بابیت، بہائیت اور ذکریت: عقیدۂ ختمِ نبوت کے تناظر میں ایک تحقیقی مطالعہ

BÁBISM, BAHÁʼÍSM, AND ZIKRISM: A STUDY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE FINALITY OF PROPHETHOOD

Abstract

This study examines the doctrine of the Finality of Prophethood (Khatm al‑Nubuwwah), a foundational tenet of Islam asserting that Prophet Muhammadﷺ is the last and definitive messenger of God, after whom no prophet or messenger can arise. Throughout Islamic history, various movements have contested or reinterpreted this doctrine by claiming continued revelation, messianic succession, or the establishment of new religious laws. Such challenges have made critical appraisal of the doctrine an enduring subject within Islamic scholarship.

Focusing on the Babi, Baha’i, and Zikrī movements, the research offers a systematic and analytical appraisal of their founders, historical contexts, and core tenets, with particular attention to their claims concerning prophecy and the Finality of Prophethood. The study analyzes primary texts and authoritative literatures associated with Sayyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi (the Báb), Baháʼu'lláh (founder of the Baháʼí Faith), and Mullah Muhammad Mahdi Attocki (proponent of the Zikrī movement), assessing their assertions of messianism, divine revelation, prophethood, and the introduction of new religious dispensations.

The analysis demonstrates that both the Bábí and Bahá’í movements endorse the continuation of divine revelation after Islam’s prophetic seal, the promulgation of novel religious ordinances, and the prospect of recurring divine manifestations. Likewise, the Zikrī movement attributes an extraordinary spiritual—at times quasi‑prophetic—status to its founder and advances doctrines that, in several respects, conflict with the classical Islamic understanding of Khatm al‑Nubuwwah.

Findings indicate that the foundational claims of these movements are not congruent with the Qur’an, the Prophetic Sunnah, and the consensus (ijma‘) of the Muslim community regarding the finality of Prophet Muhammad’s mission. Moreover, the study underscores that the doctrine of the Finality of Prophethood constitutes a telos of Islamic law, a source of religious stability, and a cornerstone for the intellectual cohesion of Muslim societies. Despite jurisprudential and theological differences across Islamic history, belief in the Prophet’s finality has functioned as a central, unifying element of collective Muslim consciousness and has played a decisive role in safeguarding orthodox beliefs against innovations and sectarian deviations.

The study concludes that the doctrine of Khatm al‑Nubuwwah is not merely a doctrinal pillar but also a key guarantor of religious identity, doctrinal concord, and communal unity within the Muslim ummah.