Prophecies In Hinduism About Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Mahamad (Muhammad) The Pride Of Humankind

Maharishi Vyasa is a central and greatly esteemed figure in most Hindu traditions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa (The one who classified the Vedas into four parts). He is the author as well as a character in the Mahabharata. His masterpiece or the greatest compilation is the eighteen volumes of the Puranas. Among the eighteen volumes of the Puranas is one by the title ‘Bhavishya Purana’, literally meaning future events. In this book, Maharishi Vyasa makes a survey of the coming events. The Hindus regard this book as the work of God just as the Vedas are, Vyasa being its compiler.

The translation of verses 5-6 which contains a prophecy of Prophet Muhammad in the Puranas, Pratisarga Parva, III: 3, three is presented below from the copy of the Bhavishya Purana, printed in the Venkteshwar Press in Bombay.

A malechha, a spiritual teacher, will appear with his companions. His name will be Mahamad. Raja (Bhoj) after giving this Mahadev Arab (of angelic disposition) a bath in the Panchgavya and the Ganges water offered him the presents of his sincere devotion and showed him reverence. After offering the presents, Raja said:

"I make obeisance to you. O You! The pride of humanity, the dweller in Arabia, Ye have collected a great force to kill the Devil, and you have been protected from the malechha opponents (idol-worshipers, pagans). O You! The image of the Most Pious God the biggest Lord, I am a slave to you, take me as one lying on your feet.” ¹

Before giving the signs of Prophet Muhammad in this prophecy, a note on the word Malechha seems appropriate to be explained. According to the explanation of Dr. Z. Haq, the word Malechha means a man belonging to a foreign country and speaking a foreign language. Although this word is now used to degrade people to mean unclean or even worse, its usage varies and depends on who is using it and for whom. It is not known when this word began to be utilised in the derogatory sense. Whether before the advent of Prophet Muhammad or after the conversion of Hindu King Chakrawati Farmas (of Malabar, located on the south-west coast of India) to Islam soon after the arrival of Muslims in India (711 CE) or sometime later. Maharishi Vyasa, the compiler of the Puranas, defines the word as, "A man of good actions, sharp intellect, spiritual eminence, and showing reverence to the deity (God) is known a wise malechha.” ²

Also, in the prophecy under discussion, Malecha is followed by the word Acharya, which means a spiritual/religious teacher. Some Hindus also object to the word Mahamad. According to them, the word means ‘big mischief’. In this case, the sentence should read as, "A spiritual teacher will appear with his companions, his name will be ‘big mischief’." This does not make any sense. Although some Hindus tend to translate this piece differently, they cannot help falling into contradictions in their translations.

The statement ‘the prophet's taking a bath in the Panchgavya and the water of the Ganges’ was only a vision, meaning that Prophet Muhammad would be purged of and made immune from all sorts of sins. Hindus consider these waters as holy, which wash away the sins of the people, just as the water of the river Jordan is sacred to the Christians and to some extent that of Zamzam (in Makkah) to the Mus-lims. It is also a well-known incident in the life of Prophet Muhammad that:

عن أنس بن مالك أن رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم أتاه جبريل صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم وهو يلعب مع الغلمان، فأخذه فصرعه، فشق عن قلبه، فاستخرج القلب، فاستخرج منه علقة، فقال: هذا حظ الشيطان منك، ثم غسله في طست من ذهب بماء زمزم، ثم لأمه، ثم أعاده في مكانه ³. . .

It was narrated from Anas bin Mâlik that Jibril, came to the Messenger of Allah (when he was a boy and living with Halima, the wet nurse) while he was playing with the other boys. He took hold of him and threw him to the ground, then he opened his chest and took out his heart, from which he took a clot of blood and said: "This was the Shaitân's share of you." Then he washed it in a vessel of gold that was filled with Zamzam. Then he put it back together and returned it to its place.

'The prophet taking a bath' (as mentioned in the prophecy) has a great similarity with the 'heart washed in Zamzam' since Zamzam is holy in the eyes of Muslims. When his heart was cleaned from the clot blood, it became purified. This symbolises his complete purification. As the Holy Quran states:

أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ 1 وَوَضَعْنَا عَنْكَ وِزْرَكَ 2 الَّذِي أَنْقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ 3⁴

Did We not widen your bosom? And relieve you of the burden –Which had broken your back?

So, the event mentioned describes the purification of the heart in order to prepare it for prophethood and receipt of the divine message.

As for the signs of Prophet Muhammad in this prophecy, they are as follows:

The Prophet is mentioned clearly with his name Muhammad.

• Due to their high honour and an exceptional place among all other communities, his companions are also mentioned together with him.
• His sinlessness and angelic disposition are emphasised.
• The Raja of India will pay him his heartfelt respect.
• The Prophet is the pride of humankind. The Holy Prophet has been mentioned by Muslims, most frequently with this epithet, i.e., the pride of humankind or the pride of the Creation.
• He will appear and live in Arabia.
• He will be protected against his enemies.
• He will kill the Devil, eradicate idol-worship and exterminate all sorts of vices.
• He will be an image of the All-Holy God, the All-Great Lord.
• The Maharishi desires to be lying at his feet.

Mahamad Busy In Bringing The Misguided To The Right Path, And The Muslims Purified Through Holy Struggle In God's Cause

The prophecy above in Bhavishya Purana continues with a clearer prophecy in Shlokas (Devotional Prayers) 10-27, which states:

The Malechhas have spoiled the well-known land of the Arabs. Arya Dharma is not to be found in that country. Before also there appeared a misguided fiend whom I had killed, now he has appeared again, sent by a powerful enemy. To show these enemies the right path and to give them guidance, the well-known Mahamad (Muhammad ), who has been provided by Me the epithet of Brahma, is busy in bringing the `Pishachas' (who go astray) to the right path. O Raja! Next, you need to go to the kind of the foolish Pishachas; yon will be purified through my kindness even where you are. At night, he of the angelic disposition, the shrewd man, in the guise of a Pishacha said to Raja Bhoj, "O Raja! Your Arya Dharma has been made to prevail over all religions, but according to the commandments of Ishwar Parmatma (God, the Supreme), I shall enforce the strong creed of the meat-caters. My follower will be a man circumcised, without a tail (on his head), keeping the beard, creating a revolution, announcing Adhan (call to Prayer) and will be eating all lawful things. He will eat all sorts of animals except swine. They will not seek purification from the holy shrubs, but will be purified through warfare. On account of their fighting the irreligious nations, they will be known as Musalmans (Muslims). I shall be the originator of this religion of the meat-eating nation.”

In this prophecy, Maharishi Vyasa has enumerated numerous signs of Prophet Muhammad . Prominent among these are the following:

• Evildoers have contaminated the well-known land of the Arabs with idol-worship and many vices.
• Arya Dharma (the Vedic, true Religion) is not to be found in that land.
• The present powerful enemies will perish just as the former enemies like Abraham Ibn Sabah al-Ashram, the Abyssinian viceroy of Yemen who attacked Makkah, and others perished.
• In order to guide these enemies of God to the right path, Muhammad has been given by God the epithet of ‘Brahma’ (the greatest spiritual-intellectual guide as a mercy for all creation), and he is busy in leading those who are astray to the truth.
• The Indian Raja does not need to go to the land of the Arabs, for he will be purified in his land when the Muslims come there.
• The coming prophet will appear in the darkest period of human history. As the Holy Quran states:

النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُ 3⁵

The very brightly shining star!

قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا 2⁶

Stand up for worship during the night, except for some part of it.

When the Holy Prophet appeared, Arabia was immersed in the abyss of darkness. He was the one who cleansed that society from the filth of immorality, polytheism and heinous crimes.

• The coming Prophet will attest the truth of the Aryan faith. However, due to the corruption it suffered over time and the need for a new, universal religion which will encompass all cultures and civilizations, he will come with a new, universal message from God, the Supreme.

Maharishi Vyasa himself describes this reality as follows:

"Corruption and persecution are found in seven sacred cities of Kashi. India is inhabited by Rakshas, Shabor, Bhil and other foolish people. In the land of Malechhas, the followers of the Malechha Dharma (Islam) are wise and brave people. All good qualities are found in Musalmaans, and all sorts of vices have accumulated on the land of the Aryas. Islam will rule in India and its islands. Having known these facts O Muni, glorify the name of thy Lord". ⁷

The followers of the Prophet will be circumcised, will grow a beard will not keep a tail on their head (like the Hindus or Sikhs), and their leader will bring about a great revolution. They will be called to the prayer openly; from the minarets of their mosques, the call to the prayer will be raised. Islam will not prohibit any pure, wholesome food. While God Almighty forbade certain pure, wholesome things for some peoples like the Children of Israel due to their transgressions, Muslims will be allowed to eat them. They will also eat meat, but they will be forbidden swine.

The Hindus use a kind of grass for purification, but the followers of the coming Prophet will be purified through holy strife or struggle in God's cause (jihad). The Holy Prophet himself declared:

إنما رهبانية أمتي الجهاد ⁸

The asceticism of my Community is jihad.

• They will be known as Musalmans (Muslims) because they will bring peace by fighting against the unjust, irreligious peoples.
• This religion of the meat-eaters will be the universal divine cult.

Allah And Muhammad In Allopanishad

Among the sacred texts of Hinduism, the Upanishads have an important place. According to the Hindus, they are alot superior to the Vedas. "They are the end parts of the Vedas and are collectively known as Vedanta.” In Sanskrit, the main language of communication among the elite groups in India for several centuries, the word ‘Upanishad’ means sitting down near. While the ritual chants of the Vedas were uttered in public during the performance of the sacrificial ceremonies, the Upanishads were revealed in private only to selected few people on the need to know basis.

The knowledge contained in the Upanishads is deemed higher knowledge as it deals with the understanding of the self and the transcendental states of awareness. Whereas the knowledge contained in the Samhita (main) part of the Vedas is considered the lower knowledge as it is used mainly for performing rituals to obtain material gains and personal favours from various divinities. The exact number of the Upanishads is not known. Presently, there are said to be about 250 Upanishads, of which ten or eleven are considered the most ancient, relevant and authoritative.” ⁹

All the Upanishads have been distributed over the four Vedas. ‘AllaUpanishad' or ‘Allopanishad’ or ‘Allah Sukta’ is one of the Upanishads and an Upanishad of Atharva Veda. It explicitly mentions God with His Name Allah and Prophet Muhammad with his name Muhammad as well. It also mentions the holy word of Islam and La ilaha illa'llah (There is no god but Allah) twice. Because of this, Swami Dayananda Saraswati (1930), a famous contemporary Hindu monk, rejects it as an Upanishad. It is claimed that it was written during the Mughal era in India, possibly in the reign of Akbar Shah to bring Hindus and Muslims together. However, a researcher named Fahmi Hamzah, based on numerous sources gave following convincing information about the authenticity of ‘Allopanishad’ among the Upanishads. He said:

“There is a valid text of ‘Allopanishad’ cited in Shabda-Kalpadrum of Radha Kanta Deva. Pandit Radhakrishna of Lahore, Maharaja Madanamohana of Vishnupura, Pandit Vittala Sastri of Kashi, all of them have agreed with its authenticity.”

According to Rajendralala Mitra, Babu Harischandra of Benares has a manuscript that bears the title of ‘Alla-Upanishad’, and it professes to be a chapter of the Pippalada Sakha of the Atharva Veda.

Pujya Sri Nath Bhagwan (Mahatma Sri Nathuram Sharma) of Bilkha near Junagadh, Saurashtra (Gujarat) has translated the 108 Upanishads in Gujarati. In his collection of 108 Upanishads, there exists an Upanishad named ‘Allopanishad’.

Mahatma Gandhi, Ved Prakash Upadhyaya, Sri Harimohan Bandhopadhyaya, Upendra Nath Mukhopadhyay, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Sri Vastava, they all have agreed with the authenticity of ‘Allopanishad’.

In Radhakanta Deb's Shabda-Kalpadrum and Vachaspatya of Pandit Taranatha Tarkavacaspati Bhattacharya states that ‘Allopanishad’ is in the First Hymn of Paippaladasamhita of the Atharvaveda, and it is a well-known Vedic hymn.

All texts of ‘Allopanishad’ that make it considering as apocrypha comes from the text of Swami Dayanand Saraswati's Satyarth Prakash, whereas no one can refuse the authority of ‘Allopanishad’ that is cited in Shabda-Kalpadrum.

Mathuradas Trikumji in his letter to Mahatma Gandhi says that 'Allopanishad' is from the time of Atharvaveda (circa 1000 B.C.). Friedrich Otto Schrader in A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts in the Adyar Library, Vol. I. Upanishads" page 136, states that some years ago, a palm-leaf MS of 'Allopanishad' was in the Adyar Library. In the North India, according to Schrader, 'Allopanishad' is not only reckoned for the Atharvaveda but actually recited by the Brahmins at the Vasantotsava or any occasion when selected texts of the tour Vedas needed to be read in the house of a Dvija.

Moreover Vol. 94 of The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, page 234, states: "But no one who belongs to Hinduism can have reason to complain. We have 108 Upanishads. One of them is the 'Allopanishad'."

Even though Swami Vivekananda believes that ‘Allopanishad’ must be a modern creation and not genuine. However, in the book from Colombo to Almora published in Vyjayanti Press Madras in 1897, there is a statement in its glossary that 'Allopanishad' is one of the 108 Upanishads.

The passage in the Atharva Veda, which contains the letter l repeatedly is known as 'Allopanishad' ('Alla-Upanishad') or 'Allah Sukta'. According to Pandit Taranatha Tarkavacaspati Bhattacharya in his vast lexicon Vachaspatya and Raja Radha Kanta Deva Bahadur in his famous dictionary Shabda-Kalpadrum, 'Allopanishad' ('Alla-Upanishad') or 'Allah Sukta' is Adi Sukta (First/Chief Hymn), a famous Vedic Hymn.

J.N. Bhattacharya and Nilanjana Sarkar in their Encyclopedia Dictionary of Sanskrit Literature give testimony that 'Allopa-nishad' is a celebrated work of Sanskrit literature.

Purushottam Nagesh Oak in his ‘Some Blunders of Indian Historical Research’, page 305, stated that 'Allopanishad' is a Hindu Upanishad.

Yakos Marvin in his Jesus, Jews and Jihad, page 91, wrote that 'Allopanishad' is one of the ancient Sanskrit literature.

As the Isopanishad, 'Allopanishad' ('Alla-Upanishad') or 'Allah Sukta' is a part of Samhita (the collection of the Hindu sacred texts). The fact can be drawn from the Atharvaveda Saunakiya Sakha, where there is a hymn named "Ida/Ila/Alla-Sukta", the one. And only Vedic hymn in the Saunakyia Samhita that praising the name of Ida/Ila/ Alla in a single hymn. Not only that, there is a fact in Vaitayana (Yajnaprayascitta-sutra or Atharva-vedaprayascittani), which states that Ida/Ila/Alla-Sukta has proximity for the 5th Mantra of Allopanisad.

Nagendra Nath Vasu in his Hindi Vishra Kosh, the second volume, stated that ‘Allopanishad’ is a sukta (hymn) which praises Paramesvara and Alla/Allah, which is basically the name of Paramesvara or Brahma. And, 'Allopanishad' is one of the Atharvan texts available today.

Visya Bandhu Sastri has mentioned 200 Upanishads in his Vaidika Padanukrama Kosa (Lahore edition, 1940). In these 200 Upanishads, "Allah Upanishad" (Allah Sukta or Allopanishad) is mentioned in the 12th position.

The Kalyan Magazine, the 23rd edition, published in 1949 by Gita Press in Gorakhpur has mentioned 220 Upanishads in its special issue named "Upanishad-Ank"; and Allopanishad is mentioned on the 15th Position.

'Allopanishad' is referred to in Upanisatsamghara or the List of 188 Upanishads, page 392-93, published in 1970 by Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited in New Delhi. ¹⁰

It should be noted that in the Upanishads among the Hindu sacred texts, monotheism is the basic principle. "It advocates delineation of the Supreme Being as the basic universal principle. The Supreme Being is called by various names like Brahman, Atma, Akshara, Akasha, Prana and so on. The Supreme Being is the Creator, Destroyer, Sustainer, Regulator, Enlightener and Liberator of all. This is the one and only independent principle upon which all the other entities are reliant. ¹¹ This description of the One God with His Names is the same as the Quranic description of Him.

The Literal Translation Of 'Allopanishad'

The name of that Deity is Allah. He is One. Mitra, Varuna, and similar are His Attributes; and Allah indeed is Varuna Who is the King of the entire world. Your friends, look upon and regard such Allah as your Deity. He is Varuna and like friends sets right, the works of all people. He is Indra, the great Indra. God is the greatest of all, the best, the most perfect, and the holiest of all. Muhammad , the apostle of Allah is the greatest messenger of Allah. Allah is Alpha, and Allah is Omega, and Allah indeed is the Nourisher of the whole world. For Allah are the noble deeds. Allah, in fact, has created the sun, the moon and the stars. He is the One who sent all the Rishis and created the heavens. Allah is the Manifester of the earth and space. Allah is Great, and there is no god but He. Say, you worshipper (Atharva Rishi) "La ilaha illa-Allah" (There is no god but Allah). Allah is from the beginning. He is the Nourisher of all the birds and beasts and animals that live in the sea, and those that are not visible. He is the Remover of all evils and calamities. Muhammad is the apostle of Allah, the Lord of this creation. Hence, declare: "Allah is One, and there is no other God besides him. ¹²

Narashangsa: The Praised Man

The word Narashangsa is a combination of `Nar' and ‘Aashangsa’. ‘Nar’ means Man, and ‘Aashangsa’ means praised. So, Narashangsa means ‘the Praised Man’.

In the 127th section of the 20th chapter of the Atharvaveda, fourteen mantras have been recorded in praise of Narashangsa. Of all the Vedas, the Rigveda (Rig Veda) is the oldest. Narashangsa is mentioned in many places of the Rigveda as well. It may well be said that in the Vedic incantations, many hymns have been dedicated to the subject of Narashangsa. All eight mantras in the Rigveda start with the word Narashangsa. They are 1:13:3, 1:18:9, 1:106:4, 1:142:3, 2:3:2, 3:29:11, 5:5:2, 7:2:2, 10:64:3, 10:182:2 and 19:70:2. We also find Narashangsa in the Samveda, mantra no. 1349; the Yajurveda (Bright), 29:27; the Yajurveda (Dark) 1:6:4 and 1:7:4. These references prove that the mention of Narashangsa with praise and hymns is widespread throughout the four Vedas.

Qualities Of Narashangsa In The Rig Veda

Honey-tongued

He has also been called ‘Honey-tongued’ or sweet of tongue, referring to the sweetness of his words and speech. As the Rig-Veda states:

Dear Narasamsa, sweet of tongue, the giver of oblations, I Invoke to this our sacrifice. ¹³

Revealed knowledge

In the Rig Veda, Narashangsa is described as a Kavi.

He, Narasamsa, ne'er beguiled, inspirited this sacrifice: For sage is he, with sweets in hand. ¹⁴

One who receives revealed knowledge is called a Kavi or messenger of God. Kavi is a person who has an amazing faculty. Kavi can arrive at the station where the sun and the moon and the angels cannot reach (referring to the Mi'raj (Ascension)) of the Holy Prophet ). He is the king of the spiritual world. `Ka' means God. One who has a special connection with `Ka' or God and one who knows God with special knowledge is Kavi.

Graceful personality

In the Rig Veda, Narashangsa is mentioned as a Sharchi.

May Narasamsa lighting up the chambers, bright in his majesty through threefold heaven, Steeping the gift with oil diffusing purpose, bedew the Gods at the chiefest time of worship. ¹⁵

This word is a combination of ‘Shoo’ meaning beautiful and ‘Archi’ meaning radiance. Significantly, Sharchi means a beautiful and graceful person whose face radiates light (halo). In the same verse of the Rig Veda, it is also said that the bril-liance of his light will brighten every home, meaning that there will not be a single home where his praise will not be pronounced.

The promoter of knowledge

The word used to describe this aspect of Narashangsa is Prati-Dhama-Nanjan which means ‘one who brightens every home’. The word ‘brighten’ in the ordinary sense means ‘to remove darkness’, but in the spiritual sense or metaphorically, it means ‘to spread knowledge’. Ignorance is darkness and light stands for knowledge and right guidance. This same is the case with the Holy Quran, which uses the word of light metaphorically wich means ‘Prophet Muhammad , who will brighten the way of guidance through divine knowledge’. An example can be seen in the Holy Quran as:

قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُبِينٌ 15¹⁶

Indeed towards you has come a light * from Allah, and a clear Book. (* The Holy Prophet is a light from Allah).

While commenting on this verse, Ghulam Rasool Saeedi states:

"The word light in this verse means 'guidance' and refers to the Holy Prophet and the 'book' refers to the Holy Quran because it was the Holy Prophet who guided the people towards the right path."

So, Narashangsa will brighten every home, that is, he will spread revealed knowledge to every home and help people in attaining guidance in the light of it.

Restrainer of all sins

In the Rig Veda, Narashangsa is described as one who restrains people from all sins. As the Rig Veda states:

“To mighty Narasamsa, strengthening his might, to Pusan, ruler over men, we pray with hymns. Even as a chariot from a difficult ravine, bountiful Vasus, rescue us from all distress.” ¹⁷

Thus, we find that Rishis of old chanted mantras beseeching Narashangsa to appear soon and restrain and dissuade humankind from all sins. The literal meaning of the mantra is, "O Narashangsa! Save us from all sins". Some translate this as "Rescue us from all distress." (as mentioned above) The implication is that the Rishis of ancient times had high regard for Narashangsa in their hearts. It was their wish that Narashangsa should appear in this world, dissuade people from sins and rescue them from distress.

It goes without saying that all these qualities, i.e., being honeytongued or having a sweet, articulate, persuasive tongue; receiving the revealed knowledge; having a graceful personality; promoting knowledge, thus enlightening people intellectually, helping them attain guidance; restraining people from the sins and rescuing them from distress, are all found in Prophet Muhammad . As the Holy Quran states:

وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى 3 إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى 4¹⁸

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

While commenting on this verse, Qazi Muhammad Sanaullah Pani Patti States:

“The Holy Prophet did not Invent the Ho;y Quran. It was revealed to him by Godand Muhammad did not make any additions to it. ¹⁹

Both verse prove the fact that Islam and Holy Quran were divinely revealed so that mankind could save itself from the dark abyss of misguidance. These teachings were communicated to the people through the Holy Prophet . As the Holy Quran states:

كَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا فِيكُمْ رَسُولًا مِنْكُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمْ مَا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَ 151²⁰

The way We have sent to you a Noble Messenger from among you, who recites to you Our verses and purifies you, and teaches you the Book and sound wisdom*, and teaches you what you did not know.

The words 'teaches you the book and sound wisdom' refers to the fact that the Holy Prophet used to teach the people about heaven and hell. His main focus was to ensure that mankind attained success in both worlds. For this reason, he would warn the people about the punishments of hell, and give glad tidings about the benefits of heaven. Another meaning of this verse is that he used to teach Shariah (Islamic Law) to the people so that they may follow it, attain piety, contentment and success of both worlds.

Another dimension of the prophet's unparalleled intellect is the very concise nature of his speech. He is the leader, not only of those who lived during his lifetime, but of every believer to come till the day of resurrection. He was sent to address people of every level, from ignorant seventh-century desert men to those of the highest intellectual and scientific achievements, until the Day of Judgment. No one has yet been able to refute what he has said. Accordingly, after we scrutinise his Traditions (Ahadith of Holy Prophet ) and the Holy Quran, we realize that they were divine revelations. Ever since the revelation, billions of people have found their answers in the Holy Quran for their intellectual problems, cures for their spiritual diseases, and models for their behaviour in all circumstances.

The enchanting, captivating, and informative words of God's Messenger which enlightened his companions intellectually and revived them spiritually, have exerted the same influence on many scholars, scientists, Quranic interpreters, traditionalists, jurists, spiritual guides, and specialists in science and humanities since the seventh century. Such people, the vast majority of whom have been non-Arab, have used the Holy Quran and the Sunna (the way of the Prophet illustrated by his sayings and actions) as the foundational sources of their academic studies and endeavours. Even today, one of his words is enough to cause people to reform themselves and embrace Islam.

Narashangsa is also mentioned in the Bright Yajurveda (29: 27), in which Narashangsas greatness is honoured: "With sacrifice to these we with laudations will honour holy Narasamsa's greatness..." (Griffith's translation)

Narashangsa In The Atharva Veda

The Atharva Veda has a prominent position among all the four Vedas for it is known as Brahma Veda or Divine Knowledge. It is different from the other three Vedas and is next in importance to the Rig Veda with regard to history and sociology. A different spirit is observed in this Veda. Its hymns are of a more diverse character than the Rig Veda and are also simpler in language. It portrays a clearer picture of the Vedic society.

The Atharva Veda is a collection of all kinds of mantras (Veda metrical parts). It contains eulogies of the Rig Vedic type, literary compositions of the Sam Vedic type and also the details of worship which are found in the Yajur Veda. Thus, it comprises of all kinds of mantras found in the different Vedas. Besides, it contains mantras giving details of how one can overcome fatal diseases; how victories can be achieved in warfare, and the descriptions of heaven and hell.

In the twentieth book of the Atharva Veda, some Suktas (chapters 127-136) are known as Kuntap Sukta, the word Kuntap means to consume sin and misery', and Sukta means ‘chapter’. Kuntap also means the ‘hidden glands in the abdomen’, suggesting the true meaning to be revealed only to those who can have sufficient insight. These Suktas are read every year to great assemblies in prayers and in sacrificial locations. Seventeen leading pundits assemble annually to recite these mantras (verses) with great devotion.

The Suktas mentioned are also in praise of Narashangsa. Therefore, they contain predictions of Prophet Muhammad which can be seen below.

Mantra One

The Praiseworthy, Emigrant, And One Who Promotes Peace.

Listen to this O people! The praiseworthy man (Narashangansa) among the people will be praised. O Kaurama, we have received among the Rushamas sixty thousand and ninety. ²¹²²

In this mantra, the two descriptions are given of the Sage or Rishi whose praise is being sung. (1) His name is given as Narashangsa, which means, the praised man. (2) The other description of the Sage in this mantra is that he is a Kaurama, which means an immigrant one who leaves his country and one who promotes peace. The mantra says that the immigrant, peace-promoting man is visible among sixty thousands and ninety people. During the time of Prophet Muhammad the population of Hijaz was about sixty-thousand. The Holy Prophet had to leave his birthplace Makkah, migrated to Madina and settled there. At last, he came out victorious from among sixty thousand people of Hijaz who had become hostile to him, and through Islam, which means submission to God and the ensuing peace, established peace in Arabia. Thus, both descriptions are fully applicable to the Holy Prophet .

This mantra is corroborated and confirmed by another mantra of the same Veda. This other mantra is as follows:

O Indra! With your unconquerable and strong chakra, you have inflicted defeat on the twenty leaders of the nation and their sixty thousand and ninety-nine followers who had waged war against the helpless Sushravah. ²³²⁴

Sushravah means famous and renowned; praiseworthy and commendable; a prophet; inspired one; a man perfect in divine knowledge. ²⁵²⁶ Not a common noun, but a name of a particular person of exalted position who ranks above angels in high heaven. ²⁷ Indra's unconquerable chakra, i.e., the miraculous Divine help, put to rout and defeated the twenty leaders and their sixty thousand and so fighting men, who were hostile to Sushravah. It is highly interesting that the historians cite the names of around twenty prominent enemy tribes that interacted with the Holy Prophet in Makkah and Madina. The following mantra is also of the same meaning with an important addition:

Sushravah And His Closest Companions Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman And Ali

With all-outstripping chariot-wheel, O Indra, You far-famed, has overthrown the twenty leaders of men, with sixty thousand nine-and-ninety followers, who came in arms to fight with friendless Sushravah. You have protected Sushravah with succour, and Turvayana with your aid, O Indra. You made Kutsa, Atithigva, Ayu, subject unto this King, the young, the mighty. ²⁸²⁹

In this mantra, it is mentioned that Sushravah is alone in the face of his opponents the twenty leaders of the enemy tribes and their sixty thousand warriors, but he has defeated them merely due to the help and power of the All-High God. While entering Makkah in 630, Prophet Muhammad in the state of prostration on his camel, praised God, saying: "All praise is due to God, and God is the All-Great. He is the One, Single. He has helped His servant, made him victorious, defeated His enemies alone and carried out His promise!" As will be explained later, this mantra also refers to the prophet's victory in the Battle of Hunayn.

In the mantra, it has also been stated that together with Sushravah (Prophet Muhammad ), the All-High God also protected another person called Turvayana. This term means ‘fast and swift’ and is also used for amazing; loyal; intelligent; beautiful. ³⁰ This is the title of Abu Bakr , who was the closest companion of the Holy Prophet and the first Caliph after him. He was the swiftest in believing in the Holy Prophet and supporting him among the adult men. He accompanied the Holy Prophet during his emigration to Madina. They took shelter in a cave on Mount Thawr ³¹ outside Makkah. One of the Makkan parties which were sent to catch the Holy Prophet came to the mouth of the cave, but unexpectedly found that a spider had spun the web across the entrance to the cave and that two doves had made a nest and laid eggs in the mouth. Thinking that no one could have entered the cave, the Makkan search party left. Describing this miraculous protection, the Holy Quran states:

إِلَّا تَنْصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا السُّفْلَى وَكَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ 140³²

If you do not help him (Prophet Mohammed ), Allah has helped him – when he had to go forth due to the mischief of the disbelievers, just as two men – when they were in the cave, when he was saying to his companion, “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us”; then Allah caused His calm to descend upon him and helped him with armies you did not see, and disgraced the word of the disbelievers; and Allah’s Word is supreme; and Allah is the Almighty, the Wise.

The mantra under discussion also mentions other three persons: Kutsa, Atithigva and Ayu, who had been made subservient to Sushravah. Kutsa means ‘faultfinding one who engages in scolding or belittling others’, ³³ that is, ‘one who distinguishes between truth and falsehood, and one who is a powerful wrestler’. Moreover, this name befits most suitably Umar al-Farooq (one who judges and makes a distinction between truth and falsehood and between the rightful and the wrongful). Umar was also a powerful wrestler. Atithigva, in addition to meaning `hospitality, helping the poor, generosity and one who goes towards the guest or serves his guests sincerely’ <sup>34</sup> is a ‘mythical’ hero. <sup>35</sup> Therefore, it befits the lion of God, Ali , who was famous and praised both for his heroism and hospitality. This name also refers to the third Caliph Uthman who was well-known for his generosity. Ayu means `life' or ‘age’ and points to certain other companions of the Holy Prophet .

Mantra Two

The Camel-Riding Prophet, Who Made An Ascension

The second mantra of Kuntap Sukt runs as follows, according to the translation of Professor Griffith:

Camels twice-ten that draw the car, with females by their side, he gave. Fain would have the chariot's top bow down escaping from the stroke of heaven. ³⁶³⁷

In this mantra, three identities of the future, promised Rishi Narashangsa are given.

1. He will be a camel rider

Jesus , rode an ass. The camel and the riding on a camel have a reference to the country of Arabia, which is an animal essential to Bedevi (Arabian desert) life. On account of its meagre demands and due to its endurance and the swiftness, it is the preferred ride for long journeys across the desert. It is also apparent from this mantra that the prophet will be from outside India and from a non-Hindu background because riding a camel is forbidden for a Hindu Brahmin according to Manu Smriti. As it is written there:

“A Brahmana who voluntarily rode in a carriage drawn by camels or by asses, and he who bathed naked, become pure by suppressing his breath (Pranayama)”. ³⁸

Even the mills and meat of camels is forbidden for an Indian Rishi (prophet) according to Manu Samriti:

“The milk of a cow (or other female animal) within ten days after her calving, that of camels, of one-hoofed animals, of sheep, of a cow in heat, or of one that has no calf with her, (The milk) of all wild animals excepting buffalo-cows, that of women, and all (substances turned) sour must be avoided”. ³⁹

And the atonement for partaking of (the meat of) carnivorous animals, of pigs, of camels, of cocks, of crows, of donkeys, and of human flesh, is a Tapta Krikkhra (penance). ⁴⁰

2. The promised prophet will have more than one wife

According to the scholars, the words "vadhu mantah davirdarsh" in the mantra have two different translations. Firstly, that "the camels draw the chariot in which his wives are also with him". Secondly it is translated to: "the camels with their females drag his chariot". According to the first interpretation, the promised Rishi is said to have more than one wife, which applies to the Holy Prophet and according to the second, camel-riding is his peculiarity, which is also equally true for the Holy Prophet . Thus, both of the translations apply to no other Rishi but Prophet Muhammad . In Sanskrit, the term Vadhu has a very broad significance. It means ‘an independent woman, a woman who wants to marry, the bride, a married woman, maidservant, female animal’. ⁴¹ In the Vedas, the term Vadhu has also been used for a lady who has been given as a gift to a Brahman by a Raja or a rich man. All these meanings are true for the Holy Prophet's wives, some of whom like Khadija were independent women, some like Sawda and Umme Salama were widows, some like A’isha were voting maidens, and Mariya among them was sent to the Holy Prophet by the king of Egypt as a gift. The Holy Prophet also had a few maidservants.

Having more than one wife is not something to be objected for a prophet. For we should consider that the King of Ascetics, Sri Krishna, had more than six hundred Queens. As a matter of fact, a Yogi (man of God, ascetic) can remain free of the influence of any desire, even when he lives a family life, and he can attain to Nirvana. Also, the great Hebrew patriarchs considered prophets in the Bible and the Holy Quran and revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims as exemplars of moral excellence; all had more than one wife. For example, David and Solomon , had far more wives than Prophet Muhammad .

Prophet Muhammad married his first wife Khadija , a widow several years older than him, when he was 25 years old, 15 years before his prophethood began. Despite the cultural and moral climate in which he lived, not to mention his youth and other factors, Muhammad enjoyed a sound reputation for chastity, integrity, and trustworthiness.

This marriage was very dear and unique in the eyes of the Holy Prophet and God Almighty. For 23 years, this devoted couple lived together in complete contentment and fidelity. The Holy Prophet took no other wives while Khadija was alive, although public opinion and social norms would have allowed this. Even his enemies admitted that during these years, they could find no flaw in his moral character. When she died during the eighth year of his prophethood, the Holy Prophet found himself single once again, but this time with children. He remained unmarried for 4 or 5 years. All his other marriages began when he was 53 years old, an age when very little real interest and desire for the wedding remains, especially in Arabia where people grow old relatively earlier.

Polygamy was not initiated by the Muslims. Furthermore, in the case of the prophet of Islam, it had a far more vital role to play as an essential part of conveying the message of God. For example, a religion that encompasses every sphere of life cannot be shy when it comes to intimate matters. One's spouse can only know such things. Therefore, there must be women who can give clear instruction and advice; as such matters cannot be left to the general allusions, hints, and innuendoes. Everything must be clear; there is no room for obscurity or second-guessing. The Prophet's wives functioned as teachers who conveyed and explained to other women, as well as men, Islamic norms and rules for correct domestic, marital, and other private concerns.

Some marriages of the Holy Prophet were contracted for specific reasons, such as:

• Since his wives were young, middle-aged, and elderly, the requirements and norms of Islamic law could be applied correctly to each stage of their life and experiences. These provisions were learnt and implemented within the Prophet's household and then conveyed to other Muslims through his wives.
• Each wife was from a different clan or tribe, which allowed the Holy Prophet to establish bonds of kinship and affinity throughout Arabia. This caused a profound attachment to him to spread among the diverse peoples of the new Ummah, and also created and secured equality and brother/sisterhood among both in practical matters and regarding religion. Also, everyone connected to him through close family relationship felt that they could approach him personally for guidance on any issue. The entire tribe also benefited from this connection; they considered themselves fortunate and took pride in their new relationship. For example, such relationships were established for the Umayyads (through Umme Habiba ), the Hashimites (through Zaynab binte Jahsh ), and the Banu Makhzum (through Umme Salama ).
• Both before and after the Prophet's demise, each wife proved to be of great benefit and service. They conveyed and interpreted Islam to their people in all its inner and outer experiences, as well as the qualities, manners, and faith of the man who was the embodiment of the Holy Quran in every aspect of his life. In this way, all of their people learned the Holy Quran, the Traditions, Tafsir (Quranic interpretation and commentary), and filth (jurisprudence or the Islamic Law). Thus, through his wives, these people became acutely aware of Islam's essence and spirit.
• These marriages allowed Prophet Muhammad to establish kinship ties throughout Arabia, and thus to move freely wherever he wished and to be accepted as a member of each family.

The Promised Prophet will go to the heavens riding a miraculous chariot: Prophet Muhammad did travel, on a heavenly mount called Buraq, through all the dimensions (physical and metaphysical) of existence as far as the farthest points of the created realm, which is known as Mi`raj (the Ascension). As the Holy Quran states:

وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى 7⁴²

And he was on the horizon of the highest heaven.

While commenting on this verse, Justice Karam Shah Al-Azhari stated the following:

"Then, the Holy Prophet crossed all the realms, ascended towards the heavens and reached an area known as 'non spatio temporal dimension'." ⁴³

It is a known fact, that man-made vessels don't have the strength or the speed to cross these dimensions. So Muhammad reached the highest heavens on a miraculous ride provided by Allah.

Mantra Three

The Companions Of The Promised Prophet

The third mantra reads as follows, according to the translation of Professor Griffith:

A hundred chains of gold, ten wreaths, upon the Rishi, he bestowed, And thrice-a-hundred mettled steeds, ten-times-a-thousand cows he gave. ⁴⁴

In this mantra, another name of the Rishi and some gifts given to him are mentioned.

The name of the Promised Prophet

The other name mentioned here for Prophet Muhammad is Mamah (a). No Rishi in India or any other prophet ever had this name. The root of the word Mamah is ‘Mah’ which means to esteem highly, honour, revere, to magnify and to exalt. The word Muhammad means ‘the Praised One’ in Arabic. In Sanskrit, many Muslim names are used with a small change. For example, Mahmud al-Ghaznavi (971-1030), who briefly ruled parts of India, is referred to as Mamud Gajnavi. Therefore, considering the full meaning of the mantra under discussion, Mamah is synonymous with Muhammad . In Hinduism, the word Rishi means a teacher of spiritual knowledge or prophet.

The gifts to be given to the Promised Prophet

Mamah Rishi will be given one hundred gold coins, ten garlands or wreaths, three hundred horses and ten thousand cows.

These should not be taken literally in their material sense because merely material achievements do not represent and are not mentioned for the greatness of a Rishi. As a matter of fact, these descriptions have been used in the figurative sense, as it is the usual practice of the sacred Scriptures that they speak in parables and uses figures of speech because they address all levels of understanding both at present and to come in the future. Also, since it is not approved to give the news of the future clearly, the sacred texts also use metaphors and contain implicit indications to future events.

Among the companions of Prophet Muhammad , there were about a hundred who lived in the chamber near the mosque in Madina and were therefore called Ashab-us-Suffa (the people of the chamber). They had dedicated themselves to the understanding of Islam; they would study the revelation. They were always present in the classes of the Holy Prophet and therefore achieved high marks regarding religious understanding and spiritual perfection. These companions were like gold coins.

Among the companions, there were ten--the ten wreaths or garlands, who outstripped others in accepting Islam and serving it. They were given the good news of entry into Paradise and are therefore known as al-Ashrat-ul-Mubashshara (The ten who were given the good news of Paradise). As the Holy Prophet says:

قال رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم: أبو بكر في الجنة، وعمر في الجنة، وعثمان في الجنة، وعلي في الجنة، وطلحة في الجنة والزبير في الجنة، وعبد الرحمن بن عوف في الجنة، وسعد في الجنة، وسعيد في الجنة، وأبو عبيدة بن الجراح في الجنة. ⁴⁵

That the Messenger of Allah said: "Abu Bakr is in Paradise, 'Umar is in Paradise, 'Uthman is in Paradise, 'Ali is in Paradise, Talhah is in Paradise, Az-Zubair is in Paradise, 'Abdur Rahman bin Awf is in Paradise, Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas is in Paradise, Sa'id ibn Zayd is in Paradise, and Abu 'Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah is in Paradise.

Three hundred horses or steeds represent the companions who took part in the Battle of Badr. Two years after the Prophet's migration to Madina, his Makkan enemies dispatched one thousand-strong army to put an end to the spread of Islam. The Holy Prophet faced them with only three hundred and so of his companions, who fought the Makkan army with great bravery and valour and succeeded in routing them. Seventy enemies were killed, and another seventy were taken, prisoners. These companions had a prominent place among all the companions of the Prophet and are known as the ‘Companions of Badr’. Secondly, regarding the angels who participated in the battle of Badr, the arch angel Gabriel stated that these angels were the most prominent amongst the other angels, and hold the same rank which the companions of Badr held amongst other companions.

The ten thousand cows given to the Mamah Rishi refer to the ten thousand companions of the Holy Prophet who accompanied him when he conquered Makkah. They conquered Makkah without shedding blood. In the Vedas, a cow or an ox represents both a warrior and a man of peace and amity. Both of these qualities are found in the companions of Prophet Muhammad . They were righteous men, pious and compassionate, and they were fierce and vigorous in establishing peace and justice. As the Holy Quran states:

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 29⁴⁶

Mohammed 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.

Moreover, another pertinent piece of information needs to be mentioned here. Just before the battle of Uhud, the Holy Prophet said:

ورأيت بقرا تذبح. ⁴⁷

"I saw (in the dream) that some cows were being slaughtered."

Hence we see that some of the companions of the Holy Prophet embraced martyrdom in the battle. This proves that the word ‘cow’ was a used as a reference to the companions of the Holy Prophet .

So we can confidently state that all the signs in the mantra under discussion perfectly fit Prophet Muhammad and his companions.

Mamah (a) with ten thousand followers

We come across Mamah (a) in the Rig Veda, 5: 27: 1 as well. It is as follows, according to the translation of Griffith and certain Hindu commentators respectively. Then translation is as follows:

“ The Godlike hero, most famous of nobles, hath granted me two oxen with a waggon. Trvrsan's son Tryaruna hath distinguished himself, Vaiśvānara Agni! With ten thousand.”⁴⁸

Another translation is as follows:

“The wagon-possessor, the truthful and truth-loving, extremely wise, powerful and generous, Mamah has favoured me with his words. The son of the All-Powerful, possessing all good attributes, the mercy for the worlds has become famous with ten thousand (Companions).”

Another translation is as follows:

Mamaha, who has in his possession a wheeled vehicle, who is truthful and truth-loving, who is extremely knowledgeable, powerful and open-handed, has shown me kindness! With his Message. The son of the Almighty, possessor of all noble qualities, beneficent to the entire world, he will be famous along with his ten thousand followers. ⁴⁹

Every word of this prophecy is distinctly about Prophet Muhammad’s charismatic personality and honesty. For as explained before in this book, besides his other exalted and laudable characteristics, everyone agreed upon his absolute truthfulness and trustworthiness. He never lied, cheated, broke his word, or participated in his people's pagan rituals. He was called "the Truthful, Trustworthy One" even by his bitterest enemies.

The Holy Prophet was peerless in wisdom; he was the wisest of all as one of the divine purposes for his prophethood was instructing people about wisdom. ⁵⁰

Prophet Muhammad was so powerful that he defeated all his enemies with a handful of followers. He also beat Rukana ibn ‘Abd Yazid, the most powerful and famous wrestler of the time, in wrestling.

As explained before, the Holy Prophet was so generous that he bestowed everything upon his followers and kept nothing for himself. Whatever wealth and spoils of war came, he distributed all of it amongst the community, keeping nothing for himself. He did not reject or drive away any petitioner, as Imam Busiri states: "But for his setting during the Prayer, (at the settings of the Prayer, Muslims recite, “I bear witness that there is no deity save God.") he would never have uttered a, ‘No!’” ‘The mercy for the worlds’ is a special attribute of the Holy Prophet , as Holy Quran states:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ 107⁵¹

And We did not send you (O dear Prophet Mohammed ) except as a mercy for the entire world.

Similarly, he was the only prophet who was famous for his ten thousand companions, who accompanied him in the conquest of Makkah without any fight.

All these attributes apply to Prophet Muhammad . The term 'wagon-possessor' which is used here also applies to the Holy Prophet . The word anaswanta (wagon-possessor) is used on several occasions in the religious books of the Hindus. For instance, Indra is said to be riding a waggon (Rig Veda, 1: 127: 7). Then he is supposed to be breaking the waggon on the horizon (Rig Veda, 2: 15: 6; 4: 30: 11; 8: 91: 7; 10: 75:6). Similarly, the sun is said to be riding a waggon drawn by horses, and its daughter to be born in a waggon (Rig Veda, 10: 85: 10). All these quotations show that this word is used in a metaphorical sense. It means exalted, honourable and dignified. Thus, the ‘wagon-possessor’ too is an attribute of Prophet Muhammad and, taken in its real sense, well applies to him.

Mantra Four

The Prophet's Adoration Of God & Communication Of The Truth

According to the translation of Professor Griffith, this mantra is as follows:

Glut thee, O Singer, glut thee like a bird on a ripe-fruited tree. Thy lips and tongue move swiftly like the sharp blades of a pair of shears. ⁵²

In Bloomfield's translation, we read this addition: "Your tongue glides quickly over the lips as a razor over the strop." This mantra refers to the Holy Prophet as Rebh, which has a range of meanings such as ‘to murmur like a stream’, ‘to sound in general’, ‘to babble’, ‘to praise’, ‘to glorify’, and ‘to worship’. ⁵³ These meanings refer to the Prophet's Arabic name Ahmad, meaning one who praises and glorifies as an act of worship. Therefore, another rendering of the mantra by Hindu commentators amounts to the following:

Disseminate the truth, O you who praises (Ahmad), disseminate the truth, just as a bird sings on a ripe fruited tree. Your lips and tongue move swiftly like the sharp blade of a pair of shears. ⁵⁴

Therefore, the Rishi who will receive the Divine command to disseminate or preach the truth will be ‘one who praises’. Prophet Muhammad had two names in the Holy Quran, one Ahmad, and the other Muhammad. Ahmad means ‘one who praises’. In this mantra, Prophet Muhammad is asked to preach whatever is revealed to him from his Lord. Therefore, the mantra has almost the same meaning as the following Quranic verses:

يَاأَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ 1 قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ 2 وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ 3⁵⁵

he Cloaked One! (Prophet Mohammed ). Rise up and warn!. And proclaim the Purity of your Lord.

The verse means: O you who lays enwrapped, stand up and arouse the people who live in heedlessness around you. Warn them of the fate which would certainly overtake them if they remained involved in the same heedlessness. Warn them that they are not living in a lawless kingdom where they are free to conduct themselves as they like and where they can do wherever they please without any fear or being called to account for it.

This is the primary duty of a Prophet (peace be upon him), which he has to perform in this world. His foremost duty is to refute the greatness of all those whom the ignorant people might be holding as great, and publicly proclaim that the greatness in this universe belongs to none but Allah alone. ⁵⁶

The fruit of the tree being ripe means the Prophet's success. The Holy Prophet preached his religion, and the world partook of the ripe fruit that he bore. The Holy Quran, in accordance with this mantra, sets forth a parable of a fruit-bearing tree in these verses:

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ 24 تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ 25⁵⁷

Did you not see how Allah illustrated the example of a sacred saying? Like a sacred tree, which has firm roots and branches reaching into heaven. Bearing fruit at all times by the command of its Lord, and Allah illustrates examples for people so that they may understand.

The tree of prophethood, with its prominent figure of Abraham , the Prophet Muhammad's ancestor, is portrayed here as it delivers its great yield every now and then, in the shape of a new prophet who spreads faith and goodness.

Yet the analogy is far more comprehensive, real and effective than just that. For the good word of truth is indeed like a great firm tree, yielding its fruits, solid, unaffected by wind and undisturbed by the storm of evil. It cannot be uprooted by evil tyranny, even though there may be times when it seems to be exposed to grave danger. As it stands high, it looks on evil, injustice and tyranny from above, even though it sometimes seems to the short-sighted that evil squeezes it into a narrow corner. Its fruits are yielded time after time, because its seeds grow within good souls, generation after generation. ⁵⁸ Islam is thus likened to a firm-rooted tree bearing fruits

Mantra Five

Warriors Who Go To War With Prayers

Griffith translates this mantra as follows:

Quickly and willingly like Kine forth come the singers and their Hymns: Their little maidens are at home, at home, they wait upon the cows. ⁵⁹

This is a typical description of the Holy Prophet's companions because as described in the Quranic verse of the chapter, al-Fath 48: 29, which has already been quoted, while they were undefeatable warriors, they were devoted worshippers of God as well. Even during the wars, they did not neglect their five daily prayers. Islam, being the only religion to encompass every aspect of life taught the Muslims an easier way to pray during times of war. As the Holy Quran states:

وَإِذَا كُنْتَ فِيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلَاةَ فَلْتَقُمْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ مَعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُوا أَسْلِحَتَهُمْ فَإِذَا سَجَدُوا فَلْيَكُونُوا مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ وَلْتَأْتِ طَائِفَةٌ أُخْرَى لَمْ يُصَلُّوا فَلْيُصَلُّوا مَعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُوا حِذْرَهُمْ وَأَسْلِحَتَهُمْ وَدَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ تَغْفُلُونَ عَنْ أَسْلِحَتِكُمْ وَأَمْتِعَتِكُمْ فَيَمِيلُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ مَيْلَةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنْ كَانَ بِكُمْ أَذًى مِنْ مَطَرٍ أَوْ كُنْتُمْ مَرْضَى أَنْ تَضَعُوا أَسْلِحَتَكُمْ وَخُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَعَدَّ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُهِينًا 102⁶⁰

And when you (O dear Prophet Mohammed ) are among them and lead them in prayer, only a group of them should be with you, and they must keep their weapons with them; so when they have performed their prostrations they should move away behind you; and the other group that had not prayed, must come and offer prayers in your leadership, keeping their guard and weapons with them; the disbelievers wish that you neglect your arms and your means so they may overpower you with a single attack; it is no sin for you to lay aside your arms due to rain or if you are sick; and keep your guard; undoubtedly Allah has kept prepared a disgraceful punishment for the disbelievers.

This injunction regarding Prayer in a state of either fear or insecurity (Salat-ul-Khawf) refers to the time when an enemy attack is anticipated, but the fighting has not yet begun. When fighting is taking place the ruling of the Hanafi school is that Prayer may be deferred. Malik and Thawri are of the opinion that if it is not possible to bow and prostrate in Prayer, it is enough to perform these actions by means of signs ⁶¹ but to forget Allah and leaving His rememberence while fighting is not allowed at all. In different battles of Islamic history, Prophet and his companions were found praying to God in different styles which show their commitment towards prayer.

Moreover, at another place in the Holy Quran, God ordered the Muslims to pray, and seek help through prayer and patience. As the Holy Quran states:

وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ 45⁶²

And seek help in patience and prayer, and truly it is hard except for those who prostrate before Me with sincerity.

This verse basically states that the believers pray to Allah when they face trouble, and edures it with patience. Secondly, whenever the believers prayed, God always aided them, and they emerged victorious. It is definitely hard to pray while facing different troubles but believers know that rememberence of Allah is the real source to save them from all sort of problems whatever they are in their nature.

Mantra Six

The Prophet Asked To Preach The Teachings Of The Quran

Griffith translates this mantra as follows:

O Singer, bring thou forth the hymn that findeth cattle, findeth: wealth. Even as an archer aims his shaft address this prayer unto the Gods. ⁶³

The Holy Quran, in one respect, is a book of prayer and is recited during the prayers. It is also a book of wisdom. There is no difference between one's being a singer who sings hymns and one's being a praiser of the Lord. Therefore, in this mantra, the Rishi (prophet) is asked to arm himself with wisdom and hymns of praise, and then delivers that wisdom and hymns of praise into the hearts of people like an unfailing archer. That is, the Holy Prophet is asked to preach the teachings of the Quran, which is both a Book of wisdom and a book of divine praises, among the righteous people, i.e. his companions, just as an archer aims his shaft. This is God's order to the Holy Prophet . As the Holy Quran states:

يَاأَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ 67⁶⁴

O Noble Messenger (Prophet Mohammed )! Convey all that has been sent down to you from your Lord; and if you do not, then you have not conveyed any of His messages; and Allah will protect you from the people; indeed Allah does not guide the disbelievers.

The similarity between the mantra and the verse of the Holy Quran proves that this mantra refers to the Holy Prophet only.

Mantras Seven To Ten

Parikshit And The Peace, Prosperity, And Security Coming With Him

In mantras 7 to 10 of this Sukt, a great personage is mentioned, and his peaceful and popular rule is eulogised and praised. Parikshit is the name of this personage, and it can be said that his reign is the paradise of human dreams, and Parikshit himself is the darling of the people. These mantras, according to the translation of Griffith, are as follows:

List⁶⁵ to Parikshit's eulogy, the Sovran whom all people love, The King who ruleth over all, excelling mortals as a God. 'Mounting his throne, Parikshit, best of all, hath given us peace and rest,' Saith a Kauravya to his wife as he is ordering his house. ‘Which shall I set before thee, curds, a gruel of milk, or barley-brew?’ Thus the wife asks her husband in the realm which King Parikshit rules. Up as it were to heavenly light springs the ripe corn above the cleft. Happily, thrive, the people in the land where King Parikshit reigns. ⁶⁶

The identity of Parikshit is controversial about the scholars of the Vedas and the historians. In his Political History of Ancient India, Hemchandlia Raychaudhuri, a lecturer at Calcutta University, wrote:

“Was there really a King named Parikshit? True, he is mentioned in the Maliabharata and the Puranas. But the mere mention of a king in this kind of literature is no sure proof of his historical existence unless we have external evidence to corroborate the Epic and Pauranic account.

Roth and Bloomfield regard Parikshit in the Atharva Veda not as a human king at all. However, Zimmer and Oldenberg recognise Parikshit as a real king. . . Referring to King Parikshit Macdonell and Keith observe (Vedic Index, Vol. I, p. 494): "The Epic makes him the grandfather of Pratisravas and great-grandfather of Pratipa." Now, the Epic has two Parikshits, one a son of Avikshit or Anasva and an ancestor of Pratisravas and Pratipa, the other a descendant of Pratipa and a son of Abhimanyu (Mahabharata, Adiparva, 94.52 and 95.41).”⁶⁷

Hemchandra Raychaudhuri suggests that despite some differences in the information given about the two Pariksits, they may be the same individual. However, Veda's mention of King Parikshit gives rise to the following matter:

‘Considering that time from the fourteenth century B.C. to the ninth century B.C. is given for the date of Parikshit's reign, and the Vedas existed before, then Veda's mention of Parikshit may be a prophecy’.

Secondly, some scholars give the following literal translation of the seventh Mantra:

“The king of all the human race, who is holy and pure among men; the Chief of all peoples, Parikshit; listen to his high praise.”

According to the texts, Parikshit comes at the beginning of Kali Yuga, the darkest period of human history. "Due to the entrance of Kali, all kinds of adharma kaaryas (irreligious activities) were encouraged. There is no shuchi-shubhrata (purity-brightness), no daya-daanam (compassion-charity), no Vedas, Puranas, or shaastra (knowledge), no adherence to Satyam (truth), etc. ⁶⁸ But Parikshit, with his power, controls everything. Parikshit was such a great favourite of God, to the extent that God suppressed the unstoppable Brahmaastra (the most deadly weapon), because he was a great Bhakta (lover of God) and never deviated from the path of Dharma (God's way or law). He was devoted to virtue, religious principles, the truth and was a wise monarch.

Now the question arises that who is this Parikshit or for whom has this prophecy been fulfilled? In praise of this Parikshit, it has been stated that he will be the king of the whole human race, and the holiest and purest (devta) of all the human beings. However, the son of Kaurus (the historical Parikshit) was not the king of the entire human race, neither superior to and surpassing all people. Why should his praise be commemorated forever by means of yagyas (ceremonies, including the chanting of specific Vedic mantras)? Evidently, therefore, this Parikshit is someone else, endowed with these great and glorious qualities, who was to come in the future.

In the four mantras quoted, the following characteristics of the promised personage are given:

He will assume the power of a king and establish peace among the people.

History cannot present any king or ruler who has the characteristics mentioned for Parikshit whether in India or elsewhere in the world. It is only Prophet Muhammad who had these characteristics and was both a prophet and a ruler. He came in Kali Yuga, in "the time of utter ignorance and barbarism". His other title among the prophets is ‘the beloved one of God’, while, for example, Abraham is called ‘the friend of God’, Moses as ‘the addressee of God’, and Jesus as ‘the spirit from God’.

It was only Prophet Muhammad who can rightfully claim to be the teacher of humankind, and his Quran which contains universal principles fits the description concerning Parikshit. No wonder, the Holy Quran uses the epithet of "a Mercy for all the worlds" for Prophet Muhammad , and a message for all the worlds of the Holy Quran itself. This truth has been established in the touchstone of history. Its glory will keep shining forever.

Prophet Muhammad was the purest, most truthful, and wisest of humankind. He was the one who never deviated from the path of God, i.e., sinless, and ever devoted to virtue, religious principles and the truth.

The name of the religion which Prophet Muhammad brought from God and established is ‘Islam’, which means submission to God and the ensuing peace. When he arrived to this world, the people of Arabia were divided into tribes, which continuously fought against each other. He established peace, unity and equality amongst them.

When Prophet Muhammad conquered Makkah with his ten thousand companions, and his rule was established, he gave peace and shelter even to his bitterest enemies and let them go by saying: "There shall be no rebuke against you this day." Additionally, the Holy Prophet united all the tribes of Arabia that had been fighting against each other for centuries. Regarding Prophet Muhammad’s unique characteristics, western writes state:

“On the basis of a Book (Holy Quran), every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality which blends together peoples of every tongue and race”. ⁷⁰

“It was the genius of Muhammad and his spirit that he breathed into the Arabs through the soul of Islam that exalted them. That raised them out of the lethargy and low level of tribal stagnation up to the high watermark of national unity and empire. It was in the sublimity of Muhammad's deism, the simplicity, the sobriety and purity, it inculcated, the fidelity of its founder to his tenets, which acted on their moral and intellectual fibre with all the magnetism of true inspiration.” ⁷¹

“The prospects of Arabia before the rise of Mohamed was as unfavourable to religious reform as they were in a political union or national regeneration.

From time beyond memory, Makkah and the whole peninsula had been steeped in spiritual torpor... The people were sunk in superstition, cruelty and vice. Their religion was a gross idolatry; and their faith the dark, superstitious dread of invisible beings. Thirteen years before the Hegira, Makkah lay lifeless in this debased state. What a change had those thirteen years now produced! ... Jewish truth had long sounded in the ears of the men of Medina, but it was not until they heard the spirit-stirring strains of the Arabian prophet that they, too, awoke from their slumber, and sprang suddenly into a new and earnest life.

The first peculiarity, then, which attracts our attention is the subdivision of the Arabs into many bodies... each independent of the others: restless and often at war amongst themselves; and even when united by blood or by interest, ever ready on some significant cause to separate and give way to an implacable hostility. Thus, at the era of Islam, the retrospect of Arabian history exhibits, as in the kaleidoscope, an ever-varying state of combination and repulsion, such as had hitherto rendered abortive any attempt at a general union. The problem had yet to be solved, by what force these tribes could be subdued or drawn to one common centre; and Muhammad solved it.”⁷²

It is narrated as a prophecy in the traditions of the Holy Prophet that a time would come in Arabia when there would be such great affluence and security that no one would be found to be needing charity or Zakah (Prescribed Alms) and a woman would be able to travel alone from Hira⁷³ to Makkah without fearing anything on the way. Lateron , the world saw how after the advent of the Holy Prophet this peace, security and affluence spread throughout the Arab world, while before the rise of Islam neither a woman's chastity was safe nor was there security of life and property. During the reign of Umar Ibn 'Abdul -`Aziz , one of the Umayyad Caliphs, within the borders of the Muslim state which covered so vast an area as about 15 million km., no one could be found to be needing charity or Zakah. Moreover, the companion of the Prophet , `Addi bin Hatim who related the Tradition mentioned above from the Holy Prophet , confirmed that:

فَرَأَيْتُ الظَّعِينَةَ تَرْتَحِلُ مِنَ الحِيرَةِ حَتَّى تَطُوفَ بِالكَعْبَةِ لاَ تَخَافُ إِلَّا اللَّهَ. ⁷⁴

I saw a woman travel by camel litter from Hira to circumambulation the Kaaba fearing no one but God.

Mantra Eleven

The Rishi Ordered To Praise God And Preach His Commands

Mantra eleven among the fourteen mantras in the Atharva Veda, book 20, chapter:

127, also describes Prophet Muhammad . Its translation by Griffith and certain Hindu commentators are as follows respectively:

Indra hath waked the bard and said, Arise, wander singing here and there. Praise me, the strong: each pious man will give thee riches in return ⁷⁵

This mantra gives, more or less, the exact translation of the following Quranic verses:

يَاأَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ 1 قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا 2 نِصْفَهُ أَوِ انْقُصْ مِنْهُ قَلِيلًا 3 أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا 4 إِنَّا سَنُلْقِي عَلَيْكَ قَوْلًا ثَقِيلًا 5⁷⁶

O the One Wrapped in piety! (Prophet Mohammed ). Stand up for worship during the night, except for some part of it. For half the night, or reduce some from it. Or increase a little upon it, and recite the Qur’an slowly in stages. Indeed We shall soon ordain a heavy responsibility upon you.

يَاأَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ 1 قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ 2وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ 3⁷⁷

O the Cloaked One! (Prophet Mohammed ). Rise up and warn!. And proclaim the Purity of your Lord.

فَاصْدَعْ بِمَا تُؤْمَرُ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ 94⁷⁸

Therefore, publicly announce what you are commanded, and turn away from the polytheists.

وَلَلْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنَ الْأُولَى 4 وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَى 5⁷⁹

And indeed the latter is better for you than the former. And indeed your Lord will soon give you so much that you will be pleased.

إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ 2فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْ 2⁸⁰

We have indeed bestowed the Kausar upon you (O dear Prophet Mohammed ). So offer the prayers for your Lord, and perform the sacrifice.

After the believers praise God, they are rewarded. Hence these verses and the part 'pious man will give thee riches in return' have a similar meaning.

Secondly, the full meaning of the word kauthar, as used here, cannot perhaps be expressed in one word in any language of the world. This is an intensive form of the noun kathrat which literally means abundance, but the context in which it has been used does not give the meaning of mere abundance but abundance of good, of spiritual benefits and blessings, and of such abundance which is unbounded and limitless, and it does not imply any one good or benefit or blessing but abundance of countless benefits and blessings. ⁸¹

Mantra Twelve

The Prosperity Coming With The Prophet And His Unparalleled Munificence

The translation of this mantra is as follows:

Here, cows! Increase and multiply, here ye, O horses, here, O men. Here, with a thousand rich rewards, doth Pushan also seat himself. ⁸²

The history of Islam bears a clear testimony to the fact that everything prospered and increased in the governments of the Holy Prophet and his successors and that the Holy Prophet was the most generous of all.

If the Holy Prophet had desired, he could have been the richest man of his time. However, although God mandated that one-fifth of all war-gains to be at the free disposal of the Holy Prophet as the president of his state, he never spent it on himself or his family. He and his family lived austerely and survived on scanty provisions. He always preferred others, even over his family. For example, his share of the war-gains of Hunayn was of 40,000 sheep, 24,000 camels, and 16 tonnes of silver. Safwan ibn Umayya, from whom the Holy Prophet had borrowed some weapons to be used in the war, gazed upon the war-gains with greed and bewilderment. Aware of this, the Holy Prophet gave him as many camels as he wanted. Astounded with such generosity, Safwan ran to his people and announced: "O my people! Accept Islam without hesitation, for Muhammad gives in such a way that only one who has no fear of poverty and relies frilly on God can give". According to another narration, he said:

واللّٰه لقد أعطاني رسول اللّٰه صلى اللّٰه عليه وسلم ما أعطاني، وإنه لأبغض الناس إلي، فما برح يعطيني حتى إنه لأحب الناس إليز. ⁸³

By Allah, Prophet has given me that much (which is uncountable) what he might gave, he was the most detest for me, but what he has given me, now he has become the most beloved as compared to any other one.

Prophet Muhammad was sent as a blessing for the entire creation. He was kind not only towards the people, but towards the animals as well. This is stated in the Holy Quran as:

لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ (128⁸⁴

Indeed there has come to you a Noble Messenger from among you - your falling in to hardship aggrieves him, most concerned for your well being, for the Muslims most compassionate, most merciful.

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ (١٠٧)

And we did not send you (O dear Prophet Muhammad) except as a mercy for the entire world.

These verses state that Prophet Muhammad was sent only as a blessing for the people of the world. In both cases it will mean that the appointment of the Prophet is indeed a blessing and mercy of Allah to the whole world. This is because he aroused the neglectful world from its heedlessness and gave it the knowledge of the criterion between truth and falsehood, and warned it very clearly of both the ways of salvation and ruin. This fact has been stated here to tell the disbelievers of Makkah that they were quite wrong in their estimate of the Prophet that he was an affliction and distress for them because they said: This man has sown seeds of discard among our clans and separated near relatives from each other. They have been told here: O people, you are wrong to presume that he is an affliction for you; but he is in reality a blessing and mercy of Allah for you. ⁸⁵

Once, while returning from a military campaign, a few companions removed some young birds from their nest to stroke them. The mother bird came back and, not finding its babies, began to fly around screeching. When Prophet Muhammad was told of this, he became angry and ordered:

ردوا ولدها إليها. ⁸⁶

Put her baby bird back to her (in the nest.)

At another time, while he was in Mina, some of his companions attacked a snake to kill it, however, it managed to escape. Watching this from afar, the Holy Prophet remarked:

وقاها الله شركم، ووقاكم شرها. ⁸⁷

It was saved from your evil, as you were from (it's probably) evil.

Ibn 'Abbas , one of the companions of the Holy Prophet reported that the Holy Prophet once saw a man sharpening his knife directly before the sheep to be slaughtered. Due to his insensitivity, Prophet Muhammad said the following words to him:

أتريد أن تميتها موتاتز. ⁸⁸

Do you want to kill it many times?

'Abdullah Ibn Ja’far narrates: "God's Messenger once went to a garden in Madina with a few companions. A very scrawny camel was in a corner. When the camel saw Muhammad , it began to cry. So he went to it, and after staying beside it for a while, severely warned the owner to feed it properly and said:

أفلا تتقي الله في هذه البهيمة التي ملكك الله إياها؟⁸⁹

Do you not have any fear of Allah about this animal, what Allah has given in your ownership?

These verses and traditions (stated above) are only some of the examples of his munificence and generosity (more will be mentioned in detail in the later volumes). Secondly, these verses and traditions show that the traits mentioned in the mantra refer to the Holy Prophet only.

Mantras Thirteen & Fourteen

Prayer For The Holy Prophet And His Companions

The chapter 127 of Book 20 in the Atharva Veda, which was dedicated to the Holy Prophet ends with a prayer for him and his companions, and also for the Rishi himself who preached the Atharva Veda. The Rishi prays to God that no evil may not befall him and his companions for the sake of the Holy Prophet . The prayers was as follows:

O Indra, let these cows be safe, their master free from injury. Let not the hostile-hearted or the robber have control of them. Oft and again we glorify the hero with our hymn of praise, with prayer, with our auspicious prayer. Take pleasure in the songs we sing: let evil never fall on us. ⁹⁰

This prayer of the Vedic Rishi has clearly fulfilled both for the Holy Prophet and the ‘cows’ (his saintly companions). The Holy Prophet and his saintly companions succeeded in their mission and were saved and helped by God. Their bitterly hostile opponents could not overpower them, nor could they rob them of the bounties that God bestowed upon them. The Muslims prospered while their enemies perished. A similar prayer is also found in the Holy Quran as its last chapter:

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ 1 مَلِكِ النَّاسِ 2 إِلَهِ النَّاسِ 3 مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ 4 الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ 5 مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ 6⁹¹

Proclaim (O dear Prophet Mohammed ), “I take refuge of the One Who is the Lord of all mankind. The King of all mankind. The God of all mankind. From the evil of the one who instils evil thoughts in the hearts – and stays hidden. Those who instil evil thoughts into the hearts of men. Among the jinns and men.”

In this surah refuge is sought in the Lord, Sovereign and God of mankind from the insidious whisperer, jinn or human, who prompts evil ideas in people's minds. The surah presents God's relevant attributes to keep away this invisible evil which the mind on its own cannot shut out. For the Lord is He who preserves, directs, cherishes and protects mankind; the Sovereign is He who owns, governs and independently runs the world; and God is the One who supersedes all other beings and supervises over all their affairs. The particular mention of mankind here brings man closer to God's protection and care. ⁹²

Moreover, God, Himself openly declared to the Holy Prophet in the Holy Quran:

....وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ.... 67⁹³

And Allah will protect you from the people.

This verse states that Allah took the responsibility of protecting the Holy Prophet upon Himself, and those who are protected by God can never be harmed by others. This point was later proved when the Holy Prophet died a natural death. Hence the traits mentioned in this mantra hold true for Muhammad

The Description Of The Kaaba In The Atharva Veda

According to the Hindu sacred texts, Brahma had two sons: Atharva and Angina. Some researchers tend to regard Brahma (though he came to be regarded to be the chief God in Hinduism, as in fact Abraham ). He might later have been deified in India or the Hindu God Brahma confused with him. According to those researchers, the initial letter ‘A’ in ‘A’brahim is moved to the end, making it Brahma, and this analysis is accurate when one writes the two words in Arabic script. Brahma's wife is called Saraswati in the Vedas or Siti Sara (Lady Sara) from Islamic history and biblical account. In the Mundakopanishad, Brahma told the basis of all knowledge to his eldest son Atharva, who taught it, in turn, to his brother Angira.

The researchers mentioned consider that Atharva is Ishmael (the eldest son of Abraham ) and Angria is Isaac (his second son and the younger brother of Ishmael ). In the early Hindu tradition, there was the ritual of human sacrifice (Purushamedba). This has a resemblance to Abraham's attempt to sacrifice his son Ishmael on the order of God, but God Almighty sent a ram in place of Ishmael . There is a long sukta in the Atharva Veda (Book 10, Hymn 2) which contains mantras recited at the occasion of offering sacrifices just to commemorate purushamedha. They are as follows, as per the translation of Griffith:

Together, with his needle hath Atharvan sewn his head and heart. And Pavamana hovered from his head on high above his brain. That is indeed Atharvan's head, the well-closed casket of the Gods. Spirit and Food and Vital Air protect that head from injury. Stationed on high, Purusha hath pervaded all regions spread aloft and stretched transversely. He who knows Brahma's cattle, yea, the Fort hence Purusha is named.Yea knows that fort of Brahma girt about with immortality, Brahma and Brāhmas have bestowed sight, progeny, and life on him. Sight leaves him not; breath quits not him before life's natural decay, Who knows the fort of Brahma, yea, the fort whence Purusha is named. The fort of Gods, impregnable, with circles eight and portals nine, Contains a golden treasure chest, celestial, begirt with light.Men deep in the lore of Brahma know that Animated Being which Dwells in the golden treasure chest that hath three spokes and three supports. Brahma hath passed within the fort, the golden castle; ne'er subdued, Bright with excessive brilliancy, compassed with a glory round about. ⁹⁴

The first mantra (No. 26) is about Abraham's attempt to sacrifice Ishmael , “Atharvan sewn his head and heart (religious zeal, purity) And Pavamana hovered from his head on high above his brain." describes Ishmael's total submission to God's order to his father Abraham to sacrifice him. Abraham had a dream that he was sacrificing his son Ishmael . When he told the dream to his son, the son replied, O my father! Do what you are commanded. As the Holy Quran states:

فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَابُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى قَالَ يَاأَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ 102⁹⁵

And when he became capable of working with him, Ibrahim said, “O my son, I dreamt that I am sacrificing you – therefore now consider what is your opinion”; he said, “O my father! Do what you are commanded! Allah willing, you will soon find me patiently enduring!”

Ishmael , thus, happily submitted to God's command and Abraham laid him down on the side of his forehead. This is what the mantra means by saying that "Atharva sewed his head and heart, Pavamana (piety) hovered from his head on high above his brain (and heart)."

The following mantras describe the Kaaba (God's sacred House in Makka), which Abraham and Ishmael , upon them be peace, raised upon its foundations and around which the event mentioned above took place. Despite the differences in translations, we can easily see the description of the House of God, the most distinguishing attributes of which are as follows:

The Kaaba & Makkah As The Protected Seat Of Angels & Holy Spirits

"Atharvan's head is the well-closed casket of the Gods. Spirit and Food and Vital Air protect that head from injury." Or, "The head of Atharva is a place where gods live. It is closed from all sides, the spirits, the head, the heart and provisions guard it."

That is, the Holy Kaaba is in the sacred precincts of Makkah, which is the seat of the angels and holy spirits. No enemy forces have ever been able to conquer it, the angels and the Lord Himself being its protectors. Abraha ibn Sabah al-Ashram, the Abyssinian governor of Yemen, which was then dependent of the Persian Sassanid Empire, attacked Makkah in an attempt to destroy the Kaaba in 571 CE with a strong army and hordes of elephants. He had erected a magnificent temple in San'a, hoping to attract the Arab pilgrims from Makkah to his territory. The Makkans were not robust enough to defend Makkah and the Kaaba against the army of Abraha. They left Makkah for the surrounding mountains. So the Kaaba's real owner-God Almighty-defended it on the eve of the birth of Prophet Muhammad . He sent down on the enemy army flocks of birds, which are called Ababil in the Holy Quran. They were a species of birds unknown in the Hijaz. They carried tiny stones of baked clay, one in their mouth and two in their claws. The stones hurled by them penetrated deep into the bodies of Abraha's soldiers, entering from the head and slicing through their organs. This was a clear miracle. This event became so famous in Arabian history that the year, when it took place, came to be known as ‘the year of the Elephant' due to the big elephants of war in the Abraha's army. This historic event is related in the Holy Quran as:

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ 1 أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ 2 وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ 3 تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ 4 فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَأْكُولٍ 5⁹⁶

O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), did you not see how did your Lord deal with the People of the Elephant? Did He not put their scheme into ruin? And send flocks of birds upon them, Which hit them with stones of baked clay, So He made them like the leftover devoured leaves of farms?

The Building Whose Sides Are Not Of The Same Length And To Which God Is Visible And Saturated With Spiritual Bliss

As is evident in the other mantras of the sukta, the Kaaba is not exactly cubical, and its sides are not of the same length and not exactly parallel to each other. It is not a temple of gold or silver, but an undecorated, simple edifice of ordinary bricks. However, it is held sacred by millions of people who find in every inch of this building the manifestation of God and His abundant blessings. The holy sanctuary (the Sacred Mosque) in the centre of which the Kaaba remains open day and night throughout the year, and is always filled with people praying and supplicating to God. Muslims all over the world face toward it during the prayer. Furthermore, every year, millions of pilgrims hasten to visit it from all over the world. Those who go to the Kaaba feel how near they become to God. It is replete with spiritual life and is the fountainhead of spirituality.

The Kaaba, Which Has Nine Gates

As mentioned in the mantras 31, the Kaaba has nine gates:

1. Baab-e-Ibrahim (Abraham)
2. Baab-al-Wedaa
3. Baab-as-Safa
4. Baab-e-Ali
5. Baab-e-Abbas
6. Baab-un-Nabi
7. Baab-as-Salaam
8. Baab-az-Ziyarat
9. Baab-e-Haram

Furthermore, the eight circuits are the natural lines enclosing the areas between the surrounding hills, the names of which are:

1. Jabal-e-Khaleej,
2. Jabal-e-Qaiqaon,
3. Jabal-e-Hindi,
4. Jabal-e-Laalaa,
5. Jabal-e-Keda,
6. Jabal-e-Abu Hadidah,
7. Jabal-e-Abi Qabees, Jabal-e-Umar". ⁹⁷

Some Hindus object to this interpretation of the mantras under discussion. They assert that Sanskrit scholars from time immemorial referred the nine gates to the nine portals in the human body, namely, two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, mouth, anus and genitals, and the eight circles to eight steps of yoga. Muslim scholars answer this objection that the word ‘human’ does not stand for men only, it refers to women as well and they have two additional gates or openings, namely, the breasts from which all human beings get their first feed. They also argue that the human body is not equipped with the eight steps of yoga. ⁹⁸

In consequence, the mantras under discussion are quite in accordance with the following Quranic description of the Kaaba:

فِيهِ آيَاتٌ بَيِّنَاتٌ مَقَامُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمَنْ دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ 97⁹⁹

Indeed the first house that was appointed as a place of worship for mankind, is the one at Mecca (the Holy Ka’aba), blessed and a guidance to the whole world; In it are clear signs – the place where Ibrahim stood (is one of them); and whoever enters it shall be safe; and performing the Hajj (pilgrimage) of this house, for the sake of Allah, is a duty upon mankind, for those who can reach it; and whoever disbelieves – then Allah is Independent (Unwanting) of the entire creation!

Ten Thousand Enemy Soldiers: The Battle Of The Trench Or Allies

Rig Veda states:

These our libations strengths-inspiring, Soma draughts, gladdened thee in the fight with Vṛtra, Hero Lord, What time thou slewest for the singer with trimmed grass ten thousand Vṛtras, thou resistless in thy might. ¹⁰⁰

The mantra under discussion tells us about some brave soldiers who sing inspiring songs in the field of the battle. The bravery and the songs of these heroic soldiers please God and God Himself, resistless in His Might vanquishes the ten thousand powerful serpents (Vritra), i.e., enemy forces, without the actual fighting for the sake of the chief singer.

This prophecy in the Vedas describes a famous battle of the Holy Prophet known as the Battle of Ahzab (Allies) or the Battle of Trench. The words of the mantra corroborate with the facts given in the Holy Quran.

In 627 CE, a leading group of the expelled Banu Nadir Jews went to Makkah. They met with the leaders of the Makkans, urging them to continue fighting with the Muslims, and promised them help and support. These Jews then went to the Ghatafan and Qays Aylan tribes, and promised them help. Then, they encouraged these tribes to fight against Prophet Muhammad . These intrigues resulted in a great anti-Muslim alliance of Makkan polytheists, the desert tribes of central Arabia, the Jews (both those already expelled from and those still resident) in Madina, and the hypocrites. The last two constituted a fifth column within Madina.

When the Holy Prophet was informed of this anti-Muslim gathering of allies (Ahzab) through his intelligence service, he consulted his companions. It was their unanimous view that they should remain in Madina and fight from there. Salman al-Farisi suggested that they dig a trench around the city. It took them six days of feverish labour to dig this trench. Prophet Muhammad divided the Muslims into groups of ten, which competed in rendering greater service. It was a hard task, there was not much time, and hunger was rampant. All the companions worked enthusiastically. In order to ignore the hunger, each companion fastened a rock around his stomach and recited, while digging:

نَحْنُ الَّذِينَ بَايَعُوا مُحَمَّدَا ... عَلَى الجِهَادِ مَا حَيِينَا أَبَدَا. ¹⁰¹

We are those people who took the oath of allegiance to Muhammad; therefore we shall fight in the cause of God as long as we live.

The Messenger , who was digging alongside them had two rocks fastened around his stomach, answered them with the couplet:

اللَّهُمَّ لاَ عَيْشَ إِلَّا عَيْشُ الآخِرَهْ ... فَأَكْرِمِ الأَنْصَارَ، وَالمُهَاجِرَهْ. ¹⁰²

O God, the real life is the life of the Hereafter, so, forgive the Helpers and the Emigrants.

The enemy forces advanced against Madina in the hope of destroying the Muslims on an open battlefield. However, the new strategy of the Muslims which they faced was a severe blow. Numbering around 10,000, the enemy forces camped near the trench. The Madinans had no more than 3,000 soldiers. Moreover, the tribe of Banu Qurayza and the hypocrites of the fifth column had already contacted the enemy.

Prophet Muhammad once again displayed his sagacity: he stationed his soldiers in such a position that they could both defend the city against the attacks of the Makkan army and safeguard their homes against possible attacks of the Banu Qurayza.

While the war continued with exchanges of arrows and stones, Prophet Muhammad was engaged in diplomatic attempts to split the allied enemy forces. He was able to do that and dissension grew among them.

Prophet Muhammad , protected by Mount Seal that lay behind the city had ordered a narrow point to be made in the Trench, as he expected that leading Qurayshi riders would try to cross there. This is indeed how it happened, for some of the most renowned Qurayshi warriors tried to cross the trench so that they could engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Muslim fighters. `Ali , the Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, killed three of them, which discouraged the enemy from any new attempts.

The siege lasted for 27 days. The Muslims suffered greatly from hunger, cold, unending barrages of arrows and stones, attempts and concentrated assaults to cross the trench and betrayals and intrigues of Banu (the Children of) Qurayza within Madina.

After almost four weeks, during which the enemy was disheartened by their failure, and the believers proved their steadfastness and loyalty, there was a piercing blast of cold wind from the east. God Almighty also sent hosts of angels. The enemy's tents were torn up, their fires were extinguished, and sand and rain beat their faces. Terrified by the portents against them, they soon gave up. The Muslims were victorious by God's help, as stated in the following Quranic verse:

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ جَاءَتْكُمْ جُنُودٌ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيحًا وَجُنُودًا لَمْ تَرَوْهَا وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرًا 9¹⁰³

O People who believe! Remember the favour of Allah upon you when some armies came against you, so We sent against them a windstorm and the armies you could not see; and Allah sees your deeds.

وَرَدَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِغَيْظِهِمْ لَمْ يَنَالُوا خَيْرًا وَكَفَى اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْقِتَالَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ قَوِيًّا عَزِيزًا 25¹⁰⁴

And Allah turned back the disbelievers in their hearts’ jealousy, gaining no good; and Allah sufficed the Muslims in their fight; and Allah is Almighty, Most Honourable.

The first important point in the mantra is that God is spoken of in it as Satpati. Sat means ‘pure, true essence, the self-existent and universal spirit’, or ‘truth as the greatest virtue’; and pati means ‘master or lord’. Therefore, Satpati means the ‘Lord of the truth or truthful, the Lord of the good and pure’. ¹⁰⁵ Both of these meanings describe the Holy Prophet and his companions. As the first attribute of prophethood is truthfulness, it is a historical fact that Prophet Muhammad had become famous for his absolute truthfulness even before his prophethood. Secondly, in this battle, both God's Messenger and his companions proved their truthfulness and loyalty to God's cause. The Holy Quran speaks of them as follows:

مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَضَى نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَنْتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلًا 23 لِيَجْزِيَ اللَّهُ الصَّادِقِينَ بِصِدْقِهِمْ وَيُعَذِّبَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ إِنْ شَاءَ أَوْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا 24¹⁰⁶

Among the Muslims are the men who have proved true what they had covenanted with Allah; so among them is one who has already fulfilled his vow, and among them is one still waiting; and they have not changed a bit. In order that Allah may reward the truthful for their truthfulness, and punish the hypocrites if He wills, or give them repentance; indeed Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

As explicitly expressed in the mantra under discussion, God Almighty was pleased with the bravery and inspirational songs of the Holy Prophet and his companions. Therefore, He vanquished the enemy forces without an actual fighting with the storms and heavenly hosts they sent. He did so both due to the bravery, loyalty and the inspiring songs of the Prophet’s companions and the praise and prayers of the Holy Messenger .

It is also informative enough that the deity referred and implored to in the hymn where this mantra is, is named as Indra. In Islam, God has many Names and Attributes. This was the same in the messages of all the prophets, who came during history. However, people began to recognise each Name of God as a separate deity after the prophets. Polytheism was, in one respect, the result of recognising each Name of God as a separate deity. In Hinduism, Indra is accepted as the god of war, storms, and rainfall. Moreover, as pointed out in the Quranic verse above (Al-Ahzab, 33: 9), the cause of the defeat of the enemy in the Battle of the Allies was thunder and storm.

The Prophet Fights Another Battle: Marching Upon Banu Qurayza After The Battle Of Allies

Mantras 7 and 8 following mantra 6 in the Rig Veda and Atharva Veda, which deals with the Battle of the Allies, are also worth considering. They are as follows:

Thou goest on from fight to fight intrepidly, destroying castle after castle here with strength. Thou, Indra, with thy friend who makes the foe bow down, slewest from far away from the guileful Namuci. Thou hast struck down in death Karañja, Parṇaya, in Atithigva's very glorious going forth. Unyielding, when Ṛjiśvan compassed them with the siege, thou hast destroyed a hundred forts of Vaṅgṛida. ¹⁰⁷¹⁰⁸

After the allies who had held Madina under siege for four weeks were routed and returned to their homes, Prophet Muhammad focused on the Banu (the Children of) Qurayza, who had betrayed their agreement with him and allied with the Makkan polytheists during the war. According to the agreement which the Holy Messenger had made with them after his migration to Madina, they should have defended the city against any foreign attack, along with the Muslims. In addition to betraying their agreement, they also had given asylum to Banu Nadir's leaders, like Huyayy Ibn Akhtab, who had been expelled from Madina and continued to conspire against the Muslims.

No sooner had Prophet Muhammad finished with one battle and returned home than he ordered his companions to march upon the Banu Qurayza upon God's order. He would have forgiven them if they had asked, but they preferred to resist.

The Holy Prophet had his tent pitched opposite the fortresses of Banu Qurayza. In the first battle (the Battle of Allies), he faced no resistance, but in the other battles, he conqured fortress after fortress and cast awe into the hearts of his enemies. As the Holy Quran states:

وَأَنْزَلَ الَّذِينَ ظَاهَرُوهُمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مِنْ صَيَاصِيهِمْ وَقَذَفَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الرُّعْبَ فَرِيقًا تَقْتُلُونَ وَتَأْسِرُونَ فَرِيقًا 26¹⁰⁹

And He brought down from their forts, the People given the Book(s) who had supported them, and instilled awe into their hearts – you slay a group among them and another group you make captive.

The Messenger besieged the Banu Qurayza for 25 days. At last, they agreed to surrender, but they requested that Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh should set the terms of surrender. They thought that he might judge in their favour as he was the leader of the Aws tribe, with whom they had once had an alliance. Sa'd Ibn Mu'adh , decreed the sentence according to the Torah. This was the end of the Bane Qurayzah's conspiracies.

The Conquest Of Makkah And The Battle Of Hunayn

The prophecies regarding the Holy Prophet's battles also include the prophecy of the conquest of Makkah by Prophet Muhammad and the Battle of Hunayn, which took place just after the conquest of Makkah. In the same Sukta of the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda, we find:

With all-outstripping chariot wheel, O Indra, thou far-famed, hast overthrown the twice ten kings of men, With sixty thousand nine-and-ninety followers, who came in arms to fight with friendless Susravas. Thou hast protected Susravas with succour, and Tūrvayāna with thine aid, O Indra: Thou madest Kutsa, Atithigva, Ayu subject unto this King, the young, the mighty. ¹¹⁰

Prophet Muhammad’s father had died before his birth and his mother while he was six years old. Therefore he grew up as an orphan, and after migrating to Madina, conquered Makkah without fighting with the help of God Almighty. As in the Holy Quran states:

إِلَّا تَنْصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا السُّفْلَى وَكَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ 40¹¹¹

If you do not help him (Prophet Mohammed ), Allah has helped him – when he had to go forth due to the mischief of the disbelievers, just as two men – when they were in the cave, when he was saying to his companion, “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us”; then Allah caused His calm to descend upon him and helped him with armies you did not see, and disgraced the word of the disbelievers; and Allah’s Word is supreme; and Allah is the Almighty, the Wise.

God Almighty miraculously protected him and his companion Abu Bakr (Turyavana) during their emigration to Madina. God also confirmed and strengthened him with such leading companions of him as `Umar , `Uthman and `Ali .

The mantras under discussion also have a reference to the Battle of Hunayn. The Arab tribes were awaiting the settlement of the conflict between the Quraysh and the Muslims before they would accept Islam, saying: "If Muhammad prevails over his people, he would indeed be a prophet." Consequently, when this was finally accomplished, people began to join Islam in throngs. This caused the Hawazin and the Thaqif tribes in Ta'if, who were famous for their courage and archery skills, to prepare a great expedition upon Makkah.

Informed of their movements, the Holy Prophet left Makkah with 12,000 Muslims. This was the greatest army the Muslims had ever gathered until then, and some of the companions were confident and were assured of victory. However, Muslims must always rely on God, and should not forget that it is God Who takes one to victory. Their self-assurance cost them a setback in the first stage of the war, which was held in the valley of Hunayn, between Makkah and Ta'if. The enemy had laid an ambush in which the advance guard of the Muslim forces was caught, and the rear forces fell into confusion under a shower of enemy arrows. Many retreated from the battlefield, but the leading companions such as Abu Bakr , `Umar , `Ali , `Abbas ibn `Abdul Muttalib , Abu Sufyan ibn Harith , and Usama ibn Zayd remained steadfast around the Holy Prophet . He was calm as ever in his faith and wisdom in that hour of danger, and he spurred his mule forward. He cried:

أَنَا النَّبِيُّ لاَ كَذِبْ، أَنَا ابْنُ عَبْدِ المُطَّلِبْ. ¹¹²

"I am the Prophet; that is no lie. I am the descendant of `Abdul-Muttalib."

Abbas , Prophet Muhammad’s uncle, also called out at the top of his voice to the retreating companions to return. Thereupon, from all sides, the companions responded "Labbayk!" (At your service), and rallied to the Holy Prophet . The enemy, who had pushed themselves into the centre of the Muslim army, was surrounded. Finally, with God's help, victory was snatched from the jaws of defeat. The Holy Quran describes this incident as:

لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ فِي مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنْكُمْ شَيْئًا وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُمْ مُدْبِرِينَ 25 ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَعَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَنْزَلَ جُنُودًا لَمْ تَرَوْهَا وَعَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَذَلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ 26¹¹³

Indeed Allah helped you on many occasions – and on the day of Huneyn – when you prided in your multitude, so it did not benefit you at all, and the earth despite being vast became restricted for you – then you turned back and returned. Then Allah sent down His calm upon His Noble Messenger and upon the Muslims, and sent down armies you did not see, and punished the disbelievers, and such is the reward of the deniers.

The routed enemy took refuge in Ta'if. The Muslim victory persuaded the desert tribes to accept Islam, and shortly thereafter, the rebel tribes and the people of Ta'if also surrendered and entered Islam.

Ahmad, The Sun From Which Other Prophets Received Light

The Sama Veda, composed of the word saman (melody) and Veda (knowledge), is the second of the four Vedas, it ranks next in sanctity and liturgical importance to the Rig Veda. It consists of a collection of hymns, portions of hymns, and detached verses. The verses, which are derived from the eighth and ninth books of the original Veda and the Rig-Veda, have been rearranged to suit the rituals in which they were to be recited.

The Sama Veda mainly deals with the knowledge and activity by which the human soul is relieved from the "cycle of life and death". It is assigned to the praise and worship of God, the manifestations of His powers, and mode of worship for spiritual attainments.

The Sama Veda also contains prophecies of the arrival of Prophet Muhammad . As the Sama Veda, 2: 2: 1: 8 states:

Ahmad acquired Shari'ah (religious law) from his Lord. This Shari'ah is full of wisdom. I receive light from him just as from the sun. ¹¹⁴

Some translators, who have not been able to understand the Arabic name Ahmad, have taken the word Ahmad at the beginning of the sentence to be Ahm at hi, and so translated the mantra as: "I from my Father have received deep knowledge of eternal Law: I was born like unto the Sun." ¹¹⁵ Syna Acharya, an ancient commentator of the Vedas, translated it as: "I alone have acquired the real wisdom of my Father, so I am like the sun."

This translation is open to two objections, Firstly, the Rishi of this mantra is Vatsah Kanvah from the family of Kanv and his claim that he is the only one who acquired the real wisdom of the Father is contrary to the principles of the Vedic Dharma. In the Vedas, a hundred and one Rishis like Vatsah are mentioned, who received the Father’s wisdom. Secondly, the "god" of this mantra is Indra, and Vatsah Kanvah was only one from among the Rishis who were the "sons" or heirs of Indra.

Some Hindu scholars also object to the mentioned (in italic) translation of the mantra. While explaining the mantra, they write that the priests partake in the Soma and receive the knowledge of the eternal law the law that governs nature (no law in the sense of jurisdiction), sharing a feeling of warmth as if they were born unto the sun. Once again, the Soma is praised for its strengthening qualities.

Soma was a non-intoxicant juice from a certain vine that was burnt in Vedic rituals, but that ritual is not practiced anymore since nobody knows what the Soma plant is (presumed extinct). It was a sacred drink, the food of the gods that was believed to possess powers of a wonderful and awesome nature, and the character of sanctity. ¹¹⁶

Many people regard ‘soma’ as a fictional item since no one knows anything about the exact nature and composition of it. Such fictional inventions have also been found in other ancient religions where people don’t tend to understand reality. When they cant understand it, they create their own concepts and materialize them.

Besides, addressing all levels of understanding, the holy Scriptures usually speak in parables and use metaphors, but when a metaphor passes on to the hands of ignorance from the hands on knowledge, it comes to be taken literally and opens the door to superstition. In fact, in the Hindu tradition, drinking Soma produces immortality. Indra and Agni are portrayed as consuming Soma in significant quantities. The consumption of Soma by human beings, even makes them immortal. As the Rig Veda states:

We have drunk Soma and become immortal; we have attained the light, the Gods discovered. Now, what may foeman's malice do to harm us? What, O Immortal, mortal man's deception? ¹¹⁷

It is clear that Soma is what some Muslim Sufis call elixir, the water of eternal life. In fact, it is the perennial knowledge of God that is, having knowledge of God or knowing Him to the greatest degree possible and thus attaining eternal happiness in the other world. So, the translation mentioned above seems to be more correct than the Griffith’s and others.

Secondly, the Hindu scholars who object to the translation and claim that the law referred to in the mantra is the law that governs nature (no law in the jurisdictional sense) are also mistaken. Since this mantra is repeated in some other places in the Vedas. The same translator, namely Ralph T.H. Griffith, who translated the Law in the mantra under discussion as "eternal law", translated it as "Holy Law" in the Rig Veda, "I from my Father have received deep knowledge of the Holy Law. I was born like unto the Sun." ¹¹⁸ Therefore, the "Holy Law" can only be the revealed law (the Shari'a).

The Holy Quran, however, solves the enigma entirely by stating:

يَاأَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا 45 وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى اللَّهِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَسِرَاجًا مُنِيرًا 46¹¹⁹

O Herald of the Hidden! We have indeed sent you as an observing present witness and a Herald of glad tidings and warning. And as a caller towards Allah, by His command, and as the sun that enlightens.

In another chapter, it further states:

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَاجًا وَقَمَرًا مُنِيرًا 61¹²⁰

Most Auspicious is He Who created lofty towers in the sky and placed a lamp in it and the luminous moon.

From this verse, we understand two things:

1. The sun itself has its light, while the moon receives its light from the sun.
2. Prophet Muhammad is the sun but a sun which receives its light from God.

This fact is further strengthened by another verse which is stated in the Holy Quran as:

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ يُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ 5¹²¹

It is He Who created the sun radiating and the moon shining and appointed positions for it, for you to know the number of the years, and the account; Allah has not created it except with the truth; He explains the verses in detail for the people of knowledge.

This verse describes Prophet Muhammad as a sun reflecting light. There are two kinds of celestial bodies in this firmament: the stars that have their light and those which reflect light only. The moon and the stars reflect the light of the sun at nights and in a way bear witness to its existence and presence, while the sun has and diffuses its light. It is striking enough that Imam Busiri (1212-1296 CE), who had no knowledge of the mantra in the Vedas, says of the Holy Prophet and the other prophets:

فاِنَّهُ شمسُ فَضْلٍ هُم كواكِبُهَا يُظهِرْنَ أنوارَهَا للناسِ في الظُّلَمِ

"He is the sun of virtues and the others are stars diffusing light for people at night."

By saying that he was like the sun or he received the light from Ahmad just as from the sun, Rishi Vatsah means that he received the light from Ahmad , the prophet of Islam about whose advent he made this prophecy.

Prophet Muhammad's Advent Foretold In The Gayatri Mantra, The Mother Of The Vedas

The meaning that Prophet Muhammad is the sun is also expressed in the Gayatri Mantra in the Rig Veda, 3: 62: 10.

The Gayatri Mantra is the last Vedic prayer to awaken the intellectual powers of a person or to illuminate the intelligence which is believed to be the motherload of all divine knowledge. It has the same place in the Vedas as Chapter al-Fatiha (the Opening Chapter) has in the Quran. It is considered as Vedasara-"the essence of the Vedas". Veda means ‘knowledge’, and this prayer fosters and sharpens the knowledge-yielding faculty. In this way, they came to regard the Gayatri Mantra as the Veda Matha (the Mother of the Vedas). ¹²²

The Sanskrit original text of the Gayatri is as follows:

Om Bhur Bhuvaḥ SwaḥTat-savitur VareñyaṃBhargo Devasya DhīmahiDhiyo Yonaḥ Prachodayāt

General Translation: We meditate on that most adored Supreme Lord, the creator, whose effulgence (divine light) illumines all realms (physical, mental and spiritual). May this divine light illumine our intellect.

Word Meaning: Om: The primeval sound; Bhur: the physical body/physical realm; Bhuvah: the life force/the mental realm Suva: the soul/spiritual realm; Tat: That (God); Savitur: the Sun, Creator (source of all life); Vareñyam: adore; Bhargo: effulgence (divine light); Devasya: Supreme Lord; Dhīmahi: meditate; Dhiyo: the intellect; Yo: May this light; Nah: our; Prachodayāt: illumine/inspire. ¹²³

A more appropriate translation according to the given meanings is as follows:

. . . that sun, bright and pure, the god's great wisdom may dictate he sharpens and refines our intellect.

The first word thath in Sanskrit points to a remote object like `that' in English or to something the time of whose advent is as yet far off and away. The second word, savithur, means the sun. Since the sun is the obvious one in the sky, always in its place, and we do not use ‘that’ in reference to it, it has been a question to whom the prayer in the mantra is addressed. Because of this perplexity, to the mantra, the pundits tend to prefix these four words which do not exist in its original: Om bhur bhavah savah. They interpolate these four words and insert before the mantra so that it may yield some significance at least. ¹²⁴

Gayatri Mantra has been translated in many different ways, some of which are as follows:

Earth, atmosphere, and heaven, we meditate on the adorable glory of the radiant sun; may he inspire our intelligence. (Dr. Radhakrishnan)

We meditate on the adorable glory of the radiant sun; may he inspire our intelligence. ¹²⁵

Let us adore the supremacy of that divine sun, the god-head who illuminates all, who recreates all, from whom all proceed, to whom all must return, whom we invoke to direct our understandings aright in our progress toward his holy seat. ¹²⁶

Let us obtain (meditate on) the adorable splendour of Savitri (Sun? God), may He arouse our minds. (Max Muller) ¹²⁷

O God, You are the giver of life, the remover of pain and sorrow, the giver of happiness; O Creator of the Universe, may we receive Your supreme sin-destroying light; may You guide our intellect in the right direction. (Dayanand Sarasvati) ¹²⁸

Oh God, the Protector, the basis of all life, Who is self-existent, Who is free from all pains and Whose contact frees the soul from all troubles, Who pervades the Universe and sustains all, the Creator and Energizer of the whole Universe, the Giver of happiness, Who is worthy of acceptance, the most excellent, Who is Pure and the Purifier of all, let us embrace that very God, so that He may direct our mental faculties in the right direction. ¹²⁹

Let us meditate on that excellent glory of the divine vivifying Sun, May he enlighten our understandings. ¹³⁰

Although Hindu scholars differ on the meaning of some of the words in the mantra, they do agree on the meaning of Savitur varenyam bhargah. This section of the mantra means "the sun, the best, most desirable, the most exalted, pure, brilliant, illuminating, vivifying, and full of life and energy." The rest of the mantra is a petition to God for the removal of the darkness through wisdom and knowledge, the guidance of minds in the right direction, and purification from sin.

Some commentators hold that this prayer is addressed to Brahma or Vishnu and therefore it is God Who is meant by Savitur (sun). However, polytheism has usually arisen from attributing a separate divinity to the attributes or names of God Almighty, and this is why the celestial objects like the sun have been deified in many traditions. Whereas, the Gayatri Mantra is a prayer to God Almighty to send the promised ‘Sun’ who will illuminate minds, purify hearts or souls, and guide people to the right action. When the text is compared to the verse 33:45-46 of the Holy Quran, it becomes clear that the verse of the Gayatri Mantra exclusively refers to Prophet Muhammad . As the Holy Quran states:

يَاأَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا 45 وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى اللَّهِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَسِرَاجًا مُنِيرًا 46¹³¹

O Herald of the Hidden! We have indeed sent you as an observing present witness and a Herald of glad tidings and warning. And as a caller towards Allah, by His command, and as the sun that enlightens.

Moreover, at another place in the Holy Quran, we find the prayer of Abraham and Ishmael , while raising the Kaaba. It is stated as:

رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ 129¹³²

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.

What a great similarity there is between this prayer of Abraham and Ishmael , and the Gayatri Mantra. God Almighty informs us that He accepted this prayer by declaring as follows:

كَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا فِيكُمْ رَسُولًا مِنْكُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمْ مَا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَ 151¹³³

The way We have sent to you a Noble Messenger from among you, who recites to you Our verses and purifies you, and teaches you the Book and sound wisdom*, and teaches you what you did not know.

The prayer was accepted because Muhammad was born from the descendants of Ishmael and managed to guide the people towards success by teaching them what they didn't know.

The Messenger Who Did Not Drink From His Mother's Milk

The Sama Veda has the following strange mantra, translated by Griffith:

Verily wondrous is the tender youngling's growth who never draweth nigh to drink his mother's milk. As soon as she who hath no udder bore him, he, faring on his great errand, suddenly grew strong. ¹³⁴

In the Decade II Agni of the Sama Veda, a Rishi (prophet) is indicated, who is full of brightness, beloved in the sublimest birthplace of holy men, worthy of praise, messenger of earth and head of heaven, born in holy order, a sage, a king, the guest of men, praised by God(s) and adored by priests, midpoint of sacrifices, conveyer of obligations, wise, undeceivable, and has the strength to overpower the anti-religious demons and monsters. The Rishi who has these lofty attributes also has a very special, distinguishing characteristic that he will get his milk from some one other than his mother.

It was a practice of the nobles in Makkah to send their children away to bedouin wet-nurses so that they might grow up in the free and healthy atmosphere of the desert whereby they would develop a robust frame and remain free from the polluted conditions of the city life. Traditionally, the village women (wet-nurses) used to come to the city twice a year, looking for children they would adopt for suckling. This was a source of earning for them. Moreover, the future Prophet Muhammad , an orphan, was entrusted to Halima , the daughter of Abi Du'ayb from the Bann Sad bin Bakr tribe, after Suwaybah, servant of Muhammad's uncle Abu Lahab, nursed him for seven days. Halima , who felt she didn’t have enough milk to feed a baby, got a pleasant surprise when the time came to feed the Holy Prophet . She states: "As soon as I sat down to suckle him, I saw the inrush of blessing, welfare and prosperity. There was a surge of milk in my breast." ¹³⁵ Not only Halima herself, but also the whole family was favoured by successive strokes of divine blessing while Muhammad lived under her care.

In addition to all the laudable characteristics mentioned in the mantra under discussion which are found in the personality of Prophet Muhammad to the greatest extent, from the ancient times till now, among all the rishis (messengers) who came into the world, among the prophets, it was only Muhammad of Arabia who was suckled by a wet-nurse, and not by his mother. Therefore, the above mantra is pointing exclusively to Prophet Muhammad of Arabia .

The Final Avatar: Kalki Avatar

Who is an Avatar? According to Hinduism, it is the name of the Ultimate God. Conversely, Islam states that this status is enjoyed by Allah only. No one can be called by this specific name except Him. Allah has numerous Attributes and Names/Titles such as the All-Merciful, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the Lord, the Master, the All-Willing, the Creator, the All-Answering, the All-Providing, the All-Loving, the All-Reviving, the All-Determining, the All-Judging, and the All-Wise... Whatever happens and takes place in the universe is due to the acts of these Attributive Names. However After the demise of a prophet (except Prophet Muhammad ), his respective nation started to attribute a divinity to each of the Attributes and Names of the Supreme Being and this is one of the primary reasons for the birth of polytheism which is refuted and rejected by Islam.

God Almighty, All-Exalted is His Majesty, sent many prophets to humankind. Muslim scholars are of the opinion that He sent 124,000 prophets approximately as mentioned in a Hadith. According to the teachings of Islam, a prophet (Nabi) is the one who received revelation from God Almighty and called people to right guidance according to it. Among the prophets (anbiya') there are those whom God gave a Scripture. The prophet, who was given a Divine Scripture is called the “Messenger” (Rasul). According to Muslim scholars, 310 or so of the prophets are messengers. Every messenger is a prophet, but every prophet is not a messenger. Among the messengers, there are five, namely Noah , Abraham , Moses , Jesus and Muhammad , who are the greatest and most popular of them and are called in the Holy Quran as:

. . . أُولُو الْعَزْمِ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ. . .35¹³⁶

. . . the courageous Noble Messengers. . .

The Scriptures given to them contained the Divine Law (Shari`a) (ash-Shura, 42: 13). However, we should not forget that all the messengers mentioned in the Holy Quran are those who appeared in the region extending from Iraq to Yemen, including Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Egypt, and we also learn from the Holy Quran that every nation recieved a messenger:

إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَإِنْ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلَّا خَلَا فِيهَا نَذِيرٌ 24¹³⁷

And O dear Prophet (Mohammed ), We have indeed sent you with the Truth, giving glad tidings and heralding warnings; and there was a Herald of Warning in every group.

There are many other Messengers who are not mentioned in the Holy Quran. As the Quran states:

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ بِآيَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ قُضِيَ بِالْحَقِّ وَخَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ 78¹³⁸

Indeed We sent many Noble Messengers before you, so We have related to you the affairs of some among them, and not related the affairs of some; and no Noble Messenger has the right to bring any sign except by the command of Allah; so the time when the command of Allah comes, the true judgement will be delivered, and there will the people of falsehood be ruined.

Hinduism must have appeared as a monotheistic religion. However, over time, a trinity emerged in the conception of the Supreme Being. The Trimurti (English ‘three forms’; Sanskrit: ‘Trimurti’) or the basic Hindu trinity was formed of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. In this trinity, Brahma is the god of creation. The cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the Creator. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit known as Brahman, which is genderless. Among the other two deities is Vishnu, as the embodiment of mercy and goodness is the preserver and protector of creation, who sustains, preserves and governs the universe and maintains the cosmic order Dharma. The third deity is Shiva who is the destroyer and transformer. Moreover, the Holy Quran states:

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ 1 مَلِكِ النَّاسِ 2 إِلَهِ النَّاسِ 3¹³⁹

Proclaim (O dear Prophet Mohammed ), “I take refuge of the One Who is the Lord of all mankind. The King of all mankind. The God of all mankind.

So, God Almighty is mentioned with His three Names: Rabb, Malik and Ilah. Rabb means the One Who sustains, maintains, raises, and preserves; Malik means the Absolute Sovereign Who rules and judges, and Ilah means One Who has the exclusive right to be worshipped. However, these are not three separate Gods; they are the Titles of the Same, One God. Since such Titles of God came to be regarded as separate Gods over time, doctrines such as Trinity emerged. While Brahma in the Hindu trinity seems to represent al-Ilah in the Quranic terminology, Vishnu is the counterpart of ar-Rabb.

Most of the time, good and evil forces are evenly matched in the world. However, at times, the balance is destroyed, and evil demons get the upper hand. This is why, according to the Hindu belief, Vishnu incarnates in a human form to set the balance right again. Each of these incarnates is called an Avatar. That is, Avatar is the manifestation of Vishnu usually in human or superhuman form. Ten Vishnu incarnations are recognized as the most important Vishnu Avatars. ¹⁴⁰

Even though some Hindu scholars assert that an Avatar is an incarnation of afragment of God on the earth, others insist that there cannot be parts or fractions of God, because God is always absolute and eternal, and so is His “creations" or manifestations. Hence all the "creation" of God is complete, but most of the "creation" do not reveal the full divine glory of God. They reveal only a "part" or a "fraction" of it, whatever is needed according to the situation. For the devotional purpose and the realisation of God's love for all the souls of the world, and for the restoration of the cosmic order, there are only two descensions (Ram and Krishna) in which the Supreme God "descended" in His full Divine dignity. All the other eight "descensions" and manifestations were not complete and did not reveal the full Divine glory of God, Vishnu. ¹⁴¹

An Avatar may be born in the home of a very pure, but otherwise ordinary human mother and father. The Avatar arrives in a body that is human and mortal like others. However, the Avatar himself is fully aware of his being an "incarnation" or manifestation of God. However, most consider the Avatar their friend, enemy, or just another, if extraordinary, a citizen of the community. The Avatar never swerves from his basic goal or goals. Avatars may accomplish tasks in miraculous ways, or they may use ordinary means and instruments to carry out their goal. The miracles, however, are merely the calling card of the Divine and not the end in themselves. The powers of evil naturally oppose the powers of good, so often men of authority and arrogance develop a strong hatred of Avatars and oppose them vigorously.

The power that various Avatars wield differs greatly. Vishnu sometimes "incarnates" with full powers (in the form of full avatars) and sometimes with a smaller portion of His glory depending on His purpose (partial avatars). Full Avatars (Purna Avatars) are born on this earth, live, and work among the common humanity and guide an immense number of them to the Supreme Wisdom. They have the absolute wisdom about the nature of the whole cosmos and all its contents. They are also aware of their true nature. Endowed with an inexhaustible ability to perform divine miracles or miraculous deeds, they use these supernatural powers of theirs with the highest motives for both spiritual and temporal good of other beings, especially human beings. They never use these powers to benefit themselves.

An avatar is a "Messenger of God". Sages and saints are quite distinct from avatars, being pure human souls aspiring to God. The difference between an avatar and sage or saint is this: the full avatar is enlightened and completely aware of his own "divinity" even at birth. The avatar is never overcome by the Maya (illusion) of the world and is always aware of His mission and the divine powers at His command. In contrast, sage or saint is a human who has attained some degree of spiritual progress. ¹⁴²

It is clear that avatars in Hinduism are the counterparts of the messengers in Islam, with the exception that Islam never approves of a doctrine such and divine incarnation or descension. In Islam, every other being than God Almighty is His creation. Just as in Islam some of the messengers are greater than the others and all messengers are higher than the prophets who are not messengers, and all the prophets are greater than the saints, so are avatars in Hinduism. They are of different degrees of greatness according to their duties and missions.

The Time And Conditions In Which The Final Avatar Will Appear

According to Hindu scriptures, time progresses through cycles of creation and destruction, and all created, mortal beings are destined to pass through four great epochs in every cycle. These four epochs are Satya Yuga (the Golden Age or Age of Truth), Treta Yuga (the Silver Age), Dwapar Yuga (the Copper Age) and Kali Yuga (the Iron Age). As related in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (12: 2: 39), the cycle of these four ages will continue to repeat itself along with the same general pattern of events. ¹⁴³ After the Kali Yuga will be the Golden Age (Satya Yuga) will come again.

The Kali Yuga, in which the final Avatar called Kalki Avatar, the greatest of the Avatars, will come is marked with certain conditions. When the following conditions prevail, the final avatar is supposed to appear:

• There is chaos on earth, and everywhere the undesirable activities of the thieves and plunderers are on the increase. People are divided into high, low and untouchable classes.
• The world is filled with the people who are unable to understand logical conversations. They are too slow-minded and dull-witted, not capable of being taught much, especially in the way of high spiritual philosophy regarding the purpose of life. They do not know what they need to do or how to live. Moreover, they are certainly unable to change their ways.
• The practices taught in the Vedas and institutes of law nearly cease. In the place of the One Supreme God, many other (so called) gods and goddesses are invented and worshipped. Even the trees and stones are given divine status.
• There exist no topics on the subject of God, even at the residences of (so-called) saints and respectable gentlemen. Nothing is known about the techniques of sacrifice, even by word.
• Preachers of the true Religion are beaten and slaughtered. Truly righteous people are persecuted; honest and simple people face adversity and misfortune.
• Those who are known as Brahmins or saints are devoid of the Vedas, narrow-minded; constantly engaged in preaching false doctrines, fond of carnal desires, the seller of religion, and seller of the Vedas. They are involved in sexual gratification and gratification of their appetites, attached to others' wives, drunk and producer of cross-breeds. They apparently renounced the world but are rich in worldly possessions. They like constant confrontation and are fond of argument, discontent, fond of jewellery, hair and style.
• The wealthy are respected as high-born. The Brahmins are respected only if they are lenders; men are merciful only when they are unable to harm others; express displeasure toward the poor; talk excessively to express erudition and carry out religious work to be famous; monks are attached to homes, and the homeless are devoid of any morality. Men of this age deride their teachers, display the false religious affinity, but trick the right people.
• The power of government is transferred to the hands of ministers elected from the evil men, and kings begin devouring men who appear righteous and feed on human beings. The rulers of the earth will have degenerated into plunderers.
• Amidst all castes, he who is the strongest will reign over the principality, thus vitiated by many faults. The people unable to bear the heavy burdens imposed upon them by their avaricious sovereigns take refuge amongst the valleys of the mountains.
• Property alone confers rank; wealth becomes the only source of devotion, and the earth is venerated but for its mineral treasures. Passion becomes the sole bond of union between the sexes; falsehood is the only means of success in litigation, and women are objects merely of sensual gratification.
• External types become the only distinction of the several orders of life; dishonesty is the universal means of subsistence, a weakness the cause of dependence, and menace and presumption substitute for learning. Others' property and wealth are looted. People are afflicted by old age, disease, hunger, and vexed by famine and heavy taxation, and perish through drought, excessive cold, storms, scorching sunshine, heavy rain, snowfall and mutual conflict.
• There is little regard for others' lives and little sympathy for other people. People turn out to be greedy, immoral and merciless; they freely enter into violence without cause and are excessively covetous. Traps are set for others in the name of helping them. People are treated with hypocrisy and fraud. ¹⁴⁴

hese descriptions of the time when Kalki Avatar will emerge matches the scenario of the Dark Age or the age of ignorance when Prophet Muhammad was born. Only the situation of India at that time is sufficient to see this reality. At that time, the condition of India was appalling. In the Vedic period, there was no idol-worship. However, later idol worship started. The priests in the temples fell into grave errors and began to dupe the people of their wealth with ostentatious and often unnecessary religious practices. In the Vedic period, equal right and respect were enjoyed by all Hindus. However, the caste system was introduced in the present age. The class distinctions based on profession was a matter of choice in the Vedic period. Over time, however, these differences became permanent boundaries in dividing the populace into fixed classes. As a result, it started to have an adverse effect on social unity and harmony. Women became slaves and objects of lust. Laws were framed for the higher classes. A Brahmin was never punished with the death sentence, even if he committed murder or was a merciless tyrant. If a man of the lower caste committed adultery with a woman of the highest caste, he was sentenced to death. On the other hand, if the same crime was committed by a man of the upper caste, he would get away with a ransom of a small share of money. If a person of the lower caste tried to give advice to a person of a higher caste to abandon sinful acts, his face would be burnt with boiling oil; and if he abused a person of the upper caste, his tongue would be cut. Consumption of alcohol was very high among the kings. Even the queens indulged in lots of drinking. Adultery was widespread. Those who were in search of God would leave the society and go to the forests and mountains. On the other hand, worship of imaginary ghosts and demons was considered as a religion. ¹⁴⁵

The other parts of the world were no different. Godfrey Higgins says in his Apology for Mohamed (pg. 1):

“Perhaps in no previous period had the empire of the Persian or the oriental part of the Roman Empire, been in a more deplorable or unhappy state than at the beginning of the 7th century. In consequence of the weakness of the Byzantine despots, the whole frame of their government was in a state of complete disorganisation, of the most horrific abuses and corruption of the Priests. The Christian religion had fallen into a state of degradation scarcely on this day conceivable and such as would be incredible had we, not evidence of it the most unquestionable. The feuds and animosities of the almost innumerable sects had risen to the greatest possible heights; the whole frame of society was loosened, the towns and cities flowed with blood. Well indeed had Jesus prophesied when he said he brought not peace, but a sword.”

Furthermore, on pg. 2 he says:

“At this time, in a remote and almost unknown corner of Arabia, at a distance from civil broils which was tearing to pieces the Roman Empire, arose the religion of Mohamed. It is a religion destined to sweep like a tornado over the face of the earth to carry before it empires, kingdoms and systems, and to scatter them like dust before the wind. History is witness to the fact that before the advent of Muhammad , Christianity was invaded with all sorts of superstitions and irreligious practices.”

ale in the preface of his translation of the Holy Quran p: 25-26, wrote:

“The priests living in the monasteries at that time destroyed religious unity. They abandoned peace, love and all good manners. They forgot the essential teachings of religion and in its place legislated imaginary laws and prohibitions, and thereby mutual squabbling became the order of the day. The Roman Catholics committed transgressions of all kinds and started idol-worship without shame.”

Referring to this Age of Darkness, also known as the Ayyam al Jahiliya (The Age of Ignorance), the historian, Philip K. Hitti in his History of the Arabs (part 1, chapter 7, pg. 87) wrote:

“The term Jahiliya is usually rendered as ‘time of ignorance’ or barbarism. The jahiliya period, as used here, covers the century immediately preceding the rise of Islam.” ¹⁴⁶

It is interesting enough that the time before the arrival of Prophet Muhammad is called the age or time of ignorance. Thus, Prophet Muhammad is the kalki since it means ‘annihilator of dirt’ and Prophet Muhammad annihalated dirt and ignorance.

The Place And Date Of Kalki Avatar's Birth And His Family

Kalki Avatar will be born in Shambhala village. ¹⁴⁷ It is mentioned in the Kalki Purana (2: 4) that Shambhala is the place where the Final Avatar will be born. It is not easy to locate where Shambhala is. Shambhala is a Sanskrit term of uncertain derivation. Because of this, there is no agreement on the identity of Shambhala and where it is. Victoria LePage (1919), an Australian spiritual writer, says: "I believe the idea of Shambhala has not yet come to frill flower, but that when it does, it will have enormous power to reshape civilization." However, the word Shambhala means the place of peace, tranquillity, and security. It is a place where the vast temple of God exists. Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947), a Russian mystic, philosopher and writer, writes in his The Heart of Asia that Shambhala is the holy place, where the earthly world links to the highest states of consciousness, and in the East, they know that there exists two Shambhalas--an earthly and an invisible one. In his speech in The Roerich Pact and Banner of Peace in 1947, Francis Grant (1896-1993), a pioneer in inter-American relations, says that when the Banner of Shambhala, the Banner of Peace, encircles the world, the New Dawn will follow and a New Morning of human brotherhood will begin. That is, Shambhala is the symbol or origin of peace. ¹⁴⁸

It is written in the Kalki Purana ¹⁴⁹ that the wife of Kalki Avatar, named the Padma, lives in Simhala. Although some consider this place like Sri Lanka, many scholars and researchers are of the opinion that it is an allegorical reference to an island nation, separate from India. This island is situated on the other side of the shore. It has pure water.

In the Puranas of the Hindus, the world has been divided into six parts. They are as follows:

1. Jambu Island- India, Tibet, Burma (i.e. Myanmar), etc.
2. Shak Island- Europe
3. Karuncha Island- Baluchistan and Afghanistan
4. Kaash Island- Africa
5. Shakli Island- Russia and China
6. Salmal Island- Arabia and Asia Minor. ¹⁵⁰

It is most probable that Simhala is the Salmal Island, which is Arabia, and Shambhala is Makkah. Because Makkah has always been the city of peace and security and is defined in the Holy Quran as the city of security:

وَهَذَا الْبَلَدِ الْأَمِينِ 3¹⁵¹

And by the oath of this secure land.

There is in Makkah the pure, sacred water of Zamzam. Besides, God's greatest and most sacred temple, the Kaaba, is also in Makkah. Moreover the Holy Quran also mentions al-Bayt al-Ma`mur (the Prosperous House):

وَالْبَيْتِ الْمَعْمُورِ4¹⁵²

And by the oath of the Inhabited House.

According to a Hadith, seventy thousand angels visit or circumambulate the Kaaba every day ¹⁵³ which is the invisible Shambhala or the counterpart of the Kaaba in the invisible Shambhala.

Kalki Avatar will be born in Shambhala in the family of Vishnuyasha, an eminent Brahmana of Shambhala village. Both his father, Vishnuyasha, and his mother, Sumati, are great souls and ever-devoted to God. That is, the family where Kalki Avatar will be born will be qualified Brahmanas. This means that a disciples and family line of spiritually qualified Brahmanas will remain on the planet throughout the age of Kali, no matter how bad things get. About his lineage Prophet Muhammad :

إن اللّٰه خلق الخلق فجعلني في خيرهم فرقة، ثم جعلهم فرقتين فجعلني في خيرهم فرقة، ثم جعلهم قبائل، فجعلني في خيرهم قبيلة، ثم جعلهم بيوتا فجعلني في خيرهم بيتا وخيرهم نسبا.

When God created creatures, He made me the best choice of His creation. When He divided them into two so included me in the best, He converted them in tribes, He made me come from the best of tribes, and when He created families, He made me come from the best of families and belong to the best of all families.

Although the vast majority of the people of Makkah worshipped idols when the Holy Prophet came to the world and his family lived according to the religion of Abraham . In Makkah, they were responsible for giving food and water to the pilgrims.

"Lord Kalki will appear in the home of the most eminent Brahmana of Shambhala village, the great souls Vishnuyasha and Sumati.” ¹⁵⁴

Vishnuyasha means that the father of Kalki Avatar would be a great devotee of Lord Vishnu, and Sumati may refer to the pure thinking of his mother. That is, Kalki Avatar's father's name is Vishnuyasha, which means a worshipper of Vishnu or a great, glorious devotee of Vishnu, i.e. God. Prophet Muhammad's father was `Abdullah, meaning an obedient servant of Allah, i.e. God. Kalki Avatar's mother's name is Sumati, which means pure, satisfied hearted or minded. ¹⁵⁵ The mother of Prophet Muhammad was Amna , meaning peaceful, satisfied hearted.

It is prophesied that Kalki Avatar will be born on the 12th day of the bright (first) half of the month of Vaishakha. It is said that Vaishakha is the greatest, the most sacred of all months, and according to sage Narada, Vaisakha is supreme among the finest months of worshipping Lord Vishnu. In the Hindu lunar calendar, Vaisakha begins with the new moon in April. ¹⁵⁶. It is a historical fact, Prophet Muhammad was born on the 12th day of the bright half of the month of Rabi'ul Awwal, Monday, April the 20th.

The Special Qualities Of Kalki Avatar

According to the Hindu sacred texts, ¹⁵⁷ the Final or Kalki Avatar will be endowed with the following eight special qualities: Wisdom, respectable lineage, self-control, revealed knowledge, valour, measured speech, utmost charity, and gratefulness.

It is evident in the biographies of Prophet Muhammad that he had all these qualities. He was absolutely free of malice, envy, vanity, diffidence, arrogance, and was generous, devout and virtuous, and avoided all kinds of blameworthy conduct. Only a prophet can have these admirable qualities, and only one who has these qualities to the greatest extent can secure a lasting position in the hearts of people. History does not give the name of a second person other than Prophet Muhammad who was loved by his companions and is being loved by hundreds of millions of individuals, which are increasing by the day.

Actions of Kalki Avatar

The Agni Purana (16: 7-9) and Vishnu Purana (4: 24) explain that by his irresistible might, Kalki Avatar will destroy all merciless kings and usurpers, and those whose minds are devoted to iniquity. He will establish moral law, and people will return to the path of righteousness. Satya Yuga, the age of purity, will begin in his footsteps. Prophet Muhammad defeated all the barbarous, tribal chiefs in Arabia and opened the way to the destruction of all evil governments such as the Byzantine and the Persian, Sassanid Empires. LaMartaine pays the following tribute to the Holy Prophet :

“This man moved not only armies, legislation, empires, peoples, and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited World; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs, and the souls. On the basis of a Book, every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality which has blended peoples of every tongue and every race. He has left to us the indelible characteristic of this Muslim nationality, the hatred of false gods, and the passion for the One and Immaterial God. This avenging patriotism against the profanation of Heaven formed the virtue of the followers of Muhammad: the conquest of one-third of the Earth to his creed was the miracle of reason.” ¹⁵⁸

The Padma Purana (6: 71: 279-282) relates that Lord Kalki will gather all of the distinguished Brahmanas (holy men) and will propound the highest truth. He will be the only ruler of the world that cannot be controlled and will be the banner of victory and adorable to the world. According to the Kalki Purana, he is the one who has the power to change the course of time in favour of the right. He will be one to whom the authority to change the ‘destiny’ of the world will be given. The Mahabharata (Vana Parva, 190: 93-97) writes that he will be the imperial sovereign, ever victorious by the strength of his virtue. He will restore order and peace in this world, overcrowded with creatures and contradictory in its laws. That effulgent and greatly intelligent Brahmana will be the destroyer of all, and he will be the maker of a new Yuga (Satya Yuga). Surrounded by the Brahmanas, he will exterminate all the low and despicable malecchas wherever they will be found. ¹⁵⁹

We may once more give ear to LaMartaine in his admissions about the Holy Prophet :

“Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, Conqueror of Ideas, Restorer of rational beliefs... The founder of twenty terrestrial empires and one spiritual empire that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be treasured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?”

James, William H. Stobart wrote almost the same thing, he says:

“Judged by the smallness of the means at his disposal, and the extent and permanence of the work that he accomplished, his name in world's history shines with a more spacious lustre than that of the Prophet of Makkah (). To the impulse which he gave numberless dynasties have owed their existence, fair cities and stately palaces and temples have arisen, and wide provinces became obedient to the Faith. Moreover, beyond all this, his words have governed the belief of generations, been accepted as their rule of life, and their certain guide to the world to come. At a thousand shrines, the voices of the faithful invoke blessings on him, whom they esteem the very prophet of God, the seal of the Apostles... Judged by the standards to human renown, the glory of what mortal can compare with his? ¹⁶⁰

What follows is the tribute paid to him by Mahatma Gandhi in Young India, 1924. He states:

“I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of humanity... I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet , the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and his mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of that great life.” ¹⁶¹

Now it is the turn of Sir George Bernard Shaw to speak in The Genuine Islam, Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936):

“I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him - the wonderful man, and in my opinion, far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the savior of humanity. ¹⁶²

Michael Hart in The 100, A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, New York, 1978, pg. 33, explains why he chose Prophet Muhammad as the world's most influential person. He states:

“My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the secular and religious level... It is probable that the relative influence of Muhammad on Islam has been larger than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul on Christianity... It is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to be considered the most influential single figure in human history.” ¹⁶³

Washington Irving expresses his views about the Holy Prophet in his ‘Mahomet and His Successors’ in the following manner:

“He was sober and abstemious in his diet and a rigorous observer of fasts. He indulged in no magnificence of apparel, the ostentation of a petty mind; neither was his simplicity in dress affected but a result of real disregard for distinction from so trivial a source.

In his private dealings, he was just. He treated friends and strangers, the rich and poor, the powerful and weak, with equity, and was beloved by the common people for the affability with which he received them, and listened to their complaints.

His military triumphs awakened no pride nor vain glory, as they would have done had they been effected for selfish purposes. In the time of his greatest power, he maintained the same simplicity of manners and appearance as in the days of his adversity. So far from affecting a regal state, he was displeased if, on entering a room, any unusual testimonials of respect were shown to him. If he aimed at a universal dominion, it was the dominion of faith; as to the temporal rule which grew up in his hands, as he used it without ostentation, so he took no step to perpetuate it in his family. . . ¹⁶⁴

The Bhagavata Purana states:

“Lord Kalki, the Lord of the universe, will mount His swift white horse Devadatta and, sword in hand, travel over the earth exhibiting His eight mystic opulence and eight special qualities of Godhead. Displaying His unequalled effulgence and riding with great speed, He will kill by the millions those thieves who have dared dress as kings.” ¹⁶⁵

The Srimad-Bhagavatam (12: 2: 19-20) describes that Lord Kalki, the Lord of the universe, will mount His swift white horse Devadatta and travel over the earth exhibiting His eight mystic opulence and eight special qualities. He will move with great speed and display his unequalled effulgence.

Prophet Muhammad travelled through all the dimensions of existence on the Buraq, a celestial steed. He is the only prophet who practised and put into practice, represented and preached the divine religion in its universality, and who made this religion prevalent in so short a time as 23 years. His companions spread and established Islam within a decade after him in so wide an area of around 15 million km2.

What follows in an excerpt from what Thomas Carlyle writes in Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History, Lecture 2, Friday, 8th May 1840:

“These Arabs, the man Mahomet, and that one century--is it not, as if a spark had fallen, one spark, on the world of what proves explosive powder, blazes heaven-high from Delhi to Granada! I said, the Great man was always as lightning out of Heaven; the rest of men waited for him like fuel, and then they too would flame...” ¹⁶⁶

Let us continue with the description of Lord Kalki as described in the Kalki Purana (24: 8):

“Because of his appearance within this world, the prestige of the devotees will be reinstated, the Brahmanas will once again engage in their ritualistic performances, the demigods will feel secure, Satya-yuga will commence, religious principles will be obeyed, and the influence of Kali will slacken.”

The Kalki Purana further relates the auspicious conditions that were found while Lord Kalki ruled the planet:

With Lord Kalki sitting upon the royal throne, the Vedas, the religious principles, Satya-Yuga personified, the demigods, and indeed all other moving and non-moving living entities became greatly satisfied. In the previous yuga, the Brahmanas had worshipped the demigods, and to bewilder the masses of people, they had displayed some minuscule mystic powers. During the reign of Lord Kalki, all such cheating practices were stopped so that no atheists or hypocrites could be seen within His kingdom. Lord Kalki thus happily resided in the city of Shambhala. ¹⁶⁷

Srimad-Bhagavatam (12: 2: 21-24) further describes that after all of the devious and fake kings have been killed, the remaining residents of the towns and cities will smell the breezes that carry the sacred aroma of the Lord's sandalwood paste and decorations, and their minds will then become spiritually purified. When the Supreme Being appears in their hearts in His form of pure goodness, the remaining citizens will abundantly repopulate the earth. With this appearance of Lord Kalki, Satya Yuga will begin again, and the remaining humans will produce children in goodness.

The Linga, Brahmanda and Vayu Puranas explain that after Lord Kalki returns to His eternal abode when those subjects surviving at the end of Kali Yuga are enlightened, the Yuga changes overnight. Then the minds of all people will become enlightened as clear as crystal, and with inevitable force, Krita or Satya Yuga sets in. People then realise the soul, acquire piety, devotion, tranquillity, and clear consciousness. Then those Siddhas (the enlightened and perfected living beings who had remained invisible on a higher dimension through the end of the age of Kali) return to the earthly dimension and again are visible. They establish themselves with the return of the Saptarishis, the seven sages, who instruct everyone about spiritual life, Vedic knowledge, and the progressive organisation of society for a peaceful and fulfilling existence. Then again people flourish and perform the sacred rites, and the sages will remain in authority to continue the advancement of the new Satya Yuga. ¹⁶⁸

Dr William Draper writes in History of Intellectual Development of Europe:

“(Muslim) Khalifs became distinguished patrons of learning. It has been said that they overran the domains of science as quickly as they overran the realms of their neighbours. It became customary for the first dignities of the state to be held by men distinguished for their erudition. Some of the maxims current show how much literature was esteemed. "The ink of the doctor ¹⁶⁹ is equally valuable with the blood of the martyr." "Paradise is as much for him who has rightly used the pen as for him who has fallen by the sword." "The world is sustained by four things only: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valour of the brave.

Within twenty-five years after the demise of Mohammed , under Ali, the fourth Khalif, the patronage of learning had become a settled principle of the Mohammedan system. Under the Khalifs of Baghdad, this principle was thoroughly carried out. The cultivators of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and general literature abounded in the court of Al-Mansur, who invited all philosophers, offering them his protection, whatever their religious opinions might be. His successor, Alraschid (ar-Rashid), is said never to have travelled without a retinue of a hundred learned men. This great sovereign issued an edict that no mosque should be built unless there was a school attached to it. It was he who confided the superintendence of his schools to the Nestorian Masue. His successor, Al-Ma'mun, was brought up among Greek and Persian mathematicians, philosophers, and physicians. They continued his associates all his life. By these sovereigns, the establishment of libraries was incessantly prosecuted, and the collection and copying of manuscripts properly organised. In all the great cities schools abounded; in Alexandria, there were not less than twenty.

It was the Nestorians who were not only permitted by the Khalifs the free exercise of their religion, but even entrusted with the education of the children of the great Mohammedan families, a liberality in striking contrast to the fanaticism of Europe. The Khalif Alraschid went so far as even to place all his public schools under the superintendence of John Masue, one of that sect. Under the auspices of these learned men, the Arabian academies were furnished with translations of Greek authors, and vast libraries were collected in Asia. ¹⁷⁰

What follows belongs to Edward Gibbon and Simon Oakley in History of the Saracen Empire, London, 1870:

“Sheer moral force effected the greatest success of Mohammad's life. It is not the propagation, but the permanency of his religion that deserves our wonder, the same pure and perfect impression which he engraved at Makka and Medina is preserved after the revolutions of twelve centuries by the Indian, the African and the Turkish proselytes of the Koran... The Mahometans have uniformly withstood the temptation of reducing the object of their faith and devotion to a level with the senses and the imagination of man. `I believe in One God and Mahomet the Apostle of God' is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. Any visible idol has never degraded the intellectual image of the Deity; the honours of the prophet have never transgressed the measure of human virtue, and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion.” ¹⁷¹

Moreover, Reverend Bosworth Smith wrote the following in Muhammad and Muhammadanism, London, 1874:

“Head of the State as well as the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without the Pope's pretensions, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar, without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a police force, without a fixed revenue. If ever a man ruled by a right divine, it was Muhammad, for he had all the powers without their supports. He cared not for the dressings of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life.” ¹⁷²

In Mohammedanism everything is different here. Instead of the shadowy and the mysterious, we have a history... We know of the external history of Muhammad. While for his internal history after his mission had been proclaimed, we have a book unique in its origin, in its preservation... on the Substantial authority of which no one has ever been able to cast a serious doubt. ¹⁷³

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi writes on the essence of Islam:

“The highest aim of creation and its most sublime result is a belief in God. The most exalted rank of humanity is the knowledge of God. The most radiant happiness and sweetest bounty for humankind is the love of God issuing from the knowledge of God. The purest joy for the human spirit and the purest delight for man's heart is the spiritual ecstasy contained within the love of God. Indeed, all true happiness, pure joy, sweet bounties and unclouded pleasures are undoubtedly contained within the knowledge and love of God. The one who knows and loves God is either potentially or able to receive endless happiness, favours, enlightenment and understanding. While the one who does not truly know and love Him is afflicted spiritually and materially by endless misery, pain and fear. Indeed, even if a man, powerless and miserable, and unprotected amid other purposeless human beings in a world filled with wretchedness, were made the miler of the whole world, what will this really be worth for him?” ¹⁷⁴

A Western writer of the 19th century admiringly explains the Islamic moral effect on the African people as follows:

“As to the effects of Islam when first embraced by a tribe (in Africa), can there when viewed as a whole, be any reasonable doubt? Polytheism disappears almost instantaneously; sorcery, with its attendant evils, gradually dies away; human sacrifice becomes a thing of the past. The general moral elevation is most marked; the natives begin to dress, and that neatly. Filth is replaced by some approach to personal cleanliness; hospitality becomes a religious duty; drunkenness, instead of the rule, becomes a comparatively rare exception... chastity is looked upon as one of the highest, and becomes, in fact, one of the commoner virtues. It is idleness that henceforward degrades, and industry that elevates, instead of the reverse. Offences are henceforward measured by a written code instead of the arbitrary caprice of a chieftain--a step, as everyone will admit, of vast importance in the progress of a tribe. The Mosque gives an idea of architecture at all events higher than any a person has yet had. A thirst for literature is created and that for works of science and philosophy as well as for commentaries on the Quran.” ¹⁷⁵

The following description shows how, at the beginning of the Satya Yuga, which will start with the Last Prophet (Kalki Avatar), everyone will again live in harmony and with a common cause and goal, based on spiritual elevation for everybody.

The truth and the tapas (austerity for spiritual insight, enlightenment, and perfection) would re-emerge completely, together with Dharma (Divine Law). At that point in time, the Brahmanas will perform their tapas. They will be extremely religious and well-versed in the Vedic (Scriptural) knowledge. In every household, there will again be chaste ladies devoted to religion (the Vedic spiritual path). There will be regional kings who will be dedicated to their own Dharma (duties as an honest and principled ruler), devoted to (genuine and highly advanced) Brahmanas (the intellectuals and priests who understand Vedic spiritual knowledge), as well as glorious, devoted to Dharma. It will always be performing good deeds and activities. The Vaishyas (Vedically principled and honest merchants) will engage themselves in commerce and will be devoted to the Brahmanas and religion. The Shudras (or worker class, artists, performers, etc.) also will be quite meritorious, dedicated to Dharma and adore the Brahmanas... There will be Vaishnavas (worshippers of Vishnu) always reciting the name of Lord Vishnu. ¹⁷⁶

The Mahabharata also states some of the same things, but with further elaborations on how conditions will be when Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga begins again:

O descendant of Bharata, when at the appearance of the Krita Yuga, sin will thus be completely destroyed and virtue will flourish, men will again be engaged in religious rites. Well-planted gardens, sacrificial grounds, large tanks, Vedic schools and colleges, ponds and temples, will (all) reappear everywhere; various sacrifices will also begin to be performed at the appearance of the Krita age. Brahmanas will be honest and good... The hermitages occupied by the wicked wretches will once more be the homes of men devoted to Truth. Men in general will begin to honour and practice Truth. All seeds sown on earth will grow. O king of kings, every kind of crop will grow in every season. Men will devotedly practice charity, vows, and religious rites. The Brahmanas, devoted to meditation and sacrifices (Vedic rituals), will be of virtuous soul and cheerful disposition. The Kings will virtuously govern the earth. In the Krita Yuga, the haishyas will devote themselves to trade, the Brahmanas will be devoted to their six duties, and the Kshatriyas will be devoted to the display of prowess (for the protection of the citizens). The Shudras will be devoted to their service. ... Such will be the Dharma in Krita, Treta, and Dvapara Yugas. ¹⁷⁷

After taking a look at the Mahabharata, lets take a look at the tributes presented to Islam for bringing peace and prosperity to the world.

“The Prophet of Islam and his successors were the true incarnations of Islam. They were examples of honesty, decency, sincerity, trustworthiness, peace and good behaviour. A more recent example is that of ‘Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani, the founder of the Qadiriyya order, "which has been the most widespread of the religious orders of Sufi Islam. It has been said that he was the most popular and most universally revered of all saints of Islam. It is also said that Qadiriyya activities have been entirely peaceful, humanitarian, educational, moral and based on voluntary conversion. The guiding principles that governed the life of Qadiriyya teachers, preachers and followers, were love, tolerance, generosity, goodwill, respect for other religions, understanding, faith in what they preached, did and confirmed.” ¹⁷⁸

John Davenport, a leading scientist of the 19th century, observed in his ‘An Apology for Mohammed and the Koran’:

“It must be owned that all the knowledge whether of physics, astronomy, philosophy or mathematics, which flourished in Europe from the 10th century was originally derived from the Arabian schools, and the Spanish Saracen may be looked upon as the father of European philosophy.” ¹⁷⁹

Bertrand Russell, the famous British philosopher, wrote (Pakistan Quarterly, Vo1. 4, No. 3):

“The supremacy of the East was not the only military. Science, philosophy, poetry, and the arts, all flourished in the Muhammedan world at a time when Europe was sunk in barbarism. Europeans, with unpardonable insularity, call this period ‘the Dark Ages’: but it was only in Europe that it was dark indeed only in Christian Europe, for Spain, which was Mohammedan, had a brilliant culture.”

Robert Briffault, the renowned historian, acknowledges the following in his book ‘The Making of Humanity’:

“It is highly probable that but for the Arabs modern European civilization would never have arisen at all; it is absolutely certain that but for them, it would not have assumed that character which has enabled it to transcend all previous phases of evolution. For although there is not a single aspect of European growth in which the decisive influence of Islamic culture is not traceable, nowhere is it so clear and momentous as in the genesis of that power which constitutes the paramount distinctive force of the modern world and the supreme source of its victory natural science and the scientific spirit.

... What we call sciences arose in Europe as a result of a new spirit of inquire; of new methods of investigation, of the method of experiment, observation, measurement, of the development of Mathematics in a form unknown to the Greeks. That spirit and those methods were introduced into the European world by the Arabs.” ¹⁸⁰

L. Stoddard acknowledges that for the first five centuries of its existence, the realm of Islam was the most civilised and progressive portion of the world:

“Cordoba in the tenth century under Muslim rule was the most civilized city in Europe, the wonder and admiration of the world. Travellers from the north heard with something like fear of the city which contained 70 libraries with hundreds of thousands of volumes, and 900 public baths, yet whenever the rulers of Leon Navarre of Barcelona needed a surgeon, an architect, a dressmaker or a musician, it was to Cordoba that they applied. ¹⁸¹

Ervin I. J. Rosenthal, a famous Orientalist, says that the most important factor for the spread of Islam is the religious law of Islam (which is an inclusive, all-embracing, all-comprehensive way of thinking and living) which was designed to cover all manifestations of life. ¹⁸²

A historical episode which al-Balazuri, Ahmad Ibn Yahya Ibn al-Jabir (820-892), a renowned Muslim Arab historian, tells about how pleased the native peoples were with their Muslim conquerors is of great significance:

“When Heraclius massed his troops against the Muslims, and the Muslims heard that they were coming to meet them, they refunded the inhabitants of Hims the tribute they had taken from them, saying: "We are too busy to support and protect you. Take care of yourselves." However, the people of Hims replied: "We like your rule and justice far better than the state of oppression and tyranny in which we were. The army of Heraclius we shall, indeed, with your help, repulse from the city." The Jews rose and said: "We swear by the Torah, no governor of Heraclius shall enter the city of Hims unless we are first vanquished and exhausted." Saying this, they closed the gates of the city and guarded them. The inhabitants of other cities--Christians and Jews--that had been capitulated did the same. When by God's help the unbelievers were defeated. The people opened the gates of their cities, went out with the singers and players of music, and paid the tribute.” ¹⁸³

The Christians wait for the second coming of Jesus as the Messiah, and the Jews, for the Messiah, and other religions, for their Messiahs, and the Shi'a in the Muslim world, for the re-appearance or return of the Twelfth Imam as the Mahdi. However, while those who are in the expectation of certain kinds of extraordinariness continue to wait for their extraordinary saviour, but all should know that it will be Islam, brought by Prophet Muhammad which will determine the usual course of events. The famous British historian Arnold Toynbee writes that in the contemporary world, i.e. the modern civilised world, there is, as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of Islamic virtues.

Some Other Attributes Of Kalki Avatar

According to the Kalki Purana (2: 5), Kalki Avatar will destroy the devil, especially together with his four companions. This is a clear indication to the first four Caliphs of the Holy Prophet . They were Abu Bakr , `Umar , `Uthman and 'Ali .

Kalki Purana (2: 7) also states that Kalki Avatar will be helped in the battle by the Devatas (angels). As pointed out before and stated in the Holy Quran (al-Anfal, 8: 9, 12; at-Tawba, 9: 26, 40; Al-Ahzab, 33: 9), Prophet Muhammad received the help of angels during his life, especially during wars. It is said in Kalki Purana that Kalki Avatar will go to the mountain, where he will receive knowledge from Parshuram, then go toward the north, and then make a comeback. Prophet Muhammad did go to the mountain. There he received knowledge of God through the Archangel Gabriel , and the Holy Quran started be revealed upon him. A few years after that, he went north to Madina. Finally, he made a triumphant comeback to Makkah.

Kalki Avatar will have the most graceful personality: In the Bhagabat Purana (12: 2: 20), it is said about Kalki Avatar, that he will have a personality of unparalleled grace. As explained before, Prophet Muhammad , had the most charming personality into every aspect.

According to Bhagabat Purana (12: 2: 21), Kalki Avatar's body will be sweet-smelling, in which the air around him will become fragrant. The sweet fragrance which emitted from the body of Prophet Muhammad was well known. If someone shook his hand, it would remain fragrant for the rest of the day.

William Muir (1819-1905), a Scottish Orientalist and colonial administrator, wrote a book known as ‘the life of Prophet Muhammad’. As an unfair critic of Islam and a propagator of Christian missionaries, he tried to make Muslims accept that Muhammad was not worth their allegiance. He also claimed that it is the prophet himself, who wrote the Holy Quran. However, despite all his bias and prejudices, he had to confess about the Holy Prophet :

From time beyond memory, Makkah and the whole Peninsula had been steeped in spiritual torpor. The slight and transient influences of Judaism, Christianity, or philosophy, upon the Arab mind, had been but as the ruffling here and there of the surface of a quiet lake--all remained still and motionless below. The people were sunk in superstition, cruelty, and vice. It was a common practice for the eldest son to marry his father's widows inherited as property with the rest of the estate. Pride and poverty had introduced among them, as it has among the Hindus, the crime of female infanticide. Their religion consisted in gross idolatry, and their faith was rather the vague superstitious dread of unseen beings, whose goodwill they sought to propitiate, and to avert their displeasure, then the belief in an overruling providence. The life to come and retribution of good and evil were, as motives of action, practically unknown.

Thirteen years before the Hegira (Hijra), Makka lay lifeless in this debased state. What a change had those thirteen years now produced! A band of several hundred persons had rejected idolatry, adopted the worship of the one great God. They surrendered themselves implicitly to the guidance of what they believed a revelation from Him-- praying to the Almighty with frequency and fervour, looking for pardon through his mercy, and striving to follow after good works, alms-giving, chastity, and justice. They now lived under a constant sense of the Omnipotent power of God, and of His providential care over the minutest of their concerns. In all the gifts of nature, in every relation of life, at each turn of their affairs individual or public, they saw His hand. Moreover, above all, the new spiritual existence in which they joyed and gloried, was regarded as the mark of His special grace; while the unbelief of their blinded fellow-citizens was the hardening stamp of His predestined reprobation. Mahomet was the Minister of life to them--- the source under the God of their newborn hopes, and to him, they yielded a fitting and implicit submission.

In such a short a period, Makkah had, from this beautiful movement, been rent into two factions, which, unmindful of the old landmarks of tribe and family, was arrayed in deadly opposition one against the other. The believers bore persecution with a patient and a liberal spirit. As it was their strategic move, hence the credit of a magnanimous forbearance should be accorded to them: One hundred men and women, rather than abjure the precious faith, had abandoned their homes, and sought refuge, till the storm should be overpast, in Abyssinian exile. Moreover, even a larger number, with the prophet himself emigrated from their fondly-loved city, with its sacred temple--to them, the holiest spot on earth and fled to Madina. Later on, the same wonder-working charm had prepared a brother hood ready to defend the Holy Prophet and his followers with their lives. Jewish truth had long sounded in the ears of the men of Madina; but it was not till they heard the spirit-stirring strains of the Prophet Muhammad , that they too awoke from their slumber, and sprang suddenly into a new and earnest life.

Description Of His Companions

About the companions of the Holy Prophet , Sir William Muir states:

"The servants of the Merciful are they that walk upon the earth softly; and, when the ignorant speak unto them, they reply peace! They that spend the night worshipping their Lord, prostrate and standing; And that say, ‘Oh, our Lord! turn away from us the torment of Hell; Verily, from the torment thereof there is no release. Surely it is an evil abode and resting-place!’ Those that when they spend are neither profuse nor niggardly, but take a middle course; Those that invoke not with God any other God and slay not a soul that God hath forbidden, otherwise than by right; and commit not fornication; For he who doeth that is involved in sin, His torment shall be doubled unto him in the day of judgment: therein ignominiously shall he remain for ever; Excepting him that shall repent and believe and perform righteous works; as for them God shall change their evil things into good things; and God is forgiving and merciful. And whoever repenteth and doeth good works, verily, he turneth unto God with a true repentance. They who bear not witness to that which is false; and when they pass by vain sporty they pass it by with dignity: They who, when admonished by the Revelations or the Lord, thereupon fall not down as if deaf and blind; Who say, ‘Oh, our Lord Grant us of our wives and children such as shall be a comfort unto us, and make us examples unto the pious!’ These shall be rewarded with lofty mansions (in Paradise), for that they persevered; and they shall be accosted therein with Welcome and Salutation: For ever therein with fair Abode and Resting-place." (al-Furqan, 25: 63-76) ¹⁸⁴

A virtue it is to be acknowledged in such a nice manner by the enemy.

Some unfairly attribute the Holy Prophet's and Islam's success to the sword. To this Pandit Gyanandra Dev Sharma Shastri gives the following answer:

“Biased critics of Islam and especially those who want to provoke Hindu-Muslim riots in the country say that Hazrat Muhammad after acquiring power in Medina could not maintain his facade of mercy and kindness. There he used force and violence and became a murderous prophet to achieve his life-long aim of power, status and wealth. He fell short of his own ideal of patience, moderation and endurance. But this is the view of those observers who are prejudicial and partisan, who are narrow-minded and whose eves are covered by a veil of Ignorance. They see fire instead of light, ugliness instead of beauty and evil instead of good. They distort and present every good quality as a great vice. It reflects their own depravity.

The critics are blind. They cannot see that the only, 'sword' Muhammad wielded was the sword of mercy, compassion, friendship and forgiveness--the sword that conquers enemies and purifies their hearts. His sword was sharper than the sword of steel.” (Pundit Gyanandra Dev Sharma Shastri). ¹⁸⁵

Jesus had given the glad tidings about the arrival of Messiah or Shiloh or the second David or Mahamaddim whom the Jews had been expecting. Ahmad or Paraclete, the glad tidings of whose coming; the final Saoshyant or Astvat-Ereta whom the Zoroastrians, Maitreya whom the Buddhists, and Sarashangsa or Parikshit or the final or Kalki Avatar whom the Hindus had been expecting was no one other than Ahmad, Prophet Muhammad . The one who praised God the most and has been praised God Himself and by all the inhabitants of the heavens and innumerable inhabitants of the earth, and the saviour and pride of humankind. Just as the fruit of a tree is the last in its physical life, but the first in the mind and intention of the producer as the primary cause of and purpose for the tree's existence, Prophet Muhammad was the first in the ‘mind’ of the Creator of the tree of creation and came as the last of the prophets by virtue of being the most illustrious fruit of that tree.

In the words of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, if we see the universe as a great book, we will see the light of Muhammad as the ink of the Creator's Pen with which He authored it. If we see the universe as a tree, we will see his light as originally its seed and consequently its fruit. If we see the universe as an animate being, we will see his light as its soul. If we see the universe as a macro-human, we will see his light as its intellect. If we see the universe as a flower garden, we will see his light as its nightingale offering their Creator and Sustainer, together with his own, the praises of all animals for Him. If we see the universe as a lofty, richly decorated castle with many rooms and apartments showing the splendour of the Eternal Sovereign's Sovereignty and His Glory's marvels, as well as the beauties of His Grace's manifestations and the wonderful designs of His Art, we will see the Prophet Muhammad's light as a spectator. Just as his messenger-ship opened this place of trial, his worship and servitude to God Almighty paved the way to the next world. ¹⁸⁶

Due to these phenomenal traits and the fact that Prophet Muhammad was the heir, and the final accomplisher of their missions, all the prophets gave the glad tidings of his coming and called their followers to believe in and support him.

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• ¹  Puranas, “Pratisarga Parva”, III: 3, 3, 5-6. https://sites.google.com/site/amininbox/home2: Retrieved: 06-01-2017
• ² http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/prophhs.html: Retrieved: 04-01-2016
• ³  Muslim bin Al-Hajjaj Abul Hassan Al-Neshapuri (2000), Sahih Muslim, Kitab-ul-Iman, Hadith: 413, Darussalam, Saudia, Pg. 83.
• ⁴  Holy Quran, Insharah (The Widening) 94: 1-3
• ⁵  Holy Quran, Tariq (The Nightly Arriver) 86: 3
• ⁶  Holy Quran, Muzzammil (The Wrapped One) 73: 2
• ⁷  Bhavishya Purana, Parv. III: 1, 3, 21-23. https://docs.google.com/document/d/173J0c0DUFrnIT91BzzztR43lU2LriVbCcXnF5D_an4E/edit?hl=en_US: Retrieved: 06-01-2017
• ⁸  Ahmed bin Al-Husain bin Ali bin Musa Al-Behaqi, Sha’bul Eman, Fi Sabre Alal Masai’b, Hadith: 9304, Maktabat Al-Rushd, Riyadh, Saudia, Vol. 12 Pg. 220.
• ⁹  Iavaram V, Introduction to the Upanishads, http://www.hinduwebsite.com/upanishads.asp: 06-01-2017
• ¹⁰ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Fahmi_hamzah21&oldid=501 08023: Retrieved: 07-01-2017
• ¹¹ http://www.indianetzone.com/53/monotheism_upanishads.htm: Retrieved: 07-01-2017
• ¹²  Quoted by Ali Unal in The Prophet Promised in World Scriptures, Tughra Books, New Jersey, USA, Pg. 450.
• ¹³  Rig Veda, 1: 13: 3
• ¹⁴  Rig Veda, 5: 5: 2
• ¹⁵  Rig Veda, 2: 3: 2
• ¹⁶  Holy Quran, Al-Maida (The Table Spread with food) 5: 15
• ¹⁷  Rig Veda, 1: 106: 4
• ¹⁸  Holy Quran, Najm (The Stars) 53: 3-4
• ¹⁹  85 Sanaullah Uthmani Pani Patti (2014), Tafseer-e-Mazhari (Translated by Zia-ul-Quran Publishers), Zia-ul-Quran Publishers, Lahore, Pakistan, Vol. 9, Pg. 154-155.
• ²⁰  Holy Quran, Baqarah (The Cow) 2: 151
• ²¹  Atharva Veda, 20: 127: 01 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ²²  In the available text this hymn is translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith as: “Listen to this, ye men, a laud of glorious bounty shall be sung. Thousands sixty, and ninety we, O Kaurama, among the Rusamas have received.” http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/av/av20127.htm: Retrieved: 12-01-2017
• ²³  Atharva Veda, 20: 21: 09 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ²⁴  In the available text this hymn is translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith as: “With all-outstripping chariot wheel, O Indra, thou far-famed, hast overthrown the twice ten kings of men, with sixty thousand nine-and-ninety followers, who came in arms to fight with friendless Susravas.” http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/av/av20021.htm: Retrieved: 12-01-2017
• ²⁵  Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Sanhita: 1: 1: 3: 11 (translated by Arthur Berriedale Keith, 1914)
• ²⁶  In the available text this hymn is translated by Berriedale Keith as: “Be ye united, that follow holy orders, Ye that wave and are fullest of sweetness, Delightful for the gaining of wealth.” http://sacred-texts.com/hin/yv/yv01.htm: Retrieved: 12-01-2017
• ²⁷  See Sam Veda, part II, 1: 12: 2; Rig Veda, 8: 13: 2; Yajur Veda, 34: 20.
• ²⁸  Atharva Veda, 20: 21: 9-10 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ²⁹  In the available text this hymn is translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith as: “With all-outstripping chariot wheel, O Indra, thou far-famed, hast overthrown the twice ten kings of men, with sixty thousand nine-and-ninety followers, who came in arms to fight with friendless Susravas. Thou hast protected Susravas with succour, and Tūrvayāna with thine aid, O Indra: Thou madest Kutsa, Atithigva, Ayu subject unto this king, the young, the mighty.” http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/av/av20021.htm: Retrieved: 12-01-2017
• ³⁰ http://thenamesdictionary.com/name-meanings/88056/name-meaning-of-turvayana: Retrieved: 12-01-2017
• ³¹  Arabic: جبل ثور
• ³²  Holy Quran, Taubah (The Repentance) 9: 40
• ³³ http://www.trsiyengar.com/id279.shtml: Retrieved: 12-01-2017
• ³⁴ http://agniveer.com/no-beef-in-vedas-part2/: Retrieved: 12-01-2017
• ³⁵ http://www.sanskritdictionary.com/?q=atithigva&iencoding=&lang=en: Retrieved: 12-01-2017
• ³⁶  Atharva Veda, 20: 127: 2 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ³⁷ http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/av/av20127.htm: Retrieved: 13-01-2017
• ³⁸  Manu Smriti 11: 201 (translated by G. Buhler)
• ³⁹  Manu Smriti 5: 8 (translated by G. Buhler)
• ⁴⁰  Manu Smriti 11: 156 (translated by G. Buhler)
• ⁴¹ http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=vadhU&direction=SE&script=HK&link=yes&beginning=0: Retrieved: 13-01-2017
• ⁴²  Holy Quran, Najm (The Stars) 53: 7
• ⁴³  3D Karam Shah Al-Azhari (2014), Zia-ul-Quran, Zia-ul-Quran Publishers, Lahore, Pakistan, Vol. 5, Pg. 110.
• ⁴⁴  Atharva Veda, 20: 127: 3 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ⁴⁵  Muhammad bin Eisa Al-Tirmizi, Sunan Al-Tirmizi, Manaqib-e-Abdul Rehman . . ., Hadith: 3747, Dar-ul-Salam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 1106.
• ⁴⁶  Holy Quran, Fath (The Victory) 48: 29
• ⁴⁷  Al-Musnad Imam Ahmad bin Hanmbal (2001), Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanmbal Al-Shebani, Hadith: 2445, Moas’sisat-ur-Risala, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 4, Pg. 259.
• ⁴⁸  Rig Veda, 5: 27: 1 (Rig Veda, tr. by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1896), at sacred-texts.com)
• ⁴⁹  Dr. Ved Prakash Upaddhayaya, Muhammad in the Vedas and the Puranas, Ch.: 4, https://www.scribd.com/doc/53691335/Thesis-Muhammad-in-the-Vedas-and-the-Puranas: Retrieved: 13-01-2017
• ⁵⁰  Holy Quran, Aale Imran (The Family of Imran) 3: 164
• ⁵¹  Holy Quran, Anbiya (The Prophets) 21: 107
• ⁵²  Atharva Veda, 20: 127: 4 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ⁵³  Sarasvati, Brigit and the Sacred Word http://www.brigitsforge.co.uk/sarasvati1.htm#Sarasvati_and _the_Sacred_Word: Retrieved: 14-01-2017
• ⁵⁴  Quoted by Ali Unal in The Prophet Promised in World Scriptures, Tughra Books, New Jersey, USA, Pg. 465.
• ⁵⁵  Holy Quran, Al-Muddassir (The Cloaked One) 74: 1-3
• ⁵⁶  owards Understanding the Quran: http://www.islamicstudies.info/tafheem.php?sura=74&verse=1&to-56: Retrieved: 10-02-18
• ⁵⁷  Holy Quran, Ibrahim (Prophet Abraham) 14: 24-25
• ⁵⁸  Sayyid Qutb (2016), In the Shade of the Quran, Islamic Foundation, Leicestershire, U.K, Vol. X, Pg. 216.
• ⁵⁹  Atharva Veda, 20: 127: 5 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ⁶⁰  Holy Quran, Al-Nisa (The Women) 4: 102
• ⁶¹  Towards Understanding the Quran: http://www.islamicstudies.info/tafheem.php?sura=4&verse=101&to=104: Retrieved: 10-02-18
• ⁶²  Holy Quran, Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2: 45
• ⁶³  Atharva Veda, 20: 127: 6 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ⁶⁴  Holy Quran, Maidah (The Table Spread with Food) 5: 67
• ⁶⁵  According to many other evidences of the same mantra this word is “Listen” instead of “List”, it might be miss printing of this version. (DBF: SRC)
• ⁶⁶  Atharva Veda, 20: 127: 7-10 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ⁶⁷  Hemchandra Raychaudhuri (1923), Political History of Ancient India, Ch. 1, The Age of Parikshitas, University of Culcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Pg. 1-2.
• ⁶⁸  Story of the great Parikshit maharaja https://moralstories.wordpress.com/2006/05/25/anger-is-ones-greatest-enemy/: Retrieved: 16-01-2017
• ⁶⁹ http://www.indiachildnames.com/name.aspx?name=Parikshit: Retrieved: 17-01-2017
• ⁷⁰  Alphonse de LaMartaine (1854), Historie de la Turquie, Paris V. Lecou, Paris, France, Vol: 2, Pg. 276.
• ⁷¹  Arthur Glyn Leonard (1909), Islam, Her Moral and Spiritual Values, pub: Luzac, London, U.K, Pg. 122-123.
• ⁷²  Sir William Muir (1861), Life of Mohamet, Smith, Elder & Co., London, U.K, Intro. Ch.: 2, 7, and 3, respectively.
• ⁷³  Al-Hirah (Arabic: الحيرة‎‎) was an ancient city in Mesopotamia located south of what is now Kufa in south-central Iraq. It was a significant city in pre-Islamic Arab history. Al-Hirah (4th-7th centuries) was a vassal of the Sasanian Empire, whom it helped in containing the nomadic Arabs to the south. The Lakhmid rulers of al-Hirah were recognized by Shapur II (337-358), the tenth Sasanian emperor. From ca. 527, al-Hirah was opposed by the Ghassanids, a Byzantine-sponsored Arab state in Syria and Palestine. The two powers engaged in a long conflict of their own that functioned as a proxy war for the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires.
  In 531, the Sasanians defeated the Byzantine general Belisarius at the Battle of Callinicum south of Edessa (now in southeastern Turkey), with the help of al-Hirah. In 602, Khosrow II deposed al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir and annexed al-Hirah. The Muslim conquest of Persia occurred in the 7th century and the city was captured by army of the Rashidun Caliphate in May 633.
• ⁷⁴  Abu Abdullah Muhammad Bin Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib: Hadith: 3595, Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 603.
• ⁷⁵  Atharva Veda, 20: 127: 11 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ⁷⁶  Holy Quran, Al-Muzzammil (The Wrapped One) 73: 1-5
• ⁷⁷  Holy Quran, Al-Muddassir (The Cloaked One) 74: 1-3
• ⁷⁸  Holy Quran, Hijr (The Stones) 15: 94
• ⁷⁹  Holy Quran, Duha (The Late Morning) 93: 4-5
• ⁸⁰  Holy Quran, Al-Kausar (Abundance / The Pond) 108: 1-2
• ⁸¹  Towards Understanding the Quran (Online): http://www.islamicstudies.info/tafheem.php?sura=108 &verse=1&to=3: Retrieved: 10-02-18
• ⁸²  Atharva Veda, 20: 127: 12 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ⁸³  Muslim bin Al-Hajjaj Abul Hassan Al-Neshapuri (2000), Sahih Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fazai’l, Hadith: 6022, Darussalam, Saudia, Pg. 1022.
• ⁸⁴  Holy Quran, Al Taubah (The Repentance) 9:128
• ⁸⁵  Toward Understanding the Quran (Online): http://www.islamicstudies.info/tafheem.php?sura=21&verse-94: Retrieved: 10-02-18
• ⁸⁶  Abu-Dawood Sulayman bin Al-Ash’as Al-Sajistani (2009), Sunan Abi Dawood, Kitab-ul-Jihad, Hadith: 2675, Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 540.
• ⁸⁷  Abu Abdur Rehman Ahmad bin Sho’ib Al-Nisai (1999), Sunan Al-Nisai, Kitab Manasik-ul-Hajj, Hadith: 2887, Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 397.
• ⁸⁸  Abu ‘Abdullah Al-Hakim Neshapuri, Al-Mustadrak ‘Ala Al-Sahihain, Hadith: 7563, Darul Kutub AL-‘Ilmia, Beirut, Lebnon, Vol. 4, Pg. 257.
• ⁸⁹  Abu-Dawood Sulayman bin Al-Ash’as Al-Sajistani (2009), Sunan Abi Dawood, Kitab-ul-Jihad, Hadith: 2549, Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 5.
• ⁹⁰  Atharva Veda, 20: 127: 13-14 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ⁹¹  Holy Quran, Al-Naas (Mankind) 114: 1-6
• ⁹²  Sayyid Qutb (2016), In the Shade of the Quran, Islamic Foundation, Leicestershire, U.K, Vol. XVIII, Pg. 298-299.
• ⁹³  Holy Quran, Al-Maidah (The Table Spread with Food) 5: 67
• ⁹⁴  Atharva Veda, 10: 2: 26-33 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ⁹⁵  Holy Quran, Saffat (The Rank Makers) 37: 102
• ⁹⁶  Holy Quran, Al-Feel (The Elephant) 105: 1-5
• ⁹⁷  It should be clear in the mind that these are the details of major gates and circuits which are increased and decreased according to the need of the time and requirements of the place but these amendments are not taking it out from the domain of this explanation of mantra. (DBF:SRC)
• ⁹⁸ http://www.islamawareness.net/Hinduism/hindu.html: Retrieved: 20-01-2017
• ⁹⁹  Holy Quran, Aale Imran (The Family of Imran) 3: 97
• ¹⁰⁰  Rig Veda, 1: 53: 6 (Rig Veda, tr. by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1896), at sacred-texts.com), Atharva Veda, 20: 21: 6 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ¹⁰¹  Abu Abdullah Muhammad Bin Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Bukhari, Kitab Manaqib-ul-Ansar: Hadith: 3796, Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 637.
• ¹⁰²  Abu Abdullah Muhammad Bin Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Bukhari, Kitab Manaqib-ul-Ansar: Hadith: 3796, Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 637.
• ¹⁰³  Holy Quran, Ahzab (The Armies) 33: 9
• ¹⁰⁴  Holy Quran, Ahzab (The Armies) 33: 25
• ¹⁰⁵  Spoken Sanskrit Dictionary: http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=satpati&script=&direction= SE&link=y: Retrieved: 20-01-2017
• ¹⁰⁶  Holy Quran, Ahzab (The Armies) 33: 23-24
• ¹⁰⁷  Rig Veda, 1: 53: 7-8 (Rig Veda, tr. by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1896), at sacred-texts.com), Atharva Veda, 20: 21: 7-8 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ¹⁰⁸  Namuci is a tempter and described as cunning and guileful; and Karanja and Parnaya are enemies of Indra.
• ¹⁰⁹  Holy Quran, Ahzab (The Repentance) 33:26
• ¹¹⁰  Rig Veda, 1: 53: 9-10 (Rig Veda, tr. by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1896), at sacred-texts.com), Atharva Veda, 20: 21: 9-10 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ¹¹¹  Holy Quran, Taubah (The Repentance) 9: 40
• ¹¹²  Abu Abdullah Muhammad Bin Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Jihad-wal-Siyar: Hadith: 2864, Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 474.
• ¹¹³  Holy Quran, Taubah (The Repentance) 9: 25-26
• ¹¹⁴  Simple guide for Buddhists & Hindus: http://guidancefor1buddhist2hindus3idolators.blogspot.com/2012/10/last-prophet-and-messenger-muhammad5.html: Retrieved: 21-01-2017
• ¹¹⁵  Sama Veda 2: 2: 1: 8 (Hymns of the Sama Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ¹¹⁶ http://muhammadinhinduism.tripod.com/id6.html: Retrieved: 21-01-2017
• ¹¹⁷  Rig Veda, 8: 48: 3 (Rig Veda, tr. by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1896), at sacred-texts.com), Atharva Veda, 20: 21: 7-8 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ¹¹⁸  Rig Veda 8: 6: 10 (Rig Veda, tr. by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1896), at sacred-texts.com), Atharva Veda, 20: 21: 7-8 (Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ¹¹⁹  Holy Quran, Al-Ahzab (The Armies) 33: 45-46
• ¹²⁰  Quran, Al-Furqan (The Criterion) 25: 61
• ¹²¹  Holy Quran, Younus (Prophet Jonah) 10: 5
• ¹²² http://www.expressnewsindia.com/mkdave/36.pdf: Retrieved: 21-01-2017
• ¹²³ http://www.sathyasai.org/devotional/gayatri: Retrieved: 21-01-2017
• ¹²⁴  Quoted by Ali Unal in The Prophet Promised in World Scriptures, Tughra Books, New Jersey, USA, Pg. 491.
• ¹²⁵  S. Radhakrishnan (1953), The Principal Upanishads, George Allen and Unwin Ltd. London, U.K., Pg. 299.
• ¹²⁶  Jones, William (1807), The works of Sir William Jones, J. Stockdale and J. Walker, California, USA, Vol. 13, Pg. 367.
• ¹²⁷ http://www.omgayatri.com/mahaa_maNtra/gaayatree.html: Retrieved: 21-01-2017
• ¹²⁸ http://www.omgayatri.com/mahaa_maNtra/gaayatree.html: Retrieved: 21-01-2017
• ¹²⁹ http://www.eaglespace.com/spirit/gayatribywords.php: Retrieved: 21-01-2017
• ¹³⁰  Monier Monier-Williams (1882), The Place which the Ṛig-veda Occupies in the Sandhya, and Other Daily Religious Services of the Hindus, A. Asher & Company, Berlin, Germany, Pg. 164
• ¹³¹  Holy Quran, Al-Ahzab (The Armies) 33: 45-46
• ¹³²  Holy Quran, Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2: 129
• ¹³³  Holy Quran, Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2: 151
• ¹³⁴  Sama Veda 1: 2: 2: 2 (Hymns of the Sama Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, (1895), at sacred-texts.com)
• ¹³⁵  Muhammad bin Habban Al-Darmi (1408), Al-Ahsan Fi Taqreebi Sahih ibne Habban, Hadees: 6334, Moas’sisatur Risalah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 14, Pg. 244.
• ¹³⁶  Holy Quran, Al-Ahqaf (The Sand Dunes) 46: 35
• ¹³⁷  Holy Quran, Fatir (The Maker) 35: 24
• ¹³⁸  Holy Quran, Momin (The Believer) 40: 78
• ¹³⁹  Holy Quran, Al-Naas (Mankind) 114: 1-3
• ¹⁴⁰  Christine Gruenwald, Peter Marchand, Vishnu, http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_ goddesses/vishnu.htm; Alan G. Hefner, Vishnu, http://www.pantheon.org/articles/v/vishnu.html: Retrieved: 23-01-2017
• ¹⁴¹  H. D. Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, The philosophy of the descension (avatar) of God, and Bhagwan Ram and Krishn, http://www.encyclopediaofauthentichinduism.org/articles/66_the_philosophy.htm.: Retrieved: 23-01-2017
• ¹⁴²  Chandra Bhan Gupta: http://www.cosmicharmony.com/Av/AVmain.htm: Retrieved: 23-01-2017
• ¹⁴³  Subhamoy Das, The Four Yugas or Epochs, http://hinduism.about.com/od/basics/a/fouryugas.htm; Stephen Knapp, Kalzi: The Next-Avatar of God and the End of Kaliyuga, http://www.stephen-knapp.com/kalki_the_next_avatar _of_God.htm: Retrieved: 24-01-2017
• ¹⁴⁴  Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1: 3: 25; 2: 7: 38; Vishnu Purana, 4: 24; Agni Purana, 16: 7-9; Kalki Purana, 1: 23-38; Prakriti Khanda, 7: 60: 58-59: Stephen Knapp, Kalki: The Next Avatar of God and the End of Kali-yuga, http://www.stephen-knapp.com/kalki_the_next_avatar-of_God.htm; Hindu Prophecies and the Incarnation of the Kalki Avatar, http://www. iawwai.com/HinduProphecies.html; Dr. Ved Prakash Upaddhayaya, Muhammad in the Vedas and the Puranas, p: 23.
• ¹⁴⁵  R.C. Dutta, A History of Civilisation in India, vol.: 3, p: 281, 283, 303, 331, 342-43, quoted by Ali Unal in The Prophet Promised in World Scriptures, Tughra Books, New Jersey, USA, Pg. 500-501, Tughra Books, New Jersy.; also see Hindu Prophecies: The Kalki Purana, http://ww-iii.tripod.com/hindu.htm: Retrieved: 26-01-2017
• ¹⁴⁶  For quotations see: Ali Unal in The Prophet Promised in World Scriptures, Tughra Books, New Jersey, USA, Pg. 501-502.
• ¹⁴⁷  In Tibetan Buddhist and Hindu traditions, Shambhala (also spelled Shambala or Shamballa or "Shambhallah") is a mythical kingdom. It is mentioned in various ancient texts, including the Kalacakra Tantra (Victor M. Fic (2003), The Tantra, Abhinav Publications, Maharashtra, India, Pg. 49.) and the ancient Zhangzhung texts of western Tibet. The Bon scriptures speak of a closely related land called Tagzig Olmo Lung Ring. (The Bon Religion of Tibet by Per Kavaerne, Shambhala, 1996) Chogyam Trungpa, a Tibetan Buddhist lama, used the "Shambhala" name for certain of his teachings, practices, and organizations (e.g. Shambhala Training, Shambhala International, Shambhala Publications), referring to the root of human goodness and aspiration. In Trungpa's view, Shambhala has its own independent basis in human wisdom that does not belong to East or West, or to any one culture or religion. (Trungpa, Chogyam (1988), Shambhala, The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Shambhala, Colorado, USA.)
• ¹⁴⁸  Jason Jeffrey, Mystery of Shambhala: http://www.newdawnmagazine.com/articles/mystery_of_shambhala_part_one.html: Retrieved: 26-01-2017
• ¹⁴⁹  Translation: “You have learned the art of discharging arrows from Me. You will imbibe transcendental knowledge from Sukadeva Gosvami, and You will be awarded a powerful weapon by Lord Siva. Thereafter, You will marry a woman named Padma from the island of Simhala Your mission is to re-establish sanatana-dharma.” (Kalki Purana, Ch.: 3, Text: 9 (Translated by Bhumipati Das, Published by Jai Nitai Press)
• ¹⁵⁰ http://truthisproven.blogspot.com/2007/02/muhammad-promised-last-prophet-in.html: Retrieved: 26-01-2017
• ¹⁵¹  Holy Quran, Al-Teen (The Olive) 95: 3
• ¹⁵²  Holy Quran, Al-Tur (The Mountain) 52: 4
• ¹⁵³  Muhammad bin Eisa Al-Tirmizi, Sunan Al-Tirmizi, Al-D’awaat, Hadith: 3532, Dar-ul-Salam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 1046.
• ¹⁵⁴  Srimad-Bhagavatam Bhag 12: 2: 18.
• ¹⁵⁵ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalki; http://www.behindthename.com/name/sumati: Retrieved: 26-01-2017
• ¹⁵⁶ http://www.vaikhari.org/vaisakha.html: Retrieved: 26-01-2017
• ¹⁵⁷  The Vishnu Purana, Book Four, Chapter 24; Bhagavata Purana 12: 2: 19-20.
• ¹⁵⁸  M. Fethullah Gulen (2009), Muhammad, the Messenger of God, (translated), Tughra Books, New Jersey, USA, Pg. 279.
• ¹⁵⁹  Stephen Knapp, Kalki: The Next Avatar of God and the End of Kali-yuga, http://www.stephen-knapp.com/kalki_the_next_avatar_of_God.htm; Hindu Prophecies and the Incarnation of the Kalki Avatar, http://www.iawwai.com/HinduProphecies.html: Retrieved: 26-01-2017
• ¹⁶⁰  James William H. Stobart (1878), Islam and its Founder, Pott Young & Co., New York, USA, Pg. 228.
• ¹⁶¹ https://www.al-islam.org/nutshell/personalities/1.htm: Retrieved: 26-01-2017
• ¹⁶²  George Bernard Shaw (1936), The Genuine Islam, Vol. 1, Pg. 8.
• ¹⁶³  Michael H. Hart, The 100, A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, Citadel Press, New York, USA, Pg. 3-10.
• ¹⁶⁴  Washington Irving (1849), Mahomet and His Successors, The Cooperative Publication Society, New York & London, Inc., USA & U.K, Pg. 234-242.
• ¹⁶⁵  Bhagavata Purana 12: 2: 19-20
• ¹⁶⁶  For the admissions about the Holy Prophet, see http://www.islam101.com/dawah/ what_muhammad.html; http://www.islamicboard.com/general53009-prophetmohammad-eyes-western-think ers.html: Retrieved: 27-01-2017
• ¹⁶⁷  Kalki Purana 30: 2-5
• ¹⁶⁸  Stephen Knapp, Kalki: The Next Avatar of God and the End of Kali-yuga; http://www.stephen-knapp.com/kalki_the_next_avatar_of_God.htm:
• ¹⁶⁹  Exact quotation:
  يوزن يوم القيامة مداد العلماء ودم الشهداء
  Translation: Ink of the scholars and the blood of the Martyrs will be weigtht (altogether) on the Doomsday.
  (Abu Umar Yousuf bin Abdullah Al-Qurtabi (1994), Jam’e-ul-‘Ilm wa Fadalihi, Hadees 153, Dar Ibne Jozi, Saudia, Vol. 1, Pg. 150.)
  There are some other narrations on this topic in which ink of the scholars have been given more privilege than the blood of the martyr. (DBF:SRC)
• ¹⁷⁰  Dr. William Draper (1875), History of Intellectual Development of Europe, George Bell & Sons, London, U.K, Vol. 1, Pg. 335-336, 392.
• ¹⁷¹  Edward Gibbon and Simon Oakley (1870), History of the Saracen Empire, Henry G. Bohn, London, U.K.
• ¹⁷²  Reverend Bosworth Smith (1874), Muhammad and Muhammadanism, Smith, Elder & Co., London, U.K, Pg. 235-236.
• ¹⁷³  Reverend Bosworth Smith (1874), Muhammad and Muhammadanism, Smith, Elder & Co., London, U.K, Pg. 16-17.
• ¹⁷⁴  Said Nursi, The Letters (trans.) (2007), Light Inc., New Jersey, USA, Pg. 239-40.
• ¹⁷⁵  Reverend Bosworth Smith (1874), Muhammad and Muhammadanism, Smith, Elder & Co., London, U.K, Pg. 35-36.
• ¹⁷⁶  Brahma-Vaivarta Purana, "Prakriti Khanda", Chapter 7. 63-68: Stephen Knapp, Kalki: The Next Avatar of God and the End of Kali Yuga, http://www.stephen-knapp.com/kalki_the_next_avatar_of_ God.htm:
• ¹⁷⁷  Mahabharata, "Vana Parva", Chap. 191, Text 7-17: Stephen Knapp: http://www.stephen-knapp.com/kalki_the_next_avatar_of_God.htm: Retrieved: 27-01-2017
• ¹⁷⁸  Arnold Thomas W., Preaching of lslam, Chapter 1, 332, Quoted by Ali Unal in The Prophet Promised in World Scriptures, Tughra Books, New Jersey, USA, Pg. 514.
• ¹⁷⁹  John Davenport, An Apology for Mohammed and the Koran, George Allen and Union Ltd., London, U.K, Pg. 98
• ¹⁸⁰  Robert Briffault (1869), The Making of Humanity, George Allen and Union Ltd., London, U.K, Pg. 190-91.
• ¹⁸¹  T. Arnold (1960), The Legacy of Islam, Oxford Press, Oxford, U.K, Pg. 9.
• ¹⁸²  Ervin I. J Rosenthal (1968), Political Thought in Medieval Islam, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K, Pg. 21.
• ¹⁸³  Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Balazuri (1965), Futuh al-Buldan, Istanbul, Turkey, Vol. 2, Pg. 114.
• ¹⁸⁴  Sir William Muir (1861), Life of Mohamet, Smith, Elder & Co., London, U.K, "Supplement to Chapter Sixth".
• ¹⁸⁵  Translated from an Urdu Speech by Pundit Shastri at a Gorakhpur (India) meeting (1928), to commemorate the Prophet's birth, see Dunya ka Hadi Ghairon ki Nazar Main, 57, 61.
• ¹⁸⁶  Said Nursi (2007), al-Mathnawi al-Nuri (Seedbed of the Light), (trans.), Light Inc., New Jersey, USA, Pg. 169.

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