People of the Book Know Muhammad (عليه السلام):
It is mentioned in the Qur’an that those who have been given the Book from The God before, know Prophet Muhammad ﷺ very well, because the earlier prophets mentioned him in clear signs:
“Those unto whom We gave the Scripture recognize him (Muhammad) as they recognize their sons. But verily, a party of them conceal the truth while [well] they know it”. [Qur’an: 02:146]
Muhammad ﷺ in Vedas
Scriptures of Hinduism can be broadly classified into two major types: SHRUTI (Direct Hearing from The God or Revelation) and SMRITI (From the Memory of Scholars and Saints). SHRUTI is considered to be of divine origin and SMRITI is considered to be the words of men.
Books under SHRUTI are the Vedas, which consists of poetical hymns and they have their subgroups: Aranyakas, Brahmanas and Upanishads. Books under SMRITI are Puranas (Sacred Legends), Itihasas (Sacred Epics) like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Geeta (which is a part of Mahabharata), and Manusmriti – Law Book of Hindus.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prophesized in the Rigveda:
A prophecy is found in Rigveda Book I, Hymn 53, Verse 9: The Sanskrit word used is Sushrama, which means praiseworthy or well praised which in Arabic means Muhammad.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prophesized in the Samaveda:
A prophecy is found in Samaveda Book II, Verse 6-8: “Ahmati Pituhspari Meghamratasya Jagra Ehamsurya Evajane”: Ahmed acquired from his Lord the knowledge of Divine Law.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prophesized in the Bhavishya Purana:
According to Bhavishya Purana in the Prati Sarg, Parv III, Khand 3, Adhyay 3, Shloka 5 to 8: “A Mleccha (person belonging to a foreign country and speaking a foreign language; Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mleccha) spiritual teacher will appear with his companions. His name will be Muhammad”.
The above Prophecy clearly states following things:
The name of the Prophet as Muhammad (عليه السلام). He will belong to Desert Lands (Arabia): The Sanskrit word Marusthal means a Sandy Tract of Land or a Desert. Special mention is made of the companions of the Prophet (عليه السلام), i.e. the Sahaba. No other Prophet had as many companions as Prophet Muhammad (عليه السلام). He is referred as the pride of mankind. He will kill the devil, i.e. abolish idol worship and all sorts of vices. The Prophet ﷺ will be given protection against the enemy.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in Bhagavat Purana:
Bhagavat Purana 12:2:29 – Prophecy says: He is adorned with 8 qualities and riches, riding a swift horse with a sword, savior of the world. Meaning He will not use any guns/ rifles/ atomic bombs etc. He is mentioned as NARASHANSA in various places like Rigveda – 1:13:3, Yajurveda – 29:27 and in many other places.
Therefore, on analyzing Hindu Scriptures we can conclude that all these prophecy refers to none but the last and final Messenger Muhammad ﷺ sent for the entire mankind.
Muhammad ﷺ in the Bible:
The Almighty God mentioned in the Qur’an:
“Those who follow the Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel in their possession. He directs them to righteousness, and deters them from evil, and allows for them all good things, and prohibits for them all corrupt things, and unloads the burdens and the shackles that are upon them. Those who believe in him, and respect him, and support him, and follow the light that came down with him—these are the successful”. [Qur’an: 07:157]
“And when there came to them a messenger from The God, confirming what they had, a faction of those who were given the Book threw the Book of The God behind their backs, as if they do not know”. [Qur’an: 02:101]
“Because of their breaking their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts hard. They twist the words out of their context, and they disregarded some of what they were reminded of. You will always witness deceit from them, except for a few of them. But pardon them, and overlook. The God loves the doers of good”. [Qur’an: 05:13]
Before starting this topic, it would be good that we clear up a common misconception. Many Christians require of Muslims to either accept all of the Bible or to reject all of the Bible. Therefore, they sometimes find a Muslim’s attitude towards the Bible bewildering. For this reason, I will explain how a Muslim is commanded to deal with the book known as Bible today.
Muslims are told that The God Almighty sent down an “Injeel” upon Jesus (عليه السلام). The Qur’an then goes on to describe how mankind later changed this “Injeel” and altered its original message to mankind. For this reason, Muhammad ﷺ told all Muslims to deal with the Bible with respect, since it started out as the true Word of The God. Muhammad ﷺ told his followers that if they were to reject the whole book, then they might be rejecting words that remain the true Word of The God. He told them that the Qur’an had been sent down to “bear witness over” that which was changed by mankind in the Bible and to return it to the original teachings of The God through its own guardianship. We read this in the Qur’an:
“And We revealed to you the Book, with truth, confirming the Scripture that preceded it, and superseding it. So, judge between them according to what The God revealed, and do not follow their desires if they differ from the truth that has come to you. For each of you We have assigned a law and a method. Had The God willed, He could have made you a single nation, but He tests you through what He has given you. So, compete in righteousness. To The God is your return, all of you; then He will inform you of what you had disputed”. [Qur’an: 05:48]
The actual word used in Arabic is “Muhaimin”, which means “Guardian / Warden / Overseer / Watcher / Protector”. For this reason, Muhammad ﷺ commanded Muslims to accept only that which is verified by the Qur’an and to reject that which contradicts the Qur’an.
Muslims have recorded that the “people of the book” at the time of Muhammad ﷺ had been expecting a new prophet to be coming soon. There are many historical reports to this effect. We are told that the Jews of Yathrib (Al-Madinah) were constantly threatening it’s Arab citizens with his impending arrival and that they would follow him and eliminate them in a similar manner as A’ad and Iram were eliminated, and this was one of the major reasons that the Arabs of Yathrib followed Muhammad ﷺ to outsmart the Jews in following the Prophet. There are also other similar stories, such as the story of Salman Al-Farisi, the story of the Monk Bahira, and the story of Al-Najashi (Negus), the King of Ethiopia among many others.
There are many predictions of the coming of Jesus ﷺ in the Old Testament. Many Christians have even told us that the Bible has predicted much of what has occurred after the time of Jesus ﷺ including the Pope and Israel. Unlike the Jews, Muslims do not contest the claimed prophesies of the coming of Jesus (عليه السلام), since the Qur’an commands them to believe in him. We have also seen in the verse which was presented at the very beginning of this chapter how the Qur’an tells us that both the Torah of Moses as well as the Injeel (Gospel) of Jesus both contain prophesies of Muhammad (عليه السلام). However, if we ask the Christians whether they can find any mention of Muhammad ﷺ in the Bible, their immediate response is an emphatic “No”! But if the Bible has predicted all of these other things then we must ask: why does it have absolutely nothing at all to say about the man who single-handedly convinced many billions of people over the ages to believe in the miraculous birth of Jesus (عليه السلام), his message, the piety and chastity of his mother Mary (عليه السلام), the miracles of Jesus (عليه السلام), and the fact that he was one of the greatest messengers of The God for all time?
There is not a single prophesy in the Old Testament that mentions Jesus ﷺ by name. Messiah, translated “Christ” is not a name. It is a description, a title. It means “the anointed one”. Even “Jesus” is not Jesus’ true name. “Jesus” is a Latinized version of the Hebrew name “Yeshua”, which itself is the shortened form of “Yehoshua” – God Saves. When the Christians claim that a verse professes the coming of Jesus ﷺ what they have done is to compare the description found in that verse to Jesus ﷺ and if it fits him then they say that it speaks of him. Using the Christian’s same system we claim that there is indeed not one, but more than TEN verses in the Bible that speak of the coming of Muhammad ﷺ as The God’s last messenger, but that previous commentators have misunderstood them (just as the Christians tell us that the Jews have done with the Old Testament prophesies of Jesus, عليه السلام). The reader will notice that in what is to follow the verses are explained very simply, using the obvious meanings of the words themselves without having to resort to forced abstract and metaphysical meanings for these verses. These verses speak about major events, locations, and milestones in Islamic history as well as the characteristics of both Islam and Muhammad (عليه السلام).
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the Old Testament:
Muhammad ﷺ Prophesized in The Book of Deuteronomy:
Almighty God speaks to Moses in Book of Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 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]
The Christians say that this prophecy refers to Jesus ﷺ because Jesus ﷺ was like Moses (عليه السلام). Moses ﷺ was a Jew, as well as Jesus ﷺ was a Jew. Moses ﷺ was a Prophet and Jesus ﷺ was also a Prophet.
If these two are the only criteria for this prophecy to be fulfilled, then all the Prophets of the Bible who came after Moses ﷺ such as Solomon, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Malachi, John the Baptist, etc. (peace be upon them) will fulfil this prophecy since all were Jews as well as prophets.
However, it is obvious that it was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who is like Moses (عليه السلام):
- Both (Moses and Muhammad) had a father and a mother, while Jesus ﷺ was born miraculously without any male intervention. [Refer: Mathew 1:18 and Luke 1:35 and also Al-Qur’an 3:42-47]
- Both (Moses and Muhammad) were married and had children. Jesus ﷺ according to the Bible did not marry nor had children.
- Both (Moses and Muhammad) died natural deaths. Jesus ﷺ has been raised up alive. [Qur’an: 4:157-158]
- Muhammad ﷺ is from among the Brethren of Moses (عليه السلام). Arabs are brethren of Jews. Abraham ﷺ had two sons: Ishmail and Isaac (peace be upon them). The Arabs are the descendants of Ishmail ﷺ and the Jews are the descendants of Isaac (عليه السلام).
- Words in the mouth: Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was unlettered and whatever revelations he received from The Almighty God he repeated them verbatim.“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.” [Deuteronomy 18:18]
- Both (Moses and Muhammad) besides being Prophets also had authorities and ruled over the land i.e. they could inflict capital punishment. Jesus ﷺ said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” [John 18:36].
- Both (Moses and Muhammad) were accepted as Prophets by their people in their lifetime but Jesus ﷺ was rejected by his people. [John, Chapter 1, Verse 11: “He came unto his own, but his own received him not”.]
- Both (Moses and Muhammad) brought new laws and new regulations for their people. Jesus ﷺ according to the Bible did not bring any new laws. [Mathew 5:17-18].
It is Mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 18:19:
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not harken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
Muhammad ﷺ is prophesized in the book of Isaiah:
It is mentioned in the book of Isaiah chapter 29 verse 12: “And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.” When Archangel Gabriel commanded Muhammad ﷺ by saying Iqra – “Read”, he replied, “I am not learned”.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ mentioned by name in the Old Testament:
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is mentioned by name in the Song of Solomon chapter 5 verse 16: “Hikko Mamittakim we kullo Muhammadim Zehdoodeh wa Zehraee Bayna Jerusalem”: “His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem”. In the Hebrew language “im” is added for respect. Similarly “im” is added after the name of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to make it Muhammadim. In English translation they have even translated the name of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as “altogether lovely”, but in the Old Testament in Hebrew, the name of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is still present in its original form.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the New Testament:
It is mentioned in the Qur’an: “And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said, ‘O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me and giving glad tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmed.’ But when he came to them with clear signs, they said, ‘This is evident sorcery’! [Qur’an: 61:06]
All the prophecies mentioned in the Old Testament regarding Muhammad ﷺ besides applying to the Jews also hold good for the Christians.
- John chapter 14 verse 16: “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever”.
- Gospel of John chapter 15 verse 26: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me“.
- Gospel of John chapter 16 verse 7: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you”.
“Ahmed” or “Muhammad” meaning “the one who praises” or “the praised one” is almost the translation of the Greek Word: “Periclytos”. In the Gospel of John 14:16, 15:26, and 16:7. The word ‘Comforter’ is used in the English translation for the Greek word “Paracletos” which means advocate or a kind friend rather than a comforter.
Paracletos is the warped reading for Periclytos. Jesus ﷺ actually prophesized Ahmed by name. Even the Greek word Paraclete refers to the Prophet ﷺ who is a mercy for all creatures. Some Christians say that the Comforter mentioned in these prophecies refers to the Holy Spirit. They fail to realize that the prophecy clearly says that only if Jesus ﷺ departs will the Comforter come. The Bible states that the Holy Spirit was already present on earth before and during the time of Jesus (عليه السلام), in the womb of Elizabeth, and again when Jesus ﷺ was being baptized, etc. Hence this prophecy refers to none other than Prophet Muhammad (عليه السلام).
Gospel of John chapter 16 verse 12-14: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you unto all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me”. The Sprit of Truth, spoken about in this prophecy refers to none other than Prophet Muhammad (عليه السلام).
[NOTE: All quotations of the Bible are taken from the King James Version. Source: Islam 101: by Dr. Zakir Naik]
