Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Ahzab Verse 40

Mufti Taqi Usmani

MuHammad is not a father of any of your men, but he is a messenger of Allah and the last of the prophets. And Allah has the Knowledge of every thing.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Muḥammad is not the father of any of your men,[[ He (ﷺ) is not the father of Zaid (mentioned in {33:37}) or any other man. The Prophet (ﷺ) had three biological sons, who all died in childhood. ]] but is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets. And Allah has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of all things.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Muhammad 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.

A. J. Arberry

Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men, but the Messenger of God, and the Seal of the Prophets; God has knowledge of everything.

Abdul Haleem

Muhammad is not the father of any one of you men; he is God’s Messenger and the seal of the prophets: God knows everything.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Muhammad is not the father of any of your males, but the apostle of Allah and the seal of the prophets; and Allah of everything is ever the Knower.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah has full knowledge of all things.

Abul Ala Maududi

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the Prophets. Allah has full knowledge of everything.

Ahmed Ali

Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but a messenger of God, and the seal of the prophets. God has knowledge of everything.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Mohammed (peace and blessings be upon him) is not the father of any man among you – but he is the Noble Messenger of Allah and the Last of the Prophets*; and Allah knows all things. (* Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him – is the Last Prophet. There can be no new Prophet after him).

Ali Quli Qarai

Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Apostle of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets, and Allah has knowledge of all things.

Ali Ünal

O believers, (know) that Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets. God has full knowledge of everything.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Muhammad is no father to any man among you but (he is rather) the Messenger of Allâh and the Seal of the Prophets. Indeed Allâh has full knowledge of all things.

English Literal

Mohammad was not a father (to) anyone from your men, and but God`s messenger, and the prophets` end/conclusion/final , and God was/is with every thing knowledgeable.

Faridul Haque

Mohammed (peace and blessings be upon him) is not the father of any man among you – but he is the Noble Messenger of Allah and the Last of the Prophets *; and Allah knows all things. (* Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him – is the Last Prophet. There can be no new Prophet after him).

Hamid S. Aziz

Those who deliver the messages of Allah and fear Him, and do not fear any one but Allah; and Allah is sufficient to take account.

Hilali & Khan

Muhammad (SAW) is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the last (end) of the Prophets. And Allah is Ever AllAware of everything.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Those who deliver the messages of Allah and fear Him, and fear none but Allah. And Allah is Sufficient to take account.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Apostle of Allah and the Last of the prophets; and Allah is cognizant of all things.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah is ever Aware of all things.

Muhammad Sarwar

Muhammad is not the father of any of your males. He is the Messenger of God and the last Prophet. God has the knowledge of all things.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men. He is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. Allah has knowledge of all things.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the last of the Prophets. And Allah is Ever All-Aware of everything.

Wahiduddin Khan

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but is God's Messenger and the seal of the Prophets. God has knowledge of all things.

Talal Itani

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men; but he is the Messenger of God, and the seal of the prophets. God is Cognizant of everything.

Tafsir jalalayn

Muhammad is not the father of any man among you; he is not Zayd's biological father and so it is not unlawful for him to marry his [former] wife Zaynab [after him]; but, he is, the Messenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets, and so he will not have a son that is a [fully grown] man to be a prophet after him (a variant reading [for khtim al-nabiyyna] has khtam al-nabiyyn, as in the instrument [known as a] `seal', in other words, their [prophethood] has been sealed by him). And God has knowledge of all things, among these is the fact that there will be no prophet after him, and even when the lord Jesus descends [at the end of days] he will rule according to his [Muhammad's] Law.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men,

After this it was not permitted to say Zayd bin Muhammad, i.e., he was not his father even though he had adopted him.

No male child of the Prophet lived until puberty.

Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, bore him Al-Qasim, At-Tayyib and At-Tahir, but they died in childhood.

Mariyah Al-Qibtiyyah bore him Ibrahim, but he also died in infancy.

He also had four daughters from Khadijah;Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatima, may Allah be pleased with them all. Three of them died during his lifetime, Fatima lived long enough to be bereaved of him, then she died six months later.
He is the Last of the Prophets

Allah says;

وَلَكِن رَّسُولَ اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمًا



but he is the Messenger of Allah and the last of the Prophets. And Allah is Ever All-Aware of everything.

This is like the Ayah;

اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ

Allah knows best with whom to place His Message. (6;124)

This Ayah clearly states that there will be no Prophet after him. If there will be no Prophet after him then there will surely be no Messenger after him either, because the status of a Messenger is higher than that of a Prophet, for every Messenger is a Prophet but the reverse is not the case.

This was reported in many Mutawatir Hadiths narrated from the Messenger of Allah via a group of his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.

Imam Ahmad recorded a narration from Ubayy bin Ka`b, from his father that the Prophet said;

مَثَلِي فِي النَّبِيِّينَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ بَنَى دَارًا فَأَحْسَنَهَا وَأَكْمَلَهَا وَتَرَكَ فِيهَا مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ لَمْ يَضَعْهَا فَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَطُوفُونَ بِالْبُنْيَانِ وَيَعْجَبُونَ مِنْهُ وَيَقُولُونَ لَوْ تَمَّ مَوْضِعُ هَذِهِ اللَّبِنَةِ فَأَنَا فِي النَّبِيِّينَ مَوْضِعُ تِلْكَ اللَّبِنَة

My parable among the Prophets is that of a man who built a house and did a good and complete job, apart from the space of one brick which he did not put in its place. The people started to walk around the building, admiring it and saying, "If only that brick were put in its place."

Among the Prophets, I am like that brick.

It was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, who said "Hasan Sahih."
Another Hadith

Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah said;

إِنَّ الرِّسَالَةَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ قَدِ انْقَطَعَتْ فَلَ رَسُولَ بَعْدِي وَلَا نَبِي

Messengership and Prophethood have come to an end, and there will be no more Messengers or Prophets.

This worried the people, then he said;

وَلَكِنِ الْمُبَشِّرَات

But there will be Al-Mubashshirat.

They said, `O Messenger of Allah, what are Al-Mubashshirat?'

He said,

رُوْيَا الرَّجُلِ الْمُسْلِمِ وَهِيَ جُزْءٌ مِنْ أَجْزَاءِ النُّبُوَّة


The dreams of a Muslim man, and they are one of the parts of Prophethood.

This was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, who said, "Sahih Gharib."
Another Hadith

Abu Dawud At-Tayalisi recorded that Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah said;

مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ الاَْنْبِيَاءِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ بَنَى دَارًا فَأَكْمَلَهَا وَأَحْسَنَهَا إِلاَّ مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ فَكَانَ مَنْ دَخَلَهَا فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهَا قَالَ مَا أَحْسَنَهَا إِلاَّ مَوْضِعَ هَذِهِ اللَّبِنَةِ فَأَنَا مَوْضِعُ اللَّبِنَةِ خُتِمَ بِي الاَْنْبِيَاءُ عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَةُ وَالسَّلَم

The parable of myself and the Prophets is that of a man who built a house and did a complete and good job, except for the space of one brick. Whoever entered it would look at that space and say, how good it is, apart from the space of that brick. My position is like that of that brick, and the Prophets -- blessings and peace be upon them -- end with me.

It was also recorded by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and At-Tirmidhi, who said, "It is Sahih Gharib with this chain of narrators."
Another Hadith

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah said;

مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ النَّــبِيينَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ بَنَى دَارًا فَأَتَمَّهَا إِلاَّ لَبِنَةً وَاحِدَةً فَجِيْتُ أَنَا فَأَتْمَمْتُ تِلْكَ اللَّبِنَة


The parable of myself and the Prophets is that of a man who built a house and completed it apart from the space of one brick. I have come and completed that brick.

This was also recorded by Muslim.
Another Hadith

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah said;

إِنَّ مَثَلِي وَمَثَلَ الاَْنْبِيَاءِ مِنْ قَبْلِي كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ ابْتَنَى بُيُوتًا فَأَكْمَلَهَا وَأَحْسَنَهَا وَأَجْمَلَهَا إِلاَّ مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ مِنْ زَاوِيَةٍ مِنْ زَوَايَاهَا فَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَطُوفُونَ وَيُعْجِبُهُمُ الْبُنْيَانُ وَيَقُولُونَ أَلاَّ وَضَعْتَ ههُنَا لَبِنَةً فَيَتِمُّ بُنْيَانُك

The parable of myself and the Prophets who came before me is that of a man who built houses and made them complete and beautiful apart from the space of a brick in one of the corners. The people started to walk around, admiring the construction and saying, If only you put a brick here, your construction will be complete.

The Messenger of Allah said;

فَكُنْتُ أَنَا اللَّبِنَة

And I am that brick.

It was also recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Another Hadith

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah said;

فُضِّلْتُ عَلَى الاَْنْبِيَاءِ بِسِتَ

أُعْطِيتُ جَوَامِعَ الْكَلِمِ

وَنُصِرْتُ بِالرُّعْبِ

وَأُحِلَّتْ لِيَ الْغَنَايِمُ

وَجُعِلَتْ لِيَ الاَْرْضُ مَسْجِدًا وَطَهُورًا

وَأُرْسِلْتُ إِلَى الْخَلْقِ كَافَّةً

وَخُتِمَ بِي النَّبِيُّون

I have been given preference over the other Prophets in six ways;

I have been given the ability to speak concisely;

I have been aided by fear (cast into the hearts of my enemies);

the spoils of war have been made permissible for me;

the entire earth has been made a Masjid and a means of purification for me;

I have been sent to all of mankind; and

the Prophets end with me.

This was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah; At-Tirmidhi said, "It is Hasan Sahih."
Another Hadith

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah said;

مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ الاَْنْبِيَاءِ مِنْ قَبْلِي كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ بَنَى دَارًا فَأَتَمَّهَا إِلاَّ مَوْضِعَ لَبِنَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فَجِيْتُ أَنَا فَأَتْمَمْتُ تِلْكَ اللَّبِنَة

The parable of myself and the Prophets who came before me is that of a man who built a house and completed it apart from the space of one brick. I have come and completed that brick.

It was also recorded by Muslim.
Another Hadith

Jubayr bin Mut`im, may Allah be pleased with him, said that he heard the Messenger of Allah say;

إِنَّ لِي أَسْمَاءَ

أَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ

وَأَنَا أَحْمَدُ

وَأَنَا الْمَاحِي الَّذِي يَمْحُو اللهُ تَعَالَى بِيَ الْكُفْرَ

وَأَنَا الْحَاشِرُ الَّذِي يُحْشَرُ النَّاسُ عَلَى قَدَمَيَّ

وَأَنَا الْعَاقِبُ الَّذِي لَيْسَ بَعْدَهُ نَبِي

I have several names;

I am Muhammad, and

I am Ahmad;

I am Al-Mahi (the eradicator) through whom Allah will erase disbelief;

I am Al-Hashir (the gatherer) at whose feet mankind will gather; and

I am Al-`Aqib (the final one) after whom there will be no Prophet.

It was also recorded in the Two Sahihs.

And there are many other Hadiths on this topic.

Allah has told us in His Book, and His Messenger has told us in the Mutawatir Sunnah, that there will be no Prophet after him, so that it may be known that everyone who claims this status after him is a liar and fabricator who is misguided and is misguiding others. Even if he twists meanings, comes up with false claims and uses tricks and vagaries, all of this is false and is misguidance as will be clear to those who have understanding.

This is what Allah caused to happen in the case of Al-Aswad Al-`Ansi in the Yemen and Musaylimah the Liar in Al-Yamamah, whose false miracles and nonsensical words showed everyone who was possessed of understanding that they were liars who were leading people astray; may the curse of Allah be upon them both.

This is the case with every false prophet until the Day of Resurrection, until they end with Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal (the Antichrist). Each of these liars is given by Allah signs which show the people of knowledge and the believers that his message is false -- which is part of the perfect kindness of Allah towards His creation. These liars do not enjoin what is good, nor forbid what is evil, unless they do so by coincidence or because it serves an ulterior purpose. They are the utmost in falsehood and immorality, in all that they say and do, as Allah says;

هَلْ أُنَبِّيُكُمْ عَلَى مَن تَنَزَّلُ الشَّيَـطِينُ تَنَزَّلُ عَلَى كُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ

Shall I inform you (O people!) upon whom the Shayatin descend! They descend on every lying, sinful person. (26;221-222)

This is in contrast to the Prophets -- may blessings and peace be upon them -- for they are the utmost in righteousness, truthfulness, wisdom, uprightness and justice in all that they say and do, command and forbid.

In addition to this they are supported with miracles and clear and obvious proof. May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon them always, as long as heaven and earth remain