1st Hadith – A Research-Based and Scholarly Response to Qadianis on the Continuation of Prophethood

Qadiani Claim:
The Qadianis argue that this hadith proves the continuation of prophethood. They say, “If prophethood had truly ended, why would the Prophet ﷺ say that if his son had lived, he would have been a prophet?”

Refutation of the Qadiani Misinterpretation

Response 1: Contextual Clarification by Another Authentic Hadith

Arabic:
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بِشْرٍ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيل بْنُ أَبِي خَالِدٍ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏قَالَ:‏‏‏‏ قُلْتُ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي أَوْفَى:‏‏‏‏ رَأَيْتَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:‏‏‏‏ مَاتَ وَهُوَ صَغِيرٌ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَلَوْ قُضِيَ أَنْ يَكُونَ بَعْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَبِيٌّ لَعَاشَ ابْنُهُ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَلَكِنْ لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدَهُ .

Translation:
Ismail bin Abi Khalid said: I asked Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (RA): “Did you see Ibrahim, the son of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?” He replied: “He died while he was still a small child. And had it been decreed that there could be a prophet after Muhammad ﷺ, his son would have lived. But there is no prophet after him.”

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1510, Chapter: What is reported about the funeral prayer over the son of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ)

Explanation:
This hadith clearly explains that the death of the Prophet’s ﷺ son occurred because prophethood has ended. Had it been destined for prophethood to continue, his son would have lived. Hence, there is no ground for asserting the continuity of prophethood.

Response 2: The Hadith is Weak According to Hadith Scholars

Many hadith scholars have declared the earlier narration (Hadith 1511) weak due to unreliable chains of narration.

1. Ibn Abd al-Barr said:

“I do not know what this statement means, because where is it stated that every prophet’s son must also be a prophet? For example, the son of Prophet Nuh (Noah) was not a prophet.”
(Al-Injah, p. 108)

2. Ibn Hajar wrote:

“The narrator Abu Shaybah Ibrahim bin Uthman is weak in hadith and abandoned by scholars.”
(Taqrib al-Tahdhib, p. 25)

3. Imam Nawawi remarked:

“This hadith is false. It ventures into knowledge of the unseen. It is an absurd statement.”
(Al-Mawdu‘at al-Kabir, p. 58)

4. Shaykh Abdul Haq Dehlavi stated:

“This hadith is not authentic and holds no scholarly weight. Its narrator, Ibrahim bin Uthman, is weak.”
(Madarij al-Nubuwwah, Vol. 2, p. 677)

“He is classified as munkar al-hadith (narrator of rejected hadith).”
(Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, Vol. 1, pp. 144–145)

Response 3: Hypothetical Possibility Does Not Prove Continuity

Even if the hadith were considered authentic, at most it would indicate a hypothetical possibility—that had prophethood continued and had Ibrahim lived, he could have been a prophet, due to the qualities he possessed. This is similar to the Prophet’s ﷺ statement regarding Umar ibn al-Khattab:

“If there were to be a prophet after me, it would have been Umar.”
Yet, Umar (RA) was not a prophet, because prophethood ended definitively.

Response 4: Use of Hypothetical Language in the Qur’an

Arabic (Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:22):
لَوۡ كَانَ فِیۡہِمَاۤ اٰلِہَۃٌ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ لَفَسَدَتَا ۚ فَسُبۡحٰنَ اللّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعَرۡشِ عَمَّا یَصِفُوۡنَ

Translation:
If there had been gods other than Allah in the heavens and the earth, they would surely have been in disorder. Exalted is Allah, Lord of the Throne, above what they ascribe to Him.

Explanation:
The hypothetical particle “لو” (if) is used here to indicate an impossible scenario. Similarly, in the hadith about Ibrahim, the hypothetical expression “if he had lived, he would have been a prophet” does not prove that prophethood continues. It’s a rhetorical expression, not a doctrinal declaration.

Conclusion

The Qadiani interpretation of this hadith is built on a weak narration, ignores contextual clarifications found in stronger hadiths, and misunderstands Arabic rhetorical language. The consensus of Muslim scholars and clear Quranic verses, such as:

“مَا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن رَّسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ ٱلنَّبِيِّينَ”
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets.”
(Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:40)

… firmly establish that no prophet can come after Muhammad ﷺ, and any interpretation to the contrary contradicts the core tenets of Islamic belief.