Seal of the Prophets
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"Mohammed is not the father of any man among you; but the apostle of God, and the seal of the prophets: And God knoweth all things. (Qur'an 33:40 Sale) [1]
The traditional and mainstream understanding of this verse is as follows:
- Seal means last.
- Muhammad is the seal of the prophets.
- Therefore, Muhammad is the last of the prophets.
- All messengers are prophets but not all prophets are messengers.
- Therefore, Muhammad is the seal or last of the prophets and messengers.
When teaching Muslims, the following argument is most likely raised: How can the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh be prophets or messengers if according to Qur'an 33:40, Muhammad is the seal or last of the prophets and messengers? The response provided by Bahá'is either affirm or negate the Islamic understanding of Qur'an 33:40.
Negate
When discussing the relationship between the new Dispensation and that of Muhammad, the phrase "Seal of the Prophets" is sometimes heard. This phrase from the Qur'án has been used as an excuse to reject the idea of any Manifestations of God after Muhammad. Before embarking on any interpretation of the phrase, an important distinction needs to be made:
- nabi - this term, used in the Qur'án, is often translated as "Warner". So Isaiah, Ezekiel and "the Prophets" would be described using this term. Each "Warner" reminds people of their duties towards God, and speaks of the Revelation to come.
- Rasu'l - this term is used for an Independent Prophet, (Manifestation of God, Messenger of God, Revelator).
Muhammad Himself claimed that He was not only a Rasu'l, but had been given the role of nabi in addition.
We have a great amount of detail about the life of Muhammad, as two biographies were written soon after His death, for posterity, and also collections were made of His recorded sayings ("hadith"). Importantly for Bahá'ís, it is worth noting that there is no record of Muhammad ever saying that He was to be the last Messenger ("Rasu'l"). Indeed, He made a number of prophecies about the future. There is just one verse in the Qur’án (Chapter 33, verse 40) which has often been interpreted to mean that He was the last "Warner" or "Prophet" ("nabi"). In this verse, the phrase used translates as "Seal of the Prophets", but the word which has been translated as "Prophets" is nabi, not Rasu'l. The word translated as "Seal" is also of interest here. It means seal of authenticity, such as the ring on the finger of a ruler. A slightly different form of the word would produce the verb "to seal", if finality were intended. Bahá'u'lláh concedes that Muslim scholars have allowed themselves to misinterpret this phrase, and been confused by it.
There is also an incident recorded, in which Ayeesha, His widow, corrected a Muslim on this point. She heard the man claim that Muhammad was to be the last "Rasu'l" (Messenger, Manifestation of God). She told him that "You can say that Muhammad was the last nabi, but do not say that He was the last Rasu'l."
Affirm
Bahá'u'lláh Himself calls Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, in the following verse: "Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Chosen Ones, and by the Bearers of Thy Trust, and by Him Whom Thou hast ordained to be the Seal of Thy Prophets and of Thy Messengers, to let Thy remembrance be my companion, and Thy love my aim, and Thy face my goal, and Thy name my lamp, and Thy wish my desire, and Thy pleasure my delight." (Prayers and Meditations by Bahá'u'lláh, XXV). [2]
Furthermore, in the Kitáb-i-Iqán, Bahá'u'lláh confirms the traditional meaning of the word, "seal", as "last", used in Qur'an 33:40, in the following passage: "For even as He [Muhammad] regarded Himself to be the “First of the Prophets” — that is Adam—in like manner, the “Seal of the Prophets” is also applicable unto that Divine Beauty. It is admittedly obvious that being the “First of the Prophets,” He likewise is their “Seal.”" (p. 162). [3]
Interestingly, these Muslims are using the same argument to reject the return of Christ (ie. Bahá'u'lláh) that Jews used to reject Christ Himself. The following two quotes are taken from Jewish sources that repudiate the prophethood of Jesus because prophecy had allegedly ended hundreds of years before His birth.
"Jesus was not a prophet. Prophecy could only exist in Israel when the land is inhabited by a majority of world Jewry. During the time of Ezra (~300 BCE) the majority of Jews refused to move from Babylon to Israel, thus prophecy ended upon the death of the last prophets (Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi). Jesus appeared on the scene approximately 350 years after prophecy had ended." (Shamash, 2017) [4]
"The Messiah will become the greatest prophet in history, second only to Moses. (Targum – Isaiah 11:2; Maimonides – Teshuva 9:2) Prophecy can only exist in Israel when the land is inhabited by a majority of world Jewry, a situation which has not existed since 300 BCE. During the time of Ezra, when the majority of Jews remained in Babylon, prophecy ended upon the death of the last prophets – Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Jesus appeared on the scene approximately 350 years after prophecy had ended, and thus could not be a prophet." (Aish, 2004) [5]
