Brothers of the Prophet

The Brothers of the Prophet are those who will dedicate themselves to conveying the divine message to the people of the last phase of human history. Their mission is to take the word of God into every home, big or small. (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 23814)

The third role in history is played by the group which is called the Ikhwan (brothers) of the Prophet. According to a Hadith, the Prophet told his companions, “I wish to see my brothers.” The Companions asked him if they were not his brothers. The Prophet replied, “No, you are my Companions. My brothers will come after me.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 249)

The Prophet’s contemporary believers who supported him in his dawah mission are called the “Companions” of the Prophet. The “brothers” are those who will come to know the Prophet’s mission and dedicate themselves to conveying the divine message to the people of the last phase of human history. We learn of the mission of the Brothers of the Prophet from another Hadith in which it is described thus: “No home, small or great, will remain on earth, into which God has not caused the word of Islam to enter.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 23814)

This Hadith does not mean that Islam’s political rule would become established worldwide during the last phase of human history. This Hadith relates to the call to God that needs to be performed at the global level rather than the establishment of a political empire. The wording of the Hadith is the ‘word of Islam’, not ‘the government of Islam’. This global call during the last phase will be supported by scientific culture. Such resources will be discovered, and such technology will be developed to make communicating the word of God to all human beings possible, whether the people to whom it is conveyed accept it or reject it. Those who accept the message will be held deserving of God’s reward. There may also be those who reject the message.

This prediction refers to the latter half of the twentieth century, the computer age, or the age of technology. This final role in human history is destined for the righteous (21:105). The righteous refers to those whom God will select to inhabit eternal Paradise in the Hereafter where they will develop a spiritual civilization. They will perform this role after Judgment Day with the support of the angels in Paradise. This is what amounts to spiritual civilization.

In accordance with the prediction made in this tradition, the Brothers of the Prophet will undoubtedly arise during the last phase of human history so that the dawah work may be performed, which has been planned for this final stage. A role has been defined for the Brothers of the Prophet, which they will perform in later times with divine support, just as in the seventh century, the Companions of the Prophet ably performed the role for which they were destined. No angel will appear and announce which group is that of the Brothers of the Prophet. Such a declaration will be made only in the Hereafter.

However, the realized souls will recognize and support them, so they may be held deserving of God’s rewards in the Hereafter.

The case of the Brothers of the Prophet is not something mysterious. We can certainly understand it by studying the Quran and the Hadith. Human history is divided into two major phases. Muslims have to play only one role at every age: calling people to God. Those who performed this work along prophetic lines during the Prophet’s lifetime are called the Companions of the Prophet, while those who will engage in this work along prophetic lines in the last phase of human history will be called the Brothers of the Prophet.

Further study tells us that the task performed by the Companions of the Prophet was to bring about a revolution based on monotheism. (The Quran, 48:29)

In later times the Brothers of the Prophet will perform the task of Idkhal-e-Kalimah which means ‘Letting the word of God enter all homes, big or small.’ (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 23814)

‘Idkhal-e-Kalema’ this means God’s words entering every home. It refers to the age in which the Brothers of the Prophet will work. For, taking the word of God into all homes can be performed only when all kinds of favourable factors emerge to facilitate this work, for example, global communication, religious freedom, etc. All of these exist in the present age. Therefore, it is certain that we have already reached the stage for the Brothers of the Prophet to arise and perform the task of spreading the word of God on a global scale.

However, it should be noted that all this work will be at the level of human beings and not at the level of some superhuman beings. The Companions of the Prophet were human beings. They played their role at the human level. Only those of their contemporaries recognized them who knew that the Companions were human beings and not some superhuman beings.

Similarly, in later times the role of the Brothers of the Prophet will also be performed at the human level. As such, only those will be blessed with recognition of the Brothers of the Prophet who can recognize them at the human level. Those who have some mysterious conception of the Brothers of the Prophet and want to see them not as human beings but as beings above the human level will fail to recognize them, just as many failed to recognize the Companions of the Prophet.