ARTICLES BY AHMED DEEDAT

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  #                                                                   #
  #                     WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT                     #
  #                   MOHAMMED (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
  ISRAEL BORE WITNESS OF ONE LIKE HIM... "
                                  (Holy Qur'an  46:10).  (see note 1)
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
Pope or Kissinger?
Lucky Thirteen
Why nothing?
Not One by name!
What is Prophecy?
Prophet Like Moses
Three Unlikes
Father and Mother
Miraculous Birth
Marriage Ties
Jesus Rejected by his People
"Other-Wordly" Kingdom
No New Laws
How they Departed
Heavenly Abode
Ishmael The First Born
Arabs and Jews
Words in the Mouth
The Faithful Witness
Un-lettered Prophet
Grave Warning
Baptist Contradicts Jesus
Three Questions!
"That Prophet"
The Acid Test
The Greatest!
 
 
Mr.Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The subject of this evening's talk - "What the BIBLE says
about MUHAMMED" 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 Christian theologian, a certain Rev.
Hiten, at the "Theatre Royal", Durban in South Africa.

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 Kissinger (2). 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 mankind (3), 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 dominee (4) of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Lucky Thirteen

I was invited to the Transvaal (5) 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 as 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.

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,(note  6)
(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?"

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."

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 disput 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 to-day no less
than 900,000,000 followers of Muhummed who love, respect and
revere Jesus Christ as a great Messenger of God 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 wil 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)?"

What is Prophecy?

The dominee replies: "You see, prophecies are word-pictures of
some- thing 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?" 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. (8)

'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."
Deut.18:18.

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- thereof 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 prophency 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 staying, 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 diffi- culty in
following it, shall we?" The dominee was quiet happy at the
suggestion.

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 discon-
tinue 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 announded 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 " (9) (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."

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 o
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 rejeted 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
mesage, 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 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 sedi- tion, 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", THEY 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 imposter 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 n 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 foul 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 alwasy 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?"
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.(10) 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."

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 son - HIS FIRST-BORN- '... And
Abraham (11) 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
sed 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.

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 AL
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 beause he was a
descendant of Ishamel 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.

SAY:HE IS ALLAH THE ONE AND ONLY; ALLAH, THE ETERNAL ABSOLUTE;
HE BEGETTETH NOT, NOR IS HE BEGOTTEN: AND THERE IS NONE LIKE
UNTO HIM. (Holy Qur'an 112:1-4)(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 was
terrified and in his bewilderment replied that he was not 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:

"READ! IN THE NAME OF THE LORD AND CHERISHER, WHO CREATED-
CREATED MAN, FROM A (MERE) CLOT OF CONGEALED BLOOD: READ! AND
THY LORD IS MOST BOUNTIFUL,- HE WHO TAUGHT (THE USE OF) THE
PEN, TAUGHT MAN THAT WHICH HE KNEW NOT". (Holy Qur'an 96:1-5)

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 imposter? Would
imposters 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 libre, 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 in the order in which we find
them to-day in the Holy Quran. The words (revelation) were
actually put into his mouth, exactly as fore told in the
prophecy under discussion: '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 which
Muhummed uttered twice to the Holy Ghose - the Archangel
Gabriel, when he was commanded : "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 know "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 (12) in
existence in the 6th Century of the Christian Era when
Muhummed lived and preached! Besi- des, he was absolutely
unlettered and unlearned. No human had ever taught him a word.
His teacher was his Creator-

"HE DOES NOT SPEAK (AUGHT), OF (HIS OWN) DESIRE: IT IS NO LESS
THAN INSPIRATION SENT DOWN TO HIM: HE WAS TAUGHT BY ONE MIGHTY
IN POWER," (Holy Qur'an 53:3-5).

Without any human learning, 'he put to shame the wisdom of the
learned'.

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 threathening
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:  and the meaning: "IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS,
MOST MERCIFUL."  And the heading of chapter 113: 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.'"(13)

Concerning Deuteronomy chapter eighteen, I have given you more
than 15 reasons as to how this prophecy refers to Muhummed and
NOT to Jesus.

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 Messiahs (14) 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 difinitely not
speaking the TRUTH! On the testimony of Jesus himself, John
the Baptist was the grea- test of the Israelite prophets:
"VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, AMOUNG THEM THAT ARE BORN OF WOMEN
THERE HAS NOT RISENA 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 ques- tions posed to
John the Baptist by the Jewish elite- "ART THOU THAT PRO-
PHET? AND HE ANSWERED, NO."(John 1:21)

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 interogating John the Baptist, let us read the
remonstrance of the Jews in the verses following-

"AND THEY ASKED HIM, AND SAID UNTO HIM, WHEY 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".(16) 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?

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. (Mathew 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
DICTATORSHIP 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 an 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, whome I believe to be Jewish, - JESUS
and BUDDHA are nowhere 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!

In conclusion, I end with a quotation of a Christian Reverend
the commen tator 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)

A concluding suggestion : 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)." 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_ Subha-nahu wa ta-ala) there is
the question of a consecrated Priesthood (among the Jews it
was hereditary also), as if a mere human being - Cohe or Pope,
or Priest, or Brahuman, - 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)." 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.

NOTES

(1) This refers to Moses. See Yusuf Ali's commentaries Nos.
    4783/4 to this verse.
    
(2) 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.
    
(3) The writer has just delivered another talk in the City
    Hall, Durban on the 10th December, 1975 on the subject
    "Muhummed the Greatest".
    
(4) "Dominee" is the Afrikaans equivalent of priest, parson
    and predikant.
    
(5) One of the Provinces of the Republic of South Africa.
    
(6) 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)
    
(7) 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 Muhamudd translated a "altogether lovely" in the
    Authorised Version of the Bible or 'The Praised One' 'the
    one worthy of Praise' i.e. MUHUMMED!
    
(8) If this lecture 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.
    
(9) 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.
    
(10) Write for "Was Christ Crucified?" by the writer, free on
     request.
    
(11) According to the Bible Abraham's name was Abram before it
     was changed by God to Abraham.
    
(12) There are today Arabic Bibles in Fourteen different
     scripts and dialects for the Arabs alone. See "The Gospels in
     many tongues", obtainable from the Bible Society.
    
(13) The Christian theologians are ignorant of even the "name
     of God. Because "God" is not a name, and "Father" is also not
     a name. What's his name? See "Muhummed -the Natural Successor
     to Christ", by the author, available free.
    
(14) The Jews were expecting a single Messiah not two.
    
(15) See the "TIMES" Magazine December 30th, 1974, article
     "How true is- the Bible?" And write for your free copy of
     "50,000 Errors in the Bible? a reproduction from the Christian
     Magazine "AWAKE!" September 8, 1957.
    
(16) How the word Messiah was transmuted to Christ? Write for
     booklet above, reference 13.


NOW :

Don't you think you need to read more about Islam and
Christianity?. To that end, The following literature is
available FREE on request:

 1) What the Bible says about Mohammed.
 2) What was the Sign of Jonah?
 3) Who moved the stone?
 4) Resurrection or Resuscitation?
 5) Is the Bible God's word?
 6) What is His name?
 7) The God that never was.
 8) Islam's answer to the racial problem.
 9) Christ in Islam.
10) Crucifixion or Crucifiction?
11) The Muslim at prayer.
12) Mohammed the prophet of Islam.

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