Does Quran Support Coming of a New Prophet
Question
I am sure your pretty busy these days but if you get time, give me your opinion about this:1
Willful oversight of the clear meaning of the verses of the Holy Quran
We can now review what the Holy Quran has to say with regards to the one coming after the Holy Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be on him). These people claim that they have not found any such verse. Their pretense is similar to the Christians who claimed that no mention is made in the Bible, Old Testament and New Testament, about the coming of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). If they only had eyes that could see. Mention is made about the coming of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) in bold, both in the New and the Old Testament several times. In some places, a general reference is made. At others, a specific reference is made. People who wish to close their eyes to this; one cannot force them to see.
With regards to the coming of the Promised Messiah (peace be on him), I have already mentioned a clear reference as noted in Surah Al-Jumu'ah, chapter 62 of the Holy Quran. Another reference is made in the following verses of the Holy Quran Surah Al-Nisa, chapter 4, verses 70-71: "Wa Maeen Yoote Allaha... Wa Kafa Billahe Aleema - And whoso obeys Allah and this Messenger shall be among those on whom Allah has bestowed His blessings .the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs and the Righteous, and excellent company are they. This grace is from Allah and Allah suffices as One Who is All-knowing."
What a grand proclamation. It unfolds the unique and lofty station of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). These verses say that from now on, only those who will 'obey Allah and this Messenger' shall be the recipients of the spiritual rewards of the highest order i.e. prophethood, truthfulness, martyrdom and righteousness. Here the word used in not just 'Rasool' (messenger) but 'Al-Rasool' (this messenger) pointedly referring to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
Allah says: "Fa Olaaeka Ma'allazena Un Amallaho Alehim - it is they who shall be among those on whom Allah has bestowed His blessings." Here, our opponents argue that the practice "Ma's" means 'with' and not 'among' as we translate it. Meaning 'it is they who shall be with those on whom Allah has bestowed His blessings.' Anyone with common sense would know that their argument is absurd. An August Divine Decree has been announced conferring spiritual ranks of the highest degree on those obeying Allah and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). But our opponents would have you believe that your reward for obeying Allah and His prophet would be that you would only be placed amongst people who have achieved these lofty spiritual ranks.
In the past, Divine promises were made to people to be endowed with His favors, if they obeyed Allah and Prophet Moses (peace be on him), Allah and Prophet Abraham (peace be on him), Allah and Prophet Noah (peace be on him), Allah and Prophet David (peace be on him) and Allah and Prophet Solomon (peace be on him). Today, a Divine Decree is announced enticing believers to follow Allah and this Messenger holding the loftiest spiritual rank so they may become recipients of the rewards promised. Yet, our opponents say that it does not mean that you would be the recipients of the rewards, rather you would be placed with the recipients of the rewards. This is utterly absurd. It is insulting to the lofty station of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and the Holy Quran.
The Holy Quran belies their translation of the particle "Ma's". At another place, we read 'Wata Waffana Ma'al Abrar - in death join us with the righteous. (Al Imran Ch. 3, v. 194). Here the same particle "Ma's" has been used, not "Min". The particle "Min" means from among, while the particle "Ma's" means 'with' and 'from among', depending on how it is used. The Muslims have been enjoined to implore Allah the Almighty saying: "Cause us to die with the righteous." Obviously, this does not mean that we should pray to die as and when a righteous one dies. This is height of absurdity.
The fact remains that in the above example, Ch. 4, verses 70-71, "Ma's" cannot mean anything but "Min" - from among. In Arabic, when referring to more than one person and expressing admiration "Ma's" would invariably mean "Min" - from among. But should the species change, it would not be so. As Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2, verse 154: "lnnallaha Ma'a Us Saabereen - Surely Allah is with those who patiently persevere.: Here the species has changed, hence the particle "Ma's" cannot be used in the sense of "Min" .from among.
An example of species change would be "donkey is with the people" instead of "donkey is among the people". Similarly, "Zaid is with good people" would mean "Zaid is among good people". When the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said "I am with him who loves me" in these instances "Ma's" would carry the sense of .Min. . The Holy Quran clarifies this issue further. If you refer to the verse under discussion Chapter 4, verse 70: "Among those on whom Allah has bestowed His blessings" it further reads "Minnun Nabbiyeena - among the prophets". That is to say those receiving His blessings would be "among the prophets.....". The particle "Ma's" has not been repeated. "Min" has been used to elucidate the meaning and to eliminate any possibility of misinterpretation.
There is another verse of the Holy Quran in Surah Al-Hajj, chapter 22, verse 76, which reads 'Allaho Yustafi Minnal Malaikate.....Allah chooses His Messengers from among angels and from among men. Surely, Allah is All- Hearing, All-Seeing."
According to our opponents, this verse was revealed after it has been
pronounced that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
was 'Khatamun Nabbiyeen' and no prophets were to come. Yet, the verse says
"Allah chooses His Messengers from among angels and from among men"
instead
of saying "Allah used to choose His Messengers.....". This would clearly
mean that prophethood has not been terminated. Proof to support our
argument
is seen in the Holy Quran where Allah says with regards to Jesus and his
mother "Kana Ya Kolanetaam....." they both used to eat food." (Al-Maidah
chapter 5, verse 76).
It is a fundamental rule of grammar that 'present continuous' cannot be
used
for an action that has come to an end. The Quran proves this here. So, in
case Allah had totally stopped sending Messengers from among men, He would
have said so in the words "Kanallaho Yustafi. Allah used to choose
Messengers....".
A prominent Shia commentator Tibrisy in his book Majma.ul Bayan on page 96, vol. 9 commenting on this verse writes: "Allah chooses His Messengers from angels eg. Gabriel and Michael; and from among men i.e. the prophets". Here a mere Messenger is not meant but stress has been laid on the word prophet.
At another place in the Holy Quran reference is made to a covenant. In Surah Al-Imran chapter 3, verse 82 we read: 'Wa Iz Akazallaho... Minasshahedeen - 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 that I lay upon you in this matter?' They said: 'We agree; He said: 'Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses."'
The verse speaks of a covenant Allah had taken from the People of the Book through their Prophets. The covenant bound them to believe in all the messengers coming to fulfill all that had been given to them of His Word and Wisdom and to help them in their mission. The verse also lays down that the people had solemnly agreed to abide by the covenant. Then he said to the people to bear witness to this covenant and that He too would bear witness along with them.
In Surah Al-Ahzab chapter 33, verses 8 and 9, we read: "Wa Iz Akazna... Azabun Aleema." 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; that He may question the truthful about their truthfulness. And for the disbelievers He has prepared a painful punishment."
Here is another verse dealing with the covenant Allah had taken from the Prophets and, through them, from their peoples. The gist of the covenant was if future prophets come supporting what is contained in the Book and the Wisdom bestowed on them then the people should not oppose him but support him and assist him and believe in him. The Prophets are being placed under obligation to enjoin their people not to reject a claimant to prophethood in the future who meets these criteria. What a remarkable covenant. Having said this, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) is addressed directly in this verse: "And remember when we took from the prophets their covenant, and from thee...".
That is to say the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was pointedly charged with the responsibility to place his Ummah under obligation to believe in the Prophet appearing after him with the condition that this prophet would support the Book and Wisdom previouslybestowed on the people and would devote himself to the service of the Faith. This covenant was taken from the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) even when the Teaching and prophethood had achieved perfection.
Commenting on this verse, Allama Fakhruddin Razi says in Al Tafseer Al Kabir Vol. 8, page 114 (printed in Tehran): "The only meaning of this verse is to clearly state that Allah had made it incumbent on all prophets (and their followers) to believe in every prophet who comes 'fulfilling that which is with them'."
Allama Razi has made a very subtle point. It means that as long as a Divine Dispensation remains operative and it is not abrogated by God, a false prophet would not come and work towards the fulfillment and completion of the Divine Dispensation. A false prophet would come to work against the truth. A claimant to prophethood who works in the service of the Faith must be fully supported by the people. The covenant is addressed to the prophets since they are the leaders of the people. The prophets themselves would never oppose the truth.
About the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), the Holy Quran says so great was his submission to the Will of Allah that if there were ever to be a real son of God, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) would be the first to accept him. He loved God and would submit readily to any commandments from Him. In the presence of all these verses from the Holy Quran, our opponents still oppose the truth.
Response
Before I present my opinion on text that you have sent, I will discuss briefly the method of deriving the meaning of Quranic verses. Needless to say, Quran was revealed to the Arabs in the sixth century in their own tongue. The language that Quran used, therefore, was their own mother language and none of the opponents, despite their rejection of the Word of God, criticized Quran on its literary style. It becomes very clear then that Quran should be understood keeping in mind the idiom, dialect, expression and usage of words of Arabic of that time. If we derive a meaning of any given word or phrase, it must in conformance with the rules of that language, and must not violate any of its principles.
Having said that, I will take portions of the text under consideration and provide my understanding.
With regards to verse 69 of Al-Nisa (70 according to the text) the author has discussed the meaning of the word مع. The author, due to their position that the meaning of this word if taken as 'with' renders the translation as absurd, has proposed that the meaning instead be taken as 'among'. But before we do that, we should also consider if that meaning of the word actually exists in Arabic.
According to all Arabic dictionaries, the word مع holds the meaning 'with'. For instance, Ajbeeb Multilingual dictionary defines the meaning as "simultaneously with", W. M. Thackston, in "Introduction to Classical and Koranic Arabic", defines the meaning as "ma'a (prep.) with". It is this same meaning that is understood in modern Arabic as well. Consequently, we shall have to reject any other meaning unless it is found that that meaning also exists in this language. Given this position, the discussion about whether or not that meaning applies on the change of species need not take place.
In addition to that the author of the text while translating this verse has not translated the word مِن and has instead replaced it with a dash. If translated according to Arabic grammar rules, the correct rendering should instead be the following where I have included this word:
In order to truly appreciate the meaning of these verses, one must follow the context at least from the 64th verse:
When followed in this context, it becomes evident that these verses are talking about the weak Muslims who had their loyalty distributed both between Muslims and non-Muslims. The next verse (verse 69) of this Surah simply continues the topic and states the status of those people who unconditionally submit to the commandments of God and His Messenger; a discussion which had already initiated in the preceding verses and quoted above.
Coming to the verses of Surah Hajj, I will briefly state that the verses of finality of prophet hood are stated in Surah Al-Ahzab which was revealed five years after the Prophet (pbuh)'s migration to Medina. On the other hand, the verse of Surah Hajj under consideration was revealed around the time of migration. For details, see verse 61 of Al-Hajj, which talks about those who migrated in the name of God, and the theme of Al-Ahzab in general, in which the major events that are discussed – for instance, the Battle of Trench, the Prophet (pbuh)'s marriage with Bibi Zainab – happened in the fifth year of migration.
Secondly, the style of the verse under discussion states a law of God, irrespective of the fact whether He is going to choose another messenger or not. God chooses his Messengers from amongst angels as well as amongst men, but that does not mean that He will or will not choose yet another Messenger. This becomes even more evident if the context of the Surah is followed from verse 71, where it is being said that the idolaters worship gods except God, which they had made out of their own forefathers and angels. In particular, they used to believe that angels are daughters of God. Consequently, Quran denies this claim and says that God only chooses His Messengers from amongst angels and men. Given this understanding, there is no need to comment on the interpretations quoted by the author due to the difference between mine and theirs. In addition, Surah Al-Ahzab has clearly mentioned about the finality of the prophet hood, so the question of yet another prophet or messenger does not arise.
The third verse the author has quoted is verse 7th of Al-Ahzab. Commenting on the verse, the author writes,
What I have not been able to appreciate is how this conclusion has been, and can be, drawn from this verse which does not make any mention whatsoever of what the covenant indeed was. The verse, as in the referred text reads,
Briefly Quran's words in this verse are very simple and have not mentioned anything whatsoever regarding prophet hood, its continuation or the coming of another prophet. I believe there is no need to comment on the interpretations of other commentators quoted in the text.
Before I conclude, I would like to say that if coming of a prophet was a belief in Islam, Quran should have had mentioned it clearly and plainly. Even if the author's translations are taken to be correct, there is not even a single verse that clearly mentions coming of another prophet or messenger and that one shall believe in such a concept. The author has pointed out that a clear mention was made in the Bible regarding the coming of prophet Muhammad (pbuh); I shall quote one such verse from the Bible that makes this claim:
The author of the text has expressed that Muslims are also ignoring clear commandments of the coming of another prophet. However, I contend that the argument put forth by the author, compared with the commandments in the bible, are by no means clearly asking to believe in another prophet after Muhammad (pbuh); biblical style must be kept in mind when drawing this analogy, "I will raise them up a prophet"!
If we believe Quran to be enough for our survival in the Hereafter and all our loyalty lies with God Almighty, then I will like to invite the Ahmedi friend to understand Quran without any preconceived notions and come up with one verse that *clearly* tells about a prophet after Muhammad (pbuh). However, if they are not able to do so, then I will ask them on what basis are they believing in something which Quran has not required from them — is Quran not enough for our salvation in the Hereafter?
I hope I have clarified some of the issues. If you have further questions, feel free to ask. My warmest regards to you and your Ahmedi friend.