Deobandis: Prophethood of Other Prophets is Accidental

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

وصلى الله على خاتم النبيين

والعاقبة للمتقين

Three days ago from today I wrote a column divulging a closely guarded secret of the Deobandis concerning their postulation that the nubuwwa of all the ancient prophets - from Adam to the Messiah على نبينا وعليهم الصلوات والتسليمات - is an accidental property of theirs and not essential. This innovated metaphysical doctrine was introduced by the founder of the Deobandi sect, Mawlana Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi, who wrote that it is only the prophethood of sayyidina Muhammad صلوات الله وسلامه عليه that is an essential prophethood and the masdar (source) of the prophethood of the other prophets who attain their respective prophethoods through the wasata (medium) of Prophet Muhammad صلوات الله وسلامه عليه as a faid (emanation). This is in contrast to the teaching of the holy Qur’an, which is that Allah has directly made each of those great individuals, from Adam to the Messiah على نبينا وعليهم الصلوات والتسليمات into prophets, with no mention of their having attained their respective prophethoods through the medium or emanation of any other prophet:

قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّـهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا

(Messiah) said: “Verily, I am a slave of Allah. He gave me the Book and made me a prophet.”

(Sura 19:30)

وَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ ۖ وَكُلًّا جَعَلْنَا نَبِيًّا

And We granted him (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob. And We made each into a prophet

(Sura 19:49)

Lest the reader think this is an isolated case and a belief held only be Qasim of Nanawta and not their official dogma, I shall quote from the Deobandi catechism:

“Yes, our teacher and our master, chief of the intelligent scrutinisers, Mawlawi Muhammad Qasim al-Nanotwi (Allah Exalted is He have mercy on him), produced a novel insight by his critical mind, completing his sealship (khatamiyyah) in a complete manner and perfecting it in a perfect manner, as he (Allah Exalted is He have mercy on him) said in his treatise entitled Tahdhir al-Nas, the upshot of which is that:

Sealship is a genus under which are two species:

The first of them is ‘chronological sealship’ (khatamiyya zamaniyya) which is that the time of his prophethood (Allah bless him and grant him peace) occurs after the time of the prophethood of all other Prophets and he is thus a chronological seal of their prophethood. The second is ‘essential sealship’ (khatamiyya dhatiyyah), which is that by the essence of his (Allah bless him and grant him peace) prophethood, the prophethood of all the Prophets is sealed and culminates in it. Just as he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the seal of the Prophets in time, he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is also the seal of the Prophets in essence, since all that is accidental is terminated by that which is essential, culminate in it and do not surpass it. Since his (Allah bless him and grant him peace) prophethood is essential and the prophethood of other Prophets is accidental, because their prophethood  was secondary to his prophethood and he is the most perfect and honourable particular, the pole of the domain of prophethood and messengership and the medium of its contraction, he is both the chronological and essential seal of the Prophets. His sealship is not limited to chronological sealship since it is neither a big virtue nor an increase in his rank that his time comes after the time of the Prophets before him, rather complete supremacy, extreme elevation, splendid glory and radiant pride reaches its utmost when his (Allah bless him and grant him peace) sealship is both essential and chronological. As regards to when it is limited to chronological sealship, his supremacy and his (Allah bless him and grant him peace) elevation in its perfection is not attained and his complete and comprehensive excellence is not acquired.” (al-Muhannad alal-Mufannad pp.51-52):