Khatam al-Nabiyyin (Title)
.jpg) Al-Masjid al-Nabawi, the shrine of the Prophet Muhammad (s) | |
| Born | c. 29 April 571 CE (Rabi' I 17, 53 BH) |
|---|---|
| Birthplace | Mecca, Arabia |
| Died | c. 25 May 632 (aged 62) (Safar 28, 11 AH) |
| Deathplace | Medina, Arabia |
| Place of Burial | Medina, Arabia 24°28′1.958″N 39°36′40.071″E / 24.46721056°N 39.61113083°E |
| Successor | 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) (as the first Imam of the Shiaa and Caliph) |
| Father | Abd Allah b. 'Abd al-Muttalib |
| Mother | Amina bt. Wahb |
| Spouse(s) | Khadija • Sawda • Aisha • Hafsa • Zaynab bt. Khuzayma • Umm Salama • Zaynab bt. Jahsh • Juwayriyya • Ramla • Safiyya • Maymuna • Mariya |
| Son(s) | Qasim • 'Abd Allah • Ibrahim |
| Daughter(s) | Fatima (a) |
| Descendants | Ahl al-Bayt, Sayyids |
| Other Titles | Abu l-Qasim (his Kunya) • Amin (trustworthy) • Rasul Allah (messenger of Allah); Mustafa (the chosen), Habib Allah (beloved one of Allah), Khayr Khalq Allah (the best of creatures of Allah), Khatam al-Nabiyyin (last of the propehts), Rahmat li-l-'Alamin (a blessing for the two worlds) |
The phrased Khātam al-Nabīyyīn (Arabic: خاتَمُ النَّبیِّین) and Khātam al-Anbīyāʾ (Arabic: خاتَمُ الاَنبیاء) (lit; the final of the prophets) are Quranic expressions and among the titles of Prophet Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah (s). They signify the finality of his prophethood and the conclusion of prophethood.[1] The expression khatam al-nabiyyin is mentioned in Qur'an 33: 40, commonly known as the Verse of Finality.
These two expressions are also used in hadith literature and statements attributed to the Imams (a), such as in the seventeenth supplication of al-Sahifat al-Sajjadiya, in some of Imam 'Ali's sermons during the Battle of Siffin,[2] in a hadith from Imam 'Ali (a) in the book Qurb al-Isnad, and in a hadith found in Usul al-Kafi.[3]
The Baha'is, who claimed the emergence of a new religion in the 12th AH/18th century, have sometimes argued that the term khatam means "the seal of a ring,"[4] signifying the Prophet's special status and describing him as the adornment of the prophets, rather than meaning "the one who concludes." Others have suggested that the Qur'an uses the term khatam al-nabiyyin (finality of the prophets) rather than khatam al-mursalin (finality of the messengers). Therefore, according to this interpretation, the Prophet (s) is the last prophet but not necessarily the last messenger, leaving the possibility of another messenger being sent after him.
Muslim scholars have responded by explaining that khatam originally means "a means of sealing or finalizing," and the ring was called a khatam because, in the past, letters were sealed with rings to mark their completion. Therefore, the use of the term khatam to mean "adornment" contradicts the meaning that the verse conveys. Additionally, as stated in Tafsir Nimuna, the rank of messengership is higher than that of prophethood, and one must first be a prophet before becoming a messenger. Consequently, when prophethood comes to an end, messengership also comes to an end a fortiori.
In many Islamic countries and communities, some mosques, seminaries, universities, and the like have been named after Khatam al-Nabiyyin and Khatam al-Anbiya'. Additionally, phrases derived from this title, such as "Al-Salam 'Ala Khatam al-Nabiyyin," are inscribed on the seals of rings.
Notes
References
- ʿĀrifī Shīrdāghī, Muḥammad Isḥāq. Khātamīyyat wa pursishhā-yi nū. 1st edition. Mashhad: Islamic University of Raḍawī, 1386 Sh.
- Minqarī, Naṣr b. Muzāḥim al-. Waqʿat Ṣiffīn. Edited by ʿAbd al-Salām Muḥammad Hārūn. Qom: Āyatullāh Marʿashī Najafī Library, 1404 AH.
- Ḥimyarī, ʿAbd Allāh b. Jaʿfar al-. Qurb al-Isnād. 1st edition. Qom: Muʾassisat Āl al-Bayt, 1413 AH.
- Kulaynī, Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-. Al-Kāfī. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmīyya, 1363 Sh.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i Nimūna. 1st edition. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmīyya, 1374 Sh.
- Miṣbāḥ Yazdī, Muḥammad Taqī. Rāh wa Rāhshinasī. Qom: Imām Khomeini Educational and Research Institute, 1376 Sh.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. Ḥasan. Majmaʿ al-Bayān. 1st edition. Edited by a group of scholars and researchers. Introduction by Sayyid Muḥsin Amīn. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī, 1415 AH.