Refutation of the claim that Muhammad is not the last Messenger
22-11-2014 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalaamu 3alaikum, I have a very important question.. My friend wants proof from the Quran that Islam is the last religion. So I quoted him this verse "Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets. And ever is Allah , of all things, Knowing." Now he wants proof from the Quran that all Messengers and in fact Prophets. There is a deviant website that casts doubts about this issue and it's arguments seem strong to the layman. for example they say that 3:81 "And [recall, O People of the Scripture], when Allah took the covenant of the prophets, [saying], "Whatever I give you of the Scripture and wisdom and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you, you [must] believe in him and support him." , means that, ""Nabi" is a messenger of God who delivers a new scripture, while "Rasoul" is a messenger commissioned by God to confirm existing scripture." They also use this verse "The people used to be one community when God sent the prophets as bearers of good news, as well as warners. He sent down with them the scripture, bearing the truth, to judge among the people in their disputes" 2:213 They also say: "God described the Prophet Muhammed as, "the messenger prophet" and not as 'the prophet messenger'. This is not a coincidence, God does not do coincidences! The reason is that not every messenger is a prophet and therefore the word 'prophet' is used to further define and clarify the description of that messenger." How can we refute them? If you wish to read from their website to get a better picture: http://www.quran-islam.org/articles/prophet_and_messenger_(P1161).html Please, I need a detailed answer since this thing is stopping my friend from accepting the authority of the 7adeeth literature..
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
First of all, it should be known that the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, serves as definitive proof just as the verses of the Quran serve as definitive proof. Questioning the authority of the Sunnah and claiming that only the Quran can be used as proof apart from the Sunnah is a great door to misguidance because the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is part of the divine revelation just as the Quran is divine revelation. Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed.} [Quran 53:3-4]
The Sunnah explains the Quran. Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {And We revealed to you the message that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought.} [Quran 16:44] Obedience to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, constitutes obedience to Allaah Who says (what means): {He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allaah}[Quran 4:80] So a Muslim must not agree with heretics in what they pursue of ideas and principles that are destructive at the foundations.
Furthermore, it is extremely important to have recourse to Muslim scholars to understand the religion of Allaah and to interpret the Quran. The Muslim scholars presented verse 33:40 as evidence that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is the final Messenger just as he is the final Prophet, as every messenger is essentially a prophet. Ibn Katheer wrote in his interpretation of verse 33:40, "This verse clearly states that there will be no prophet after him (Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). If there will be no prophet after him then there will be no messenger after him with greater reason, because the status of a messenger is higher than that of a prophet, for every messenger is a prophet but not vice versa. This was reported in many Mutawaatir Ahaadeeth (i.e. Ahaadeeth reported by a group of narrators from a group of narrators, generation after generation and so forth, and they are all trustworthy people and it is absolutely impossible for them to agree on a lie) narrated about the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, by a number of Companions." [Tafseer Ibn Katheer]
One of these Ahaadeeth was reported by Anas ibn Maalik 
who narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Indeed messengerhood and prophethood have ceased, so there shall be no messenger nor prophet after me." [Ahmad and At-Tirmithi]
The claim that a Prophet is a Messenger from Allaah sent with a new divine scripture while a Messenger is sent from Allaah to confirm a previously revealed divine scripture is the opposite of what researching scholars maintained. They held that "the Messenger is he who is sent with a new divine scripture, while the Prophet is someone who is commissioned by Allaah to confirm the scripture of those sent before him."
It is incorrect to use the verse {…and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you…} [Quran 3:81] as evidence to support their argument. What it means is that Allaah has sent with His Messenger a divine scripture that confirms and agrees with the previously revealed scriptures. Moreover, if one uses this verse as evidence for that, then it necessarily follows no book was revealed to our Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in the first place!
The verse from Soorah Al-Baqarah does not necessarily mean that each Prophet was sent with a divine scripture; some Prophets were sent to confirm a previously revealed divine law that had been sent with a previous Prophet. This conforms to the verse that reads (what means): {And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and a watcher over it...} [Quran 5:48] Ibn Jareer cited in his Tafseer that Ibn ‘Abbaas said, "A 'watcher' means a guardian. Allaah says that the Quran is a guardian over all the divine books that preceded it."
Finally, we caution against engaging in discussions and debates with people who make false claims unless one possesses enough firm religious knowledge to refute and repel their claims and at the same time is safe from falling prey to the temptation of believing such claims.
Allaah Knows best.