Is Prophet Muhammad Mentioned in The Torah? Any Common Grounds Between Moses and Muhammad?

QAs-Salamu Alaykum, In the Torah, Allah Almighty mentioned that there would be another prophet. He said: “I will put my words in his mouth from among your brethren”. This was addressed to the Jews at that time. So, could the brethren be the descendants of Jacob? As Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had two sons, one Ishmael (peace be upon him) and one Israel (peace be upon him), but the community of Israel at the time of Moses (peace be upon him) was full of descendants from Israel and Jacob. Could you please explain? Then the next prophet foretold by Allah Most High could have been the descendant of Jacob. Also, was Isa (peace be upon him) a descendant of Jacob? If so, this could mean that he was from among their brethren and not from the children of Israel. Please could you explain? Jazaka Allahu khayran.


ANSWER

Short Answer: The brethren of the Children of Israel are the Children of Ishmael. As the prophet to come was from among the brethren of the Children of Israel, it is clear that he is from the Children of Ishmael. Prophecies make it clear that the Prophet-like-Moses foretold in Deuteronomy and the “my servant whom I uphold” of Isaiah 42, was Muhammad, the Last Prophet of God, who is a descendant of Prophet Ishmael.

Asalamu Alaikum Khan, 

Thank you very much for contacting About Islam with your question. 

The Torah is the Book revealed by God to Moses (peace be upon him).

Traditionally, it is said to consist only of the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The prophecy you have mentioned is taken from the Book of Deuteronomy chapter 18.

Here is what Jehovah told Moses about the prophet to come:

[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 him.] (Deuteronomy 18:18)

Jacob & The Children of Israel


Now, your question is the result of a few misunderstandings.

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First that Israel and Jacob were two different persons. In fact, they were the same, Israel being a new name given to Jacob by God.

And second that Israel was not the son of Abraham. He was the son of Isaac, who was Abraham’s second son. 

To dispel your confusion, here are the facts, again: Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim, peace be upon him) had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac, (Isma`eel and Ishaq, peace be upon them both).

The second son of Abraham, Isaac, had two sons, Esau and Jacob. It was Jacob who was later called Israel. The Children of Israel are now called Jews.

The Brethren of the Children of Israel

Story of Mary - The Striking Similarity in Bible and Quran


The brethren of the Children of Israel are the Children of Ishmael.

As the prophet to come was from among the brethren of the Children of Israel, it is clear that he is from the Children of Ishmael. 

Ishmael, the firstborn of Abraham, had twelve children. And of these Kedar is especially notable, because he is mentioned with significance in a prophecy we find in Isaiah 42.

It supports the earlier prophecy given in Deuteronomy 18. 

Isaiah 42:

[Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations.] (1)

[He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.] (4) 

[I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations (…)] (6) 

[Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the top of the mountains.] (11) 

[The Lord goes forth like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his fury; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.] (13)

Prophet Muhammad

From the above verses, we may understand the following:

– The prophet to come will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice on earth; and it is emphasized that the coastlands wait for his law. 

– We can see that this prophecy as well as the previous one, refers to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, rather than to Jesus. This is because Jesus could not establish justice on earth; God took him up when the Romans tried to crucify him; whereas Muhammad founded an Islamic state, the hallmark of which was law, order and justice. 

– The mentioning of Kedar and the villages where the Children of Kedar inhabit, indicates that the prophet was one of the Children of Kedar. 

– The reference to fighting and victory over the enemies in verse 13 also points to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, rather than to Jesus. 

– Jesus was one of the Children of Israel; he was not one of their brethren.

Thus, both prophecies make it clear that the Prophet-like-Moses foretold in Deuteronomy and the “my servant whom I uphold” of Isaiah 42, was Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the Last Prophet of God.

Any Common Grounds Between Moses and Muhammad?


10 September, 2019


Question


I was wondering if there is any prophecy regarding the Prophet of Islam found in the Old Testament (Torah)?

Answer


Thank you very much for your question.

First, let me please draw your attention that it is not really accurate to refer to the Old Testament as Torah (pronounced in Arabic as “Tawrah”).

The Old Testament is a Christian term referring to the first 39 books of the Bible.

The Catholic Bible contains seven other books and additions to some books.

The Christians have the New Testament (27 books) also in addition to the Old Testament.

The Jewish Bible consists of 39 books; and the Torah is believed to be the first five books of the Jewish Bible.

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The Christians often call these five books, the Law or the “Pentateuch”, which is the Greek word for “Five Books”.

The Torah of the Jewish Bible is practically the same as the Torah of the Christian Bible. But for Muslims, the Torah (Tawrah) was the Book revealed by God to Prophet Moses (Musa, peace be upon him).

Muslims do not believe that the present Jewish (or Christian) Torah is an exact copy of the Tawrah God revealed to Moses, peace be upon him.

One important reason is that the present Torah contains passages that are of questionable authenticity in the eyes of Muslims.

For instance, at the end of the Book of Deuteronomy (the fifth book), you see a passage that describes the death and burial of Moses. (See Deuteronomy 34:5-8).

If this were a book revealed to Moses by God, it is not likely to describe the death and burial of Moses in the past tense there.

In addition, the nature of the narration, as well as the content in several places, clearly points to human authorship or interpolations. But that is another story.

Prophecy of the Last Prophet


Back to your original question, I understand that you are asking whether there is any prophecy regarding Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the Torah. This means the first five books of the Bible.

In fact there is a clear prophecy about the coming of the Last Prophet in the fifth book of the Torah (or the Christian Pentateuch).

The verses are from Deuteronomy, Chapter 18:

“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 him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18-19)

Here Moses is addressing the Children of Israel. He quotes Jehovah as telling him of the coming of a Prophet.

The marks for recognizing the coming prophet would be as follows:

1. He would be from among the brethren of the Children of Israel.

2. He would be like Moses.

3. He would speak words and commands put in his mouth by God.

4. He would speak in God’s name.

If you examine the above details of the distinguishing traits of the foretold prophet and those of Muhammad (peace be upon him) who was born centuries after this prophecy, you will be surprised to learn of the striking similarities.

Jesus or Muhammad?


Here one may also consider the Christian argument that the above prophecy is about Jesus.

So we need to examine who is actually meant here, with reference to the details of the prophecy.

1. It is clearly mentioned that the coming prophet would be from ‘their brethren’, i.e. from the brethren of the Children of Israel.

We know that Jesus was one of the Children of Israel and so it is clear that the prophecy does not apply to him.

Whereas Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in the family of Ishmael; indeed his grandfather was Qaidar (Biblical name: Kedar), one of the twelve sons of Ishmael.

2. Of the two prophets (i.e. Jesus and Muhammad) one is mentioned to be like Moses.

In fact, it is Prophet Muhammad who is really like Moses, and not Jesus.

For instance, Jesus was born miraculously without a father; he did not marry and lead a family life; his mission was very short (three years at the most); and God raised him unto Himself when he faced the possibility of violent death at the hands of his enemies. (Christians believe that he was crucified).

And so, we find that Jesus did not have the time to realize the dream of establishing a society based on the principles he taught. Indeed, he had declared that his mission was for ‘the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ (Matthew 15:24), and not for the whole of humanity.

Prophet Muhammad’s Mission


Compare the above with the mission of Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Like Moses, he had a father and mother; he married and led a family life; his mission was long like that of Moses; he died a natural death; and he brought a Law (Shari`ah) for the establishment of a social system, like Moses.

It is also worth emphasizing that at the end of the Book of Deuteronomy, the following is clearly stated:

“And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty hand…” (Deuteronomy 34:10-12)

This makes it clear that there never was a prophet like Moses in the whole of Israel after Moses, according to the Bible.

Thus, we can clearly see that between the two, it was Muhammad from the brethren of the Children of Israel, who could be called, “a Prophet like Moses”.

3 Proofs Muhammad was the Prophet Foretold in the Bible

Dr. Shabir Ally


07 July, 2017


According to the Bible, God said to Moses (peace be upon him):

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18)

The prophet described in the above verse must have the following three characteristics:

1. He will be like Moses.


2. He will come from the brothers of the Israelites, i.e. the Ishmaelites.


3. God will put His words in the mouth of that prophet and he will declare what God commanded him.

Let us see which prophet God was speaking of.

1. The Prophet like Moses

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Some people feel that this prophecy refers to the prophet Jesus (peace be upon him). But, although Jesus was truly a prophet of God, he is not the prophet spoken of here. He was born miraculously, and, finally, God raised him up miraculously. On the other hand, Muhammad (peace be upon him) is more like Moses; both were born in a natural way and both died natural deaths.

2. From among the Ishmaelites

Abraham (peace be upon him) had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 21). Ishmael became the grandfather of the Arab nation, and Isaac became the grandfather of the Jewish nation. The prophet spoken of was to come not from among the Jews themselves, but from among their brothers, the Ishmaelites. Muhammad, a descendant of Ishmael, is indeed that prophet.

3. God will put His words in his mouth

“Neither the content of the revelation, nor its form, were of Mohammed’s devising. Both were given by the angel, and Mohammed’s task was only to repeat what he heard.” (World Religions from Ancient History to the Present, by Geoffrey Parrinder, p. 472)

God sent the angel Gabriel to teach Muhammad the exact words that he should repeat to the people. The words are therefore not his own; they did not come from his own thoughts, but were put into his mouth by the angel. These are written down in the Quran, word for word exactly as they came from God.

Now that we know that prophet we must listen to him, for, according to the Bible, God says:

“I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.” (Deuteronomy 18:19)

Muhammad: Are You That Awaited Prophet?

Jamal Badawi


08 September, 2019


Muhammad: The Prophet Like unto Moses


Long time after Abraham, God’s promise to send the long-awaited Messenger was repeated this time in Moses’ words.

In Deuteronomy 18:18, Moses spoke of the prophet to be sent by God who is:

–  From among the Israelite’s “brethren” a reference to their Ishmaelite cousins. Ishmael was the other son of Abraham who was explicitly promised to become a “great nation”.

–  A Prophet like unto Moses. There were hardly any two prophets who were so much alike as Moses and Muhammad. Both were given comprehensive law code of life. Both encountered their enemies and were victors in miraculous ways. And both were accepted as prophets/statesmen and both migrated following conspiracies to assassinate them.

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Analogies between Moses and Jesus overlooks not only the above similarities but other crucial ones as well. (e.g. the natural birth, family life and death of Moses and Muhammad but not Jesus, who was regarded by his followers as the son of God and not exclusively a messenger of God, as Moses and Muhammad were and as Muslims belief Jesus was).

The Awaited Prophet Was to Come From Arabia


Deuteronomy 33:1-2 combines references to Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. It speaks of God (i.e. God’s revelation) coming from Sinai, rising from Seir (probably the village of Sa’ir near Jerusalem) and shining forth from Paran. According to Genesis 21:21, the wilderness of Paran was the place where Ishmael settled (i.e. Arabia, specifically Makkah).

Indeed the King James version of the Bible mentions the pilgrims passing through the valley of Ba’ca (another name of Makkah) in Psalms 84:4-6.

Isaiah 42:1-13 speaks of the beloved of God. His elect and messenger who will bring down a law to be awaited in the isles and who

“shall not fail nor be discouraged till he have set judgment on earth.”

Verse 11, connects that awaited one with the descendants of Ke’dar.

Who is Ke’dar?

According to Genesis 25:13, Ke’dar was the second son of Ishmael, the ancestor of Prophet Muhammad.

Muhammad’s Migration from Makkah to Madinah: Prophesied in The Bible?


Habakkuk 3:3 speaks of God (God’s help) coming from Te’man. (This is an Oasis North of Madinah according to J. Hasting’s Dictionary of The Bible). It also mentions the holy one (coming) from Paran. That holy one who under persecution migrated from Paran (Makkah) to be received enthusiastically in Madinah was none but Prophet Muhammad.

Indeed the incident of the migration of the Prophet and his persecuted followers is vividly described in Isaiah 21:13-17. That section foretold as well about the battle of Badr. In it the few ill-armed faithful miraculously defeated the “mighty” men of Ke’dar. They  sought to destroy Islam and intimidate their own folks who turned to Islam.

The Quran Foretold in the Bible?


For twenty-three years, God’s words (The Quran) were truly put into Prophet Muhammad’s mouth. He was not the “author” of the Quran. The Quran was dictated to him by Angel Gabriel who asked Prophet Muhammad to simply repeat the words of the Quran as he heard them. These words were then committed to memory and to writing by those who hear them during Muhammad’s life time and under his supervision.

Was it a coincidence that the Prophet “like unto Moses” from the “brethren” of the Israelites (i.e. from the Ishmaelites) was also described as one in whose mouth God will put His words and that he will speak in the name of God? (Deuteronomy 18:18-20).

Was it also a coincidence the “Paraclete” that Jesus foretold to come after him was described as one who “shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak . . .”? (John 16:13)

Was it another coincidence that Isaiah ties between the messenger connected with Ke’dar and a new song (a scripture in a new language) to be sang unto the lord? (Isaiah 42:10-11)

More explicitly, prophesies Isaiah “for with stammering lips, and another tongue, will he speak to this people” (Isaiah 28:11). This latter verse correctly describes the “stammering lips” of Prophet Muhammad reflecting the state of tension and concentration he went through at the time of revelation.

Another related point is that the Quran was revealed in piece-meals over a span of twenty three years. It is interesting to compare this with Isaiah 28:10 which speaks of the same thing.

That Prophet-Paraclete-Muhammad


Muhammad: Are You That Awaited Prophet? - About IslamUp to the time of Jesus (peace be upon him), the Israelites were still awaiting for that Prophet like unto Moses prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:18. When John the Baptist came, they asked him if he was Christ and he said “no”. They asked him if he was Elias and he said “no”. Then, in apparent reference to Deuteronomy 18:18, they asked him “art thou that Prophet” and he answered: “No”. (John 1:19-21)

In the Gospel according to John (Chapters 14, 15, 16) Jesus spoke of the “Paraclete” or comforter who will come after him. He would be sent by Father as another Paraclete, who will teach new things which the contemporaries of Jesus could not bear.

While the Paraclete is described as the spirit of truth, (whose meaning resemble Muhammad’s famous title Al-Amin, the trustworthy), he is identified in one verse as the Holy Ghost (John 14:26). Such a designation is however inconsistent with the profile of that Paraclete. In the words of the Dictionary of The Bible, (Ed. J. Mackenzie)

“These items, it must be admitted, do not give an entirely coherent picture.”

Paraclete: Man or Spirit?


Indeed history tells us that many early Christians understood the Paraclete to be a man and not a spirit. This might explain the followings who responded to some who claimed, without meeting the criteria stipulated by Jesus, to be the awaited “Paraclete”.

It was Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) who as the Paraclete, comforter, helper, admonisher sent by God after Jesus. He testified of Jesus, taught new things which could not be borne at Jesus’ time. He spoke what he heard (revelation); and he dwells with the believers (through his well-preserved teachings).

Such teachings will remain forever because he was the last messenger of God. He was the only Universal Messenger to unite the whole of humanity under God and on the path of preserved truth.

He told of many things to come which “came to pass” in the minutest detail. This was meeting the criterion given by Moses to distinguish between the true Prophet and the false prophets (Deuteronomy 18:22). He did reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. (John 16:8-11)

Was the Shift of Religious Leadership Prophesied?


Following the rejection of the last Israelite Prophet, Jesus, it was about time that God’s promise to make Ishmael a great nation be fulfilled. (Genesis 21:13, 18)

In Matthew 21:19-21, Jesus spoke of the fruitless fig tree (A Biblical symbol of prophetic heritage) to be cleared after being given a last chance of three years (the duration of Jesus’ ministry) to give fruit. In a later verse in the same chapter, Jesus said:

“Therefore, say I unto you, The Kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruit thereof” (Matthew 21:43).

That nation of Ishmael’s descendants (the rejected stone in Matthew 21:42) which was victorious against all super-powers of its time as prophesied by Jesus:

“And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” (Matthew 21:44)

Out of Context Coincidence?


Is it possible that the numerous prophecies cited here are all individually and combined out of context misinterpretations?

Is the opposite true, that such infrequently studied verses fit together consistently and clearly point to the advent of the man who changed the course of human history, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?

And is it reasonable to conclude that all these prophecies, appearing in different books of The Bible and spoken by various prophets at different times were all coincidence? If this is so here is another strange “coincidence”!

One of the signs of the Prophet to come from Paran (Makkah) is that he will come with “ten thousands of saints” (Deuteronomy 33:2 KJV). That was the number of faithful who accompanied Prophet Muhammad to Paran (Makkah) in his victorious, bloodless return to his birthplace to destroy the remaining symbols of idolatry in the Ka’bah. Says God as quoted by Moses:

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:19)