The Promised Prophet Of The Bible by Munqidh Bin Mahmoud Assaqqar

We have seen that Jesus (PBUH) did not claim that he was the expected prophet. Did Muhammad (PBUH) inform us that he was that promised prophet as the previous prophets stated?

The prophecies of the coming of Muhammad, which we find in the books of the prophets, are one of many important issues emphasized by the Quran and the traditions of Muhammad. The Quran mentions that every prophet reminded his people about the coming prophet.

These prophets had vowed that when Muhammad comes, they would all believe in him. {And (remember) when Allâh took the Covenant of the Prophets, saying: "Take whatever I gave you from the Book and Hikmah (understanding of the Laws of Allâh, etc.), and afterwards there will come to you a Messenger (Muhammad) confirming what is with you; you must, then, believe in him and help him." Allâh said: "Do you agree (to it) and will you take up My Covenant (which I conclude with you)?" They said: "We agree." He said: "Then bear witness; and I am with you among the witnesses (for this)."} (Al-Emran: 81).

Ali, son of Abu Talib, (May Allah be pleased with him) said: (Allah took the Covenant of the Prophets, Adam and afterwards there will come to you a Messenger (Muhammad) must, then, believe in him and help him). 1

Among these prophets, who gave prophecies of the next prophet, was prophet Abraham (PBUH), when he said the prayer {"Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own (and indeed Allâh answered their invocation by sending Muhammad Peace be upon him ), who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them in the Book (this Qur'ân) and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islamic laws and jurisprudence or wisdom or Prophet-hood, etc.), and sanctify them. Verily! You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise."} (Al Baqara: 129).

Jesus (PBUH) {And (remember) when 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allâh unto you, confirming the Taurât [(Torah) which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me. Whose name shall be Ahmed. But when he (Ahmed i.e. Muhammad) came to them with clear proofs, they said: "This is plain magic."} (Al Saff :6).

Muhammad (PBUH) said, (God considers me the last and final prophet, since Adam is twisted in his clay, and I will inform you of my beginning. I am the answer of Abraham's prayer, and the prophecy of Jesus, and the dream that my mother saw when she delivered me, as a very bright light came out of her, where the palaces of Syria shined). 2

Naturally, the prophets’ great attention to the "final prophet” should make them talk about him in their writings, his description and conditions.

The Holy Quran confirmed that, these prophecies exist in the books of the Christians and Jews. {Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i. e.

Muhammad) whom they find written with them in the Taurât (Torah) (Deut, xviii, 15) and the Injeel (Gospel)

(John xiv, 16) , - he commands them for Al-Ma'rûf (i.e.

Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm has ordained); and forbids them from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and all that Islâm has forbidden); he allows them as lawful At-Taiyibât [(i.e. all good and lawful) as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.], and prohibits them as unlawful Al-Khabâ'ith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.), he releases them from their heavy burdens (of Allâh's Covenant), and from the fetters (bindings) that were upon them. So those who believe in him (Muhammad), honour him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur'ân) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful.} (Al-Aaraf: 157).

Allah, informing us about the existence of these prophecies about prophet Muhammad (PBUH), his nation and his companions in the Torah and the bible, said: {Muhammad is the Messenger of Allâh, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and falling down prostrate (in prayer), seeking Bounty from Allâh and (His) Good Pleasure. The mark of them (i.e. of their Faith) is on their faces (foreheads) from the traces of (their) prostration (during prayers). This is their description in the Taurât (Torah). But their description in the Injeel (Gospel) is like a (sown) seed which sends forth its shoot, then makes it strong, it then becomes thick, and it stands straight on its stem, delighting the sowers that He may enrage the disbelievers with them.

Allâh has promised those among them who believe (i.e. all those who follow Islamic Monotheism, the religion of Prophet Muhammad till the Day of Resurrection) and do righteous good deeds, forgiveness and a mighty reward (i.e.

Paradise). } (Al-Fath: 29).

The Noble Quran did not tell in detail about the description of Muhammad (PBUH) and his conditions mentioned in the books of the Jews and Christians. However, it informs us about one important fact, that the Jews and the Christians know this messenger of God as they know their own children. He was mentioned many times by their prophets and through their books. {Those to whom We have given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) recognize him (i.e. Muhammad as a Messenger of Allâh, and they also know that there is no Ilah (God) but Allâh and Islâm is Allâh's Religion), as they recognize their own sons. Those who destroy themselves will not believe. (Tafsir At-Tabarî)} (Al-Anaam: 20)

With no doubt, this knowledge comes from the number of or the clarity of the prophecies mentioned in their books about him (PBUH).

We will try to touch some of these prophecies in the following pages, hoping that we can succeed in clarifying the alterations that come in these books, avoiding many of the misunderstandings that happen to Christians trying to understand these prophecies.

Abraham (PBUH) left of the land of Iraq heading to the blessed land, the land of Palestine. The Torah mentioned that he was seventy-five years old, and he had no children. He left after God had given him good news and said: "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing…..and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis: 12/2-3).

In the land of Palestine, Hagar (Sarah's servant) became pregnant with her son Ishmael (PBUH). The Torah mentions Sarah's jealousy of Hagar for having a child, while Sarah was deprived of children and offspring until that time.

At that time, Sarah humiliated Hagar, and Hagar had to escape from her mistress "And the angel of the LORD said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen." (Genesis: 16/11-12), the angel gave her good news of a great son who will dominate over everyone, but sometimes it will be the opposite of that, and he will be dominated by everyone.

Hagar gave birth to her son Ishmael (PBUH), he was the eldest of Abraham's children "Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram." (Genesis: 16/16).

When Abraham (PBUH) turned ninety-nine, as the Torah tells us, God renewed his blessing on him ".I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. That I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly… for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant" (Genesis: 17/1-8).

When God tested Abraham (PBUH) by commanding him to sacrifice his only son at that time - Ishmael (PBUH)-, they both accepted and obeyed the order of God. "and the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven And said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son:" (Genesis:

22/1-17).

Abraham (PBUH) asked God to make his son Ishmael righteous:

"And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live before you!" (Genesis: 17/18)

God accepted his prayer, and told him that Ishmael would be blessed and so will another son God will give him. God had given him the good news of the birth of Isaac from his wife Sarah when God said: “I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her. …….and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; Behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. " (Genesis: 17/16-20)

Isaac (PBUH) was fourteen years younger than Ishmael (PBUH)

“Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him." (Genesis: 21/5)

Abraham (PBUH) had other children from his wife Keturah, but God did not promise blessings for them "Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah." (Genesis: 25/1-2), therefore, no prophets came from their children because they were not promised blessings.

What is mentioned in the Torah in this regard agrees to large extent with what the Quran says. The Quran indicates blessings and a covenant to Abraham for the righteous from his offspring from his two blessed sons Ishmael and Isaac: {And (remember) when the Lord of Ibrâhim (Abraham) [i.e., Allâh] tried him with (certain) Commands, which he fulfilled. He (Allâh) said (to him), "Verily, I am going to make you a leader (Prophet) of mankind." [Ibrâhim (Abraham)] said, "And of my offspring (to make leaders)." (Allâh) said, "My Covenant (Prophethood, etc.) includes not Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers)."} (Al-Baqara: 124).

God mentioned the blessing of the two sons and that it was conditional on "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. (Genesis: 17/1-2). There will be righteous people, who deserve rewards, and some will be wrong and they will get nothing from the covenant when He spoke about Ishmael: {We blessed him and Ishâque (Isaac), and of their progeny are (some)

that do right, and some that plainly wrong themselves.} (Al- Saffat: 113).

This agrees with what comes in the Torah. When it indicates that the covenant and choice comes on the condition of good deeds, and the blessing that God gave to Abraham was because of his good deeds.

"I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;" (Genesis: 26/4).

The blessings on Abraham's children continue according to that condition "walk before me, and be blameless. That I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly. " (Genesis: 17/1-2), and as He said about him and his blessed offspring: "Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” (Genesis: 18/18-19). Therefore, obeying God's commands is the reason for this blessing, as God said to Abraham: "And in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." (Genesis: 22/18).

According to this condition, the blessing and covenant were granted to the sons of Levi "so shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life of and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name.

True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts." (Malachi: 2/4-7).

The blessing of God is for the righteous, and his curse is the unbelievers’ share. God said to Moses:

"See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse.

The blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today. And the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way that I commanding you today.

To go after other gods that you have not known. " (Deuteronomy: 11/26-28).

Again, God said to Moses, "you shall therefore be careful to do the commandments and the statutes and the rules that I command you today. And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers :" (Deuteronomy: 7/11-13), (see also Deuteronomy:

28/1-68). As such, the blessing of God is conditional on obeying Him and following His religion. When the children of Israel drifted away from it, God showered them with curses and losses.

Indeed, the blessing on Abraham started with his second son Isaac, but that does not mean that Ishmael had no share. "But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year." (Genesis: 17/21).

The Torah mentions that after Sarah weaned Isaac, Hagar immigrated with her son. "And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up, lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation. Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. he lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt." (Genesis: 21/17-21). The Torah ignores Ishmael's privilege in the blessed water well (Zamzam) in Makkah, and indicates that the immigration story happened in Bir sabaa south of Palestine, where it calls it "Paran Wilderness" 1.

Regarding the promised blessing on Abraham’s two sons, what was that blessing that God gave Isaac and Ishmael? It is with no doubt the blessing of the prophet-hood, the message and the dominion ordered by God and representing Him. {And indeed We gave the Children of Israel the Scripture, and the understanding of the Scripture and its laws, and the Prophet hood; and provided them with good things, and preferred them above the 'Alamîn (mankind and jinns) (of their time, during that period),} (Al-Jathiah: 16).

The Jews and Christians consider that, the promise to Isaac is an eternal promise and that it will not be transferred to anyone but them.

Saying: “God said, “No, but Sarah, your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.…… But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year. ”(Genesis: 17/19-21) They understand that the word (forever)

means that the covenant is for the children of Israel until the Day of Judgment. That it is unconditional and not related to their righteousness by following the commands of God.

However, the word (forever) does not necessarily mean continuation until the Day of Judgment, but only means a period of time. The Torah uses this word several times and with the same meaning.

In the book of Kings: “Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” (2 Kings: 5/27)

Eternity is not meant here, otherwise we would see his offspring today as a large nation procreating and infected with leprosy. In the Book of Chronicles, “he said to me, “it is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.” (Chronicles 1:28/6) Their kingdom ended after about twenty five hundred years at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian, so eternity here meant just a long period.

The Book of Deuteronomy times “forever” to be equal to ten generations. It says, “Yes, he loved his people; all his holy ones were in his hand, so they followed in your steps, receiving direction from you. When Moses commanded us a law, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob.” (Deuteronomy: 33/3-4)

The eleventh generation of the Moabites was not deprived from the group of the Lord, and is not beyond eternity and Judgment Day.

Similar to it, what Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar: “Then Daniel said to the king, “king, live forever.” (Daniel: 6/21) Meaning live long The blessing has been replaced with curses and expelling. God despised them and replaced them with others after they denied His law “And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces.” (Malachi: 2/1-3)

Based on that, we say that the covenant started with Isaac (PBUH), and is an eternal promise extended to further generations, which ended when God sent prophets to the Children of Israel, sent books to them, supported them with His power, conquering the neighboring nations, and established for them a victorious kingdom for some time.

Jews and Christians agree with Muslims that Isaac’s (PBUH)

blessing resulted in the prophet-hood, the kingdom, the book, the abundance and prevailing; but they considered that Ishmael’s (PBUH) promise and blessing resulted in abundance only. “Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it” (Genesis: 17/20). This favoritism is against what comes in the scriptures. It does not favor neither in words nor in meaning between the blessed brothers.

Hence, the blessing of Ishmael is the same as Isaac’s blessing, Prophet-hood, book, kingdom and abundance. When was this blessing implemented? When did all this happen to Ishmael?

We say that this did not happen to him until our prophet, who is from Ishmael’s offspring, was sent. It transformed his weak children and scattered tribes into a great kingdom that ruled the world. They had the prophet-hood and the book, implementing what God had promised Abraham and Hagar to their son Ishmael.

If not, when did Ishmael’s (PBUH) blessings happen? The blessing that the Scripture mentioned about him, saying: “And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” (Genesis 6/12) meaning that he will at one time win and dominate everyone and everyone will dominate him in another time.

Arab Muslims dominated the nations by Muhammad (PBUH) and his nation. Before that, they were the most humiliated and the weakest among nations. They were the last to be blessed by God, because there cannot be blessings to atheist, unjust and cruel tribes who gather to worship idols.

If we look at the old Hebrew Scriptures, which talk about Ishmael, we find a passage concerning Gematria. Saying, “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly (mad mad). He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. (lajwi jadwal)” (Genesis 17:20) The words (mad mad) and (lajwi jadwal) are two symbols used in place of the prophet’s name (PBUH). The word (mad mad) -according to Gematria 1 which concerns the Jews who use it in their books and prophecies- is equal to 92, and likewise the word “lajwi jadwal” is equal to the word “Muhammad”.

Al Samawal, one of the Jewish rabbis who reverted to Islam, had mentioned this issue, and so did the guided rabbi Abdul Salam in his dissertation “The Guiding Message”. What came in the Book of Genesis about the blessings amongst the Arabs had implemented in the prophet-hood and the kingdom that God gave to them. This is the main arguing point between us, and the people of the book, (the Jews and the Christians). It is the main introduction to the prophecies of the Holy Bible. Muslims believe that many of the Torah’s verses, noticed by them, are prophecies about the messenger Muhammad (PBUH). The Christians see many of these verses as prophecies of Jesus or other prophets of the Jews, and they refuse to extend them outside the Children of Israel.