- published: 26 Jan 2012
- views: 1125843
Seal of the Prophets (Arabic: خاتم اﻟﻨﺒﻴﻴﻦ Khātim an-Nabiyīn) is a title given to the Islamic prophet Muhammad by a verse in the Qur'an.Muslims traditionally agree upon that Muhammad received the final revelation in the form of the Qur'an for all mankind, for all time.
Most Islamic commentators agree that "messenger" (rasūl) refers to those who bring a divine revelation which includes a new doctrinal system, while a "prophet" (nabī) is one who explains ethical teachings on the basis of an existing religion. Every messenger is a prophet, but not every prophet is a messenger.
According to A.C. Welch, Muslim interpretation of khatim an-nabiyyin as the "last and greatest of the prophets" is most likely based on a later interpretation.Carl W. Ernst considers this phrase to mean that Muhammad's "imprint on history is as final as a wax seal on a letter". According to Arabic lexicon and the linguistic usage Khatam means to affix seal; to close, to come to an end; and to carry something to its ultimate end. Wilferd Madelung states that the meaning of this term is not certain. Muslims also believe that a messenger is a prophet who received a book from God.