Khatm Al-Nubuwwah as an Essential Doctrine of Islam – Tawatur

The doctrine of Khatm al-Nubuwwah is among Islam’s foundational and categorical beliefs. It affirms that Prophet Muhammad is the final Prophet and Messenger of Allah Almighty, and that no prophet of any kind can arise after him. Established by the Quran, mutawatir ahadith, and the consensus of the Muslim Ummah, it is also counted among the essentials of Islam. This article explains the meaning and defining criteria of these essentials, with particular attention to the evidence establishing Khatm al-Nubuwwah as one of them, and to the legal-theological ruling concerning its denial.

The Meaning of the Essentials of Islam

In the terminology of the Shariah, the “essentials of Islam” are those doctrines and rulings that are established categorically from the Holy Prophet through tawatur (mass transmission) and are well known among Muslims of all eras. Shams al-Din al-Burmawi explains that, for a doctrine to be counted among the essentials of Islam, it must be known equally to scholars and ordinary Muslims, until this knowledge becomes so certain and self-evident that no room for doubt or uncertainty remains. ¹ Ibn Hajar al-Haytami further explains:

  فما القدر المعلوم من الدين بالضرورة؟ جوابه: أنه قد سبق ضابطه وهو أن يكون قطعيا مشهورا بحيث لا يخفى على العامة المخالطين للعلماء بأن يعرفوه بداهة من غير افتقار إلى نظر واستدلال. ²

  What is the measure of that which is known from religion by necessity? The answer is that its criterion has already been stated: it must be categorical and widely known, such that it is not unknown even to ordinary Muslims who associate with scholars; rather, they know it immediately, without requiring reflection or inference.

Accordingly, the essentials of Islam are those doctrines and rulings with which Muslims are generally familiar. Their recognition requires neither complex intellectual inquiry nor the formal arrangement of proofs and arguments, rather, their widespread recognition and acceptance among Muslims make them well known. Secondly, there is no authoritative disagreement within the Ummah concerning their establishment. These essentials include matters of belief, such as the oneness of Allah Almighty, the prophethood and messengership of Prophet Muhammad , belief in the angels, the revealed books, and the Last Day. They also include creeds like ‘Khatm-e-Nabuwat’, acts of worship, such as the obligation of the five daily prayers, fasting in Ramadan, Hajj for those who possess the means, and Zakat. Certain legal and moral rulings likewise belong to this category, including the prohibitions of unlawful sexual intercourse, intoxicants, usury, and unlawful killing.

Criteria for an Essential of Islam

The foregoing discussion demonstrates that two fundamental conditions must be satisfied before a doctrine or ruling can be classified among the essentials of Islam.

First Condition: Consensus of the Muslim Ummah

The first condition is that the consensus of the Muslim Ummah must be established upon the doctrine or ruling in question. Until such consensus has been established, a matter cannot be classified among the essentials of Islam. Wahbah al-Zuhayli writes:

  الأحكام الشرعية بالنسبة للاجتهاد نوعان: ما يجوز الاجتهاد فيه، وما لا يجوز الاجتهاد فيه. أما ما لا يجوز الاجتهاد فيه فهو الأحكام المعلومة من الدين بالضرورة والبداهة أو التي ثبتت بدليل قطعي الثبوت، قطعي الدلالة... وأما التي يجوز الاجتهاد فيها فهي الأحكام التي ورد فيها نص ظني الثبوت والدلالة أو ظني أحدهما، والأحكام التي لم يرد فيها نص ولا إجماع. ³

  With respect to ijtihad, Shariah rulings are of two kinds: those in which ijtihad is permissible and those in which it is not. The rulings in which ijtihad is not permissible are those known from religion by necessity and self-evidence, or those established by evidence that is definitive in both transmission and meaning. As for the rulings in which ijtihad is permissible, they are those concerning which a text has been transmitted that is probabilistic in both transmission and meaning, or in either one of them, as well as matters concerning which neither a text nor a consensus exists.

Two points require emphasis here. First, matters known from religion by necessity do not allow ijtihad. Second, the field of ijtihad includes rulings based upon evidence that is probabilistic in transmission or meaning, as well as matters for which no explicit text or consensus exists. A further distinction is also necessary: every “essential of Islam” is established by Ijma’ (consensus of scholars), but not everything established by Ijma’ (consensus of scholars) necessarily becomes an essential of Islam.

Second Condition: Tawatur (Mass transmission)

The second condition is that the doctrine or ruling must be established through tawatur. Accordingly, a matter cannot be classified among the essentials of Islam unless it has been transmitted within the Ummah by mass transmission. Ibn al-Wazir writes:

  إن المتواترات نوعان: أحدهما: ما علمه العامة مع الخاصة، كمثل كلمة التوحيد، وأركان الإسلام، فيكفر جاحده مطلقا. ⁴

  Matters transmitted by tawatur are of two kinds. The first is that which is known to ordinary Muslims and scholars alike, such as the declaration of Divine Oneness and the pillars of Islam. Whoever denies such a matter is therefore judged to have committed disbelief without qualification.

In summary, for a doctrine or ruling to be classified among the essentials of Islam, it must be established by the Ijma’ (consensus of scholars) of the Muslim Ummah and transmitted through tawatur. Both qualities are therefore integral to matters that attain this doctrinal status.

Khatm al-Nubuwwah as an Essential Doctrine of Islam

According to the scholars, the doctrine of Khatm al-Nubuwwah is among both, the essentials and the mutawatir doctrines of Islam. It is established by the Quran, mutawatir hadith, and the Ijma’ (consensus of scholars) of the Ummah, and has been transmitted from generation to generation, century to century, and age to age throughout Islamic history. ⁵ Ahmad ibn Saad Al-Ghamidi states that the reports concerning Khatm al-Nubuwwah transmitted by the companions from the Holy Prophet reach the level of tawatur. ⁶ Similarly, Abd Al-Qahir ibn Tahir al-Baghdadi writes:

  وقد تواترت الأخبار عنه صلى الله عليه وسلم بقوله: لا نبي بعدي. ⁷

  The reports transmitting his statement, “There is no prophet after me,” have been narrated from the Holy Prophet by tawatur.

Moreover, the Muslim Ummah has reached Ijma’ upon the doctrine of Khatm al-Nubuwwah. After discussing this doctrine, Qadi ‘Iyad writes:

  وأجمعت الأمة على حمل هذا الكلام على ظاهره، وأن مفهومه المراد به دون تأويل ولا تخصيص. ⁸

  The Ummah has unanimously agreed that this statement (There is no prophet after me) is to be understood according to its apparent meaning and that its plain import is intended, without reinterpretation or restriction.

It follows that the classification of Khatm al-Nubuwwah among the essentials of Islam is not a mere assertion. Both defining conditions—tawatur and the consensus of the Ummah—are present in the fullest degree. The doctrine is therefore one of those indispensable religious truths upon which faith and Islam rest. For this reason, Shaykh Ibn Baz states that mutawatir (mass transmission) reports affirm that the Holy Prophet is the Seal of the Prophets. He further explains that the Muslim Ummah has reached Ijma’ on this doctrine. It is therefore one of the essentials of Islam, self-evidently known to scholars and ordinary Muslims alike. ⁹ Ibn Nujaym likewise explicitly states that Khatm al-Nubuwwah is among the essentials of Islam:

  ...إذا لم يعرف أن محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم آخر الأنبياء فليس بمسلم؛ لأنه من الضروريات. ¹⁰

  If a person does not acknowledge that Muhammad is the last of the Prophets (), he is not a Muslim, because this is among the essentials of Islam.

The Ruling on Denying an Essential of Islam

The scholars of Islam agree that the essentials of Islam form the foundations of the religion and that their denial constitutes disbelief or Kufar. Al-Bajuri states:

  من جحد أمرا معلوما من أدلة ديننا بشبه الضرورة بحيث يعرفه خواص المسلمين وعوامهم كوجوب الصلاة والصوم وحرمة الزنا والخمر ونحوها، يقتل لأجل كفره؛ لأن جحده لذلك مستلزم لتكذيب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم. ¹¹

  Whoever denies a matter established by the proofs of Islam with such certainty that it is known to both scholars and ordinary Muslims—such as the obligation of prayer and fasting or the prohibition of unlawful sexual relations and intoxicants—is, under classical Islamic law, liable to capital punishment (in an Islamic state, after due process) for disbelief, because denying such a matter necessarily entails rejecting the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet .

Ibn al-Wazir explains that the reality of disbelief consists in the deliberate denial of any divinely revealed book, any of the noble prophets, or any teaching they brought, provided that the matter denied is among the essentials of Islam. There is a consensus that such denial constitutes disbelief and that a sane, adult person who acts voluntarily in this manner is judged as a disbeliever. There is likewise a consensus that the same ruling applies to anyone who denies a matter regarded by all Muslims as an essential of Islam. ¹² Imam al-Suyuti also endorses this position. ¹³ In summary, the denial of an essential of Islam removes a person from the fold of Islam. Even a doubt or hesitation concerning an essential may fall under the ruling of denial. Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami states:

  واعلم أن التردد في المعلوم من الدين بالضرورة كالإنكار. ¹⁴

  Know that hesitation concerning a matter known from religion by necessity is equivalent to denying it.

Since Khatm al-Nubuwwah is classified among the essentials of Islam on the basis of categorical revelation, ¹⁵ mutawatir ahadith, ¹⁶ the consensus of the Ummah, and its self-evident acceptance among all Muslims, ¹⁷ the ruling concerning its denial is the same as that concerning the denial of any other essential of Islam i.e., the denier becomes a Kafir (Disbeliever). Thus, denying Khatm al-Nubuwwah also constitutes disbelief and exclusion from Islam as it is included in the “essentials of Islam”. ¹⁸ Furthermore, because doubt or hesitation concerning an essential of Islam is legally treated as denial, doubt concerning Khatm al-Nubuwwah likewise falls under the ruling of denial and therefore also constitutes disbelief.

• ¹  Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Da’im al-Burmawi (2015), Al-Fawa’id Al-Saniyyah fi Sharh Al-Alfiyyah, Maktabat Al-Taw‘iyah Al-Islamiyyah, Giza, Egypt, Vol. 1, Pg. 467.
• ²  Abu Al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami (N.D.), Al-Fatawa Al-Hadithiyyah, Qadimi Kutub Khanah, Karachi, Pakistan, Pg. 266.
• ³  Dr. Wahbah ibn Mustafa Al-Zuhayli (1986), Usul Al-Fiqh Al-Islami, Dar Al-Fikr, Damascus, Syria, Vol. 2, Pg. 1052–1053.
• ⁴  Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Ibn Al-Wazir Al-Qasimi (1994), Al-‘Awasim wa Al-Qawasim fi Al-Dhabb ‘an Sunnat Abi Al-Qasim, Mu’assasat Al-Risalah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 4, Pg. 173–174.
• ⁵  Idris Kandhlawi (1997), Ihtisab-e Qadianiyyat (Tahqiq Mas’alat Al-Kufr wa Al-Iman), Alami Majlis Tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nubuwwat, Multan, Pakistan, Vol. 2, Pg. 409.
• ⁶  Ahmad ibn Saad Al-Ghamidi (1398 A.H.), ‘Aqidat Khatm Al-Nubuwwah bi Al-Nubuwwah Al-Muhammadiyyah, King Abdulaziz University, Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 51.
• ⁷  Abu Mansur ‘Abd Al-Qahir ibn Tahir Al-Baghdadi (2002), Usul Al-Din, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 184.
• ⁸  Abu Al-Fadl ‘Iyad ibn Musa Al-Yahsubi (1407 A.H.), Al-Shifa bi-Ta‘rif Huquq Al-Mustafa ﷺ, Dar Al-Fayha, Amman, Vol. 2, Pg. 610.
• ⁹  ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd Allah Ibn Baz (1421 A.H.), Majmu‘ Fatawa wa Maqalat Mutanawwi‘ah, Riyasat Idarat Al-Buhuth Al-Ilmiyyah wa Al-Ifta, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Vol. 2, Pg. 223.
• ¹⁰  Zayn Al-Din ibn Ibrahim Ibn Nujaym (1999), Al-Ashbah wa Al-Naza’ir ‘ala Madhhab Abi Hanifah Al-Nu‘man, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 161.
• ¹¹  Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Al-Bejuri (2004), Tuhfat Al-Murid Sharh Jawharat Al-Tawhid, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 218.
• ¹²  Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Ibn Al-Wazir Al-Yemeni (1987), Ithar Al-Haqq ‘ala Al-Khalq fi Radd Al-Khilafat ila Al-Madhhab Al-Haqq min Usul Al-Tawhid, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 376–377.
• ¹³  ‘Abd Al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr Jalal Al-Din Al-Suyuti (1983), Al-Ashbah wa Al-Naza’ir fi Qawa‘id wa Furu‘ Fiqh Al-Shafi‘iyyah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 488.
• ¹⁴  Abu Al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami (N.D.), Al-Fatawa Al-Hadithiyyah, Qadimi Kutub Khanah, Karachi, Pakistan, Pg. 267.
• ¹⁵  The Qur’an, Surah Al-Ahzab 33:40.
• ¹⁶  Abu ‘Isa Muhammad ibn ‘Isa Al-Tirmidhi (2009), Jami‘ Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2272, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 687.
• ¹⁷  ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd Allah Ibn Baz (1421 A.H.), Majmu‘ Fatawa wa Maqalat Mutanawwi‘ah, Riyasat Idarat Al-Buhuth Al-Ilmiyyah wa Al-Ifta, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Vol. 2, Pg. 223.
• ¹⁸  Zayn Al-Din ibn Ibrahim Ibn Nujaym (1999), Al-Ashbah wa Al-Naza’ir ‘ala Madhhab Abi Hanifah Al-Nu‘man, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 161.