In The Name Of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Extracts from WHAT THE BIBLE ABOUT MUHUMMED (PBUH) By Ahmed Deedat

When posed the question: “What does the Bible say about Muhummed?” Without hesitation the Christian’s answer is, “Nothing!”: “Why nothing? According to your interpretation the Bible has 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?” The Christians say, “Yes, but there was nothing about Muhummed!” “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,
(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?”

Not One by name
“According to Christians, are there are thousands of prophecies regarding the coming of Jesus in the Old Testament?” “As Muslims we do not 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 900,000,000 followers of Muhummed who love, respect and revere this great Messenger of God - JESUS CHRIST. Out of the ‘thousands’ of prophecies referred to, can you please give 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?” What is Prophecy? The reply is: “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.” Hence “What you actually do is that you deduce, you reason, you put two and two together.” “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?”
This is a fair proposition, a reasonable way of dealing with the problem.

In Deuteronomy, chapter 18, verse 18, this reads
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.
Prophet like Moses
“To whom does this prophecy refer?” Without the slightest hesitation the Christian answers: “JESUS!” When asked: “Why Jesus - his name is not mentioned here?” The reply is: “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 “like unto thee”, - LIKE YOU - like Moses, and Jesus is like Moses. When 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 “Like unto thee”.: “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?”
Three Unlikes
In the FIRST place Jesus is not like Moses, because, according to Christians -‘JESUS IS A GOD’, but Moses is not God, “Therefore Jesus is not like Moses! “SECONDLY, according to Christians - ‘JESUS DIED FOR THE SINS OF THE WORLD’, but Moses did not have to die for the sins of the world. : “Therefore Jesus is not like Moses!” “THIRDLY, according to Christians - ‘JESUS WENT TO HELL FOR THREE DAYS’, but Moses did not have to go there. “Therefore Jesus is not like Moses!”
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.
(1) Father and Mother
“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?” “Yes.”: “Therefore Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhummed is like Moses!”
(2) Miraculous Birth
“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 1 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 sublime 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!’ (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 birth of Jesus.” “Is it true that Jesus was born miraculously as against the natural birth of Moses and Muhummed?” The reply is: “YES!” “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.”
(3) Marriage Ties
“Moses and Muhummed married and begat children, but Jesus remained a bachelor all his life. “Therefore Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhummed is like Moses.”
(4) Jesus Rejected by his people
“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 I: 11). And even today, after two thousand years, his people - the Jews, as a whole, have rejected him. “THEREFORE JESUS IS NOT LIKE MOSES, BUT MUHUMMED IS LIKE MOSES.”
(5) “Other - Wordly” Kingdom
“Moses and Muhummed were prophets as well as kings. By prophet we mean 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. The Holy Prophet Jesus unfortunately could not enforce the Law. 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 s 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). “Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses.”
(6) No New Laws
“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. “From this abject barbarism, Muhummed elevated them.
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 TITTLE SHALL IN NO WISE PASS FROM THE LAW, TILL ALL BE FULFILLED.’ (Matthew 5:17-18). In other words he had not come with any new laws or regulations; he came only to fulfil the old law. He himself fulfilled the laws. 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. “Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses.”
(7) How they Departed
“Both Moses and Muhummed died natural deaths, but according to Christianity, Jesus was violently killed on the cross. “Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses.”
(8) Heavenly Abode
“Moses and Muhummed both lie buried in earth, but, Jesus rests in heaven. “Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses.”
Ismael the first born
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 Abram called HIS SON’S name, which Hagar bare, lshmael.’ (Genesis 16:15). Up to the age of THIRTEEN lshmael 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.
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 lshmael 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). 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 lshmael the son of Abraham. This is 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 Deuteronomy, chapter 18, verse 18.
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: READ! or PROCLAIM! or RECITE! Muhummed is terrified and in his bewilderment replies: 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:
“READ! IN THE NAME OF THY LORD AND CHERISHER, WHO 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 words (revelation) were actually put into his mouth, exactly as foretold in the prophecy under discussion: ‘AND I WILLL PUT MY WORDS IN HIS MOUTH.’ (Deut. 18:18).
Grave Warning
See how the prophecies fit Muhummed like a glove. We do not have to stretch prophecies to justify their fulfilment in Muhummed.” “
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.” “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 fulfilment of the prophecy in Muhummed! Note the words -‘      MY WORDS WHICH HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME,” In whose name is Muhummed speaking?” “Every chapter of the Holy Qur’an except the 9th begin with the formula: IN 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.’ Concerning Deuteronomy chapter eighteen, there are more than 15 reasons as to how this prophecy refers to Muhummed and NOT to Jesus.
Baptist Contradicts Jesus
The question posed to John 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 carried 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, WHEY BAPTIZEST THOU THEN, IF THOU BE
(a)NOT THAT CHRIST,
(b)NOR ELIAS,
(c)NEITHER THAT PROPHET?” (John 1:5)
The Jews were waiting for the fulfilment of THREE distinct prophecies: One: the coming of CHRIST. Two: the coming of ELIAS, and Three: the coming of THAT PROPHET.
That Prophet
If we look up any Bible which has a concordance or cross-references, then we will find in the marginal note where the words “the prophet”, or “that prophet” occur in John 1:25, that these words refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18. And that ‘that prophet’ -‘the prophet like Moses’ - “LIKE UNTO THEE”, we have proved through overwhelming evidence that he was 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 refer to Jesus Christ but it is an explicit prophecy about the Holy Prophet MUHUMMED!”
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’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 DICTATORSHIP OF THE MODERN WORLD, HE WOULD SUCCEED IN SOLVING ITS PROBLEMS THAT WOULD BRING IT THE MUCH NEEDED PEACE AND HAPPINESS.” (George Bernard Shaw)