Muhammad (sws) in the Bible

Question: Is there any utterance about the advent of Prophet Muhammad (sws) in
the Bible? Many Muslims claim so. What are your thoughts?

Answer: There are several places where the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (sws)
is thought to have been mentioned in the Bible. In the New Testament's Gospel
according to John, Jesus (sws) prays to God that people are given another 'Comforter'.
There is also mention of the 'Spirit of Truth' who '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 show you things to come', (John 16:13). As the scholar Abdus
Sattar Ghauri has pointed out, it is clear from the Biblical text that Jesus
(sws) stands as a separate entity to the 'Comforter' or 'Spirit of Truth'. Furthermore,
it is evident that the prophecy given to Moses (sws) spoke of the advent of a
Prophet (sws). This figure was thought to be distinct from Christ (sws). Evidence
of this can be found when John the Baptist is asked if he is Christ, Elias or
the Prophet and he answers 'no' to all three (John 1: 19-21). Some connect this
'Comforter' with the 'Holy Ghost' mentioned in John 14:26. However, as Jamal
Badawi has pointed out, this designation is 'inconsistent' with the profile given
of the 'Comforter', as even the Dictionary of the Bible (J Mackenzie) seems to
imply. As Badawi goes on to point out, the Prophet Muhammad (sws) fulfilled all
the criteria of the 'Comforter' or 'Paraclete', such as: 'He testified of Jesus
(sws), taught new things which could not be borne at Jesus' time, he spoke what
he heard (revelation), he dwells with the believers (through his well-preserved
teachings)' and 'such teachings will remain forever because he was the last messenger
of God'. Furthermore, the requirement of 'teachings remaining forever' is not
only clearly evidenced by the preservation of the Qur'an over the course of the
last 1400 years, but also in the incredible volume of Ahadith literature which,
through proper examination, provides further details on Prophetic teachings.


Evidence for Prophet Muhammad (sws) in the Old Testament is bountiful. Deuteronomy
18:18 shows Moses (sws) speaking of the prophet to be sent by God who must fulfill
several criteria, the most compelling of which is to be from among the 'brethren'
of the Isrealites. As Abdus Sattar Ghauri points out, this is clearly a reference
to the Ishmaelites, their cousins, as evidenced by Genesis XVI: 10-12, and although
modern translators have attempted to change this word to 'people', the Hebrew
is best translated as brethren. Furthermore, Mathew 21:43 has Jesus (sws) admonishing
the Israelites by stating 'the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given
to a nation'. The language of the text indicates this nation will be different
from the Israelites.

In addition, Badawi shows that Deuteronomy 33:1-2 combines 'references to Moses,
Jesus and Muhammad' by speaking of God's revelation coming from the Sinai, Seir
(likely a the village Sa'ir near Jerusalem) and Paran (Genesis 21:21 indicates
this is where Ishmael settled, which we now know as Makkah).

Finally, one of the clearest evidences of Prophet Muhammad's (sws) advent comes
from King Solomon where he uses the words 'Muhammadim' to describe the coming
Prophet (sws). As Ghauri points out the actual Hebrew words are mydmhm vlkv,
pluralized to show respect and majesty. Many Biblical translations have changed
this proper noun to 'lovely', but the Hebrew Bible remains in tact with these
words.

It is hoped that some of these references are helpful. For more detailed arguments
and evidence please examine the works of scholars like Abdus Sattar Ghauri, Jamal
Badawi, Zakir Nayak, etc.

Studying Islam
www.studying-islam.org