IS MUHAMMAD MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE?
Is
Muhammad Mentioned in the Old Testament?
Christ's
coming is foretold in the Old Testament in many different
places. If, therefore, the Most High God intended to send into
the world a prophet far greater than Christ, we should find
predictions concerning this future prophet in the Old Testament, and
still more in the New Testament. It is natural, therefore, for
Muslims to seek such prophecies in the Bible regarding the founder of
their religion.
If
Muhammad was the Seal of the Prophets--the person on whose account
God created the universe--it would be very strange for God not to
have told us to look for and obey the coming Prophet. Those who
believe in Muhammad tell us that clear and unmistakable predictions
regarding him are found in the Bible. Muslims also say that
other predictions of Muhammad's coming were once there, but were
removed by Jews and Christians.
The
appeal to the Bible in this matter implies that the Bible is (1)
divinely inspired, and (2) uncorrupted. Otherwise o\, of what
use would it be to refer to such a book as authoritative? If
our Muslim friends admit these two points, then an inquiry into the
alleged biblical prophecies regarding Muhammad may be very
interesting and instructive. But if they do not admit these
points of fact, it is difficult to see what use it is for them to
refer to the Bible at all in seeking proof of their prophet's
mission. Of course, many learned Muslims--all, in fact, who
have carefully studied the matter--do admit these two facts.
Genesis
49:10
It is asserted that this passage refers to Muhammad, since "Judah" comes from a Hebrew verb meaning "to praise," the same meaning for the Arabic name Muhammad. But the context of Genesis show that Shiloh was to be born among the descendants of Judah. Muhammad, however, came from the Arabian tribe of the Quraish. he was not Jewish. Moreover, the scepter departed from Judah more than 550 years before Muhammad was born. Deuteronomy 18:15, 18
Muslims
assert that the prophet predicted in Deuteronomy is Muhammad.
Since "from your midst" does not appear in either the ancient Greek
Old Testament (the Septuagint) or the Samaritan Pentateuch, the
original text must state the prophet would come from the relatives of
the Israelites, the descendants of Ishmael, the Arabs.
However,
there is earlier ancient Hebrew manuscript evidence supporting the
customary reading. In addition, "brethren" naturally and
commonly refers to one's closest relative (e.g., the Israelite
tribes).
It is
said that Muhammad was like Moses in many points. Both were
brought up in their enemies' houses, appeared among idolaters, were
at first rejected by their own people and afterward accepted by them,
each gave a law, fled from their enemies (Moses to Midian, Muhammad
to Medina, a name of a similar meaning), marched to battle against
their enemies, wrought miracles, and enabled their followers to
conquer Palestine. These correlation's prove
nothing.
God
Himself has explained in the Gospels that this prophecy referred to
Christ, not to Muhammad. Compare Deuteronomy 18:15, "Him you
shall hear," with Matthew 17:5,". . . This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased. Hear Him!" (See also Mark 9:2 and Luke
9:35.) Jesus explains that this and other passages refer to
Himself (John 5:46; Genesis 12:3; 24:4; 18:18; 22:28; 28:14).
He was descended from Judah (Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-38; Hebrews
7:14), was born in Israel, and spent almost all of His life among the
Jews. In Acts 3:25-26, this prophecy is cited as referring to
Christ Jesus. Psalm
45:3-5
In Islam, Muhammad is called "the Prophet with the sword." However, a close study of the context of these verses easily refutes the claim that they refer to Muhammad. Verse six declares, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever." Muslims never claim that Muhammad was God. Furthermore, Hebrews 1:8-9 clearly states that verse six is an address to Christ. Isaiah 21:7
Muslims think that the words "a chariot of donkeys" in this verse are a prediction of the coming of Christ, who entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, and that :a chariot (or troop) of camels" refers to Muhammad, since he always rode on a camel. In fact, the context shows that this chapter refers to neither Christ nor Muhammad. It is a prophecy of the fall of Babylon, as we learn from verse 9, and tells how travelers bring word of the capture of the city and the destruction of its idols, which took place under Darius in 519 B.C. and again in 513 B.C.
Is Muhammad Mentioned in the New Testament? Matthew 3:2
"The
kingdom is at hand" is the call of John the Baptist, repeated by
Jesus (Matthew 4:17), and said by Muslims to be a prediction of the
establishment of the power of Islam, the Quran being the Law of the
Kingdom. but "the kingdom of heaven," or as it is also called,
"the kingdom of God," does not refer to the Islamic kingdom, since
the heaven and God of Islam are not the heaven and God of the
Bible.
The
biblical kingdom of God has temporal and spiritual aspects, present
and future implications. Long before the rise of Islamic power,
Christ announced the presence of the kingdom, saying, "But if I cast
out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come
upon you" (Matthew 12:28). In Mark 9:1, Christ told His
disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the
kingdom of God present with power. Did they see Muhammad and
the "kingdom" of Islam? Certainly not.
Mark
1:7
The
Muslim Injil (gospel) of Jesus is not the same thing as the New
Testament or the Gospels. Muslims maintain that the gospel of
Jesus is the record of God's Word given through Jesus. The New
Testament Gospels, they say are the words of man--the recollections
of Matthew, Mark, and those compiled by Luke and John. Only
occasionally can we find Jesus' gospel buried in the midst of man's
words and opinion. One of the preserved lines of Jesus' gospel,
they say is in Mark 1:7, where Jesus supposedly prophesied of
Muhammad, "There cometh after Me he that is mightier than
I."
This
shows how hopelessly impossible it is for Muslims to find any
prophecy regarding Muhammad, for verse six of this chapter tells us
that these words were not spoken by Jesus but by John the
Baptist. The context clearly shows this to be true (see also
Matthew 3:11-14; Luke 3:16-17; and John 1:26-34). It will not
do to say that Christ was already in the world, and that therefore He
could not be said to come after John. Christ began to preach
only after John had been cast into prison and beheaded (see Mark
1:14; also compare Matthew 4:12, 17), thus ending the forerunner's
ministry. John
4:21
This
is supposed by some Muslims to be a declaration that Jerusalem would
no longer be the Holy City and the "Qiblah" (focus of prayers), but
that its place would be taken by another city, which, the Muslims
say, must be Mecca.
Yet in
verses 23-24, Christ Himself explained the meaning of His own words,
saying that true and acceptable worship does not depend upon the
place where it is offered by upon the state of the worshipper's
heart. Hence, He does away with the possibility of there ever
afterward being a need for any "Qiblah" on earth.
John 14:16,
17, 26
Muslims
assert that the Greek paracleton (helper) mentioned by Christ is
Muhammad, whose name they believe to be a translation of the
term. They contend that the prophecy in this passage was
fulfilled in Muhammad, since he received the Quran from the angel
Gabriel (whom Muslims believe to be the Holy Spirit) and bore witness
to Christ (John 14:26), acknowledging Him as a prophet (John 16:14),
as born of a virgin, as a worker of miracles, as having ascended up
to Heaven without dying but not as God's Son (having never claimed to
be such), and as having had the Gospel brought to Him.
But the
Paracleton could not possibly refer to Muhammad for these
reasons:
First of
all, the word paracleton does not mean anything at all like
Muhammad. Paracleton means helper, comforter, sustainer, and
advocate. The first of these titles is clearly not suited to
Muhammad, the "Prophet with the Sword," and the Quran itself denies
the title of Advocate to all but God Himself.
Second,
in the New Testament, the title Paracleton is directly applied only
to the Holy Spirit (John 13:16, 17, 26; 15:26; 16:13) and by
implication to Christ (John 13:16; 1 John 2:1). The Paracleton
of whom Christ speaks is not a man but the invisible of Spirit of
Truth, who was then dwelling with Christ's disciples and would soon
be in their hearts (John 14:17; 16:14).
Third,
the Paracleton was to be sent by Christ (John 15:26; 16:7), which
Muslims cannot admit concerning Muhammad.
Fourth,
the Paracleton's work was not to gather armies and gain victories
with earthly weapons, but to convict men of sin, the very essence of
sin being disbelief in Christ (John 16:9).
Fifth,
His teaching was to glorify not Himself but Christ and to do the work
Christ sent Him to do (John 16:14-15).
NO!
These
are some of the important biblical passages which Muslims emphasize
contain prophecies concerning Muhammad. Quite clearly not a
single one constitutes a prediction about him. Muhammad is not
mentioned explicitly or ;implicitly in the Bible, God's oldest
written revelation (and the only written revelation as far as
Christians are concerned). But Christ Jesus is found in the
Quran. And what it says about Him places Him far above the
founder of Islam.