CHAPTER: 12
PROPHESIES-THE PROPHET AFTER JESUS
It is well known that the eledest son of Prophet Abrham was Ishmael, the second son Issac was born 13-14 years later. In the progny of Ishmael, known as Arabs, in the tribe of Quraysh Muhammad was brorn in 571 C.E. Ishmael was left in the wilderness (later developed in to city of Makka a religious and commercial centre) along with his mother Hager. They were miraculously saved through a spring of Zamzam and flourished. Later Abraham came to offer sacrifice of his only son Ishmael, but he was saved by God. Abraham built the first House of Worship of One God along with Ishmael, it is now known as Ka’ba (one direction of prayer for worship of One God (Allah, symbolizing the unity ). He also established the rites of Pilgrimage (Hajj). The advent of Prophet Muhammad has been prophesized in the Old Testament as well as in New Testament directly and indirectly, some are mentioned below:
Old Testament:
1. God Calls Abraham:
“I will make thee a great nation and I shall bless thee, and make thy name great and thou shall be a blessing, and I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”. (Genesis;12:2,3):
2. God Said To Hagar:
“I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold thou art with child, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.” (Genesis;17:10-12)
3. God Said To Abraham about Ishmael:
“As for Ishmael, I have heard thee; Behold I have blessed him, and make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, I will make him a great nation.” (Genesis;17:20-21)
4. Right of The First Born:
“If a man has two wives, one beloved another hated; and if the first born son be hers that was hated; then it shall be that when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved first born, before the son of the hated which is indeed the first born, by giving him the double portion of all that he hath; for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of firstborn is his”. (Deuteronomy;21:15-17)
[Note.—Ishmael was 13/14 years old when Isaac was born.]
5. The Blessing of Moses:
“And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran (Arabic: Faran) came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in your hand: and they sat down at your feet; everyone shall receive of your words. Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob”. (Deuteronomy;33:2-4).
6. The Age of Peace:
“And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, you sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it: he went up to my couch. Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not into their secret; unto their assembly, my spirit, be not united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they dug down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise: your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, you are gone up: he stooped down, he crouched as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until SHILOH (Peace, Islam) comes; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be”.(Genesis;49:1-10)
7. The Vision of Isaiah:
“And he hath seen a chariot--a couple of horsemen, The rider of an ass, the rider of a camel, And he hath given attention--He hath increased attention!”(Isaiah;21:7) [Young’s Bible Literal Translation]. “He saw two riders one of them was a rider upon an ass, and the other rider was upon a camel, he harkened diligently with much heed.”(Isaiah;21:7) [Vulgate Bible]
8. Jesus-The Promised Rider Upon An Ass:
“And Jesus, when he had found a young donkey, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey's colt. These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him”.(John;12:14-16)
9. Another Version Supporting the Above:
“Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King comes unto you, meek, and sitting upon a donkey, and a colt the foal of a donkey. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the donkey, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they sat him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and spread them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he came into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.( Matthew;21:5-11)
WHO IS THE PROMISED RIDER UPON THE CAMEL? Obviously it refers to Muhammad!
10. The Chosen Servant:
“Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my elect, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth justice unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he has established justice in the earth: and the coastlands shall wait for his law. Thus says God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which comes out of it; he that gives breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk in it: I the LORD have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and give you for a covenant to the people, for a light to the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images”.(Isaiah;42:1-8)
11. Prevail Against Jealous Enemies:
“Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar does inhabit: let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the coastlands. The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, shout aloud; he shall prevail against his enemies.”(Isaiah;42:11-13)
12. Brethren; The Prophecy of Moses:
God speaks to Prophet Moses: "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. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not harken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him"(Deuteronomy; 18:18,19).
Relating this prophesy with Jesus is not correct as the analysis indicate that it is related with Muhammad : Among the prophets which followed Prophet Moses, Muhammad is most like Prophet Moses where as Jesus had nothing common with Moses except being a Jew and prophet, [most of Christians, believe Jesus to be Son of God, one of the three persons of the Trinity].Moreover, being descendent of Muhammad is among the brethren of Jews, who was like Moses.
13. Similarities: Moses & Muhammad:
Muhammad and Moses had a normal birth through father and a mother, while Jesus was miraculously born without any male intervention. (Mathew; 1:18 and Luke; 1:35 and also Qur'an;3:42-47). Both were married, had children and died natural deaths. Muhammad is from among the brethren of Prophet Moses being descendent of Prophet Abraham through his sons Ishmael and Isaac (peace be upon them) respectively. Prophet Muhammad was unlettered, hence in verbatim repeated the revelations conforming phrase; “Words in the mouth”. Prophet Moses & Muhammad brought new laws and new regulations for their people, besides, both were accepted as messengers of God by their people in their lifetime. They ruled over their communities (as kings), they could inflict capital punishment where as Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world." (John; 18:36), Jesus was not accepted by most of his people in his life time: "He came unto his own, but his own received him not."(Gospel of John;1:11) and he (Jesus) did not bring any new laws, Jesus said; “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them..;”(Mathew;5:17-18).
14. Song of Solomon:
Prophet Muhammad is mentioned by name in the Old Testament: “His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely(Muhammadim). This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem."(Song of Solomon; 5:16). :"Hikko Mamittakim we kullo Muhammadim Zehdoodeh wa Zehraee Bayna Jerusalem."" In the Hebrew language ‘im’ is added for respect. Similarly ‘im’ is added after the name of Prophet Muhammad, to make it Muhammadim. In English translation they have even translated the name of Prophet Muhammad as "altogether lovely", but in the Old Testament in Hebrew (dmxm), the name of Muhammad is present till now.
Prophesies in New Testament:
Jesus Christ says:
1. Spirit of Truth, Glorify Jesus:
"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth (referring to Muhammad) is come, he will guide you unto all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me"(John; 16:12-14). [Prophet Muhammad spoke verbatim the revelations received through angel Gabriel, he also glorified Jesus Christ]
2. Comforter: Paracletos;:
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Paracletos), that he may abide with you forever."(John; 14:16). [Muhammad delivered the message of God, which is available to Christians and all the humanity in original uncorrupted form for their peace and comfort till eternity.]
3. Witness to the Truthfulness of Jesus:
“But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me;” (John; 15:26). [Muhammad bore witness of truthfulness of Jesus as messenger of God, he also glorified Jesus Christ]
4. Comforter to Come after Departure of Jesus:
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; 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.”(John;16:7). [Muhammad came six centuries after departure of Jesus Christ]
Referring these prophesies to ‘Holy Ghost’ is irrelevant, because as per Christian theology ‘Holy Ghost’ was already present (dove upon Jesus) and is considered as one of Trinity. Moreover what ‘new thing’ ‘Holy Ghost’ has brought after departure of Jesus Christ in last 2000 years? (‘Holy Ghost’ is believed to be guiding the Churches).
All these prophesies are clearly applicable to Prophet Muhammad. As explained earlier, Ahmed" or "Muhammad" meaning "the one who praises" or "the praised one" is almost the translation of the Greek word par-ak'-lay-tos; Periclytos. In the Gospel of John;14:16, 15:26, and 16:7, Jesus actually prophesized “Ahmed” by name, word 'Comforter' in Greek Paracletos, Periclytos refers to Muhammad.
Deductions:
From above it may be deduced that the prophet after Jesus Christ would be:
1. A rider upon a camel.
2. God’s servant (Abduho).
3. God's Elect (Mustafa).
4. Inhabitant of the villages of Prince Kedar, son of Ishmael.
5. His religion will be known as Shiloh(means; Peace-Islam).
6. His light will shine from Faran.
7. The scepter (A staff held by a sovereign as an emblem of authority or Ruling power or authority; sovereignty)of Judah will pass on to him.
8. God will put his words in his mouth.
9. He shall not fail and shall not break.
10.He will have similarities with Moses.
11.He shall be known as Comforter, Ahmad, or …Advocate.
It does not require the genius & Wisdom Of Socrates, Plato or Aristotle to Conclude as to who is this Propeht?
Change of Leadership of Mankind:
The Chosen Race:
The concept of a chosen race for all times is against the spirit of justice and fairness. God makes it clear that the exalted status of Abraham was not something that would automatically confer a comparable status on this physical descendant, and definitely not on the sinners among them. God also took solemn pledge form the Children of Israel and those call themselves as Christians, but they broke it.
Israeli Transgression & Covenant Violation:
The Leadership and Prophethood in the progeny of Israel (Jacob) had continued for almost fifteen hundred years. However once the Israelites transgress the limits and violated the Covenant pledged with God by becoming proud, considering that; as Chosen People of God, their mistakes would be forgiven, hence they may indulge in non adherence to Commands of God, they killed their prophets, inserted changes in the scriptures,
Jesus is mentioned in the Bible as saying: “If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did.” (Jhon;8:39). “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”(Matthew;3:9-10).
The Children of Israel (Jews) deviated from their Covenant, and those who followed Jesus Christ completely changed his message by incorporating the pagan concept of ‘Son of God’ and ‘Trinity’, hence the special status which was granted to them was withdrawn by God: “. Ultimately the Jews humiliated and planned to kill the Messenger of God, Jesus, the son of Marry, this act of theirs put an end to the Covenant. After Jesus his followers transgressed all the limits and declared him Son of God and God, part of trinity in total violation to teachings of Old Testament and Jesus Christ.
Shift of Leadership to Progeny of Ishmael:
The Last Messenger:
The prophesies of coming of Muhammad in the Bible were materialized six centuries after Jesus, God shifted the leadership of humanity and Prophethood to the progeny of Ishmael (Arabs) the elder son of Prophet Abraham to revive ‘obedience to God’ (Arabic: Islam), the original faith of Abraham. Thus Prophet Muhammad (571-632 C.E) the descendent of Isma’il was declared as the last prophet of God. He revealed Qur’an, the last Message of guidance upon Muhammad and Himself took the responsibility to guard it against corruption: Consequently from last 1400 years Qur’an is available to the mankind in its original form and will remain as such till eternity. Prophet Muhammad preached the true religion of God which was sent down upon Abraham, Noah, Jacob, Isaac, Moses and Jesus Christ.
Denial by Some Jews and Christians:
While many Jews and Christians responded positively there were others who opposed it on the pretext that Muslims, the ignorant savages had concocted their own religion by copying Judaism and Christianity, and only an insane person would ever make such allegations. The truth obviously stands out.
Historic Relationship:
Palestine including Jerusalem fell to the Muslim Arabs in 638 C.E. It was during the Muslim rule that a small permanent Jewish population was allowed to return to Jerusalem after absence of 500-years. The periods of Crusades witnessed massacres of Muslims and Jews alike during period of Christian occupation of Jerusalem. Jews enjoyed religious freedom, respect and authority in Muslims rule. Taking advantage of soft approach of the Ottomans and weakening of empire, in nineteenth century the numbers of Jews started to increase. Through intrigue, conspiracy, terrorism and active Englo-American and Western support, Zionist Jews have been able to establish their own state ; “Israel” in 1948 at the expense of Palestinians by expelling them from their native place: “That is because God has never changed the blessings which He has bestowed on a people until they themselves changed the condition of their souls“.
Conclusion:
The simple fact is even clearly evident from the canonical Bible, that Jesus Christ was the human, a Prophet, miraculously born to the Virgin Mary for the guidance of children of Israel. God granted him miracles, but he was rejected by majority of Jews. They tried to kill him through conspiracy but they failed because God saved him by raising Jesus Christ to Himself. The different stories about his death on the cross and resurrection are based on conjecture, marred with mystery. Simple followers of Jesus continued to adhere to the monotheistic teachings of Jesus Christ. However the later entrants like Paul, in order to attract the pagans of Greco-Roman empire incorporated the new doctrines like divinity of Jesus. It was opposed by true disciples like Barnabas, who were sidelined. The fierce struggle of survival between Christian groups continued till 325 C.E and later resulting in killing of millions.
The Trinitarians influenced Emperor Constantine, but, he was later inclined towards the monotheistic doctrine of Arius, finally he was baptized by Arian bishop. Thus Monotheism became the official religion. Constantine died in 337 C.E followed by Emperor Constantanius, he also accepted the faith of Arius (monotheism). Conference of Antioch (341 C.E) was the first of several 4th-century councils that attempted to replace orthodox Nicene theology with a modified Arianism. This view was confirmed by another Council held in Sirmium in 351 C.E. As a resultArianism was accepted by an overwhelming majority of Christians. St. Jerome wrote in 359 C.E that 'the whole world groaned and marveled to find itself Arian'. Indeed, for more than 40 years after the death of Constantine, Arianism continued to be the official orthodoxy of the Eastern Empire.
However by the end of 4th century Trinitarians again gained ascendancy and monotheist were banished but they continue to survive even till present era (like Unitarians).The prophesies of Prophet Muhammad can clearly still be found in the Bible despite consistent efforts to obliterate them. (Deuteronomy; 18:18,19, Mathew; 1:18, Luke; 1:35, John;18:36, 1:11 & Mathew;5:17-18).
The Jews, Christians and Muslims claim to be the followers of Abraham, who preached the pure monotheism. Moses and Jesus said: "Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad"; "Hear, O Israel : The Lord our God is one Lord" (Deuteronomy;6:4, Isaiah;43:11, 45:5,46:9 & Mathew;19:17); “Your God is one God; there is no one worthy of worship except Him, the Compassionate, the Merciful.” (Qur’an;2:163). The children of Abraham should get together on what is common between them i.e worship none but God; do not associate any partners with Him and that they should not take human beings for their lords besides God. The focus on common aspects will help in developing batter understanding of each other and can become basis for dialogue.
The faith in Islam is based upon belief in One God, His angels, His Scriptures (like Torah, Psalms, Gospel), His messengers, and Muhammad to be His Last Messenger, Resurrection after death, Destiny, Trial, Hell and Paradise.
The previous Pope, John Paul II was instrumental in developing new approach of Vatican towards Muslims. It is important that for the sake of world peace and freedom of humanity, the Christian West, Jews and Muslims should treat each other with fairness, justice, respect and dignity which they deserve and stop oppression and exploitation, the common roots should form the basis of friendship and dialogue not confrontation to eradicate the menace of violence and terrorism which has caused immense damage to the peace and stability of the world, it as an attempt to tarnished the image of Islam, the ever growing religion of peace.
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