With-Love-to-Muhammad

160 With Love to Muhammad sa the Khātam-un-Nabiyyīnhawāriyyūn (disciples of Jesus as ) is not only unacceptable to Ibn‘Arabī rh but would also be unacceptable to every Muslim.Hence, the prophethood of the Promised Messiah can be termednubuwwah al-Khāssah (special prophethood).Definition of NubuwwahAnalyzing this issue further, Farhan Khan states, “...thosewho receive other forms of wahī ilhām can be termed as Nabīs,but are not prophets according to the common understanding ofthe term.” 157 This raises a question: What is the commonunderstanding of the term Nabī? The answer is that Muslims atthe time of the Promised Messiah as commonly defined a Nabī asone who:1. Brings a complete new sharī‘ah, or abrogates a previoussharī‘ah2. Is not the follower of a previous Nabī, but acquires anindependent status on his own merit.In order to prevent this “common understanding” of the wordNabī to be applied to him, the Promised Messiah as writes:Since according to the definition, Nabī and Rasūl inIslām means one who brings a complete new sharī‘ah,or abrogates some of the ordinances in the previoussharī‘ah, and since the Anbiyā’’ are not known as thefollowers of a previous Nabī and instead attainrelationship with God without the intermediation ofany other Nabī, therefore, let everyone be aware lest157Khan, With Love, Page 38