the Long-awaited Prophet
The foregoing discussion is more than enough to demonstrate that the advent of Prophet Muhammad, a descendant of Ishmael, was indeed the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham and Hagar (Gen. 21:13, and 18).
An additional confirmation which leaves no iota of doubt is found in the Book of Isaiah (Ch. 11:1-2):
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord.”
The profile given in this chapter is of someone who will be a prophet, a statesmen and a judge and is of the descendants of “Jesse”. Who is “Jesse”? And who met these descriptions?
Some contend that “Jesse” is a reference to David’s father. According to Encyclopedia Biblica, however, we read: “Jesse is contracted from Ishmael.
The only one who came from Ishmael’s “stem” who was a prophet, statesmen and judge was Prophet Muhammad.
II
Characteristics of the Awaited Prophet - A Prophet Like Unto Moses
In the Book of Deuteronomy, Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) was quoted as saying:
“And the Lord said unto me, they have well spoken that which they have spoken, 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 18:17-18)
Three important elements are included in this prophecy: A prophet will come from among the “brethren” of the Israelites; this prophet will be “like unto Moses”; God will put his words in the mouth of this prophet.
Let us look closely at each of these elements:
A Prophet From Among the Brethren of the Israelites
When these words were spoken, they were addressed to the Israelites. The most notable “brethren” of Israelites (descendants of Abraham through his second son Isaac), are the Ishmaelites (descendants of Abraham through his first son Ishmael).
According to the Hebrew Dictionary of the Bible, “Brethren” is the:
“Personification of a group of tribes who were regarded as near kinsmen of the Israelites. “
The Bible refers to the Israelites as the brethren of the Ishmaelites (e.g. Gen. 16:12, and Gen. 25:18).
A Prophet Like Unto Moses
It is sometimes contended that the prophet like unto Moses was Jesus. After all both were Israelites and spiritual teachers. Was this prophecy really about Jesus?
To start off, Jesus himself was an Israelite, not of the “brethren” of the Israelites. This fact alone suffices to show that this particular prophecy is not about the coming of Jesus but about another prophet “like unto Moses”. That prophet could have been none but Prophet Muhammad.
Following is a comparison between a few crucial characteristics of Moses, Muhammad and Jesus which may clarify the identity of “that prophet” who was to come after Moses:
Area of Comparison Moses Muhammad Jesus
Birth Usual Usual Usual
Family Life Married, Children Married, Children No Marriage, or children
Death Usual Usual Unusual
Career Prophet/Statesman Prophet/Statesman Prophet
Forced Emigration (in adulthood) To Median To Medinah None
Encounter with enemies Hot pursuit Hot pursuit/Battles No Similar Encounter
Results of encounter Moral phys.victory Moral physical victory Moral victory
Writing dawn of Revelation In his life time In his lifetime After him
(Torah) (Al-Qur’an)
Nature of Teachings Spiritual/ Legal Spiritual/Legal Mainly Spiritual
Acceptance of leadership Rejected Rejected then accepted Rejected (by most Israelites)
(by his people)
This table is self-evident. It shows that not only were Moses and Muhammad very much alike in many respects, but it shows also that Prophet Jesus does not fit this particular prophecy. Following are the
The birth of Jesus was unusual. According to Christian and Muslim beliefs, he was miraculously born of the virgin Mary. Both Moses and Muhammad were born in the usual manner.
Both Moses and Muhammad were married and begot children. There is no similar record of marriage and offspring in the case of Jesus.
Both Moses and Muhammad died of natural causes and were buried. The end of the mission of Jesus on earth was unusual; crucifixion according to Christian beliefs and being raised up to heavens without crucifixion according to Muslim beliefs,
Both Moses and Muhammad were not only prophets and spiritual teachers in the usual sense, but they were also “heads of states” whose mission included the establishment of a “state” founded on the teachings of their faith No such opportunity presented itself to Prophet Jesus.
Moses left Egypt following knowledge of a plot to kill him and went to Median where he was welcomed and assured by Jethro. Muhammad left Makkah (Mecca) following knowledge of a plot to kill him and went to Yathrib which was later called Al-Madinah (Medina). No similar incident was reported about Jesus in his adulthood and after he began his mission as a prophet.
Moses encountered his enemies (the Pharaoh’s army) who sought to destroy him and his followers in “hot pursuit”. Muhammad encountered his enemies (the pagan Arabs) who sought to destroy him and his followers in several battles. No such encounter was reported in the case of Jesus. Indeed he was reported to have commanded Simon Peter to put his sword into the sheath when he attempted to defend Jesus at the time of his arrest.
Moses’ encounter with his enemies ended with a military and moral victory. His enemies drowned and Moses and his followers were saved. Muhammad’s encounters with his enemies ended with his final military and moral victory over them. He and his followers reentered Makkah (Mecca), the center of plotting against him. Impressed with his truthfulness and magnanimity, the great majority of his former enemies chose to become Muslims and were among his ardent supporters. Jesus’ victory against his enemies was only a moral victory which did not involve an immediate military victory over them at the same time.
The teachings revealed to Moses were available in a written form in his lifetime. The Qur’an revealed to Muhammad was fully written down in his lifetime and under his supervision. The teachings of Jesus were not committed to writing in his lifetime. Even the earliest Gospel was written down many years after him.
Unlike any other prophets from the lineage of Abraham, the revelation given to Moses and Muhammad contained comprehensive codes of law, in addition to the spiritual and moral elements of their teachings. The teachings of Jesus were almost entirely spiritual. Indeed Jesus never claimed to bring a new law, nor even to abrogate the existing Old Testament Law. He simply added a spiritual and human touch to the concept of law, which by his time had been reduced to the level of lifeless and at times hypocritical formalism. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill”, Jesus was quoted as saying.
After initial resistance and skepticism by his people, Moses was accepted by his people as a prophet and a leader in his lifetime, notwithstanding certain lapses (such as the worship of the golden calf). After initial resistance, Muhammad was enthusiastically accepted as a prophet and a leader in his lifetime. Until the end, however, and with the exceptions of a few followers, Jesus was rejected by his people (the Israelites).
Who was then the “Prophet like unto Moses”?
God Will Put His Words in the Mouth of that Prophet
Generally speaking, this description may apply to any messenger of God who is communicating God’s message to mankind. While that message may come in “written tablets” as is believed to have been the case with Moses, the specific wording of the above verse is a vivid description of the type of revelation received by Muhammad. Angel Gabriel used to come and dictate to him specific portions of the Qur’an which were then repeated by Prophet Muhammad exactly as he had heard them. Muhammad’s own thinking or authorship were not involved in any way in what he uttered. The words of God (The Qur’an) were “put into his mouth”. As the Qur’an itself described:
“He (Muhammad) does not speak of his own desire, it is no less than a revelation sent down to him. “ (The Qur’an 53:3-4)
Numerous passages in the Qur’an command Muhammad in such terms as Qul (say), Thakkir (remind), Nabbi’ (inform). Other passages in the Qur’an start with such expressions as wa qala Rabbukum (and your Lord said ...). Still in other passages it reads wa yas’aloonaka ... qul (and they ask you (0 Muhammad) ... say ...).
The above analysis fits not only Deuteronomy 18:18, but is also consistent with the subsequent verses. For example Deuteronomy 18:19 reads:
“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. “
It is interesting to note that 113 out of the 114 Surahs (chapters) of the Qur’an starts with Bismillahir-rahmanir-raheem (In the name of Allah (God), Most Gracious, Most Merciful). The very first passage of the Qur’an revealed to Prophet Muhammad reads:
“Read in the name of your Lord who created ... “ (The Qur’an 96:1)
Following the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, there is no other community of believers who starts almost every action in their daily lives with this formula “In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful”. It should be noted here that the Arabic term “Allah” is not only the Arabic equivalent of “God”, but it is also the personal name of God. To say “In the Name of Allah” is a far clearer fulfillment of the prophecy “... he shall speak in My name” (Deuteronomy 18:19), than other common expressions such as “In the name of God” or “In the name of the Father”.
A fair question at this point is this: Since virtually anyone can presume to speak “in the name of God”, what criterion should be used to distinguish between a genuine prophet and messenger of God and other false prophets who may also presume to speak in the name of God?
The answer to this question was clearly given in the concluding verses of Chapter 18 of the Book of Deuteronomy:
“And if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shall not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)
It is a fact that not a single prophecy made by Prophet Muhammad proved to be inaccurate in the least degree. Every prophecy he made about the near future at his time did come to pass. Examples of these
a) The prophecy that Muslims were to conquer the two “super-powers” of their time; the Persian and Byzantine empires. This prophecy was made when Muslims were so few and weak that to prophecy their mere physical survival would have sounded too hopeful!
b) A prophecy that Suraqah (a man who was about to kill Prophet Muhammad during the later’s journey to Madinah (Medina) after the pagans plotted to kill him) would become a Muslim,
participate in the Muslim army conquering the Persian Empire and would actually have access to the Emperor’s crown and place it over his head! Not only did this prophecy appear to be a virtual impossibility when it was made, but its fulfillment was so perfect and complete as if the Prophet was looking eye-to-eye at the scene which took place years after his death. The fact that Suraqah did become a Muslim, lived long enough to participate in the conquest of Persia, that the Muslims came out victorious, that Suraqah had access to the Emperor’s crown and actually wore it, can hardly be regarded as a coincidence or a self-fulfilling prophecy. Surely the chances are nil that numerous such prophecies, all in the minutest detail described by Prophet Muhammad, happened by accident! Nor can such 100% accuracy every time and at all times emanate from any other than a true and genuine prophet using the criterion stipulated in Deuteronomy 18:21-22.
III
Other Characteristics of “That Prophet”
An equally interesting and most revealing profile of Prophet Muhammad is found in the 42nd chapter of the Book of Isaiah. Let us examine some of these characteristics:
The One in Whom God’s soul delights is called the servant of God (V. 1), His elect (V. 1) and His Messenger (V. 19).
Translated into Arabic these titles read “Abduhu warusooluhul-Mustapha”. Surely all prophets were indeed servants, messengers and elects of God. Yet no prophet in history is as universally called by these specific titles as is Muhammad. The testimony of faith by which the person enters into the fold of Islam reads:
“I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.”
Virtually the same formula is repeated five times a day during the call to prayers, five times a day immediately before the beginning of prayers (iqamah), nine times a day during the minimum mandatory prayers, several more times if the Muslim performs additional recommended prayers (s ). The most common title of Prophet Muhammad since his mission until today is Rasoolullah (the messenger of God). The Qur’an gives him this title. During his lifetime he was addressed as such by his followers. The voluminous collections of hadith (Prophet Muhammad’s sayings) are narrated typically in these forms: “I heard the Messenger of Allah say ...”, “The Messenger of Allah said or replied ...”.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he has set judgment in the earth (V. 4), he shall prevail against his enemies (V. 13) and shall bring judgment to the Gentiles (V. 1).
In comparing the lives and missions of Jesus and Muhammad, it becomes readily clear that in the case of Jesus he expressed on more than one occasion how disappointed he was in the Israelites’ rejection of him. Nor did Jesus live long enough on Earth to prevail over his enemies (beyond the moral victory which is a common victory for all prophets).
On the other hand, we find no trace of Prophet Muhammad’s discouragement even in the most critical moments of his mission. In one year his beloved and supporting wife Khadijah died following 25 years of successful marriage; his uncle Abu-Talib, who was instrumental in protecting him from the fury of the pagan Arabs also died. These two tragedies were combined with the fact that his followers constituted only a small persecuted and tortured group. Under such trying circumstances, Muhammad went to the city of at-Taif to invite people to Islam and seek their support in his struggle against paganism. He was rejected, mocked at and stoned to the point of bleeding. In spite of all this he was never “discouraged” to use Isaiah’s term (V. 4): “0 Allah! Forgive my people for they do not know what they’re doing” was his utterance. When Angel Gabriel offered him the chance to retaliate by destroying their city, he refused in the hope that out of the descendants of these wicked people would come those who would worship God, and come they did!
After this bitter struggle, Muhammad “prevailed against his enemies”, established a strong community of believers who indeed “brought judgment to the Gentiles”, especially in the Persian and Byzantine Empires. Many such Gentiles were guided to Islam while others suffered defeats. As such he was truly “a light of the Gentiles” of the whole world.
He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street (V. 2).
Not only was this a distinct characteristic and mark of decency of Muhammad’s, it was indeed the embodiment of the revelation given to him. In the words of the Qur’an:
“Be modest in thy bearing and subdue thy voice. Lo! the harshest of all voices is the voice of the ass. “ (The Qur’an 31:19)
“Allah loveth not the utterance of harsh speech save by one who has been wronged.” (The Qur’an 4:148)
“The Isles shall wait for his law. “ The only prophet who came, after this prophecy was made (Isaiah’s time) with a complete and comprehensive code of law was Prophet Muhammad. The law revealed to him spread to all corners of the earth, even in many remote isles and to the farthest deserts.
He will be sent “to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house” (V. 7).
Many of those who were opposed to the truth and bitterly fought Muhammad ended up among the most devout believers. Their blindness to truth was cured. Those who lived in the darkness of an unholy life came to the light of truth completed through the mission of Muhammad.
No wonder the Qur’an describes itself as “Nooram-mubeena” or light manifest. Describing the Qur’an, God addresses Prophet Muhammad:
“A book which we revealed unto you, in order that you may lead mankind out of the depths of darkness unto light by the leave of their Lord to the way of Him, the exalted in power, worthy of all praise.“ (The Qur’an 14: l. Emphasis added)
God’s glory will not be given to another (V. 8).
The greatest glory a person receives from God is to be entrusted as His messenger to mankind and receive His glorious revelation. Not only did this apply to Prophet Muhammad, but it uniquely applied to him as the last messenger and prophet of God. Truly God’s glory (revelation of scriptures) was not given and will not be given to another prophet after Muhammad, as he is the “seal” of all prophets. It is already about 1400 years since Muhammad was sent and the Qur’an was revealed to him. Yet we hear of no genuine prophet of the magnitude and influence on humanity to be compared with such figures as Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Nor do we hear about another post-Qur’anic (glory) or holy book that has influenced mankind to such a degree.
Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth ...(V. 10).
A new song may be a reference to a new scripture in a language other that the language of the Israelite scriptures. This interpretation seems consistent with a more explicit mention of someone who will be speaking to people (including the Israelites) in “another tongue” Isaiah 28:11).
This explanation seems to fit closely with the second half of the same verse Isaiah 42:16) which speaks of the praise of God “from the ends of the earth”. Only in the case of Islam do we find this prophecy realized in amazing accuracy. In all ends of the earth, five times every day the praise of God and of His last messenger, Muhammad, is chanted from the minarets of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of mosques around the world. Additionally, frequent praise of God and Muhammad by millions of devout Muslims is made on daily basis. It is even a part of the required five daily prayers to include the praise of Abraham and his descendants and of Muhammad and his descendants. This is known as “As-Salatul-Ibrahimiyyah”.
This person to come is connected with the Arabs, and specifically with the descendants of Ishmael (who settled in Makkah and its environs). Verse 11 to the 42nd chapter of Isaiah leaves absolutely no doubt about the identity of “that prophet”:
“Let the wilderness of and the cities thereof lip up their voice, the villages that Ke’dar does inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. “ Isaiah 42:11)
According to the Book of Genesis, Ke’dar was the second son of Ishmael (Gen. 25:13). The best known prophet who came from Ishmael’s descendants is Muhammad. His enemies (who were of his own clan!), who were misled by their leaders or mighty men (as described in Isaiah 21:17) ultimately embraced Islam and were embraced by it. Indeed they had reason to “lift up their voice”, to “sing” praise of God, and “shout from the top of the mountains”. is that possibly a reference to the shouting of:
“Here I come (for your service) 0 Allah. Here I come. Here I come. Were is nor a partner with You. Here I come. Verily yours is the Praise, the blessings and sovereignty. Were is no partner besides you”.
This “shouting” is chanted annually by multitudes of Muslims from all over the world from Mount ‘Arafat as part of the annual rites of hajj (pilgrimage).
The 42nd chapter of Isaiah is indeed a fascinating one. It is not a casual or ambiguous reference to that servant and messenger of God who was to come centuries later. It is rather a comprehensive profile which not only fits Prophet Muhammad but fits no one else. After all, the chapter relates this profile to Ke’dar son of Ishmael and no other descendants of Ishmael fits these descriptions but Muhammad (peace be upon him).
http://www.al-sunnah.com/muhammad_in_the_bible.htm