Who is az-Zabeh (the Slaughtered Man)? and where is the Blessed Land

The Totah2 narrates the story when Allah (SWT)3 ordered Prophet Ibrahim (AS)4 (Abraham) to sacrifice his only son Isma’il (AS) (Ishmael). However, the Old Testament mentions that this was his son Ishaq (AS) (Isaac) not Isma’il (AS) (Ishmael) in a desire to favour Ishaq (AS) over Isma’il (AS). This change in names entailed other changes in place and time as well. The Totah tells us “some time later God tested Abraham. …”

 God said," oh, Abraham" Abraham replied, "here I am." And God said, “take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah5 . Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about. …” Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. … When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son, but the angel of the Lord called out to him … Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son. Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place "the Lord Will Provide." and to this day it is said, "on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided". (Genesis 22 : 1-14) 

The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22: 1-18)6 

The argument against that Az-Zabeh was Ishaq (AS) is that Ibrahim (AS) was promised benediction and offspring from him before his birth and that his offspring would be as numerous as stars. (Genesis 17:16-21) therefore, being ordered to sacrifice him would not have been such an affliction because he knew there would be a blessed offspring from that son. This is exactly what Prophet Isa (AS) (Jesus) mentioned in the Bible of Barnabas:


“The disciples said: “O Master, it is written in the book of Moses, that the promise was made in Isaac.” Jesus answered with a groan: “it is so written, but Moses did not write it, nor Joshua, but rather our rabbins, who do not fear God! Truly I say to you, that if you consider the words of the Angel Gabriel, you shall discover the malice of our scribes and doctors. For the Angel said: “Abraham, all the world shall know how God loves you; but how shall the world know the love that you bear to God? Assuredly it is necessary that you do something for love of God.” Abraham answered: “behold the servant of God, ready to do all that which God shall will.” Then spoke God, saying to Abraham: “take your son, your firstborn Ishmael, and come up the mountain to sacrifice him.” How is Isaac firstborn, if when Isaac was born Ishmael was seven years old?”” (Barnabas 44:1-11)


It is also mentioned in the current Totah that Ishmael is fourteen years older than Ishaq. “Abraham was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.” (Genesis 16:16) and “Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.” (Genesis 21:5) lies cannot be maintained for long.

 

All this information surely indicates that Az-Zabeh was Isma’il (AS)8 , that Allah’s mountain was in the land where he lived and that benediction in his offspring was kept after Ibrahim obeyed Allah’s orders. However, the people of the scriptures misstated the name of Az-Zabeh and also the name of the blessed location at which the story took place. The Sumerian Totah calls it “the Guided Land”, while The Hebraic Totah calls it “Moriah”9 and it could be a misstatement of the word "Al Maroua"; a name of a mountain located inside Al Masjed al Haram (the Holy Mosque) in Makkah today, in the place where Isma’il grew up. Both texts call this place “God’s mountain”. Because this term did not refer to a certain location at that time, Jews differed dramatically in locating it. The Sumerians say it is Gerizim10 while Hebrews’ urge it was Jerusalem Mountain on which the temple was built centuries later.

The fact is that the whole story took place at the guided land that was the land of worship, that is, Makkah or Faran. Their disagreement proves this proposition, and their agreement about naming the place "God's mountain" is true, but they differed in locating it. They also connected it with names that emerged many centuries after the incident. They ignored that the same location contained the house of Allah and that mountain was called the mountain of Allah. This difference was among the most important ones between the Sumerians and the Hebrews, and it continued until the days of Isa (AS). One day a Sumerian woman came to him to ask about the actual place prepared for worshipping. Isa (AS) told her this mountain was neither Gerizim nor Ebal 11 . 

“The woman saith unto him, sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father Seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4: 19-24)

Then, who are the true worshippers who have a different qiblah12 from these of Sumerians and Hebrews?! They are the Muslims who would come later and visit Makkah in millions each year. Isa’s (AS) expression “the hour comes, and now is ”indicates the approach not the presence of the said time. This is the same way he uses the word “now” in Matthew: “Jesus said to him, ‘you have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the son of man seated at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’” (Matta 26:64) those whom he was addressing died long before they could see him coming on any cloud.


Another example is when he says, “verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of man.” (John 1:51)


Micah, the prophet, told about Makkah, the sacred house and millions of hajjs13 at Mount Arafat14 : “in the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, come, let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord.” (Micah 4:1-2)

 

Isaiah, the prophet, referred to Makkah as “the barren” in another text and talked about the crowds that would come to it: “sing, o barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labour; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your maker is your husband— the Lord almighty is his name— the holy one of Israel is your redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected, says your God. For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you, says the Lord your redeemer. To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones. All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children's peace. In righteousness you will be established: tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you. If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you. See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me, declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:1-17)

In the above text, there is a comparison between Makkah and Jerusalem. Makkah is described as “barren” because it had not had any prophet before Muhammad (SAAW). This cannot be a description of Jerusalem, the house of many prophets. As for the expression “because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband” it means that its visitors shall be more than those of Jerusalem. “Children of the desolate woman” are Isma’il’s offspring.

Psalms speak about the city of Jesus where the house of Allah lies and where good deeds proliferate. It calls it “Baca”: “blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, o God of Jacob. look upon our shield, O God; look with favour on your anointed one. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” (Psalms 84: 4-10) the unique name “Baca” is the old name of Makkah as used in the holy Qur’an where Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as “surely the first home laid down for mankind was indeed at Bakkah, (another name of Makkah) a blessed (place) and a guidance to the worlds.” (tmq15 3: 96)

 

In the above story there are many tidings of the coming of Prophet Muhammad (SAAW)7 . We can easily discern that the above text has been tampered with. The effects of distortion and racism are evident in an attempt to blot out all the said tidings through the insertion of Ishaq’s name who was not at any time the only son of Ibrahim (AS). Az-Zabeh is described thrice as ‘only son’. it is historically proven that Isma’il, and not Ishaq, was the first son and the only son of Ibrahim for fourteen years and that his primogeniture was well-established even if he was the son of Hajar, Sarah’s maid who became later his wife. The mother’s status was not to affect her son’s primogeniture or status. Totah itself mentions that:

 


“If a man has two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: but he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.” (Deuteronomy 21: 15-17) 

Prophet Muhammad in Isaiah’s Prophecies

The book of Isaiah 2 , except for some minor narrations of events, is a collection of prophecies that are interpreted by Jews and christians as being related to the advent of Isa (AS)3 (Jesus), especially with the following prophecy: “therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.” (Isaiah 7:14-15) 4 

Those Jews who believed in Isa (AS) based their belief on the fact that Isaiah prophesied his coming in his book while those who rejected him based their rejection on the fact that Elijah, a sign for such an advent, had not appeared. the latter group did not believe Isa ((AS)) when he told them that Elijah was Yahya ((AS)) (John the baptist). In the gospel of Luke it is written: “the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the Prophet, saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the lord, make his paths straight.” (3: 2-4)

Apart from the above-unsettled dispute so far, in the following paragraphs we deal with other prophecies in the book of Isaiah, those being, the prophecies related to Prophet Muhammad ((SAAW))

 

First Prophecy 

“For thus hath the Lord said unto me, go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth. And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed: and he cried, a lion: my Lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and i am set in my ward whole nights: and, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her Gods he hath broken unto the ground.” (Isaiah 21:6-9 ) 

The above text includes two prophecies of the coming of two prophets , one of whom enters his city riding an ass and the other entering his city riding a camel. Isa (AS) entered Jerusalem on an ass: “and when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to bethphage, unto the mount of olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. and if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet, saying, tell ye the daughter of Sion, behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” (Matthew 21:1-5) 

The prophet is Muhammad  (SAAW) who entered Makkah on his she-camel called Al-Qaswaa. according to his call , idols worshiped with Allah 5 (SWT) 6 were destroyed .  

 

Second Prophecy 

“The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, o ye traveling companies of dedanim. the inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall and the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 21:13-17) 

The above text is a prophecy of Prophet Muhammad's ((SAAW)) hijrah 7 to Al-Madinah. Those dedanims mentioned in the above text are the descendants of dadan who was a great grandfather of Quraysh 8 . the forest in Arabia is the road between Makkah and Al-Madinah. The order given to the people of Al-Madinah in the prophecy is to meet the immigrants from Makkah with water and food and to treat them well, which was really accomplished between Al-Muhajireen 9 and Al-Ansar 10 .   

In his prophecy, Isaiah described Al-Muhajireen as people who fled their homeland to protect their religion and souls against the injustice of their enemies. It also promised that they would prevail at the end and that their enemies shall perish. The sons of Kedar are not other than Quraysh who descended from Kedar Bin 11 Banayut bin Isma’il (AS) (Ishmael). The above prophecy indicates the reduction in the number of the unbelievers’ cavalry after one or more years from hijrah represented by the years of an hireling who feels the length of time because of the hardships he encounters. This reduction was really materialized when many of the unbelievers of Makkah embraced Islam and joined the Prophet  (SAAW)  in Al-Madinah. As to the expression the Lord God of Israel it can be explained based on the fact that at the time of this prophesy , the religion of Musa (AS) (Moses) was the only religion , while the unbelievers used to worship beelzebub and idols .

 

Third Prophecy 

The Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will ”keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.  I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will i not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do i declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands. The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies . . . they shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, ye are our Gods.” (Isaiah 42:6-17) 

This is a double prophecy. One was to be achieved earlier (6-8), that is, the prophecy of Isa (AS) whom Allah (SWT) calls the righteous and gives him the covenant for his people. his call would be the light for the blind nations, which may be interpreted as sending the disciples before he was lifted 12   to heaven to preach: “and he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) 

After that Isaiah clearly indicates that this would come to happen earlier “behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do i declare:” this new prophecy is “a new song” from the land of Kedar. Kedar is the son of Banayut Bin Isma’il (AS). His land is Makkah and the new song is the sound of azan . 13 

In light of all this, it is clear that this second prophecy is related to Prophet Muhammad ( (SAAW) ). this is further asserted with the sentences “let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. let them give glory unto the lord , ” which refer clearly to the sound of talbiyah 14 from the top of mount Arafat . isn’t it clear that these are the Muslims and their Prophet ((SAAW)) who would prevail over their enemies : “he shall prevail against his enemies”?  

 

Fourth Prophecy 

“Sing, o barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the lord. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. for thy maker is thine husband; the lord of hosts is his name; and thy redeemer the holy one of Israel ; the God of the whole earth shall he be called . . . O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. and all thy children shall be taught of the lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:1-17 ( 

It is well known that prophets use symbols and parables in their prophecies. In light of this , in addition to the knowledge of history, we can say the following:

The barren mentioned in the prophecy that did not give birth before is Makkah. It is thus described because it did not have a prophet from the time of Isma’il (AS) who came to it with his mother Hajar (RA) 15 after her husband Prophet Ibrahim (AS) (Abraham) left them alone in the desert upon the order of Allah (SWT). The offspring of Isma’il (AS) are the Adnans, the sons of the desolate woman who would be, according to the prophecy, more than those of the married woman, that is, Sarah (RA) with whom Ibrahim (AS) remained and who is the grandmother of the Israelites. The description of Makkah as being ‘barren’ should be understood in the context of comparing its scarcity of prophets with the plethora of prophets who came from Jerusalem. The prophecy said that Makkah would reach right and left, that is, the new religion would prevail East and West .     

“Thy maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name” means that the creator of Makkah is Allah (SWT) whom the Jews used to call “Lord of hosts” in order to distinguish him from the other people's Gods. “the God of the whole earth shall he be called” means that the new call shall not be limited to one nation; rather, it would be for all people. Islam, unlike Judaism, is really for the entire world.

The prophecy refers to Ka'ba, its rebuilding, and the coming of the believers to it in crowds. Believers are described as the sons of Allah (SWT). This is really the case of Hajjis 16 . The prophecy also indicates that no enemy shall conquer Makkah. Remember Abraha the Abyssinian who tried to destroy Ka'ba but Allah (swt) destroyed him and his army . 

 

Fifth Prophecy  

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and darkness engross the people: but the lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and i will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the lord thy God, and to the holy one of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.” (Isaiah 60:1-9)

A description of Makkah and Ka’ba at the time of hajj 17 cannot be more exact than the above description mentioned by Isaiah in 701 b.c. it is a description that fits Makkah since creation and until the Day of Judgment. It is the site that emanates light through the surrounding darkness and all people there are equal in praising Allah (swt ). 

Isaiah describes the condition of hajjis: people who come from far places. They are the sons and Makkah is the mother (remember they were described previously as the sons of Allah). Makkah would be happy with the coming of these crowds with their monies and goods; it is a consummation of worldly benefits as well as heavenly ones: “all they from sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the lord. ”In the noble Qur’an Allah (AWT) says what can be translated as , “and announce to mankind the pilgrimage; they shall come up (hurriedly) to you on foot and upon every slender (conveyance); they shall definitely come up from every deep ravine. That they may witness (things) profitable to them and mention the name of Allah on days well-known over such brute cattle as he has provided them. So eat thereof, and feed the miserable poor.” (tmq   18 ) 22: 27 -28 ( 

The description of Isaiah is further asserted by mentioning the bringing of the sheep of Kedar that are sacrifices at the altar of Allah (SWT). It is a clear description of the sacrifices submitted by the hajjis . 

The prophecy sets the scene as being the land of the sons of Kedar in Arabia. The description reaches the most exact point in describing how the hajjs would come to Makkah from around the world to perform hajj. It even mentions that some of them would come flying: “who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?” Even before planes were invented while others would come by land or sea . 

 

Prophet Muhammad ((SAAW)) in Habakkuk’s Prophecies  

"God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.(Habakkuk 3:3)    

This prophecy indicates the descent of Tawrah on Musa (AS) in the Land of Teman , that is, Sinai. It refers to the descent of the Noble Qur’an in Land of Paran, that is, Makkah. At that time light would spread all over the world and glory and praise of Allah (swt) would prevail forever. 

Read about the problematic issues regarding the history of the Bible, the tampering with the so-called sacred texts, the dumping of many gospels just because they asserted that Isa (AS) was just a prophet and he was never the actual son of Allah (SWT), etc.. Then, try to think carefully and logically in order to choose the right path and to be sure that Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, is the last Prophet and the true successor of Isa (AS).

Jesus' Omen about the Paraclete

The greatest prophecy of the final Prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him) in the New Testament is Jesus' prophecy about the paraclete. The book of John mentions this prophecy, where he says to his followers: “if you love me, you will obey what I command, and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever — the spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. but you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you . . . If anyone loves me, he will obey my teachings. The Father will love him, and will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teachings. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. All this I have spoken while still with you. But the counselor, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you . . . I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me-“ John 14, 15-30 

In the next chapter, Jesus asks his followers to sustain his commandments, and then says: “when the counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. and you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning” John 15, 26 

“All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God . . . because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear. But when he, the spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” John 16, 1-14

In these lines, Jesus spoke of the characteristics of his successor. Who is that successor? 

 

 Christians and “The Paraclete”:

Based on the following verse, Christians say the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost: ” when the day of Pentecost came; they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the spirit enabled them.” Acts 2, 1-4 

The New Testament’s chapters speak no more about what happened on the day of Pentecost regarding the raising of the Christ. Father Athnasios in his interpretation of John’s Bible states “Paraclete is the Holy Spirit, the counselor. 'But the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name' (John 14, 26) is the one who descended upon them on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2, 1-4) so they filled with him and went to spread the word, and he is with the church and within the believers. He is a gift with faith and baptism.”

 

Muslims and “ the Paraclete”:

Muslims believe that what John mentioned about the counselor is a foreseeing of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, because of many indications, one of which is the word “counselor” which is a new replacement of the new translations of the New Testament, where the old arabic translations (1820, 1831, 1844 ad) used the Latin word “Paraclete” as it is. The same is done with many international translations. 

In explanation to the term “Paraclete”, it is a Latin originated word, derived either from the word paraclytos, which means counselor, or helper, or the word peroclotos which is near the meaning of Muhammad and Ahmad (to be thanked). 

Father Ahnasios, bishop of Bani-Sowaif, in his interpretation of the book of John states “the term Paraclete if manipulated can be pronounced perclyte which means “praise”, a meaning close to the meaning of Ahmad” 

Mr. Abdul-Wahab Al-naggar asks Dr. Carlo Nilno (Phd of ancient Jewish Greek literature) about the meaning of the term “Perclotos”, who replies “it means the one with lots of praise” 

Meanwhile, what confirms the incorrectness of this translation is that the Greeks were accustomed to add the letter “s” at the end of names not adjectives.

Mr. Abdul-Ahad Dawod thinks that the church’s interpretation of the term “Paraclete” (as a person whom is called to help, an intercessor, an attorney, or a mediator) is incorrect and that the Greek word “Paraclete” has none of these meanings since “counselor” means “paraclov” or “paregoris” in Greek, whereas an “attorney” is an Arabic translation of the term “sangers”. “Intercessor” and “mediator” are “meditia,”. Therefore, the church’s refrain from the giving meaning “praise” to any, the word is some kind a misinterpretation or alteration.

Dr. Simpson (author of “the Holy Spirit, or a Higher Force”) states that “counselor” is not a precise translation. 

All the above shows that there is a conflict between Muslims and Christians as to the Latin origin of the term “Paraclete”, as Muslims believe that its origin is the term “Perclotos”, and that Christians have misinterpreted it in order to conceal its indication of the meaning of the name “Ahmad” (the one with lots of praise). Such misinterpretation is not strange or awkward for their books.  For example, “parpas” in the Protestant version is “parpa” in the catholic version. The same with “Mesaia – Mashih” and “Shelon – Sheloh” and so on. “Paraclete” is translated from Syriac, native language of the Christ. Therefor similar alteration might have occurred.

To clear the distortion from this point, Edwin Jones in his book (The Beginning of Christianity) admits that “Paraclete” is a sign of Mohammad (may Allah exalt his mention), but then covers his confession with a lame lie by saying that Christians — influenced by emerging Islam and Islamic culture — have inserted this term to John’s Bible.

 

The Paraclete is a Human Prophet not a Holy Spirit:

It makes no difference whether the meaning of Paraclete is “Ahmad” or “ counselor”, since, in the book of John, Jesus stipulated some characteristics that negate the meaning of “Holy Spirit”, and confirm that the Paraclete was a human being sent by Allah. It is very clear through deep analysis of John’s texts about “Paraclete”.

John used some verbal senses (talking, hearing, etc): “he will speak only what he hears”. those characteristics do not apply to the “tongues of fire” that came to them on the day of pentecost, since John never mentioned that the “tongues of fire” spoke that day. besides, what the spirit does is heart inspiration while talking is a human characteristic not spiritual.

Early Christians believed that john was talking about a human being, that in the second century (187 a.d.) a “montenos” claimed to be the paraclete. the same during the fourth century a.d. with “many”, who chose twelve students (like Jesus) in addition to seventy bishops whom he sent to the eastern countries, in a clear indication that they didn ’ t believe that the third hypostasis (Holy Spirit) is the Paraclete. 

Another characteristic is that this messenger comes after Jesus departs from earth, since Jsus and the counselor messenger would never be together on earth, confirming once more that the counselor is not the Holy Spirit who supported Jesus during his life. “unless i go away, the counselor will not come to you” 

The Holy Spirit existed before Jesus, and was in the students before Jesus left, since it witnessed the creation of heaven and earth (Genesis 1/2). it even played some role in the birth of Jesus, since Jesus' mother “ was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1/18). 

They gathered also on the day Jesus was baptized “and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove” (Luke 3/22). so, the Holy Spirit was with Jesus and even before. therefore, the counselor —“ unless i go away, the counselor will not come to you” — is not the Holy Spirit.

Another indication that the paraclete is human is that he is the same as Jesus, who was human: “I ask the Father to give you another counselor ”. In the Greek text the word “allon” is used, which is used to indicate “another of the same kind” while the word “hetenos” is used when referring to “another of another kind”. In this sense, it would be fair to assume that the meaning is “another prophet ” since we can not presume the meaning “another Holy Spirit”, for there is only mention of one Holy Spirit.

Because Jews and followers of Jesus will not believe the forthcoming prophet, Jesus stresses that they must believe in the forthcoming prophet and follow him. “if you love me, you will obey what I command”, “I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe” , and confirms his honesty by saying “ he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come”. All these commandments have no meaning if the forthcoming is the Holy Spirit, who descended in the form of “tongues of fire” with the effect of them knowing many languages. Such an entity needs no one to prove its honesty. 

According to christians, the Holy Spirit is equal to the father in divinity. Therefore, he can speak for himself, while the forthcoming spirit of truth “will speak only what he hears”.

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear. But when he, the spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.”(John 16/12-13) this text indicates that the Paraclete will be coming in a later time, since he will tell them things they can’t understand, for humanity is still immature to understand this complete religion that includes different aspects of life. as well, it is impossible for the students to have matured within ten days from Jesus ’ ascending to heaven. No mention of such maturity was ever found in the testaments. Moreover, Christians mention that after the Holy Spirit descended, they abandoned many of their laws and commandments, which was easier than having more commandments than what they bared at Jesus' time. Contrariwise, the Paraclete will bring more burdens to all weak, oppressed subjects, as Allah said in surat Al-Muzzamel, verse 5, “verily, we shall send down to you a weighty word (i.e. obligations, legal laws, etc).” 

Jesus foretold that before the coming of the Paraclete, “they will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to god,” and that was exactly what happened after the day of pentecost, oppression of all followers of Jesus continued until there were almost no believers by the time Islam emerged. 

John mentioned that Jesus told his students about characteristics of the Paraclete which never applied to the Holy Spirit that came upon the students on the day of Pentecost.  He reported Jesus as saying, “he will testify about me. And you also must testify”, so, where is the Holy Spirit’s testimony about Jesus? and what was it about?

Whereas, Muhammad (may Allah exalt his mention) testified about Jesus ’ innocence of claiming divinity, and also about his mother’s innocence of what Jews accused her with: “and because of their (Jews') disbelief and uttering against Maryam (Mary) a grave false charge “ (w:st="on" surat An-Nisaa, verse156) 

“ He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you” and no one has praised Jesus like Muhammad (may Allah exalt his mention) did when he glorified him and stipulated his honor above all creatures. Non of the New Testament's chapters mentioned anything about the Holy Spirit praising Jesus on the day of pentecost when he descended in the form of tongues of fire.

Jesus said that the Paracelet will stay forever (his religion or commandments) while all the powers given to the students on the day of pentecost — if true — vanished with their deaths and never transferred to any of the church men. Whereas, our Prophet Muhammad (may Allah exalt his mention) stays forever with his message and religion, and that there will be no prophet or message after him.

And Jesus also mentioned that the Paraclete “. . . will remind you of everything I have said to you.”Such a reminder is not needed after ten days from Jesus’ ascension. The New Testament never mentioned that the Holy Spirit reminded them with anything. On the contrary, we find in lots of their texts and messages many indications of prescription and forgetting some of the details mentioned by others. Whereas Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned everything humanity may have forgotten of Allah’s commands that ever descended upon his prophets, including Jesus (peace upon him). 

The Paraclete has many tasks never achieved by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost: “ when he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” The Holy Spirit never convicted anyone on the day of Pentecost, that’s what Mohammad, peace be upon him, has done regarding disbelievers and those rebellious to Allah. 

Mr. Abdul-Ahad Dawood thinks that Jesus has interpreted “ reproving the world in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer. ”In other words, that he will reprove those saying that Jesus was crucified, denying his surviving his enemies' terror. Then he told them that they will ask for him and will not find him, for he will ascend to heaven: “my children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now; where I am going, you cannot come.” (John 13/33). The forthcoming prophet will also reprove the devil and convict it with his inspiration and guidance: “and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”

Convicting and reproving don’t go along with consolation; it was said that the counselor has come to the students to console them on the loss of their master and prophet. Consolation is due in crises, and Jesus was announcing his going and the coming of the successor.

Consolation is also due on time of crises, not 10 days after (the time of Holy Spirit’s descending upon the students), and why didn’t this counselor offer condolences to Jesus's mother in the first place? 

 Considering all the above, the Paraclete can never be the Holy Spirit. Since all the characteristics of the pPraclete tell of a prophet that will come after Jesus, the same Prophet Moses once told of.  Jesus mentioned about the Paraclete that “he will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears,” and Moses said the same, “I will put my words in his mouth, and will tell them everything I command” (Deuteronomy 18/18).  This is a description of Muhammad (may Allah exalt his mention)  as Allah said in surat An-Najm, verses 3-5, “ nor does he speak of (his own) desire (3) it is only an inspiration that is inspired (4) he has been taught (this qur'ân) by one mighty in power (Gabriel)(5).”

Furthermore, everything mentioned about the Paraclete is also indicated in Al-Qur'aan and As-Sunnah, strongly pointing out Muhammad (may Allah exalt his mention) as the one. He was the one testifying about Jesus, he was the one who knew the unknown, and he was the last Prophet. Allah established his religion as the true religion till judgment day.