As far as the belief in Khatm-e-Nubuwwat is concerned, we Ahmadis have firm faith in it. As I have stated earlier, we do not agree with the interpretation of Khatm-e-Nubuwwat, these people put forward, because it is an innovation that is in vogue today. The fact of the matter is that belief in Khatm-e-Nubuwwat has never been part of the ‘fundamentals’ of Islamic faith. Who would be more competent than the Holy Prophet(sa) to tell us what our fundamental beliefs are? It was he(sa) to whom the Holy Qur’an was revealed. Was he not granted the knowledge that a time will come when Islam will be defined in a novel way? The Holy Prophet(sa) says:
Islam is based on five fundamentals: one, bearing witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger; two, observing Salat [Prayers]; three, paying Zakat; four, pilgrimage to the House of Allah; five, fasting in the month of Ramadan. (Tirmidhi Kitabul-Iman)
That is all the Holy Prophet(sa) said with regards to the fundamentals of Islam. Five of them, no more, no less. Now these people have added a sixth one, as if, God forbid, the Holy Prophet(sa) was not aware of it.
We can look further to see if ever in history the doctrine of Khatm-e-Nubuwwat was part of faith. There is another hadith in Tirmidhi Kitabul-Iman which talks about Iman: ‘Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates.
We were in the company of the Holy Prophet(sa) when a stranger joined us. He was clad in white, had jet black hair, and had a fresh appearance. None of us had seen him before. He came and reverently seated himself before the Holy Prophet(sa) with his knees touching the knees of the Holy Prophet(sa). He asked: ‘What is Iman, O Muhammad?’ The Holy Prophet(sa) replied: Iman means that you should believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, on the Day of Resurrection and on Taqdir [divine determination of good and evil]. (Tirmidhi Kitabul-Iman)
This hadith is very significant in that the narrator reports that after hearing the Holy Prophet(sa) the stranger confirmed the statement of the Holy Prophet(sa) by saying ‘you said it right’ and left. The companions wondered if he had come to learn or test the knowledge of the Holy Prophet(sa). Realizing their astonishment, the Holy Prophet(sa) said:
He was none other than Gabriel and had come to teach you your religion.
You will note that no mention of Khatm-e-Nubuwwat is made in this hadith as being part of Iman. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, however, staunchly believes in Khatm-e-Nubuwwat. The Promised Messiah(as) has repeatedly asserted his firm belief in Khatm-e-Nubuwwat and that whoever rejected this doctrine was not a Muslim. We believe in this doctrine not because it is a fundamental of Islamic faith but because the Holy Qur’an says so. We believe that anyone who rejects a jot of the Holy Qur’an is a renegade and outside the pale of Islam.