تحفظ عقیدہ ختم نبوت میں مسلم مفکرین کی خدمات (برصغیر کے تناظرمیں خصوصی مطالعہ )

The contributions of Muslim thinkers in preserving the belief in the finality of the Prophethood (Special study in the context of the subcontinent)

Abstract

The doctrine of the finality of prophethood (Khatm-e-Nubuwwat) is an unanimously agreed-upon belief in Islam, firmly established by over 100 Qur'ānic verses and more than 200 mutawātir aḥādīth. It asserts that after Prophet Muḥammad (PBUH), no prophet will come until the Day of Judgment. This doctrine was also the subject of the first-ever consensus (ijmāʿ) of the Muslim community. From the Prophet's era, false claims of prophethood emerged, and such claimants faced staunch resistance from the Companions, as seen in the decisive Battle of Yamāmah, where over 1,200 Muslims, including Companions and Tābiʿīn, were martyred. In 1974, the Government of Pakistan enacted legislation declaring the Qadianis (Ahmadis) and other false claimants to prophethood as non-Muslims. Muslim scholars and thinkers have consistently played a vanguard role in protecting Islamic beliefs, responding to heretical movements, and providing intellectual and scholarly guidance to the masses.In the subcontinent, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani's false claim of prophethood was met with decisive responses from Muslim scholars. They undertook efforts in various ways, including authoring books, issuing fatwas, organizing debates, publishing articles, and pursuing legal actions. Their scholarly, practical, and literary endeavors exposed the fallacies of Qadianism, ensuring the preservation of the doctrine of Khatm-e-Nubuwwat.This article highlights the contributions of key Muslim thinkers from the subcontinent who played an instrumental role in countering Qadianism, focusing on their efforts to safeguard the sanctity of Islam and its fundamental beliefs.