Prophet Muhammad in The Bible

“Those who follow the Apostle, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find    mentioned in their own Scriptures, in the Torah and the Gospel…” (Quran 7:157; Trans.: Yusuf Ali)

       Reference to the Bible

Is it justifiable for Muslims to quote the Bible or quote from it? There appears to be two common and extreme misconceptions about the Muslims’ attitudes towards the Bible:

a) that Muslims base their faith in full or in part on the Bible;

b) that Muslims reject the Bible in toto and accept no single word of it.

For Muslims the Qur’an is the last but not the only holy book revealed by Allah to mankind through His messengers. It is, however, the only holy book which remained intact from the time of its revelation until the present time. Not only is the full text of the Qur’an available, but it is also available in the full and exact form as uttered by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at the time of its revelation and in the original language in which it was revealed (Arabic). No addition, deletion, or interpolation found its way into the Qur’an. For Muslims, the Qur’an is the only remaining authoritative and authentic revelation available to mankind; authoritative because an objective study of the Qur’an clearly shows its divine origin; and authentic because of the conclusive evidence that it remained intact and was transmitted to us as it was revealed without being mixed with human and philosophical ideas and doctrines. As such, Muslims do not need any other scriptures to base their faith on, either in full or in part.

On the other hand, it is erroneous to think that Muslims reject the Bible in toto and do not accept a single passage of it. There are at least two reasons for this:

a) One of the main articles of faith in Islam is the belief in all prophets and messengers sent before the advent of the last of them, Prophet Muhammad. This also necessitates believing in the holy books revealed to those prophets in the original forms of their revelation;

b) According to the Qur’an all prophets were Muslims (i.e. those who consciously and lovingly submitted to the will of Allah), what they taught was nothing but earlier versions of Islam (conscious and loving submission to Allah) and their sincere followers were Muslims as well. The fact that the transmission of earlier revelations, prior to the Qur’an suffered from inaccuracies and misinterpretations does not justify a total and categorical rejection of such scriptures. There are bound to be some passages and portions of the Bible whose essence, if not wording, need not be rejected by Muslims.

Criterion of Acceptance

What is the Muslim basis or criterion for accepting or not accepting portions or passages from the Bible? The Qur’an itself provides such criterion:

“And unto you have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watch over it .... “ (the Qur’an 5:48)

This emphasizes two main aspects of the Qur’an:

a) The Qur’an confirms those teachings or passages of previous scriptures which remained intact.

b) The Qur’an is the last, complete, authoritative and authentic revelation. It is the final arbiter and the only criterion to correct any inaccuracy or misinterpretation which might have occurred in the transmission of scriptures. It helps in discovering human additions to or interpolations of previous revelations, even as it reveals possible deletions which might have taken place through the centuries prior to its revelation (the Qur’an). Indeed one of the names of the Qur’an is al-Furqan (the criterion which distinguishes between right and wrong, truth and falsehood).

It follows therefore that a Muslim has no reason to reject the essence of any passage in the Bible if such a passage is confirmed by the Qur’an. For example, we read in the New Testament a reiteration of one of the Ten Commandments:

“And Jesus answered him. The first of all commandments is hear, 0 Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord” (Mark 12:29)

A Muslim who reads this passage in the Qur’an can find no objection to its essence. After all the Qur’an confirms:

“Say He is Allaah, the One and Only (God)” (The Qur’an 112:1)

If, however, a Muslim reads in the Bible (or other previous scriptures for that matter) accusations of major moral sins levied against great prophets or doctrines which are totally negated in the Qur’an, the Muslim accepts only the Qur’anic version as the original unadulterated truth, revealed by Allah (God).

Likewise if the Bible (or other scriptures) contains apparent prophecies about the advent of Prophet Muhammad, and if the Qur’an confirms that fact, then there is nothing unusual or objectionable in referring to such prophecies.

Qur’anic Reference to Prophecies

Is there any conclusive Qur’anic basis for claiming that the Bible did contain prophecies about the advent of Prophet Muhammad?

The original revelations given to prophets in the past contained a complete and clear profile of the advent of Prophet Muhammad. Even in its present form(s) the Bible still contains several such prophecies as will be shown in the forthcoming chapters.

It is useful, however, to start off by documenting the above statement.

1. Describing true believers, the Qur’an states:
   “Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel which are with them). He will enjoin on them that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawfu1 for them all good things and prohibit for them only the foul; and he will relieve them of their burden and the fetters that they used to wear. Men those who believe in him, and honor him, and help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him: they are the successful.” (The Qur’an 7:157).
   
   This ‘ayah (passage) indicates that the characteristics as well as the teaching of that “Apostle, the unlettered Prophet” were mentioned in the “Torah” and the “Gospel”.
1. Quoting the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), the Qur’an states:
   “And when Jesus, son of Mary said: 0 children of Israel: Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is praised one. Yet when he has come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic. (The Qur’an 61:6).
   
   An interesting aspect of this ‘ayah is that it indicates that in the original revelation uttered by Prophet Jesus, even the name of the long-awaited messenger was given: Ahmad, which is another name of Prophet Muhammad. This issue will be further discussed later on.

Name or Signs?

Turning to the Bible, some may hasten to ask: I read the Bible several times, but never saw the name Muhammad. What is the justification for the title “Muhammad in the Bible?”

Many Christian theologians find no difficulty in pointing out what they consider as clear prophecies of the advent of Jesus. Where in the Old Testament does the name Jesus appear? Nowhere’ The main question is whether or not the profile of “that prophet” to come was materialized, and who fits that profile?

The profile of Prophet Muhammad was so clear to many Jews and Christians among his contemporaries that many of them embraced Islam and accepted him as the fulfillment of numerous Biblical prophecies. Ever since, there have been many others who arrived at the same conclusion. Further questions pertaining to the possible mention of Muhammad’s name will be discussed later.

Biblical Prophecies About Jesus

Does that previous discussion mean that all prophecies which were believed to have been fulfilled in Prophet Jesus were actually fulfilled in Prophet Muhammad instead?

There is no reason to rule out the possibility that some of the Old Testament Prophecies were in fact fulfilled in Prophet Jesus. This does not constitute a problem for the Muslims. On the authority of the Qur’an alone, the Muslims accept Jesus as a legitimate and major prophet of Allah. The same was reiterated in the sayings of Prophet Muhammad. There are, however, several Old Testament prophecies which were for a long time misinterpreted so as to apply to Jesus. Such prophecies do in fact refer to Prophet Muhammad. One such prophecy is in Deuteronomy 18:18 to be discussed later. Analysis and reinterpretation of such prophecies should in no way reflect negatively on the honoured status of Prophet Jesus in the hearts of Muslims. It is rather a revelation of the truth which would have been proclaimed by Jesus himself if he were among us today.

Main Elements in Muhammed’s Profile.

What then are the elements of the “profile” of Prophet Muhammad as depicted in the Bible?

That profile includes six crucial elements:

1. The lineage of the prophet,
2. His characteristics,
3. The location from which he was to come,
4. The revelation which was to be given to him,
5. Events which were to take place in his lifetime, and
6. The time when he was to come.

Lineage of “That Prophet”
Prophet Abraham: Common Father

Jews, Christians, and Muslims claim a common father, Prophet Abraham, the patriarch of monotheism. What does his family tree look like?

A simple look at it may help show some of the key figures in the Abrahamic family tree.

Abraham married Sarah From their union they had in their progeny the following prophets: Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus.

Abraham married Hagar. From their union they had in their progeny the following prophets: Ishmael and Muhammad.

According to the Bible, Abraham was first named to Sarah who happened to be a barren woman and bore him no children (Genesis 16:1).

In the chronology of the Book of Genesis, God made an important promise to Abraham, even before any child was born to him:

“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. “ (Gen. 12:2-3)

In a later chapter in the Book of Genesis (Gen. 16) we are told that Sarah gave Abraham a handmaid (Hagar) to be his wife, in the hope that she may bear a child to Abraham.

Hagar did bear Abraham’s first child whose name, Ishmael (peace be upon him), meaning “God hears”, was given by the angels (Gen. 16:11). For the following fourteen years, Ishmael was Abraham’s only child.

After the birth of Ishmael and before the birth of Isaac, God’s promise to bless the families of the earth through Abraham’s descendants was repeated:

“As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. “ (Gen. 17:4)

Another pleasant surprise was in store for Abraham. In his old age, his first wife Sarah was to bear him another child, Isaac (peace be upon him) (Gen. 21:5).

The Bible tells us that because of jealousy, Sarah asked her husband Abraham to cast out Ishmael and his mother Hagar (Gen. 21:10) who subsequently dwelt in the wilderness of “PARAN” (Gen. 21:21).

God’s promise to bless the descendants of Abraham was indeed realized. Through Abraham‘s second son Isaac came the Israelite prophets, including Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus (peace be upon them all), the last Israelite prophet. Fulfillment of God’s promise through the Israelite branch of Abraham is clearly and abundantly articulated in the Bible. How was that promise fulfilled through the Ishmaelite branch of the Abrahamic family tree? Or was it fulfilled at all? Or has it yet to be fulfilled?

To start with, God does not renege on His promises, nor does he forget, them. It is interesting to note that while the Bible contains elaborate details about the Israelite branch, the Ishmaelite branch is virtually ignored. With the exception of a few references here and there, the Bible is virtually silent on the Ishmaelites.

If it is accepted that God does not renege on His promises (a prerequisite of faith for any believer in God) then we are left with two possibilities:

a. that such a promise of blessing which included the Israelites had been fulfilled;

b. that it is yet to be fulfilled.

It is well known that out of the descendants of Ishmael came the last great prophet of monotheism, Prophet Muhammad, whose followers constitute nearly one-fifth of the total world population in all corners of the earth.

After blessing the descendants of Isaac, the Israelites, for centuries with the spiritual leadership, and after many lapses and rebellions against God on their part, a final chance was given to them through the mission of the last Israelite prophet, Jesus. When Jesus too was rejected, it was now time in God’s plan to fulfill His promise to the Ishmaelite branch as well, the branch which remained obscure until it was made a “great nation” through the mission of the well-known Prophet Muhammad, a descendant of Abraham through Ishmael. That shift of prophethood and spiritual leadership to the Ishmaelite branch of Abraham’s descendants brought to completion the centuries-old promise of God to bless the families of the earth through Abraham, the father of monotheism and patriarch revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims.

To any unbiased mind, the above evidence alone suffices to show the connection between such great prophets as Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad

If such prophecies about the advent of Prophet Muhammad are that obvious, how is it that millions of Bible readers could not come to such a conclusion?

Putting other reasons aside for now, it seems that combination of erroneous notions and misinterpretations are partly responsible for this situation.

Let’s analyze some of these notions.

Objections to the Inclusion of Ishmael in God’s Covenant with Abraham

Were Ishmael and his descendants excluded from God’s promise and covenant?

A common, yet erroneous, answer to this question is yes. A number of reasons are given:

1. Ishmael was not a legitimate son of Abraham. According to the commentators of The Interpreter’s Bible:

“Ishmael, like Isaac, is a descendant of Abraham; but Isaac is the child of ultimate promise, born to Sarah the true wife while Ishmael is born of the slave girl. Though he came of the stock of Abraham, yet it was right that he should be separated from the legitimate son.

This argument cannot be supported logically, morally, or even on the basis of the available versions of the Bible itself. Did the alleged state of bondage of Hagar prevent her from being a legitimate wife of Abraham. Why was she not a “true” wife? And if she were not a “true” wife like Sarah, what kind of wife was she?

The text of the Bible, not withstanding the possibilities of later insertions or changes, does not make such a claim. In Genesis 16:3, Hagar is described as Abraham’s wife

If Hagar was a legitimate wife of Abraham, there are no grounds whatsoever for questioning the legitimacy of her son Ishmael. Indeed the Bible refers to Ishmael as Abraham’s seed. Who was the first born child of Abraham.

Even if Hagar was a bondwoman, does that affect the rights and privileges of her son Ishmael?

The answer can be found in the Bible itself. In Hebrew traditions, the firstborn son was to have double portions of honour, even inheritance, and that right could not be changed due to the status of his mother.

In The Interpreter’s Bible, we read the following commentary on Deut. 21:15-17:

“However, the law of the first-born had ancient sanction, and so long as it was accepted justice demanded that mere favoritism not be allowed to deprive the eldest son of his rights.

It should be noted that God does not subscribe to human attitudes of ethnic or racial superiority or exclusivism, much less the submergence of spiritual and human qualities of mankind because of a certain unfortunate state of bondage. The fallacy of Ishmael’s inferior status owing to his mother’s “inferior” social status is not only contrary to the Judaic law (e.g. Deut. 21:15-17), it is also contrary to the moral, humanitarian and universal nature of God’s revelation cherished by any believer in Him.

b) Only Isaac was the son of promise and covenant.

Sometimes reference is made to the following verses in the Book of Genesis:

“But My Covenant will I establish with Isaac” (Gen. 17:2) “For in Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Gen. 21:12)

An interesting question is raised here: Is it possible that the writer(s) of this book (Genesis) inserted such statements to favor his own clan, himself being an Israelite?

According to The Interpreter’s Bible:

“Many Israelites did not want a God who would be equally the God of all nations on the earth. They did not want one who would be impartial Holiness. They wanted a God who would be partial to them. So we read in Deutoronomy of demands for a complete extermination of all non-Israelitish peoples of Palestine (Deut. 7:2) and as to the carrying out of that injunction read the harsh sentences of Deut. 20:10-17.

The possibility of insertions introduced to the supposedly “original” text of revelation is a matter that many Biblical scholars readily admit, including those scholars who are earnest believers in Christianity such as the editors of and contributors to The Interpreter’s Bible.

For example, the word “Egyptian” which appears in Genesis 16:3 in reference to Hagar is suspected to be an insertion and that Hagar was indeed a Bedouin and not an Egyptian woman.

In addition to such a possibility, if not likelihood, of insertions in Gen. 17:21 and 21:12, they do not in themselves conclusively exclude Ishmael from the promise and covenant of God.

Both verses could be understood to refer to the relatively “near” future extending over centuries during which the covenant of God and the seeds of prophethood were to be mainly in the Israelite branch of Abraham’s family. Such limitation, however, does not mean or imply the exclusion of the descendants of Ishmael for good When these two verses (Gen. 17:12 and 21:12) are examined within the context of other verses in the same book, it becomes evident that the Ishmaelites were included in God’s promise and His covenant with Abraham: i) God’s covenant with Abraham was made before the latter had any children (Gen. 12:2-3). It was reiterated after the birth of Ishmael and before the birth of Isaac (Gen. 17:4); ii) While Gen. 21:12 indicates that in Isaac shall Abraham’s seed be called, the very following verse (Gen. 21:13) calls Ishmael Abraham’s seed; iii) As Isaac was blessed in the same book (Genesis), Ishmael is also specifically blessed and hence is included in God’s promise.

“... of the son of the bondwoman (i.e. Ishmael) will I make a great nation because he is thy seed” (Gen. 21:13)

The above promise was further confirmed a few verses later:

“Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. “ (Gen. 21:18)

It may be noted here that when God speaks of “greatness”, He does not speak merely of numbers. “Greatness” in His own criterion is above all founded on faith, spiritual heritage and religious leadership.

c) The Son of Promise must be one or the other: Isaac or Ishmael.

This is typically expressed in a statement like the following:

“Ishmael is set aside as the inheritor of the Covenant. The fact that the (supposed) elder son of Abraham did not become the heir of the divine Promise is accounted for in J2 by Hagar’s f1ight before the child’s birth (Ch. 16), and in E by her expulsion with the child (21:9-21)...

One may inquire at this point: i) Why should there be only one child as the heir of the divine promise? Why not both sons in view of the evidence discussed already? ii) What type of divine justice punishes an innocent child because of his mother’s flight before he was even born (especially if that flight was prompted by the jealousy and mistreatment of Sarah)? iii) What type of divine justice (or even common sense) is that which punishes an innocent child because he and his mother were “expelled” to satisfy Sarah’s ego and bless her jealousy? Was Sarah dictating her desires to God, too?

Why Were Ishmael and Hagar Taken Away?

If Muslims too believe that Hagar, (Abraham’s wife) and her son Ishmael were settled in a different location, what is their version of the story? And how does that version compare to the Biblical version?

The Muslim Version

Prophet Abraham received instruction from God to take Hagar and her baby Ishmael to a specified barren and lifeless place in Arabia (paran), more specifically to Makkah (Mecca). In the Qur’an, Abraham is quoted:

“Our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation by thy sacred house; in order, 0 Lord, that they may establish prayer: So fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits: So they may give thanks.“ (The Qur’an 14:37)

When Abraham began to leave Hagar and Ishmael alone in such barren wilderness, Hagar cried to him: “Where are you leaving us?” The question was repeated three times but no answer was given by Abraham. Hagar then asked: “Did God ordain you to do this?” Abraham said: “Yes.” In complete faith and trust on God she responded “Then, He will not suffer us to be lost. “

When Hagar ran out of water, she started to hasten between two little hills called As-Safa and Al-Marwah in search of water or for any passing traveler. After she hastened seven times without success, she returned to check on her baby (Ishmael) who was crying and kicking the ground with his heels. In this moment of despair and apparent certain death, a spring of water suddenly gushed forth from under Ishmael’s feet. That well later came to be known as the well of Zamzam. Since water is the most crucial element in desert life, some Bedouins began to settle around the well, gradually growing into the most important city in Arabia, Makkah (Mecca). Centuries later, out of the descendants of Ishmael came the last prophet of God, Prophet Muhammad who was born in Makkah (Mecca) some five centuries after the mission of the last Israelite prophet Jesus.

It is interesting to note that until the present time, the hills of As-Safa and Al-Marwah are still easily identifiable. Indeed, hastening between these two hills is part of the annual rites of hajj (pilgrimage) performed by innumerable pilgrims every year. This rite is actually performed partly in commemoration of Hagar’s search for water and it dates back to Ishmael, long before the advent of Prophet Muhammad. Likewise, the Well of Zamzam which miraculously gushed forth from under baby Ishmael’s feet is still gushing with water until this time. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Makkah (recently about two million) drink from it annually and many others drink from it year round.

The Biblical Version

Sarah, Abraham’s first wife was jealous of Hagar and her son Ishmael. She did not want Ishmael to inherit with her son Isaac as Ishmael was the son of the “bondwoman”. She was particularly angry because of what she considered as mockery on the part of Ishmael toward his younger brother Isaac while they were playing together. This incident took place after Isaac was weaned.

Abraham obeyed his wife Sarah whose demand of casting out the “bondwoman” and her son was blessed by God who told Abraham to “hearken unto her voice”.

One morning Abraham rose up, gave provisions and water to his wife Hagar and put her child Ishmael upon her shoulder, and left them in the wilderness of Beer Sheba in southern Palestine. When Hagar ran out of water, she could not stand sitting there and watching her child die. An angel appeared before her and showed her a spring of water of which she went and brought drink to the lad. The angel further told her “Arise, lift up the lad and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation”.

Ishmael dwelt in the wilderness of “Paran”. He begot twelve sons one of whom was named “Kedar”