Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The Biblical prophecies on the advent of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ[1] are evidence of the truth of Islam for people who believe in the Bible.
In Deuteronomy 18, Moses stated that God told him: “I willraise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will putmy words in his mouth, and he will tell themeverything I command him. If anyone does not listen to mywords that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will callhim to account.” (Deuteronomy 18:18-19)[2]
From these verses we conclude that the prophet in this prophecy must have the following three characteristics: 1) That he will be like Moses. 2) That he will come from the brothers of the Israelites, i.e. the Ishmaelites. 3) That God will put His words into the mouth of this prophet and that he will declare what God commands him.
Let us examine these three characteristics in more depth.
1) A prophet like Moses: There were hardly any two prophets who were so much alike as Moses and Muhammad ﷺ. Both were given a comprehensive law and code of life. Both encountered their enemies and were victorious in miraculous ways. Both were accepted as prophets and statesmen. Both migrated following conspiracies to assassinate them. Analogies between Moses and Jesus overlook not only the above similarities but other crucial ones as well. These include the natural birth, the family life, and the death of Moses and Muhammad ﷺ but not that of Jesus. Moreover, Jesus was regarded by his followers as the Son of God and not exclusively as a prophet of God, as Moses and Muhammad ﷺ were and as Muslims believe Jesus was. So, this prophecy refers to Muhammad ﷺ and not to Jesus, because Muhammad is more like Moses than Jesus.
Also, one notices from the Gospel of John that the Jews were waiting for the fulfillment of three distinct prophecies: 1) The coming of Christ, 2) The coming of Elijah, 3) The coming of the Prophet. This is obvious from the three questions that were posed to John the Baptist: “Now this was John’s testimony, when theJews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who hewas. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, ‘I am notthe Christ.’ They asked him, ‘Then who are you? Are youElijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’” (John 1:19-21). If we look in a Bible with crossreferences, we will find in the marginal notes where the words “the Prophet” occur in John 1:21, that these words refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18:18. [3] We conclude from this that Jesus Christ is not the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:18.
2) From the brothers of the Israelites: Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 21). Ishmael became the grandfather of the Arab nation, and Isaac became the grandfather of the Jewish nation. The prophet spoken of was not to come from among the Jews themselves, but from among their brothers, i.e. the Ishmaelites. Muhammad ﷺ, a descendant of Ishmael, is indeed this prophet.
Also, Isaiah 42:1-13 speaks of the servant of God, His “chosen one” and “messenger” who will bring down a law. “He will notfalter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. Inhis law the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:4). Verse 11, connects that awaited messenger with the descendants of Kedar. Who is Kedar? According to Genesis 25:13, Kedar was the second son of Ishmael, the ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
3) God will put His words in the mouth of this prophet: The words of God (the Holy Qur’an) were truly put into Muhammad’s ﷺmouth. God sent the Angel Gabriel to teach Muhammad ﷺ the exactwords of God (the Holy Qur’an) and asked him to dictate them to the people as he heard them. The words are therefore not his own. They did not come from his own thoughts, but were put into his mouth by the Angel Gabriel. During the life time of Muhammad ﷺ, and under his supervision, these words were then memorized and written by his companions.
Note that God has said in the prophecy of Deuteronomy: “Ifanyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks inmy name, I myself will call him to account.” (Deuteronomy,18:19). This means that whoever believes in the Bible must believe in what this prophet says, and this prophet is Muhammad ﷺ.
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