Background
The doctrine of Khatm an-Nubuwwah (the Finality of Prophethood) is a foundational belief in Islam, asserting that Prophet Muhammad (saw) is the last of the prophets, and no new prophet will come after him. To support the claim of a new prophet in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Ahmadiyya Jama’at has put forward interpretations of various Islamic texts that challenge this traditional understanding.
One such text is a hadith from Sahih Muslim, which, when read in isolation, appears to create an ambiguity that the community leverages to support their theological position. This article will examine the hadith, the Ahmadiyya interpretation, and a clarifying narration that resolves the issue.
The Hadith in Question
The primary narration used in this argument is found in one of the most authentic collections of hadith, Sahih Muslim. The text is as follows:
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنِّي آخِرُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَإِنَّ مَسْجِدِي آخِرُ الْمَسَاجِدِ
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “…for I am the last of the Prophets and my mosque is the last of the mosques.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 7, Hadith 3271)
The literal meaning seems clear: Prophet Muhammad (saw) is the final prophet, and his mosque in Madinah is the final mosque. It is the second part of this statement—“my mosque is the last of the mosques”—that forms the basis of the Ahmadiyya argument.
The Ahmadiyya Argument: A Metaphorical Reading
The Ahmadiyya Jama’at argues that since countless mosques have been built across the world after the Prophet’s time, his statement that his mosque is the “last” cannot be taken literally. It must, therefore, be a metaphor.
They reason as follows:
“It is clear that the Holy Prophet did not mean that there was to be no prophet after him, otherwise we shall have to conclude that he did not want the Muslims to build any other mosques. Obviously, what he means is that the religion brought by him is perfect and no one can cancel or modify it after him.”
In this view, “last mosque” symbolizes the perfection and finality of the institution associated with the Prophet—his teachings and his law (Sharia). By extension, they argue that “last of the Prophets” should be interpreted in the same metaphorical way: not as the chronologically final prophet, but as the prophet who brings the final, perfect law, a “seal” of approval on prophethood, after whom other, subordinate prophets can still come.
This interpretation hinges entirely on the perceived contradiction that if “last mosque” isn’t literal, then “last Prophet” need not be literal either.
The Clarifying Narration
The flaw in the Ahmadiyya argument is that it treats the Sahih Muslim hadith in isolation. In Islamic jurisprudence and hadith studies, it is a well-established principle that different narrations on the same topic clarify and explain one another. A more specific narration (khass) qualifies a general one (‘aam).
In this case, another authentic hadith exists that provides the crucial context missing from the Sahih Muslim narration. This hadith adds two critical words that completely resolve the supposed ambiguity:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنا خاتم الأنبياء ومسجدي خاتم مساجد الأنبياء
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “I am the Seal of the Prophets and my mosque is the seal of the mosques of the prophets.” (Kanz al-Ummal 12/270, Hadith 34999; Authenticated by al-Albani in Sahih al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, Hadith 1175)
[Kanz al-Ummal, Hadith 34999]
The addition of the phrase “of the prophets” (مساجد الأنبياء) is the key. The Prophet (saw) was not stating that no mosque would ever be built again by Muslims. He was making a profound statement about the finality of his own office: His mosque was the last mosque that would ever be established on this earth by a prophet of God.
This clarifying narration renders the entire metaphorical argument of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at unnecessary. The two statements are perfectly parallel and literal:
- I am the last of the Prophets (No prophet will come after me).
- My mosque is the last of the mosques of the Prophets (No prophet will come after me to build a prophet’s mosque).
The second statement reinforces the first. The impossibility of a new “prophet’s mosque” is a direct consequence of the impossibility of a new prophet.
Conclusion
The Ahmadiyya argument regarding the “last mosque” is built upon an ambiguity that only exists when a single hadith is viewed in isolation from other relevant texts. By creating a false dichotomy—that the phrase must either be a failed literalism or a broad metaphor—they open the door for their re-interpretation of “Finality of Prophethood.”
However, when the clarifying narration from Kanz al-Ummal is presented, the entire argument collapses. The Prophet’s statement was not a metaphor; it was a precise and literal declaration. His mosque is indeed the last mosque of the prophets, for the simple reason that he is the Last Prophet. The reader is left to judge whether an interpretation that ignores clarifying texts is a sincere attempt at understanding or a deliberate effort to create theological room for a new claim.