SAY: "DO YOU SEE? WHETHER THIS MESSAGE BE FROM ALLAH (God Almighty),
AND YET YOU REJECT IT, AND A WITNESS FROM AMONG THE CHILDREN OF
ISRAEL1 BORE WITNESS OF ONE LIKE HIM..." (SURA AHQAF) Holy Qur’ân 46:10.
1. This refers to Moses. See Yusuf Ali's commentaries Nos. 4783/4 to this verse.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, The subject of this evening's talk* - "What the
BIBLE says about MUHAMMAD (Peace be upon him)" - will no doubt come as a
surprise to many of you because the speaker is a Muslim. How does it come about that a
Muslim happens to be expounding prophecies from the Jewish and Christian Scriptures?
As a young man, about 30 years ago, I attended a series of religious lectures by a Christian
theologian, a certain Rev. Hiten, at the "Theatre Royal", Durban in South Africa.
* This is the text of a lecture delivered by the author in the early 1970's.
Pope or Kissinger?
This Reverend gentleman was expounding Biblical prophecies. He went on to prove that the
Christian Bible foretold the rise of Soviet Russia, and the Last Days. At one stage he went to
the extent of proving that his Holy Book did not leave even the Pope out of its predictions.
He expatiated vigorously in order to convince his audience that the "Beast 666" mentioned
in the Book of Revelation the last book of the New Testament was the POPE, who was the
Vicar of Christ on earth. It is not befitting for us Muslims to enter into this controversy
between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. By the way, the latest Christian
exposition of the "Beast 666" of the Christian Bible is Dr. Henry Kissinger1. Christian
scholars are ingenious and indefatigable in their efforts to prove their case.
Rev. Hiten's lectures led me to ask that if the Bible foretold so many things - not even
excluding the "Pope" and "Israel" - then surely it must have something to say about the
greatest benefactor of mankind 2, the Holy Prophet Muhammed (may the peace of Allah be
upon him).
As a youngster I set out to search for an answer. I met priest after priest, attended
lectures, and read everything that I could lay my hands relating to the fields of Bible
prophecies. Tonight I am going to narrate to you one of these interviews with a dominee3 of
the Dutch Reformed Church.
1. Christian exegesists give progressive numerical values by sixes, to the English alphabet
and add up to get the total 666. i.e. A=6,B=12,C=18, D=24 and so on. Progression by 6's
because the number of the Beast in the Bible is "666". Try it for Dr.Kissinger.
2. The writer has just delivered another talk in the City Hall, Durban on the 10th December
1975 on the subject "Muhammad the Greatest".
3. "Dominee" is the Afrikaans equivalent of priest, parson and predikant.
Lucky Thirteen
I was invited to the Transvaal1 to deliver a talk on the occasion of Birthday celebration of
the Holy Prophet Muhammed. Knowing that in that province of the Republic, the Afrikaans
language is widely spoken, even by my own people, I felt that I ought to acquire a
smattering of this language so a s to feel a little "at home" with the people. I opened the
telephone directory and began phoning the Afrikaans-speaking Churches. I indicated my
purpose to the priests that I was interested in having a dialogue with them, but they all
refused my request with "Plausible" excuses. No.13 was my lucky number. The thirteenth
call brought me pleasure and relief. A dominee Van Heerden agreed to meet me at his home
on the Saturday afternoon that I was to leave for Transvaal.
He received me on his verandah with a friendly welcome. He said if I did not mind, he would
like his father-in-law from the Free State (a 70 year old man) to join us in the discussion. I
did not mind. The three of us settled down in the dominee's library.
1. One of the Provinces of the Republic of South Africa.
Why Nothing?
I posed the question: "What does the Bible say about Muhammed?" Without hesitation he
answered, "Nothing!" I asked: "Why nothing? According to your interpretation the Bible
have so many things to say about the rise of Soviet Russia and about the Last Days and
even about the Pope of the Roman Catholics?" He said, "Yes, but there was nothing about
Muhammed!" I asked again, "Why nothing? Surely this man Muhammed who had been
responsible for the bringing into being a worldwide community of millions of Believers who,
on his authority, believe in:
(1) The miraculous birth of Jesus,
(2) that Jesus is the Messiah, 1
(3) that he gave life to the dead by God's permission, and that he healed those born blind
and the lepers by God's permission.
Surely this book (the Bible) must have something to say about this great Leader of men
who spoke so well of Jesus and his mother Mary?" (Peace be upon them both).
The old man from the Free State replied. "My son, I have been reading the Bible for the
past 50 years, and if there was any mention of him, I would have known it."
1. The word "Messiah" comes from the Arabic and Hebrew word masaha, which means to
rub, to massage, to anoint. The religious significance is "the one who is anointed" -
priests and kings were anointed in consecration to their offices. Messiah translated Christ
does not mean God. Even the heathen Cyrus is called "Christ" in the Bible, (Isaiah 45:1)
Not one by name!
I enquired: "According to you, are there not hundreds of prophecies regarding the coming of
Jesus in the Old Testament." The dominee interjected: "Not hundreds, but thousands!" I
said, "I am not going to dispute the 'thousand and one' prophecies in the Old Testament
regarding the coming of Jesus Christ, because the whole Muslim-world has already accepted
him without the testimony of any Biblical prophecy. We Muslims have accepted the de facto
Jesus on the authority of Muhummed alone, and there are in the world today no less than
900,000,0001 followers of Muhummed who love, respect and revere this great Messenger of
God -Jesus Christ- without having the Christians to convince them by means of their
Biblical dialectics. Out of the 'thousands' of prophecies referred to, can you please give me
just one single prophecy where Jesus is mentioned by name? The term 'Messiah', translated
as 'Christ', is not a name but a title. Is there a single Prophecy where it says that the name
of the Messiah will be JESUS, and that his mother's name will be MARY, that his supposed
father will be JOSEPH THE CARPENTER; that he will be born in the reign of HEROD THE
KING, etc. etc.? No! There are no such details! Then how can you conclude that those
'thousand' Prophecies refer to Jesus (Peace be upon him)?"
1. This was first written in 1976.
What is Prophecy?
The dominee replied: "You see, prophecies are word-pictures of something that is going to
happen in the future. When that thing actually comes to pass, we see vividly in these
prophecies the fulfillment of what had been predicted in the past." I said: "What you
actually do is that you deduce, you reason, you put two and two together." He said: "Yes." I
said: "If this is what you have to do with a 'thousand' prophecies to justify your
claim with regards to the genuineness of Jesus, why should we not adopt the very
same system for Muhummed?"1 The dominee agreed that it was a fair proposition, a
reasonable way of dealing with the problem.
I asked him to open up Deuteronomy, chapter 18, verse 18, which he did. I read from
memory the verse in Afrikaans, because this was my purpose in having a little practice with
the language of the ruling race in South Africa.2
'N PROFEET SAL EK VIR HULLE VERWEK UIT DIE MIDDE VAN HULLE BROERS, SOOS JY IS,
EN EK SAL MY WOORDE IN SY MOND LE, EN HY SY SAL AAN HULLE SE ALLE WAT EK HOM
BEVEEL. Deut.18: 18.
The English translation reads as follows:-
"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and I
will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall
command him."
(HOLY BIBLE) Deuteronomy 18:18.
1. Muhummed is mentioned by name in the Song of Solomon 5:16. The Hebrew word used
there is Muhammuddim. The end letters IM is plural of respect majesty and grandeur.
Minus "im" the name would be Muhamud translated as "altogether lovely" in the Authorised
Version of the Bible or 'The Praised One' 'the one worthy of Praise' i.e. MUHUMMED!
(P.B.U.H)
2. If this booklet is translated into any language, please change the Afrikaans words into
the local dialect; and do not try a free hand translation of the Biblical quotation. Obtain a
Bible in the language in which translation is being made and transcribe exactly as the words
occur in that Bible.
Prophet Like Moses
Having recited the verse in Afrikaans, I apologised for my uncertain pronunciation, The
dominee assured me that I was doing fine. I enquired: "To whom does this prophecy refer?"
Without the slightest hesitation he answered: "JESUS!" I asked: "Why Jesus?... his
name is not mentioned here." The dominee replied: "Since prophecies are word-pictures
of something that is going to happen in the future, we find that the wordings of this verse
adequately describe him. You see the most important words of this prophecy are 'SOOS JY
IS' (like unto thee), - LIKE YOU - like Moses, and Jesus is like Moses. I questioned: "In
which way is Jesus like Moses?" The answer was: "In the first place Moses was a JEW and
Jesus was also a JEW; secondly, Moses was a PROPHET and Jesus was also a PROPHET -
therefore Jesus is like Moses and that is exactly what God had foretold Moses - "SOOS JY
IS". "Can you think of any other similarities between Moses and Jesus?" I asked. The
dominee said that he could not think of any. I replied: "If these are the only two criteria for
discovering a candidate for this prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:18, then in that case the
criteria could fit any one of the following Biblical personages after Moses:- Solomon, Isaiah,
Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Malachi, John the Baptist etc., because they were also ALL
"Jews" as well as "Prophets". Why should we not apply this prophecy to any one of these
prophets, and why only to Jesus? Why should we make fish of one and fowl of another?"
The dominee had no reply. I continued: "You see, my conclusions are that Jesus is most
unlike Moses, and if I am wrong I would like you to correct me."
Three Unlikes
So saying, I reasoned with him:
"In the FIRST place Jesus is not like Moses, because, according to You - 'JESUS IS A GOD',
but Moses is not God. Is this true?" He said: "Yes." I said: "Therefore, Jesus is not like
Moses!
"SECONDLY, according to You - 'JESUS DIED FOR THE SINS OF THE WORLD', but Moses
did not have to die for the sins of the world. Is this true?" He again said: "Yes." I said:
"Therefore Jesus is not like Moses!"
"THIRDLY, according to You - 'JESUS WENT TO HELL FOR THREE DAYS', but Moses did not
have to go there. Is this true?" He answered meekly: "Y-e-s." I concluded: "Therefore
Jesus is not like Moses!"
"But dominee," I continued: "these are not hard facts, solid facts, they are mere matters of
belief over which the little ones can stumble and fall. Let us discuss something very simple,
very easy that if your little ones are called in to hear the discussion, would have no difficulty
in following it, shall we?" The dominee was quiet happy at the suggestion.
CHAPTER TWO
Eight Irrefutable Arguments
Father and Mother
(1) "Moses had a father and a mother. Muhummed also had a father and a mother. But
Jesus had only a mother, and no human father. Is this true?" He said: "Yes." I said:
"DAAROM IS JESUS NIE SOOS MOSES NIE, MAAR MUHUMMED IS SOOS MOSES!" Meaning:
"Therefore Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhummed is like Moses!" (By now the
reader will realise that I was using the Afrikaans language only for practice purposes. I shall
discontinue its use in this narration).
Miraculous Birth
(2) "Moses and Muhummed were born in the normal, natural course, i.e. the physical
association of man and woman; but Jesus was created by a special miracle. You will recall
that we are told in the Gospel of St. Matthew 1:18 ".....BEFORE THEY CAME
TOGETHER,(Joseph the Carpenter and Mary) SHE WAS FOUND WITH CHILD BY THE
HOLY GHOST." And St. Luke tells us that when the good news of the birth of a holy son
was announced to her, Mary reasoned: "...HOW SHALL THIS BE, SEEING I KNOW NOT
A MAN? AND THE ANGEL ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HER, THE HOLY GHOST
SHALL COME UPON THEE, AND THE POWER OF THE HIGHEST SHALL OVERSHADOW
THEE..." (Luke 1:35). The Holy Qur’ân confirms the miraculous birth of Jesus, in nobler and
sublimer terms. In answer to her logical question:
" O MY LORD! HOW SHALL I HAVE A SON WHEN NO MAN HATH TOUCHED ME? "
The angel says in reply: "EVEN SO: ALLAH CREATETH WHAT HE WILLETH:
WHEN HE HATH DECREED A PLAN, HE BUT SAITH TO IT "BE,"
AND IT IS " 1 (HOLY QUR'AN, 3:47).
It is not necessary for God to plant a seed in man or animal. He merely wills it and it comes
into being. This is the Muslim conception of the of birth of Jesus. (When I compared the
Qur’ân and the Biblical versions of the birth of Jesus to the head of the Bible Society in our
largest City, and when I enquired: "Which version would you prefer to give your daughter,
the QUR'ANIC version or the BIBLICAL version?" The man bowed his head and answered:
"The Qur’ânic.") In short, I said to the dominee: "Is it true that Jesus was born miraculously
as against the natural birth of Moses and Muhummed?" He replied proudly: "Yes!" I said:
"Therefore Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhummed is like Moses. And God says to
Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy 18:18 "LIKE UNTO THEE" (Like You, Like Moses) and
Muhummed is like Moses."
1. Please open the Holy Qur’ân 3:42 and 19:16 where the birth of Jesus is spoken about;
read it with the commentary, note the high position which Jesus and his mother occupy in
Islam.
Marriage Ties
(3) "Moses and Muhummed married and begat children, but Jesus remained a bachelor all
his life. Is this true?" The dominee said: "Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like
Moses, but Muhummed is like Moses."
Jesus Rejected by his People
(4) "Moses and Muhummed were accepted as prophets by their people in their very lifetime.
No doubt the Jews gave endless trouble to Moses and they murmured in the wilderness, but
as a nation, they acknowledged that Moses was a Messenger of God sent to them. The
Arabs too made Muhummed's life impossible. He suffered very badly at their hands. After 13
years of preaching in Mecca, he had to emigrate from the city of his birth. But before his
demise, the Arab nation as a whole accepted him as the Messenger of Allah. But according
to the Bible: 'He (Jesus) CAME UNTO HIS OWN, BUT HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT.'
(John 1:11). And even today, after two thousand years, his people- the Jews, as a
whole, have rejected him. Is this true?" The dominee said: "Yes." I said: "THEREFORE
JESUS IS NOT LIKE MOSES, BUT MUHUMMED IS LIKE MOSES."
"Other-Wordly" Kingdom
(5) "Moses and Muhummed were prophets as well as kings. A prophet means a man who
receives Divine Revelation for the Guidance of Man and this Guidance he conveys to God's
creatures as received without any addition or deletion. A king is a person who has the power
of life and death over his people. It is immaterial whether the person wears a crown or not,
or whether he was ever addressed as king or monarch: if the man has the prerogative of
inflicting capital punishment - HE IS A KING. Moses possessed such a power. Do you
remember the Israelite who was found picking up firewood on Sabbath Day, and Moses had
him stoned to death? (Numbers- 15:13). There are other crimes also mentioned in the Bible
for which capital punishment was inflicted on the Jews at the behest of Moses. Muhummed
too, had the power of life and death over his people.
There are instances in the Bible of persons who were given gift of prophecy only, but they
were not in a position to implement their directives. Some of these holy men of God who
were helpless in the face of stubborn rejection of their message, were the prophets lot,
Jonah, Daniel, Ezra, and John the Baptist. They could only deliver the message, but could
not enforce the Law. The Holy Prophet Jesus (Peace p.b.u.h) also belonged to this category.
The Christian Gospel clearly confirms this: when Jesus was dragged before the Roman
Governor, Pontius Pilate, Charged for sedition, Jesus made a convincing point in his defence
to refute the false charge: JESUS ANSWERED, "MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD':
IF MY KINGDOM WERE OF THIS WORLD, THEN WOULD MY SERVANTS FIGHT, THAT I
SHOULD NOT BE DELIVERED TO THE JEWS; BUT NOW IS MY KINGDOM NOT FROM HENCE"
(John 18:36) This convinced Pilate (A Pagan) that though Jesus might not be in full
possession of his mental faculty, he did not strike him as being a danger to his rule. Jesus
claimed a spiritual Kingdom only; in other words he only claimed to be a Prophet. Is this
true?" The dominee answered: "Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but
Muhummed is like Moses."
No New Laws
(6) "Moses and Muhummed brought new laws and new regulations for their people. Moses
not only gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, but a very comprehensive
ceremonial law for the guidance of his people. Muhummed comes to a people steeped in
barbarism and ignorance. They married their step-mothers; they buried their daughters
alive; drunkenness, adultery, idolatry, and gambling were the order of the day. Gibbon
describe the Arabs before Islam in his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", THE
HUMAN BRUTE, ALMOST WITHOUT SENSE, IS POORLY DISTINGUISHED FROM THE REST OF
THE ANIMAL CREATION.' There was hardly anything to distinguish between the "man" and
the "animal" of the time; they were animals in human form.
"From this abject barbarism, Muhummed elevated them, in the words of Thomas Carlysle,
"into torch-bearers of light and learning.' 'TO THE ARAB NATION IT WAS AS A
BIRTH FROM DARKNESS INTO LIGHT. ARABIA FIRST BECAME ALIVE BY MEANS OF
IT. A POOR SHEPHERD PEOPLE, ROAMING UNNOTICED IN ITS DESERTS SINCE THE
CREATION OF THE WORLD. SEE, THE UNNOTICED BECOMES WORLD NOTABLE, THE
SMALL HAS GROWN WORLD-GREAT. WITHIN ONE CENTURY AFTERWARDS ARABIA
WAS AT GRANADA ON ONE HAND AND AT DELHI ON THE OTHER. GLANCING IN
VALOUR AND SPLENDOUR, AND THE LIGHT OF GENIUS, ARABIA SHINES OVER A
GREAT SECTION OF THE WORLD. ..." The fact is that Muhummed gave his people a Law
and Order they never had before.
As regards Jesus, when the Jews felt suspicious of him that he might be an impostor with
designs to pervert their teachings, Jesus took pains to assure them that he had not come
with a new religion - no new laws and no new regulations. I quote his own words:
'THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO DESTROY THE LAW, OR THE PROPHETS: I AM
NOT COME TO DESTROY, BUT TO FULFIL. FOR VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, TILL
HEAVEN AND EARTH PASS, ONE JOT OR ONE TITLE SHALL IN NO WISE PASS FROM
THE LAW, TILL ALL BE FULFILLED.'(Mathew 5:17-18). In other words he had not come
with any new laws or regulation he came only to fulfil the old law. This what he gave the
Jews to understand- unless he was speaking with the tongue in his cheek trying to bluff the
Jews into accepting him as a man of God and by subterfuge trying to ram a new religion
down their throats. No! This Messenger of God would never resort to such fo ul means to
subvert the Religion of God. He himself fulfilled the laws. He observed the commandments
of Moses, and he respected the Sabbath. At no time did a single Jew point a finger at him to
say, 'why don't you fast' or 'why don't you wash your hands before you break
bread',which charges they always levied against his disciples, but never against Jesus. This
is because as a good Jew he honoured the laws of the prophets who preceded him. In short,
he had created no new religion and had brought no new law like Moses and Muhummed. Is
this true?" I asked the dominee, and he answered: "Yes." I said: "Therefore, Jesus is not
like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses."
How they Departed
(7) "Both Moses and Muhummed died natural deaths, but according to Christianity, Jesus
was violently killed on the cross.1 Is this true?" The dominee said: "Yes." I averred:
"Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses."
Heavenly Abode
(8) "Moses and Muhummed both lie buried in earth, but according to you, Jesus in heaven.
Is this true?" The dominee agreed. I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed
is like Moses."
1. For a full exposition of this topic, see "CRUCIFIXION OR CRUCI-FICTION?".
CHAPTER THREE
Further Proofs
Ishmael The First Born
Since the dominee was helplessly agreeing with every point, I said, "Dominee, so far what I
have done is to prove only one point out of the whole prophecy- that is proving the phrase
'LIKE UNTO THEE' - 'Like You' - 'Like Moses'. The Prophecy is much more than this single
phrase which reads as follows : "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' would undoubtedly be the Arabs. You see, 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 Abraham1 called HIS SON'S name, which
Hagar 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 grants Abraham another son through Sarah, named Isaac, who was
very much the junior to his brother Ishmael.
1. According to the Bible, Abraham's name was Abram before it was changed by God to
Abraham.
Arabs and Jews
If Ishmael and Isaac are the sons of the same father Abraham, then they are brothers. And
so the children of the one are the 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 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 Muhummed is from among the brethren of the Israelites
because he was a descendant of Ishmael the son of Abraham. This exactly as the prophecy
has it- 'FROM AMONG THEIR BRETHREN'.(Deut.18:18). 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.
MUHUMMED THEREFORE WAS FROM AMONG THEIR BRETHREN!
Words in the Mouth
"The prophecy proceeds further:'.......AND I WILL PUT MY WORDS INTO HIS MOUTH.......'
What does it mean when it is said 'I will put my words in your mouth'? You see, when I
asked you (the dominee) to open Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 18, at the beginning, and
if I had asked you to read, and if you had read: would I be putting my words into your
mouth?" The dominee answered: "No." "But," I continued: "If I were to teach you a
language like Arabic about which you have no knowledge, and if I asked you to read or
repeat after me what I utter i.e.
A lecture by Ahmed Deedat
(I read them in Arabic )
Would I not be putting these unheard words of a foreign tongue which you utter, into your
mouth?" The dominee agreed that it was indeed so. In an identical manner, I said, the
words of the Holy Qur’ân, the Revelation vouchsafed by the Almighty God to Muhummed,
were revealed.
History tells us that Muhummed was forty years of age. He was in a cave some three miles
north of the City of Mecca. It was the 27th night of the Muslim month of Ramadaan. In the
cave the Archangel Gabriel commands him in his mother tongue: 'IQRA' which means
READ! or PROCLAIM! or RECITE! Muhummed is terrified and in his bewilderment replies "
MA ANA BEQARA which means I AM NOT LEARNED! The angel commands him a second
time with the same result. For the third time the angel continues.
Now Muhummed, grasps, that what was required of him was to repeat! to rehearse! And he
repeats the words as they were put into his mouth:
These are the first five verses, which were revealed to Muhummed, which now occupy the
beginning of the 96th chapter of the Holy Qur’ân.
The Faithful Witness
Immediately the angel had departed, Muhummed 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 any
terrible thing to happen to him. Are these the confessions of an impostar? Would impostars
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-AMIN' - 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’ân) 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 according to his instructions i n the order in
which we find them today in the Holy Qur’ân.
The words (revelation) were actually put into his mouth, exactly as foretold in the
prophecy under discussion: 'AND I WILL PUT MY WORDS IN HIS MOUTH.' (Deut. 18:18).
Un-lettered Prophet
Muhummed's experience in the cave of Hira, later to be known as Jabal-un Noor - The
Mountain of Light, and his response to that first Revelation is the exact fulfillment of
another Biblical Prophecy. In the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 29, verse 12, we read: "AND THE
BOOK" (al-Kitaab, al-Qur’ân the 'Reading', the 'Recitation') "IS DELIVERED TO HIM THAT
IS NOT LEARNED," (Isaiah 29:12) "THE UNLETTERED PROPHET " (Holy Qur’ân 7:158) and
the biblical verse continues : "SAYING, READ THIS, I PRAY THEE:" (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") "AND HE SAITH, I AM NOT LEARNED." ("I am
not learned." is the exact translation of the Arabic words MA ANA BEQARA which
Muhummed uttered twice to the Holy Ghost - the Archangel Gabriel, when he was
commanded : IQRAA "READ!").
Let me quote the verse in full without a break as found in the "King James Version," or the
"Authorised version" as it is more popularly known "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 29:12).
Important note:
It may be noted that there were no Arabic Bibles in existence in the 6th Century of the
Christian Era when Muhummed lived and preached! Besides, he was absolutely unlettered
and unlearned. No human had ever taught him a word. His teacher was his Creator:
Without any human learning, 'he put to shame the wisdom of the learned'."
(12) There are today Arabic Bibles in Fourteen different scripts and dialects for the Arabs
alone. See "The Gospels in many tongues".
Grave Warning
"See!" I told the dominee, "how the prophecies fit Muhummed like a glove. We do not have
to stretch prophecies to justify their fulfillment in Muhummed."
The dominee replied, "All your expositions sound very well, but they are of no real
consequence, because we Christians have Jesus Christ the "incarnate" God, who has
redeemed us from the Bondage of Sin!"
I asked, "Not important?" God didn't think so! He went to a great deal of trouble to have His
warnings recorded. God knew that there would be people like you who will flippantly, light-
heartedly discount his words, so he followed up Deuteronomy 18:18 with a dire warning:
"AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, " (it is going to happen) "THAT WHOSOEVER WILL NOT
HEARKEN UNTO MY WORDS WHICH HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME, I WILL REQUIRE IT
OF HIM. (in the Catholic Bible the ending words are - "I will be the revenger", I will take
vengeance from him - I will take revenge!) "Does not this terrify you? God Almighty is
threatening revenge! We shake in our pants if some hoodlum threatens us, yet you have no
fear of God's warning?"
"Miracle of Miracles! in the verse 19 of Deuteronomy chapter 18, we have a further
fulfillment of the prophecy in Muhummed! Note the words-'.....MY WORDS WHICH HE
SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME," In whose name is Muhummed speaking?" I opened Yusuf Ali's
translation of the Holy Qur’ân, at chapter 114- 'Sura Nas', or Mankind - the last chapter,
and showed him the formula at the head of the chapter:
And the meaning: "IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL." And the
heading of chapter 113:
And the meaning: "IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL". And every
chapter downwards 112, 111, 110...was the same formula and the same meaning on every
page, because the end SURAS (chapters) are short and take about a page each.
"And what did the prophecy demand?' ...WHICH HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME and in
whose name does Muhummed speak? 'IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS MOST
MERCIFUL.' The Prophecy is being fulfilled in Muhummed to the letter
"Every chapter of the Holy Qur’ân except the 9th begin with the formula:
THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL.' The Muslim begins his every
lawful act with the Holy formula. But the Christian begins: "In the name of the Father, son
and Holy Ghost.'"1
Concerning Deuteronomy chapter eighteen, I have given you more than 15 reasons as to
how this prophecy refers to Muhummed and NOT to Jesus.
1. The Christian theologians are ignorant of even the "name of God. Because "God" is not a
name, and "Father" is also not a name. See "WHAT IS HIS NAME?"
CHAPTER FOUR
New Testament Also Confirms
Baptist Contradicts Jesus
In New Testament times, we find that the Jews were still expecting the fulfilment of the
prophecy of 'ONE LIKE MOSES', refer John 1:19-25. When Jesus claimed to be the Messiah
of the Jews, the Jews began to enquire as to where was Elias? The Jews had a parallel
prophecy that before the coming of the Messiah, Elias must come first in his second coming.
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."
(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't be two Messiahs1 at the same
time. If Jesus was the Christ then John couldn't be the Christ!) "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:... "(Matthew 11:11).
We Muslims know John the Baptist as Hazrut 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
Hazrut ISAA Alai-his-salaam (peace be upon him), is also esteemed as one of the mightiest
messenger of the Almighty. How can we Muslims impute lies to either of them? We leave
this problem between Jesus and John for the Christians to solve, for their "sacred
scriptures" abound in discrepancies which they have been glossing over as the "dark
sayings of Jesus"(15). We Muslims are really interested in the last questions posed to
John the Baptist by the Jewish elite- "ART THOU THAT PROPHET? AND HE ANSWERED,
NO." (John 1:21)
1. The Jews were expecting a single Messiah not two.
2. See the "TIMES" Magazine December 30th, 1974, article "How true is the Bible?" And
also see "50,000 Errors in the Bible?" a reproduction from the Christian Magazine
"AWAKE!" September 8, 1957.
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 T-H-R-E-E 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 BAPTIZEST THOU THEN, IF THOU BE
a) NOT THAT CHRIST,
b) NOR ELIAS,
c) NEITHER THAT PROPHET?" (John 1:25)
The Jews were waiting for the fulfillment 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, the 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 MUHUMMED and not Jesus!
We Muslims are not denying that Jesus was the "Messiah", which word is translated as
"Christ".1 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 MUHUMMED!"
The dominee, very politely parted with me by saying that it was a very interesting
discussion and he would like me very much to come one day and address his congregation
on the subject. A decade and half has passed since then but I am still awaiting that
privilege.
I believe the dominee was sincere when he made the offer, but prejudices die hard and who
would like to loose his sheep?
1. How the word Messiah was transmuted to Christ?. See "Christ in Islam"
The Acid Test
To the lambs of Christ I say, why not apply that acid test which the Master himself wanted
you to apply to any would be claimant to Prophethood? He had said: "BY THEIR FRUITS
YE SHALL KNOW THEM. DO MEN GATHER GRAPES FROM THE THORNS, OR FIGS FROM
THE THISTLES? EVERY GOOD TREE WILL BEAR GOOD FRUIT AND EVERY EVIL TREE WILL
BEAR EVIL FRUIT.... BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM. (Matthew 7:16-20).
Why are you afraid to apply this test to the teachings of Muhummed? You will find in the
Last Testament of God - the Holy Qur’ân - the true fulfillment of the teachings of Moses
and Jesus, which will bring to the world the much-needed peace and happiness. "IF A MAN
LIKE MOHAMED WERE TO ASSUME THE DIC TATORSHIP OF THE MODERN WORLD, HE
WOULD SUCCEED IN SOLVING ITS PROBLEMS THAT WOULD BRING IT THE MUCH NEEDED
PEACE AND HAPPINESS." (George Bernard Shaw)
The Greatest!
The Weekly Newsmagazine "TIME" dated July 15, 1974, carried a selection of opinions by
various historians, writers, military men, businessmen and others on the subject: "Who
Were History's Great Leaders?" Some said that it was Hitler; others said - Gandhi,
Buddha, Lincoln and the like. But Jules Masserman, a United States psychoanalyst put the
standards straight by giving the correct criteria wherewith to judge. He said:
"LEADERS MUST FULFIL THREE FUNCTIONS:-
(1) Provide for the well-being of the led,
(2) Provide a social organization in which people feel relatively secure and
(3) Provide them with one set of beliefs."
With the above three criteria he searches history and analyses - Hitler, Pasteur, Gaesar,
Moses, Confucius and the lot, and ultimately concludes:
"PEOPLE LIKE PASTEUR AND SALK ARE LEADERS IN THE FIRST SENSE. PEOPLE LIKE
GANDHI AND CONFUCIUS, ON ONE HAND, AND ALEXANDER, CAESAR AND HITLER ON THE
OTHER, ARE LEADERS IN THE SECOND AND PERHAPS THE THIRD SENSE. JESUS AND
BUDDHA BELONG IN THE THIRD CATEGORY ALONE. PERHAPS THE GREATEST LEADER
OF ALL TIMES WAS MOHAMMED, WHO COMBINED ALL THREE FUNCTIONS. To a
lesser degree, MOSES DID THE SAME."
According to the objective standards set by the Professor of the Chicago University, whom I
believe to be Jewish, - JESUS and BUDDHA are now - here in the picture of the "Great
Leaders of Mankind", but by a queer coincidence groups Moses and Muhummed
together thus adding further weight to the argument that JESUS is not like MOSES, but
MUHUMMED is like MOSES: Deut.18:18 "LIKE UNTO THEE" - Like MOSES!
Reverend James L. Dow in Collins Dictionary of the Bible gives further proof, that JESUS is
not like MOSES, but MUHUMMED is like Moses: "AS A STATESMAN AND LAWGIVER MOSES
IS THE CREATOR OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. HE FOUND A LOOSE CONGLOMERATION OF
SEMITIC PEOPLE, NONE OF ......
*Also in "THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF RELIGION", Moses is looked upon in the different
traditions. Under Moses in Islam; we read
"MOSES IS HIGHLY REGARDED IN ISLAM AS THE GREAT PROPHET WHO FORETOLD THE
COMING OF MUHAMMAD, HIS SUCCESSOR...THERE IS MUCH IN THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD
THAT IS IMPLICITLY REMINISCENT OF THE MOSES TRADITION.
P121, THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF RELIGION, Mircea Eliade (EDITOR IN CHIEF)
Volume 10, Macmillean Publishing Company
In conclusion, I end with a quotation of a Christian Reverend the commentator of the Bible,
followed by that of his Master:
"THE ULTIMATE CRITERION OF A TRUE PROPHET IS THE MORAL CHARACTER OF HIS
TEACHING." (Prof. Dummelow.)
"BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM." (Jesus Christ)
COME LET US REASON TOGETHER
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)." (SURA AL-I-'IMRAN) Holy Qur’ân 3:64
"PEOPLE OF THE BOOK" is the respectful title given to the Jews and the Christians in the
Holy Qur’ân. The Muslims is here commanded to invite - "O People of the Book!" - O
Learned People! O People who claim to be the recipients of Divine Revelation, of a Holy
Scripture; let us gather together onto a common platform - "that we worship none but
God", because none but God is worthy of worship, not because "THE LORD THY GOD IS A
JEALOUS GOD VISITING THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHERS UPON THE CHILDREN UNTO THE
THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION OF THEM THAT HATE ME." (Exodus 20:25). But because
He is our Lord and Cherisher, our Sustainer and Evolver, worthy of all praise, prayer and
devotion.
In the abstract the Jews and the Christians would agree to all the three propositions
contained in this Qur’ânic verse. In practice they fail. Apart from doctrinal lapses from the
unity of the One True God, (ALLAH Subhanahu wa ta-ala) there is the question of a
consecrated Priesthood (among the Jews it was hereditary also), as if a mere human being -
Cohen or Pope, or Priest, or Brahman, - could claim superiority apart from his learning
and the purity of his life, or could stand between man and God in some special sense.
ISLAM DOES NOT RECOGNISE PRIESTHOOD!
The Creed of Islam is given to us here in a nutshell from Holy Qur’ân:
Say ye: "We believe in Allah, And the revelation given to us, And to Abraham,
Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, 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)." (SURA BAQARA) Holy Qur’ân
2:136.
The Muslim position is clear. The Muslim does not claim to have a religion peculiar to
himself. Islam is not a sect or an ethnic religion. In its view all Religion is one, for the Truth
is one. IT WAS THE SAME RELIGION PREACHED BY ALL THE EARLIER PROPHETS. (Holy
Qur’ân 42:13). It was the truth taught by all the inspired Books. In essence it amounts to a
consciousness of the Will and Plan of God and a joyful submission to that Will and Plan. IF
ANYONE WANTS A RELIGION OTHER THAN THAT, HE IS FALSE TO HIS OWN
NATURE, AS HE IS FALSE TO GOD'S WILL AND PLAN. Such a one cannot expect
guidance,
for
he
has
deliberately
renounced
guidance.
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