๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ญ (๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ) ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐
Mohamad Mostafa Nassar
Twitter@NassarMohamadMR
Question
Some followers of Islam tell me that Muhammad and Jesus were two of the great prophets. They tell me that the reason Muhammad wasn’t mentioned in the Bible was because he was born after the Bible was already written.
Well, Jesus was born after the Old Testament was written, yet there were over 600 prophesies in the Old Testament about Jesus that all came true, yet there are NO prophesies about Muhammad in the entire Bible. How can Muhammad be like Jesus if that is true?
Answer
Praise be to Allah.
This is one of two cases: either this man is ignorant and what he says is of no significance, or what he says is a fabrication and a lie.
We Muslims know well the ayah (Qurโanic verse) in which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
โThose who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad) whom they find written with them in the Tawrah (Torah) (Deut, xviii 15) and the Injil (Gospel) (John, xiv 16), โ he commands them for Al-Maโroof (i.e. Islรขmic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained); and forbids them from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden):
He allows them as lawful AtโTayyibaat (i.e. all good and lawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods), and prohibits them as unlawful AlโKhabaaโith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods), he releases them from their heavy burdens (of Allahโs Covenant with the children of Israel), and from the fetters (bindings) that were upon them. So those who believe in him (Muhammad), honour him, help him, and follow the light (the Qurโaan) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful
Quran [al-Aโraaf 7:157]
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his commentary (Tafsir) on this verse:
โThose who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write whom they find written with them in the Tawrah (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel)โ โ this is a description of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the books of the Prophets who gave their nations the glad tidings of his coming and commanded them to follow him.
This description is still there in their books and their scholars and rabbis know it. Imam Ahmad narrated: Ismaโil told us from al-Jareeri from Abu Sakhr al-โAqeeli, a man from among the Bedouin told me, I brought a milch-camel to Madinah during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). When I had sold her, I said, โLet me meet this man [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)] and listen to him.
โ I met him walking between Abu Bakr and โUmar, and I followed them until they came to a Jewish man who was reading from a scroll of the Torah, consoling himself for the plight of his son who lay dying, a boy who was very handsome and good looking.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, โI ask you by the One Who revealed this Torah, do you find any mention in this book of yours of my attributes and my coming?โ The man gestured with his head to indicate โNoโ.
But his son said, โYes indeed, by the One who revealed the Torah, we do find mention of your attributes and youโre coming in our book, and I bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.โ
[The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)] said, โKeep this Jew away from your brother.โ Then he took care of shrouding him and praying [the funeral prayer] over him.โ This is a qawiy jayyid hadeeth=Strong Authentic Statement.
It was narrated that โAtaaโ ibn Yassaar said: โI met โAbd-Allah ibn โAmr and said, โTell me about the attributes of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) described in the Torah.โ He said, โYes, by Allah he is described in the Torah as he is described in the Qurโan (interpretation of the meaning):
โVerily, We have sent you (O Muhammad) as a witness, as a bearer of glad tidings, and as a warnerโ Quran [al-Fath 48:8] โ and as a savior to the unlettered; you are My slave and My messenger; your name is al-Mutawakkil; you are not harsh and aggressive; Allah will not take him (in death) until He has straightened a crooked nation through him so that they will say that there is no god except Allah, and has opened hard hearts, deaf ears and blind eyes.โโ
โAtaaโ said:
โThen I met Kaโb (who was one of the People of the Book who had become Muslim) and I asked him about that, and he told me exactly the same, not even one letter was differentโฆโ
Al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih that โAtaaโ ibn Yassaar said: โI met โAbd-Allah ibn โAmr ibn al-โAas (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, โTell me about the description of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the Torah. He said, โโYes, by Allah, he is described in the Torah in some of the same terms as he is described in the Qurโan (interpretation of the meaning):
โVerily, We have sent you (O Muhammad) as a witness, as a bearer of glad tidings, and as a warnerโ Quran [al-Fath 48:8] โ and as a savior to the unlettered; you are My slave and My messenger; your name is al-Mutawakkil; he is not harsh and aggressive, and he does not make a noise in the market-place; he does not repay evil with evil, rather he overlooks and forgives;
Allah will not take him (in death) until He has straightened a crooked nation through him so that they will say that there is no god except Allah, and has opened hard hearts, deaf ears, and blind eyes.โโ
(al-Bukhari, al-Fath, no. 2125)
Allah did not send any Prophet without taking from him the covenant and promise that if the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) were to appear during his lifetime, he would follow Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Allah says in Surah Al โImran (which no Christian reads with an open mind, but he will become Muslim) (interpretation of the meaning):
โAnd (remember) when Allah took the Covenant of the Prophets, saying: โTake whatever I gave you from the Book and Hikmah (understanding of the Laws of Allah), and afterwards there will come to you a Messenger (Muhammad) confirming what is with you; you must, then, believe in him and help him.โ Allah said: โDo you agree (to it) and will you take up My Covenant (which I conclude with you)?โ
They said: โWe agree.โ He said: โThen bear witness; and I am with you among the witnesses (for this).โโ
Quran [Al โImran 3:81]
Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his commentary (tafsir) on this verse:
It is said that Allah took the covenant from the Prophets that they would confirm one another, and He commanded them to believe in one another. This is the meaning of believing and helping (โyou must, then, believe in him and help himโ). Taawoos said: Allah took the covenant from the first Prophets that they would believe in the Message of the later Prophetsโฆ
The Messenger here is Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), according to the view of โAli and Ibn โAbbas (may Allah be pleased with them).
Allah took the covenant from all the Prophets that they would believe in Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) if they met him, and He commanded them to take the same covenant from their nations.
If you want to know more about the references to the coming of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the Bible (even after it has been altered!) we refer you to the books โMuhammad (peace and blessings of Allah, be upon him) in the Bibleโ and โWhat the Bible says about Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)โ by Ahmad Deedat.
We ask Allah to guide you.