Jesus or Muhammad? by Masood Steven

Author:Masood, Steven [Masood, Steven]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781624199394
Publisher: Xulon Press
Published: 2012-11-28T16:00:00+00:00

8

IS MUHAMMAD MENTIONED

IN THE BIBLE?

Many friends reject the integrity of the Bible yet quote from it, claiming that several key prophets prophesied Muhammad’s coming. They quote from the Torah, the books of the Prophets, the Psalms, and passages from the New Testament to support their claim. We will check several of those passages in this chapter to see how they raise their point of view. We will look into the very context, to show that many of the cases mentioned by them in reality have no bearing.

The Qur’anic claim about Muhammad in the Torah and the Gospel

In the Bible, we see Moses receiving a covenant in line with God’s promise to Abraham through the election of a people by now known as the Israelites, the children of Israel. However in the Qur’an, which claims to be from the same divine source, neither the promise nor the election appears. In one instance, after presenting more than 50 verses concerning Moses, including his witness to Pharaoh, the plagues in Egypt, the crossing of the red sea, Moses receiving the Torah, the displays of the Israelites’ stubbornness, the appointments of 70 wise men, and the writings of guidance, the Qur’an abruptly interjects the claim of Muhammad being predicted in the Torah and the Gospel (Sura 7:157). The Qur’an then returns to the story of Moses and his people in the wilderness facing thirst, with God directing where to strike for water.

Like an evangelical preacher in the middle of his sermon, Muhammad makes an altar call, “I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He that giveth both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, who believeth in Allah and His words: follow him that (so) ye may be guided” (Sura 7:158). It is on the bases of such an assertion that Muslims refer to the Bible, searching for passages with the attempt to prove the coming of Muhammad as stated in the Qur’an.

The Qur’anic passage refers to “the Unlettered Prophet” (Ummi). Nowhere in the Torah and the Injil (the Gospel) is there any mention about a prophet who cannot read or write. Some Muslims, in their arguments, refer to Isaiah 29:11-12. However, many issues contradict this claim. First, Isaiah is not part of the Torah.124 Also, the context does not help our Muslim friends. The context takes place in Jerusalem, not in Arabia. Verse 13 in Isaiah 29 tells of those people who say they cannot read or comprehend the scroll, and it states that their hearts are far from God. A Muslim would hardly be prepared to accept such a statement for Muhammad. We will discuss this matter more deeply later on in the chapter.

A prophet like Moses

Deuteronomy 18:15-19 is the passage in the Bible most often cited by Muslims as a prophecy about Muhammad. In verse 15 Moses is speaking; in verse 18 the Lord himself is speaking through Moses.

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