Quran Project - Appendix - Old and New Testament Prophecies of Muhammad
Old and New Testament Prophecies of
Muhammad
Old Testament Prophecies
God promises the lineage of Abraham to be named through
both Ishmael and Isaac
“…through Isaac shall your descendants be named. And I will make a nation
of the son of the slave woman [Ishmael] also, because he is your offspring.”
(Genesis 21:13-14)
The descendants of Ishmael to be a great nation
Abraham had left Hagar and their newborn, Ishmael in Makkah (or Paran).
“..when the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the
bushes. Then she went, and sat down over against him a good way off, about the
distance of a bowshot; for she said, "Let me not look upon the death of
the child." And as she sat over against him, the child lifted up his voice
and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to
Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not;
for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and
hold him fast with your hand; for I will make him a
great nation.” (Genesis 21:16-19)
Ishmael settles in Makkah (referred to as Paran)
“And God was with the lad [Ishmael], and he grew up; he lived in the
wilderness, and became an expert with the bow.
He lived in the wilderness of Paran;” (Genesis 21:21)
Reference to Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (in order)
“This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the
children of Israel before his death. He said, "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…..” (Deuteronomy 33:1-3)
Sinai - is reference to
Moses. It is an obvious reference to Mount Sinai where Moses received
revelation. Se’ir – is reference to Jesus. It is usually associated with the chain of
mountains west and south of the Dead Sea extending through Jerusalem and
Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. Paran – is reference to the location
where Ishmael settled. The Prophet Muhammad was born in Paran (Makkah) and
having migrated from Makkah, he returned to conquer the city with 10,000 of his
companions.
Prophet just like Moses
Deuteronomy 18:18 “I (God) will raise them up
a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee (Moses), and will put my
words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”
Many Christians believe
this prophecy foretold by Moses to be in regards to Jesus. Indeed Jesus
was foretold in the Old Testament, but as will be clear, this prophecy does not
fit him, but rather is more deserving of Muhammad, may the blessing and mercy
of God be upon him. Moses foretold the following:
1. The Prophet Will Be Like Moses
Areas of Comparison
|
Moses
|
Jesus
|
Muhammad
|
Birth
|
normal birth
|
miraculous, virgin birth
|
normal birth
|
Mission
|
prophet only
|
said to be Son of God
|
prophet only
|
Parents
|
father & mother
|
mother only
|
father & mother
|
Family Life
|
married with children
|
never married
|
married with children
|
Acceptance by own people
|
Jews accepted him
|
Jews rejected him
|
Arabs accepted him
|
Political Authority
|
Moses had it (Num 15:36)
|
Jesus refused it
|
Muhammad had it
|
Victory Over Opponents
|
Pharaoh drowned
|
said to be crucified
|
Makkans defeated
|
Death
|
natural death
|
claimed to be crucified
|
natural death
|
Burial
|
buried in grave
|
empty tomb
|
buried in grave
|
Divinity
|
not divine
|
divine to Christians
|
not divine
|
Began Mission at age
|
40
|
30
|
40
|
Resurrection on Earth
|
not resurrected
|
resurrection claimed
|
not resurrected
|
2. The Awaited Prophet will be from the Brethren of the Jews
The verse in discussion
is explicit in saying that the prophet will come amongst the Brethren of the
Jews. Abraham had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. The Jews are the
descendants of Isaac’s son, Jacob. The Arabs are the children of Ishmael.
Thus, the Arabs are the brethren of the Jewish nation. The Bible affirms:
‘And he (Ishmael) shall dwell in the presence of all
his brethren.’
(Genesis 16:12)
‘And he (Ishmael) died in the presence of all his
brethren.’
(Genesis 25:18)
The children of Isaac
are the brethren of the Ishmaelites. Likewise, Muhammad is from among the
brethren of the Israelites, because he was a descendant of Ishmael the son of
Abraham.
3. God will Put His Words in the Mouth of the
Awaited Prophet
The Qur’ān says of
Prophet Muhammad:
“Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed.”
Qur’ān 53:3-4
This
is quite similar to the verse in Geneses 18:15:
“I will raise them up a Prophet
from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his
mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him”
(Geneses
18:18)
The
Prophet Muhammad came with a message to the whole world, and from them, the
Jews. All, including the Jews, must accept his prophethood, and this is
supported by the following words:
“The Lord thy God will raise up
unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto
him ye shall hearken.” (Deuteronomy 18:15)
4. A Warning to Rejecters
The prophecy continues:
Deuteronomy 18:19 “And it shall come to pass,
[that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak
in my name, I will require [it] of him.” (in some translations: “I will be the
Revenger”).
Interestingly, Muslims
begin every chapter of the Qur’ān in the name of God by saying:
Bismillah ir-Rahman
ir-Raheem - “‘In
the Name of God, the Most Gracious Most Merciful.”
Abdul-Ahad Dawud, was
the former Rev. David Benjamin Keldani, BD, a Roman Catholic priest of the
Uniate-Chaldean sect. After accepting Islām, he wrote the book, ‘Muhammad
in the Bible.’ He writes about this prophecy:
“If these words do not
apply to Muhammad, they still remain unfulfilled. Jesus himself never
claimed to be the prophet alluded to. Even his disciples were of the same
opinion: they looked to the second coming of Jesus for the fulfillment of the
prophecy (Acts 3: 17-24). So far it is undisputed that the first coming
of Jesus was not the advent of the Prophet like unto thee and his second advent
can hardly fulfill the words. Jesus, as is believed by his Church, will
appear as a Judge and not as a law-giver; but the promised one has to come with
a “fiery law” in his right hand.”
Isaiah
42 – Makkah and Madinah
The
Book of Isaiah foretells the sending of a Prophet with the following details:
·
This Prophet will be “His Servant.”
·
He shall bring a new law and establish justice in the
world.
·
He shall be a light for all peoples, Jews and Gentiles
[non-Jews].
·
His demeanour will be soft natured, not one who shouts
in the streets.
·
The towns of Makkah [where Kedar lives] and Madinah
[Sela] should rejoice for the arrival of this Prophet.
·
His opponents in this mission would specifically be
idol worshippers.
Extract from the Book of Isaiah
42:1-17: The Servant of the Lord
42 “Here
is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his
voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
5 This
is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from
it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant
for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in
darkness.
8 “I
am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.”
Song
of Praise to the Lord
10 Sing
to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who live in them.
11 Let the desert and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
and proclaim his praise in the islands.
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,
like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies.
14 “For
a long time I have kept silent,
I have been quiet and held myself back.
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and pant.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills
and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up the pools.
16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’
will be turned back in utter shame.”
1. “My Servant”
The word in Hebrew and Arabic Christian bibles used is
עַבְדִּי֙ [avdi] and عَبدِي [abdi] meaning “My Slave/Servant.” In the Qur’ān, God
refers to the Prophet Muhammad as His ‘abd’
[slave] in a number of places, e.g. 17:1, 18:1, 25:1, 53:10, 57:9.
2. “I will put my
Spirit on him…”
Here the “Spirit” [in Hebrew רוּחִי֙ [rū-ḥî] is divine revelation sent to
those chosen to be Prophets and Messengers by God. The Qur’ān mentions the Ruh [Spirit] sent down to the Prophet
Muhammad;
“We have thus
revealed a Spirit [Ruh] to you
[Prophet] by Our command: you knew neither the Book nor the faith, but We made
it a light, guiding with it whoever We will of Our servants. You are indeed
guiding to the straight path.” [Qur’ān
42:52]
3. “He will not
shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.”
It is interesting to note that the personality and
character of the Prophet Muhammad is exactly as this verse describes and those
around him bore witness to how soft in speech he was. A companion of the
Prophet was asked about the prophecies about him in the Torah. He replied,
“… by God, he is described in the Torah with some of
the qualities attributed to him in the Qur’ān as follows… You are My slave and My messenger. I have named
you “Al-Mutawakkil” [who depends upon God]. You are neither discourteous, harsh
nor one who shouts in the markets.
And you do not do evil to those who do evil to you, but you deal with them with
forgiveness and kindness. God will not let him [the Prophet] die till he makes
straight the crooked people by making them say: “None has the right to be
worshipped but God,” with which will be opened blind eyes and deaf ears and
enveloped hearts.”
4.
“…make you to be a covenant for
the people and a light for the Gentiles”
Here the passage emphasises the universal mission of
this forthcoming Prophet. He will be sent to all people Jews and Gentiles
[non-Jews]. In the Qur’ān God tells us:
“We have sent
you [O Prophet] as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner for the whole of mankind,
but most people have no knowledge.” [Qur’ān
34:28]
5.
“Let the desert and its towns
raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the
people of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the mountaintops”
Of all the places on earth that this prophecy
could have mentioned, it chose to highlight the location of where the houses of
‘Kedar’ are and the location of ‘Sela.’ Together these two locations pinpoint
an exact location for this special person.
Who is Kedar?
The Bible tells us that Kedar was the son of Ishmael
[son of Abraham] and he lived in Arabia.
“These are the names of the sons
of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of
Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam”
[Genesis 25:13]
The
Old Testament also tells us that Ishmael dwelt in a place called Paran:
“While he (Ishmael) was living in
the Desert of Paran…” [Genesis 21:21]
It is unanimously agreed that Paran is in Arabia and more specifically
the location of Makkah. The Arabs, throughout history, have had no difference
of opinion that Ishmael was raised and lived in the city of Makkah.
Many Christian interpreters of the Bible also
acknowledge that Paran is in Arabia. From Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, “He dwelt in the wilderness of Paran – This
is generally allowed to have been a part of the desert belonging to Arabia
Petraea…” Strong’s Bible Dictionary also tells us, “Paran, a desert of Arabia.”
In two passages, the Bible emphatically associates
Kedar with Arabia;
“A prophecy
against Arabia: You caravans of Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of
Arabia...all the splendour of Kedar will come to an end.....” [Isaiah 21:13-17]
“Arabia and all the
princes of Kedar were your customers; they did business with you in
lambs, rams and goats.” [Ezekiel
27:21]
In conclusion, we are left with little doubt that
Ishmael, and his descendants including Kedar, lived and dwelt in Arabia.