WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT MUHUMMED (PBUH)
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT
MUHAMMAD (PEACE BE UPON HIM) THE PROPHET OF ISLAM
A lecture by Ahmed Deedat
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SAY:
"DO YOU SEE ? WHETHER THIS MESSAGE BE FROM ALLAH
(God Almighty), AND YET YOU REJECT IT, AND A WITNESS FROM AMONG THE CHILDREN
OF ISRAEL1 BORE WITNESS OF ONE LIKE HIM......."
(SURA AHQAF) Holy Qur'an 46:10.
1. This refers to Moses. See Yusuf Ali's commentaries Nos.
4783/4 to this verse.
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Mr.Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, The subject of this evening's
talk* - "What the BIBLE says about MUHAMMAD (Peace be upon him)" - will no doubt come as a surprise
to many of you because the speaker is a Muslim. How does it come about that a
Muslim happens to be expounding prophecies from the Jewish and Christian
Scriptures ? As a young man, about 30 years ago, I attended a series
of religious lectures by a Chriatian theologian, a certain Rev. Hiten, at the
"Theatre Royal", Durban in South Africa.
* This is the text of a lecture delivered by the author in the
early 1970's.
Pope or Kissinger?
This Reverend gentleman was expounding
Biblical prophecies. He went on to prove that the Christian Bible foretold the
rise of Soviet Russia, and the Last Days. At one stage he went to the extent of
proving that his Holy Book did not leave even the Pope out of its predictions.
He expatiated vigorously in order to convince his audience that the "Beast 666"
mentioned in the Book of Revelation the last book of the New Testament was the POPE, who was the Vicar of Christ on earth. It is not befitting for us Muslims
to enter into this controversy between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants.
By the way, the latest Christian exposition of the "Beast 666" of the Christian
Bible is Dr.Henry Kissinger1. Christian scholars are ingenious and
indefatigable in their efforts to prove their case. Rev. Hiten's
lectures led me to ask that if the Bible foretold so many things - not even
excluding the "Pope" and "Israel" - then surely it must have something to say
about the greatest benefactor of mankind2, the Holy Prophet Muhammed (may the
peace of Allah be upon him).
As a youngster I set out to search for an answer. I
met priest after priest, attended lectures, and read everything that I could lay
my hands relating to the fields of Bible prophecies. Tonight I am going to
narrate to you one of these interviews with a dominee3 of the Dutch Reformed
Church.
1. Christian exegesists give progressive numerical values by sixes, to
the English alphabet and add up to get the total 666. i.e.A=6,B=12,C=18, D=24
and so on. Progression by 6's because the number of the Beast in the Bible is
"666". Try it for Dr.Kissinger.
2. The writer has just delivered another talk in the City Hall, Durban
on the 10th December, 1975 on the subject "Muhummed the Greatest".
3. "Dominee" is the Afrikaans equivalent of priest, parson and
predikant.
Lucky Thirteen
I was invited to the Transvaal1 to deliver a talk on the occasion of Birthday celebration of the
Holy Prophet Muhammed. Knowing that in that province of the Republic, the
Afrikaans language is widely spoken, even by my own people, I felt that I ought
to acquire a smattering of this language so a s to feel a little "at home" with
the people. I opened the telephone directory and began phoning the
Afrikaans-speaking Churches. I indicated my purpose to the priests that I was
interested in having a dialogue with them, but they all refused my request with
"Plausible" excuses. No.13 was my lucky number. The thirteenth call brought me
pleasure and relief. A dominee Van Heerden agreed to meet me at his home on the
Saturday afternoon that I was to leave for Transvaal.
He received me on his verandah with a friendly welcome. He said if I
did not mind, he would like his father-in-law from the Free State (a 70 year old
man) to join us in the discussion. I did not mind. The three of us settled down
in the dominee's library.
1. One of the Provinces of the Republic of South Africa.
Why nothing?
I posed the question: "What does the Bible say
about Muhummed?" Without hesitation he answered, "Nothing!" I asked: "Why
nothing? According to your interpretation the Bible have so many things to say
about the rise of Soviet Russia and about the Last Days and even about the Pope
of the Roman Catholics?" He said, "Yes, but there was nothing about Muhummed!"
I asked again, "Why nothing? Surely this man Muhummed who had been responsible
for the bringing into being a world-wide community of millions of Believers who,
on his authority, believe in:
(1) the miraculous birth of Jesus, (2)
that Jesus is the Messiah,1 (3) that he gave life to the dead by
God's permission, and that he healed those born blind and the lepers by God's permission.
Surely this book (the Bible) must have something to say about this
great Leader of men who spoke so well of Jesus and his mother Mary?" (Peace be
upon them both).
The old man from the Free State replied. "My son, I have been reading
the Bible for the past 50 years, and if there was any mention of him, I would
have known it."
1. The word "Messiah" comes from the Arabic and Hebrew word
masaha
which means to rub, to massage, to annoint. The religious significance is "the
one who is anointed" - priests and kings were anointed in consecration to their
offices. Messiah translated Christ does not mean God. Even the heathen Cyrus is
called "Christ" in the Bible, (Isaiah 45:1)
Not One by name!
I enquired: "According to you, are there not
hundreds of prophecies regarding the coming of Jesus in the Old Testament." The
dominee interjected: "Not hundreds, but thousands!" I said, "I am not going to
dispute the 'thousand and one' prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the
coming of Jesus Christ, because the whole Muslim-world has already accepted him
without the testimony of any Biblical prophecy. We Muslims have accepted the de
facto Jesus on the authority of Muhummed alone, and there are in the world today
no less than 900,000,0001 followers of Muhummed who love, respect and revere
this great Messenger of God -Jesus Christ- without having the Christians to
convince them by means of their Biblical dialectics. Out of the 'thousands' of
prophecies referred to, can you please give me just one single prophecy where
Jesus is mentioned by name? The term 'Messiah', translated as 'Christ', is not
a name but a title. Is there a single Prophecy where it says that the name of
the Messiah will be JESUS, and that his mother's name will be MARY, that his
supposed father will be JOSEPH THE CARPENTER; that he will be born in the reign
of HEROD THE KING, etc. etc.? No! There are no such details! Then how can you
conclude that those 'thousand' Prophecies refer to Jesus (Peace be upon him)?"
1. This was first written
in 1976.
What is Prophecy?
The dominee replied: "You see, prophecies are
word-pictures of something that is going to happen in the future. When that
thing actually comes to pass, we see vividly in these prophecies the fulfilment
of what had been predicted in the past." I said: "What you actually do is that
you deduce, you reason, you put two and two together." He said: "Yes." I said:
"If this is what you have to do with a 'thousand' prophecies to justify your
claim with regards to the genuineness of Jesus, why should we not adopt the very
same system for Muhummed?"1
The dominee agreed that it was a fair proposition , a
reasonable way of dealing with the problem.
I asked him to open up Deuteronomy, chapter 18, verse 18, which he did.
I read from memory the verse in Afrikaans, because this was my purpose in having
a little practice with the language of the ruling race in South Africa.2
'N PROFEET SAL EK VIR HULLE VERWEK UIT DIE MIDDE VAN HULLE BROERS, SOOS
JY IS, EN EK SAL MY WOORDE IN SY MOND LE, EN HY SY SAL AAN HULLE SE ALLE WAT EK
HOM BEVEEL. Deut.18: 18.
The English translation reads as follows:-
"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." |
(HOLY BIBLE) Deuteronomy 18:18.
1. Muhummed is mentioned by name in the Song of
Solomon 5:16. The
Hebrew word used there is Muhammuddim. The end letters IM is plural of respect
majesty and grandeur. Minus "im" the name would be Muhamud translated as
"altogether lovely" in the Authorised Version of the Bible or 'The Praised One'
'the one worthy of Praise' i.e. MUHUMMED!(P.B.U.H)
2. If this booklet is translated into any language, please change the
Afrikaans words into the local dialect; and do not try a free hand translation
of the Biblical quotation. Obtain a Bible in the language in which translation
is being made and transcribe exactly as the words occur in that Bible.
Prophet Like Moses
Having recited the verse in Afrikaans, I
apologised for my uncertain pronunciation, The dominee assured me that I was
doing fine. I enquired: "To whom does this prophecy refer?" Without the
slightest hesitation he answered: "JESUS!" I asked: "Why Jesus?... his name is
not mentioned here." The dominee replied: "Since prophecies are word-pictures
of something that is going to happen in the future, we find that the wordings of
this verse adequately describe him. You see the most important words of this
prophecy are 'SOOS JY IS' (like unto thee), - LIKE YOU - like Moses, and Jesus
is like Moses. I questioned: "In which way is Jesus like Moses?" The answer
was: "In the first place Moses was a JEW and Jesus was also a JEW; secondly,
Moses was a PROPHET and Jesus was also a PROPHET - therefore Jesus is like Moses
and that is exactly what God had foretold Moses - "SOOS JY IS". "Can you think
of any other similarities between Moses and Jesus?" I asked. The dominee said
that he could not think of any. I replied: "If these are the only two criteria
for discovering a candidate for this prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:18, then in that
case the criteria could fit any one of the following Biblical personages after
Moses:- Solomon, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Malachi, John the Baptist
etc., because they were also ALL "Jews" as well as
"Prophets". Why should we not
apply this prophecy to any one of these prophets, and why only to Jesus? Why
should we make fish of one and fowl of another?" The dominee had no reply. I
continued: "You see, my conclusions are that Jesus is most unlike Moses, and if
I am wrong I would like you to correct me."
Three Unlikes
So
saying, I reasoned with him:
"In the FIRST
place Jesus is not like Moses, because, according to You - 'JESUS IS A GOD', but
Moses is not God. Is this true?" He said: "Yes." I said: "Therefore, Jesus is
not like Moses!
"SECONDLY, according to You - 'JESUS DIED FOR THE SINS OF THE
WORLD', but Moses did not have to die for the sins of the world. Is this true?"
He again said: "Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses!"
"THIRDLY,
according to You - 'JESUS WENT TO HELL FOR THREE DAYS', but Moses did not have
to go there. Is this true?" He answered meekly: "Y-e-s." I concluded: "Therefore
Jesus is not like Moses!"
"But dominee," I continued: "these are not hard facts,
solid facts, they are mere matters of belief over which the little ones can
stumble and fall. Let us discuss something very simple, very easy that if your
little ones are called in to hear the discussion, would have no difficulty in
following it, shall we?" The dominee was quiet happy at the suggestion.
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CHAPTER TWO
Eight Irrefutable Arguments
Father and Mother (1) "Moses had a father and a mother.
Muhummed also had a father and a mother. But Jesus had only a mother, and no
human father. Is this true?" He said: "Yes." I said: "DAAROM IS JESUS NIE SOOS
MOSES NIE, MAAR MUHUMMED IS SOOS MOSES!" Meaning: "Therefore Jesus is not like
Moses, but Muhummed is like Moses!" (By now the reader will realise that I was
using the Afrikaans language only for practice purposes. I shall discontinue its
use in this narration).
Miraculous Birth
(2) "Moses and Muhummed were born in the
normal, natural course, i.e. the physical association of man and woman; but
Jesus was created by a special miracle. You will recall that we are told in the
Gospel of St. Matthew 1:18 ".....BEFORE THEY CAME TOGETHER,(Joseph the Carpenter
and Mary) SHE WAS FOUND WITH CHILD BY THE HOLY GHOST." And St.Luke tells us that
when the good news of the birth of a holy son was announced to her, Mary
reasoned: "...HOW SHALL THIS BE, SEEING I KNOW NOT A MAN? AND THE ANGEL
ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HER, THE HOLY GHOST SHALL COME UPON THEE, AND THE POWER
OF THE HIGHEST SHALL OVERSHADOW THEE..." (Luke 1:35). The Holy Qur'an
confirms the miraculous birth of Jesus, in nobler and sublimer terms. In answer
to her logical question:
" O MY LORD! HOW SHALL I HAVE A SON WHEN NO MAN HATH TOUCHED ME? "
The angel says in reply: "EVEN SO: ALLAH CREATETH WHAT HE WILLETH:
WHEN HE HATH DECREED A PLAN, HE BUT SAITH TO IT "BE," AND IT IS " 1
(HOLY QUR'AN, 3:47).
It is not necessary for God to plant a seed in man or animal. He
merely wills it and it comes into being. This is the Muslim conception of the of
birth of Jesus. (When I compared the Qur'an and the Biblical versions of the
birth of Jesus to the head of the Bible Society in our largest City, and when I
enquired: "Which version would you prefer to give your daughter, the QUR'ANIC
version or the BIBLICAL version?" The man bowed his head and answered: "The
Qur'anic.") In short, I said to the dominee: "Is it true that Jesus was born
miraculously as against the natural birth of Moses and Muhummed?" He replied
proudly: "Yes!" I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhummed is like
Moses. And God says to Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy 18:18 "LIKE UNTO THEE"
(Like You, Like Moses) and Muhummed is like Moses."
1. Please open the Holy Qur'an 3:42 and 19:16 where the birth of Jesus is
spoken about; read it with the commentry, note the high position which Jesus and
his mother occupy in Islam.
Marriage Ties (3) "Moses and Muhummed married and begat
children, but Jesus remained a bachelor all his life. Is this true?" The dominee
said: "Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhummed is like
Moses."
Jesus Rejected by his People (4) "Moses and Muhummed were
accepted as prophets by their people in their very lifetime. No doubt the Jews
gave endless trouble to Moses and they murmured in the wilderness, but as a
nation, they acknowledged that Moses was a Messenger of God sent to them. The
Arabs too made Muhummed's life impossible. He suffered very badly at their
hands. After 13 years of preaching in Mecca, he had to emigrate from the city of
his birth. But before his demise, the Arab nation as a whole accepted him as the
Messenger of Allah. But according to the Bible: 'He (Jesus) CAME UNTO HIS OWN,
BUT HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT.' (John 1:11). And even today,
after two thousand
years, his people- the Jews, as a whole, have rejected him. Is this true?" The
dominee said: "Yes." I said: "THEREFORE JESUS IS NOT LIKE MOSES, BUT MUHUMMED IS
LIKE MOSES."
"Other-Wordly" Kingdom
(5) "Moses and Muhummed were prophets
as well as kings. A prophet means a man who receives Divine Revelation for the
Guidance of Man and this Guidance he conveys to God's creatures as received
without any addition or deletion. A king is a person who has the power of life
and death over his people. It is immaterial whether the person wears a crown or
not, or whether he was ever addressed as king or monarch: if the man has the
prerogative of inflicting capital punishment - HE IS A KING. Moses possessed
such a power. Do you remember the Israelite who was found picking up firewood on
Sabbath Day, and Moses had him stoned to death? (Numbers- 15:13). There are
other crimes also mentioned in the Bible for which capital punishment was
inflicted on the Jews at the behest of Moses. Muhummed too, had the power of
life and death over his people.
There are instances in the Bible of persons who
were given gift of prophecy only, but they were not in a position to implement
their directives. Some of these holy men of God who were helpless in the face of
stubborn rejection of their message, were the prophets lot, Jonah, Daniel, Ezra,
and John the Baptist. They could only deliver the message, but could not enforce
the Law. The Holy Prophet Jesus (Peace p.b.u.h) also belonged to this category.
The Christian Gospel clearly confirms this: when Jesus was dragged before the
Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, Charged for sedition, Jesus made a convincing
point in his defence to refute the false charge: JESUS ANSWERED, "MY KINGDOM IS
NOT OF THIS WORLD': IF MY KINGDOM WERE OF THIS WORLD, THEN WOULD MY SERVANTS
FIGHT, THAT I SHOULD NOT BE DELIVERED TO THE JEWS; BUT NOW IS MY KINGDOM NOT
FROM HENCE" (John 18:36) This convinced Pilate (A Pagan) that though Jesus
might not be in full possession of his mental faculty, he did not strike him as
being a danger to his rule. Jesus claimed a spiritual Kingdom only; in other
words he only claimed to be a Prophet. Is this true?" The dominee answered:
"Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like
Moses."
No New Laws (6) "Moses and Muhummed brought new laws and new
regulations for their people. Moses not only gave the Ten Commandments to the
Israelites, but a very comprehensive ceremonial law for the guidance of his
people. Muhummed comes to a people steeped in barbarism and ignorance. They
married their step-mothers; they buried their daughters alive; drunkenness,
adultery, idolatry, and gambling were the order of the day. Gibbon describe the
Arabs before Islam in his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", THE HUMAN
BRUTE, ALMOST WITHOUT SENSE, IS POORLY DISTINGUISHED FROM THE REST OF THE ANIMAL
CREATION.' There was hardly anything to distinguish between the "man" and the
"animal" of the time; they were animals in human form.
"From this abject barbarism, Muhummed elevated them, in the words of
Thomas Carlysle, "into torch-bearers of light and learning.' 'TO THE ARAB NATION
IT WAS AS A BIRTH FROM DARKNESS INTO LIGHT. ARABIA FIRST BECAME ALIVE BY MEANS
OF IT. A POOR SHEPHERD PEOPLE, ROAMING UNNOTICED IN ITS DESERTS SINCE THE
CREATION OF THE WORLD. SEE, THE UNNOTICED BECOMES WORLD NOTABLE, THE SMALL HAS
GROWN WORLD-GREAT. WITHIN ONE CENTURY AFTERWARDS ARABIA WAS AT GRANADA ON ONE
HAND AND AT DELHI ON THE OTHER. GLANCING IN VALOUR AND SPLENDOUR, AND THE LIGHT
OF GENIUS, ARABIA SHINES OVER A GREAT SECTION OF THE WORLD. ..." The fact is that
Muhummed gave his people a Law and Order they never had before.
As regards Jesus, when the Jews felt suspicious of him that he might
be an impostor with designs to pervert their teachings, Jesus took pains to
assure them that he had not come with a new religion - no new laws and no new
regulations. I quote his own words: 'THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO DESTROY THE LAW,
OR THE PROPHETS: I AM NOT COME TO DESTROY, BUT TO FULFIL. FOR VERILY I SAY UNTO
YOU, TILL HEAVEN AND EARTH PASS, ONE JOT OR ONE TITLE SHALL IN NO WISE PASS FROM
THE LAW, TILL ALL BE FULFILLED.'(Mathew 5:17-18). In other words he had
not come with any new laws or regulation he came only to fulfil the old law.
This what he gave the Jews to understand- unless he was speaking with the tongue
in his cheek trying to bluff the Jews into accepting him as a man of God and by
subterfuge trying to ram a new religion down their throats. No! This Messenger
of God would never resort to such fo ul means to subvert the Religion of God. He
himself fulfilled the laws. He observed the commandments of Moses, and he
respected the Sabbath. At no time did a single Jew point a finger at him to say,
'why don't you fast' or 'why don't you wash your hands before you break
bread',which charges they always levied against his disciples, but never
against Jesus. This is because as a good Jew he honoured the laws of the
prophets who preceded him. In short, he had created no new religion and had
brought no new law like Moses and Muhummed. Is this true?" I asked the dominee,
and he answered: "Yes." I said: "Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed
is like Moses."
How they Departed
(7) "Both Moses and Muhummed died natural
deaths, but according to Christianity, Jesus was violently killed on the cross.1
Is this true?" The dominee said: "Yes." I averred: "Therefore Jesus
is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses."
Heavenly Abode (8) "Moses and Muhummed both lie buried in
earth, but according to you, Jesus in heaven. Is this true?" The dominee agreed.
I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses."
1. For a full exposition
of this topic, see "CRUCIFIXION OR
CRUCI-FICTION?".
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CHAPTER THREE
Further Proofs
Ishmael The First Born Since the dominee was helplessly
agreeing with every point, I said, "Dominee, so far what I have done is to prove
only one point out of the whole prophecy- that is proving the phrase 'LIKE UNTO
THEE' - 'Like You' - 'Like Moses'. The Prophecy is much more than this single
phrase which reads as follows : "I WILL RAISE THEM UP A PROPHET FROM AMONG THEIR
BRETHREN LIKE UNTO THEE......." The emphasis is on the words- "From among their
brethren." Moses and his people, the Jews, are here addressed as a racial
entity, and as such their 'brethren' would undoubtedly be the Arabs. You see,
the Holy Bible speaks of Abraham as the "Friend of God". Abraham had two wives
- Sarah and Hagar. Hagar bore Abraham a soon - HIS FIRST-BORN- '......And
Abraham1 called HIS SON'S name, which Hagar bare Ishmael.' (Genesis
16:15). 'And Abraham took Ishmael HIS SON......" (Genesis 17:23).
'And Ishmael HIS SON was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the
flesh of his foreskin.'(Genesis 17:25). Up to the age of THIRTEEN Ishmael
was the ONLY son and seed of Abraham, when the covenant was ratified between God
and Abraham. God grants Abraham another son through Sarah, named Isaac, who was
very much the junior to his brother Ishmael.
1. According to the Bible, Abraham's name was Abram before it was
changed by God to Abraham.
Arabs and Jews
If Ishmael and Isaac are the sons of the same
father Abraham, then they are brothers. And so the children of the one are the
BRETHREN of the children of the other. The children of Isaac are the Jews and
the Children of Ishmael are the Arabs - so they are BRETHREN to one another. The
Bible affirms, 'AND HE (ISHMAEL) SHALL DWELL IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL HIS
BRETHREN.' (Genesis 16:12). 'AND HE (ISHMAEL) DIED IN THE PRESENCE OF
ALL
HIS BRETHREN.(Genesis 25:18). The children of Isaac are the brethren of
the Ishmaelites. In like manner Muhummed is from among the brethren of the
Israelites because he was a descendant of Ishmael the son of Abraham. This
exactly as the prophecy has it- 'FROM AMONG THEIR BRETHREN'.(Deut.18:18).
There the prophecy distinctly mentions that the coming prophet who would be like
Moses, must arise NOT from the 'children of Israel' or from 'among themselves',
but from among their brethren. MUHUMMED THEREFORE WAS FROM AMONG THEIR BRETHREN!
Words in the Mouth "The prophecy proceeds
further:'.......AND I WILL PUT MY WORDS INTO HIS MOUTH.......' What does it mean
when it is said 'I will put my words in your mouth'? You see, when I asked you
(the dominee) to open Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 18, at the beginning, and if
I had asked you to read, and if you had read: would I be putting my words into
your mouth?" The dominee answered: "No." "But," I continued: "If I were to teach
you a language like Arabic about which you have no knowledge, and if I asked you
to read or repeat after me what I utter i.e.
( I read them in Arabic )
Would I not be putting these unheard words of a foreign tongue which
you utter, into your mouth?" The dominee agreed that it was indeed so. In an
identical manner, I said, the words of the Holy Qur'an, the Revelation
vouchsafed by the Almighty God to Muhummed, were revealed.
History tells us that Muhummed was forty years of age. He was in a cave
some three miles north of the City of Mecca. It was the 27th night of the Muslim
month of Ramadaan. In the cave the Archangel Gabriel commands him in his mother
tongue: 'IQRA' which means READ! or PROCLAIM! or RECITE! Muhummed
is terrified
and in his bewilderment replies " MA ANA BEQARA which means I AM NOT LEARNED! The angel commands
him a second time with the same result. For the third time the angel continues.
Now Muhummed, grasps, that what was required of him was to repeat! to
rehearse! And he repeats the words as they were put into his mouth:
These are the first five verses which were revealed to Muhummed which
now occupy the beginning of the 96th chapter of the Holy Qur'an.
The Faithful Witness
Immediately the angel had departed, Muhummed rushed to his home. Terrified and
sweating all over he asked his beloved wife Khadija to 'cover him up!' He lay
down, and she watched by him. When he had regained his composure, he explained
to her what he had seen and heard. She assured him of her faith in him and that
Allah would not allow any terrible thing to happen to him. Are these the confessions
of an impostor? Would impostors confess that when an angel of the Lord confronts
them with a Message from on High, they get fear-stricken, terrified, and sweating
all over, run home to their wives? Any critic can see that his reactions and
confessions are that of an honest, sincere man, the man of Truth- 'AL-AMIN'
- THE Honest, the Upright, the Truthful.
During the next twenty-three years of his prophetic life,
words were 'Put into his mouth', and he uttered them. They made an indeliable
impression on his heart and mind: and as the volume of the Sacred Scripture
(Holy Qur'an) grew, they were recorded on palm-leaf fibre, on skins and on the
shoulder-blades of animals; and in the hearts of his devoted disciples. Before
his demise these words were arranged according to his instructions i n the order
in which we find them today in the Holy Qur'an.
The words (revelation) were actually put into his mouth, exactly as
foretold in the prophecy under discusion: 'AND I WILL PUT MY WORDS IN HIS
MOUTH.' (Deut. 18:18).
Un-lettered Prophet Muhummed's experience in the cave of
Hira, later to be known as Jabal-un Noor - The Mountain of Light, and his
response to that first Revelation is the exact fulfilment of another Biblical
Prophecy. In the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 29, verse 12, we read: "AND THE BOOK" (al-Kitaab,al-Quran the 'Reading', the 'Recitation') "IS DELIVERED TO HIM THAT
IS NOT LEARNED," (Isaiah 29:12) "THE UNLETTERED PROPHET " (Holy Qur'an
7:158) and the biblical verse continues : "SAYING, READ THIS, I PRAY THEE:"
(the words "I pray thee", are not in the Hebrew manuscripts; compare with the
Roman Catholics' "Douay Version and also with the "Revised Standard Versions")
"AND HE SAITH, I AM NOT LEARNED." ("I am not learned." is the exact translation
of the Arabic words MA ANA BEQARA which Muhummed uttered twice to the Holy
Ghost - the
Archangel Gabriel, when he was commanded : IQRAA "READ!").
Let me quote the verse in full without a break as found in the "King
James Version," or the "Authorised version" as it is more popularly known "AND
THE BOOK IS DELIVERED TO HIM THAT IS NOT LEARNED, SAYING, READ THIS I PRAY THEE:
AND HE SAITH, I AM NOT LEARNED." (Isaiah 29:12).
Important note : It may be noted that there were no Arabic Bibles in existence in the 6th Century of the Christian Era when Muhummed
lived and preached! Besides, he was absolutely unlettered and unlearned. No
human had ever taught him a word. His teacher was his Creator:
Without any human learning, 'he put to shame the wisdom of the
learned'."
(12) There are today Arabic Bibles in Fourteen different scripts and
dialects for the Arabs alone. See "The Gospels in many tongues".
Grave Warning "See!" I told the dominee, "how the prophecies
fit Muhummed like a glove. We do not have to stretch prophecies to justify their
fulfilment in Muhummed."
The dominee replied, "All your expositions sound very well, but they
are of no real consequence, because we Christians have Jesus Christ the
"incarnate" God, who has redeemed us from the Bondage of Sin!"
I asked, "Not important?" God didn't think so! He went to a great deal
of trouble to have His warnings recorded. God knew that there would be people
like you who will flippantly, light-heartedly discount his words, so he followed
up Deuteronomy 18:18 with a dire warning: "AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, " (it is
going to happen) "THAT WHOSOEVER WILL NOT HEARKEN UNTO MY WORDS WHICH HE SHALL
SPEAK IN MY NAME, I WILL REQUIRE IT OF HIM. (in the Catholic Bible the ending
words are - "I will be the revenger", I will take vengeance from him - I will
take revenge!) "Does not this terrify you? God Almighty is threatening revenge!
We shake in our pants if some hoodlum threathens us, yet you have no fear of
God's warning?"
"Miracle of Miracles! in the verse 19 of Deuteronomy chapter 18, we
have a further fulfilment of the prophecy in Muhummed! Note the words-'.....MY
WORDS WHICH HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME," In whose name is Muhummed speaking?" I
opened Yusuf Ali's translation of the Holy Qur'an, at chapter 114- 'Sura Nas',
or Mankind - the last chapter, and showed him the formula at the head of the
chapter:
![](ayah1.jpg)
and the meaning: "IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL."
And the heading of chapter 113:
![](ayah1.JPG)
and the meaning: "IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST
GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL". And every chapter downwards 112 , 111, 110.......was
the same formula and the same meaning on every page, because the end SURAS
(chapters) are short and take about a page each.
"And what did the prophecy demand?' ......WHICH HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY
NAME and in whose name does Muhummed speak? 'IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS
MOST MERCIFUL.' The Prophecy is being fulfilled in Muhummed to the letter
"Every
chapter of the Holy Qur'an except the 9th begin with the formula:
IN THE NAME
OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL.' The Muslim begins his every lawful act
with the Holy formula. But the Christian begins: "In the name of the Father, son
and holy ghost.'"1
Concerning Deuteronomy chapter eighteen, I have given you more than 15
reasons as to how this prophecy refers to Muhummed and NOT to Jesus.
1. The Christian theologians are ignorant of even the "name of God.
Because "God" is not a name, and "Father" is also not a name. See "WHAT
IS HIS NAME?".
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CHAPTER FOUR
New Testament Also Confirms
Baptist Contradicts Jesus In New Testament times, we find
that the Jews were still expecting the fulfilment of the prophecy of 'ONE LIKE
MOSES', refer John 1:19-25. When Jesus claimed to be the Messiah of the Jews,
the
Jews began to enquire as to where was Elias? 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:
".......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." (Matthew
17:11-13).
According to the New Testament the Jews were not the ones to swallow the words of any would-be Messiah. In their investigations they underwent
intense difficulties in order to find their true Messiah. And this the Gospel of
John confirms: "AND THIS IS THE RECORD OF JOHN,"(the Baptist) "WHEN THE JEWS
SENT PRIESTS AND LEVITES FROM JERUSALEM TO ASK HIM, WHO ART THOU? AND HE
CONFESSED AND DENIED NOT; BUT CONFESSED, I AM NOT THE CHRIST." (This was only
natural because there can't be two Messiahs1 at the same time. If Jesus was
the Christ then John couldn't be the Christ!) "AND THEY ASKED HIM, WHAT THEN?
ART THOU ELIAS? AND HE SAITH, I AM NOT." (Here John the Baptist contradicts
Jesus! Jesus says that John is "Elias" and John denies that he is what Jesus
ascribes him to be. One of the TWO (Jesus or John), God forbid!, is
definitely
not speaking the TRUTH! On the testimony of Jesus himself, John the Baptist was
the greatest of the Israelite prophets: "VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, AMONG THEM THAT
ARE BORN OF WOMEN THERE HAS NOT RISEN A GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST:... "(Matthew 11:11).
We Muslims know John the Baptist as Hazrut YAHYAA Alai-his-salaam
(peace be upon him). We revere him as a true prophet of Allah. The Holy Prophet
Jesus known to us as Hazrut ISAA Alai-his-salaam (peace be upon him), is also
esteemed as one of the mightiest messenger of the Almighty. How can we Muslims
impute lies to either of them? We leave this problem between Jesus and John for
the Christians to solve, for their "sacred scriptures" abound in discrepancies
which they have been glossing over as the "dark sayings of Jesus"(15). We
Muslims are really interested in the last questions posed to John the Baptist
by the Jewish elite- "ART THOU THAT PROPHET? AND HE ANSWERED, NO."
(John
1:21)
1. The Jews were expecting a single Messiah not two.
2. See the "TIMES" Magazine December 30th, 1974, article
"How true is
the Bible?" And also see "50,000 Errors in the Bible?" a
reproduction from the Christian Magazine "AWAKE!" September 8, 1957.
Three Questions! Please note that three different and
distinct questions were posed to John the Baptist and to which he gave three
emphatic "NO'S" as answers. To recapitulate:-
1) ART THOU THE CHRIST? 2)
ART THOU ELIAS? 3) ART THOU THAT PROPHET?
But the learned men of Christendom somehow only see two questions
implied here. To make doubly clear that the Jews definitely had T-H-R-E-E
separate prophecies in their minds when they were interrogating John the
Baptist,
let us read the remonstrance of the Jews in the verses following:
"AND THEY ASKED HIM, AND SAID UNTO HIM, WHY BAPTIZEST THOU THEN, IF
THOU BE a) NOT THAT CHRIST, b) NOR ELIAS, c) NEITHER THAT PROPHET?"
(John 1:25)
The Jews were waiting for the fulfilment of THREE distinct prophecies:
One, the coming of CHRIST. Two the coming of ELIAS, and Three, the coming of
THAT PROPHET.
"That Prophet" If we look up any Bible which has a
concordance or cross-references, the we will find in the marginal note where the
words "the Prophet", or "that Prophet" occur in John 1:25, that these words
refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18. And that 'that prophet' -
'the prophet like Moses' - "LIKE UNTO THEE", we have proved through
overwhelming evidence that he was MUHUMMED and not Jesus!
We Muslims are not denying that Jesus was the "Messiah", which word is
translated as "Christ".1 We are not contesting the "thousand and one
prophecies" which the Christians claim abound in the Old Testament foretelling
the coming of the Messiah. What we say is that Deuteronomy 18:18 does NOT refer
to Jesus Christ but it is an explicit prophecy about the Holy Prophet MUHUMMED!"
The dominee, very politely parted with me by saying that it was a very
interesting discussion and he would like me very much to come one day and
address his congregation on the subject. A decade and half has passed since then
but I am still awaiting that privilege.
I believe the dominee was sincere when he made the offer, but
prejudices die hard and who would like to loose his sheep?
1. How the word Messiah was transmuted to Christ?.
See "Christ in Islam"
The Acid Test To the lambs of Christ I say, why not apply
that acid test which the Master himself wanted you to apply to any would be
claimant to prophethood? He had said: "BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM.
DO
MEN GATHER GRAPES FROM THE THORNS, OR FIGS FROM THE THISTLES? EVERY GOOD TREE
WILL BEAR GOOD FRUIT AND EVERY EVIL TREE WILL BEAR EVIL FRUIT....BY THEIR
FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM. (Matthew 7:16-20).
Why are you afraid to apply this test to the teachings of Muhummed? You
will find in the Last Testament of God - the Holy Qur'an - the true fulfilment
of the teachings of Moses and Jesus which will bring to the world the
much-needed peace and happiness. "IF A MAN LIKE MOHAMED WERE TO ASSUME THE DIC
TATORSHIP OF THE MODERN WORLD, HE WOULD SUCCEED IN SOLVING ITS PROBLEMS THAT
WOULD BRING IT THE MUCH NEEDED PEACE AND HAPPINESS."
(George Bernard Shaw)
The Greatest!
The Weekly Newsmagazine "TIME" dated July 15,
1974, carried a selection of opinions by various historians, writers, military
men, businessmen and others on the subject: "Who Were History's Great Leaders?"
Some said that it was Hitler; others said - Gandhi, Buddha, Lincoln and the like.
But Jules Masserman, a United States psychoanalyst put the standards straight
by giving the correct criteria wherewith to judge. He said:
"LEADERS MUST FULFIL
THREE FUNCTIONS:- (1) Provide for the well-being of the led, (2) Provide
a social organization in which people feel relatively secure and (3)
Provide them with one set of beliefs."
With the above three criteria he searches history and analyses -
Hitler, Pasteur, Gaesar, Moses, Confucius and the lot, and ultimately concludes:
"PEOPLE LIKE PASTEUR AND SALK ARE LEADERS IN THE FIRST SENSE. PEOPLE
LIKE GANDHI AND CONFUCIUS, ON ONE HAND, AND ALEXANDER, CAESAR AND HITLER ON THE
OTHER, ARE LEADERS IN THE SECOND AND PERHAPS THE THIRD SENSE. JESUS AND BUDDHA
BELONG IN THE THIRD CATEGORY ALONE. PERHAPS THE GREATEST LEADER OF ALL TIMES WAS
MOHAMMED, WHO COMBINED ALL THREE FUNCTIONS. To a lesser degree, MOSES DID THE
SAME."
According to the objective standards set by the Professor of the
Chicago University, whom I believe to be Jewish, - JESUS and BUDDHA are now -
here in the picture of the "Great Leaders of Mankind", but by a queer
coincidence groups Moses and Muhummed together thus adding further weight to the
argument that JESUS is not like MOSES, but MUHUMMED is like MOSES: Deut.18:18
"LIKE UNTO THEE" - Like MOSES!
Reverend James L. Dow in Collins Dictionary of the Bible gives further proof,
that JESUS is not like MOSES, but MUHUMMED is like Moses: "AS A STATESMAN
AND LAWGIVER MOSES IS THE CREATOR OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. HE FOUND A LOOSE
CONGLOMERATION OF SEMITIC PEOPLE, NONE OF ......
*Also in "THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF
RELIGION", Moses is looked upon in the different traditions. Under Moses
in Islam; we read
"MOSES IS HIGHLY REGARDED IN ISLAM AS THE GREAT
PROPHET WHO FORETOLD THE COMING OF MUHAMMAD, HIS SUCCESSOR...THERE IS MUCH IN
THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD THAT IS IMPLICITLY REMINISCENT OF THE MOSES
TRADITION.
P121, THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF RELIGION, Mircea Eliade (EDITOR IN
CHIEF)
Volume 10, Macmillean Publishing Company
In conclusion, I end with a quotation of a Christian Reverend the
commentator of the Bible, followed by that of his Master:
"THE ULTIMATE CRITERION OF A TRUE PROPHET IS THE MORAL CHARACTER OF HIS
TEACHING."
(Prof. Dummelow.)
"BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM."
(Jesus Christ)
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COME LET US REASON TOGETHER
SAY:"O PEOPLE OF THE BOOK! COME TO COMMON TERMS AS BETWEEN US AND
YOU: THAT WE WORSHIP NONE BUT GOD; THAT WE ASSOCIATE NO PARTNERS WITH
HIM; THAT WE ERECT NOT, FROM AMONG OURSELVES, LORDS AND PATRONS OTHER
THAN GOD." IF THEN THEY TURN BACK, SAY:"BEAR WITNESS THAT WE (AT LEAST)
ARE MUSLIMS (BOWING TO GOD'S WILL)."
(SURA AL-I-'IMRAN) Holy Qur'an 3:64
"PEOPLE OF THE BOOK" is the respectful title given to the Jews and the
Christians in the Holy Qur'an. The Muslims is here commanded to invite - "O
People of the Book!" - O Learned People! O People who claim to be the recipients
of Divine Revelation, of a Holy Scripture; let us gather together onto a common
platform - "that we worship none but God", because none but God is worthy of
worship, not because "THE LORD THY GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD VISITING THE INIQUITY OF
THE FATHERS UPON THE CHILDREN UNTO THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION OF THEM THAT
HATE ME." (Exodus 20:25). But because He is our Lord and Cherisher, our
Sustainer and Evolver, worthy of all praise, prayer and devotion.
In the abstract the Jews and the Christians would agree to all the
three propositions contained in this Qur'anic verse. In practice they fail.
Apart from doctrinal lapses from the unity of the One True God, (ALLAH
Subhanahu wa ta-ala) there is the question of a consecrated Priesthood (among
the Jews it was hereditary also), as if a mere human being - Cohen or Pope, or
Priest, or Brahman, - could claim superiority apart from his learning and the
purity of his life, or could stand between man and God in some special sense.
ISLAM DOES NOT RECOGNISE PRIESTHOOD!
The Creed of Islam is given to us here in a nutshell from Holy Qur'an:
Say ye: "We believe in Allah, And the revelation given to us,
And to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, And that
given to Moses and Jesus And that given to (all) Prophets from their
Lord: We make no difference Between one and another of them: And we
bow to Allah (in Islam)."
(SURA BAQARA) Holy Qur'an 2:136.
The Muslim position is clear. The Muslim does not claim to have a
religion peculiar to himself. Islam is not a sect or an ethnic religion. In its
view all Religion is one, for the Truth is one. IT WAS THE SAME RELIGION
PREACHED BY ALL THE EARLIER PROPHETS. (Holy Qur'an 42:13). It was the truth taught by all the inspired Books. In essence it amounts to a consciousness of the
Will and Plan of God and a joyful submission to that Will and Plan. IF ANYONE
WANTS A RELIGION OTHER THAN THAT, HE IS FALSE TO HIS OWN NATURE, AS HE IS FALSE
TO GOD'S WILL AND PLAN. Such a one cannot expect guidance, for he has
deliberately renounced guidance.
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