The verses of the Noble Qur'an in their miraculousness related to creed, the unseen, history, eloquence, science, ethics, and legislation, along with the miracles of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), his biography, and his characteristics, are all definite signs of his prophethood. However, we also believe, as stated in the Qur'an, that he is written about in the Torah and the Gospel. So, even though there is doubt about the authenticity of these books nowadays, and despite the alterations that have taken place, do they still contain indications of glad tidings?
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Indeed, with Allah I am written as the Seal of the Prophets, and indeed Adam was shaped from clay. I will inform you about the first invocation of my father Ibrahim, the glad tidings of Jesus, and the dream of my mother that she saw when she gave birth to me, that a light came out of her that illuminated the palaces of Sham." (Reported by Ahmad and authenticated by Al-Albani).
The term "glad tidings" refers to the announcement of an event that brings joy and is of great benefit. The coming of the Messenger to humanity is a great blessing. In the Gospel, the message of the promised Messenger is described as the "good news of the kingdom." In the Gospel of Matthew 24:13-14: "But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved. This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." The term " preached" means to call and announce, and "endures to the end" means it lasts until near the end of time (as explained by Ibn Ashur).
Written about in the Torah and the Gospel
Allah Almighty says: “Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him, and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be the successful.” (Surah Al-A'raf, 157)
These are the same attributes mentioned in the narration reported by ‘Ata' ibn Yasar, who said: “I met Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-As and asked him to inform me of the description of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Torah. He said, ‘Indeed, by Allah, he is described in the Torah with some of the qualities mentioned in the Qur'an: 'Verily We have sent you (O Muhammad) as a witness, as a bringer of glad tidings and as a warner.' (48.8) which is in the Qur'an, appears in the Torah thus: 'Verily We have sent you (O Muhammad) as a witness, as a bringer of glad tidings and as a warner, and as a protector for the illiterates (i.e., the Arabs.) You are my slave and My Apostle, and I have named you Al-Mutawakkil (one who depends upon Allah). You are neither hard-hearted nor of fierce character, nor one who shouts in the markets. You do not return evil for evil, but excuse and forgive. Allah will not take you unto Him till He guides through you a crocked (curved) nation on the right path by causing them to say: "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah." With such a statement He will cause to open blind eyes, deaf ears and hardened hearts” (Reported by Al-Bukhari). In an additional narration from the Musnad, ‘Ata said: “Then I met Ka‘b (Ka‘b Al-Ahbar, a Tabi‘i who was a Jewish scholar before embracing Islam), and I asked him about this, and he did not differ in a single word.”
This is similar to what is found in the current Torah, in the book of Isaiah 42:1-17: "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the one who brought justice to all nations, for he is the one with the universal message for all the people of the earth. According to the English version, the term "nations" (Gentiles) usually refers to non-Jews, indicating that the passage does not refer to Jesus. The phrase "I will put my Spirit on him" means Allah's support and assistance.
In the same book, there are phrases resembling the above-mentioned hadith: "He will not shout or cry out or raise his voice in the streets." "I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand, I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness."
Mount Paran
In Deuteronomy 33:2: " And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. He said: 'The Lord came from Sinai and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from Mount Paran.'"
His coming from Sinai refers to the giving of the Torah to Moses (peace be upon him), his dawning from Seir (in Palestine) refers to the giving of the Gospel to Jesus (peace be upon him), and his shining forth from Mount Paran refers to the revelation of the Qur'an, as Paran refers to the mountains of Mecca (including Hira). In Genesis 21:20-21, about Ishmael (peace be upon him), who lived in Mecca, it says: "God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. He lived in the Paran desert."
In the Qur'an, Allah says: “By the fig and the olive” (referring to the lands where these trees grow), as their significance is in the Levant, where the prophecy of Jesus (peace be upon him) was given. “And [by] Mount Sinai” (where Moses received his prophethood). “And this secure land” (referring to Mecca, the place of Muhammad’s prophethood). Thus, Allah swears by these sacred places, from where the greatest of prophecies were revealed.
In Isaiah 42:11: "Let the desert and its towns shout aloud, the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the cliff dwellers sing; from the top of the mountains let them shout." The desert refers to the area where the tribe of Kedar, the ancestor of the Meccan tribes, lived, who were descended from Ishmael (peace be upon him). The voices raised in praise refer to the Adhan (call to prayer). cliff is a mountain in Medina, located west of the Prophet's Mosque. This text foretells the Prophet’s arrival in Medina, where he was joyfully received with songs and celebrations.
I Am the Final Brick and the Seal of the Prophets
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “My similitude in comparison with the other prophets before me, is that of a man who has built a house nicely and beautifully, except for a place of one brick in a corner. The people go about it and wonder at its beauty, but say: 'Would that this brick be put in its place!' So I am that brick, and I am the last of the Prophets.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari).
This hadith gives the parable of a man who built a beautiful house, but one brick was left out of place. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is that final brick, through which the house is completed, for he brought the completion of the laws. Every law before him was complete for its time, but his law is the most perfect and comprehensive.
In the Gospel of Matthew 21:42-44: "Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the scriptures, The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it’s amazing in our eyes? Therefore, I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken away from you and will be given to a people who produce its fruit. Whoever falls on this stone will be crushed. And the stone will crush the person it falls on.'"
These words were said by Jesus (peace be upon him) to a group of Jews after rebuking them for killing the prophets and rejecting the messages. The passage foretells that the kingdom of God will be taken from the Jews and given to another nation that will fulfill the duties of religion. It also refers to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), who was supported by Allah with strength and was the means through which Allah established the religion.
Ahmad
In the Gospel of John 14:15-16: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. I will ask the Father, and he will send another Companion, who will be with you forever,” which was rendered as “He will give you another Paraclete to be with you forever” in the edition printed in London in 1821. The term Paraclete is from Greek, and its original form is “Periklytos,” which means: praised or praiseworthy, corresponding to Muhammad or Ahmad in Arabic. (1)
Ibrahim Khalil, a former Christian scholar who embraced Islam, said: “The verse from Al-A‘raf (157) encouraged me to study comparative religion in silence for five years until I reached certainty and entered Islam with my children and my daughter, praising Allah.” He studied Greek and found that the term "Periklytos" means “the admired or praised one,” which is equivalent to "Muhammad" or "Mahmoud" in Arabic. (2)
Abdul Ahad Dawud (formerly known as David Benjamin Keldani, a professor of theology and the chief priest of the Chaldean Roman Catholics, fluent in Aramaic, Latin, Greek, and Arabic) wrote: "The term Paraclete means Ahmad," and from a purely linguistic standpoint, it means "the most praiseworthy, the most renowned, and deserving of praise." He also said that Christ did not speak Greek and that the original word in Aramaic was none other than "Mahmad or Hammad," which corresponds to Muhammad or Ahmad in Arabic and equates to the term "Paracletos" in Greek. (3)
Abdul Wahab Al-Najjar (died in 1941) asked the Italian orientalist Carlo Nallino about the word "Pericletos" in the Gospel. Nallino replied, "The priests say this word means 'the Comforter'." Al-Najjar responded, "I am asking a doctor who holds a PhD in ancient Greek literature, not a priest." Nallino then said that it means "the one who has much praise." Al-Najjar asked him, "Does this correspond to the superlative form of 'praise'?" Nallino answered, "Yes." (4)
This is consistent with what is mentioned in the Qur'an: “And bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad” (Surah As-Saff, 6).
The books of the Jews and Christians contain glad tidings and prophecies about the coming of our Prophet, the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, referred to in their books as the awaited prophet, the one sent to all nations, the Son of Man, the savior, the praiseworthy prophet who brings the good news of Islam, the Messenger of Allah, and the Master and Commander who will establish the Kingdom of Allah on Earth. This is to affirm the truth for those who were given the Book and to increase the faith of those who believe.
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(*) PhD in Theology and Fundamentals of Religion.
[1] Rahmatullah Al-Hindi, Izhar Al-Haqq (The Demonstration of Truth), General Presidency for Scholarly Research and Ifta, Riyadh, 1989: p. 1198.
[2] Ibrahim Khalil Ahmad, Muhammad in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur'an, Dar Al-Manar, 1989: p. 50.
[3] Abdul Ahad Dawud, Muhammad (peace be upon him) as Mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel, Obeikan Library, Riyadh, 1997: p. 198.
[4] Abdul Wahab Al-Najjar, Stories of the Prophets, Dar Ihya Al-Turath Al-Arabi, Beirut, p. 398.
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