Muslim Christian Dialogue

Jeremiah 28:9: "The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him."

The word Islam also signifies tranquillity and peace, peace between the Creator and his creatures. This prophecy of Jeremiah cannot be applied to Jesus, as he himself stated that he didn't come for peace: Luke 12:51-53: "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you nay, but rather division, for from henceforth there will be five in one house divided, three against two and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." See also Matthew 10:34-36.

Until Shiloh Come

This was a message of Jacob to his children before he died: Genesis 49:1): "And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: 'Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. "

Genesis 49:10: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a law giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. And unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

Shiloh is also the name of a town, but its real meaning is peace, tranquillity, rest‹Islam. It could never refer to a town here. If it referred to a person, it could be a corruption of Shaluah (Elohim), i.e., Messenger (of Allah) .

So the Israelite prophethood in the lineage of Isaac would stop as soon as Shiloh came. This corresponds with Surah 2:133: "Were you witnesses when death came to Jacob? When he said to his sons: 'What will you worship after me?' They said: 'We shall worship your God [Allah], the God of your fathers Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac, One God and to Him we surrender [in Islam]."'

The shift of prophethood to another nation was threatened in Jeremiah 31:36: "'If those ordinances depart from before me,' saith the Lord, 'then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever."' This was also hinted at by Jesus in Matthew 21:43: "Therefore say I unto you: 'The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits

Baca Is Makkah

The Holy Ka'bah, which was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, is in Makkah. This name Makkah has been mentioned once in the Qur'an in Surah 48:24. Another name for Makkah is Bakkah, depending on the dialect of the tribe. This also has been mentioned once, in Surah 3:96: "Verily, the first House [of worship] appointed for mankind was that in Bakkah [Makkah], full of blessing, and guidance for all people." Amazing enough, this word Bakkah was mentioned by Prophet David in his Psalm 84:6: "Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well, the rain also filleth the pools." The well here is the well known well of Zamzam, which is still present today and is located close to the Ka'bah.

The House of My Glory

1. "Arise shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." Compare the with Surah 74:1-3: 0, you [Muhammad] wrapped up in garments! Arise and warn! And your Lord magnify!

2. "For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." The advent of Prophet Muhammad was at a time of darkness when the world had forgotten the oneness of God as taught by Abraham and all of the other prophets, including Jesus.

3. "And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising."

4. "Lift up shine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: ...." Within less than twenty three years the whole of Arabia was united.

5. "... because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee." Within less than a century, Islam had spread beyond the borders of Arabia.

6. "The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, all they from Sheba shall come, they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord."

7. "All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee. They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory." The tribes of Kedar (Arabia) who were divided were then united. "The house of my glory," referred here to the House of Allah in Makkah and not the Church of Christ as thought by Christian commentators. It is a fact that the villages of Kedar (now the whole of Saudi Arabia at least) are located in the only country in the world that remains impenetrable to the Church's influence.

8. "Therefore thy gates shall be open continually. They shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bung unto thee the forces of the Gentiles and that their kings may be brought." It is a fact that the mosque surrounding the Holy Ka'bah in Makkah has remained open day and night since the Prophet Muhammad removed the idols located within it fourteen centuries ago. Rulers as well as subjects came for the pilgrimage.

Chariot of Asses and Chariot of Camels

The vision of Isaiah of the two riders in Isaiah 21:7: "And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels ..."

Who was the rider upon an ass? Every Sunday School student knows that this person was Jesus: John 12:14: "And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon, as it is written."

Who, then, is the promised rider on a camel? This powerful prophet has been overlooked by readers of the Bible. This person is Prophet Muhammad. If this is not applied to him, then the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. That is why lsaiah mentioned in 21:13: "The burden upon Arabia ...," which means the responsibility of the Arab Muslims, and of course now of all Muslims, to spread the message of Islam.

Isaiah 21:14: "The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, and they prevented with their bread him that fled." Tema is probably Madinah, the city to which Prophet Muhammad and his Companions immigrated. Each immigrant was joined to a citizen of Madinah in ties of brotherhood by the Prophet. The immigrants were also given food and shelter.

Isaiah 21:15: "For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war." This was when Prophet Muhammad and his Companions were persecuted and left Makkah for Madinah.

Isaiah 21:16: "For thus hath the Lord said unto me: 'Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail."' Exactly in the second year of Hijrah (immigration), the pagans were defeated in the battle of Badr

Finally Isaiah 21:17 concludes with "... the mighty men of the children of Kedar shall be diminished, for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it." Kedar is the second son of Ishmael (Genesis 25:13), from whom ultimately Prophet Muhammad arose. In the beginning, the children of Kedar were attacking Muhammad and his Companions. But as many of them accepted Islam, the number of children of Kedar who resisted began to diminish. In some Bible verses, "Kedar" is synonymous with "Arab" in general, as in Ezekiel 27:21: "Arabia, and all the Princes of Kedar ..."

The Prophet Like unto Moses

God addressed Moses: Deuteronomy 18:18: "I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee [Moses], and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."

1. Brethren of Israelites (descendants of Abraham through Isaac) are Ishmaelites (descendants of Abraham through Ishmael). Jesus is here excluded, as he is an Israelite. Otherwise it should be written "a prophet from among yourselves."

2. Is Muhammad not like unto Moses? If this is not accepted, this promise has yet to be fulfilled. The table below, taken from Al-lttihad (January-March 1982), page 41, is self explanatory:

Following is a comparison between a few crucial characteristics of Moses, Muhammad, and Jesus which may clarify the identity of "that prophet" who was to come after Moses:

Area of Comparison	Moses	Muhammad	Jesus
Birth:	Usual	Usual	Unusual
Family Life:	Married, children	Married, children	Single, No children
Death:	Usual	Usual	Unusual
Career:	Prophet/Statesman	Prophet/Statesman	Prophet
Forced Emigration (in adulthood):	To Median	To Madinah	None
Encounter with Enemies:	Hot pursuit	Hot pursuit/Battles	No similar encounter
Results of Encounter:	Moral/Physical victory	Moral/Physical victory	Moral victory
Writing down of Revelation:	In his lifetime (Torah)	In his lifetime (Qur'an)	After him
Nature of Teachings:	Spintual/Legal	Spintual/Legal	Mainly spintual
Acceptance of his Leadership (by his people)	Rejected, then accepted	Rejected, then accepted	Rejected (by most Israelites)

3. "Put my words in his mouth." God's revelation came through Gabriel, and Prophet Muhammad's own thinking was not involved. But this applies to all divine revelation. Perhaps it is mentioned here specifically because it is compared with the revelation to Moses, which is believed to have been revealed on "written tablets."

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

In the Qurtan, 113 of the 114 surahs start with the phrase: "In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful." This phrase is also a common part of a Muslim's daily speech, for it is used when beginning a new activity. It is not in the name of God, but "in my name"‹God's personal name is Allah. It has no gender or plural forms, as the English word "God" does. Christians start with "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

It should also be noted that those who will not hear or accept the message that he brings will be punished. This corresponds with surah 3:19: Truly the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam and surah 3:85: And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.

1. "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him, and he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." He is also called "my messenger" in verse 19. No doubt all prophets were indeed servants, messengers, and the elect of Allah. Yet no prophet, with the exception of Muhammad, is universally called by these specific titles. In Arabic, these are: Abduhu wa Rasuluhu Mustapha‹His servant and His elected messenger. The testimony of a person accepting Islam is: "I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, Who has no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger." This same formula is repeated five times a day in the call to prayer before the beginning of each prayer, nine times a day in the tashahhud during the minimum obligatory prayers, and several more times if a Muslim performs any of the additional recommended prayers. The most common title of Prophet Muhammad is Rasul Allah, which means "the Messenger of Allah."

2. "He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street." This describes the decency of Prophet Muhammad.

4. "He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he has set judgment in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law." This is to be compared with Jesus, who did not prevail over his enemies and who was disappointed because of the rejection by the Israelites.

5. "I, the Lord, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold shine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles." The phrase "and will keep thee" indicates that no other prophet will come after him. In a short time, many Gentiles embraced Islam.

6. "To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house." "Blind eyes, life of darkness" denotes pagans and their paganism. "Bring out the prisoners from the prison" denotes the abolishment of slavery for the first time in the history of mankind.

7. "I am the Lord. That is my name, and my glory I will not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." Prophet Muhammad is unique among all prophets, as he is the "seal of the prophets" and his teachings remain undistorted until today, as compared with Christianity and Judaism.

8. "Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ...." A new song, as it is not in Hebrew or Aramaic, but in Arabic. The praise of God and His messenger Muhammad is chanted five times daily from the minarets of millions of mosques all over the world.

9. "Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar cloth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the toP of the mountains." From Mount Arafat near Makkah the pilgrims chant every year the following: "Here I come [for Your service] O, Allah. Here I come. Here I come. There is no partner with you. Here I come. Verily Yours is the praise, the blessings, and sovereignty. There is no partner besides You." Isaiah 42 can never be applied to an Israelite prophet, as Kedar is the second son of Ishmael. See Genesis 25:13.

10. "Let them give glory unto the Lord and declare his praise in the islands." And really Islam spread to the small islands as far as Indonesia and the Caribbean sea.

11. "... he shall prevail against his enemies." In a short period, the Kingdom of God on earth was established with the advent of Muhammad. This forty second chapter of Isaiah fits the character of Prophet Muhammad exactly.

King David Called Him "My Lord"

Psalm 110:1: "The Lord said unto my Lord: 'Sit thou at my right hand, until I make shine enemies thy footstool."'

There are two Lord mentioned here. If the first Lord (the speaker) is God, the second Lord (the one spoken to) could not also be God, for David knew only one God. So it should read: "God said unto my Lord, ..." Who was that whom David called "my Lord"? The Church would say Jesus. But this was denied by Jesus himself in Matthew 22:45, Mark 12:37, and Luke 20:44. He excluded himself from this title, as he was a son of David. How could David call him "my Lord" if he was his son, he argued. Jesus said, in Luke 20:42-44: "How say they that Christ is David's son? And David himself saith in the book of Psalms: 'The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand till I make shine enemies thy footstool.' David therefore calleth him Lord. How is he then his son?"

Jesus must have given an answer not recorded in the four canonical Gospels. However, it is mentioned explicitly in the Gospel of Barnabas that the promise was made to Ishmael, not to Isaac. David's "Lord" was thus Muhammad, whom he saw in spirit. No prophet ever accomplished more than Muhammad. Even the combined work of all of the other prophets remains small in comparison with that of Muhammad, who, during a twenty three year period, was able to leave a legacy ‹Islam‹ that remains unchanged until now.

Art Thou That Prophet?

The Jews sent priests and Levites to John the Baptist to ask who he really was. John 1:20-21: "And he [John the Baptist] confessed and denied not; but confessed, 'I am not the Christ.' And they asked him: 'What then? Art thou Elias? 'And he saith: 'I am not.' 'Art thou that prophet?' And he answered: 'No."'

The crucial question here is: Art thou that prophet? Who was the long awaited prophet who was to come after the advent of Jesus and John the Baptist? Was he not the one like unto Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18) who is Muhammad?

Baptizing with the Holy Ghost and with Fire

Matthew 3:1 1: "I [John the Baptist] indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire."

If Jesus was alluded to here, John the Baptist would not have gone back to live in the desert again, but would have clung to him and become one of his disciples, which he did not do. Thus John was alluding to another Dowerful prophet here. The one coming after John the Baptist could not be Jesus, as both were contemporaries. Here again, was it not Prophet Muhammad who was being alluded to by John the Baptist?

The Least in the Kingdom of Heaven

Jesus was quoted, in Matthew 11:11, as saying: "Verily I say unto you. Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater man than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Can you believe that John the Baptist is greater than Adan., NG"., Abraham, Moses, David, and many other prophets? How many pagans did John the Baptist convert, and how many followers did he have? But this is not the main point here. The question is: who was the least in the kingdom of heaven, greater than John the Baptist? For sure not Jesus, as at that time the kingdom of heaven was not yet formed and he never claimed to be the least, i.e., the youngest one. The kingdom of heaven consists of God as the Supreme Being and all of the prophets. The least or youngest one is here Prophet Muhammad.

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was quoted, in Matthew 5:9, as saying: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."

One of the meanings of the word "Islam" is peace: peace between the Creator and the worshiper. Jesus could not mean that his mission was that of a peacemaker, as he stated clearly that he had not been sent for that purpose (Matthew 10:34-36): "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." See also Luke 12:49-53.

Comforter

John 14:16: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever."

We do not know exactly the original Aramaic word used by Jesus for "Comforter." Other Bibles use "Consoler," '`Advocate," "Helper," and in Greek Bibles we find the word "Paraclete." There are different explanations for it, among them "Holy Spirit" and "the Word. "

The Qur'an states in surah 61:6 that Jesus explicitly mentioned the name Ahmad: "And (remember) when Jesus, Son of Mary, said: 'O, children of Israel! I am the Apostle of Allah (sent) to you confirming the Torah (which came) before me, and giving glad tidings of an Apostle to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad (i.e., the second name of Prophet Muhammad, and literally it means "the one who praises Allah more than others")."

Whatever the explanation is of the Comforter, we conclude that Jesus left an unfinished work and that someone was coming to complete his mission. Let us examine, in the light of the Bible, if this Comforter fits the character of Prophet Muhammad:

1. "Another Comforter": So many Comforters had come, and another one was to come. 2. "That he may abide with you for ever": As there was no need for another one to come after him, and he was the seal of all prophets. The teaching will abide for ever and will remain intact. In fact, the Qurtan and all of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad remain as they were 1400 years ago.

3. "He will reprove the world of sin": (see John 16: 8) All other prophets, even Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon chastised their neighbors and their people for sin, but not the world as Muhammad did. He not only rooted out idolatry in Arabia within a twenty three year period, but also sent envoys to Heraclius, the sovereigns of the Persian and Roman empires, to Najashi (the king of Ethiopia), and to Muqauqis (the governor of Egypt). He reprimanded the Christians for dividing the unity of God into three portions, for having raised Jesus to a Son of God and then to God Himself. It was he who condemned the Jews and Christians for having corrputed their scriptures, demonstrated the birthright of Ishmael, and cleared the prophets from accusations of adultery, incest, rape, and idolatry.

4. "The prince of the world is judeed" (John 16:11). This is Satan, as explained in John 12:31 and 14:30. So Prophet Muhammad came to chastise the world on account of judgment.

5. "The Spirit of Truth" (John 16: 13). Since childhood, Prophet Muhammad was called al-Amin, i.e., the Honest or Truthful One. This person will also come and "he will guide you into all truth: ..." (John 16:13).

6. "For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak" (John 16:13). The Qur'an is God's word. Not a single word from Prophet Muhammad or his Companions was included within it. The angel Gabriel read it to him, he memorized it, and it was written down by his scribes. His own sayings and teachings were recorded in the hadith or (lit. tradition) literature.

Compare this with Deuteronomy 18:18: "... and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." This corresponds with surah 53:2-4: "Your companion [Muhammad] is neither astray nor being misled. Nor does he speak of [his own] desire. It is only the inspiration that is inspired."

7. "And he will show you things to come" (John 16: 13). Many prophecies of Prophet Muhammad have already come to pass, and the rest will be fulfilled in the future.

8. "He shall glorify me (John 16:14). Actually, the Qurtan and Prophet Muhammad have more reverence for Jesus than do the Bible and Christians themselves. The following will clarify this point:

a. To believe in Jesus' death on the cross discredits his prophethood, according to Deuteronomy 13:5: "And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death ..." It also stamps him as accursed, (May Allah forbid it!) according to Deuteronomy 21:22-23: "... for he that is hanged is accursed of God . .."

b. Matthew 27:46: "... My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Would Jesus have said such a thing? Even a non prophet would smile at agony, as he would know that his death would win him the title of martyr. Is this not an insult to Jesus and an insinuation that he did not have faith in Allah?

c. We Muslims cannot believe that Jesus could label the Gentiles as dogs and swine and address his mother with "woman," as the Qurtan states in surah 19:32: "And dutiful to my Mother [i.e. Mary], and [Allah] made me not an unblessed and arrogant." Matthew 7:6: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine ..." John 2:4: "Jesus saith unto her [Mary], Woman, what have I to do with thee?"

Revelation to Prophet Muhammad

The first revelation (surah 96: 1-5) of Allah through the angel Gabriel to Muhammad was the word iqra', which means "read."As he was illiterate, he replied: "I cannot read." This first revelation was prophesied in Isaiah 29:12: "And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying: 'Read this, I pray thee,' and he saith: 'I am not learned. "'

The Qurtanic verses were not revealed in the order in which they appear in the Qur'an. In other words, the first part that was revealed is not the first page and the last part that was revealed is not the last page. That these revelations came in installments and were inserted in a certain order in the Qurtan as ordained by Allah was also mentioned in Isaiah 28:10-11: "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to his people." Another tongue means here another language, not Hebrew or Aramaic, but Arabic.

Muslims all over the world use one language "Arabic" in calling their God, in their prayers, pilgrimage, and in their greetings to each other. This unity of language was also prophesied in Zephaniah 3:9: "For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent." Alas the truth has come in Arabic, but some still expect Prophet Jesus, who might teach mankind to worship Allah in one unique language in his second coming. We Muslims are sure that Prophet Jesus, in his second coming, will join the Muslims in their mosques, as he is like any other Muslim: he is circumcised, abstains from pork, and performs prayers with ablution, and that he stands, bows, and prostrates during his prayers.

The Bible's Last Prophet

Criterion of the Prophet by Jeremiah