You know when you say, you can come and sit here now. When you say, and also insist that the Prophet should not be like this, mentioned in this tradition, then you stop the way for Prophethood. The fact is, that those who are like the Prophets of Israel are no less than Prophets. This is an inferiority complex of which the whole Ummah is suffering, unfortunately. They are a better Ummah than any Ummah that ever came. They have been revealed the best of messages. Their station is much higher than any people who passed before our Prophet.
So, if they resemble someone before them, they resemble in a better sense, not in a lower and inferior sense. The proof for this is, that exactly the same word, Kama, is used in relation to our Prophet, resembling Moses. It doesn’t mean that he just resembles, but is not as great as he was. It’s exactly the opposite. Kama is used for denoting similarity, but he is far superior. So, Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. has solved this problem for us by saying, Hum huve khair-e-Ummah, Tujhse hi hai khair-e-Usul. Tere pandne se kadam aage badhaya. That we are the best of the people because you are the best of the leaders. It was you who went forward first, and then we followed step by step.
So, the followers of Allah, suffering from this complex, that the very best has been finished forever, and even if Allah tells them that they will be among you, my followers, who would be like the Prophets of Israel, they say, oh yes, we would be like them, but not THE ones, of course. We are too small, too humble, to be raised to such a status. In comparison to Prophet Muhammad S.A.W., they are too humble to be equated with his followers. This is the truth. This is the true position. Not the other way round. And this was understood by Hazrat Moses S.A.W. much better than the Mullah of today. And this was related by no less than Hazrat Muhammad S.A.W. himself. In tradition, he tells us that when the glory of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. was revealed to Hazrat Moses S.A.W., he insisted and beseeched Allah that make me the Prophet of that Ummah. Allah said, no, it can’t be, because his Ummah would have its own Prophets.
That was the answer, which is still recorded in that tradition. And then he said, alright, if not that, if it has to be that Ummah, make me one of that Ummah. Then God replied, no, it can’t happen, because you are before, and they would be after you. That cannot happen. Then he said, alright, I don’t want to be a Prophet. Just make me one of the Ummah. That was the status of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. revealed to him, so that he desired to be just one of the Ummah, not as a Prophet. And when Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. tells us that the same Ulema say, no, they would not be equal, of course. They would be much inferior. It is just by way of endearment. They are degrading the Ummah, degrading the status of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. and telling us that we are insulting. The shoe is on the other foot. The fact is that it is only Ahmadis who know the true status and the height status of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. and this has been revealed in this verse, which our Prophet Muhammad S.A.W., which I have just quoted.
So, Ulema of the Ummah, is a continuous, lasting prophecy, which will continue to hold good until the time when Allah would decide that there is no pious man left on earth, so the whole mankind should be wiped out. That would be the final day for the mankind. But before that, people would appear. And now, if you look back in reality, pragmatically, at the history of Islam, choose and pick any of the great saints of Islam and truly and honestly begin to compare them with the older Prophets of Israel. The older Prophets appeared to be bigots before these high personalities, like Ibn Arabi, like Shah Waliullah Muhadiz Ali, like Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani. And leaving them alone, go back to the time of Sahaba.
Just, there are humble servants who are completely ignored by the people of the world, yet they were so great in status. For instance, Bilal. He was no less than a Prophet of previous times. And what was the status of Hazrat Abu Bakr, and Hazrat Ali, and Hazrat Isman, and Hazrat Umar? I am surprised at these people. They degrade the Ummah, and they are suffering from extreme inferiority complex, and yet they turn to us and say, you are insulting, by telling that Abu Salam’s Ummah is so great. It is they who are insulting Abu Salam, not we. So, that type of Prophets, who would be similar in nature to the older Prophets of Israel, have been coming before, and will continue to come. Nobody can stop them. And this is the promise, as contained in, Yet, why are they not called the Prophets? While the status is mentioned to be the same. This is the only argument, which has to be known and true, I have discussed and found out the answer to. This is the problem. Coming of Prophets, is no problem. That type of Prophets will continue to come. But why will they not be called Prophets? What is the secret? And why, there appears to be only one, who will also be called the Prophet? That is the question, which has to be studied at some detail.
And as far as I have understood this phenomena, I have told that before, and discussed it at many places. In my opinion, when our Prophet came, the definition of Prophethood, was enlarged, and raised in stationery. All the previous Prophets, as compared to him, were just Ulema. Because, it was the first time, that a global message was revealed. It was the first time, that a lasting message was revealed. So, if that was the Prophet, the earlier ones, as compared to him, could not be called a Prophet. But because he had not come, so they were the makeshifts. They filled in the blanks, because the true claimant was not there, as yet. When he came, the very definition of Prophethood got changed. After him, such people, beholding small offices, and regional offices, and tribal offices, and temporary offices, could not be called Prophets, because now the Prophet was global, and everlasting.
So, only that one could be called a Prophet, in the fashion of Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, whose message was to be global, who was to create a community of lasting nature, to fight out the battle of Islam, all over the world, and till the end of the day. Such a man is Hazrat Masih Maudud Islam, no other can be compared with him. It is so obvious. Go to the history of Islam, and find out, no saint ever claimed to be a global messenger, or made a movement, worldwide movement, which was global in nature, and no one was lasting in effect. So, this is why, he was chosen to be given the name Prophet, as well as, he was a Prophet, subordinate Prophet, of course. That is a condition, applicable to every Prophet.
So, the Prophets would come, like they had been coming before, from, Qalamau Ummati Qambiyai Bani Isra, you can infer this, this is the true inference, that like Prophets were coming before, so would come in my Ummah, yet, but they will not be called Prophets, they would be Ulama. Why? Because, the definition of Prophet, has changed after I have come. This is inherent message in this. So, nobody says that no Prophet can come, but we can say, that the Prophet, that who is, who can be called a Prophet, in the fashion of Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, he can also come, if he is told to ever come. But, there has to be a prophecy about him. What we say is not, that we negate the possibility, this is totally wrong. What we say is that, as far as we know, Ahazrat Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, has only prophesied, about one person, who would be Prophet in stature, as well as, would be named a Prophet. Such a man, as we read the traditions, we find only one.
So, if Allah chooses to send another one, it will be the responsibility of the other one, to prove that he has also been mentioned in Hadith, in the words of Abdul Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. So, if he does that, he is most welcome. The office as such has not finished, this is wrong. As long as, any shade, covered by the same definition, continues to exist, we can’t say the office of Prophethood is finished. Office has not finished, only one branch appears to have ended, because we don’t see, a mention of another of such a branch. The rest of the branches, would continue to flourish. If there is still… There can be? Yes, they were not global, quite right. And they were no less than Prophets. Prophets, as we understand the office, in the light of the previous history. That is what we should say.
