The Scholarly Exegesis of the Ayah “Khatam an-Nabiyyin”

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah Almighty says:

مَا کَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ اَبَاۤ اَحَدٍ مِّنۡ رِّجَالِکُمۡ وَ لٰکِنۡ رَّسُوۡلَ اللّٰہِ وَ خَاتَمَ النَّبِیّٖنَ ؕ وَ کَانَ اللّٰہُ بِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ عَلِیۡمًا ۔

(Muhammad ﷺ is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. And Allah is All-Knowing of everything.)

Surah Al-Ahzab, Ayah 40

The Occasion of Revelation (Shan-e-Nuzul): In the Arab society, there was a shameful practice where they would regard an adopted son as a real son and consider him the same in all matters of rights and laws. They would treat the adopted son like a biological son in matters such as inheritance, marriage, and other family connections. Just as it is unlawful in their traditions for a man to marry his biological son’s wife after a divorce or the son’s death, they would similarly consider it unlawful for a man to marry the divorced or widow of his adopted son.

This verse put an end to this wrong tradition. Hazrat Zayd bin Haritha (RA) was a slave of the Prophet ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ freed him and adopted him as his son. The companions of the Prophet ﷺ started referring to him as Zayd bin Muhammad instead of Zayd bin Haritha. Hazrat Zayd bin Haritha (RA) divorced his wife, Hazrat Zaynab (RA). Allah commanded the Prophet ﷺ to marry her to abolish this evil custom completely. When the Prophet ﷺ married Hazrat Zaynab, the disbelievers began to object, saying that the Prophet ﷺ had married the wife of his son.

In response to this, Allah revealed the above verse. This verse answered all their objections. Their first objection was that the Prophet ﷺ had married his son’s wife, while according to their own traditions, a father is forbidden from marrying the divorced wife of his son. In the verse, Allah clarified that Muhammad ﷺ had no biological son. Therefore, there was no issue of marrying his son’s ex-wife. Their second objection was that even if adopted sons are not considered real sons, it would still be lawful but not necessary for the Prophet ﷺ to marry his son’s ex-wife. The verse clarified that as the Messenger of Allah, it was the Prophet’s duty to put an end to false traditions and demonstrate that this was lawful and clear. It further emphasized that he was the Seal of the Prophets, meaning no prophet would come after him to rectify or complete any religious laws. Allah also emphasized His complete knowledge of all matters.

Therefore, if this practice was not corrected by the final Prophet ﷺ, there would be no one else to do so, and this act would remain uncorrected. Even if later reformers attempted to change it, they would not have the same global authority or respect to ensure universal adoption of this change.

Explanation of the Seal of the Prophets in the Qur’an (Tafseer Al-Qur’an bil-Qur’an): The term “Seal” appears in the Qur’an seven times:

1. خَتَمَ اللّٰہُ عَلٰی قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ وَ عَلٰی سَمۡعِہِمۡ ؕ وَ عَلٰۤی اَبۡصَارِہِمۡ غِشَاوَۃٌ ۫ وَّ لَہُمۡ عَذَابٌ عَظِیۡمٌ ۔
   (Allah has sealed their hearts, and their ears and their eyes are covered, and for them is a great punishment.)
2. قُلۡ اَرَءَیۡتُمۡ اِنۡ اَخَذَ اللّٰہُ سَمۡعَکُمۡ وَ اَبۡصَارَکُمۡ وَ خَتَمَ عَلٰی قُلُوۡبِکُمۡ مَّنۡ اِلٰہٌ غَیۡرُ اللّٰہِ یَاۡتِیۡکُمۡ بِہٖ ؕ اُنۡظُرۡ کَیۡفَ نُصَرِّفُ الۡاٰیٰتِ ثُمَّ ہُمۡ یَصۡدِفُوۡنَ ۔
   (Say: Have you considered if Allah takes away your hearing and your sight, and He seals your hearts, who is there other than Allah who can restore them to you? See how We explain the signs, yet they turn away.)
3. أَفَرَءَیۡتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ اِلٰـہَہٗ ہَوٰىہُ وَ أَضَلَّہُ اللّٰہُ عَلٰی عِلۡمٍ وَّ خَتَمَ عَلٰی سَمۡعِہٖ وَ قَلۡبِہٖ وَ جَعَلَ عَلٰی بَصَرِہٖ غِشٰوَۃً ؕ فَمَنۡ یَّہۡدِیۡہِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ اللّٰہِ ؕ اَفَلَا تَذَکَّرُوۡنَ ۔
   (Have you seen the one who has taken as his god his own desire, and whom Allah has led astray knowingly, and whose ears and heart He has sealed and whose sight He has covered? Who can guide him after Allah? Will you not be reminded?)
4. اَلۡیَوۡمَ نَخۡتِمُ عَلٰۤی اَفۡوَاہِہِمۡ وَ تُکَلِّمُنَاۤ اَیۡدِیۡہِمۡ وَ تَشۡہَدُ اَرۡجُلُہُمۡ بِمَا کَانُوۡا یَکۡسِبُوۡنَ ۔
   (Today We will seal their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify as to what they used to earn.)
5. أَمۡ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ افۡتَرٰی عَلَی اللّٰہِ کَذِبًا ۚ فَاِنۡ یَّشَاِ اللّٰہُ یَخۡتِمۡ عَلٰی قَلۡبِکَ ؕ وَ یَمۡحُ اللّٰہُ الۡبَاطِلَ وَ یُحِقُّ الۡحَقَّ بِکَلِمٰتِہٖ ؕ اِنَّہٗ عَلِیۡمٌۢ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُوۡرِ ۔
   (Do they say, ‘He has invented it against Allah’? Say, ‘If Allah had willed, He could have sealed your heart. And Allah erases falsehood and establishes the truth by His words. Surely, He is All-Knowing of what is in the hearts.’)
6. یُسۡقَوۡنَ مِنۡ رَّحِیۡقٍ مَّخۡتُوۡمٍ ۔
   (They will be given to drink from a sealed nectar.)
7. خِتٰمُہٗ مِسۡکٌ ؕ وَ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ فَلۡیَتَنَافَسِ الۡمُتَنَافِسُوۡنَ ۔
   (Its seal will be musk, and for this let the competitors compete.)

The shared meaning in these verses is that it refers to sealing something in such a way that nothing can enter or exit from it. For example, “ختم اللہ علی قلوبہم” means that Allah has sealed the hearts of the disbelievers, preventing faith from entering and disbelief from leaving. Similarly, the phrase “خاتم النبیین” means that with the arrival of the last prophet, no new prophets can come; the line of prophecy is complete and sealed.

Explanation of the Seal of the Prophets (Tafseer Al-Qur’an bil-Hadith):

In the following hadiths, the Prophet ﷺ explained the concept of “Seal of the Prophets” (خاتم النبیین):

1. Hadith 1: عن ثَوْبَانَ، قَالَ:‏‏‏‏ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:وَإِنَّهُ سَيَكُونُ فِي أُمَّتِي كَذَّابُونَ ثَلَاثُونَ كُلُّهُمْ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ وَأَنَا خَاتَمُ النَّبِيِّينَ لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي۔
   (The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “There will be thirty liars in my Ummah, each of them claiming to be a prophet. But I am the Seal of the Prophets; there is no prophet after me.”)
   [Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2219]
2. Hadith 2: عن أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ:‏‏‏‏ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:‏‏‏‏إِنَّ الرِّسَالَةَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ قَدِ انْقَطَعَتْ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَلَا رَسُولَ بَعْدِي وَلَا نَبِيَّ
   (The Prophet ﷺ said: “The message and prophethood have been cut off. There will be no messenger or prophet after me.”)
   [Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2272]

These hadiths make it clear that the Prophet ﷺ himself explained that after him, there will be no new prophet or messenger.

Explanation of the Seal of the Prophets by the Companions (Tafseer by Sahabah):

In Tafseer al-Durr al-Manthur, Imam Ibn Jarir (RA) quoted Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (RA) saying:

“My example and the example of the prophets is like a man who built a house and completed it, but left one brick. I came and completed that brick.”

Similarly, Hazrat Jaber (RA) narrated:

“The example of me and the other prophets is like a man who built a house, completing it beautifully but leaving one brick. Anyone who enters the house would admire it but notice the missing brick. I am that brick. Through me, prophethood was completed.”

These narrations from the companions confirm that with the arrival of the Prophet ﷺ, the number of prophets was completed, and there will be no new prophet until the Day of Judgment.

Explanation of Seal of the Prophets in Lexical Terms:

Let’s now explore the meaning of خاتم النبیین in the Arabic language.

Imam Raghib Al-Isfahani, in his Mufradat al-Qur’an, explains:

“The Prophet ﷺ is called خاتم النبیین because he completed prophecy with his arrival.”
(Mufradat al-Qur’an, Page 275)

In the famous Arabic dictionary Lisan al-Arab, the term خاتم is explained as the last one in a series. So, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the last of the prophets.

All dictionaries, both Arabic and non-Arabic, unanimously define خاتم النبیین as the completion of prophethood with Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. No new prophet or messenger will come after him until the end of times.