Quranic Proofs for the General Continuation of Prophesy

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

وعلى اهل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين

والعاقبة للمتقين

Since the creation of Adam, the Almighty has instituted a chain of prophets and apostles through which He communicates His message to humanity_• The idea that this institution has ceased absolutely without qualification is both strange and unnatural_• Astonishingly, such a claim is made on behalf of Islam, the one religion which is centered around the institution of prophesy_• Both Judaism and Christianity proclaimed the cessation of their prophetic and apostolic ages respectively two millennia ago_• Since then they have been deprived of fresh divine revelation and as such were easily corrupted by their respective corrupt religious leaderships_• The Holy Quran, however, never explicitly states that prophesy has been terminated after the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him & his family), or that the latter is the last prophet_• Yes, it does name him 'Seal of the Prophets', but the meaning and implication is open to interpretation_• Other verses in the Holy Quran strongly suggest that the institution of prophesy and the future coming of messengers from God continue:

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ إِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِي ۙ فَمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ وَأَصْلَحَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

O children of Adam; if messengers come to you from among you rehearsing upon you My signs, then whoever adapts righteousness and reforms, upon them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve

(Sura 7:35)

The Almighty is addressing the children of Adam, a universal proclamation, a strong proof that as long as there are humans walking the Earth, there may come to them from among themselves His messengers_• Furthermore, the imperfect verb يأتى which is فعل مضارع indicates that messengers from Allah come (present tense) or will come (future tense), demolishing the notion that this institution was terminated in the past_• But according to this verse, their basic function is to relate divine signs and not necessarily legislate new divine commandments_• This is because while the Quran is certainly empty of any clear statement to the effect that the Prophet Muhammad is the last and final messenger, it does state that the religion of Islam has been completed and perfected:

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا

Today have I perfected for you your religion and completed upon you My favor and am pleased with Islam for you as religion

(Sura 5:3)

So the completion and perfection of the religion in terms of the divine legislation and teachings does not necessitate an end to the coming of future apostles of God whose function is to simply relate further divine signs in order to strengthen the faith and revive the divine message_• In another verse, the Almighty says:

اللَّـهُ يَصْطَفِي مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا وَمِنَ النَّاسِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ

Allah chooses messengers among the Angels and among mankind_• Verily, Allah is Hearing, Seeing

(Sura 22:75)

Again, in this verse there is the imperfect verb يصطفى which is فعل مضارع indicating that Allah Most High chooses (present tense) or will chose (future tense) messengers from among mankind, a strong proof for the continuation of the coming of apostles of God even after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him & his family)_•

Interestingly, the Holy Quran mentions the fact that the people of an ancient generation were the first to manufacture the false doctrine of the cessation of divine messengers, and that this was how Allah deviated them from the truth as a consequence of their doubt and transgression:

وَلَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ يُوسُفُ مِن قَبْلُ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَمَا زِلْتُمْ فِي شَكٍّ مِّمَّا جَاءَكُم بِهِ ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا هَلَكَ قُلْتُمْ لَن يَبْعَثَ اللَّـهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ رَسُولًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّـهُ مَنْ هُوَ مُسْرِفٌ مُّرْتَابٌ

And Joseph had already come to you before with clear proofs, but you remained in doubt of that which he brought to you, until when he died, you said, 'Never will Allah send a messenger after him' Thus does Allah leave astray he who is a transgressor and skeptic

(Sura 40:34)