From: hakim@bigq.enet.dec.com (11-Nov-1992 0845)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: Question about Baha'i (3/5)
Date: 16 Nov 92 23:06:32 GMT


Continuation from part 2:

Allamih Majlesi in Bahar'ul-Anvar Vol 13, p.323 mentions one of the
discourses of Imam Ali. In that discourse Ali says:
 
"I am the Commander of the faithful. I am the King among the
pious..... I am the Khatam'u-Vasieen [which can be either taken as
"The Seal of the guardians and successors", or, as "The Ornament of
the Guardians and successors".] and the heir of the prophets and the
representative of the God of the worlds."
 
This tradition of Imam Ali is a very interesting. One must be fair in
one's judgment. If we are to take, in this tradition, the term
"Khatam" as "the Seal", "the ender", "one who completes", then one is
obliged to accept that Ali was "the seal of the guardians, and
successors", after Muhammad, Who is the Seal of the prophets. Yet,
Shi'ahs believe that after Muhammad there was supposed to be twelve
Imams, only the first of Whom was Ali. So, assuming that the term
Khatam in Khatam'u-Vasieen must have a similar meaning to the term
Khatam in Khatam'u- Nabieen, then one is to question why were there
more Imams after Ali. How are we to reconcile the existence of the
other Imams, Who came after Ali, based on this interpretation? Let
this be food for thought for the possessors of pure heart and open
mind.
 
NOTE: I hope Shi'ah friends contemplate on the meaning of this
quotation and its theological implication.
 
Let us now examine the meaning of the term Khatam'u-Nabieen from the
perspective of Sunni scholars and theologians, so that the seekers of
truth obtain a wider spectrum of views for their judgment:
 
Allamih Ahmad Hamedi-al-Mohammad, a well-known Sunni Theologian
discusses the term Khatam'u-Nabieen in his book, Tebyaan-va-Borhan,
based on a commentary of Fat'hol-Ghadeer by Hafiz Mohhades-i-Shokani
who says:
 
"All the Ghoraba use KhatEm, while Athim use KhatAm. KhatEm in 
Khatem'u-Nabeein means the Ender of Prophets, or the Seal of Prophets, 
while, KhatAm in Khatam' u-Nabeein means ring and ornament. In essence 
Muhammad, the Messenger of God, was the Ring or Ornament of (i.e. among) 
the Prophets, due to His exalted station compared to other Prophets."
 
The same book quotes from Dorr'ul-Mansoor of Allamih Jallal'u-Din
Soivotti, who quotes Ayeshih, the wife of Muhammad, who said:
 
"Say KhatAm-u-Nabeein (i.e. The Ring or Ornament of the Prophets), and
never say no prophets shall come after Him (i.e. Muhammad)".
 
One can find the same references in the commentary of Kashaaf, by
Zamakhshari, who says: "Muhammad, the Messenger of God, was called
Khatam'u-Nabieen, since, He did not have any male offsprings to
inherit prophethood from Him." He goes on and presents a Hadith from
Prophet Muhammad who says about His deceased son Abraham (from Marieh,
the Egyptian wife of Muhammad): "If my son Abraham was alive, he would
have been a Nabi (i.e. He would have become a Nabi after Me.)".
However, all of Muhammad's male offsprings die in early childhood,
thus, the verse of the Qur'an: "Muhammad is not the father of any man
among you...."  comes into fulfillment, and Muhammad become
Khatam'u-Nabieen, according to the same verse."
 
Abo'l-Bagha, another trusted Sunni source discusses this issue in his
book, "Mofeed", from the same angle, which I will not quote here in
order to prevent excessive repetition of the same idea.
 
It is apparent from what has been mentioned at length, that both
Shi'ah and Sunni sources agree that:
 
1- There is a more profound meaning associated with the title
   Khatam'u-Nabieen;
 
2- Finality of Muhammad's revelation is not implied by this term,
   mentioned in the Qur'an, the Confederates: 39.
 
Let me close this note with the view of Abol-Fadail-i Golpayegani, a
prominent Baha'i scholar, from a Muslim background, who, in his book
Fara'id addresses the question of Khatam'u-Nabieen as follows:
 
"No wonder if the learned of Islam too, argue against the renewal of
revelation from God [i.e. like their predecessors, Jews and
Christians, who are firmly convinced that their respective religions
are the final revelation from God.], based on such references as:
Khatam'u-Nabeein, or such traditions as: "There shall be no prophet
after me....", and by doing so become subjected to a test of faith;
and join their predecessors [i.e. Jews and Christians]. Not realizing
that the purpose of Muhammad in using the term Khatam'u-Nabeein was to
suggest the progress of the Islamic nation, and unveil the ascendancy
of the station of the Imams in comparison to the prophets of Israel.
It is clear to those who are familiar with the Scriptures of the past,
who are aware of the events which are associated with the histories of
the nations of antiquity that the prophets of Israel, such as Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, etc... one and all prophesied
about the future events according to dreams and visions. And they
interpreted their vision or dream as a revelation from God.  As a
result, the book of these prophets became known as the vision of
Isaiah, vision of Daniel, vision of Jeremiah, and vision of Ezekiel.
By the same token, if we are to examine this issue from a Christian
perspective, the Revelation of St. John is in essence the Dream of
John. As a result the term Nabi (i.e.  prophet) was given to the ones
who prophesied based on visions, or dreams. This usage was solidified
during the Jewish and Christians dispensations. However, after the
appearance of Prophet Muhammad (Khatam'ul-Anbia), the ender of the
prophetic cycle, the era of revelation from God "through the medium of
dreams and visions" was ended and a new era of "revelation through
direct inspiration" was started. Thus, the fulfillment of the
tradition; "There will be no prophets after me..." came about."
					Fara'id, p. 311
 
Portions of Parts 2 and 3 have either been cited or paraphrased, after
my own inadequate English translation, from "Ghamoos-i-Iqan" (The
Encyclopedia to the Book of Certitude), by A. Eshragh-Khavari, Baha'i
Publishing Trust of Iran.
 
						Part 3 of 5