Hadith
Anas ibn Malik reported the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, messengership and prophethood have come to an end. There will be no messenger after me, and no prophet.”
This weighed heavily upon the people, so he ﷺ said:
“But there will remain glad tidings (al-mubashshirāt).”
They said: “O Messenger of Allah, what are the glad tidings?”
He ﷺ said:
“The righteous dream of a Muslim, and it is a part from the parts of prophethood.”
حَدَّثَنَا أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّ الرِّسَالَةَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ قَدِ انْقَطَعَتْ فَلاَ رَسُولَ بَعْدِي وَلاَ نَبِيَّ " . قَالَ فَشَقَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى النَّاسِ فَقَالَ " لَكِنِ الْمُبَشِّرَاتُ " . قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا الْمُبَشِّرَاتُ قَالَ " رُؤْيَا الْمُسْلِمِ وَهِيَ جُزْءٌ مِنْ أَجْزَاءِ النُّبُوَّةِ "
Jami` Al-Tirmidhi 2272
Ponder This Hadith
In this hadith, the Prophet ﷺ explicitly closes the door to messengership and prophethood, then goes on to clarify what does remain – true dreams. If Imams were meant to provide continued divine guidance after him, why would they go entirely unmentioned here (and throughout all such Hadith and Quran)?