In Ahmadiyya theology, the view on the Prophets of God (Arabic: نبي الله, romanized: Nabī-Allah) differs significantly from Mainstream Islam.
The main difference centres on the Quranic term Khatam an-Nabiyyin (Arabic: خاتم النبيين, lit.
[1] Accordingly, Muhammad is held to be the last prophet to deliver a religious law to humanity in the form of the Quran whose teachings embody a perfected and universal message.
[1] As such, Ahmadis, regard their founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908) as a subordinate prophet who appeared as the promised Messiah and Mahdi in accordance with Islam's eschatological prophecies.
[2][3] In contrast to mainstream Muslims who believe Jesus was raised to heaven and one who would return himself towards the end of time, Ahmadis believe Jesus to have died a natural death and view the coming of such an independent, Israelite prophet (from outside the Islamic dispensation) to amount to breaking the Seal of Prophethood.
[4][5] Moreover, unlike orthodox Islam, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community considers the term Messenger (rasul) and Prophet (nabi) as being different aspects of the same office of a Khalifatullah (Representative of God on Earth).
According to Ahmadiyya belief, the terms used in the Qur'an to signify divinely appointed individuals, namely, Warner (Nazir), Prophet (Nabi), Messenger (Rasul), are generally synonymous.
Ahmadis believe that when the world is filled with unrighteousness and immorality, or rather, when a specific part of the world displays these attributes, or when the followers of a certain law (religion) become corrupt or incorporate innovative and corrupted teachings into the faith (Bid‘ah), thus making the faith obsolete or in need of a ‘divine sustainer‘, then a prophet of God is sent to earth by God to re-establish his will, that is, for humans to worship him and to observe the rights of his creation.
The prophets 'magnetize' and draw humans towards them and as a result of this, true faith – that is, eiman with a'maal (practical application) – is established amongst their followers.
It is for this reason that, according to Ahmadiyya belief, followers of all faiths are not drawn to the magnetism of their founding prophets because that has become non-existent over time.
Each messenger is seen to have been an ordinary human who displayed righteousness and honesty to a degree that was not found even remotely in his society of the time.
Then, according to Ahmadiyya belief, God is thought to have selected this pious human and told him his divine station of prophethood.
The Review of Religions, a magazine started by Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Community, to promote inter-faith dialogue and guide seekers of the truth, which is the longest running Ahmadi English language magazine in the world, elaborates in the Prospectus of its first issue under its first volume (1902) and gives a short overview of the points above concerning Prophets being 'Manifestations of God' and 'Divine Magnetizers'.
Such a regeneration can only be effected by the one who comes with a magnetism from heaven, who on account of the extreme purity of his soul and the surpassing cleanliness of his heart is metaphorically called a Manifestation of God.
"[9] "He (the Prophet) removes the poisonous matters, gives the elixir vitae in their stead, burns the carnal passions and low motives of worldly life and ennobles the soul with the pure and exalted divine morals.
"[9] "The holy one that rose in the days of Pilate among the Jews (Jesus) was, no doubt, a sun of righteousness, but only so long as his magnetism attracted the hearts and his light worked a heavenly transformation in the souls of his followers.
The radiant light which shone from his face and the brilliant luster which he cast around him is shorn of its beams and grown quite obscure, not the least trace of it being visible among those that call themselves after his name.
Believing otherwise would be going against the fundamental beliefs in Islam of God is One, associating no one with Him and that no one can obtain His Unique Power and Attributes.
Whenever this light grows dim in a people and the influence of a heavenly magnetizer is not felt among them, they bend down solely to the Earth and its mean cares.
Some, most or all of the revelation given to a Prophet is sometimes recorded as a Holy Scripture and thus, Ahmadis also believe in all those Books regarded as such, i.e. the Bible, Avesta, Torah, Qur'an etc.
Law-bearing Prophets are known as those Prophets/Messengers that brought forth a new revelation by God, and a new Holy Scripture, thus often making the previous religion obsolete.
Their laws, though essentially all part of the One and only religion by God, Islam, are suited for the specific time, place and societal needs of their independent civilizations.
Thus, they would differ in minor details but remain with the essential principles of the One World Religion, Islam, that are, Unity and worship of God and service to humanity and/or all life on Earth.
If one were to strip all religions of their innovative teachings, one would find that they are all essentially identical, according to Ahmadiyya belief.
But then, according to Ahmadiyya belief, God fully revealed the whole of Islam, in its perfect form, to Muhammad.
According to Ahmadiyya belief, thus, non law-bearing prophets may come after Muhammad but only if they follow his final law of Islam.
Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, who is called The Promised Son by Ahmadis, was also the Second Khalifa-tul-Masih of the Ahmadiyya Community writes: "According to this teaching there has not been a single people at any time in history or anywhere in the world who have not had a warner from God, a teacher, a prophet.
India, China, Russia, Afghanistan, parts of Africa, Europe, America - all had prophets according to the theory of divine guidance taught by the Holy Qur'an.
"[13] Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Community wrote in his book A Message of Peace: "Our God has never discriminated between one people and another.
"[14] Mirza Ghulam Ahmad also wrote within the same book: "God also made it clear in several places in the Holy Qur'an that His Messengers have been appearing in different lands all over the world.