Biblical Texts Used for Muhammad

The Light Shines in the Darkness...

The prophecies that predicted the coming of Jesus the Messiah in the Old Testament are extremely numerous. However, when one looks for any prophecies predicting the coming of Muhammad, one looks in vain for any reference in either the Old or New Testament. However, most modern Muslims recognize that this presents a problem: If all the great prophets who lived were prophesied in the Bible, then why is Muhammad not there? Thus, modern Muslims must use the most twisted form of exegesis to find prophecies of Muhammad in the Bible. Examining the texts used by Muslims will be the primary focus of this article.

First, it must be stated that the Muslim apologists are trying to have their cake and eat it too. What do I mean by this? Because the Koran contradicts the Bible in just about every way known to man, Muslims have been trying to argue that the Biblical text has been corrupted. By doing this, however, they can no longer argue (on the basis of the Biblical text) that the Bible predicts the coming of Muhammad. If the Biblical text has been corrupted (or rather, completely re-written if the Muslim argument is true), then the Muslim is using a corrupted (i.e. non-inspired) text. He can’t have it both ways. Either the Bible is corrupt and no inspired prophecies can be found in it, or the Bible isn’t corrupt and the Koran is false.

A Muslim may object at this point and say, “No, only part of the Bible is corrupt. I accept this verse but not that one.” Logic demands that I reply that such an argument is circular reasoning. How does the Muslim know which verse has and which verse has not been corrupted? The reason that he believes this is because he has already made an a priori assumption that the Koran is true and that the coming of Muhammad was predicted by the Bible. Thus, he is stating his conclusion as part of his premise and concluding on the basis of that premise. This is the logical fallacy called “begging the question” (i.e. circular reasoning). Second, as was shown in a previous article, the Koran contradicts the Bible just about everywhere, and so, its text could not have been changed in just a few places. It would have had to have been completely re-written (which it wasn’t), and thus, the Muslim would be using a completely uninspired text!

Having said all that, the texts used by Muslims must still be examined. All quotes are from the NASB (emphasis mine):

Genesis 49:10

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

Commentary:

It is asserted by some Muslims that this refers to Muhammad since he conquered many people. However, the power to self-govern was taken away from the Jews long before Muhammad. In fact, the Romans took it away from the Sanhedrin starting around A.D. 7, and finally took all governing power away when they deprived the Sanhedrin from pronouncing capital punishments around A.D. 30. This is why Christ had to be taken to Pontius Pilate to be judged. It is worthy to note that both Jewish and Christian commentators believe that the name Shiloh is a name or title of the Messiah (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, ch.4, fol.37, recto.). Thus, it is clear that this prophecy refers to Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 18:18

“I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”

Commentary:

This is one of Islamic apologists’ favorite ones to use. It is asserted that the Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael, and thus, Muhammad would be a prophet “from among their countrymen” since Ishmael was the half-brother of Jacob, the father of the Israelites. However, there are two problems with this.

First, in its context, ‘countrymen’ refers only to the Israelites. The text says that the prophet will be from “their countrymen like you [Moses].” Obviously, since Moses was an Israelite, then this prophet would be from the nation of Israel. If someone says to an American, “I love your country and your countrymen,” then he’s obviously not referring to Great Britain and the British even though many Americans’ ancestors came from there. It baffles me how Muslim apologists think that they can change the meaning of words like they do!

The second and most glaring problem with this is the fact that the Arabs are not even the descendants of the Ishmael! In fact, there were over one million Arabs in existence with several large cities at the time of Ishmael’s birth! This has been documented by Encyclopedias and History books from time immemorial. McClintock and Strong comment:

“But the idea of the southern Arabs being of the posterity of Ishmael is entirely without foundation, and seems to have originated in the tradition invented by Arab vanity that they, as well as the Jews, are of the seed of Abraham--a vanity which, besides disfiguring and falsifying the whole history of the patriarch and his son Ishmael, has transferred the scene of it from Palestine to Mecca."

-John McClintock and James Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1981 reprint), I:339.

Lastly, it should be noted that the New Testament says that this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Acts 3:22).

Deuteronomy 33:2

“He said, “The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; at His right hand there was flashing lightning for them.””

Commentary:

Mount Paran is in Arabia (?), and according to the Koran, Muhammad led an army of 10,000 from Medina to Mecca. Thus, the Muslim apologist tries to make the strained connection that this verse predicts the coming of Muhammad.

First, just because Mount Paran is in Arabia does not mean that the Muslim can make a connection to anything that happened anywhere in Arabia at any time. Was Muhammad ever at Mount Paran with his army of 10,000? The answer is NO!

Second, it says that the LORD is the one Who shone forth from Mount Paran. Is the Muslim suggesting that Muhammad is God?! Third, the “holy ones” that the Torah mentions are Israelites, not Arabs. Muhammad and his army of 10,000 raping, murdering, and marauding thugs who broke a truce with the Meccans are hardly God’s “holy ones!” Fourth, the word translated for 10,000 is “rebabah,” which literally means tens of thousands. Other translations (NIV) accurately translate it as “myriads.”

Lastly, in its context, Moses is recounting the story of God’s law-giving to the people of Israel as they wandered around in the desert wilderness for forty years. Mounts Sinai, Seir, and Paran were all places associated with the giving of the Law, and they were all in the Sinai, not Arabia. All of this happened in the past! This is further confirmed in verses 4-5 when Moses is talking about how he gave the Law to the tribes of Israel, and then, he blesses the twelve tribes of Israel. So, unless the Muslim apologist wants to argue that the Arabs are the twelve tribes of Israel [which would be absurd!], he should give up his faulty logic on this verse.

Psalm 45:3-5

“Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One, in Your splendor and Your majesty! And in Your majesty ride on victoriously, for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let Your right hand teach You awesome things. Your arrows are sharp; the peoples fall under You; Your arrows are in the heart of the King’s enemies.”

Commentary:

Muslims call Muhammad “the Prophet with the sword.” So obviously, Muslim apologists have run through the Bible in order to find any reference to word ‘sword’ and attempt to attribute it to Muhammad. The absurdities in this logic are apparent. In its context, this Psalm is directed to the King of Israel who defends his nation from the heathen (v.2). Also, by extension, this is a reference to the Messiah, the last and greatest King of Israel, who is also God (v.6). Lastly, Hebrews 1:8-9 attributes verse 6 to Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 21:7

“When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs, a train of donkeys, a train of camels, let him pay close attention, very close attention.”

Commentary:

Muslim apologists have tried to use this verse to say that the “train of donkeys” refers to Jesus since He rode into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, and “train of camels” refers to Muhammad since he was always riding around on a camel. Again, the Muslim has ransacked through the Bible to find any reference to ‘camel’ and believes that this refers to Muhammad. The problems with this strain of thought are obvious. Anis Shorrosh comments on this passage:

“In fact, the context shows that this chapter refers neither to Christ nor Muhammad. It is a prophecy of the fall of Babylon, as we learn from verse 9, and tells how travelers bring word of the capture of the city and the destruction of its idols, which took place under Darius in 519 B.C. and again in 513 B.C.”

-Dr. Anis A. Shorrosh, Islam Unveiled (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, 1988), p.77.

Isaiah 29:12

“Then the book will be given to the one who is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I cannot read.””

Commentary:

According to Muslims, Muhammad could not read or write. Thus, they use the same old faulty logic and look through the Bible for any reference to illiteracy in order to apply it to Muhammad. In its context, God is rebuking the people of Israel for their hypocrisy for not following His word. The punishment for this hypocrisy will be the spiritual hardening of their hearts. First, the book (i.e. God’s Word) is given to someone who can read, but he says that it is sealed (i.e. he refuses to obey God’s commandments). Then, the book is given to an illiterate person, but he says that he cannot read it (i.e. he cannot understand God’s commandments). Then, God rebukes both types of people in the next verse by saying that they only give God “lip service” and that they “remove their hearts” from Him.

So, if Muslims want this verse to apply to Muhammad, then they would have to admit that he was a hypocrite who only gave “lip service” to and removed his heart from God. Of course, by doing so, they would be admitting that Muhammad was a false prophet.

John 4:21

“Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.””

Commentary:

Muslims believe that Jesus is teaching that the focus of worship will shift from Jerusalem to Mecca when Muhammad comes. However, as is the case most of the time, the Muslim apologists fail to take into account the context of the passage.

In its context, Jesus is talking to a Samaritan woman who said that the Jews worship God in Jerusalem and the Samaritans at Mount Gerizim. Jesus then replies that there will come a day when people do not have to worship at any one place, but rather, they will worship the Father in “spirit and truth” (v.23). Thus, rather than implying that the people of God will turn their worship to some other place on earth, Jesus is saying that the people of God will no longer turn their worship of God to any place. They will recognize that God is not bound to any place on earth.

John 14:16

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever…”

Commentary:

This is one of the more favorite verses used (i.e. misused) by Muslim apologists. They believe that the “Helper” that Jesus will ask the Father to send was Muhammad. Obviously, they didn’t read the very next verse which says that the Helper is “the Spirit of truth” (v.17; i.e. the Holy Spirit), and again, in verse 26, the Helper is identified as “the Holy Spirit.” Although the Holy Spirit was ‘with’ them already, the Holy Spirit was sent at Pentecost to spiritually strengthen and give powers to the Apostles (Acts 2:1-4).

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Some helpful online reading can be found here:

http://www.answeringislam.org/Muhammad/Foretold/index.html