The Government of Pakistan has made another claim in the White Paper based on their self-proclaimed study of the Holy Qur’an. They have presented it as a citation from scholars, but no reference has been provided. It reads:

A close study of the Holy Qur’an would reveal that a new Prophet was invariably raised only when the teachings brought by previous Prophets were discarded or substantially changed. In addition, when divine will feels modification and amendments are required or a law needs to be abrogated, a new Prophet is sent. Since the law brought by the Holy Prophet(sa) was complete, comprehensive and perfect and it has been preserved as such, therefore a need for a new Prophet does not arise. (Qadiyaniyyat—Islam kei liye eik Sangin Khatrah [Qadiyaniyyat—A Grave Threat to Islam,] p. 5)

It further states that:

The natural corollary of faith [in Khatm-e-Nubuwwat] is to accept the teachings of the Holy Prophet(sa) as comprehensive, categorical and perfect. (Ibid.)

We agree, the teachings brought by the Holy Prophet(sa) are comprehensive, categorical and perfect. It is also true that the Holy Qur’an is a preserved Book. Nothing has been added to it, nor has anything been lost. However, we disagree with their assertion that a study of the Holy Qur’an would reveal that Allah would not raise a Prophet but for the four reasons mentioned by them.

The White Paper has not cited it but there is another verse in the Holy Qur’an on a related subject. Allah the Almighty says:

Whatever Sign We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better than that or the like thereof. (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:107)

These verses show that it is the way of Allah, that once He has granted a bounty, He does not altogether deprive the world of that bounty. His magnanimity is wonderful. He says that if something is lost, He grants another equal to it or better than it.

The conclusion that can be drawn from this verse is that the Holy Qur’an has been completed. If, God-forbid, something of the Holy Qur’an were to be corrupted or some of its verses were to be forgotten, Allah would reveal something better. This is the utmost that can be derived from this verse. However, since the Holy Qur’an is a preserved Book, its teaching cannot be lost in the sense that they would be completely forgotten. Therefore, there is no question of a teaching that would substitute for the Holy Qur’an, nor for any better than it, because there cannot be any teachings better than the Holy Qur’an. However, as I stated earlier, the White Paper has drawn a totally misleading conclusion from this verse.