Explicit continuity of Prophethood in Holy Quran
Verses of the Quran which prove the continuity of prophethood under the Shariah of Islam
Introduction
Non-Ahmadis often allege that the Quran closes all prophethood using the verse:
33:41 Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah has full knowledge of all things.
This verse does not close off all types of prophethood. And this verse has been answered in other articles such as, The Last Brick. The Quran mentions the continuity of prophets under Islam. These are verses proving that.
Verse 1:
یٰبَنِیۡۤ اٰدَمَ اِمَّا یَاۡتِیَنَّکُمۡ رُسُلٌ مِّنۡکُمۡ یَقُصُّوۡنَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ اٰیٰتِیۡ ۙ فَمَنِ اتَّقٰی وَاَصۡلَحَ فَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَیۡہِمۡ وَلَا 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 7:36]
Refutation of those who say اِمَّا makes this a conditional verse:
1) اِمَّا is also used in regard to Adam AS’s exit of the Garden and guidance was certian to come:
قُلۡنَا اہۡبِطُوۡا مِنۡہَا جَمِیۡعًا ۚ فَاِمَّا یَاۡتِیَنَّکُمۡ مِّنِّیۡ ہُدًی فَمَنۡ تَبِعَ ہُدَایَ فَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَیۡہِمۡ وَلَا ہُمۡ یَحۡزَنُوۡنَ
We said: ‘Go forth, all of you, from here. And if there comes to you guidance from Me, then whoso shall follow My guidance, on them shall come no fear, nor shall they grieve.’
[Quran 2:39]
2) Even if this is conditional, it shows Allah would send Messengers, since Allah would not conditionally mention a phenomena which has ended.
Verse 2:
اَللّٰہُ یَصۡطَفِیۡ مِنَ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃِ رُسُلًا وَّمِنَ النَّاسِ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ سَمِیۡعٌۢ بَصِیۡرٌ
Allah chooses His Messengers from among angels, and from among men. Surely, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
Quran 22:76
Allah chooses Messengers from among the angels and men. Here the word Yastafi is a present tense verb (fi’l Mudaari’). This verse refers to present and future tense instead of only a past tense. If this verb only referred to the past tense “Istafa” (past tense verb) would be used instead of “Yastafi”. Therefore, this applies until the end of time.
Verse 3-4:
سُنَّۃَ اللّٰہِ فِی الَّذِیۡنَ خَلَوۡا مِنۡ قَبۡلُ ۚ وَلَنۡ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّۃِ اللّٰہِ تَبۡدِیۡلًا
Such has been the way of Allah in the case of those who passed away before, and thou wilt never find a change in the way of Allah.
Quran 33:63
سُنَّۃَ اللّٰہِ الَّتِیۡ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ ۚۖ وَلَنۡ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّۃِ اللّٰہِ تَبۡدِیۡلًا
Such is the law of Allah that has been in operation before; and thou shalt not find any change in the law of Allah.
Quran 48:24
Sending Prophets and Messengers has been the Sunnah of Allah for thousands of years – and the Quran declares that the Sunnah of Allah never changes. It is not possible that the Sunnah of Allah no longer be valid in today’s age, when Allah has declared His Sunnah stays the same and no change comes to it.
Verse 5-7:
صِرَاطَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَیۡہِمۡ ۬ۙ غَیۡرِ الۡمَغۡضُوۡبِ عَلَیۡہِمۡ وَلَا الضَّآلِّیۡنَ اِہۡدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الۡمُسۡتَقِیۡمَ
Guide us in the right path — The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, those who have not incurred Thy displeasure, and those who have not gone astray.
Quran 1:6-7
وَّلَہَدَیۡنٰہُمۡ صِرَاطًا مُّسۡتَقِیۡمًا ٭ وَمَنۡ یُّطِعِ اللّٰہَ وَالرَّسُوۡلَ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ مَعَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَنۡعَمَ اللّٰہُ عَلَیۡہِمۡ مِّنَ النَّبِیّٖنَ وَالصِّدِّیۡقِیۡنَ وَالشُّہَدَآءِ وَالصّٰلِحِیۡنَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ اُولٰٓئِکَ رَفِیۡقًا
And We would surely have guided them in the right path. And whoso obeys Allah and this Messenger of His shall be among those on whom Allah has bestowed His blessings, namely, the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous. And excellent companions are these.
Quran 4:69-70
وَالَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا بِاللّٰہِ وَرُسُلِہٖۤ اُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الصِّدِّیۡقُوۡنَ ٭ۖ وَالشُّہَدَآءُ عِنۡدَ رَبِّہِمۡ ؕ لَہُمۡ اَجۡرُہُمۡ وَنُوۡرُہُمۡ ؕ وَالَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا وَکَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَاۤ اُولٰٓئِکَ اَصۡحٰبُ الۡجَحِیۡمِ
And those who believe in Allah and His Messengers and they are the Truthful and the Witnesses in the sight of their Lord, they will have their reward and their light. But as for those who disbelieve and reject Our Signs, these are the inmates of Hell.
Quran 57:20
These verses tell 2 things:
1) The blessings we pray for in Surah Fatiha are to be among the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous, as Allah Himself has done this tafsir in 4:69.
2) These blessings of being among the Prophets […] can only be achieved by obeying Allah and the Holy Prophet (saw), 57:19 shows that previous Messengers (+ their Ummahs) could only achieve the status of the Truthful and the Witnesses whereas the people of this Ummah can achieve the rank of Prophethood by subserviance to Islam.
Refuation of ( مَعَ) being physical company only:
( مَعَ with) in this verse does not mean to be only in the physical company of Prophets and not among them because that would also apply to the Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous. This would mean that the people of this ummah can only be in the physical company of the Siddiq, and the Shahid, but not among them – this is something no muslim will accept. (مَعَ) here means to be among all 4 ranks.
Verse 8-9:
وَاِذۡ اَخَذَ اللّٰہُ مِیۡثَاقَ النَّبِیّٖنَ لَمَاۤ اٰتَیۡتُکُمۡ مِّنۡ کِتٰبٍ وَّحِکۡمَۃٍ ثُمَّ جَآءَکُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَکُمۡ لَتُؤۡمِنُنَّ بِہٖ وَلَتَنۡصُرُنَّہٗ ؕ قَالَ ءَاَقۡرَرۡتُمۡ وَاَخَذۡتُمۡ عَلٰی ذٰلِکُمۡ اِصۡرِیۡ ؕ قَالُوۡۤا اَقۡرَرۡنَا ؕ قَالَ فَاشۡہَدُوۡا وَاَنَا مَعَکُمۡ مِّنَ الشّٰہِدِیۡنَ
And remember the time when Allah took a covenant from the people through the Prophets, saying: ‘Whatever I give you of the Book and Wisdom and then there comes to you a Messenger, fulfilling that which is with you, you shall believe in him and help him.’ And He said: ‘Do you agree, and do you accept the responsibility which I lay upon you in this matter?’ They said, ‘We agree;’ He said, ‘Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.’
Quran 3:82
وَاِذۡ اَخَذۡنَا مِنَ النَّبِیّٖنَ مِیۡثَاقَہُمۡ وَمِنۡکَ وَمِنۡ نُّوۡحٍ وَّاِبۡرٰہِیۡمَ وَمُوۡسٰی وَعِیۡسَی ابۡنِ مَرۡیَمَ ۪ وَاَخَذۡنَا مِنۡہُمۡ مِّیۡثَاقًا غَلِیۡظًا
And remember when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from thee, and from Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus, son of Mary, and We indeed took from them a solemn covenant;
Quran 33:8
The convenant of the Prophets is that when a Messenger comes afterward, the people would accept him. The Holy Quran says that this same covenant was taken from the Holy Prophet (saw), therefore a Messenger would come after him.
Verse 10:
ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ بَعَثَ فِی الۡاُمِّیّٖنَ رَسُوۡلًا مِّنۡہُمۡ یَتۡلُوۡا عَلَیۡہِمۡ اٰیٰتِہٖ وَیُزَکِّیۡہِمۡ وَیُعَلِّمُہُمُ الۡکِتٰبَ وَالۡحِکۡمَۃَ ٭ وَاِنۡ کَانُوۡا مِنۡ قَبۡلُ لَفِیۡ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ وَّاٰخَرِیۡنَ مِنۡہُمۡ لَمَّا یَلۡحَقُوۡا بِہِمۡ ؕ وَہُوَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡحَکِیۡمُ
He it is Who has raised among the unlettered people, a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and fosters their welfare, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, though before this they had been in manifest error. And [will raise among others] from among them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise.
Quran 62:3-4
Allah promised that the Holy Prophet (saw) would be raised among other Muslims in the future as well. In commentary of this verse the Holy Prophet (saw) said tha a man or some men from among the Persians would revive faith (Bukhari 4897). This shows that a Messenger will come in the future who would be a reflection of the Holy Prophet (saw), and of persian descent.
Verse 11:
وَلَقَدۡ جَآءَکُمۡ یُوۡسُفُ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ بِالۡبَیِّنٰتِ فَمَا زِلۡتُمۡ فِیۡ شَکٍّ مِّمَّا جَآءَکُمۡ بِہٖ ؕ حَتّٰۤی اِذَا ہَلَکَ قُلۡتُمۡ لَنۡ یَّبۡعَثَ اللّٰہُ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہٖ رَسُوۡلًا ؕ کَذٰلِکَ یُضِلُّ اللّٰہُ مَنۡ ہُوَ مُسۡرِفٌ مُّرۡتَابُ
“And Joseph did come to you before with clear proofs, but you ceased not to be in doubt concerning that with which he came to you till, when he died, you said: ‘Allah will never raise up a Messenger after him.’ Thus does Allah adjudge as lost those who transgress, and are doubters,
Quran 40:35
The point of mentioning examples of the past is so that the Muslims do not repeat the same mistakes.
Verse 12:
وَّاَنَّہُمۡ ظَنُّوۡا کَمَا ظَنَنۡتُمۡ اَنۡ لَّنۡ یَّبۡعَثَ اللّٰہُ اَحَدًا
‘And indeed they thought, even as you think, that Allah would never raise any Messenger.
Quran 72:8
Verse 13-14:
ؕ وَمَا کُنَّا مُعَذِّبِیۡنَ حَتّٰی نَبۡعَثَ رَسُوۡلًا
We never punish until We have sent a Messenger.
Quran 17:16
وَاِنۡ مِّنۡ قَرۡیَۃٍ اِلَّا نَحۡنُ مُہۡلِکُوۡہَا قَبۡلَ یَوۡمِ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ اَوۡ مُعَذِّبُوۡہَا عَذَابًا شَدِیۡدًا ؕ کَانَ ذٰلِکَ فِی الۡکِتٰبِ مَسۡطُوۡرًا
There is not a township but We shall destroy it before the Day of Resurrection, or punish it with a severe punishment. That is written down in the Book.
Quran 17:59
17:59 shows that a global punishment will fall upon the world in the Latter Days near Qiyamah, therefore 17:16 shows that a Messenger will appear in the Latter Days before Qiyamah, who would be a Warner. The Latter Days are right now, and everyone sees how various countries/peoples are suffering from various calamities, where is the Messenger promised in 17:16?
Conclusion
The view of the Quran, although calling the Holy Prophet (saw) the Seal of the Prophets, is that prophets/messengers can come in the future. These prophets/messengers can only come from among the Muslims as is proved by (4:70) which says whosoever obeys Allah and the Holy Prophet (saw) would be among the Prophets […].
Prophethood is only open to those under the Islamic Dispensiation (ie Muslims), and even Sunnis attest that the Isa ibn Maryam (AS) promised in the ahadith would be a prophet under the Islamic Shariah in the latter days. From this we know that Prophets can come, and a Prophet and Messiah was indeed promised to the Muslim Ummah by the Holy Prophet (saw).