The Jews in Madinah used to tell the Arabs there, Aws and Khazraj, whenever they would have a dispute, that one day there was going to be a Prophet sent among them. And when that happened, the fate of non-Jews there would be that of the people of Ad, whom Allah destroyed.
This was a divine method of preparation for Aws and Khazraj, who would hear it from the Jews. They were aware, unlike other Arabs, that a Prophet was coming. When they met Muhammad ﷺ in Makkah, they immediately believed because they recognised him as the person the Jews had been discussing. In fact, when they went back to Madinah after meeting the Prophet ﷺ in Makkah, they said to their people, “This is the man the Jews have been threatening us with. Let’s follow him first. Let’s be the first to follow him.” However, the irony is that the bulk of the Jews in Madinah refused to follow the Prophet ﷺ.
Good Tidings about the Prophet ﷺ in the Bible
The Bible, as we have it today, has gone through a series of developments and changes. Still, the present-day Bible has retained several proofs of the good tidings about Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. One such example is the following verse.
“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18)
This prophecy fits Muhammad ﷺ exactly. Addressing the Israelites, it says that God will raise a Prophet among their brethren who will be like Moses. It needs to be probed which Prophet resembles Prophet Moses. Christians claim that this prophecy is about Jesus.
The following are the aspects of resemblance between Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Prophet Moses, which establish that this prophecy is not about Jesus:
- Muhammad ﷺ had parents like Moses.
- Muhammad ﷺ had children like Moses.
- Jesus was born miraculously without a father, while Muhammad ﷺ and Moses were born naturally to both father and mother.
- Muhammad ﷺ and Moses both were accepted by their nations. On the other hand, Jesus was sent to the Jews, whose bulk did not accept him as a Prophet.
- Muhammad ﷺ ruled his nation; likewise did Moses. They both had the authority to function as rulers, while Jesus did not rule his nation.
- It is worth noting that what makes a ruler different from others is the authority he wields over other human beings, including the power to inflict capital punishments. In this sense, Muhammad ﷺ and Moses bore similarities that were not found in the case of Jesus. The Bible records the case of the punishment of stoning commanded by Moses to a man who had cursed. “And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.” (Leviticus 24:23).
Similarly, Muhammad ﷺ commanded the punishment of stoning to death for a woman who had committed adultery. However, when a case of a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus, he refused to pronounce any punishment. Obviously, he had no authority under the law of the land to do so. The Bible says that the case was brought before him as a test so that he might be accused of trespassing on the law of the land. This incident is described in John 8:5-11. He clarified that his kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). Jesus did not disown the law of Moses; rather, he said that he came to follow it. He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Mathew 5:17-19)
- Both Muhammad ﷺ and Moses led their respective people to migration from one place to another; the former from Makkah to Madinah and the latter from Egypt to the Holy Land in a mass exodus. No such migration occurred in the life span of Jesus on earth.
- Muhammad ﷺ and Moses defeated their archenemies, the Makkan elite in the case of the former and Pharaoh in the case of the latter.Jesus did not fight any battle with any enemy and won in this worldly sense.
- Muhammad ﷺ and Moses died natural deaths and were buried in the ground. In the case of Jesus, Christians believe in his crucifixion, while Muslims believe in his elevation to the heavens. However, in both these descriptions, the demise of Jesus was not a natural phenomenon, while his burial and resurrection, even in accordance with the Christian traditions, are entirely different stories.
- Resurrection of Jesus, according to Christian sources, or his elevation to heaven, as Muslims believe, is unique to him and is not shared in the case of Muhammad ﷺ and Moses.
- The majority of Christians consider Jesus to be God, while no such idea of divinity exists regarding Muhammad ﷺ and Moses, in Muslim or Jewish traditions, as both are considered human beings assigned the prophethood by God.
After establishing that Muhammad ﷺ and Mosesresemble each other, but not Jesus, with respect to the prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:18, the question remains: who else resembles Moses? This prophecy does not apply to any Israelite, any Jew, because the prophecy is emphatic on this issue that the prophet will be from among their brethren.
It is a historical fact that the only nation that is the brethren of Ben Israel is that of Ben Ism’ail, the Arabs. Jews are the offspring of Ishaq, and Arabs are the offspring of Ismail. Accordingly, the Prophet mentioned in this prophecy should be from the offspring of Ismail. Muhammad ﷺ is in the ancestry of Ismael.
Further, Deuteronomy 18:18 states that God will put His “words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that He will command him.”In other words that Prophet will speak as he will be commanded. He will not speak out of his own accord, but rather as God willed.
This is the exact position of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. He did not speak from his own desire. He spoke the words of God revealed to him that were compiled in the form of the Qur’an. All the verses of the Qur’an are in direct narration from God. Muhammad ﷺ repeated the verses verbatim as revealed to him, without any addition or subtraction.
The position of the Bible, as we have it today, is different. Christians believe that its verses are inspired by God. It has many authors. These were written by different ‘inspired’ persons and so, as such, are not verbatim the Words of God. There is obviously a difference between the ‘inspired words’ and the ‘revealed words.’ The expression the verse, “I will put my words in his mouth” (Deuteronomy 18:18) implies what Muhammadﷺ did by reciting the words revealed to him. It is unlikely to mean inspired words rather than the revealed words.
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