THE
TIDINGS OF THE PROPHETS REGARDING
MUHAMMAD
In the previous chapters we
discussed that the grand messages of the prophets invited mankind towards the Universal
Religion called Islam; which means submission and surrender to the commands of the
Creator, Allah.
Islam, which guided humanity in its stages of development and promises salvation in the
hereafter. Islam which was preached by such great prophets as Abraham, Moses, Jesus (peace
be upon them) and several others, scattered across the face of the earth, reached its
climax with its final and most scientific message, the Holy Qur'an, which was revealed to
its greatest Prophet, Muhammad (s.a.w.). This last final call or set of legislations was
to supersede all previous messages, since it is the most advanced version, equipped to
serve mankind and its scientific and technological progress till Doomsday. In other words
the previous messages were preparatory steps and paving measures to groom mankind
intellectually for the great task of shouldering this perfect message, and believing
sincerely in it.
Therefore it was natural for the
carriers of previous messages, Moses and Jesus (a.s.), to direct their followers to await
this great revelation, and whole-heartedly accept its invitation by believing in the Seal
Of the prophets, Muhammad (s.a.w). as after him neither there will be a messenger nor a
message. The sacred scriptures which contained many passages, indicating the coming of
this great Prophet, exhorted their followers to await the auspicious event and gather
under Muhammad's (s.a.w.) banner when he appears. Despite the havoc wrought on the Torah
and the Gospel by the rabbis and the priests, fragments remained in these very books,
heralding the great Reformer. The Jews eagerly awaited the coming of a prophet promised by
God to deliver and guide mankind.
They even wrote books describing the signs of his appearance. Jews living in 'Yathreb' and
other parts of Arabia and constantly embroiled with the idol worshipping pagan Arab tribes
of Aws and the Khazraj,[3] used to declare that as soon as the promised one will appear in
this very land, he will put an end to the evil practices of these Arabs.
The following verses of the holy
Qur'an beautifully describe these facts:
"And certainly We gave
Moses the Book (Torah) and after him We sent (many) apostles one after another, and We
gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs (of Allah's sovereignty) and we strengthened him
with the holy spirit (angel Gabriel). What! whenever then an apostle came to you with that
(teachings) which your souls did not desire, you were insolent, so you called some
(apostles) liars and some (apostles) you slew. And they (Jews) say: Our hearts are
covered. Nay, Allah has cursed them on account of their unbelief; so little it is that
they believe. And when there came to them a Book (Qur'an) from Allah, verifying that which
they have (Torah), although before that they used to pray for victory over those who
disbelieved, but when there came to them that (Prophet) which they did recognize, (to be
the truth) they disbelieved in him; so Allah's curse is on the unbelievers."
Sura Baqara (2:87-89)
The events which were foretold to
the Jews in their books and which they were awaiting as manifest signs of the great
Reformer's appearance did take place before the coming of Muhammad (s.a.w.), a fact
towards which the Qur'an points:
".... although before
that they used to pray for victory over those who disbelieved, but when there came to them
that (Prophet) which they did recognize (to be the truth) they disbelieved in
him...".
Sura Baqara (2:89)
Commenting on the revelation of
the above verse, the Prophet's cousin, Abdullah Ibn Abbas who was a renowned exegete says:
The Jews used to invoke Allah, in the name of the awaited Prophet (before declaration of
Muhammad's (s.a.w.) prophethood) against the Arab tribes of Aws and Khazraj . But when
Allah commanded Muhammad (s.a.w.) to publicly announce his prophethood they disbelieved in
him and went back on their words; on the pretext that he was not from the Israelites but
was an Arab and thus they shamelessly denied what they used to say in his praise.
Upon this, three of the Arabs;
Muadh ibn Jubail, Bishr ibn Bara and Dawud ibn Salamah, who had renounced idolatory and
accepted Islam, reminded them in the following words: "O Jews; Fear Allah and accept
Islam; because you yourself used to pray for victory over us by the right of Muhammad
(s.a.w.), while we were idolators, remember you used to praise him and foretell his
prophethood and describe his attributes to us" To this
Salam ibn Mushkim; the Jew,
replied that Muhammad (s.a.w) brought nothing to them they knew and he is not the prophet,
which they were telling about. To refute these Jewish denials the above verse was
revealed.[4]
Al-Aiyashi, in his famous
exegesis on the holy Qur'an has recorded Imam Ja'afar As-Sadeq's (a.s.) narration to Abu
Basir. The Imam says that the Jews had been informed in their books, that the migration
(Hejira) route of the last Prophet would pass through somewhere between the places called
'Ayr' and 'Ohud'. in the Hejaz.[5] Keen to locate the place the Jews migrated to the Hejaz
to await the eventual coming of the last Reformer.
Passing along Mount Hadad, they thought it rhymed perfectly with the predicted Ohud and
they dispersed along the valley, making settlements in 'Taima', 'Fadak' and 'Khaiber'.
After some time a group of Taima Jews longing to see their brethren, hired the services of
a Bedouin and his camels, who promised to show them the predicted lands, called Ayr and
Ohud. When the party reached the city of Yathreb (Medina) the Bedouin told them that this
is Ayr and that is Ohud. Immediately the Jews dismounted and informed the Bedouin that
they no longer required either his services or his camels, because they had reached their
avowed goal and intend to settle there. They wrote to their brethren in Fadak and Khaiber
about their discovery of the promised place and invited them to join them in Yathreb. The
Khaiber and Fadak Jews, as they had grown roots in those places showed reluctance in
deserting their settlements, but however assured the Yathreb Jews, that since it is in
close proximity to their places, when it happens (the appearance of the awaited Prophet),
they will rush to Yathreb.
Gradually as time passed the
Jews, profiting in trade and commerce amassed considerable wealth and bought large
properties in and around Yathreb . Their new found wealth and prosperity attracted the
covetous eyes of 'Tubba', King of Yemen, who raided them. The Jews fortified themselves
and after a long siege, the conflicting parties came to terms. King Tubba revealed his
intentions of permanently settling in Yathreb , to which the Jews objected, saying that
Yathreb being the future migration place of the expected Prophet, it is sacred to them and
no one else may reside there until then. The King of Yemen persuaded them that in that
case he will leave two of his near relatives from the Aws and Khazraj tribes in Yathreb,
so that they may also support the promised Reformer when he appears.
In course of time the numbers of
the Aws and Khazraj who were Arabs greatly increased and soon they started vying with the
Jews for supremacy and laid their hands on Jewish lands and properties. It was during
these conflicts against the idol-worshipping Arabs (the Aws and Khazraj tribes) that the
Jews who were expecting the last Prophet and had migrated to Arabia solely for this
purpose, used to rebuke the pagan Arabs by saying:
"When Muhammad (s.a.w)
finally appears, we shall drive you from our lands and properties."
But when Muhammad (s.a.w.) did
finally appear and declared his prophethood, it were these very same Jews who generations
ago had come in his search - who rejected him saying that he was an Arab and not of the
Israelites.
Whereas the pagan Arabs of the tribes of Aws and Khazraj renounced idolatory , accepted
Islam and rallied to his cause, for which ironically the Jews had waited so long, only to
deviate at the last moment. Thus it is towards this fact that the Holy Qur'an draws
attention."
"... although before
that they used to pray for victory over those who disbelieved..."
Sura Baqara (2:89)
It will not be out of context to
cite the following passages from the Old Testament, which to any discernible and rational
mind are a pointer to the prophethood of Muhammad (s.a.w.)
"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."
"And it shall come to
pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I
will requite it of him."
Deuteronomy (18:18,19)
"And as for Ishmael I
have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply
him exceedingly; twelve princes shall be beget and I will make him a great nation."
Genesis (17:20)
"Here is My servant,
whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight, I have bestowed My spirit upon him, and he
will make justice shine on the nations. He will not call out or lift his mice high, or
make himself heard in the open market. He will not break a bruised reed, or snuff out a
smouldering wick; he will make justice shine on every race, never faltering, never
breaking down, he will plant justice on earth, while coasts and islands wait for his
teaching. Thus speaks the Lord Who is God, He Who created the skies and stretched them
out, Who fashioned the earth and all that grows in it, Who gave breath to its people, the
breath of life to all who walk upon it: I, the Lord, have called you with righteous
purpose and taken you by the hand; I have formed You and appointed you to be a light to
all peoples, a beacon for the nations... Let the wilderness and its towns rejoice, and the
villages of the tribe of Kedar (Qaydar)[6].
Isaiah (42:1-6,11)
These prophesies could apply to
none of the Hebrew prophets. Even Jesus (a.s.) made it plain that his mission was far from
being universal, saying: "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel".
(Mathew 15:24)
His calling was limited and it
was the later non Jewish converts, not Jesus (a.s.) who gave Christianity its inclusive
nature. Nor was Jesus (a.s) or any of the Hebrew prophets related in any way to Kedar
(Qaydar). In promising a great prophet from the Arabs, Isaiah (a.s.) was merely amplifying
the prophecy made previously by Moses (a.s.).
God revealed to Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18,19) that a prophet would arise from the brothers
of the Hebrews the Arabs, who were children of the brother of Isaac, Ishmael (peace be
upon them)- who would command world wide attention and obedience.
Ishmael's (a.s.) descendants came
to be known as Arabs, a term which in Hebrew, meant those who inhabited the 'Arabah'
(desert). Further, of all the sons of Ishmael (a.s.) the one mentioned most prominently in
the Old Testament is Kedar. In some verses Kedar is synonymous with the Arabs in general.'
This is an important indication that the line of Kedar was marked by God for a unique
purpose for it was from this line Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) sprang.
JESUS' PROPHECY ABOUT MUHAMMAD
"And when Jesus son of
Mary said: O Children of Israel! Surely I am the apostle of Allah to you, verifying that
which was (revealed) before me of the Torah, and giving the good tidings of an Apostle who
will come after me, whose name is Ahmad..."
Sura Saff (61:6)
"Those who follow the
Apostle - Prophet the Ummi whom they find ordained for them in the Torah and the Gospel,
he enjoins them good and forbids them evil..."
Sura A'raf (7:157)
The Gospel of Jesus (a.s.)
brought into sharper focus the identity of the one who would fulfil the promise to make
the line of Ishmael (a.s.) a great nation. In the Gospel of John - a New Testament book
which is not the Gospel of Jesus (a.s.) and which may be considered as representing only
in general terms portions of Jesus' teaching - Jesus (a.s.) informs his close companions
that his work among them was drawing to conclusion, but God would send someone else after
a time to carry forward the prophetic movement. This someone, however, would be the last
of the prophets.
The following passages of the New
Testament lend further proof to the Prophethood of Muhammad (s.a.w):
"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.
And they asked him, what
then? Art thow Elias?
And he saith I am not. Art
thou THAT PROPHET? And he answered, No.
And they asked him, and
said unto him, why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither
THAT PROPHET."
John (1:19-21,25)
"If ye love me, keep
my commandments.
And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with
you forever.
But the Comforter, which is
the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your rememberance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Hereafter I will not talk
much with you: fur the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me."
John (14:15, 16,26,30)
"But when the
Comforter is come, whom I shall send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth,
which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me."
John (15:26)
"Nevertheless I tell
you the truth; it is expedient fur you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you.
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgement:
Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Of righteouseness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Of judgement because the prince of this world is judged.
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
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."
John (16:7-14)
A careful study of these passages
brings to light the following facts:
1) Jesus Christ (a. s.)
prophesies the corning of a Comforter after him.
2) The coming of the Comforter depends on Christ's departure.
3) He is sent by Almighty Allah.
4) He will teach everything.
5) He will draw attention towards what the Christ had foretold.
6) He will testify and glorify Christ.
7) He will not speak by himself but what he divinely hears.
8) He will foretell future events.
9) The world will follow his religion.
10) He will stay forever.
In view of these glaring facts if
we cast a glimpse at the life of Prophet Muhammad(s.a.w.) we will discover the amazing
truth that these points perfectly tally with his mission and hence without doubt he is the
.Comforter' whose tidings Jesus (a.s.) gave. Because the holy Qur'an revealed to Prophet
Muhammad(s.a.w.)not only confirms and glorifies Jesus (a.s.) and his Prophethood but
reminds people of Christ's prophecy. Besides, the Qur'an is a final revelation for mankind
and an eternal message. It is an inexhaustible mine of information, foretells future
events and promises that Islam will eventually spread all over the world uniting humanity
in peace and harmony.
A closer look at the word
'Comforter' as mentioned in the Bible will help us uncover some more startling facts.
Comforter here stands for the word 'Parakletos' mentioned in the Greek version of the New
Testament from which the English translation is made. And more precisely the meaning of
'Parakletos' is an advocate, one who counsels or advises another from deep concern for the
other's welfare. Or to say it more clearly 'Parakletos' would designate one who would be
considered "Mercy for all creatures" (Rahmatun lil Alameen), the term the holy
Qur'an uses in chapter 21 verse 107 to describe Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).
Moreover scholars have pointed
out that what Jesus' said in his native language of Aramaic represents another similar
Greek word 'Periklytos', which means the Admirable or the Glorified One and corresponds
exactly to the Arabic word 'Ahmad'.
Hence the Qur'an's quotation of
Jesus' good tidings to the Jews: "An Apostle will come alter me whose name is
Ahmad".
When Jesus declares of this
coming Prophet Counsellor that he would "abide with you forever',' he shows that
there would be no need for additional prophets to succeed him. He would be the last one.
He would lead mankind "to every aspect of the truth." So truthful and
trustworthy would he be that he will be called Al-Arnin (The Truthful) or as the text of
John 16:13 says, "the spirit of truth", one of whom it could be said: "He
has brought them the Truth." (Qur'an 23:70)
The term 'spirit' here does not
mean that the corning Prophet would be other than human. In New Testament Greek, this word
has also been applied to an inspired person, "the possessor of a spiritual
communication" or revelation. This is why the next sentence of the verse containing
this expression says: "He will guide you unto all truth; for he shall not speak
of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear (from God), that shall he speak."
(John 16:13).
This person would receive the
revelation of truth from God and these words alone would constitute the message, not his
own opinions or the writings of his companions. His message or revelation would be first
and foremost and literally the Word of God. Note that this corresponds exactly to what God
revealed to Moses (a.s.) about the Prophet who would come from among the
"brothers" of the Hebrews: "I.... will put My words in his mouth, and
he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." (Deuteronomy 18:18).
Now compare these to the
following verse of the holy Qur'an which drives home the ultimate truth:
"Your companion
(Muhammed) does not err, nor does he go astray; Nor does he speak out of desire. It is
naught but revelation that is revealed, The Lord of Mighty Power has taught him."
Sura Najm (53:25)
It cannot be overlooked that
Jesus (a.s.) gives a unique requirement that would help to identify the last Prophet:
"He shall glorify me" (John 16:14). If anyone had come claiming to be this
Prophet, but did not give due honor to Jesus (a.s.) as Prophet and Messiah, he would be
the wrong one. At the same time, this Prophet to come would not be a follower of Jesus
(a.s.), that is, a Christian, because Jesus (a.s.) said that this Prophet would reveal
things of which Jesus (a.s.) himself was unaware. If Jesus (a.s.) had brought "all
the truth," there would have been no need for him to single out someone else who
would come with all the truth. Likewise, since this Prophet would bring all the truth he
would have to be the last one, the seal of the Prophets. Therefore, we would have to look
for someone who, like Abraham (a.s.) in whose line he would come, would be neither Jew nor
Christian but would believe in God. He would "glorify" Jesus (a.s.) by insisting
that Jesus (a.s.) was a true Messenger of God and by acknowledging that Jesus (a.s.) was
the true Messiah. But the teaching of this Prophet would come from God Himself. As a
revelation from God, the message of this last Prophet would confirm what God revealed
previously by means of the original Torah and the original Gospel, but his message would
be no mere plagiarized copy, no condensed edition of either the Torah or the Gospel. God
Almighty had said, "I... will put My words in his mouth:' and it is proper that these
words agree with previously revealed words of the One and Same God. "Whatsoever
he shall hear (from God), that shall he speak."
History has recorded that
Christians during the first few centuries after Christ, not only believed in these
above-mentioned facts but eagerly awaited the coming of the last Prophet, as foretold by
Jesus (a.s.) It was only during the 3rd century, when hordes of Roman pagans began
converting to Christianity, the pure monotheistic message of Prophet Jesus (a.s.) showed
signs of pollution, with weird heathen ideas such as 'God Father', 'God Son', 'Holy Ghost'
and 'Trinity' creeping in.
This strange Holy Ghost
interpretation gained currency only after Christians began to look upon God as a Trinity
with the Holy Ghost being an aspect of it. Neither the word Trinity nor its concepts can
be found anywhere in the Bible. The Paraclete would be a man, not a ghost, because the
same word is applied to Jesus (a.s.) himself, in John (2:1).
The annals of history prove that faithful Christians from time to time stood up against
these heretical ideas.
But when Constantine assumed the reins of the Roman Empire, not only did he espouse the
cause of the heretics, but also launched a mass persecution against the true believers,
forcing them to flee to deserts and inaccessible mountains to live as hermits.
Finally the following passage
from the French Encyclopaedia, 'Larousse,[7], is a sufficient admittance to the truth of
Islam: "Muhammad' is a derivative of the word 'Mahmood', whose root-word is 'Hamd',
which means glorifying. Strangely another word is derived from the same origin and that is
'Ahmad'. It is widely believed, Christians in the Arabian Peninsula used the word 'Ahmad'
for the Greek word 'Paraclete' mentioned in the Bible, which means 'the Glorified or
Promised one'. Muslims subsequently made great efforts saying this refers to Prophet
Muhammad, as described by the Qur'an (in Chapter 61)."
Thus it is clear that despite
centuries of disastrous human interference in the Torah and the Bible, portions remain
indicating the eternal truth of Islam.
The Encyclopaedia Brittanica has
the following comments on the Gospels:
"They resemble oil paintings
rather than photographs. Legendary and apologetic motifs, and the various preoccupations
of the communities for which they were first produced, can readily be discerned as
influences upon their narratives."[8]
The coming of Muhammad (s.a.w.)
was heralded, not only by Moses (a.s.) and Jesus (a.s.), but by all the prophets.
Even Abraham (a.s.), the father
of the prophets, foretold his coming, and prayed God for a guide and rescuer. This is
explicitly referred to by the Qur'an which quotes Abraham's prayer:
"Our Lord! and raise
up in them an Apostle from among them who shall recite to them Your revelations, and teach
them the Book and the Wisdom and cleanse them (of false beliefs); surely You are the
Mighty, the Wise."
Sura Baqara (2:129)
The verse given below declaring
the prophethood of Muhammad (s.a.w.) is a clear answer to Abraham's (a.s.) prayer
mentioned above; for Muhammad (s.a.w.), was a direct descendent of Abraham (a.s.) through
his eldest son Ishmael (a.s.):
"He it is Who raised
among the unlettered, an Apostle from among themselves, who recites to them His
revelations and cleanses them (of false beliefs), and teaches them the Book and the
Wisdom, although they were before certainly in clear error."
Sura Jum'a (62:2)
These facts are quite obvious to
a rational thinker and any seeker of truth interested in finding the path of guidance,
like Negus, the Christian king of Abyssinia, who positively responded to the call of
truth. When the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) wrote to Negus citing proofs of his
prophethood, foretold in the Torah and the Gospel and invited him to accept Islam, Negus
immediately surrendered (became Muslim) to the message of Islam. History has preserved his
eternal words as a fair testimony of a just man, free from the effects of the environment,
or the pressures of obstinacy and bigotry; "I call Allah as witness that he (Muhammad
s.a.w.) is the prophet awaited for by the followers of the Scriptures..."[9]
Thus, anyone pursuing truth can
clearly discern that Muhammad (s.a.w.) had been heralded by the previous prophets, and
that he was the awaited one to reform mankind and deliver them, from darkness and going
astray. Yes, it was he whom all the prophets had heralded and prayed Allah to send.
References:
ISLAM THE RELIGION OF MANKIND
PRESENTED BY: AL-BALAGH FOUNDATION |
