the absolute finality of the prophethood. She clarified so that people do not take the statement literally and deny the possibility of the descent of the Messiah in the end times. Her insight came true in the near future when a rationalist sect (Mutazalites) within Islam began to reject the descent of the Messiah.

This narration is not only authentic and regarded as Sahih by the Salafi scholar Sa’d b. Nasir al-Shathri is also quoted and explained by many scholars.

Imam Hazrat Ibn-e-Qutaibah (died 267 A.H.):

“The interpretation, put forth by her (Hazrat Aishah (ra)), does not contradict the words of the Holy Prophet (sa). The Holy Prophet (sa) meant that there would be no Prophet after him who would abrogate his law.

[Ta’wilu Mukhtalifil-Ahadith, p. 127]

Mulla Ali Qari writes:

“And this would not negate the Verse “Khaatam an Nabiyyeen” (33:40) which means: ‘No prophet can come who will abrogate his Millat or not be from his Ummah’”

[Asrar ul Marfu’ah, P. 285]

Shah Waliyyullah Muhaddith Dehlavi, Mujaddid (reformer) of the 12th century:

“From the words La Nabiyya ba’di used by the Holy Prophet (sa), we learn with certainty that there would be no Prophet after him who would bring a new Law or Shari’ah.”

[Qurratul-‘Ainain fi Tafdilish-Shaikhain, p. 319]

Hazrat Imam ‘Abdul-Wahhab Sha’rani (died 976 A.H.) writes:

“The Holy Prophet’s (sa) statements that there will be no Prophet or no Messenger after him only meant that there will be no law-bearing Prophet after him.”

[al-Yawaqit wal-Jawahir, vol. 2, p. 35]

The above quotes prove that the statement of Ayesha (R.A) is authentic because non of the scholars rejected it but did taweel (interpretation) of it. Scholar only does that when they consider the narration as authentic. For more scholars, check this article.

The quotes also prove that non-law-bearing prophets can come after Muhammad (S.A.W) and thus the statement “There is no prophet after me” is not absolute but refers to a specific type of prophet.

Hadith #5 – Thirty Dajjal?

لاَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى يَنْبَعِثَ دَجَّالُونَ كَذَّابُونَ قَرِيبٌ مِنْ ثَلاَثِينَ كُلُّهُمْ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

“The Hour shall not be established until nearly thirty imposters, Dajjal(liars) appear, each of them claiming that he is the Messenger of Allah.”

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2218

Non-Ahmadis, bring this hadith to prove that Muhammad (S.A.W) prophesized that there will be 30 dajjal who will falsely claim to be a prophet and thus Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (A.S) is one of them.

Firstly, this actually proves our position that prophethood is not forever closed. Muhammad (S.A.W) specifically gave a finite number (a number that has an end) instead of saying ALL claimants of prophethood after him will be false. This is because multiple Quranic verses and ahadith prove that prophets can appear in the future, specifically the latter-day Messiah.

Secondly, the number of these 30 liars has long been reached before the death of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (A.S) as indicated by multiple scholars of Islam.

ʻIyāḍ Ibn-Mūsā al-Ubbi (d. 827 AH):

[Ikmal al-Mu ‘lim bi-Fawa’id, pg. 463]

Muhammad Bin Yusuf al-Sanusi al-Hasani:

“It would be evident to every student of history of Islam that the truth of this Hadith has been fully established. The number of imposters from the time of the Holy Prophet (saw) till today has reached the count indicated by the Holy Prophet saw in his prophecy”

[Mukammil Ikmal al-Ikmal, pg. 372]

Alamah Qastalani says:

“Qadi ‘Ayad states the truth of this hadith has been established because if the number of the renowned false claimants of prophethood is counted from the time of the Holy Prophet saw to the present time, this number has been fulfilled”

[Al-Muwahib al-Ladunniyyah, v2, p.198] [Published at around 1500 A.D]

Nawab Siddique Hassan Khan:

“The prophecy made by the Holy Prophet (saw) regarding the advent of Dajjal in this ummah has been fulfilled and their number as foretold has been completed.”

[Hijajul Kiramah, pg. 239] [Published in 1874 A.D before the claim of Ahmad (A.S) to Prophethood]

Hadith #6 – Prophethood/Messengership terminated

إِنَّ الرِّسَالَةَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ قَدِ انْقَطَعَتْ فَلاَ رَسُولَ بَعْدِي وَلاَ نَبِيَّ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَشَقَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى النَّاسِ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ لَكِنِ الْمُبَشِّرَاتُ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا الْمُبَشِّرَاتُ قَالَ ‏”‏ رُؤْيَا الْمُسْلِمِ وَهِيَ جُزْءٌ مِنْ أَجْزَاءِ النُّبُوَّةِ

Anas bin Malik narrated:

“The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: ‘Indeed Messenger-ship and Prophethood have been terminated, so there shall be no Messenger after me, nor a Prophet.‘” He(Anas) said:”The people were concerned about that, so he (s.a.w) said: ‘But there will be Mubash-shirat.’ So they said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! What is Mubash-shirat?’ He said: ‘The Muslim’s dreams, for it is a portion of the portions of Prophethood.'”

[Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2272]

This narration is used by non-Ahmadi Muslims to prove that since both Prophethood and Messengership have been terminated, no one after the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) will be made a prophet and that Prophet (S.A.W) clearly says there will be no Prophet and a Messenger after him.

Firstly, this interpretation is against the understanding of the Sahaba and Muslim scholars. Ibn Abbas (R.A) explains that Muhammad (S.A.W) said these words during his illness after which he eventually passed away and that this was referring specifically in relation to his own prophethood. This is detailed in the commentary of the same hadith in Bukhari 6990 by Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani:

“The prophethood under reference here is his i.e. the Holy Prophet’s particular prophethood and it means that naught will remain of his particular prophethood except mubashirat) (true visions)

[Fath al-Bari, vol 12, pg 321]

Secondly, the meaning of the rest of the hadith is similar to what we have already explained for all the other ahadith. There can be no prophet immediately after the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) since there would be khilafat, then 30 Dajjal had to appear, and then the time of the Messiah would come.

1. We know from the other ahadith that no prophet can come after Muhammad (S.A.W) because Caliphs have to succeed him (i.e come right after him) as seen from the Sahih al-Bukhari 3455 and the Musnad Ahmad, 4/273, #18596. Thus, Ibrahim could not have been a prophet after Muhammad (S.A.W)
2. We also know that Ibrahim could not be a prophet until 30 dajjals have arrived as explained in Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2218.
3. We also know that once 1 and 2 are completed, the Messiah will arrive who is a prophet. This is explained in Tabarani, Hadith #4895.

Thirdly, even Imam Tirmidhi (R.H) grades this hadith as Sahih Ghareeb i.e authentic but unique. This is because the same hadith is found in many books, even Bukhari 6990 but only this version is found with this wording. Thus, we must look at other versions of this hadith to understand its meaning.

Fourthly, the word ba’adi can also refer in terms of the status and rank of the prophets. So the phrase “No prophet after me” or “Laa Nabiyya Ba`di”, means that a prophet of similar status and influence cannot come after Muhammad (S.A.W) i.e law bearing prophet. This is already explained in detail above, under explanation #2 of the Hadith #2.

Fifthly, the hadith proves the continuation of a specific type of prophethood in the form of mubashiraat, which is a portion of prophethood. Thus, if a portion of prophethood continues, how can one say that it is completely terminated?

Sixthly, Muhammad (S.A.W) started receiving the glad tidings of his prophethood through mubashiraat, which are basically true visions/dreams i.e Roya (رُؤْيَا). If the best of the Prophet (S.A.W) was made a prophet through mubashiraat, then anyone after him can be appointed to the station of a prophet similarly.

أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ أَوَّلُ مَا بُدِئَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنَ الْوَحْىِ الرُّؤْيَا الصَّادِقَةُ فِي النَّوْمِ

Narrated `Aisha:
The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was in the form of good righteous (true) dreams in his sleep.

[Sahih al-Bukhari 6982]

Conclusion

In summary, the statement “La Nabiyya ba’di” or “No prophet after me” doesn’t mean that prophethood has closed off till Qiyamah. This is because we have multiple verses and ahadith that prove prophets can come in the future, specifically the Messiah has to come and he is a prophet. Keeping that in mind, La Nabiyya ba’di has two meanings.

Firstly, No prophet can come after Muhammad (S.A.W) because Caliphs have to succeed him then thirty (30) dajjals have to arrive, each of whom claims to be a prophet. Once these two things happen, a prophet will come i.e. the Messiah.

Secondly, ba’di in La Nabiyya ba’di indicates that no prophet will come after Muhammad (S.A.W) of the same status as explained by Sahih al-Bukhari 3618 and Sahih al-Bukhari 3899. This proves that no Shari’ (law-bearing) prophet can come after Muhammad (S.A.W).