Summary of 12.4 “Muhammad (P) & Abrahamic Tree IV: Moses’ Prophecy About Muhammad (P)”

Last week’s program was basically a discussion of the prophecies in the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament and we referred to two important prophecies. One is in Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 18 where God promised to raise a prophet like unto Moses from the brethren of the Israelites. We also discussed the mistaken interpretation to say that this prophecy applies to Joshua or Jesus because this does not apply to either and that the comparison between Moses and Muhammad shows a very close similarity than any other prophet, Israelites or otherwise. We discussed also some of the objections raised that why not include the children of Ketura who are also kin to the Israelites, but again we said that there is no prophet that came with a complete code of law among the children of Ketura. It was only prophet Muhammad that resembles Moses in that respect.

We also discussed a second prophecy, in chapter 33 verses 1 and 2 of the Book of Deuteronomy, where it speaks of God coming from Sinai and rising from Seir and shining forth from Paran. We indicated that this refers to three great prophets in history: Sinai in reference to Moses, Seir in reference to Jesus and is in New Jerusalem and we showed many sources that indicate that it’s a reference to Palestine. Then the third stage shining forth or completion of the message from Mount Paran. We discussed the mistaken identification of Paran forgetting that the Bible itself, in 21:21 indicates that this is the place where Hagar and Ishmael dwelt and that is known to historically be Mecca. So the same prophecy speaks of true great Israelite prophets, Moses and Jesus, and one, the greatest Ishmaelite prophet, Muhammad may peace be upon them all.

12.5    Muhammad (P) & Abrahamic Tree V: Isaiah’s Prophecies

Host: On last week’s program you had mentioned certain passages from the Torah, are there any other prophecies in the Old Testament aside from those in the Torah?

Jamal Badawi:

There are quite a few. Some can be found within the Psalms of David. Some can be found in the Book of Habakkuk and even some can be found in the Song of Solomon. Since we discussed some of these in detail in the previous series a while back, I thought I’d relay three with some additional information that I have been able to find since the series was aired initially. I’m focusing especially on chapter 11, 21 and 41 in the book of Isaiah. All of these three prophecies have one common thread that identifies the great personality that is predicted or prophesized there with the children of Ishmael whether through Tema or whether through Kedar they all refer to children of Ishmael.

Let’s start with the first one, in the book of Isaiah it says, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins” (Isaiah 11:1-5).

In the tenth verse it says, “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10). There are three basic clues in this prophecy. The first is that this person that will arise from the stem of Jesse will be amply blessed by God. The spirit of God will be upon him, He will give him wisdom, knowledge of God, understanding, fear of God, riotous, he will be faithful and trustworthy.  Secondly, another group of clues or description of the person to come is related to power, not just spiritual power but also temporal power as well. He will be a judge, he will rule in justice, he will bring justice to the poor and he will be engaged in fighting against the wicked until peace has been achieved. A third important clue is that the words coming through his mouth, his utterances will have a great impact upon humanity. Not only in one place- it says he will smite the earth with his mouth- that is more influential than fighting the wicked in the battlefield would be the impact of the words coming to him and revealed through him will have a tremendous impact on earth.

Now there are two major questions: 1) Who after Isaiah (which means after Moses, David and Solomon) fit in this prophecy best? I would say that no one other than prophet Muhammad may peace be upon him can meet those requirements. Yes there have been prophets who could be described as having all the moral descriptions: that they are good people, that God’s spirit was upon them, that they had the knowledge of God- that all applies. But how many of those great prophets as well were judges, rulers, and had tremendous impact not only in one locality but upon the entirety of humanity? All the Israelite prophets’ impact was mainly among the Israelites. Jesus was never a judge or ruler on earth. Again, who among all these prophets received a revelation so eloquent (that it was miraculous to even the most eloquent of the Arabs) and still until today still has tremendous impact among humanity? The Qur'an did. No book after the previous great revelations can come close even to the Qur'an in this particular part. So the answer this question is most definitely a reference to prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

And 2) Who is this Jesse after all because it identifies him as someone who is going to come from the stem of Jesse? The answer comes directly from The Encyclopedia Biblica edited by Thomas Kelly Cheyne. It says, “Jesse is contracted from Ishmael” because Ishmael in Hebrew is Yeshmael which means “God hears”. It is not uncustomary in Hebrew scriptures to abbreviate longer names. So when Yeshmael is abbreviated it is Yeshe and that in turn changes to Jesse. It’s similar to Yehova, which is Jehovah.

So the answer to both questions is that none but prophet Muhammad meets those requirements coming from the descendants of Ishmael and has all the characteristics. To me this is so much and obvious prophecy that anyone who tries to deny it is only trying to avoid facing the truth.

Host: I wholeheartedly agree brother. However, are there any other objections to this?

Jamal Badawi:

Yes, we must discuss objections because nothing is certain unless you consider objections, weak as they may be, but we must look at them nonetheless. The most common objection is that some people make reference to the New Testament saying that this prophecy is actually about Jesus. They say that Jesse is indeed the name of David’s father and so is in reference to Jesus peace be upon him.

I must say before making a rebuttal of this objection is that when I say it doesn’t apply to Jesus it has nothing to do with any belittling of Jesus because as indicated numerous times before that Muslims have to love, respect and honor him. We don’t need any prophecy to prove that Jesus is genuine because he is genuine according to the Muslim faith and there is no question about that. To say that this prophecy doesn’t apply to him is to say that this has been misinterpreted by giving reasons.

To start with Jesse is a very minor figure in the Old Testament and if we’re referring to someone great whose coming from the steam of another you’d mention whose famous. If that were to be a prophecy about Jesus it would have said from the stem of David because David is a more prominent figure than Jesse. In fact, when some of the New Testament writers, the Gospel, mention Jesus and his lineage, they refer to him as a descendant of David as the famous figure of the Old Testament. It doesn’t fit here that Jesse is referring to the father of David, why Jesse in particular?

Secondly, even if we took Jesse in that sense (as an ancestor of Jesus) since there is a reference in the Bible stating that David’s father is Jess, we must realize that Jesse had many children, boys and girls, and one of his daughters was married to an Ishmaelite. This is mentioned in the first book of the Chronicles in chapters 10-12. Even in that sense we could say that prophet Muhammad could have descended from Jesse the father of David. This can’t be proved conclusively but it can’t be dismissed either.

What is more important than these two points, really, is that the profile of the person does not apply to Jesus peace be upon him. Jesus did not sit as a judge ruling over people’s disputes and legal aspects. He did not rule and was not a statesman like prophet Muhammad was. He was not a person who participated in the battlefield against the wicked because the verse does say that he will slay or kill the wicked. There was nothing that was conducive or appropriate for the followers of Jesus to resist the overwhelming power of the Roman Empire at the time let alone the opposition of the Israelites.

Above all, as we indicated before from a non-Muslim source, the Encyclopedia Biblica, Jesse is an abbreviation of Ishmael. The only place this prophecy applies is again only with one person after Isaiah, prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

Host: You mention earlier that there were two other prophecies referring to Kedar, the son of Ishmael, could you elaborate on these prophecies?

Jamal Badawi:

In the book of Isaiah it says, “The burden” (a different translations says oracle instead of burden) upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling 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 fail: 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).

If we analyze the main elements involved in this prophecy, especially when considering both translations the King James and the Revised Standard versions, it uses the term oracle or burden or divine utterance, revelation, concerning Arabia. The first point is that Arabia has something to do with this prophecy. Secondly, it speaks about the people who inhabit the land of Tema welcoming those who came to them as refugees after those refugees have been persecuted. So there is persecution and there are refugees. Thirdly, it says quite clearly that within a short period of time those apparent persecutors from the children of Kedar will be diminished- their numbers will be reduced, as it appears in verses 16 and 17. There are three basic questions here; 1) where is the land that Tema inhabited, 2) who are those people that are connected with Kedar, and 3) how was this prophecy achieved or come to pass?

First of all, Tema is a land that was inhabited by the offspring of a man named Tema. According to the Bible, Tema was one of the children of Ishmael as shown in Genesis 25: 15. Ishmael is who inhabited Arabia. Some historians actually say that there was a city called Tema and, at one time, it was the largest city or town in the northern part of Saudi Arabia. It was possibly about 335kilometers northeast of what is now known as Medina. But in the middle of the 6^th century before Christ, the last of the kings of Babylon attacked the city and killed most of the inhabitants and so many of them escaped south, which is in the direction of Medina in the Arabian Peninsula. This is confirmed, not only from neutral sources but even in Biblical sources, like Biblical scholars like John Mckensly, and his Dictionary of the Bible says that Tema was actually an oasis north of what is now Medina. There is a region in Saudi Arabia which is called Teyma, or Tema.  So now we know where Tema is at and it’s location of the northern part of Saudi Arabia or in the vicinity of Medina.

Now to the second question, who are those children of Kedar that are referred to here? The Bible also answers this question. In Genesis, Kedar is given as the name of the second son of Ishmael (Genesis 25: 13).

The third question, was this prophecy already achieved? Did it come to pass? The answer is definitely yes and only through prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. There are at least four reasons for that.

1) Prophet Muhammad was raised in Arabia about which this prophecy speaks when it says about the burden, the new revelation or oracle upon Arabia. This can be found in the book of Isaiah in chapter 21 verse 13.

2) It is well known, historically, that prophet Muhammad and his companions were severely persecuted and abused because of their faith by their own relatives, their fellow Arabs that were also the children of Kedar the son of Ishmael. We find, for example, a reference of the persecution in verse 15.

3) It is well known, historically, also that because of that persecution the prophet and his companions were actually forced to seek refuge in Medina, which is the land of the children of Tema. It is known that these refugees were received very warmly and were supported by the people of the land of Tema who shared everything with them and defended them. The reference to these incidents is in verse 14.

4) It is known that in the second year of the migration, or hijra, to Medina, the pagans of Mecca came with a powerful army and tried to suppress the Muslims and finish them off. The army of the non-believers, who are also of the children of Kedar, outnumbered the Muslims more than 3 to 1 in addition to being far better equipped than the Muslims. The famous battle known as the battle of Badr took place where many of the chief persecutors, torturers and killers of Muslims were killed. Seventy of them, the children of Kedar, were killed and seventy others were taken as prisoners of war. This all fits nicely with the end of the glory of Kedar, at least the pagan Kedar, before Islam won over the peninsula and as is seen in verses 16 and 17 in Isaiah chapter 21.

To my knowledge, this particular prophecy is one of the most amazing prophecies in the Bible about the coming of prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. On one hand it speaks about his lineage of himself and the people who migrated connecting them to either Kedar or Tema and both are children of Ishmael. It also refers to Mecca and Medina where the prophet migrated. Secondly, it specifies Arabia as the place where these events were to take place and that’s what happened exactly. Thirdly, it even gives the exact events within a reasonable time frame (The battle of Badr) and the victory over the children of Kedar.

I don’t know of any other event in history after prophet Isaiah where all of these particular details were fulfilled to the letter but in the case of prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

Host: As we asked concerning the prior prophecies, what objections have arisen in regards to this prophecy?

Jamal Badawi:

Honestly speaking I have never seen an objection to this prophecy in particular. There have been lots of literature to say that Muslims are forcing the interpretations of the Bible and so on. On this particular prophecy, at least in my humble knowledge, I’ve never seen an objection to it. Quite frankly, I very much doubt that anyone can come up with any viable rejection of this. In other prophecies, there is always the question of it being able to apply to Jesus. But with this one it talks about Arabia, the children of Kedar, the children of Tema, and of places and events specific to those. To my knowledge, I haven’t seen any objection to this particular prophecy.

Host: How about the third prophecy in Isaiah? What does it say?

Jamal Badawi:

This one is also most amazing and again there is no way of saying that it doesn’t apply to the prophet Muhammad because it also connects, like the two others, with the children of Ishmael through his son Kedar.

The Bible says, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I 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. I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.”(Isaiah 42: 1-15)

The main points of this prophecy is to praise one great person called the servant of God upon whom the spirit of God will be. This person will bring forth justice to the nations and he will not fail or be discouraged until he achieves justice on earth. He is a person who is decent and loves knowledge and does not extinguish civilization on knowledge (as seen in verses 2 and 3). He will give light to the nations and bring people from darkness to light (verses 6 and 7). He will be given a code of law and his religion will spread in the farthest coastlands. He will be the last prophet if we were to interpret the term ‘my glory will I not give to another’ (verse 8), which means this will be the last prophet to whom God’s glory through revelation will be given.  With his coming, there will be a new style of praising God, i.e. sing a new song unto the Lord. There will be a new way of praising God from all the ends of the earth as we find in verse 10. The villages, which is inhabited by the children of Kedar, the son of Ishmael, will feel happy because of his coming and praise God and also the inhabitants of Sela. One of the ways of praising God will be shouting from the top of a mountain (verses 11 and 12). Finally, this prophet will have victory over his enemies as can be seen in verses 13-15.

Furthermore, in Isaiah chapter 42 verse 24 and 25, “Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.” It exhorts people who give up the teachings of Jacob in favor of the opinions of other people, that is to return the people to the true faith that was revealed to through all the prophets.

These are just brief overview of the main elements in these verses.