ISMUHAMMAD MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE?
IsMuhammad Mentioned in the Old Testament?
Christ'scoming is foretold in the Old Testament in many differentplaces. If, therefore, the Most High God intended to send intothe world a prophet far greater than Christ, we should findpredictions concerning this future prophet in the Old Testament, andstill more in the New Testament. It is natural, therefore, forMuslims to seek such prophecies in the Bible regarding the founder oftheir religion.
IfMuhammad was the Seal of the Prophets--the person on whose accountGod created the universe--it would be very strange for God not tohave told us to look for and obey the coming Prophet. Those whobelieve in Muhammad tell us that clear and unmistakable predictionsregarding him are found in the Bible. Muslims also say thatother predictions of Muhammad's coming were once there, but wereremoved by Jews and Christians.
Theappeal to the Bible in this matter implies that the Bible is (1)divinely inspired, and (2) uncorrupted. Otherwise o\, of whatuse would it be to refer to such a book as authoritative? Ifour Muslim friends admit these two points, then an inquiry into thealleged biblical prophecies regarding Muhammad may be veryinteresting and instructive. But if they do not admit thesepoints of fact, it is difficult to see what use it is for them torefer to the Bible at all in seeking proof of their prophet'smission. Of course, many learned Muslims--all, in fact, whohave carefully studied the matter--do admit these two facts.Genesis49:10
- The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
It isasserted that this passage refers to Muhammad, since "Judah" comesfrom a Hebrew verb meaning "to praise," the same meaning for theArabic name Muhammad. But the context of Genesis show thatShiloh was to be born among the descendants of Judah. Muhammad,however, came from the Arabian tribe of the Quraish. he was notJewish. Moreover, the scepter departed from Judah more than 550years before Muhammad was born. Deuteronomy18:15, 18
- The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
Muslimsassert that the prophet predicted in Deuteronomy is Muhammad.Since "from your midst" does not appear in either the ancient GreekOld Testament (the Septuagint) or the Samaritan Pentateuch, theoriginal text must state the prophet would come from the relatives ofthe Israelites, the descendants of Ishmael, the Arabs.
However,there is earlier ancient Hebrew manuscript evidence supporting thecustomary reading. In addition, "brethren" naturally andcommonly refers to one's closest relative (e.g., the Israelitetribes).
It issaid that Muhammad was like Moses in many points. Both werebrought up in their enemies' houses, appeared among idolaters, wereat first rejected by their own people and afterward accepted by them,each gave a law, fled from their enemies (Moses to Midian, Muhammadto Medina, a name of a similar meaning), marched to battle againsttheir enemies, wrought miracles, and enabled their followers toconquer Palestine. These correlation's provenothing.
GodHimself has explained in the Gospels that this prophecy referred toChrist, not to Muhammad. Compare Deuteronomy 18:15, "Him youshall hear," with Matthew 17:5,". . . This is my beloved Son, in whomI am well pleased. Hear Him!" (See also Mark 9:2 and Luke9:35.) Jesus explains that this and other passages refer toHimself (John 5:46; Genesis 12:3; 24:4; 18:18; 22:28; 28:14).He was descended from Judah (Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-38; Hebrews7:14), was born in Israel, and spent almost all of His life among theJews. In Acts 3:25-26, this prophecy is cited as referring toChrist Jesus. Psalm45:3-5
- Gird Your Sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One,
With Your glory and Your majesty.
And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness;
And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.
Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies;
The peoples fall under You.
InIslam, Muhammad is called "the Prophet with the sword."However, a close study of the context of these verses easily refutesthe claim that they refer to Muhammad. Verse six declares,"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever." Muslims never claimthat Muhammad was God. Furthermore, Hebrews 1:8-9 clearlystates that verse six is an address to Christ.Isaiah21:7
- And he saw a chariot with a pair of horsem*n,
A chariot of donkeys, and a chariot of camels.
Muslimsthink that the words "a chariot of donkeys" in this verse are aprediction of the coming of Christ, who entered Jerusalem riding on adonkey, and that :a chariot (or troop) of camels" refers to Muhammad,since he always rode on a camel. In fact, the context showsthat this chapter refers to neither Christ nor Muhammad. It isa prophecy of the fall of Babylon, as we learn from verse 9, andtells how travelers bring word of the capture of the city and thedestruction of its idols, which took place under Darius in 519 B.C.and again in 513 B.C.
Is MuhammadMentioned in the New Testament? Matthew3:2
- "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
"Thekingdom is at hand" is the call of John the Baptist, repeated byJesus (Matthew 4:17), and said by Muslims to be a prediction of theestablishment of the power of Islam, the Quran being the Law of theKingdom. but "the kingdom of heaven," or as it is also called,"the kingdom of God," does not refer to the Islamic kingdom, sincethe heaven and God of Islam are not the heaven and God of theBible.
Thebiblical kingdom of God has temporal and spiritual aspects, presentand future implications. Long before the rise of Islamic power,Christ announced the presence of the kingdom, saying, "But if I castout demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has comeupon you" (Matthew 12:28). In Mark 9:1, Christ told Hisdisciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw thekingdom of God present with power. Did they see Muhammad andthe "kingdom" of Islam? Certainly not.Mark1:7
- "There come One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose."
TheMuslim Injil (gospel) of Jesus is not the same thing as the NewTestament or the Gospels. Muslims maintain that the gospel ofJesus is the record of God's Word given through Jesus. The NewTestament Gospels, they say are the words of man--the recollectionsof Matthew, Mark, and those compiled by Luke and John. Onlyoccasionally can we find Jesus' gospel buried in the midst of man'swords and opinion. One of the preserved lines of Jesus' gospel,they say is in Mark 1:7, where Jesus supposedly prophesied ofMuhammad, "There cometh after Me he that is mightier thanI."
Thisshows how hopelessly impossible it is for Muslims to find anyprophecy regarding Muhammad, for verse six of this chapter tells usthat these words were not spoken by Jesus but by John theBaptist. The context clearly shows this to be true (see alsoMatthew 3:11-14; Luke 3:16-17; and John 1:26-34). It will notdo to say that Christ was already in the world, and that therefore Hecould not be said to come after John. Christ began to preachonly after John had been cast into prison and beheaded (see Mark1:14; also compare Matthew 4:12, 17), thus ending the forerunner'sministry. John4:21
- Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father."
Thisis supposed by some Muslims to be a declaration that Jerusalem wouldno longer be the Holy City and the "Qiblah" (focus of prayers), butthat its place would be taken by another city, which, the Muslimssay, must be Mecca.
Yet inverses 23-24, Christ Himself explained the meaning of His own words,saying that true and acceptable worship does not depend upon theplace where it is offered by upon the state of the worshipper'sheart. Hence, He does away with the possibility of there everafterward being a need for any "Qiblah" on earth.John 14:16,17, 26
- "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor know Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in ;you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."
Muslimsassert that the Greek paracleton (helper) mentioned by Christ isMuhammad, whose name they believe to be a translation of theterm. They contend that the prophecy in this passage wasfulfilled in Muhammad, since he received the Quran from the angelGabriel (whom Muslims believe to be the Holy Spirit) and bore witnessto Christ (John 14:26), acknowledging Him as a prophet (John 16:14),as born of a virgin, as a worker of miracles, as having ascended upto Heaven without dying but not as God's Son (having never claimed tobe such), and as having had the Gospel brought to Him.
But theParacleton could not possibly refer to Muhammad for thesereasons:
First ofall, the word paracleton does not mean anything at all likeMuhammad. Paracleton means helper, comforter, sustainer, andadvocate. The first of these titles is clearly not suited toMuhammad, the "Prophet with the Sword," and the Quran itself deniesthe title of Advocate to all but God Himself.
Second,in the New Testament, the title Paracleton is directly applied onlyto the Holy Spirit (John 13:16, 17, 26; 15:26; 16:13) and byimplication to Christ (John 13:16; 1 John 2:1). The Paracletonof whom Christ speaks is not a man but the invisible of Spirit ofTruth, who was then dwelling with Christ's disciples and would soonbe in their hearts (John 14:17; 16:14).
Third,the Paracleton was to be sent by Christ (John 15:26; 16:7), whichMuslims cannot admit concerning Muhammad.
Fourth,the Paracleton's work was not to gather armies and gain victorieswith earthly weapons, but to convict men of sin, the very essence ofsin being disbelief in Christ (John 16:9).
Fifth,His teaching was to glorify not Himself but Christ and to do the workChrist sent Him to do (John 16:14-15).
NO!
Theseare some of the important biblical passages which Muslims emphasizecontain prophecies concerning Muhammad. Quite clearly not asingle one constitutes a prediction about him. Muhammad is notmentioned explicitly or ;implicitly in the Bible, God's oldestwritten revelation (and the only written revelation as far asChristians are concerned). But Christ Jesus is found in theQuran. And what it says about Him places Him far above thefounder of Islam.
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