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What the Bible Says About Muhammad pbuh?
A
Lecture by Ahmed Deedat
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
ISRAEL
BORE
WITNESS OF ONE LIKE HIM......."
(Holy Qur'an 46:10). (see note 1)
Mr.Chairman,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The
subject of this evening's talk - "What the BIBLE says
about MUHAMMED" - 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 Chriatian theologian, a certain
Rev. Hiten, at the "Theatre Royal",
Durban
in
South
Africa
.
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
vigo
rously 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
Christia exposition of the "Beast 666" of the
Christian Bible is Dr.Henry Kissinger(2). 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(3) , 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 dominee(4) of the
Dutch Reformed Church.
Lucky
Thirteen
I
was invited to the
Transvaal
(5) 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.
Why
nothing?
I
posed the question: "What does the Bible say about
Muhummed?" 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 Ca
tholics?" He said, "Yes, but there was nothing
about Muhummed!" I asked again, "Why nothing?
Surely this man Muhummed who had been responsible for the
bringing into being a world-wide community of millions of
Believers who, on his authority, believe in:
(1) the miraculous birth of Jesus,
(2) that Jesus is the Messiah,(note 6)
(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?"
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."
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 Jesu s 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 900,000,000 followers of Muhummed who love, respect
and rev ere Jesus Christ as a great Messenger of God
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 'C hrist', 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 su ch details! Then
how can you conclude that those 'thousand' Prophecies
refer to Jesus (Peace be upon him)?"
What
is Prophecy?
The
dominee replies: "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 fulfilment of what had
been predicted in the past." I said: "What you
actually do is that you deduce, yo u 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?" 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
. (8)
'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." Deut.18:18.
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 domin ee 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 Biblica l 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
prophency to any one of these prophets, and why only to
Jesus? Why should we make fish of one and fowl of anoth
er?" 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
staying, 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 Mose s 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.
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
lik e 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 announded 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'an 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 " (9) (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'an 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'anic.") 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."
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
(3)
"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 imposs ible. 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, ofter two thousand years, his
people- the Jews, as a whole, have rejeted 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 wer e
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 mesage, 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 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 charg e: 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 possessio n 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-m others; 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 CREATI
ON.' 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 GREA 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 imposter 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 IAM
COME TO DESTROY THE LAW, OR THE PROPHETS: IAM 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 al wasy 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.(10) 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."
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 s
peaks of Abraham as the "Friend of God". Abraham
had two wives - Sarah and Hagar. Hagar bore Abraham a son
- HIS FIRST-BORN- '......And Abraham(11) 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 sed of Abraham, when the covenant was ratified
between God and Abraham. God grants Abraham another son
through Sarah, named Isaac, wh o was very much the junior
to his brother Ishmael.
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 Israeli tes beause he was a descendant of
Ishamel 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 the mselves', 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.:
"SAY:
HE IS ALLAH THE ONE AND ONLY;
ALLAH, THE ETERNAL ABSOLUTE;
HE BEGETTETH NOT, NOR IS HE BEGOTTEN:
AND THERE IS NONE LIKE UNTO HIM.
(Holy Qur'an 112:1-4)( 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'an, 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 w as terrified and in his bewilderment replied
that he was not 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:
"READ!
IN THE NAME OF THE LORD AND CHERISHER, WHO CREATED-
CREATED MAN, FROM A (MERE) CLOT OF CONGEALED BLOOD:
READ!
AND THY LORD IS MOST BOUNTIFUL,-
HE WHO TAUGHT (THE USE OF) THE PEN,
TAUGHT
MAN THAT WHICH HE KNEW NOT".
(Holy
Qur'an 96:1-5)
These
are the first five verses which were revealed to Muhummed
which now occupy the beginning of the 96th chapter of the
Holy Qur'an.
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
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-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 imp ression on his
heart and mind: and as the volume of the Sacred Scripture
(Holy Qur'an) grew, they were recorded on palm-leaf libre,
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 to-day in the Holy Qurann.
The
words (revelation) were actually put into his mouth,
exactly as foretold in the prophecy under discusiion: '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 fulfilment of another Biblical Prophecy. In the Book
of Isaish. Chapter 29, verse 12, we read: "AND THE
BOOK" (al-Kitaab,al-Quran the 'Readin g', the
'Recitation') "IS DELIVERED TO HIM THAT IS NOT
LEARNED," (Isaiah 29:12) "THE UNLETTERED
PROPHET " (Holy Qur'an 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 Cathol ics'
"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 which Muhummed uttered
twice to the Holy Ghost - the Archangel Gabriel, when he
was commanded : "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 know "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(12) in
existence in the 6th Century of the Christian Era when
Muhummed lived and preachedl Besides, he was absolutely
unlettered and unlearned. No human had ever taught him a
word. His teacher was his Creator:
"HE
DOES NOT SPEAK (AUGHT), OF (HIS OWN) DESIRE:
IT IS NO LESS THAN INSPIRATION SENT DOWN TO HIM:
HE WAS TAUGHT BY ONE MIGHTY IN POWER,"
(Holy
Qur'an 53:3-5).
Without
any human learning, 'he put to shame the wisdom of the
learned'.
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 fulfilment 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 threathening revenge! We
shake in our pants if some hoodlum threathens 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 fulfilment 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'an, at
chapter 114- 'Sura Nas', or Mankind - the last chapter,
and showed him the formula at the head of the charpter:
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'an except the 9th begin with the
formula: IN TH E 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.'"(13)
Concerning
Deuteronomy chapter eighteen, I have given you more than
15 reasons as to how this prophecy refers to Muhummed and
NOT to Jesus.
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 s wallow 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 Messiahs (14) 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 Joh n 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 difinitely not speaking
the TRUTH! On the testimony of Jesus himself, John the
Baptist was the greatest of the Israelite prophet
s:"VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, AMOUNG THEM THAT ARE BORN
OF WOMEN THERE HAS NOT RISENA 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 Musl ims 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 Jo hn
the Baptist by the Jewish elite- "ART THOU THAT
PROPHET? AND HE ANSWERED, NO."(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 T-H-R-E-E separate prophecies in their
minds when they were interogating John the Baptist, let us
read the remonstrance of the Jews in the verses following:
"AND
THEY ASKED HIM, AND SAID UNTO HIM, WHEY 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 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, 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' - "L IKE
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".(16) 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 ref er 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?
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 AN D 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'an - the true fulfilment 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 Mass erman, 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, whome 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 argu ment that JESUS is not like
MOSES, but MUHUMMED is like MOSES: Deut.18:18 "LIKE
UNTO THEE" - Like MOSES!
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)
A concluding suggestion : 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)."
(Holy
Qur'an 3:64)
"PEOPLE
OF THE BOOK" is the respectful title given to the
Jews and the Christians in the Holy Qur'an. 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 ou
r 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'anic
verse. In practice they fail. Apart from doctrinal lapses
from the unity of the One True God, (ALLAH_ Subha-nahu wa
ta-ala) there is the question of a consecrated Priesthood
(among the J ews it was hereditary also), as if a mere
human being - Cohe or Pope, or Priest, or Brahuman, -
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'an:
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)."
(Holy
Qur'an 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'an 42:13). It was the
truth taug ht 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.
NOTES
(1)
This refers to Moses. See Yusuf Ali's commentaries Nos.
4783/4 to this verse.
(2)
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.
(3)
The writer has just delivered another talk in the City
Hall,
Durban
on
the
10th December, 1975
on
the subject "Muhummed the Greatest".
(4)
"Dominee" is the Afrikaans equivalent of priest,
parson and predikant.
(5)
One of the Provinces of the
Republic
of
South
Africa
.
(6)
The word "Messiah" comes from the Arabic and
Hebrew word masaha which means to rub, to massage, to
annoint. 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 C yrus is called
"Christ" in the Bible, (Isaiah 45:1)
(7)
Muhummed is mentioned by name in the Song of Solomn 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 Muhamudd translated as
"altogether lovely" in the Authorised Version of
the Bible or 'The Praised One' 'the one worthy of Praise'
i.e. MUHUMMED!
(8)
If this lecture 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.
(9)
Please open the Holy Qur'an 3:42 and
19:16
where
the birth of Jesus is spoken about; read it with the
commentry, note the high position which Jesus and his
mother occupy in Islam.
(10)
Write for "Was Christ Crucified?" by the writer,
free on request.
(11)
According to the Bible Abraham's name was Abram before it
was changed by God to Abraham.
(12)
There are today Arabic Bibles in Fourteen different
scripts and dialects for the Arabs alone. See "The
Gospels in many tongues", obtainable from the Bible
Society.
(13)
The Christian theologians are ignorant of even the
"name of God. Because "God" is not a name,
and "Father" is also not a name. What's his
name? See "Muhummed-the Natural Successor to
Christ", by the author, available free.
(14)
The Jews were expecting a single Messiah not two.
(15)
See the "TIMES" Magazine
December
30th, 1974
,
article "How true is the Bible?" And write for
your free copy of "50,000 Errors in the Bible? a
reproduction from the Christian Magazine
"AWAKE!"
September
8, 1957
.
(15)
How the word Messiah was transmuted to Christ? Write for
booklet above, reference 13.
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