The Seal of the Prophets and the Messiah
Step 1 of 7
Is Muhammad (ﷺ) the last prophet?
Ahmadi: the seal means the best, not the last
The Ahmadiyya community holds that khatam in Qur'an 33:40 means a seal of excellence: the best and most perfect. So, they say, a prophet can still come who brings no new law and follows Muhammad (ﷺ).
The case for it
Khatam means a seal or "the best and most perfect". In the Prophet's (ﷺ) time, they say, it was never used to mean "last".
Where it falls short
The dictionaries do give "last". Lane and Ibn Manzur list it and name this verse, and the community's own article also grants "the last of the Prophets" as a meaning. The Prophet (ﷺ) settled it himself: the Israelites were led by prophets, one after another, but there will be no prophet after me.