Muhammad

What does the Budhdha Scripture say about Muhammad?The Buddha leader Gautama, has prophesized the coming of an inspired person. In the Gospel of Buddha (by Caras pp. 217-8) it is written that this great Buddha will come to the world known as the "Maitreya". The Cakkavatti-Sihanada Suttana gives him the name "Metteyya". Both these words mean "The Merciful One". By reference to the life-history of Muhammad (p.b.u.h.), it can be seen that he was indeed extremely merciful and the Al-Qur'an also refers to this fact. There are further similarities, as the Buddhist Scripture reads: "His (Maitreya) disciples will number many thousands, while mine number many hundreds". It is a known fact that with Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) were thousands followers. There are further similarities, which will be elucidated below. In the Gospel of Buddha (by Carus - p214), an enlightened Buddah is described as having a very bright skin and that, a Buddha attains supreme insight at night time, he dies naturally at night, looks very bright before his death, and finally, after his death he ceases to exist on the earth. All these points can be applied to the holy prophet of Islam. (Read his life story). In Si-Yu-Ki, Vol I, p.229, it is written that "... no words can describe the personal beauty of Maitreya". Again we leave it up to you to examine the history of Islam in detail; both Muslims and nonmuslims are almost unanimous in asserting that Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) was very handsome and beautiful indeed. Si-Yu-Ki Vol I. (p.229) further reads "..the exquisite voice of the Bodhisattva (Maitreya) is soft and pure and refined; those who listen can never tire, those who hear are never satiated." The Arabic language is remarkable for its beauty. Furthermore, the holy Qur'an is considered a work of the highest unique literary merit by friend and foe alike. Buddhist Scriptures have defined further characteristics of Buddha. In order to qualify for the Maitreya, he must satisfy those conditions. A Buddha must be a human being - not a deity. A Buddha must have five special gifts, viz. The gift of treasure, the gift of child, the gift of wife, the gift of rule (i.e. leadership, head statesman) and the gift of life and limb. In addition, the Buddha would be teacherless, i.e. without any form of formal education. Gautama has also stressed that the Buddha is simply a man, salvation depends only on an individuals deeds, the Buddha can only preach - he does not have the claim of being in part supernatural. The characteristics above are all in accordance with the life of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.). Another similarity which should be mentioned is that for every enlightened Buddha, there is a special "Bo-tree". Some modern commentators believe that the "Bo-tree" of the Maitreya is a tree with hard or heavy wood. The prophet (p.b.u.h.) had a tree at Hodebbeyaa, which was the place of an important treaty. The Qur'an gives the name "Shajar" to this tree (Surah 48:Verse 18). "Shejar" according to some scholars refer to any tree with a hard stem. Again it is highly remarkable that such close similarity should exist. Religious Scriptures of Hindu Religion There are four sacred books in Hindu religion. They are: 1. The Vedas 2. Upanishads 3. Puranas and 4. Brahmanas Granth. The last one is a commentary on the Vedas, but it is considered as a revealed book. These books are in Sanskrit, the sacred language of the Hindus. The Vedas are divided into four books: (i) Rig Veda (ii) Yajur Veda (iii) Sama Veda and (iv) Atharva Veda. Of these, the first three books are considered the more ancient books, and the Rig Veda is the oldest of them. The Rig Veda was compiled in three long and different periods. Opinions greatly differ as to the date of compilation or revelation of the four Vedas. Swami Daya Nand, founder of the Arya Samaj, holds the opinion that the Vedas were revealed 1.3 billion years ago, while others (Hindu scholars and orientalists) hold the opinion that they are not more than four thousand years old. Analysis of the Vedas reveal differences in the accounts of the places where these books were revealed and the Rishis (Prophets) to whom these scriptures were given. Nevertheless, the Vedas are the most authentic scriptures of the Hindus. The Upanishads are considered next to the Vedas in order of superiority and authenticity. However, some Pandits consider the Upanishads to be superior to the Vedas primarily from the internal evidence found in the Upanishads. Next in authenticity to the Upanishads are the Puranas. The Puranas are the most widely read of all Hindu Scriptures, as these are easily available (the Vedas are difficult to find). The compiler of the Puranas is Maha Rishi Vyasa, and he arranged the Puranas in eighteen volumes. These books contain the history of the creation of the universe, the history of the early Aryan people, and life stories of the divines and deities of the Hindus. The Puranas were either revealed simultaneously with the Vedas or some time before. The sanctity and reverence of the Puranas is admitted and recognized in all the authentic books of the Hindus. For a long time, the Hindu Scriptures were primarily in the hands of Pandits and a small group of men who had learned Sanskrit (The majority of the Hindu population knew Hindi and could comprehend only a smattering of Sanskrit words). Sir William Jones, who was a Judge and founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal, learned Sanskrit in the last decade of the Eighteenth century. He was instrumental in generating interest in Sanskrit and Hindu Scriptures in Europe, and it was due to his efforts that the Hindu scriptures were translated into English. In 1935, Dr. Pran Nath published an article in the Times of India that showed that the Rig Veda contains events of the Babylonian (Present Iraq) and Egyptian kings and their wars. Further, he showed that one-fifth of the Rig Veda is derived from the Babylonian Scriptures. From a Muslim perspective, it is likely that the Hindus were given a revealed book or books that contained description and struggles of Allah’s Prophets sent previously to other peoples. It is also possible that commentaries written about them were incorporated later and became a part of the revealed books. There are a number of examples of these in Hindu scriptures. The Atharva Veda is also known as ‘Brahma Veda’ or in its meaning as the Devine Knowledge. An Analysis of the Vedas reveal that ‘Brahma’ is actually Abraham, where the initial letter A in Abraham is moved to the end making it Brahma. This analysis is accurate when one writes the two words in Arabic script, a language close to that spoken by Prophet Abraham. Similarly, Abraham’s first wife Sarah is mentioned in the Vedas as Saraswati, and Prophet Nuh (Noah of The Flood) is mentioned as Manuh or Manu. Some Pundits consider Atharva Veda as the Book of Abraham. Prophets Ismail (Ishmael) and Ishaq (Isaac) are named Atharva and Angira, respectively, in the Vedas. Table 1 Brahma Saraswati Manu, Manuh Abraham Sarah Nuh Background To Prophecies about Muhammad in Hindu Scriptures It is well known that the Hindus love hero worship, and it is reasonable to assume that over a long period of time the high regard and reverence for some Prophets led to some of them to be considered as god or God. Further, it is likely that the Book of Abraham and those of other Prophets contained prophecies about the Last Prophet, Muhammad (s). Muslim historians of India hold the opinion that the graves of Prophets Sheesh and Ayyub (Job) are in Ayodhya, in the province of Uttar Pradesh, India. In ancient times, Ayodhya was known as Khosla according to Shatpath Brahmanas. Some Pandits have now begun to reject the Puranas simply because they find in them many prophecies and vivid signs of the truth of Prophet Muhammad. A case has been made that the present Puranas are not the same collection that Vedas refer to and the real books were lost. Nevertheless, this contention is not correct. It is impossible that all the Puranas which were so widely read and keenly studied, could have fallen in oblivion and totally wiped out, whereas the Vedas, which only a few could read and understand, remained intact until now. Another argument against the prophecies is that these were added to the Puranas at a later date. Nevertheless, this argument is also without a basis. Such a well-known book, in vast circulation and read at appointed times in prayers, cannot be easily tampered with. Moreover, all the Pandits and the learned divines of the Hindus could not have conspired and secretly added these prophecies to the Puranas. The most strange thing is that the corruption is made in favor of the Prophet and against their own religion! All major books of the Hindus prophesy about Prophet Mohammad. In addition to many of his qualities, his life events, Abraham, Ka'bah, Bakkah (Makkah) and Arabia, the prophecies mention his name as Mahamad, Mamah, and Ahmad. The name Mahamad appears in the Puranas, Mamah in Kuntap Sukt (in Atharva Veda) and Ahmad in Sama Veda. Many different classifications as to the degree of importance of the Vedas have been made. For example, in Shatpath it is stated that Sama Veda is the essence of all the Vedas. At another place in Taitttriya Brahmana, it is stated that “This world was created from Brahma, the Vaishas were created from the mantras of the Rig Veda, the Kashtriyas were created from Yajur Veda and Brahmans were created from Sama Veda.” Allah and Muhammd in Hindu Religion Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads are the sacred religious books of the people of Vedic religion (i.e. Hindu Religion). Let us see how these religious books have cited good examples by describing the oneness of God and accepting the best guidance by the last Prophet, the great human being 'MUHAMMAD' , who is the saviour of all mankind. Sloakas from Rig Veda: "Jonoh: Pita janita Shobidhata Dhamaney Veda-Vubanani Biswa. Jo Devanang Namadha ek ebotang Samprashang Vubana jantrana." Translation: He who is our sustainer, father and Creator, He who is the God of the Universe, exists everywhere. He is well aware of the whole creation in the universe. He is one and second to none. The earth asks about him. Another sloakas from Rig Veda: "Nottaba Aunnadiba Noparthiba No jato no Janibbatey." Translation: O Brahma! (i.e. Creator, God) nobody has ever born like you on earth or in Heavens. And surely will never be born. Sloakas from Uttarayan Veda: "Ekameba Ditiyam Brahma: Swa-angbina Nasti Pujjayatey." Translation: Brahma is one, who is second to none (i.e. Unique). There is no deity worthy of worship accept Him. Sloakas from Vagabat Gita: 11:66: "Sharba Dharma Paritejjaya Mamekang Sharan Braja: Auhang twang Sharba-papoveya Makkhamiami Mashucha:" Translation: Leaving every kind of religious worshiping (i.e. idol worshiping etc.), concentrate only in my remembrance and worship me alone. I will rescue you from every kind of sin. Have faith and do not grief. Sloakas from Gita: 10:3: "Jomam Janmanadincha Betti Lok Maheshshwaram. Aushang Muddhra:sha Martteshu Sharba-papai Pramuchchatey." Translation: Who considers Me as Eaternal, Free from Birth, and the only God of the Universe, he will be free from all kinds of sin in the human society. Sloakas from Gita: 7:24: "Aubbektang Bekti Mapannang Monnantey mam Budhaya: Paran Vabam Janantey Mamabeyam Nuttamama." Translation: Ignorant persons with a little knowledge consider me to be personified with Human Beings, Fish and Kurmadi (i.e. worship them as if they are like Me!) Sloakas from Iyshapanishad: "Shamarja Gandhakram Kaibrana: Masnabirang Shuddham Papa-biddham Kabirmanishi PariVung Shaywamvu Jarjatatthaya Toharthan Veda Dhachchha Shwatiba Shamavya:." Translation: He is present everywhere and surrounded like a light, He is above holding a body. He is free from all sins and He is Perfect or Pure. He is the controller of the mind, which can see everything. He is the best and Self-existent. He is everlasting and immortal. Only He is adorable to everyone. Sloakas from Allaupanishad: "Hotermindra Hotermindra Mahashurindraiy: Alla Jeyshthang Paramang Purnang Brhman Aullam Aadalla Bukmekkam Alla Buk Nikhatkam Aulley Aullam." Translation: The Supreme! The Most Exalted! The Most Powerful is HE. Alla is the best and the Greatest (or Highest). He is the Supreme, Complete and One without any Fault (Error etc.). He us Uncomparable. Alla is Comparable to Alla alone. However, it is a matter of great pity that although there are verses concerning Allah and the Oneness of Allah in some parts of the Hindu religious books like Vedas, Gita, Puranas etc., later some priests and ill-fated pundits have corrupted them with Dualism, Trinity, Naturalism, Pluralism and the 'ism of everything is God' and thus, have tried to plunge mankind into a great and grievous mistake. For example, In Brhma-Baibarta Puran it has been written: "Veda Shashtrartha Tattyagga Jatratatrassramey Basan Iee Haiba Lokatishthashcha Brahmabhuai Kollotey." Translation: He (any Brahmin), who knows the meaning and theory of the Vedas, becomes the Brahma (GOD) wherever he may be. From Vedanta Darshan: "Sharbang Khalwidang Brahma" Translation: Everything in this world is God. Also, from Gita: "Bashudev: Sharba-mati" Translation: It is the Basudeva (the earth), which is everything. From Vagabat Purana: "Krishnamena Mobehi Twang Antmannama Khilantmanam" Translation: Consider Krishna (a person) as the Soul of the Creator. It is he, who is the Soul of the Universe. Thus, the ism of 'Everything is God' has been proclaimed by many mantras (verses) of the religious books by declaring everything on earth as the incarnation of God. There are some verses in Vedas, which describes the Sun, Air, Rudra, Dawn, Indra, Rice, Fire etc. as Brahma or God. In fact, the rishis (some Hindu religious prophets) used to worship natural objects and power by looking at their strength and considering them as the manifestation of God. This is how they have accepted and admitted Pluralism or 'Many God-head' instead of Monoethism or Oneness of God, and thus have pushed their people towards a grievious mistake and anarchy. However, many of the great Munis and rishis, who have written Vedas and Puranas have not stopped by merely proclaiming the glory of One God (Allah), and His Oneness and Sovreignty, they have also presented clear-cut indication of the coming of a Great Prophet, whose name would be MUHAMMAD and who will be the best guide of Mankind ever. For exampleLook at the following Sanskrit Sloakas from Sama Veda: " 'Ma' dau bartita Deva, 'Da'-Karante Prakirtiat, Brishanang Vakhwaet, Soda Veda Shastray Chasmrita" Meaning: The devota whose name starts with a 'Ma' and ends with a 'Da' and who reestabishes the tradition of eating beef, According to the Vedas he is the man who is highly adorable. (Translated by Mr. Abul Hossain Vattacharya, who was also a returning Muslim, and was a Brahmin by Cast from the Hindu religious denomination) From Atharva Vedas: Meshudghaey ||1||: "Idangjana Upasruta Norashan Sastya-bishwatey Shashting Sahasra Nabatingcha Kauram Aarush" Translation: O Mankind! Listen attentively, "The Praised One" will rise from among the people; We have discovered him among the sixty thousand enemiees. Also, from the Atharva-Vedic Upanishad ||9||: "Aushwa illaley Mitravaruna-Raja Tashmat-Tani Divyani Punastang Dudhya Habaiyami Milang Kabar Illallang Alla-rahsul Mahamad Rakang Baraswa Alla Allam Illallotey Illalla" Approximate Meaning: At an appropriate time, a Great man named MAHAMMAD will appear, whose abode will be in the desert (Arabia). He will be accompanied by his companions. From Alla-Upanishad: "Alla Mahamadkang Baraswa ... ... ... ... ... ... ..." Translation: Accept Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah as an example to be followed. Again in Uttarayan Vedas: " La Ilha Harti Papam Illa Ilaha Param Padam Janma Baikuntha Par Aup-inuti Janpi Namo Muhammadam " Approximate Meaning:There is no shelter but "La Ilaha ... ... ... ..." to get rid of sin. The shelter of Ilah (Allah) is the actual shelter. If one is born on earth, there is no alternative to getting salvation from sin but to take shelter in Ilah (Allah). And for this, it is essential to follow the path shown by Muhammad. Now, the translation of some verses from Chapter 12 of the Kalki-Purana are cited below. " 'Jagatguru' will be born of 'Bishnuvagat' in the woumb of 'Sumati'.He will be born '2 hours after sunrise' on Monday, the 12th of 'Baishakh'. His father will die before his birth and his mother some time later after his birth. 'Jagatguru' will marry the princess of the 'Salmal' island. His uncle and three brothers will be present in his marriage ceremony. 'Pars-Ram' will teach him in a cave. When he will come to 'Sambala' from 'Salmal' island, to preach his teachings, his relatives will oppose him. He will be bound to migrate to the 'Northern Hills' to avoid the on-going torture and persecution. But after some time, he will return to 'Sambala' with 'sword in hand' and will 'conquer the whole land'. 'Jagatguru' will visit earth and the seven heavens riding on a 'horse' ". Kalki-Purana is one of the principal sacred books of the Hindu Religion. In terms of seeking blessings, its place is after the Kuntap Sukt.The above verses of the Kalki-Purana clearly reflects the rise of Prophet Muhammad and some important incidents of his life. It will be clearer once the true meanings of the highlited words are unveiled. Jagatguru: 'Jagatguru' means teacher of the world. The world prophet Hajrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the saviour of the humanity irrespective of nation, country or creed. The verse "I have sent you as the blessings of the World" of the holy Qur'an signifies the same meaning as 'Jagatguru'. Bishnuvagat: In the language of Puranas, 'Bishnu' means the 'Creator' and 'Vagat' means the 'Servant'. Therefore, Bishnuvagat means the Servant of the Creator, and the arabic of this is "Abdullah". It is well known that the name of the World Prophet's father is "Abdullah". Sumati: 'Su' means 'Peace' or 'Self-Satisfaction', the arabic of which is 'Aman'. 'Mati' means 'Soul' or 'Heart'. Therefore, the meaning of 'Sumati' stands 'Satisfied Heart', and the arabic of which is "Amina". Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) mother's name is Amina. 12th Baishakh, Monday: According to the Bikrami Calender of India, the month Baishakh is known as the month of Spring. The arabic of 'Spring' is 'Rabi'. We know that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born on Monday, the 12th of Rabi-ulAwual, the third month of the arabic calender. 2 Hours after Sunrise: If it is 2 hours after sunrise in India, the corresponding time in Arabia would be 2 hours and 40 minutes earlier (The lattitude of Arbia is 80 Degrees West and that of India is 40 Degrees west: Therefore the time difference would be (8040)x4=160 minutes). It is known that Muhammd (peace be upon him) was born at the early dawn, well before the sunrise in Mecca of Arabia ('Hijaj' was the then name of Arabia). Salmal Island: In the Puranas of the Hindus the world has been divided into six parts. For example, 1. Jambu Island- India, Tibbet, Burma (i.e. Mayanmar) etc. 2. Shak Island- Europe 3. Karuncha Island- Beluchistan and Afganistan 4. Kaash Island- Africa 5. Shakli Island- Russia and China 6. Salmal Island- Arab and Asia Minor. Pars-Ram: 'Ram' means Creator and 'Pars' means Axe, and sometimes it also means 'the Great'. Angel Gabriel is the highly dignified Angel of Allah (One True God), who used to deliver Allah's words or messages to the Prophets. The Message angel Gabriel brought to prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from Allah was as sharp as an axe, which eliminated all the injustice and falsehood on earth. 'Pars-ram' thus refers to angel Gabriel, who is the axe-bearer of Allah. Marriage: The first marriage of prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was with Khadija, the daughter of the most famous and richest man in Arabia.Muhammad's uncle Abu Talib, and his three brothers Ali, Aakil and Jafar were present in his marriage ceremony. Cave: Here the 'Cave' refers to the Cave of Mount 'Hera', where angle Gabriel appeared before Muhammd (peace be upon him) for the first time, and where Gabriel asked him to read- 'Ekra Bismi Rabbik-Allazi...' --Read in the name of your lord, Allah. This is the cave of Mount 'Hera'. Sambala: The true meaning of this is not known. However, considering the events of Muhammad's (peace be upon him) life, it appears that the word Sambala refers to the city of Mecca. The Northern Hills: It refers to the city of Medina (the early name was 'Yathrib'). The city of Medina is about 225 miles to the north of the city of Mecca. After being tortured by the tribe of Quraish, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) temporarily migrated to Medina to avoid further torture and persecution. Sword in Hand: Prophet Muhammd (peace be upon him) and his followers gathered strength in Medina and they came with sword in hand to conquer Mecca. Here it referes to conquering the city of Mecca. Conquer the whole land: After conquering the city of Mecca, the whole of Arbia was conquered by Prophet Muhammad and his later followers. Horse: It refers to 'Burak', the carrier who took Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to the miraculouus night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then to the seven heavens, and finally to the Creator of the Universe, 'Allah'. And then returned again to earth within a very short time. (The journey appears to be in a different time dimension and has not yet been explained properly with the present scientific knowledge). 'Burak' has a human like face and the rest resembles to a horse. Appeal O Human Beings! O People!! apply your knowledge and conscience now. Please try to find out the truth and if convinced return to Islam, for it is the Only Way of Life presecribed by Allah and therefore, the only religion acceptable to Allah in the Hereafter. Brother Muhammad Saifur Rahman More Prophecies in Hindu Scriptures The Vedas contain many prophecies about Prophet Muhammad. Some European and Hindu translators of the Vedas have removed the name referring to the Prophet, while others have tried to explain away the mantras (verses) on his life events, Ka’bah, Makkah, Medinah, Arabia, and other events using the terminology of the Hindus, such as purification rituals, and lands and rivers in India. Some mantras containing prophecies are inter-mixed with explanatory phrases, and it may be that these were commentaries and explanatory notes on the prophecies, which later became a part of the prophecy. At first, an article by Brother Ismail Hossain Dinaji, who was a Hindu by religion before returning to Islam, will be presented here. He is a resident of the District of Dinajpur, BANGLADESH and is now servinmg as a Journalist of a National Daily in Ba1ngladesh. The following link is a translation of an article originally written in Bangla (Bengali: the national language spoken in Bangladesh). Please click on Allah and Muhammad in Hindu Religion Also, in the following account, many prophecies regarding the prophet hood of Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) will be translated into English from Sanskrit. Several prophecies are found in Atharva Veda: (1) XX: 21, Mantras 6, 7, and 9, (2) XX: 137, Mantras 7 through 9, and (3) X: 2, Mantras 26, 27, 29, 30, and 32. Similarly, in Rig Veda, additional prophecies are found in: (1) VII: 96, Mantras 13 through 16, and (2) I: 53, Mantras 6 and 9. Finally, a prophecy is found in Sama Veda III: 10, Mantra 1. These are a sample of many prophecies. The serious reader may want to refer to scholarly work of Dr. A.H. Vidyarthi, entitled “Mohammad in World Scriptures,” 1990. This book explains the Hindu terminology used in the Mantras and the meaning and usage of certain words and phrases from within the Vedas and other Hindu Scriptures. In the Bhavishya Puran, Prati Sarg Parv III:3,3,5-8 there is a clear prophecy which also gives the name of the awaited prophet. The English translation follows. "A FOREIGN spiritual teacher will appear with HIS COMPANIONS. His name will be MUHAMMAD. Raja (Bhoj) after giving this Marv Dev Arab (of Angelic disposition) a bath in the "Panchgavy" and Ganges water (i.e. purging him of all sins) offered him the presents of his sincere devotion and showing him all reverence said, 'O Ye! THE PRIDE OF MANKIND THE DWELLER IN ARABIA, Ye have collected a GREAT FORCE to kill the Devil and you and yourself have been protected from the foreign opponents. O ye! The image of the most high God the biggest Lord, I am a slave to thee, accept me at thy feet' " The prophecy above is crystal clear, and leaves no doubt who is the one mentioned. Another quotation from the Bhavishya Puran is given below. "The people (Malechas) have spoilt the well known land of the Arabs. Arya Dharma is not to be found in that country. Before also there appeared a misguided friend whom I had killed; he has now again appeared being sent by a powerful enemy. To show these opponents the right path the well-known Muhammad, who has been given by me the epithet of Brahma, is busy in bringing the 'Pishachas' to the right path. O Raja! You need not go to the land of the foolish "Pishacaas, you will be purified through my kindness even where you are. At night, he of the angelic disposition, the clever man, in the guise of a Pishacha said to Raja Bhoj, "O Raja! Your Arya Dharma has been made to prevail over all religions, but according to the commandments of 'Ishwar Parmata', I shall enforce the strong creed of meat eaters. My follower will be a man circumcised, without a tail (on his head) keeping beard, creating a revolution, announcing adzan (call for prayer), and will be eating all lawful things. He will eat all sorts of animals except swine. They will not seek purification from the holy shrubs, but will be purified through warfare. On account of their fighting the irreligious nations, they will be known as the Musalmans. I shall be the originator of the meat-eating religion". The preceding prophecy is very straightforward, and admits to being a support for the Islamic faith. In the prophecy many signs of the prophet (p.b.u.h.) have been enumerated. Furthermore, it is stated, that the Indian Raja does not need to go into the land of Arabia, as the Musalmans (name still given to muslims in India and Pakistan) will arrive in India, hence India will be purified. Mahrishi Vyasa foretold that India being corrupted, will soon be dominated by the wise, good religion, emanating from the land of the 'Musalmans', whose laws will rule India, in the Bhavishya Puran Parv III:1,4,21-23. You only need to see the facts above, in order to ascertain the truth. There are many other prophecies in the Hindu religion's Scriptures. For example, in the Sama Veda II:6,8 there is an explicit reference to the name "AHMAD". The translation is- "Ahmad acquired Shariah (religious law) from his Lord. This Shariah is full of wisdom. I receive light from him just as from the sun". In the Veda, there are also descriptions of a 'House of God', these fit in exactly with the Kaaba at Mecca. For instance, in the 'Atharva Veda', X.2,31 it is written- "This abode of angels has eight circuits and nine gates. It is unconquerable, there is eternal life in it and it is resplendent with Divine Light". Indeed the Kaaba has nine gates, and the eight circuits are the eight natural lines enclosing the areas, between the surrounding hills. In addition, the Kaaba, as all muslims know, is unconquerable- as the story of Abraha clearly shows. In the Atharva Veda, X,2,32 it is written- "The Supreme Spirit worthy of adoration, lives in the house which is built upon three pillars and three wooden beams and is the centre of eternal life. Men of God know this well". Again it is interesting to note that the Kaaba has three pillars and is the centre of the world. The Professor of Civil Engineering at Riyadh Unniversity, has shown that using scientific methods, it can be proved that Mecca lies in the centre of the World. But this is a side issue. The central issue of this section is that any impartial observer cannot deny the fact that the proof of the messengership of MUHAMMAD (p.b.u.h.) can be acquired even through the books of the Hindoos. Whilst discussing the ancient Indian religion, this is an opportune moment to analyze the more modern Sikhism. The major figure of this religion was Nanak, who, it is reported was a friend of a muslim Emperor. Apparantly, Nanak has not only performed the HAJJ, but has also said that there is no religion without proclaiming - "There is no God except Allah, and Muhammad is his Messenger". A closer inspection into the Scriptures of the Sikhs shows that some muslim poems are incorporated in their religious books. For example, the poems of Baba Farid, a Punjabi muslim, are to be found in the Sikhism scriptures. Many Sikhs regard their Scriptures as "God". Prophecy in the Puranas The compiler of the Puranas, Mahrishi Vyasa, is highly honored among the Hindus as a great rishi and learned person. He was a pious and God fearing man. He also wrote the Gita and the Maha Bharat. Among the eighteen volumes of the Puranas is one by the title ‘Bhavishya Puran,’ literally meaning future events. The Hindus regard it as the Word of God. The prophecy containing Prophet Muhammad by name is found in Prati Sarg Parv III: 3, 3, Verse 5. Before the English translation is presented, a note on the word Malechha that appears in the first part of verse 5 is in order. The word Malechha means a man belonging to a foreign country and speaking foreign language. This word is now used to degrade people meaning unclean or even worse. Its usage varies and depends on who is using it and for whom. Sir William Jones had great difficulty in recruiting a Pundit to teach him Sanskrit because he was considered unclean (Malechha). It was only after the direct intervention of Maharaja (King) Shiv Chandra that Pundit Ram Lochna agreed to teach him Sanskrit. It is not known when this word began to be used in the derogatory sense, whether before the advent of Prophet Muhammad (s), after the conversion of Hindu King Chakrawati Farmas (of Malabar, located on the southwest coast of India) to Islam during the lifetime of the Prophet, soon after the arrival of Muslims in India (711 CE) or sometime later. Mahrishi Vyasa, the compiler of the Puranas, has defined a wise Malechha as “a man of good actions, sharp intellect, spiritual eminence, and showing reverence to the deity (God). Many Sanskrit words have borrowed from Arabic and Hebrew with a slight change as was shown in the examples of Brahma, Saraswati and Manu, and as indicated in Table 2 below. It appears that this word is derived from the Hebrew word Ma-Hekha ( ), which means thy brethren (e.g., And he (Ishmael) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. Genesis 16:12; i.e., Ismaelites are the brethren of the Israelites). In the context of Biblical scriptures this word meant a descendant of Prophet Ismail (Ishmael), and it is well known that Muhammad (s) is a descendant of Prophet Ismail through his second son Kedar. Those who can read Arabic Script can easily see that a mistake in separating Ma from Hekha will produce a single word ‘Malhekha,’ and when adapted in another tongue like Sanskrit might sound like Malechha. Table 2 The Sanskrit text and translation of Verse 5 of Bhavishya Puran, Prati Sarg Parv III: 3, 3 are given below. (The boxed area in the Sanskrit text identifies the word Mahamad or Mohammad). A malechha (belonging to a foreign country and speaking foreign language) spiritual teacher will appear with his companions. His name will be Mahamad.. The Sanskrit Text The translation of Verses 5-27 (Sanskrit text of the Puranas, Prati Sarg Parv III: 3, 3) is presented below from the work of Dr. Vidyarthi. “A malechha (belonging to a foreign country and speaking foreign language) spiritual teacher will appear with his companions. His name will be Mahamad. Raja (Bhoj) after giving this Mahadev Arab (of angelic disposition) a bath in the 'Panchgavya' and the Ganges water, (i.e. purging him of all sins) offered him the presents of his sincere devotion and showing him all reverence said, 'I make obeisance to thee.''O Ye! the pride of mankind, the dweller in Arabia, Ye have collected a great force to kill the Devil and you yourself have been protected from the malechha opponents (idol worshipers, pagans).' ‘O Ye! the image of the Most Pious God the biggest Lord, I am a slave to thee, take me as one lying on thy feet.' “The Malechhas have spoiled the well-known land of the Arabs. Arya Dharma is not to be found in that country. Before also there appeared a misguided fiend whom I had killed [note: e.g., Abraha Al-Ashram, the Abyssinian viceroy of Yemen, who attacked Mecca]; he has now again appeared being sent by a powerful enemy. To show these enemies the right path and to give them guidance the well-known Mahamad (Mohammad), who has been given by me the epithet of Brahma is busy in bringing the Pishachas to the right path. O Raja! You need not go to the land of the foolish Pishachas, you will be purified through my kindness even where you are. At night, he of the angelic disposition, the shrewd man, in the guise of a Pishacha said to Raja Bhoj, "O Raja! Your Arya Dharma has been made to prevail over all religions, but according to the commandments of ‘Ashwar Parmatma (God, Supreme Spirit), I shall enforce the strong creed of the meat-eaters. My follower will be a man circumcised, without a tail (on his head), keeping beard, creating a revolution, announcing call for prayer and will be eating all lawful things. He will eat all sorts of animals except swine. They will not seek purification from the holy shrubs, but will be purified through warfare. Because of their fighting the irreligious nations, they will be known as Musalmans (Muslims). I shall be the originator of this religion of the meat-eating nation." Prophecy in Rig Veda Rig Veda V, 27, 1: The wagon-possessor, the truthful and truth-loving, extremely wise, powerful and generous, Mamah [Mohammad] has favored me with his words. The son of the Allpowerful, possessing all good attributes, the mercy for the worlds has become famous with ten thousand [companions]. It refers to ten thousand companions who accompanied the Prophet in the triumphant entry of Makkah and cleansing of Ka’bah of Idols and other profanities. Prophecy in Sama Veda The Sama Veda contains many prophecies of the advent of Prophet Mohammad. Here, one of them is presented. It is found in Sama Veda, II:6,8: "Ahmad acquired religious law (Shariah) from his Lord. This religious law is full of wisdom. I receive light from him just as from the sun." Prophet Muhammad’s other name was Ahmad (both are from root letters h, m and d), both words have the meaning the “praised one” except the latter emphasizes a higher degree to it. The Holy Qur’an states that Prophet ‘Isa (Jesus, pbuh) mentioned the last Prophet’s name as Ahmad. More Prophecies about Ka'bah in Atharva Veda Atharva Veda X, 2, 28: [On Ka’bah] Whether it is built high, its walls are in a straight line or not, but God is seen in every corner of it. He who knows the House of God, knows it because God is remembered there. The Ka’bah is not exactly cubical and its sides are not of the same length. The Holy Sanctuary (Haram) of which Ka’abah is at the center remains open day and night throughout the year and it is always filled with people praying to Allah (the One True God). Muslims face toward it during prayer forming circle in the Haram (Holy House) and the circle extends out in this manner throughout the planet Earth. Atharva Veda X, 2, 31:[On Holy Sanctuary (House) and Ka’bah] This abode of the angels has eight circuits and nine gates. It is unconquerable, there is eternal life in it and it is resplendent with Divine light. The holy sanctuary (Haram) of which Ka’bah is at the center remains open day and night throughout the year and it is always filled with people praying and supplicating to Allah (the One True God). It has remained unconquerable. Abraha Al-Ashram, the Abbysinian viceroy of Yemen, tried to demolish it in 570 CE with a strong army and hordes of elephants but was prevented from entering the city (Holy precinct). The people of Makkah had decided not to defend the Ka'bah, fled the city and took refuge in nearby hills overlooking Ka'bah. By Allah’s Command, the 'Abaabeel' (flying creatures, birds) pelted stones at Abraha's army and decimated it, leaving them like green crops devoured by cattle. This incident is described in the Surah (chapter) 105 of the Qur’an. The year 570 CE is popularly known by the Arabs as ‘The year of the Elephant,’ and Prophet Muhammad was born in that year. Dr. Vidyarthi points out the following facts. The House of God has nine gates - Baab-eIbrahim (Abraham) , Baab-al-Wedaa, Baab-as-Safa, Baab-e-Ali, Baab-e-Abbas, Baab-unNabi, Baab-as-Salaam, Baab-az-Ziyarat, and Baab-e-Haram. Further, the eight circuits are the natural lines enclosing the areas between the surrounding hills, the names of which are: Jabal-e-Khaleej, Jabal-e-Qaiqaon, Jabal-e-Hindi, Jabal-e-Laalaa, Jabal-eKeda, Jabal-e-Abu Hadidah, Jabal-e-Abi Qabees, and Jabal-e-Umar. Atharva Veda X, 2, 33: [On Abraham and more on Holy Sanctuary and Ka’bah] Brahma (Abraham) stayed in this abode which is illumined by heavenly light and covered with Divine blessings. It is the place that gives (spiritual) life to the people and is unconquerable. The Ka’bah was built by Prophets Abraham and Ismail. It has remained unconquerable as explained in the preceding verse. Many verses of the Holy Qur’an and of the Old Testament in the Bible describe the divine blessings in this Holy house. Prophecy in Kuntap Sukt (Part of Atharva Veda) Kuntap Sukt are sections in the twentieth chapter of the Atharva Veda. These are read every year in big assemblies in prayers and where sacrifices are offered. Seventeen leading pandits assemble annually to recite these mantras (verses) with great devotion. Kuntap Sukt are mentioned in several most ancient Hindu books - Aitreya Brahmana, Kaushitki Brahmana, Gopath Brahmana, Shankhayana Shraut Sutar, Ashvlayana Shraut Sutar, and Vaitan Sutar. The word Kuntap means to consume sin and misery, and it is composed from Kuh (sin and misery) and tap (to consume). The word Kuntap also means the ‘hidden glands in the abdomen,’ inferring the true meaning to be revealed only to those who are able to develop sufficient insight. As a comparison, Makkah (Mecca) is called the mother of towns (Umm al Qura) or the navel of the earth. Dr. Vidyarthi shows that the word Kuntap is derived from Bakkah (Makkah). In the analysis of Sanskrit and Arabic words having the same meaning such as in the preceding Table, the word ‘b’ in Arabic is used as ‘p’ in Sanskrit (in our times, one example is that of soft drink Pepsi; it is written and pronounced as Bebsi in the Arab world). A certain ‘t’ in Arabic becomes silent and pronounced as h depending on its position in that word (see Table 3, below). For example, ‘tun’ in Medinatun is replaced by h when pronounced (both t and n are dropped). Further, many Sanskrit words having parallel in Arabic are written backwards (see Table 2, above). Thus one can see the similarity between the word Kuntap and Bakkah (each containing letters k, n, t, p). Dr. Vidyarthi further demonstrates from the context of prophecies that Kuntap in fact refers to Ka’bah and Makkah (Mecca). Interestingly, the words Bakkah and Ka’bah use the same root words. Table 3 Pronounced As Medinah Bayt Bakkah Makkah Jeddah Muhammad Written in Arabic As Medinatun Baytun Bakkatu, Bakkatun Makkatu Jeddatu Muhammdun Meaning or Usage City House Proper Name, City Proper Name, City Proper Name, City Proper Name Proper Name, Female (the ending 'n' does not appear in female names) Khadijah Khadijatu The third Mantra (verse 3) of the Kuntap Sakt is: Its translation by Pandit Raja Ram is given below: “He gave the Mamah Rishi a hundred gold coins, ten chaplets, three hundred steeds and ten thousand cows.” The root of the word Mamah is Mah which means to esteem highly, honor, revere, to magnify and to exalt. The word "Mohammad" means "the praised one" in Arabic. In Sanskrit, many Muslim names are used with a slight change. For Example, ‘Mahmud’ Ghaznavi, who briefly ruled parts of India, is referred to as ‘Mamud’ Gajnavi. Therefore, Mamah is synonymous with Mohammad when the full meaning of the verse is considered. In Hinduism, the word Rishi means a teacher of mystical knowledge or Prophet, and may include someone who is divine. It appears that this word has been derived from Prophet Idris with the initial letter ‘I’ moved to the end of the word, similar to the case of Abraham and Brahma, and the 'd' dropped as in the case of Mamah (Mohammad, which is derived from root letters h, m, and d). The hundred gold coins refer to the early companions of Prophet Muhammad, eighty of whom migrated to Abyssinia to escape unbearable persecution. In Shatpath Brahmana, a revealed commentary of the Yajur Veda, the gold is metaphorically used for denoting the high spiritual power of a man. The ten chaplets refer to ten excellent companions of Prophet Muhammad, who were given the good news of Paradise by the Prophet. They are known to Muslims as ‘Ashrai-Mubbashshara.’ Their names are - Abu Bakr (ra), ‘Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Talha, Zubair, 'Abdur Rahman ibn 'Auf, S'ad bin Abi Waqqas, S'ad bin 'Zaid and Abu 'Ubeidah (may Allah be well-pleased with them). They are the distinguished personalities about whom the Vedas speak of as Dash ashrijah - ‘ten bouquets from the Paradise.’ Three Hundred Good Steeds (horses of Arab Breed) refers to those companions of Prophet Muhammad who fought at ‘Badr.’ (Their actual number was 313; however, in many prophecies the numbers are usually rounded up). The Sanskrit word Arvah means a swift Arab horse particularly used by Asuras (non-Aryans). Ten Thousand Cows refer to ten thousand companions who accompanied the Prophet when he conquered Mecca. The Sanskrit word ‘go’ is derived from gaw meaning to go to war, and it is used for both an ox and a cow. A cow or an ox as described in the Vedas represents both as a symbol of war and peace and amity. We find both these qualities in the companions of Prophet Muhammad. They were saintly men, pious and compassionate like a cow, and they were fierce and strong in establishing peace and justice. (Also, see verses from Qu'ran Qur'an 48:29: Qur’an 5:54) A Hadith of Prophet Muhammad will make this prophecy even more clear. It is narrated in Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 9, number 159 and an additional deatil in Sahih Muslim: Sharh an-Nawawee, Vol. 8. This Hadith refers to a dream of the Prophet while he was in Makkah, i.e., before his migration to Medina: “Abu Musa related that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “I saw in a dream that I was migrating from Makkah to a land where there were date palm trees. I thought that it might be the alYamamah or Hajar, but it turned out to be Yathrib (Medina). And I saw cows (being slaughtered, as quoted in Sahih Muslim) there - and what is with Allah is better. Eventually, the cows proved to symbolize the believers (who were killed) on the day (of the battle) of Uhud, and the good (which I saw in the dream) was the good and reward of truth which Allah bestowed upon us after the battle of Badr.”’ This Hadith shows that cows in the dream represented the Prophet’s companions. The ten thousand cows in the Vedic mantra thus refer to ten thousand saintly companions of Prophet Muhammad. The English translation of the mantras (verses) 1 through 13 of the Kuntap Sukt (Atharva Veda) was taken from the work of Pandit Raja Ram and other Hindu translators, and is given below. The text in [ ] is added to elaborate or explain the context of the verses for the reader. 1. Listen to this O people! a praiseworthy shall be praised. O Kaurama we have received among the Rushamas sixty thousand and ninety. [population of Makkah at the time of Prophet’s triumphant entry in Makkah]. 2. Twenty camels draw his carriage, with him being also his wives. The top of that carriage or chariot bows down escaping from touching the heaven. 3. He gave the Mamah Rishi a hundred gold coins, ten chaplets, three hundred steeds and ten thousand cows. [100 early companions, 80 of them migrated to Abyssinia; ten elect companions who were given the good news of paradise by the Prophet; 313 companions of the battle of Badr; and 10,000 companions who accompanied the Prophet in the triumphant entry of Makkah and cleansing of Ka’bah of Idols]. 4. Disseminate the truth, O ye who glorifies [Ahmad], disseminate the truth, just as a bird sings on a ripe fruited tree. Thy lips and tongue move swiftly like the sharp blade of a pair of shears. [The Prophet’s state when he received revelation through Archangel Jibril (Gabriel)]. 5. The praying ones with their prayers hurry on like powerful bulls. Only their children are at home, and at home do they wait for the cows. [Cows refers to companions of the Prophet. Prophet’s companions strict adherence to five daily prayers at appointed times. Refers to Battles of Badr, Uhud, and Ahzab (Ditch or Allies)]. 6. O you who praises (the Lord), hold fast the wisdom, which earns cows and good things. Disseminate this among the divines, just as an archer places his shaft on the right point. [wisdom of the Qur’an]. 7. Sing the high praise of the king of the world or the Light of the Universe, who is a god and the best among men. He is a guide to all people and gives shelter to everyone. [Prophet Muhammad’s qualities]. 8. He who affords shelter to everybody, gave peace to the world, as soon as he mounted the throne. Men in Kuru-land are talking of his peace-making at the time of the building of the house. [Kuru means one who protects a house in Hebrew and Kore means a house. It refers to the first house of worship, the Ka’bah. In this sense, Kuru-land means the land of Koreish. This Mantra refers to the rebuilding of the Ka'bah five years before Muhammad's prophethood and his role in peace-making when each tribe of the Koreish (Quraish) wanted the sole honor to put the Black Stone at its right place and disputed to the point of threats to fight each other. The Black Stone is a celestial material and is the only remaining part of the original building material of the Ka'bah]. 9. In the realm of the King, who gives peace and protection to all, a wife asks her husband whether she should set before him curd or some other liquor. [Due to Prophet’s protection and commandments, women could travel freely long distances without any escort or fear]. 10. The ripe barley springs up from the cleft and rises towards heavens. The people prosper in the reign of the king who gives protection to all. [people rise from the depth of degradation to the height of glory]. 11. Indra awoke the singer of his praises and asked him to go to the people in every direction. He was asked to glorify Indra, the mighty and all pious men would appreciate his effort and God would bestow on him His rewards. [The Prophet sent letters to several kings and rulers in every direction inviting them to Islam]. 12. Cows, horses and men multiply and increase here, because here rules the one who is bountiful and splendidly generous who gives thousands in charity and sacrifice. [qualities of the Last Prophet]. 13. O Indra, let these cows be safe, and let not their master be harmed. And let not an enemy, O Indra, or a robber overpower them. [Indra refers to God and cows to saintly followers of the Prophet]. QUR'AN FORETOLD IN THE HINDU SCRIPTURE From Sama Veda: The Sama Veda of the Hindu Scripture presents the following Sanskrit verse: (Sama Veda, II:6,8) The translation of the above verse is given below. "Ahmad acquired Religious Law (Shariah) from his Lord. This Religious Law is full of wisdom. I receive light from him just as from the sun." In the above verse, the Religious Law refers to the Book of Law- The Holy Qur'an which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and the Book is indeed full of wisdom. The Holy Qur'an also deals with many scientific aspects, the Creation of the Universe, human beings etc. along with the guidance for mankind as to how they should lead their lives on earth. It should be noted here that Prophet Muhammad’s other name was Ahmad (both are from root letters h, m and d), both words have the meaning “the praised one” except the latter emphasizes a higher degree to it. The Holy Qur’an states that Prophet ‘Isa (Jesus, pbuh) mentioned the last Prophet’s name as Ahmad. From Kuntap Sukt (Atharva Veda): The English translation of the mantras (verses) 4 to 6 of Kuntap Sukt of the Atharva Veda are also given below. This is taken from the work of Pandit Raja Ram and other Hindu Translators. 4: Disseminate the truth, O ye who glorifies [Ahmad], disseminate the truth, just as a bird sings on a ripe fruited tree. Thy lips and tongue move swiftly like the sharp blade of a pair of shears. [The last sentence refers to Prophet's state when he received revelation through Archangel Gabriel]. 5: The praying ones with their prayers hurry on like powerful bulls. Only their children are at home, and at home do they wait for their cows. [Here, Cows refers to the companions of prophet Ahmad. The companions of the Prophet had strict adherence to five daily prayers at appointed times. The verse refers to the strength and power with which the companions fought during the battles]. 6: O you who praises (the Lord), hold fast the wisdom, which earns cows and good things. Disseminate this among the divines, just as an archer places his shaft on the right point. [Here, the wisdom refers to the wisdom contained in the the Holy Qur'an]. From Kalki Purana: Kalki-Purana is one of the principal sacred books of the Hindu Religion. In terms of seeking blessings, its place is after the Kuntap Sukt. Now, the translation of some verses from Chapter 12 of the Kalki-Purana will be given below. " 'Jagatguru' will be born of 'Bishnuvagat' in the woumb of 'Sumati'. He will be born '2 hours after sunrise' on Monday, the 12th of 'Baishakh'. His father will die before his birth and his mother some time later after his birth. 'Jagatguru' will marry the princess of the 'Salmal' island. His uncle and three brothers will be present in his marriage ceremony. 'Pars-Ram'will teach him in a cave. When he will come to 'Sambala' from 'Salmal' island, to preach his teachings, his relatives will oppose him. He will be bound to migrate to the 'Northern Hills' to avoid the on-going torture and persecution. But after some time, he will return to 'Sambala' with 'sword in hand' and will 'conquer the whole land'. 'Jagatguru' will visit earth and the seven heavens riding on a 'horse' ". The above verses of the Kalki-Purana clearly reflect the rise of Prophet Muhammad and some important incidents of his life. It will be clearer once the true meanings of the highlighted words are unveiled. Only 'Pars-Ram' would be explained below. Pars-Ram: 'Ram' means Creator and 'Pars' means Axe, and sometimes it also means 'the Great'. Angel Gabriel is the highly dignified Angel of Allah (One True God), who used to deliver Allah's words or messages to the Prophets. The Message that angel Gabriel brought to prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from Allah was as sharp as an axe, which eliminated all the injustice and falsehood on earth. 'Pars-Ram' thus refers to angel Gabriel, who is the axe-bearer of Allah. And the cave is actually the cave of Mount Hira, which can be seen below. We all know that Muhammad (pbuh) was an unlettered man and he was met by the Angel Gabriel in the cave of Mount Hira in Arabia in 610AD. He was regularly doing his meditation there in search of the true God. The angel Gabriel appeared before him oneday while Muhammad was in the midst of his regular meditation, and said in Arabic "Ekra Bisme Rabbik Allazi Khalaq, Khalq-Al-Insana Min Aalaq"- Read in the name of your Lord, your Creator, who has created man from a drop of cloated blood. But Muhammad replied, "I do not know writing at all'. This is an historical fact. . O Hindu Brothers! Why not accept the Truth? Do you know that God advises the Muslims in the Holy Qur'an as follows: Say ye: "We believe in Allah, And the revelation given to us, And to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jcob, 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)" (Al-Qur'an 2:136). In another place, God advises the Muslims to address the Jews and Christians as follows: 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)". (Al-Qur'an 3:64). Also, God directly addresses to the Christians as: "O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of God aught but the truth. Christ Jesus, the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of God, and His word which he bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from him: So believe in God and his messengers." (Al-Qur'an 4:171). What does the Persi (Zoroastrian) Scripture say about Muhammad? Some of the Zoroastrian teachings are somewhat similar to ISLAM, e.g. the universe being created in six periods of time. However, there are immense differences between the two religions. When the Muslims did conquer Persia, they came across quite a few similar teachings and so some Muslims held the Zoroastrians in the same respect as "The People of The Book". This shows that many similarities were not forged for political purposes. Zoroaster (The Parsi 'prophet'), prophesized the coming of a "Soeshyyant", which means a "Mercy for the World". Remarkably, the prophet of Islam MUHAMMAD (p.b.u.h) is referred to in Al-Qur'an as a "Mercy for the World" (Surah 21:Verse 107). There are many instances in both the main books of the Parsi religion of the coming of an "Astvat-ereta", meaning the "Praised One". Again, it is remarkable that the name Muhammad means the "Praised One". In the "Dasatir", the Parsi epistle of Sasan 1, the following prophecy occurs (translated from the old Pahlavi Language). "When the Persians should sink so low in morality, a man will be born in Arabia, whose followers will upset their throne, religion and everything. The mighty stiffnecked ones of Persia will then be overpowered. The house which was built, and in which idols have been placed will be purged of idols, and people will start to say their prayers facing towards it. His followers will capture the towns of Madina, and Tus and Balkh and other sacred places. Their leader will be a man eloquent and his message will be well connected. The wise men of Persia and other places will join his followers" The above is self-evident, from the beginning to the end, the religion of Islam is predicted. No commentary is necessary as many clear signs are mentioned in the quotation. The Kaaba (divine house) becoming free of idols and being the Qibla, the Arabian prophet, his companions and the Islamic conquest are precisely mentioned amongst other signs. It is impossible for people to deny such a clear prophecy. The Epistle of Sasan I in Dasatir contains the prophecy about Prophet Muhammad. Sasan I was a reformer of the Zoroastrian religion. It is believed that this Epistle is a part of the teachings of Prophet Zoroaster, to which Sasan I added his explanatory notes. Some scholars have suggested that the word ‘Dasatir’ means ten (das) parts (tir) while others contend that this word is derived from Dasatur, meaning religious law. The Zoroastrians are also known as ‘Magians’ and ‘Fire Worshipers.’ The original Text in Pahlavi The Epistle of Sasan I describes future events at a time when Zoroastrians will have forsaken their religious practices. The English translation of the Epistle of Sasan I is presented below. “When the Persians will do such deeds, a man from among the Arabs will be born whose followers shall overthrow and dissolve the kingdom and religion of the Persians. And the arrogant people (Persians) will be subjugated. Instead of the temple of fire and the house of idols they will see the House of Abraham without any idols as their Qibla. “And they (Muslims) will be a mercy to the worlds. And they will capture the places of temples of fire, Madain (Ctesiphon), nearby lands, Tus and Balkh, and other eminent and sacred places (of Zoroastrians). And their leader (Prophet Muhammad) will be an eloquent man whose words and message will be clear and far-reaching.” The word for word translation of the Epistle of Sasan I is given below. The text of this Epistle is taken from Dasatir published by Mulla Pheroze during the reign of Shah Nasiruddeen Kachar of Persia. Mulla Pheroze lived in Bombay (India) and he was an eminent scholar of Pahlavi, Zend, Persian, and Arabic languages. He consulted with several famous Zoroastrians priests to authenticate his translation. The original text is in Pahlavi. There are many prophecies in Dasatir and in Zend Avesta, the other sacred book of the Zoroastrians. The word ‘Astvat-ereta’ in the prophecies means ‘the praised one’ which is Muhammad in Arabic. Some prophecies are found in Farvardin Yasht XIII:17 and XXVIII:129, Zamyad Yasht: 95, and Atash Nyayish: 9. References: 1. Abdul Haq Vidyarthi, "Muhammad in World Scriptures," Adam Publishers, 1990. (includes chapters on Zoroastrian and Hindu Scriptures) 2. A.H.Vidyarthi and U. Ali, "Muhammad in Parsi, Hindu & Buddhist Scriptures," IB. Qur'an 35:24 Verily We have sent thee (Muhammad) in truth as a bearer of glad tidings and as a warner: And there never was a people without a warner having lived among them (in the past). Qur'an 16:36 For We assuredly sent amongst every People an apostle (with the Command) "Serve Allah and eshew Evil": Of the people were some whom Allah guided and some on whom Error became inevitably (established). So travel through the earth and see what was the end of those who denied (the Truth). Qur'an 2:256 There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who rejecteth false deities and believeth in Allah hath grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower. Muhammad Foretold in the Jewish Bible (Old Testament) It is easy for God to speak with distinction of things thousands of years prior to their occurrence, but impossible for man to do so. According to the Old Testament, the faithfulness of Abraham was given special reward by a covenant or promise to bless all mankind through his descendants. His line would be distinguished by divine guidance and prophecy. "By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore... and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast hearkened to my voice" [5]. The Bible is the record, primarily, of God's favor to Abraham's second son Isaac, in whose line came Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them). But what about the first-born of Abraham, Ishmael? The Genesis story about the turning out of Ishmael and his mother, Hagar, the Egyptian servant woman of Sarah, due to Sarah's jealousy in being unable to bear the first son of Abraham, is an early example of Hebrew chauvinism, full of contradictory elements [6]. In effect, Genesis closes the door on Hagar and Ishmael; from henceforth only Isaac and Sarah matter. But God's promise to Abraham was not biased. When He made the "everlasting covenant" with the family of Abraham, Isaac was not even in the picture (Please also see 'Added Comments' at Reference [5] at the bottom of this page). Ishmael was his only son and God declared: "As for Ishmael, I have heard thee; behold I have blessed him ... ... twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation" [7]. The writers of Genesis wrongly attempted to make it appear that Ishmael would receive an inferior blessing because his mother was a servant woman, but Isaac, being the son of the free woman, would inherit the glory of the first-born son. In so doing, they disgraced the clear family laws of the Torah. According to this law, the rights of the first born son are not invalid due to the social status of his mother. This applied especially in polygamous marriages such as that of Abraham [8]. Man's social prejudices do not in any way dictate the favor of God. According to the Torah "If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved (i.e. slighted or socially despised due to inferior social status), and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, but the first -born is the son of the unloved wife, when he wills his property to his sons, he may not treat as first-born the son of the loved one in disregard of the son of the unloved one who is older. Instead, he must accept the first-born, the son of the unloved one, and allot him a double portion of all he possesses; since he is the first fruit of his vigor, the birthright is his due" [9]. But the Bible disregards this fair principle and gives throughout the ''double portion " of honor to Isaac, the second son and makes it actually appear that the "birthright" is his (Cf. Genesis 17:21: "but My covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear ..."). This makes the "Torah" of the Bible a contradictory law. By right, the double honor and the birth right belong to the line of Ishmael, and the "unloved" social status of his mother detracts from this not at all. Ishmael's descendants came to be known as Arabs, a term which, in Hebrew, meant those who inhabited the 'arabah' or desert [10]. It is not a coincidence that of the twelve sons of ishmael (Genesis 25:12-16) the one mentioned most prominently is Qaydar (Qedar in Hebrew). In some Bible verses, Qaydar is synonymous with the Arabs in general [11]. This is an important indication that the line of Qaydar was marked by God for a unique purpose, to bring forth the one whose life and work would bring "a double portion" of honor to the house of Ishmael. The nature of this twofold honor begins to be revealed in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. There are many brilliant parables and prophecies in Isaiah which concern the fulfillment of God's promise to bless all mankind through the family of Abraham. Christians believe that some of these accounts relate to the gentle but forthright mission of Jesus as the Messiah. But the 42nd chapter of Isaiah is distinct because it points, not to the Hebrew, but to the Arab branch of Abraham's family. Here Isaiah points out a chosen "Servant of the Lord" who would have prophethood to all mankind, unlike the Hebrew prophets whose mission was limited to Israel. God's spirit would guide him and he would establish justice on earth. He would not rule as a loud or boisterous demagogue. Unlike the brief ministry of Jesus, this prophet would serve long enough to "set right in the earth", to actually establish a society or community based on truth and justice. He would be "a light of the nations". What is most startling about this particular servant of the Lord is that he, alone, is identified with Qaydar in verse 11. "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one whom I delight, I have bestowed My spirit upon him, and he will make justice shine on the nations. He will not call out or lift his voice high, or make himself heard in the open market. He will not break a bruised reed, or snuff out a smoldering wick; he will make justice shine on every race, never faltering, never breaking down, he will plant justice on earth, while coasts and islands wait for his teaching. Thus speaks the Lord Who is God, He Who created the skies and stretched them out, Who fashioned the earth and all that grows in it, Who gave breath to its people, the breath of life to all who walk upon it: I, the Lord, have called you with righteous purpose and taken you by the hand; I have formed you and appointed you to be a light to all peoples, a beacon for the nations... ... Let the wilderness and its towns rejoice, and the villages of the tribe of Kedar (Qaydar)" [12]. This prophecy could apply to none of the Hebrew prophets. Even Jesus made it plain that his mission was far from being universal, saying: "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (13). His calling was limited and it was the later Gentile converts, not Jesus, who gave Christianity its inclusive nature. Nor was Jesus or any of the Hebrew prophets related in any way to "Kedar" (Qaydar). In promising a great prophet from the Arabs, Isaiah was merely amplifying the prophecy made previously by Moses. God revealed to Moses that a prophet would arise from the brothers of the Hebrews- the Arabs, who were children of the brother of Isaac, Ishmael- who would command world-wide attention and obedience. "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. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him" [14]. This prophet would have to be "like unto thee (Moses)", who was founder, leader and exemplar of a community of believers, one whose mission would last long to achieve cohesive, concrete results. When one compares the teachings and life stories of Moses (pbuh) with those of Muhammad (pbuh), one is convinced that the prophecy refers to Muhammad and Muhammad alone! REFERENCES [5] Genesis 22:16-18, Jewish Publication Society's version, 1955. Added Comments: Note that the son of sacrifice (Dhabihullah) is stated to be the only son of Abraham. Recent Jewish translations change this to read the "favored son" of Abraham. However, the Hebrew text says yehideka, which is a noun form of yahid. Yahid in Hebrew corresponds with wahid in Arabic and has the same meaning, "sole, single, only, only one" (Shilo Hebrew Dictionary, p. 83). The reference thus must be to Ishmael, not Isaac, since Isaac was never the sole or only son of Abraham. However, some Jewish commentators, while admitting that yehideka means "only son", twist the meaning to make it refer to Isaac by saying that Ishmael was illegitimate, so Isaac was the only real son of Abraham. But the Torah of the Bible nowhere says that Ishmael was illegitimate. Rather, it says, "And Sarah Abrham's wife took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abraham to be his wife" (Genesis 16:3). Since Hagar became the second WIFE of Abraham, Ishmael could not have been "illegitimate". A man does not bear illegitimate children from his wife. Further, God says of Ishmael, "I have blessed him ... .... .... .... and will make him a gret nation" (Genesis 17:20). In Genesis 17:23, 25 and 26, we read: "And Abraham took Ishmael HIS SON ... ... and Ishmael HIS SON was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael HIS SON". At the very last, when Abraham had passed away, the Bible says: And his sons Isaac AND ISHMAEL buried him in the cave of Machpelah" (Genesis 25:9). The Bible is explicit that Ishmael was fully the son of Abraham and by no means illegitimate! [6] E. A. Speiser, Genesis (New York, 1964). The Anchor Bible, Vol. I, pp.156, 157. [7] Genesis 17 4-10, 20. [8] Hastings, op. cat., p. 626. [9] Deuteronomy 21:15-17, from The Torah, Jewish Publications Society, 1962. [10] Hastings, op. cat., p. 47. [11] See Jeremiah 2:10, Ezekiel 27:21, Isaiah 60:7; Song of Solomon 1:5. [12] Isaiah 42:1-6, 11 New English Bible. [13] Matthew 15:24. [14] Deuteronomy 18:18, 19. What does the Christian Bible say about Muhammad? The Gospel Preview: The Paraclete The Gospel of Jesus brought into sharper focus the identity of the one who would fulfill the promise to make the line of Ishmael a great nation. In the Gospel of John- a New Testament book which is not the Gospel of Jesus and which may be considered as representing only in general terms portions of Jesus' teaching- Jesus informs his close companions that his work among them was drawing to conclusion, but God would send someone else after a time to carry forward the prophetic movement. This someone, however, would be the last of the prophets. "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the spirit of truth" [15]. "When he, the spirit of truth is come, he will guide you unto all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear (from God), that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me" [16]. In Jesus' written portrait of the last messenger he is called the "Comforter", which represents the word parakletos in the Greek New Testament. More precisely, parakletos means an advocate, one who pleads the cause of another, one who counsels or advises another from deep concern for the other's welfare [17]. Parakletos would designate one who would be considered the "Mercy for all creatures", Rahmatun lil 'Alamiun (Qur'an 21:107). He would be the counsellor who would "lead forth those who believe and do righteous deeds from the depths of darkness into light" (Qur'an 65:11), the true advocate who would be harisun 'alaykuym (Sura Al-Tawba); genuinely solicitous for the welfare of humanity, pleading their case with God and showing them the sure way of return to the favor of the divine Judge. THE GREEK WORD "PARACLETE" (Ho Parakletos): However, some scholars believe that what Jesus said in his own language of Aramaic represents more closely the Greek word periklytos, which means the Admirable or Glorified One. Periklytos corresponds to the word Muhammad in Arabic [18]. There are several proven cases of similar word substitutions in the New Testament (Also, refer to added comments at Reference [18] at the bottom of this page). There are also several instances of another possibility, the possibility that the Greek text originally had both words, parakletos and periklytos, and due to the similarity of spelling and close proximity to one another in the sentence, one got left out by the copyists. In such case the Greek text would have read: instead of the present reading: that is, "and He will give you another Counsellor, the Admirable One", instead of the present reading, "and He will give you another Counsellor". Such mistakes occured in copying because the ancient texts had all the letters written close together. The eye of the copyist could easily pass over a word similar in spelling or close in position [19]. When Jesus declares of his coming prophet-counsellor that he would "abide with you forever", he shows thatthere would be no need for additional prophets to succeed him. He would be the last one. He would lead mankind "unto all the truth" (Greek: "to the whole truth", "to every aspect of the truth"); there would be no necessity for anyone to come with additional truth. Indeed, there would be no more additional truth, in the general sense, to bring. So truthful and trustworthy would he be that he could be called Al-Amin, or as the Greek text of John 16:13 says, ,"the spirit of truth", one of whom it could be said: "He has brought them the Truth" (Qur'an 23:70). The term "spirit" here does not mean that the coming prophet would be other than human. In New Testament Greek, this word has also been applied to an inspired person, "the possessor of a spiritual communication" or revelation. The one who become overwhelmed with a divine revelation is himself termed a "spirit" [20]. The "spirit of truth" would be the person who would possess a spiritual communication, that is, a divine revelation, and whose life and conduct and character would be marked to an extreme degree by devotion to the truth. This is why the next sentence of the verse containing the expression says: "He will guide you unto all truth; for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear (from God), that shall he speak" (John 16:13). This person would receive the revelation of truth from God and these words alone would constitute the message, not his own opinions or the writings of his companions. His message or revelation would be first and foremost and literally the Word of God. Note that this corresponds exactly to what God revealed to Moses about the prophet who would come from among the "brothers" of the Hebrews: "I ... will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him" (Deuteronomy 18:18). A more striking point is the similarity between the divine mission given to Moses, Jesus and the Spirit of Truth (Muhammad) as bearers of a single thread of Revelation from God. By comparing Deuteronomy 18:15, 17-19; John 12:49; 16:12-13; and Qur'an 73:15, one observes that despite the thousands of years involved and the disastrous human interference in the Bible, the words describing these three personalities are almost identical. Therefore, the (original) Torah, Gospel and the Qur'an have One Source and reveal the same Truth, which is Eternal. It cannot be overlooked that Jesus gives a unique requirement that would help to identify the last prophet: "He shall glorify me". (John 16:14). If anyone had come claiming to be this prophet, but did not give due honor to Jesus as prophet and Messiah, he would the wrong one. As a nation, the Jews rejected Jesus. At the same time, this prophet to come would not be a follower of Jesus, that is, a Christian, because Jesus said that this prophet would reveal things of which Jesus himself was unaware. If Jesus had brought "all the truth", there would have been no need for him to single out someone else who would come with all the truth. Likewise, since this prophet would bring all the truth he would have to be the last one, the seal of the prophets. Therefore, we would have to look for someone who, like Abraham in whose line he would come, would be neither Jew nor Christian but would believe in God. Unlike the Jews as a whole, he would "glorify" Jesus by insisting that Jesus was a true messenger of God and by acknowledging that Jesus was the true Messiah. But the teaching of this prophet would come fromGod Himself. As a revelation from God, the message of this last prophet would confirm what God had revealed previously by means of the original Torah and the original Gospel, but his message would be no mere plagiarized copy, no "condensed edition" of either the Torah or the Gospel. God Almighty had said, "I ... will put My words in his mouth", and it is proper that these words would agree with previously revealed words of the One and Same God. "Whatsoever he shall hear (from God), that shall he speak". The one reference at John 14:26 which seeks to identify the coming prophet as "the Holy Ghost" or Spirit is the only one like it in the entire Bible. It is obviously the addition of some editor of the Gospel of John who sought in his own way to explain who he thought the "spirit of truth" was. But this indefensible exegesis simply contradicts what Jesus is reported to have said elsewhere in John. According to other verses he indicated clearly that the prophet or "Paraclete" would not come until Jesus' own mission was finished. The holy spirit- the angel of revelation-was active already, both before and during the ministry of Jesus, delivering God's revelations to His prophets and assisting them. (see Psalms 51:11; Matthew 3:16; 4:1, etc.). This strange "Holy Ghost" interpretation gained currency only after Christians began to look upon God as a "Trinity", with the "Holy Ghost" being an aspect of it. Neither the word Trinity nor its concepts can be found anywhere in the Bible. The Paraclete would be a man, not a ghost, because the same word is applied to Jesus himself at 1 John 2:1 "We have a Paraclete (Advocate, Counsellor) with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous one". Jesus had been a "paraclete" to the Jews and his followers so considered him, but the Paraclete to come after Jesus (John 14:16) would be for all people, all places and all times. The Greek text at John 14:16 which foretells the coming of "another Paraclete" is so specific that even the word "another" has significance. In English, "another" may mean "one more of the same kind" or "one more of a different kind". It is important to know which meaning Jesus had in mind, because if he meant "one more of a different kind" that would mean the Paraclete would perhaps be a spirit and the current Christian interpretation has some merit. But if he meant "one more of the same kind", then this is positive proof that the Paraclete would be just like Jesus was: a man, a human being, a prophet, not a spirit. Which did Jesus mean? The Greek text of the New Testament gives the verdict clearly because it uses the word allon, which is the masculine accusative form of allos: "ANOTHER OF THE SAME KIND". The Greek word for "another of a different kind" is heteros, but the New Testament does not use this word at John 14:16. Clearly, then, the Paraclete would be "ANOTHER OF THE SAME KIND" as Jesus, or as Moses said, "Like unto me": a MAN, not a spirit. REFERENCES [15] John 14:16,17 [16] John 16:13, 14. It may be argued that Jesus was speaking for the benefit of his contemporaries, who died at least 500 years before Muhammad (pbuh). But many are the examples in the New Testament wherein Jesus, though speaking with his immediate followers, actually addresses his remrks to different generations in a future time. For example, see Matthew 16:27, 28. Jesus talks about Judgement Day but says, "Verily I say unto you. There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the son of Man coming in his kingdom", and at Matthew 24:3, 34, while speaking about the Last Day, he declares, "Verily I say unto you. This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled". Obviously, those disciples with Jesus then did not live to see either Judgement day or the Second Coming of Jesus, neither of which has even yet occured. Jesus' words, though given to his contemporaries, had reference primarily to a time far distant in the future. When Jesus says "I say unto YOU", he means his followers in the general sense, i.e., "you my people". Jesus is identifying in John 14 and 16 the Last Prophet for the benefit of his followers who would be living when he appeared. [17] Joseph H. Mayfield. Beacon Bible Commentary (Kansas City, 1965), Vol. VII, p. 168 [18] Hastings, op. cit. p.14. Added Comment: Note the striking similarity between the two words parakletos and periklytos in Greek: The consonants are exactly the same, the difference is only in the vowels, increasing the possibility of substituting one word for the other or omission of the one through careless copying. [19] For example, compare the many restorations of words and phrases made on the basis of ancient manuscripts, which were omitted from the standard New Testament text, as found in The Emphatic Diaglott of B. Wilson. [20] Reverend Thomas S. Green, A Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament, 26th Ed. (London, n. d.), p.149. As examples, see usual Christian interpretation of 1 Corinthians 2:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:2 or I John 4:1-3. More Verses from the Bible regarding Prophet MUHAMMAD (peace be upon him) !! Important Link !! Please refer to an important book written by Professsor Abdul-Ahad Dawud (Formerly David Benjamin Keldani a Roman Catholic Bishop of the Uniate-Caldean sect). To read the book online, please follow the link: Muhammad in the Bible! (http://www.muhammad.net/biblelp.htm) Old Testament: We read the following words from Chapter 18 of the Book of Deuteronomy: 18: I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee [Moses]; and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19) God is saying the above verses to Moses (pbuh) regarding the promised final prophet. These words completely apply to prophet Muhammad (pbuh). To see how, please read the following comparison between Moses and Muhammad. Comparison between Moses, Muhammad and Jesus (Peace be upon them) Comparison Title Moses Muhammad Jesus But Jesus had only a Moses had a father and a Muhammad also had a mother, and no human mother. father and a mother. Mother father. Moses was born in the Muhammad was born normal, natural course, in the normal, natural But Jesus was created i.e. by the physical course, i.e. by the 2. Birth by a special miracle. association of man and physical association of woman. man and woman. Muhammd also Moses married and But Jesus remained a married and begat 3. Marriage begat children. bachelor all his life. children. Muhammad was also accepted as a prophet by his people. The Moses was accepted as a Arabs too made But according to the prophet by his people. Muhammad's life Bible- "He (Jesus) No doubt the Jews gave impossible. He came unto his own, but endless trouble to Moses suffered very badly at his own received him 4. People's and they murmured in their hands. After 13 not" (John 1:11). And the wilderness, but as a years of preaching in even today, after more Acceptance nation, as a whole, they Mecca, he had to than two thousand acknowledged that emigrate from the city years, his people-the Moses was a Messenger of his birth. But before Jews, as a whole, have of God sent to them. his demise, the Arab reejected him. nation as a whole accepted him as the Messenger of Allah. Moses was a prophet as Muhammad was also a Jesus claimed a 5. "Otherwell as a king. Moses prophet as well as a spiritual kingdom only; Worldly" possessed the power of king. He, too, had the in other words he only Kingdom (the inflicting capital power of life and death claimed to be a power or punishment. For over his people. prophet.When Jesus prerogative of example, the Israelite was dragged before the inflicting who was found picking Roman Governor, capital up firewood on the Pontius Pilate, charged punishment) Sabbath Day, Moses had for sedition, Jesus him stoned to death. made a convincing There are other crimes point in his defence to also mentioned in the refute the false Bible for which capital charges: Jesus punishment was answered, "'My inflicted on the Jews at kingdom is not of this the behest of Moses world': If my kingdom were of this world, then would my 1. Father and servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence". (Johin 18:36) As regrads Jesus, when Muhammad also the Jews felt suspicious brought new laws and of him that he might be new regulations to his an imposter with people. He came to a designs to pervert their people steeped in teachings, Jesus took barbarism and pains to assure them ignorance. They Moses brought new laws that he had not come married their stepand new regulation to with a new religion-no mothers; they buried his people. Moses not new laws and no new their daughters alive; only gave the Ten regulations. Jesus said: drunkenness, adultery, Commandments to the "Think not that I am 6. New Laws idolatry and gambling Israelites, but a very come to destroy the were the order of the comprehensive law, or the prophets: I day. From this abject ceremonial law for the am not come to barbarism, Muhammad guidance of his people. destroy, but to fulfil. elevated them, into For verily I say unto torch-bearers of light you, till heaven and and learning. earth pass, one jot or Muhammad gave his one tittle shall in no people a Law and wise pass from the law, Order they never had till all be fulfilled". before. (Matthew 5:17-18). But according to Moses died a natural Muhammad also died a Christianity, Jesus was 7. Departure death. natural death. violently killed on the cross. But according to the Moses lies buried in Muhammad also lies Christians, Jesus rests 8. Final Abode earth. buried in earth. in heaven. Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhammad is like Moses. Further Proofs: Let us examine the prophecy in (Deuteronomy 18:18) in a greater detail. "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' undoubtedly be the Arabs. Ishmael the First born and Arbas are the brethren of the Jews 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 Abram called his son's name, which Hagr 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 seed of Abraham, when the covenant was ratified between God and Abraham. God granted Abraham another son through Sarah, named Isaac, who was very much the junior to his brother Ishmael. Now, if Ishmael and Isaac are the sons of the same father Abraham, then they are brothers. And so the children of the one are 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 also affirms, "And he (Ishmael) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren" (Genesis 16:12). "And he (Ishmael) died in the presence of all his brethren" (Genesis 25:18). The children of Isaac are the brethren of the Ishmaelites. In like manner Muhammad is from amnong the brethren of the Israelites because he was a descendant of Ishmael the son of Abraham. This is exactly as the prophecy has it- "From among their brethren". 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. Muhammad therefore was from among their brethren! Put the words in the mouth, Khadija is the witness The prophecy of (Deuteronomy: 18:18) proceeds further: "... And I will put my words into his mouth..." This means that God will put the unheard words into the promised prophet's mouth. The words of the Holy Qur'an, the Revelation vouchsafed by the Almighty God to Muhammad were actually revealed. History tells us that Muhammad was forty years of age (610CE). He was in a cave some three miles north of the city of Mecca. It was the 27th night of the Muslim month of Ramadan. In the cave the Archangel Gabriel commanded him in his mother tongue: 'Ikra' which means Read! or Proclaim! or Recite! Muhammad is terrified and in his bewilderment replied "I am not learned!" The angel commanded him a second time with the same result. For the third time the angel continued "Ikra Bismi RabbikaAllaazi Khalaq". Now Muhammd, grasps, that what was required of him was to repeat! And he repeated the words as they were put into his mouth: "Ikra Bismi RabbikaAllaazi Khalaq"-- "Read! in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, who created"Khalaqal Insaana Min A'laq"--"created man, from a (mere) clot of congealed blood:" "Ikra Wa Rabbukal Akram"--"Read! and thy Lord is most bountiful""Allazi A'llama Bil Qalam"--"He Who taught (the use of ) the Pen" "A'llamal Insaana lam Iya'lam"--"Taught man that which he new not". These are the first five verses which were revealed to Muhammad which now occupy the beginning of the 96th chapter of the Holy Qur'an.. . Immediately the angel had departed, Muhammad 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 such a 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-Aamin"-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 fibre, on skins and on the shoulder-blades of animals; and in the hearts of his devoted disciples. Before his demise these words were arranged in the order in which we find them today in the Holy Qur'an. The words (revelation) were actually put into his mouth, exactly as foretold in the prophecy under discussion ((Deuteronomy 18:18). Muhammad's experience in the cave of Hira, later to be known as Jabal-un-Noor-The Mountain of Light, and his response to the first Revelation is the exact fulfilment of another Biblical Prophecy of ( Isaiah 29:12). In the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 29, verse 12, we read: ("King James Version" or the "Authorised Version") "And The Book is delivered to him that is not learned, Saying, 'Read this, I pray thee*:' And he saith, 'I am not learned' " (* 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") "I am not learned" is the exact words Muhammad uttered twice to the Holy Ghost--the Archangel Gabriel, when he was commanded to Read! It may be noted here that there were no Arabic Bibles in existence in the 6th Century of the Christian Era when Muhammad lived and preached! Besides, he was absolutely unlettered and un-learned. No human had ever taught him a word. His teacher was his Creator, Elohim or Allah. Therefore, one can not claim that Muhammad pretended to be the promised prophet knowing the biblical verse beforehand. In My Name: In (Deuteronmy 18:19) note the words, "... My Words which he shall speak in My Name". In whose name is Muhammad speaking? Everey Chapter of the Holy Qur'an (except the 9th Chapter) begins with, "Bism-i-Allah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim", meaning "In the Name of Allah (the proper name of the One and Unique True God), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" The Muslims begin his every lawful act with the Holy formula. But the Christians begin: "In the name of the Father, son and holy ghost". Concerning (Deuteronmy 18:18-19) more than 15 reasons have been cited as to how this prophecy refers to Muhammad and not to Jesus. However, if these words (Deuteronomy 18:18-19) do not apply to Muhammad, they still remain unfulfilled. The Christians argue that it refers to Jesus. They say Jesus is like Moses firstly because: Moses was a Jew and Jesus was a Jew. Secondly Moses was a prophet and Jesus was also a prophet. However, the words of (Deuteronomy: 18:18-19) do not refer to Jesus at all. Jesus himself never claimed to be the Prophet alluded to. Even his disciples were of the same opinion: they looked to the second coming of Jesus for the fulfilment of the prophecy described in the following verses of The Acts. 21: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22: For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. (The Acts 3:21-22) So far it is undisputed that the first coming of Jesus was not the advent of the "prophet like unto thee [Moses]", and his second advent can hardly fulfil the words. Jesus as is believed by his Church, will appear as a Judge and not as a law-giver; but the promised one has to come with a "fiery law" in "his right hand". Another Prophecy of Moses In ascertaining the personality of the promised prophet the other prophecy of Moses is, however, very helpful where it speaks of the shining forth of God from Paran, the Mecca mountain. The words in Chapter 33 of the Book of Deuteronomy run as follows: 2: And he [Moses] said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints; from his right hand went a fiery law for them". (Deuteronomy 33:2) In these words the Lord has been compared with the sun. He comes from Sinai, he rises from Sier, but he shines in his full glory from Paran, where he had to appear with ten thousands of saints with a fiery law in his right hand. None of the Israelites, including Jesus, had anything to do with Paran. Hagar, with her son Ishmael, wondered in the wilderness of Beersheba, who afterwards dwelt in the wilderness of Paran. 21: And he [Ishmael] dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. (Genesis 21:21). Genealogical Table from Abraham to Muhammad (May God bestow peace and blessings upon them) Abraham (Ibrahim)--- was father of Ishmael (Ismail) --- was father of Kedar (Qaydar) --- was father of 'Adnan --- was father of Ma'ad --- was father of Nizar --- was father of Mudar --- was father of Ilyas --- was father of Mudrikah --- was father of Khuzaimah --- was father of Kinanah --- was father of Al-Nadr --- was father of Malik --- was father of Quraysh (Fihr) --- was father of Ghalib --- was father of Lu'ayy --- was father of Ka'ab --- was father of Murrah --- was father of Kilab --- was father of Qusayy --- was father of 'Abd Manaf --- was father of Hashim --- was father of 'Abdul Muttalib --- was father of 'Abdullah --- was father of MUHAMMAD (See Genesis 25:12-16 and Muhammad the Holy Prophet- by H. G. Sarwar, pp.1011) This is the witness of the Bible, which cannot be accused of being "influenced" by the Qur'an or by the Sirah (the Prophet Muhammad's traditions). Ishmael married an Egyptian woman, and through his first-born, Kedar, gave descent to the Arabs who from that time till now are the dwellers of the wilderness of Paran. And if Muhammd admittedly on all hands traces his descent to Ishmael through Kedar and he appeared as a prophet in the wilderness of Paran and re-entered Mecca with ten thousand saints and gave a fiery law to his people, is not the prophecy above-mentioned fulfilled to its very letter? The words of the Prophecy in Habakkuk are especially noteworthy. His (the Holy One from Paran) glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of his praise. 3: God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. (Habakkuk 3:3) The word "praise" is very significant, as the very name Muhammad literally means "the praised one". Besides the Arabs, the inhabitants of the wilderness of Paran had also been promised a Revelation: 11: Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. 12: Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands. 13: The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. (Isaiah 42:11-13) In connection with it there are two other prophecies worthy of note where references have been made to Kedar. The one runs in Isaiah as follows: 1: Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2: For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, the gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall rise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3: And the Gentiles [Non-Believers] shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4: Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 5: Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be covered unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 6: The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. 7: All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance with mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. (Isaiah 60:1-7) The other prophecy is again in Isaiah: 13: The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim. 14: The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. 15: For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. 16: For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail: 17: And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD GOD of Israel hath spoken it. (Isaiah 21:13-17) Read these prophecies in Isaiah in the light of one in (Deuteronomy, 33:2), which speaks of the shining forth of God from Paran. Now, if Ishmael inhabited the wilderness of Paran, where he gave birth to Kedar, who is the ancestor of the Arabs; and if the sons of Kedar had to receive revelation from God; if the flocks of Kedar had to come up with acceptance to a Divine altar to glorify "the house of my glory" where the darkness had to cover the earth for some centuries, and then that very land had to receive light from God; and if all the glory of Kedar had to fail and the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, had to diminish within a year after the one fled from the drawn swords and from the bent bows- the Holy One from Paran (Habakkuk 3: 3) is no one else than Muhammad. Muhammad is the holy offspring of Ishmael through Kedar, who settled in the wilderness of Paran. Muhammad is the only prophet through whom the Arabs received revelation at the time when the darkness had covered the earth. Through him God shone from Paran, and Mecca is the only place where the house of God is glorified and the flocks of Kedar come up with acceptance on its altar. Muhammad was persecuted by his people and he had to leave Mecca. He was thirsty and fled from the drawn sword and the bent bow, and within a year after his flight the descendants of Kedar meet him at Badr, the place of the first battle between the Meccans and the Prophet, the children of Kedar and their number of archers diminish and all the glory of Kedar fails. If the Holy Prophet Muhammad is not to be accepted as the fulfilment of all these prophecies they will still remain unfulfilled. "The house of my glory" referred to in (Isaiah 60:7) is the house of God at Mecca and not the Church of Christ as thought by Christian Commentators. The flocks of Kedar, as mentioned in (Isaiah 60:7), have never come to the Church of Christ; and it is a fact that the villages of Kedar and their inhabitants are the only people in the whole world who have remained impenetrable to any influence of the Church of Christ. Again, the mention of 10,000 saints in (Deuteronomy 33:2), is very significant. He shined forth from Paran, and he came with 10,000 of saints. Read the whole history of the wilderness of Paran and you will find no other event but when Mecca was conquered by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He comes with 10,000 followers from Medina and reenters "The house of my glory", Ka'ba. He gives the fiery law to the world, which reduces to ashes all other laws. New Testament: The Comforter- the Spirit of Truth- spoken of by Jesus was no other than Muhammad himself. It can not be taken as the Holy Ghost, as the Church theology says. "It is expedient for you that I go away", says Jesus, "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) 7: 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) The words clearly show that the Comforter had to come after the departure of Jesus, and was not with him when he uttered these words. Are we to presume that Jesus was devoid of the Holy Ghost if his coming was conditional on the going of Jesus? Besides, the way in which Jesus describes him makes him a human being, not a ghost. "He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear that he shall speak" (John 16:13). 13: Howbeit when he, the spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. (John 16:13). Should we presume that the Holy Ghost and God are two distinct entities and that the Holy Ghost speaks of himself and also what he hears from God? The words of Jesus clearly refer to some messenger from God. He calls him the Spirit of Truth, and so the Qur'an speaks of Muhammad, "Nay, he has come with the Truth and verified the apostles". The Jews had three seperate prophecies in mind: (John 1: 19-25) In New Testament times, we find that the Jews were still expecting the fulfilment of the prophecy of 'ONE LIKE MOSES'; refer to John 1: 19-25. When Jesus claimed to be the Messiah of the Jews, the Jews began to inquire as to where was Elias. The Jews had a parallel prophecy that before the coming of the Messiah, Elias must come first. 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" (Holy Bible, 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 not be two Messiahs at the same time. If Jesus was the Christ then John could not be the Christ! It should be noted here that the Jews were expecting a single Messiah, not two.) "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 definitely not speaking the TRUTH! On the testimony of Jesus himself, John the Baptist was the greatest of the Israelite prophets: "Verily I say unto you, among them that are born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist: ..." (Holy Bible, Matthew 11:11). We Muslims know John the Baptist as Hazrat 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 Hazrat ISAA Alai-his-salaam (peace be upon him), is also esteemed as one of the mightiest messengers of the Almighty. How can we Muslims impute lies to either of them? We leave this problem between Jesus and John for the Christian's to solve, for their "sacred scriptures" abound in discrepancies which they have been glossing over as the "dark sayings of Jesus". We Muslims are really interested in the last question posed to John the Baptist by the Jewish elite-- "Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No". (Holy Bible, 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 THREE separate prophecies in their minds when they were interrogating John the Baptist, let us read the remonstrance of the Jews in the verses following-"And they asked him, and said unto him, why batizest thou then, if thou be (1) not that Christ, (2) nor Elias, (3) neither that prophet?" (Holy Bible, 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, then 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 Muhammed and not Jesus! We Muslims are not denying that Jesus was the "Messiah", which word is translated as "Christ". 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 Muhammad! Also, Jesus was telling the people that the Promised Messiah will not come in the line of David as was written in their Bible. Because the Jewish Rabbais had deliberately replaced the name of Ishmael with Isaac in their Bible. This will be clear from the following verses from the New Testament. 41: While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42: Saying, What think ye of Christ [Messiah]? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. 43: He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying 44: The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45: If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46: And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst ant man from that day forth ask him any more questions. (Matthew 22:41-46) Explanation: Here Jesus certainly was not talking about the Christ himself but of the Messiah that will follow him. He actually mentioned that the Promised Messiah will come in the lineage of Ishmael. Please refer to the following link in the Gospel of Barnabas: Promise not Made in Isaac! (http://www.barnabas.net/barnabasP44.html). Gospel of Matthew ends in verse 46 above, but the Gospel of Barnabas will tell you the whole truth. MUHAMMAD by name in the Bible: 16: His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. (Song of Solomon 5:16) In the above verse, King and Prophet Solomon is singing in love of his beloved one, and says that he prefers to love his beloved one more than the love of the daughters of Jerusalem. He actually mentioned the name of his beloved one as 'Mahamud'. However, the translator of the text, while translating it into English from the original Hebrew text, has made a serious mistake. He has translated the proper name 'Mahamud' of a person into its meaning 'altogether lovely'. Let us look at the Hebrew pronunciation of the above verse in English: Hikko Mamittadim Vikullo Mahamudim Zehdudi Vezem Raai Benute Yapus Halam (The hebrew text will be inserted here later, when received) In Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic languages, in addition to the plural of numbers, there is a term called plural of respect and dignity. In Hebrew language, the suffix im is sometimes added to the end of a proper name to mean the Great so and so. This is a plural of dignity or respect in Hebrew language. For example, the name of God in Hebrew is Elohim; here the suffix im after Eloh stands to mean The Great Eloh or The Great Allah (The proper name of the One and Unique True God). Thus, the actual translation of the above verse should be: His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is Mahamud. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. But prejudices die hard and who would like to loose his sheep? Dear Christian and Jewish Cousins! Please Listen to the dire Warning from your Elohim 19: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:19) !Think Again, Think at least once before it is too late! Use your conscience! Save yourself! Don't wait till Jesus' coming again to declare the Truth in Damascus, Syria. He will kill Dajjal, the anti-Christ, He will fight against the Jews. He will break the Cross and kill the swine! !! Important Link !! Also, please refer to an important book written by Professsor Abdul-Ahad Dawud (Formerly David Benjamin Keldani a Roman Catholic Bishop of the Uniate-Caldean sect). To read the book online, please follow the link: (http://www.muhammad.net/biblelp.htm) Detail of the Revelation about Muhammad from the Bible We can now begin to put together the complete "picture" which emerges from the Bible and come up with a very specific, graphic portrait of the messenger whose prominent characteristics are twofold: 1. He would be the last one, and 2. He would be universal. According to the information given in the Old and New Testaments, this prophet would: (i) be firm but merciful (ii) establish a community based on justice (iii) be a light for all the nations (iv) be associated with Qaydar; (All based on Isaiah 42:1-11) (v) be a descendant of ishmael, a "brother" to the Hebrews (vi) fulfill the promises made to Abraham and Ishmael to a. serve as a blessing to all the nations b. establish the Arabs as a "great nation" c. inherit the "double portion" of honor; (vii) receive revelation directly from God; (All based on genesis 17:20; 22:1618; Deuteronomy 21:15-17) (viii) come after Jesus' mission was ended (ix) comfort and counsel mankind (paraclete), for which he would be known as the praised one (periclyte) (x) be outstanding for his truthfulness (xi) receive word directly from God (xii) deliver "all the truth", the whole truth (xiii) have a ministry of lasting effect (xiv) glorify Jesus (All based on John 14:16, 17 and 16:13, 14) To refine these points for still clearer focus, the last prophet would differ from all the others in at least three vital aspects: 1. He would have a universal mission 2. He would be the seal of the prophets 3. He would be an Arab, and of the 12 sons of Ishamael, he would have to come in the line of Qaydar. Genealogical Table from Abraham to Muhammad (May God bestow peace and blessings upon them) Abraham (Ibrahim)--- was father of Ishmael (Ismail) --- was father of Kedar (Qaydar) --- was father of 'Adnan --- was father of Ma'ad --- was father of Nizar --- was father of Mudar --- was father of Ilyas --- was father of Mudrikah --- was father of Khuzaimah --- was father of Kinanah --- was father of Al-Nadr --- was father of Malik --- was father of Quraysh (Fihr) --- was father of Ghalib --- was father of Lu'ayy --- was father of Ka'ab --- was father of Murrah --- was father of Kilab --- was father of Qusayy --- was father of 'Abd Manaf --- was father of Hashim --- was father of 'Abdul Muttalib --- was father of 'Abdullah --- was father of MUHAMMAD (See Genesis 25:12-16 and Muhammad the Holy Prophet- by H. G. Sarwar, pp.1011) This is the witness of the Bible, which cannot be accused of being "influenced" by the Qur'an or by the Sirah (the Prophet Muhammad's traditions). Now, would it be possible for any one man to fit this "picture" completely? Unless he could fulfill all the requirements, he would not be the prophet promised by the scriptures. The possibility for any one man to meet all these criteria, purely by chance, is inconceivable. It would be impossible also for anyone to cause himself deliberately to meet them all. For example, who can control the question of who his ancestors will be? For the sake of argument, let us suppose that an Arab wanted, of his own desire, to be this prophet. But he could have descended from any of the other 11 sons of Ishmael. Perhaps he would have wanted to curry the favor or support of his own tribe, and thus he would have preached tribalism or nationalism rather than universalism. Or perhaps he would never even think of mentioning Jesus in his message, or would have agreed with the Jews that Jesus was but an imposter and troublemaker. Perhaps he would die before gaining a following or establishing a cohesive community. There are too many possibilities for anyone to consciously control all the criteria presented in the Bible for identifying the last prophet. Then there is the problem that the Bible was not translated into Arabic until the tenth century C.E., so no Arab living before the year 1000 would have had the opportunity to examine the written text of the Bible in his own language [21]. Only God Almighty could have caused all these diverse elements necessary to come to frution in one specific human being. The fact is that one man, and only one man did answer to all the proper conditions, namely, Muhammad bin 'Abdullah, may God grant him blessings and peace. The preview of him in the Torah and the Gospel is clear and undeniable, despite the errors and dogmatism of some copyists of the scripture. Note Added in Proof The following is a direct photo-copy from page 567 of The Gospel of John, A Commentary, by Rudolf Bultmann, German Christian theologian, 1971, The Westminister Press, Philadelphia, USA (A translation of the German edition of 1964, Das Evangelium des Johannes). It shows that the views of this well-known Christian Scholar are identical with the views expressed on page 6 of this article. [21] Hastings, op. cit., p. 105. cf. Qur'an, sura Al-Nahl, verse 103. QUR'AN FORETOLD IN THE BIBLE From the Old Testament Book of Daniel: 9: And he [the man in vision, clothed in linen] said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. (Daniel: 12:9). This refers to the Holy Qur'an that was preserevd and sealed to be sent later to prophet Muhammad, when the whole of Arabia would be living in ignorance. From the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy: 1: And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2: And he [Moses] said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints; from his right hand went a fiery law for them. (Deuteronomy: xxxiii:1-2). The prophecy of Moses in verse 2 compares the Lord with the sun. He comes from Sinai, he rises from Seir, but he shines in his full glory from Paran (The Mecca Mountain in Arabia), where he had to appear with ten thousands of saints with a fiery law in his right hand. It should be noted here that Muhammd (pbuh) appeared as a prophet in the wilderness of Paran and re-entered the city of Mecca with ten thousand saints and gave a fiery law to his people. The fiery law is nothing but the Holy Qur'an-the very words of Allah- the One and Unique True God. From the Old Testament Book of Isaiah: Let us look at the other two verses from the King James Version of the Bible. The Old Testament Book of Isaiah also describes the nature of the Promised Prophet and the name of the Revelation that would be given to him as thus, 11: And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: 12: 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 29:11-12) The context would be clearer if we look at verse 12 from the Bible which is published by the Zehova's Witness sect. 12: and the book must be given to someone that does not know writing [somebody] saying: "Read this out loud, please", and he has to say: "I do not know writing at all" .(Isaiah 29:12) We all know that Muhammad (pbuh) was an unlettered man and he was met by the Angel Gabriel in the cave of Mount Hira in Arabia in 610AD. He was regularly doing his meditation there in search of the true God. The angel Gabriel appeared before him oneday while Muhammad was in the midst of his regular meditation, and said in Arabic "Ekra Bisme Rabbik Allazi Khalaq, Khalq-AlInsana Min Aalaq"- Read in the name of your Lord, your Creator, who has created man from a drop of clotted blood. But Muhammad replied, "I do not know writing at all'. This is an historical fact. . The Christians may argue here that Jesus (pbuh) was also an unlettered man. However, the above incident does not apply to him as there is no such historical fact to prove that angel Gabriel once came to Jesus (pbuh) and asked him to read something, and that he replied that he did not know writing at all. Also the name of the revelation given to Jesus is known as Gospel or 'Ingil' in Arabic, which means 'Good News'. On the other hand, the name of the revelation given to Muhammad (pbuh) is Al-Qur'an, which literally means "The Book"-The Collection of the Words of God. O Christian and Jewish Cousins! Why not accept the Truth? Do you know that God advises the Muslims in the Holy Qur'an as follows: Say ye: "We believe in Allah, And the revelation given to us, And to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jcob, 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)" (Al-Qur'an 2:136). In another place, God advises the Muslims to address the Jews and Christians as follows: 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)". (Al-Qur'an 3:64). Also, God directly addresses to the Christians as: "O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of God aught but the truth. Christ Jesus, the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of God, and His word which he bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from him: So believe in God and his messengers." (Al-Qur'an 4:171).