Anecdotes from the Life of the Prophet Muhammad
by Mumtaz Ahmad Faruqui
Appendix B: Prophecies about the Holy Prophet Muhammad: Buddha’s Prophecy
“The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” (Deuteronomy, 18:15)
“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command them.” (Deuteronomy, 18:18)
Note: The Brethren of Israel could have no other meaning but of ‘Ishmaelites’ (Arab descendants of Ishmael [AS], son of Prophet Abraham[AS]); and these never had any prophet but Muhammad [pbuh]. Further in Deuteronomy, 34:10, we read that
“there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses.”
Another prophecy in clear terms is mentioned in Deuteronomy, 33.2:
“And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from Mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.”
In the above verse
“coming from Sinai”
refers to the appearance of Moses [AS]; rising up from Seir, that of Jesus [AS]; it was at these places that these prophets received the Divine Call. Now, Paran (Faran in Arabic) is admittedly the ancient name for the hilly range in the Hejaz, Arabia; from there arose Muhammad [pbuh] from the descendants of Ishmael [AS], as Genesis 21:21 also points to it. The reference to
“ten thousands of saints”
alludes to the ten thousand saintly followers with whom the Holy Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] made a triumphant entry into Mecca.
In another prophecy, Isaiah 21:13–15, the land of Arabia and a “flight” are specifically mentioned. It may be noted that the flight of the Holy Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] from Mecca to Medina was to escape persecution and was momentous enough so that the Muslim Era commences from then onwards.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.” (John: 14:15–16)
“These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But theComforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John: 14:25–26)
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.” (John: 16:7–8)
“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak and he will shew you things to come.” (John: 16:12–13)
Although the above prophecies point to the advent of another prophet after Jesus, yet Christian theologians have tried all they could to apply these to the Holy Ghost. The words
“If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you,”
however, are too clear to need any comment. For the study of the New Testament clearly shows that John the Baptist [AS] was filled with the Holy Ghost even before he was born. Then it speaks of Jesus himself as receiving the Holy Ghost in the shape of a pigeon. Obviously, the use of the words “Holy Ghost” in the prophecy is intended to signify that the Promised One would have such an inseparable union with the Holy Ghost that his advent might be taken, metaphorically of course, as the coming of the Holy Ghost itself.
The words
“That he may abide with you for ever”
are significant, as Muhammad [pbuh] claimed to be the last of the Prophets. Then again,
“He will guide you into all truth,”
as the prophecy says, is corroborated by the Holy Quran, which says:
“This day I have made perfect for you your religion,” (The Holy Quran, 5:3)
“Say, the truth has come and falsehood has vanished,” (The Holy Quran, 17:81)
According to the Holy Quran, the advent of the Holy Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] was expressly foretold in sacred books of all the religions. The Holy Quran says:
“And when Allah made a covenant through the prophets: Certainly, what I have given you of Book and Wisdom… then a Messenger comes to you verifying that which is with you, you shall believe in him and you shall aid him. He said: Do you affirm and accept my compact in this (matter)? They said: We do affirm. He said: Then bear witness, and I (too) am of the bearers of witness with you.” (The Holy Quran, 3:81)