Prophet Muhammad[p] in the Bible
Salamu alaikum,
GOD'S COVENANT
We begin with the birth of Ishmael[p]. In the book of Genesis, Chapter.16 we read: "And the angel of the LORD said to her, "Behold, you are with child, and shall bear a son; you shall call his name Ish'mael; because the LORD has given heed to your affliction." An Angel of GOD appears to Hagar and gives her glad tidings of a child, named Ishmael[p]. Keep in mind that in Luke's Gospel, it was an also angel who came with the news of Jesus's birth and gave the name 'Jesus' to the son of Mary[p]. The pre-mentioning of these births and the naming by GOD Himself signifies an important figure. Thus in [Gen 16:11]], the importance of Ishmael's birth is being emphasised. That for a good reason, for GOD was to establish an everlasting covenent with Abraham[p] and his descendants.[1] In the book in Genesis, in Chapter.12, GOD pledges to bless the children of Abraham[p] and reitrates the promiss after the birth of Ishamel[p], before the birth of Isaaq[p];
[Gen 17:7-20] "And I[GOD] will establish my covenant between me and you[Abraham] and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.....As for Ish'mael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation."
Being a part of GOD's covenant means to be circumcised[2]. Anyone who is not circumcised has broken the covenant with GOD.[3] We know after this command, both Abraham[p] and Ishamel[p] were circumcised.[4]. Again Ishmael[p] is very much a part of GOD's covenant and the plan to bless all nations of the world.
In Genesis Chapter.21 however, GOD "obeying Sarah's wishes" tells Abraham[p] to cast Hagar and her son Ishmael away from Sarah and Isaaq[p] and assures him that 'through Isaac shall your descendants be named'. At the same time though, GOD also tells Abraham[p] not to worry about Hagar and Ishmael, affirms his earlier promiss to bless Ishmael's descendants: "And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring." [Gen 21:13] The promiss is repeated again in; [Gen 21:18].
We know of many Israelite prophets like Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon and finally Jesus[peace upon all]. All coming from the branch of Isaaq[p] as a fulfillment of GOD's promiss to bless Isaaq's descendants. But what about the promiss to bless Ishmael's progeny? After a continuous rebelion on the part of the Israelites and the rejection of Jesus[p], being the last nail in the covenant coffin, it was time for GOD to bless the other branch of Abrahams's descendants i.e. the Ishmaelites. The branch which remained unknown until it was made a 'great nation' through the mission of the well-known prophet, the Prophet Muhammad[p] who was a descendant of Abraham[p] through Ishmael[p]. The promiss to bless Abraham's children was now fulfilled.
We shall now look at further evidence for Prophet Muhammad[p] and see whether he is foretold in the Bible.
'Those who follow the Apostle, the unlettered Prophet, Whom they find mentioned in their own Scriptures, in the Torah and the Gospel...' [Al-Qur'an 7:157]
SONGS OF SOLOMON
The Prophet Muhammad[p] is mentioned by name in the Songs of Solomon. Consider the following transliteration of 16 from chapter.5;
"Hikko Mamittakim we kullo Ma[k]hamad-im Zehdoodeh wa Zehraee Bayna Jerusalem"
The English translations reads: 'His speech is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.'
In the Hebrew word Makhamad-im, the end letters im are a plural of respect and majesty. Minus im the name would read Muhammad[p]. In English translation however, schoalrs have interprated Mu[k]hamad as desirable, but in the Hebwer Old Testament, the name of Prophet Muhammad[p] is yet present.
DEUTERONOMY 18:18
'I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.' [Deuteronomy 18:18]
Christians have often claimed Prophet Jesus[p] to be the end product of the above prophecy whereas muslims have always held the belief that Prophet Muhammad[p] was the one being alluded to. Lets reflect upon both claims;
'Prophet'
'Nabee' or a prophet is a spokes man of GOD. Moses[p] was nothing more than a prophet and the same can be said about Muhammad[p]. Though the Qur'an does describe Jesus[p] as a prophet only and not divine, Christians have mostly considered him more [far more] than a mere prophet of GOD.
'Among your brotheren'
Ishmael[p] and Isaac[p] are brothers.[5] The children of Isaac[p] are the Jews and the children of Ishmael[p] are the Arabs. So they too are bretheren to one another though brotherly love isn't always apparent. Moreover, GOD is addressing the Israelites in their presence here; hence when GOD says: 'from among their brotheren', it refers to the brotheren of the Israelites who are of course the Ishamelites.
'Like unto thee'
The Prophet Muhammad[p] was in many ways similar to Moses[p], more perhaps than any other prophet in history. I have listed some below and invite the reader[s] to compare them with prophet Jesus[p];
1. Both Moses[p] and Muhammad[p] started recieving revelation at the age of forty.
2. They were both given new Laws i.e. the Torah and the Qur'an.
3. They both had to migrated following assassination plots.
4. Both took part in battles and were successful in defeating their enemies.
5. Both Moses[p] and Muhammad[p] were accepted as prophets or leaders by their respective nations.
6. They both had a normal death after having achieved their respective missions.
7. Before all that, both had a natural births and their family lives were also similar.
8. Ever since, their followers have always regarded them as mere prophets not divine.
Perhaps the only real similarity between Moses[p] and Jesus[p] was that they both were Israelites, which by itself is not sufficient, for there arose many Israelite prophets, hence the prophecy can be pertaining to any prophet who came from Israel. The greatest difference between the two is that Moses[p] was only a prophet but Jesus was the Son of GOD or GOD Himself, the 3rd person of the trinity as Christians would say. Now if GOD was speaking in [Deu 18:18] and Jesus[p] was that GOD, how then can he be that prophet who is like Moses[p]? GOD was certainly not speaking of Himself!
That leaves us with no doubt, the prophesy of [Deuteronomy 18:18] can refers to none other except Prophet Muhammad[p]. He is indeed 'That Prophet'.
'Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.' [Al-Qur'an 33:40]
THAT PROPHET
The Jews put forward questions to John the Baptist[6] asking whether he was the Christ, John replied 'no'. The priests and the levites asked again, this time if he was Elias, John again denied. Still waiting for the long foretold prophet of [Deu 18:18], they asked a 3rd question: 'Are you that prophet?' Again he asnwered 'no'. Christians and muslims have no arguments over the identity of Christ. both consider Jesus[p] as the Messiah[Christ] of the Jews. Important to note however that 'Christ', 'Elias' and 'that prophet' are three distinct persons, the Jews asked three seperate questions which indicates they were expecting three dictinct arrivals. The Christ and That Prophet are not the same personalities.
So if Jesus[p] is the Christ [he is] then he cannot be That Prophet of [Deuteronomy 18:18] and if he isn't [he isn't] That Prophet, then who? Agan it can be none other than That Prophet who came from Arabia.
'Therefore I[Jesus] tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.' [Mat 21:43]
[ISAIAH 21,42]
These Visions declare two events of the future. First the Hijrah, the historic migration of the Prophet Muhammad[p] from Makkah to Yathrib [later known as Madinah], the city which offered shelter and other aid to the prophet and his companions when their lives were in extreme danger. And secondly, the famous and the historic battle of Badr between the muslims[those who submit to GOD's will] and the Mushriks[Polytheists, idol worshippers] of Makkah.
This historical migration happened in the year 622 CE. The 'fugitives' of the Vision [Muhammad], his companion Abu Bakr[r] and a Bedouin guide], did not take the well known direct trade route to Madinah but had to go through in-direct routes, to avoid being caught by the enemies. During the nights they used to hide themselves in the caves and scrubs of the desert, as the Vision had stated. The persecutors of Muhammad[p] and his followers were the wealthy leaders of the idol worshippers and the proud custodians of the most prestigious place of pilgrimage in Arabia. The mission of prophet[p] began in 614 CE. For the next eight years the persecutors had ridiculed, abused, socially boycotted, tortured and even killed the followers of the Prophet[p], as the Vision had fore-told. When the threats and violence increased, many of the Prophet's followers migrated to Abyssinia. The people who had settled in this particular location of the Arabian Peninsula called Hijaz were the descendants of Kedar[a grand-son of Abraham]. In the Vision they are identified as 'the sons of Kedar'.
[Isa 21:13-17] 'The oracle concerning Arabia. In the thickets 1 in Arabia you 2 will lodge, O caravans of De'danites. 3 To the thirsty bring water, meet the fugitive with bread, 4 O inhabitants of the land of Tema. For they 5 have fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the press of battle. 6 For thus the Lord said to me, 7 "Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end; 8 and the remainder of the archers of the mighty men of the sons of Kedar will be few; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.'
1. Lodging in the thickets in the evening refers to his hiding in scrubs of the desert.
2. 'You' refers to a fugitive (singular) who is fleeing from his persecutor.
3. The journey was upon the route to Dedan, which is North of Makkah.
4. Refers to a fugitive who is traveling with no provision or water.
5. Refers to the persecuted followers who later joined the fugitive.
6. Refers to the atrocities committed by the leaders of the Pagan idol worshippers.
7. Isaiah narrates what was fore-told to him by GOD.
8. This refers to the Battle of Badr that took place one year after the migration.
In the year 623 CE, nearly one year after the first event [as it was pre-recorded in the Vision], the second event [the first military battle between the followers of Muhammad[p] i.e. the muslims and the mighty Pagan Arabs], took place in the land of Arabia known as Badr. The Prophet[p] and his ill-equipped muslim army of 305 which had only 70 camels and 2 horses, some with no armors or swords, defeated the Pagan army, three times their size. This miraculous and absolute conclusive victory against such odds, established the fear of muslim army not only in the hearts of the defeated idol worshippers but throughout the Arabian Peninsula. The old glory of the mighty 'sons of Kedar' who were Pagans, failed as the vision had predicted. In its place the glory of the submitters to Allah[muslims] spread all over Arabia.
[Isa 42:8-17] 'I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them." 1 Sing to the LORD a new song, 2 his praise from the end of the earth! 3 Let the sea roar and all that fills it, 4 the coastlands and their inhabitants. 5 Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the top of the mountains. 6 Let them give glory to the LORD, and declare his praise in the coastlands. The LORD goes forth like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his fury; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes. For a long time I have held my peace, I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in travail, I will gasp and pant. I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbage; I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. And I will lead the blind in a way that they know not, 7 in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. 8 These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them. 9 They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in graven images, who say to molten images, "You are our gods."' 10
1. GOD informs Isaiah of what He is going to do in the future.
2. GOD did reveal a New Scripture i.e. the Qur'an in Arabia as He had pre-planned.
3. Every year, millions of muslims from around the world gather to at Makkah and glorify The LORD GOD in tha annual Hajj.
4. The Arabs were known to be very good sailors and navigators of their time.
5. Arabs prefer to call their Peninsula; 'Jazirat al-Arab' [the Island of Arabs].
6. This is a reference to the great victory at Battle of Badr, as seen earlier.
7. Before the advent of Islam in Arabia, the Kedarites were living in the 'Age of ignorance'.
8. The new scripture gave the Pagan Arabs the Spiritual Enlightenment and Law.
9. GOD gave 'The Scripture' to those who had never before received any to follow.
10. As for those who trusted in the graven images and called them "You are our gods", they were indeed 'turned back and put utterly ashamed.' in the Battle of Badr.
[Deuteronomy 33:2] is an intergrated reference to Moses[p], Jesus[p] and Muhammad[p]. The verse reads: 'The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned from Se'ir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran, he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand.' GOD coming from Sinai is an obvious reference to prophet Moses[p], rising from Se'ir, the village of Sa'ir near Jerusalem, possibly refering to Jesus[p] and the shining[reference to Prophet Muhammad], from Mount Paran which is un-doubtably Mecca[Makkah] in Arabia, the place where Ishmael settled.[7] Furthermore he will come from Paran[Mecca] with ten thousand holy ones or saints. The same number of followers who accompanied the Prophet Muhammad[p] on the occasion of the conquest of Makkah.
"Truth has come and Falsehood has vanished." [Al-Qur'an 17:81]
Let me know of what you think; your comments, suggestions or even criticism will be much appreciated. Thank you for your time, Salamu alaikum .
Footnotes;
1. [Gen 12:2-3]
2. [Gen 17:13]
3. [Gen 17:14]
4. [Gen 17:24-25]
5. [Genesis 16:12],[Genesis 25:18]
6. [John 1:20-21]
7. [Gen 21:21]
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