Proof of the seal of Prophethood, its attribute and its place in the body of the Prophet ﷺ
What is meant by ” خاتم النبوۃ”?
There was a seal in the form of a piece of red meat near the left shoulder of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, the colour of which was the same as the body of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
Why is the Seal of Prophethood called ” خاتم النبوۃ”?
Muhadditheen has mentioned several reasons for this:
- The meaning of “ختم” is a sign, and this seal of Prophethood was such a sign that people of other religions accepted Islam as Hazrat Salman Farsi saw the seal of Prophethood and accepted Islam.
- And so, the Bahira monk recognized it and said:
انا اعرفه بخاتم النبوة
That “I know them because of the Seal of Prophethood.”
When Herakles’s messenger came to Tabuk to meet Holy Prophet ﷺ, he was looking for the Seal of Prophethood on the Holy Prophet ﷺ back because Herakles had told him to see something unusual on his back. He meant the Seal of Prophethood.
- The meaning of ختم is “Protection”. According to this meaning, the seal of Prophethood is called ” خاتم النبوۃ” because it is the protection of Prophethood. If someone claims Prophethood, then he will not have the seal. For example, the seal on the letter protects it.
- ختم means “completion”. This was also a sign of the fulfilment of prophecy, just like a letter is sealed after its completion. And the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ was fulfilled.
Was the Seal of Prophethood innate, or did it come into existence later?
According to some:
The Seal of Prophethood was innate,
- Qazi Ayaz, may Allah have mercy on him:
The seal of Prophethood was not innate, but when the angels chalked the chest of the Prophet ﷺ during his blessed childhood, its effect came on the shoulder.
- Response to Qazi Sahib:
Allama Qurtubi and Allama Nawi, may God have mercy on him, had rejected this saying that Qazi Sahib’s words are invalid because when the angels chalked the chest, its effect was in the form of a line from the blessed chest of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to the blessed belly. It was up to the entrails. And this chalking was done from the front side, not the back side because there is no proof of the clause (chalking) on the back side from any blessed hadith.
- According to some people:
It is not correct to reject Qazi Sahib’s words because many hadiths support his words, such as it narrated by Hazrat Abu Dharr Ghaffari رضی اللہ عنہ that:
Two men came, and one said to the other by chalking the chest. He chalked it and placed the Seal of Prophethood between the two shoulders (on the back side) as it is now.
In another hadith, it is said:
When the angel came to him, he took out the heart, washed it and put a seal on it, and in his hand was another seal of Noor (light); he put it again, and the heart of the Prophet ﷺ was filled with noor, and this noor was of wisdom and Prophethood.
- Hafiz Ibn Hajar Asqalani, may Allah have mercy on him:
Maybe the seal on the heart appeared near the shoulder because the heart is on the left side.
This proves that the seal of Prophethood appeared when the blessed chest was chalked. However, this proves that the seal Prophethood was not innate.
How was the Seal of Prophethood?
By the way, the Seal of Prophethood was raised flesh, but its likeness was given in different ways. The Sahabi described the thing as it seemed to them because some took only the form into account, some compared the quantity, and some compared the shape and the volume.
So, some said:
” کانه بيضة حمام”
like a dove’s egg
Some said that:
” مثل زر الحجلۃ”
Like a partridge button
And the hadith of Abdullah bin Sarjis:
” جمعا عليه خيلان”
The appearance of a fist with moles on it
And in a blessed hadith:
” مثل التفاحۃ”
Like an apple
The words come.
