Prophecies About Prophet Muhammad ﷺ In The Old Testament

(Cite: Khan, Dr. (Mufti) Imran & Hamdani, Mufti Shah Rafi Uddin. (2018), Prophecies About Prophet Muhammad In The Old Testament, Encyclopedia of Muhammad , Seerat Research Center, Karachi, Pakistan, Vol. 1, Pg. 416-430.)

Now the prophecies about Prophet Muhammad will be presented in detail that are mentioned in the Old Testament to make it clear that all Major Prophets had mentioned his personality in their preaching and God has discussed him in all the Holy Scriptures.

A Prophet like Moses from among the brethren of the Israelites

Regarding this subject, the Bible states:

يُقِيمُ لَكَ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُكَ نَبِيًّا مِنْ وَسَطِكَ مِنْ إِخْوَتِكَ مِثْلِي. لَهُ تَسْمَعُونَ. حَسَبَ كُلِّ مَا طَلَبْتَ مِنَ ٱلرَّبِّ إِلَهِكَ فِي حُورِيبَ يَوْمَ ٱلِٱجْتِمَاعِ قَائِلًا: لَا أَعُودُ أَسْمَعُ صَوْتَ ٱلرَّبِّ إِلَهِي وَلَا أَرَى هَذِهِ ٱلنَّارَ ٱلْعَظِيمَةَ أَيْضًا لِئَلَّا أَمُوتَ. قَالَ لِيَ ٱلرَّبُّ: قَدْ أَحْسَنُوا فِي مَا تَكَلَّمُوا. أُقِيمُ لَهُمْ نَبِيًّا مِنْ وَسَطِ إِخْوَتِهِمْ مِثْلَكَ، وَأَجْعَلُ كَلَامِي فِي فَمِهِ، فَيُكَلِّمُهُمْ بِكُلِّ مَا أُوصِيهِ بِهِ. وَيَكُونُ أَنَّ ٱلْإِنْسَانَ ٱلَّذِي لَا يَسْمَعُ لِكَلَامِي ٱلَّذِي يَتَكَلَّمُ بِهِ بِٱسْمِي أَنَا أُطَالِبُهُ. ¹

Instead, he will send you a prophet like me from among your own people, and you are to obey him. On the day that you were gathered at Mount Sinai, you begged not to hear the Lord speak again or to see his fiery presence anymore, because you were afraid you would die. So the Lord said to me, ‘They have made a wise request. I will send them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will tell him what to say, and he will tell the people everything I command. He will speak in my name, and I will punish anyone who refuses to obey him.

It is evident from these verses that “from among your people" refers a prophet who will come from the lineage of Ishmael , since Ishmael is the brother of Isaac , who is the forefather of Moses' people, the Children of Israel. The only prophet who came from the lineage of Ishmael after Moses , and resembled him in many ways, for example, in the bringing of a new law and fighting with his foes, is Prophet Muhammad . The Holy Quran points to the same fact:

إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ رَسُولًا شَاهِدًا عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ رَسُولًا 15²

We have indeed sent a Noble Messenger towards you, a present witness over you – the way We had sent a Noble Messenger towards Firaun.

The prophecy foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy 'a prophet like me' and the verse mentioned in the Holy Quran have a similar message which can only be applicable on Prophet Muhammad due to the following reasons:

1. The vicegerent of Moses was Joshua (a non-relative) even though the children of Moses as were present. Secondly, it was during Joshua's rule that the Children of Israel captured Jerusalem and Syria. Likewise, the vicegerent of Muhammad was Abu Bakr (a non-relative) even though the close relatives of Muhammad were present, and it was during Abu Bakr's rule that Islam conquered the non-Arab lands.
2. Moreover, Muhammad was handed a Shariah (religious law) and Moses was also handed a Shariah which had a lot of similarities whereas Jesus as was a follower of the law brought by Moses . Jesus himself admitted that he was not sent to change the laws of Torah.
3. Another resemblance between Muhammad and Moses is is that both fought against the tyranny of injustice, polytheism and other evils during their times whereas Jesus didn't. Additionally, even though Muhammad and Moses conducted Jihad (fought against the evils of the world) both died a natural death whereas Jesus as was crucified by the Jews (as per the Christian beliefs).

After such clear differences between Jesus and Moses , and such similarities between Moses and Muhammad , it is incomprehensible that why do the Christian scholars try so hard to prove that the prophecy holds true for Jesus .³

The Deuteronomy quoted above includes a sentence, "I will tell him what to say, and he will tell the people everything I command". It signifies that the promised Prophet will be unlettered and speak whatever is revealed to him. God restates the same fact in the Holy Quran:

وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى 3 إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى 4⁴

And he does not say anything by his own desire. It is but a divine revelation, which is revealed to him.

This verse states that the Holy Prophet preached what was sent down to him by God. He did not intend to become a prophet on his own desire so that he might have laid a claim to prophethood in order to satisfy his desire, but when Allah asked him to spread His message, then only he rose to preach His mission and to tell the people that he is God's Messenger to them. Likewise, this invitation to Islam, this teaching of the doctrine of monotheism, this news about the gathering together of all mankind on the Day of Resurrection and their accountability, the truths that he is presenting about the universe and man and the principles of leading a pure life, are not a philosophy propounded by himself, but the knowledge of all this has been bestowed on him by revelation. Likewise, this Quran that he recites before the people is also not of his own composition but it is divine word which is sent down to him by revelation. 68 Hence the part 'I will tell him what to say, and he will tell the people everything I command' also holds true for the Holy Prophet .

Also, the Holy Quran relates that a company of the jinn listened to Prophet Muhammad and on returning to their people, the Jinn told their people the he was as a giver of warnings. The Holy Quran states this as:

يَاقَوْمَنَا أَجِيبُوا دَاعِيَ اللَّهِ وَآمِنُوا بِهِ يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ مِنْ ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُجِرْكُمْ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ 30⁵

They said, “O our people! We have indeed heard a Book, sent down after Moosa, which confirms the Books preceding it, and guides towards the Truth and the Straight Path.”

The company of the jinn saw the similarity between the Holy Quran and the Torah and also between the missions of Prophet Muhammad and Moses and said: "We have indeed heard a Book, sent down after Moses " without mentioning Jesus and the Gospel. Jesus was not in the likeness of Moses , because, for example, he was not ordered to fight with his enemies. Therefore, neither the jinn mentioned him, nor did Jesus himself claim that the prophecy was intended for him; nor did his companions set up such a claim on his behalf. Furthermore, Jesus came from among the Children of Israel themselves, not from among their brothers. This shows that the prophecy of Moses under discussion cannot be meant for Jesus .

After the loss of the Old Testament, Ezra recorded the first fourteen books of the Old Testament with the assistance of some other elders of the community and bore testimony to the fact that:

١٠ وَلَمْ يَقُمْ بَعْدُ نَبِيٌّ فِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مِثْلُ مُوسَى ٱلَّذِي عَرَفَهُ ٱلرَّبُّ وَجْهًا لِوَجْهٍ ⁶

There has never been a prophet in Israel like Moses; the Lord spoke with him face-to-face.

Thus, for the one thousand years after Moses , no prophet appeared who was similar to mosa among the Israelites.

"That Prophet" Anticipated By The Israelites

The Children of Israel had been waiting for the arrival of the Holy Prophet as it was promised in the Holy Scriptures. Moreover, Muhamma was the only prophet who was similar to mosa and came after Jesus . For in the time the Jesus , according to John, John the Baptist was questioned about that:

وَهَذِهِ هِيَ شَهَادَةُ يُوحَنَّا، حِينَ أَرْسَلَ ٱلْيَهُودُ مِنْ أُورُشَلِيمَ كَهَنَةً وَلَاوِيِّينَ لِيَسْأَلُوهُ: «مَنْ أَنْتَ؟». فَٱعْتَرَفَ وَلَمْ يُنْكِرْ، وَأَقَرَّ: «إِنِّي لَسْتُ أَنَا ٱلْمَسِيحَ». فَسَأَلُوهُ: «إِذًا مَاذَا؟ إِيلِيَّا أَنْتَ؟». فَقَالَ: «لَسْتُ أَنَا». «أَلنَّبِيُّ أَنْتَ؟». فَأَجَابَ: «لَا». ⁷

The Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John to ask him, “Who are you?” John did not refuse to answer, but spoke out openly and clearly, saying: “I am not the Messiah.” “Who are you, then?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No, I am not,” John answered. “Are you the Prophet?” they asked. “No,” he replied.

As understood from this passage, the Children of Israel had been expecting the coming of the Christ (Messiah), Elijah, and another prophet (the prophet), who must have been known and who was expected by everyone at that time. Thus, the expected prophet was, of course, and appeared as, Prophet Muhammad . For no other prophet appeared after Jesus . It cannot be John the Baptist because he had already been chosen for prophethood before Jesus announced his mission.

The disciples of Jesus were continuing to expect the coming of that prophet after him. Many years after Christ, Peter addresses his followers as follows:

فَتُوبُوا وَٱرْجِعُوا لِتُمْحَى خَطَايَاكُمْ، لِكَيْ تَأْتِيَ أَوْقَاتُ ٱلْفَرَجِ مِنْ وَجْهِ ٱلرَّبِّ. وَيُرْسِلَ يَسُوعَ ٱلْمَسِيحَ ٱلْمُبَشَّرَ بِهِ لَكُمْ قَبْلُ. ٱلَّذِي يَنْبَغِي أَنَّ ٱلسَّمَاءَ تَقْبَلُهُ، إِلَى أَزْمِنَةِ رَدِّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، ٱلَّتِي تَكَلَّمَ عَنْهَا ٱللهُ بِفَمِ جَمِيعِ أَنْبِيَائِهِ ٱلْقِدِّيسِينَ مُنْذُ ٱلدَّهْرِ.فَإِنَّ مُوسَى قَالَ لِلْآبَاءِ: إِنَّ نَبِيًّا مِثْلِي سَيُقِيمُ لَكُمُ ٱلرَّبُّ إِلَهُكُمْ مِنْ إِخْوَتِكُمْ. لَهُ تَسْمَعُونَ فِي كُلِّ مَا يُكَلِّمُكُمْ بِهِ. وَيَكُونُ أَنَّ كُلَّ نَفْسٍ لَا تَسْمَعُ لِذَلِكَ ٱلنَّبِيِّ تُبَادُ مِنَ ٱلشَّعْبِ. وَجَمِيعُ ٱلْأَنْبِيَاءِ أَيْضًا مِنْ صَمُوئِيلَ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ، جَمِيعُ ٱلَّذِينَ تَكَلَّمُوا، سَبَقُوا وَأَنْبَأُوا بِهَذِهِ ٱلْأَيَّامِ. ⁸

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that he will forgive your sins. If you do, times of spiritual strength will come from the Lord, and he will send Jesus, who is the Messiah he has already chosen for you. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for all things to be made new, as God announced through his holy prophets of long ago. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will send you a prophet, just as he sent me, and he will be one of your own people. You are to obey everything that he tells you to do. Anyone who does not obey that prophet shall be separated from God's people and destroyed.’ And all the prophets who had a message, including Samuel and those who came after him, also announced what has been happening these days.

According to Peter, the coming of the Promised Prophet is a condition precedent for the second coming of Jesus Christ .

Ahmed Deedat, says in his famous book, “The Choice” that he had a debate about this verse of the Old Testament with a Christian Scholar Rev. Hiten in Durban, there he (Ahmed Deedat) enquired: "To whom does this prophecy refer?" Without the slightest hesitation, he answered: "Jesus" I asked: "Why Jesus his name is not mentioned here?" The dominee replied: "Since prophecies are word-pictures of something that is going to happen in the future, we find that the wordings of this verse adequately describe him. You see the most important words of this prophecy are 'SOOS JY IS' (like unto thee), - LIKE YOU - like Moses, and Jesus is like Moses. I questioned: "In which way is Jesus like Moses ?" The answer was: "In the first place Moses was a Jew and Jesus is also a Jew; secondly, Moses was a prophet and Jesus also a prophet - therefore Jesus is like Moses and that is exactly what God had foretold Moses "SODS JY IS". "Can you think of any other similarities between Moses and Jesus ?" I asked. The dominee said that he could not think of any. I replied: "If these are the only two criteria for discovering a candidate for this prophecy of Deuteronomy 18: 18, then in that case this criteria could fit any one of the following Biblical personages after Moses : - Solomon, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Malachi, John the Baptist (Peace Be Upon Them) and so on, because they were also all "Jews" as well as "Prophets." Why should we not apply this prophecy to any one of these prophets, and why only to Jesus ? Why should we make fish of one and fowl of another?" The dominee had no reply. I continued: "You see, my conclusion is that Jesus is most unlike Moses , and if I am wrong I would like you to correct me."

So saying, I reasoned with him: In the first place Jesus is not like Moses , because, according to you - 'Jesus is a god', but Moses is not God, Is this true?" He said: "Yes." I said: “Therefore Jesus is not like Moses .”

"Secondly, according to you - 'Jesus died for the sins of the world', but Moses did not have to die for the sins of the world, is this true?" He again said. "Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses ."

"Thirdly, according to you -'Jesus went to hell for three days', but Moses did not have to go there. Is this right?" He answered meekly: "Yes." I concluded, "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses ."

"But dominee," I continued, "These are not solid and verifiable facts; they are mere matters of belief over which the little ones can stumble and fall. Let us discuss something very simple, very easy that if your little ones are called in to hear the discussion, they would have no difficulty in following it, shall we?" The dominee was quiet happy at the suggestion.

Eight Irrefutable Arguments

i. Father And Mother

Regarding the aspect of father and mother, Mr. Deedat says:

"Moses had a father and a mother. Muhammad also had a father and a mother. However, Jesus had only a mother, and no human father, is this true?" He said: "Yes." I said daarom is Jesus nie sods Moses nie; maar Muhummed is soos Moses !" meaning: "Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhammad is like Moses ."

ii. Miraculous Birth

Likewise, discussing the miraculous birth, Ahmed Deedat states:

"Moses and Muhammad were born in the normal, natural course, i.e. the physical association of man and woman; but Jesus was created by a special miracle. You will recall that we are told in the Gospel of St. Matthew 1: 18 "... before they came together, (Joseph the Carpenter and Mary) she was found with child by the Holy Ghost." Moreover, St. Luke tells us that when the good news of the birth of a holy son was announced to her, Mary reasoned: "... how shall this be, seeing I know not a man? Moreover, the angel answered and said unto her:

فأجاب الملاك وقال لها: الروح القدس يحل عليك، وقوة العلي تظللك، فلذلك أيضا القدوس المولود منك يدعى ابن .اللّٰه

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.”

The Holy Quran confirms the miraculous birth of Jesus , in nobler and sublime terms. As the Holy Quran states:

قَالَتْ رَبِّ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِي وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ قَالَ كَذَلِكِ اللَّهُ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ إِذَا قَضَى أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ 47⁹

She Said, “ My Lord! How can I bear a child when no man has ever touched me?” He said, This is how Allah creates whatever he wills: when he wills a thing. He only says to it, “Be” and it happens immediately”.

It is not necessary for God to plant a seed in man or animal. He merely wills it, and it comes into being. This is the Muslim conception of the birth of Jesus . (When I compared the Quranic and the Biblical versions of the birth of Jesus to Rev. Dunkers the head of the Bible Society in our largest city, and when I enquired "Which version would you prefer to give your daughter, the Quranic version or the Biblical version?" The man bowed his head and answered: 'The Quranic.") ¹⁰ In short, I said to the dominee: "Is it true that Jesus was born miraculously as against the natural birth of Moses and Muhammad ?" He replied proudly: "Yes!" I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses , but Muhammad is like Moses . Moreover, God says to Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy 18: 18 "like unto thee" (Like You, Like Moses) and Muhammad is like Moses .”

iii. Marriage Ties

Referring the marriage ties, Ahmed Deedat clarifies:

"Moses and Muhammad married and begot children, but Jesus remained a bachelor all his life. Is this true?" The dominee said: "Yes." I said: “Therefore Jesus is not like Moses , but Muhammad is like Moses ."

iv. Jesus Rejected By His People

Likewise, Ahmed Deedat further states:

"Moses and Muhammad were accepted as prophets by their people in their very lifetime. No doubt the Jews gave endless trouble to Moses , and they murmured in the wilderness, but as a nation, as a whole, they acknowledged that Moses was a messenger of God sent to them. The Arabs too made Muhammad’s life impossible. He suffered very badly at their hands. After 13 years of preaching in Makkah, he had to emigrate from the city of his birth. However, before his demise, the Arab nation as a whole accepted him as the Messenger of Allah. However, according to the Bible - 'he (Jesus) came unto his own, but his own received him not.' (John 1:11). Moreover, even today, after two thousand years, his people - the Jews, as a whole, have rejected him, is this true?" The dominee said. "Yes." I said: "Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses , but Muhammad is like Moses ."

v. "Other-Worldly" Kingdom

Presenting further irrefutable arguments, Ahmed Deedat says:

"Moses and Muhammad were prophets as well as kings. By prophet, it is meant a man who receives divine revelation for the guidance of man and this guidance he conveys to God's creatures as received without any addition or deletion. A king is a person who has the power of life and death over his people. It is immaterial whether the person wears a crown or not, or whether he was ever addressed as king or monarch: if the man has the prerogative of inflicting capital punishment - he is a king. Moses possessed such strength and authority. It is very well remembered the Israelite who was found picking up firewood on the Sabbath Day, Moses had him stoned to death. As the Bible states:

فأخرجه كل الجماعة إلى خارج المحلة ورجموه بحجارة، فمات كما أمر الرب موسى. ¹¹

So the whole community took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord had commanded.

There are other crimes also mentioned in the Bible for which capital punishment was inflicted on the Jews at the behest of Moses . Prophet Muhammad too had the power of life and death over his people.

There are instances in the Bible of some individuals who were given the gift of prophecy only, but they were not in a position to implement their precepts. Some of them were helpless regarding stubborn rejection of their message were the prophets Lot , Jonah , Daniel , Ezra and John the Baptist. They could only deliver the message, but could not enforce the Law. Jesus , unfortunately, also belonged to this category. The Christian Gospel clearly confirms this:

“When Jesus was dragged before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, charged for sedition, Jesus made a convincing point in his defense to refute the false charge: Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world': if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews, but now is my kingdom not from hence" (John 18: 36).

This convinced Pilate (A Pagan) that though Jesus might not be in full possession of his mental faculty, he did not strike him as being a danger to his rule. Jesus claimed a spiritual kingdom only; in other words, he only claimed to be a prophet. Is this true?" The dominee answered "Yes." I said: “Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhammad is like Moses .”

vi. No New Laws

Giving another argument, Mr. Deedat asserts:

“Moses and Muhammad brought new laws and regulations for their people. Moses not only gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites but a very comprehensive ceremonial law for the guidance of his people. Prophet Muhammad comes to a nation, which was steeped in barbarism and ignorance. These people used to marry their stepmothers; they would bury their daughters alive; drunkenness, adultery, idolatry and gambling were the order of the day. Gibbon describes the Arabs before Islam in his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", “The human brute, almost without sense, is poorly distinguished from the rest of the animal creation.” There was hardly anything to make a distinction between the "man" and the "animal" of the time; they behaved as if were animals in human form.

From this abject barbarism, Prophet Muhammad elevated them, in the words of Thomas Carlysle, ‘Into Torch-Bearers of Light and Learning:

“To the Arab nation, it was as a birth from darkness into light. Arabia first became alive by means of it. A poor shepherd people, roaming unnoticed in its deserts since the creation of the world. See, the unnoticed becomes world’s notable; the small has grown world-great. Within one century afterwards, Arabia was at Granada on the one hand and at Delhi on the other. Glancing in velour and splendour, and the light of genius, Arabia shines over a significant section of the world ...”

The fact is that Prophet Muhammad gave his people law and order which they never had before. As regards Jesus , when the Jews felt suspicious of him that he might be an imposter with designs to pervert their teachings, Jesus took pains to assure them that he had not come with a new religion - no new laws and no new regulations. I quote his own words:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil for verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one title shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5: 17-18).

In other words, he had not come with any new laws or regulations; he came only to fulfil the old law. This is what he gave the Jews to understand - unless he was speaking with the tongue in his cheek trying to bluff the Jews into accepting him as a man of God and by subterfuge trying to ram a new religion down their throats. No! This Messenger of God would never resort to such foul means to subvert the Religion of God. He fulfilled the laws. He observed the commandments of Moses , and he respected the Sabbath. At no time did a single Jew point the finger at him to say, 'why don't you fast' or 'why don't you wash your hands before you break bread', which charges they always levied against his disciples, but never against Jesus . This is because as a good Jew he honoured the laws of the prophets who preceded him. In short, he had created no new religion and had brought no new law like Moses and Muhammad . Is this true?" I asked the dominee, and he answered: "Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses , but Muhammad is like Moses ."

vii. How They Departed

Mentioning the departure of the prophets, Ahmed Deedat again present the same argument as:

"Both Moses and Muhammad died natural deaths, but according to Christianity, Jesus was violently killed on the cross, is this true?" The dominee said: "Yes." I averred: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses , but Muhammad is like Moses ."

viii. Heavenly Abode

Finally, Ahmed Deedat "Moses and Muhammad both lie buried in the earth,

But according to you, Jesus rests in heaven. Is this true? The dominee agreed. I said: "Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses , but Muhammad is like Moses ." ¹²

This debate of Ahmed Deedat also proves that the prophet like Moses was the Holy Prophet Muhammad and he was the one who was mentioned in the verse of Deuteronomy 18: 18.

The Lord's Shining Forth From Mount Paran

It is stated in the Deuteronomy that:

٢ فَقَالَ: جَاءَ ٱلرَّبُّ مِنْ سِينَاءَ، وَأَشْرَقَ لَهُمْ مِنْ سَعِيرَ، وَتَلَأْلأَ مِنْ جَبَلِ فَارَانَ، وَأَتَى مِنْ رِبْوَاتِ ٱلْقُدْسِ، وَعَنْ يَمِينِهِ نَارُ شَرِيعَةٍ لَهُمْ. ¹³

He Lord came from Mount Sinai; he rose like the sun over Edom and shone on his people from Mount Paran. Ten thousand angels were with him, a flaming fire at his right hand.

Sinai is the place where Moses spoke to God and received the Torah. Therefore, Moses' prophethood is meant by the statement "the Lord came from Mount Sinai." Most of the Muslim scholars are of the opinion that “the rising of the Lord from Seir” ¹⁴ stands for the granting of revelation to Jesus because Seir is a place in Palestine. ¹⁵ However, Mount Seir is also the name of a mountainous region occupied by the Edomite, extending along the eastern side of the Arabah from the south-eastern extremity of the Dead Sea to near Aqabah, or the eastern branch of the Red Sea. Edom was the son of Esau, who was the son of Isaac . So, Seir was allotted to the descendants of Esau-the Edomite. It is said that Job , was an Edomite. Therefore, it is probable as well that the Lord's rising from Seir stands for the blessing conferred on the Edomite as the result of the Isaac's prayer discussed in Genesis 27: 29-40.

As for the Lord's shining forth from mount Paran, although some Christian and Jewish scholars claim that Paran is a plain which extends from the northern border of Beersheba to Mount Sinai, geographers of old Arabia and some Christian scholars prove that Paran was the name given to the hills of Makkah. It is informative enough to determine what place Paran is that the story of Hagar and Ishmael in the Holy Quran and related Islamic sources is in agreement with the following information given in Genesis 21:17-21:

١٧ فَسَمِعَ ٱللهُ صَوْتَ ٱلْغُلَامِ، وَنَادَى مَلَاكُ ٱللهِ هَاجَرَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَاءِ وَقَالَ لَهَا: «مَا لَكِ يَا هَاجَرُ؟ لَا تَخَافِي، لِأَنَّ ٱللهَ قَدْ سَمِعَ لِصَوْتِ ٱلْغُلَامِ حَيْثُ هُوَ. ١٨ قُومِي ٱحْمِلِي ٱلْغُلَامَ وَشُدِّي يَدَكِ بِهِ، لِأَنِّي سَأَجْعَلُهُ أُمَّةً عَظِيمَةً». ١٩ وَفَتَحَ ٱللهُ عَيْنَيْهَا فَأَبْصَرَتْ بِئْرَ مَاءٍ، فَذَهَبَتْ وَمَلَأَتِ ٱلْقِرْبَةَ مَاءً وَسَقَتِ ٱلْغُلَامَ. ٢٠ وَكَانَ ٱللهُ مَعَ ٱلْغُلَامِ فَكَبِرَ، وَسَكَنَ فِي ٱلْبَرِّيَّةِ، وَكَانَ يَنْمُو رَامِيَ قَوْسٍ. ٢١ وَسَكَنَ فِي بَرِّيَّةِ فَارَانَ، وَأَخَذَتْ لَهُ أُمُّهُ زَوْجَةً مِنْ أَرْضِ مِصْرَ. ¹⁶

God heard the boy crying, and from heaven, the angel of God spoke to Hagar, “What are you troubled about, Hagar? Don't be afraid. God has heard the boy crying. Get up, go and pick him up, and comfort him. I will make a great nation out of his descendants.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well. She went and filled the leather bag with water and gave some to the boy. God was with the boy as he grew up; he lived in the wilderness of Paran and became a skilful hunter. His mother got an Egyptian wife for him.

The Hebrew word midbar in midbar-Paran in Genesis 21: 21 quoted above means wilderness, an uninhabited tract or untilled region, a barren desert, and solitary region." Likewise, the Quran also describes Makkah as the "uncultivable (or untilled) valley" (Ibrahim, 14: 37). It is certain in the Biblical quotations above concerning Paran is that it is the area in the desert where Hagar was left by her husband Abraham , to live with her son, Ishmael , upon the order of God. As stated explicitly in the Quran (Ibrahim, 14: 35-37) as well, Abraham left Hagar and Ishmael in the uncultivable or untilled valley of Makkah, which was then a desolate place within the mountain ranges of Paran. In it are the hills of Safa and Marwa. Hagar ran between these two hills to find water for Ishmael . The well of Zamzam appeared there. Muslim pilgrims run between these two hills as one of the rituals of pilgrimage, called say (exertion, effort), and drink water from the well of Zamzam.

The Prayer Of Abraham And Ishmael

Hagar and Ishmael settled in Makkah, and Abraham visited them few times. During one of his visits, he raised the foundations together with Ishmael and they made the following prayer:

رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ 129¹⁷

Our Lord! And send towards them a Noble Messenger, from amongst them, to recite to them Your verses, and to instruct them in Your Book and sound wisdom*, and to fully purify them; indeed You only are the Almighty, the Wise.”

This prayer of Abraham and Ishmael was accepted in favour of the Holy Prophet Muhammad , who said: "I am the answer to the prayer of my father, Abraham ." Abraham , made some other visits to this land and he prayed as follows:

رَبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنْتُ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِنْدَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُمْ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ 37¹⁸

”O our Lord! I have settled some of my descendants in a valley having no cultivation, near Your Sacred House – O our Lord! So that they may keep the prayer established, therefore incline some hearts of men towards them, and provide them fruits to eat – perhaps they may be thankful.”

These prayers of Abraham were also accepted fully since God Almighty provided his descendants through Ishmael especially using trade. God Almighty always provided them with food against hunger and made them safe from fear.

As a result shone on his people from Mount Paran is an obvious indication to the prophethood of Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings.

. . . Ten thousand angels were with him (Good News), and he came with ten thousands of saints (King James Version)

This prophecy not only helps to locate the place of Paran but also serves to establish the identity of the one referred to by shone on his people from Mount Paran. Not only the history of the Israelite prophets but the annals of the history of humanity indicate, but one person that of Prophet Muhammad , as being a holy one accompanied by ten thousands of saints. Moses , prophesied about him almost two thousand years before in this verse of Deuteronomy (33: 2), but much earlier, Enoch , upon him be peace, also gave the same glad tidings, as discussed before. As it will be discussed later, the same sign of the Universally-Promised One is found in the Vedas as well. To bring up ten thousands of saints could only be the work of an exceptionally holy man. There was no other among all the prophets of the world who could gather ten thousands of saints around him in the face of severe opposition. As it is historically known, he had ten thousand soldiers while he was going to conquer Makkah. This rose to tens of thousands before his saying farewell to the world. We see the same qualification in the Holy Quran:

مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذَلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنْجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَى عَلَى سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا 29¹⁹

Mohammed (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Noble Messenger of Allah, and his companions are stern with the disbelievers and merciful among themselves – you will see them bowing and falling in prostration, seeking Allah’s munificence and His pleasure; their signs are on their faces, from the effects of their prostration; this trait of theirs is mentioned in the Taurat; and their trait is mentioned in the Injeel; like a cultivation that sprouted its shoot, then strengthened it, then thickened and then stood firm upon its stem, pleasing the farmer – in order to enrage the disbelievers with them; Allah has promised forgiveness and a great reward to those among them who have faith and do good deeds.

... a flaming fire at his right hand (Good News)/At his right hand was a fiery law for there (King James Version)

In Hebrew and Arabic languages, yamin (the right hand) symbolises blessing, power and administration. Thus, "at his right hand was a fiery law for them," means that the prophet who will gather ten thousands of saints around him will have a Shari'a (Sacred Law) and have to make religious wars. Christian friends make an objection to the holy Prophet Muhammad that he allowed wars, while Jesus did not give place to war in his message. However, in addition to the war’s being a reality of human history, the Christians, though claiming that Jesus did not allow war, had to accept war and since they had no regulations concerning war, the most fierce and bloody wars have taken place in Christendom. The same Christian friends who criticise Prophet Muhammad because he recognises war can claim that the prophet who is like Moses and promised in Deuteronomy 18: 15 is Jesus , while Moses recognised war as well.

Islam recognises war to put an end to the domination of injustice and tyranny; to rescue the oppressed; and to establish a tolerant social-political environment where everyone will be free to practice their religion. Islam is, in fact, the embodiment of Divine mercy and that the whole universe, which is the physical manifestation of Islam, is an organism where all parts help each other, and what is most hateful in God's sight is hatred and enmity, shedding blood, and the destruction of order, peace, cooperation, and harmony. In many of its verses (al-Baqara, 2: 60, 191, 217; Al-A'raf, 7: 74, 85; Al-Qasas, 28: 77), the Quran severely condemns and prohibits what it calls disorder and corruption, which are the causes of this destruction. Islam and its Prophet is a monument of mercy, affection, and goodness. Because of this, the Books of the earlier prophets declared that the Promised Prophet's bow would rest in the cloud, meaning that his wars would be for the purposes of merciful redemption and restoration. (As we discussed in the prophecy of Noah ) Accompanied by ten thousands of saints, his wars would be those of peace and salvation and his coming would be like the "coming of God Himself," in as much as justice and equity would then predominate, and none would be treated unjustly.

• ¹  The Bible, Deuteronomy 18: 15-19
• ²  Holy Quran, Al-Muzzammil (The Wrapped One) 73: 15
• ³  Maulana Abu Muhammad Abdul Haq Al-Haqqani Al-Dehalvi, Tafseer Fathul Mannan Al-Mashoor Bili Tabeer-e-Haqqani, Kutub Khana Markaz-e- Ilm, Karachi, Pakistan, Vol. 5, Pg. 123-124
• ⁴  Holy Quran, An-Najm (The Stars) 53: 3-4
• ⁵  Holy Quran, Al-Ahqaf (The Sand Dunes) 46: 30
• ⁶  The Bible, Deuteronomy 34: 10
• ⁷  The Bible, John 1: 19-21
• ⁸  The Bible, Acts 3: 19-24
• ⁹  Holy Quran, Aale Imran (The Family of Imran) 3:47
• ¹⁰  Please open the Holy Quran 3: 42 and 19: 16 where the birth of Jesus علیہلسلم is spoken about: read it with the commentary, and draw the attention of your Christian friends to the high position which Jesus علیہلسلم and his mother occupy in Islam.
• ¹¹  The Bible, Numbers 15: 36
• ¹²  Ahmed Deedat (1995), The Choice: Islam and Christianity, Abul Qasim Publications, Vol. 1, Pg. 7-16.
• ¹³  The Bible, Deuteronomy 33: 2
• ¹⁴  In King James Version of Bible this verse is translated as: “And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.”
• ¹⁵  Seir (Arabic: سعير‎‎, also spelled Saeer, Sa’ir, or Si'ir) mountain is near Hebron which was allotted to Judah in Joshua 15: 10, near the modern town of Sa'ir in the West Bank of the State of Palestine. ) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Seir: Retrieved: 10-02-2017( 2nd Mount Seir also known as Jabal ash-Sharah, was a mountainous region stretching between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqabah, demarcating the southeastern border of Edom with Judah. It may also have marked the older historical limit of Egypt in Canaan. )Steven Elliott Grosby (2007), Nationalism and Ethno-symbolism: History, Culture and Ethnicity in the Formation of Nations, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, USA.(
• ¹⁶  The Bible, Genesis 21: 17-21
• ¹⁷  Holy Quran, Surah Al-Baqra (The Cow): 2, 129
• ¹⁸  Holy Quran, Surah Ibrahim (Prophet Abraham): 14, 37
• ¹⁹  Holy Quran, Surah Al-Fath (The Victory): 48, 29