Muhammad (Pbuh) in the Bible

Muhammad (Pbuh) in the Bible


By Dr. Adel Elsaie, Book Title: "History of Truth, The Truth about God and Religions"

Throughout the history, the Jews promoted the following concepts to reject Christianity:

• Abraham was Jewish, although everyone knows that Judaism came from Judah son of Jacob. The Quran says in Surah 3, Ayah 65: "Ye People of the Book, why dispute ye about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed till after him. Have ye no understanding."
• Jesus was an illegitimate son of Joseph or son of a Roman soldier.
• Jesus was crucified, therefore he is not the expected Messiah.

The Christians fell in this Jewish trap that Abraham was Jewish and that Jesus was crucified. Some Jews and Christians reject Islam for many different reasons. Their hate to the greatest man ever lived is based upon twisting the facts, misreading the history, and simply wishful illusions. The unbelievers in Mecca called Muhammad all kind of names, and accused him with many lies. According to the Quran, he was called crazy, a poet, as well as touched by the devils. He was also accused of collecting the old stories from the Jews and Christians, and then rewriting them. Some Jews and Christians say the same things about the messenger of Allah, and much more. The Jews accuse Jesus as the false Messiah, while the Jews and the Christians accuse Muhammad as a false prophet. It is the same old story.

When anyone speaks kindly about the greatest man that ever lived, the opponents of Islam give an immediate answer: either he was a fool or the Arabs bribed him!

• Michael H. Hart put Muhammad No. 1 on his list of the 100 most influential people in history, and his own Lord and Savior Jesus Christ No. 3.
• William McNeil, US historian, considers Muhammad as worthy of honor in his list of the first three names.
• James Gavin, US lieutenant General, puts Muhammad before Jesus Christ.
• James Masserman, Psychoanalyst and Professor, judges Muhammad No. 1 and his own Moses a close second.
• Thomas Carlyle said that the Christian scholars’ lies about Muhammad are disgraceful.
• George Bernard Shaw said: "I have studied him - the wonderful man - and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the savior of humanity."
• Encyclopedia Britannica calls Muhammad the most successful of all religious personalities.

McNeil, Gavin, and Masserman statements appeared in the Time magazine, July 15, 1974, in essays as to "What makes a great leader? Throughout history, who qualifies?"

It is a fact that Muhammad, like all the Arabs, came from Ismael, the son of Abraham. Just like the Jews discredit Jesus, both the Jews and the Christians claim that Ismael was an illegitimate son of Abraham. Another insult added to the prophets of God. They are talking about Abraham, the father of all the prophets, the prophet that God honored in the three religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. They maintain that Isaac was superior to Ismael, but that is not what the Bible states:

Genesis 16:10 "And the angel of the Lord said unto her (Hagar), I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude."

Genesis 17:20 "And as for Ismael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly: twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation."

We still see some verses in the Bible that escaped all the alterations and adaptations. The above verse states clearly that God blessed Ismael. Is it possible that God blessed an illegitimate child? Can God promise a mother that her illegitimate child would make a great nation? The Jewish and the Christian rebuttal would be as such: Yes, it is the will of God! Is it possible that the mighty prophet Abraham would have an illegal wife and a son out of wedlock? The Bible says:

Genesis 16:3 "...And (Sarah) gave her (Hagar) to her husband to be his wife."

Genesis 20:12 "And yet indeed she (Sarah) is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife."

For the sake of honesty, the above two verses conclude that Hagar was a legitimate wife, while Sarah was not, because she was his "half sister"! Then for the sake of alterations and adaptations, Ismael was the legitimate child because his mother was his father’s wife, and Isaac was illegitimate, God forbid, because his mother was his father’s sister! Islam does not advocate this nonsense. Both Sarah and Hagar were legal righteous wives, and both Ismael and Isaac were legitimate sons and prophets. This is the noble way to think.

The name Ismael was chosen by God himself:

Genesis 16:11 "And the angel of the Lord said unto her (Hagar), Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ismael."

What an honor to be named by God himself! Different versions of the Bible began adapting the story of Ismael. The RSV Bible added that Ismael would be a wild man; the Easy To Read Bible added that Ismael would be wild "like a wild donkey"! HOW SAD! Where is the reference to a wild donkey? This is a clear example of the adulteration and alteration of the "Holy Bible." Any Christian who reads this statement about Ismael, should research the origin of the wild donkey! Do you think that this is Easy to Read Bible, or Easy to Manipulate Bible! Please recall the above Genesis 17:20.

Criterion of the Prophet

A criterion of the prophet is given by Jeremiah 28:9: "The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him." The word Islam also signifies peace. Peace between the Creator and his creatures. This prophecy of Jeremiah cannot be applied to Jesus, as he himself stated that he did not come for peace:

Luke 12:51 "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division." Why then during Christmas, is the slogan of "peace on Earth" related to Jesus if he said: Nay to peace on Earth! Muslims believe that Jesus came for "peace on Earth", unlike Luke!

Until Shiloh Come

The message of Jacob to his sons before he died as in Genesis 49:10:

"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

Shiloh is also a name of a town, but its real meaning is peace, i.e. Islam. It could never refer to a town here. It is referred to a person. It could be an alteration of the word "Shaluah", which means a messenger of God. So the Israelite Prophethood in the lineage of Isaac would stop as soon as Shiloh comes. This corresponds with the Quran:

Surah 2, Ayah 133: "Were ye witnesses when death appeared before Jacob? Behold, he said to his sons: "What will ye worship after me?" They said: "We shall worship Thy God and the God of thy fathers, of Abraham, Ismael and Isaac, - the One (True) God; To Him do we submit."

The shift of the prophethood to another nation was threatened in Jeremiah 31:36:

"If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever."

Also Jesus hinted about the same threat in Matthew 21:45:

"Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."

Baca Is Mecca

According to the Islamic tradition, Abraham took Ismael and Hagar, and made a new settlement in Mecca, called Paran (Arabia) in the Bible (Genesis 21:21), because of divine instruction given to him as part of God’s plan. When Abraham left, Hagar ran seven times between two hills, Safa and Marwa, looking for water. This became an Islamic ritual for the annual pilgrimage in Mecca by millions of Muslims from all over the world. The well of water mentioned in genesis 21:19 is still present, now called Zamzam, one of the living miracles in Islam. Both Abraham and Ismael later built the holy house of God in Mecca, called Kaabah. The place where Abraham used to pray near the Kaabah is still present, now called Maqam Abrahim, i.e. the station of Abraham. The place where Ismael used to pray near the Kaabah is still present, now called Maqam Ismael, i.e. the station of Ismael. During the days of the pilgrimage, Pilgrims in Mecca and Muslims all over the world commemorate the ultimate test of obedience of Abraham and Ismael by sacrificing a lamb. The name Mecca is mentioned once in the Quran in Surah 48, Ayah 24. Another name for Mecca is Bakka, depending on the dialect of the tribe. This name is also mentioned once in the Quran:

Surah 3, Ayah 96 "The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka: Full of blessing and of guidance for all worlds."

Amazingly enough, this name Bakka is mentioned by prophet David in his Psalm 84:6:

"Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools."

The well here is the well-known well of Zamzam, close to the Kaabah.

Chariot of Asses and Chariot of Camels

The vision of Isaiah of the two riders was as follows, in Isaiah 21:7

"And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels."

Who was the rider upon an ass? Every Sunday school student will know him. That was Jesus, as in John 12:14:

"And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat upon it, as it is written."

Who, then, is the promised rider on a camel? The readers of the Bible have overlooked this mighty prophet. This is the prophet Muhammad. If this is not applied to him, then the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. That is why Isaiah mentioned further in the same chapter, in 21:13: "The burden upon Arabia." Which means the responsibility of the Arab Muslims, and of course now of all the Muslims, to spread the message of Islam.

Isaiah 21:14: "The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled." Tema is probably Madinah where the prophet Muhammad and his companions fled. Each immigrant was brothered by one inhabitant of Madinah and was given food and shelter.

Isaiah 21:15: "For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of the war." This was when the prophet Muhammad and his companions were persecuted and left Mecca to Madinah.

Isaiah 21:16: "For thus hath the Lord said unto me, within a year according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail." Exactly in the second year of immigration, the pagans were defeated in the first battle in Islam.

Finally Isaiah 21:17 concludes with: "...the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished, for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it." Kedar is the second son of Ismael, (Genesis 25:13), from whom ultimately Muhammad came. In the beginning, the children of Kedar were attacking Islam and Muhammad. But as many of them accepted Islam, the number of the children of Kedar who resisted Islam was diminished. In some verses in the Bible, Kedar is synonymous with Arab in general, as in Ezekiel 27:21: "Arabia, and all the Princes of Kedar..."

The Prophet Like Unto Moses

God addresses Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18: "I 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."

Brethren of the Israelites (descendant of Abraham through Isaac) are the Ishmaelite (descendant of Abraham through Ismael). Jesus should be excluded, as he is an Israelite; otherwise the above verse should say: "Prophet from among yourself."

Is Muhammad not like unto Moses? If not accepted, then the promise has yet to be fulfilled. The table below is self-explanatory:

Area of comparison	Moses	Muhammad	Jesus
Birth	Usual	Usual	Unusual
Family life	Married, children	Married, children	Not married
Death	Usual	Usual	Unusual
Career	Prophet/Statesman	Prophet/Statesman	Prophet
Forced immigration	To Median	To Madinah	None
Encounter with enemy	Hot pursuit	Hot pursuit/Battles	No similar encounter
Results of encounter	Moral / physical victory	Moral / physical victory	Moral victory
Recording revelation	In his life (Torah)	In his life (Quran)	After him
Nature of teachings	Spiritual / legal	Spiritual / legal	Spiritual
Acceptance by his people	Rejected then accepted	Rejected then accepted	Rejected by most Israelites

In Deuteronomy 18:19: "And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."

In the Quran 113 of the 114 chapters starts with "In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful." Also, in their daily work, Muslims start with this saying. Notice "in my name", not in the name of God. God talks about His Personal Name that is Allah. As it is a Personal Name, it is not subject to gender, like god or goddess, or to plurality, like god or gods. Christians start with "In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit." Thus the above verse of Deuteronomy applies only to Muhammad.

Art Thou That Prophet?

The Jews are still expecting the fulfillment of the prophecy of "unto like Moses." When Jesus said that he is the Messiah of the Jews, they began to inquire about Elias and the prophet. The Jews had a parallel prophecy that before the coming of the Messiah, Elias must come first in his second coming. Jesus confirms this Jewish belief:

Matthew 17:11-13 "...Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist."

The Jews did not believe Jesus about Elias, so they sent priests and Levites to John the Baptist to ask who he really was:

John 1:20-21 "And he (John the Baptist) confessed and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, what then, Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No."

Jesus said that Elias came, and it was understood that he was John the Baptist. But John the Baptist denied that. I will leave this discrepancy between John the Baptist and Jesus for the Christian scholars to solve!

The Jews were waiting for the fulfillment of three distinct prophecies:

1. The coming of Christ.

2. The coming of Elias.

3. The coming of that prophet.

And the crucial question here is "Art thou that prophet?" Who was then the long awaited prophet after the advent of John the Baptist and Jesus? Was it not the one like unto Moses, as described above, who was Muhammad?

Another Comforter

John is the only apostle to report the story of the last dialogue between Jesus and the apostles. It happened after the last supper and before Jesus’ arrest. It ends with a speech of four chapters long; John 14-17. It is interesting to note that the synoptic do not refer to this very long speech. Did the text initially exist in synoptic and then removed? If so, why? This adds to the long list of mysteries of the Bible. Nevertheless, these chapters present a futuristic outline with very important subject.

This farewell speech seemed like Jesus was addressing the entire humanity with his vision and recommendations. His main concern was to specify who would guide humanity after him. In John 14:16: "And I will pray the father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." We do not know exactly the original Aramaic word that Jesus used for the Comforter. Other Bibles use Consoler, Advocate, Helper, and in Greek Bibles the word is Baraclete. There are different explanations for the Comforter: the Holy Ghost, the Word, a person, etc. In John 14:18, Jesus said: "I will not leave you comfortless." This means that he referred to himself as Comforter. However, in John 14:26, the Comforter is referred to as the Holy Ghost! And Christian preachers assure their audience that the comforter is the Holy Ghost, without any mention to the following references from John 15:26: "...he shall testify of me."

John 16:7-8 "...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. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:"

John 16:13-14 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into 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: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you."

Does the above descriptions fit the Holy Ghost, spirit, or a person? The comforter is described as to be able to hear and speak; does this fit a spirit or a person? Did a deliberate adaptation of the Bible add a few words here and there to alter the intended meanings that predicted the advent of a prophet after Jesus? Was the Holy Ghost absent when Jesus was on Earth, and it was waiting for him to depart, so it can guide the believers? Without any prejudice, one can honestly conclude that Jesus was talking about a prophet that will establish righteousness and Judgment. This is what Muhammad accomplished: righteousness and Judgment, faith and law.

Whatever the explanation is for the Comforter, we conclude that Jesus left unfinished work and that someone was coming to complete his mission.

If one puts together all the above-mentioned verses of the Bible about Shiloh (Islam), Baca, chariots of camels, Prophet like unto Moses, Art thou that Prophet, and Comforter, one should conclude without any doubt that these verses relates to Islam and Muhammad. These verses escaped the human’s revision of the Bible. And we can only hope that these verses will not be expunged from the next revised version of the Bible!