Introduction:

How full of sublime wisdom is the belief that the Holy Prophet Muhammad is the Last Prophet for the whole world, under whose banner all people will gather. So said the Holy Prophet:

"I am the gatherer; under my unique leadership the people would be gathered together." [Tirmidhi, Chapter: Names of the Prophet.]

The early stages of mankind resembled the life of a child. According to the needs of the time, God raised prophets among different nations and societies of the world so that He might educate and guide them in relation to their particular needs. When that condition which resembled the adulthood of man had improved, a perfect guidance of righteousness was granted to mankind through the agency of the Holy Prophet. This needed no further modification and would extend to the end of time. Previously, the world was enveloped by a dark night and God in His grace lighted lamps of prophethood here and there and in the fullness of time appeared the Universal luminous sun in the person of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, as "an inviter to Allah by His permission, and as a light-giving sun." [The Quran, 33:46.]

No other lamp, either new or old, was needed in the presence of this ever-luminous light in the world. The unity of mankind, which is one of the two great objectives of Islam [The other is the Unity of God. (Translator)], cannot be established unless all the people in the world rally under one banner; there may be thousands of followers, but the Master should be one. However, if in God’s communication, the words Khatam an-Nabiyyin (the last of the Prophets) have been used, He has in His grace, manifested its truth abundantly in history. Even after the lapse of thirteen hundred years, the world has not been able to produce great persons who could bring about a moral and spiritual revolution in the world as the Holy Prophet did. This fact has been admitted even by the opponents of Islam. Thus, God’s word, based on a complete and perfect wisdom and duly vindicated by history, is shining like the sun in its noon-day glory.

I humbly request both Muslim groups, some believing in the reappearance of an old prophet, and the others believing the advent of a new one, that they should reflect conscientiously on the proposition that the true greatness of Islam is bound up with the fact that only one Prophet should be the guide of the world. We have no need for any book after the Holy Quran, nor any prophet after Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Our God is one, the Messenger is one and the Book is one.

"We are content with Allah as the Lord and with Islam as the religion, and with Muhammad as the Prophet."

"There is but one supreme God and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

Muhammad Ali,
Ahmadiyya Buildings,
Lahore.

16^th December, 1922.