Harun Yahya and the last messenger

By KK Alikoya
Muhammad (PBUH) is the last prophet and the last messenger. Hence
neither any type of prophet nor messenger would come after him. This
is the Muslim world’s belief. Even though, in the different phases of
the history, someone appeared claiming themselves that each of them is
a prophet or messenger (or both.) It is the fate of these kinds of
people, to try to find proofs for their messenger-ship/ prophet-hood
in the Quran and fail to prove it.

One of their proofs is the combination of Quran 3/81 and Quran 33/7.
The Qadianis, Rashad Khalifa and Harun Yahya use this combination as
the proof of their arguments, which we will discuss later.

These three sects are different in their stands on the finality of

prophet-hood and messenger-ship. At first we examine the belief of the
Qadianis : 1. Messenger and Prophet are two equal terms. 2. Muhammad
is neither the last prophet nor the last messenger, in its general
meaning. 3. But he is the last law-bringing prophet and messenger. 4.
There is a chance to come prophet/s and messenger/s after Muhammad. 5.
No new Scripture would be given after Quarn. 6. No new Law would be
given after the law brought by Prophet Muhammad. 7. Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad of Qadian is a prophet and a messenger who came after Prophet
Muhammad. 8. He is the Mahdi foretold by Prophet Muhammad. 9. He is
also the Messiah foretold by the prophet Muhammad. 10. And they do not
expect any prophet or messenger after Mirza. (Ref: Many books by
Qadianis)
Secondly, RK’s belief: 1. prophet and messenger are two different
terms. 2. Prophet is a term for the Book-given. 3. All messengers do
not bring books. 4. All prophets are messengers. 5. But all
messengers are not prophets. 6. Muhammad is the last prophet. 7. No
new Book would be given after Quarn. 8. Muhammad is not the last
messenger. 9. There is a chance to come a messenger after Muhammad.
10. This messenger is foretold in the covenant in the Quran 3/81. 11.
RK is that messenger of covenant. (www.submission.org)
Thirdly, HY’s belief: 1. prophet and messenger are two different
terms. 2. Prophet is a term for the Book-given. 3. All messengers do
not bring books. 4. All prophets are messengers. 5. But all
messengers are not prophets. 6. Muhammad is the last prophet. 7. No
new Book would be given after Quarn. 8. Muhammad is not the last
messenger. 9. There is a chance to come a messenger after Muhammad.
10. This messenger is foretold in the covenant in the Quran 3/81. 11.
The messenger foretold by Jesus (Quran 61/6) is also the same
messenger. 12. The name of this messenger would be Ahmad (As it is in
Quran 61/6). 13. The Mahdi predicted by Prophet Muhammad is also the
same messenger. 14. The Mahdi would not claim that he is Mahdi and a
messenger.

HY writes: “One of the verses in the Qur’an pointing to the coming of

Mahdi refers to “a messenger who will appear after Prophet Muhammad

(may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

“Through this verse, Allah tells us that He has made a covenant with
the prophets that they would believe in and help a messenger who will
come after them:

“Remember when Allah made a covenant with the prophets: “Now that We
have given you a share of the Book and Wisdom, and then a messenger
comes to you confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and
help him.” He asked, “Do you agree and undertake my commission on that
condition?” They replied, “We agree.” He said, “Bear witness, then. I
am with you as one of the witnesses.” (Surah Al ‘Imran, 81)

“The names of the prophets referred to in this verse, those reported

to have made that covenant, are revealed in another verse:

“When We made a covenant with all the prophets—with you and with Nuh
and Ibrahim and Musa and ‘Isa son of Maryam—We made a binding covenant
with them. (Surat al-Ahzab, 7)

“It is revealed in the verse that a covenant has been made with
Prophets “Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus” and with “Prophet Muhammad
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace),” as the term “with you”
implies.
“This revelation in the verse shows that “this messenger whose coming
is described is not Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace), but is a messenger who will come after the Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace).” And Allah knows best. This
messenger, whom Allah reveals will come after Prophet Muhammad (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace), may well be “Mahdi,” the glad
tidings of whose coming are related also in the sayings of our Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace). And Allah knows best.
“The way that the messenger whose coming has been promised has also
received a promise of assistance from Jesus (pbuh), as reported in
verse 7 of Surat al-Ahzab, further reinforces this view. That is
because as we know, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is reported in the hadith of
the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as returning to
Earth in the End Times and following and supporting Mahdi:

“And when Jesus son of Maryam said, “Tribe of Israel, I am the

Messenger of Allah to you, confirming the Torah which came before me
and giving you the good news of a messenger after me whose name is
Ahmad.” When he brought them the clear signs, they said, “This is
downright magic.” (Surat as-Saff, 6)

“Prophet Jesus (pbuh) imparts the tidings that this messenger who will
come after him will be called “Ahmad.” Examination of the Qur’an as a
whole shows that those verses referring to Prophet Muhammad (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) either use the name “Muhammad” or else
just the term “prophet.” Nowhere in the Qur’an is the name “Ahmad”
used for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The
name appears only once in the Qur’an, in a verse revealing the glad
tidings of a messenger. This supports the idea that the name “Ahmad”
refers to Mahdi who will come in the End Times, as well as our Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace). And Allah knows best. In
addition, as in the previous verse, the fact that it is Prophet Jesus
(pbuh) who imparts the name of the messenger is another piece of
evidence reinforcing this interpretation.” (Pages 76, 77 The Mahdi a
Discendant porphet Abraham [PBUH] can be downloaded from:
http://api.fmanager.net/api_v1/xmlapi.php?dev-t=EDCRFV&with=mod=file,...)

Now we can examine the arguments of these three in the light of the
Quran and the Sunnah.
The topic of the Quran 3/81 is a covenant of Allah with his prophets
concerning the forthcoming of a messenger after them and the belief in
him. Allah took this covenant from the prophets before Muhammad and
enjoined all of them to believe in him. In this matter, all the
Islamic scholars, ancient and modern are wonderfully unanimous. All
prophets except Muhammad were sent to a particular nation, locality
and time. The last coming prophet Muhammad has been sent to all
nations, whole world and up to the end-time. So each and every nation
has to believe in him. This wants to be understood by all of them and
agreed up. The prophecy concerning Prophet Muhammad which found in
the previous scriptures are reminders of this covenant. This is a
Quranic verse which indicates the universality and uppermost position
of Prophet Muhammad among all prophets. This verse was found by the
three above mentioned fractions to misuse as a proof of their
defective Risalah (messenger-ship) arguments.

If it was the message of this verse to indicate a messenger comes

after Muhammad, this matter should have clearly stated by Islamic
scholars including classical Mufassirs (Quran commentators.) and the
Muslim world should have taught in the childhood lessons of their
belief in the messenger-ship. They might have been expecting a
messenger after Muhammad. But nothing happened like this in the
history of Islam.

In this context, we have to examine their using of Quranic verse 33/7

to interpret the verse 3/81. And remember We took from the prophets
their covenant as (We did) from thee: from Noah, Abraham, Moses and
Jesus the son of Mary: we took from them a solemn covenant. (Quran
33/7)

Quran did not clarify that the covenant taken from the five prophets
including Muhammad is the same covenant told in the verse 3/81.
Prophet Muhammad did not explain thus. And none of the renowned
Mufassirs has this opinion. If Allah had taken only one covenant form
his prophets which stated in verse 3/81 we would have to believe that
the covenant told in the verse 33/7 is the same as in the verse 3/81.
On the contrary, The Quran states that Allah took different covenants
and pledges from prophets. It is the only chance, which one among
these covenants is apposite to the context of this verse, it is the
covenant meant here. When Allah enjoined Muhammad to marry the
divorcee of his adopted son, he hesitated to do it by fearing the
censure of the public. See the verses 37, 38 and 39 of the same
Chapter (33). And some indications concerning this matter and as the
reminders to the responsibility of the prophet can be seen in verses
one to six of this chapter. And in the eighth verse, it was indicated
that this covenant is in order to question the prophets about their
responsibilities. If Allah reminds him a covenant in this context
what would be it? Nothing other than which indicates the
responsibility of the prophet to obey each and every orders of Allah
without fear and hesitation. And it is unsuitable to the context to
indicate a covenant which would be obeyed by his future followers
concerning a messenger or prophet would come after him. What a weak
support found by the false messengers and prophets and their
spokesmen!

If it was supposed that the covenant in the verse 3/81 was taken from
Muhammad too, it is sure that at least one messenger has to come after
him, and the Muslims have to believe in him. At the same time, there
is a chance of emerging false prophets / false messengers behind this
covenant, so, there must be a clause to help us to be cautious against
it. In the absence of this clause this covenant would be incomplete
and causing trouble.
An attribute to the messenger in the verse is the only indication in
this way. The indication helps to identify the one who would be sent
is that   ‘confirming/fulfilling that which is
with you’. What does it mean?

We have to search in the Quran for the answer: The Quran says that
Prophet Muhammad is one who confirms and fulfills the former books.
Concerning Jews and Christians the Quran says that Muhammad is the
prophet and messenger written (predicted) in the Torah and the Gospel
with them (See Quran 7/157) and they identified him as they identify
their own children (See Quran 3/146). A messenger or prophet comes and
fulfils prophesies in the Quran is to be believed by Muslims, and only
he is the confirming the Book with us.

None can argue that the Quran contains prophesy concerning me or

someone else, which helps Muslims to identify him as their own
children. So, HY compelled to point out some portents of the last-day
in the Quran, and even something other than this too as the portents
of a messenger Mahdi. According to RK he is the messenger of the
covenant in Quran 3/81. (See the foot note to 3/81 in his Quran
translation and commentary and Appendix 2 to the same.) And his own
finding on the so-called interlocking of the magical number 19 in the
Quran is to prove this claim, and he claims that he was appointed by
the God to reveal the magic of 19. If Allah proposed to do so He might
have revealed it through the Quran itself or through Prophet Muhammad,
especially the miracle of the Quran, which leads people to belief, is
very important at all times.

According to RK the matter of miracle is different. By the experiment

using his own formula of 19, he reached at the stage of questioning
the reliability of the existing Quran. In his Quran translation he
removed two verses (128 and 129) from the chapter 9, charging these
two are inserted false verses. (See appendix 29 to his Quran
translation. http://www.submission.org/Q-T.html ) There might be a
chance of his being of an instrument in the hands of someone who wish
to ruin the reliability of the Quran.

The name of Mahdi is not mentioned in the Quran, so there is no chance

to search for his portents in it as do HY in his some works. Prophet
Muhammad told that he is Muhammad and Ahmad.(Bukhari, Muslim) so, the
Messenger Ahmad predicted by Jesus is none other than the Prophet
Muhammad himself. This is the view of all classical Quran
commentators. And name of Mahdi also would Ahmad or Muhammad,
according to traditions.
Nabi and Rasul

Rasul (Messenger) and Nabi, (Prophet) are two words in the terminology
of Islam. Muslim scholars discussed much on whether any difference in
between these two or not. Some of them give Messengers a position
above the Prophets. ‘All messengers are prophets, but all prophets are
not messengers’ this is their formula. While some others give the
prophets a position above the messengers, ‘All prophets are
messengers, but all messengers are not prophets’, and this is their
formula. But none of them could establish their arguments with clear-
cut evidence.

RK and HY agree that Muhammad is the last prophet, but they agree him
not as the last messenger. According to RK and HY only the new-book-
given is a prophet, we have to examine this in the light of the
Quran. It says: It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to
the East or the West, but truly righteous is he who believes in ALLAH,
the Last Day, the angels, the Book and the Prophets, …… (2/177) while
we read at 2/285: This Messenger of OURS (Muhammad) believes in that
which has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers;
all of them believe in ALLAH, in HIS angels, in HIS Books, and in HIS
Messengers, …..
In both verses Quran teach the main elements of belief in Islam, four
elements are stated in the both quoted portions. 2/177 enjoins us to
believe in the prophets as the fourth element, while 2/285 enjoins to
believe in the messengers as the fourth. This clearly explains that
these two terms bear the same meaning, one who sent by the Allah, with
or without a new Book or Law.

All those who sent by Allah is not equal, some of them are more
important. Quran says: These messengers have WE exalted some of them
above others; among them there are those to whom ALLAH spoke and some
of them HE exalted in degrees of rank and WE gave Jesus son of Mary
clear proofs and strengthened him with the spirit of holiness.
(2/253)
See one more verse: And thy Lord knows best those that are in the
heavens and the earth. And WE exalted some of the Prophets over others
and to David WE gave a Book. (17/55)

In these two verses Quran reveals the same thing. All of Allah’s
prophets and messengers are not equal, but Allah exalted some of them
above than others. This is not the matter I like to focus here. But in
the first verse Quaran used the term messengers while in the second
the term prophets, and states the same thing. In the first verse:
Moses (to whom Allah spoke), and Jesus mentioned, both are book-given.
While in the second verse David is mentioned, he also a book-given. In
both verses Allah has shown examples for prophets as well as
messengers only the book-givens. If the argument of RK and HY was
correct, Allah should have not shown Moses and Jesus as the example
for messengers.

The argument of RK and HY that is only the book-given can be called a

prophet and others are only messengers cannot be proved by the Quran.
Quran introducing messengers and says they are given books: It says:
Verily, WE sent Our Messengers with manifest Signs and sent down with
them the Book and the Balance that nation may act with justice; and WE
sent down iron, wherein is material for violent warfare and diverse
uses for mankind, and that ALLAH may know those who help HIM and HIS
Messengers without having seen Him. Surely, ALLAH is Powerful, Mighty.
(57/25)
One more verse: And if they accuse thee of lying, even so were accused
of lying Messengers before thee who came with clear Signs and Books of
wisdom and the illuminating Book. (3/184)
Here, messengers are introduced, as bringers of the Books.

Harun the brother of Prophet Moses also called a prophet, while he was
not given any book by Allah. The Book Torah was given to Moses, not to
Harun. In an article in his website RK questioned this view, by
indicating Quran 37/117. And WE gave them (Moses and Harun) the Book
that made everything clear; RK says that both Moses and Harun was
given the book. But, those-who-given-book-to-them is a common term in
the Quran, which points out the people of the Books. If we consider
all the book-givens are prophets the number of prophets would be many
billions. Really they have been not given books, but they are the
followers of a book-given prophet and messenger. So the Quran can say
‘And WE gave them (Moses and Harun) the Book’, if it was not
personally given to Harun too.

Quran says about the leaders of the Jews: Surely, WE sent down the
Torah wherein guidance and light was. By it did the Prophets, who were
obedient to US, judge for the Jews, as did the godly people and those
learned in the Law, because they were required to preserve the Book of
ALLAH, and because they were guardians over it. (5/47) Allah sent down
the Torah, and then all prophets judged with it, and the Godly people
and the learned also did so, and that is agreed by this verse here. So
according to the argument of RK and HY a question arises that what did
do all messengers came to that community? By what did they judge the
people? According the view of RK and HY, messengers are more in number
than prophets. Our answer is this: It is clear that the messengers and
prophets are the same, so, Allah used only the word prophet here and
meant all sent by Him.

Muhammad is the last as the prophet and the messenger

The Quran 33/40 states that Muhammad is the last prophet. See 17
different translation of the 33rd chapter of the Quran to the English
at http://www.islamawakened.com/quran/33/, seven of the translators
clearly state that the meaning of the Arabic term ‘Khaatham
annabiyyin’ is ‘the last or final of all prophets’, while the others
translate it as the ‘seal of the prophets. The most famous of them,
Abdullah Yusuf Ali translated it into ‘the seal of the prophets’, then
he commented it, the term means ‘the last of the prophets’. Rashad
Kalifa is one among who translated ‘the last prophet, in his Quran
translation. And HY also translated it in the same manner in one of
his works. "… Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and the Final Seal of
the Prophets." (Surat al-Ahzab: 40), the Prophet Muhammad (saas) was
sent to mankind as the last prophet. (See introduction to ‘THE PROPHET
MUHAMMAD (SAAS))

The Qadianis agree neither this meaning nor this interpretation. They
have their own interpretation that Muhammad is the seal of prophets,
and prophets and messengers will come after him ‘bearing the seal of
Muhammad’, but, without new books or new laws. If you ask them the
proof thereof they do not answer you clearly from Quarn or Sunnah, but
you may get explanations by their own logics. While all the classical
commentators, such as Imams Ibn Katheer, Razi, Thabri, Qurtubi,
Shaukani, and Zamakhshari etc. explained this term as equivalent to
‘the last and final of all prophets, and there would be no prophet or
messenger after him till the destruction of this world’.

We came to know from the above mentioned facts that Muhammad is

believed by all Muslims as the last prophet and the last messenger.
And the prophet Muhammad himself clearly stated it as follows: My
similitude in relation to the prophets who came before me like a man
erected a building, adorned it and completed it, but he left the place
of a brick vacant, in the corner. People looked around the building
and marveled at its beauty, but wondered why a brick was missing? I am
the brick and I am Khatham annabiyyin (the last of the Prophets.)
(Bukhari, Ahmad) Please note that the term ‘Khatham annabiyyin’ in
this tradition cannot be translated other than to ‘last of the
prophets’.
RK removed ‘Wa Ash-hadu anna Muhammada-rrasulu-llah’ the second part
of the Kalimathu –sshahadah, and he does not believe in hadiths. But
HY is a member of Ahlu ssunnah wal-jama’ah, a follower of Quarn and
Hadiths. We can read about the finality of messenger-ship in Hadith:
The Messenger-ship and Prophet-hood has come to an end. There shall be
neither Messenger nor Prophet after me. (Tirmidhi, Ahmad)

Sallallahu ‘ala Muhammad Sallallahu ‘alaihi va sallam

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