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AL SERHANE · 11-29-2007, 03:33 PM

Many Christian theologians find no difficulty in pointing out what they consider as clear prophecies of the advent of Jesus. Where in the Old Testament does the name Jesus appear? Nowhere’ The main question is whether or not the profile of “that prophet” to come was materialized, and who fits that profile?

The profile of Prophet Muhammad was so clear to many Jews and Christians among his contemporaries that many of them embraced Islam and accepted him as the fulfillment of numerous Biblical prophecies. Ever since, there have been many others who arrived at the same conclusion. Further questions pertaining to the possible mention of Muhammad’s name will be discussed later.

Biblical Prophecies About Jesus

Does that previous discussion mean that all prophecies which were believed to have been fulfilled in Prophet Jesus were actually fulfilled in Prophet Muhammad instead?

There is no reason to rule out the possibility that some of the Old Testament Prophecies were in fact fulfilled in Prophet Jesus. This does not constitute a problem for the Muslims. On the authority of the Qur’an alone, the Muslims accept Jesus as a legitimate and major prophet of Allah. The same was reiterated in the sayings of Prophet Muhammad. There are, however, several Old Testament prophecies which were for a long time misinterpreted so as to apply to Jesus. Such prophecies do in fact refer to Prophet Muhammad. One such prophecy is in Deuteronomy 18:18 to be discussed later. Analysis and reinterpretation of such prophecies should in no way reflect negatively on the honoured status of Prophet Jesus in the hearts of Muslims. It is rather a revelation of the truth which would have been proclaimed by Jesus himself if he were among us today.

Main Elements in Muhammed’s Profile.

What then are the elements of the “profile” of Prophet Muhammad as depicted in the Bible?

That profile includes six crucial elements:

The lineage of the prophet,
His characteristics,
The location from which he was to come,
The revelation which was to be given to him,
Events which were to take place in his lifetime, and
The time when he was to come.
Lineage of “That Prophet”
Prophet Abraham: Common Father

Jews, Christians, and Muslims claim a common father, Prophet Abraham, the patriarch of monotheism. What does his family tree look like?

A simple look at it may help show some of the key figures in the Abrahamic family tree.

Abraham married Sarah From their union they had in their progeny the following prophets: Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus.

Abraham married Hagar. From their union they had in their progeny the following prophets: Ishmael and Muhammad.

According to the Bible, Abraham was first named to Sarah who happened to be a barren woman and bore him no children (Genesis 16:1).

In the chronology of the Book of Genesis, God made an important promise to Abraham, even before any child was born to him:

“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. “ (Gen. 12:2-3)

In a later chapter in the Book of Genesis (Gen. 16) we are told that Sarah gave Abraham a handmaid (Hagar) to be his wife, in the hope that she may bear a child to Abraham.

Hagar did bear Abraham’s first child whose name, Ishmael (peace be upon him), meaning “God hears”, was given by the angels (Gen. 16:11). For the following fourteen years, Ishmael was Abraham’s only child.

After the birth of Ishmael and before the birth of Isaac, God’s promise to bless the families of the earth through Abraham’s descendants was repeated:

“As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. “ (Gen. 17:4)

Another pleasant surprise was in store for Abraham. In his old age, his first wife Sarah was to bear him another child, Isaac (peace be upon him) (Gen. 21:5).

The Bible tells us that because of jealousy, Sarah asked her husband Abraham to cast out Ishmael and his mother Hagar (Gen. 21:10) who subsequently dwelt in the wilderness of “PARAN” (Gen. 21:21).

God’s promise to bless the descendants of Abraham was indeed realized. Through Abraham‘s second son Isaac came the Israelite prophets, including Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus (peace be upon them all), the last Israelite prophet. Fulfillment of God’s promise through the Israelite branch of Abraham is clearly and abundantly articulated in the Bible. How was that promise fulfilled through the Ishmaelite branch of the Abrahamic family tree? Or was it fulfilled at all? Or has it yet to be fulfilled?

To start with, God does not renege on His promises, nor does he forget, them. It is interesting to note that while the Bible contains elaborate details about the Israelite branch, the Ishmaelite branch is virtually ignored. With the exception of a few references here and there, the Bible is virtually silent on the Ishmaelites.

If it is accepted that God does not renege on His promises (a prerequisite of faith for any believer in God) then we are left with two possibilities:

a. that such a promise of blessing which included the Israelites had been fulfilled;

b. that it is yet to be fulfilled.

It is well known that out of the descendants of Ishmael came the last great prophet of monotheism, Prophet Muhammad, whose followers constitute nearly one-fifth of the total world population in all corners of the earth.

After blessing the descendants of Isaac, the Israelites, for centuries with the spiritual leadership, and after many lapses and rebellions against God on their part, a final chance was given to them through the mission of the last Israelite prophet, Jesus. When Jesus too was rejected, it was now time in God’s plan to fulfill His promise to the Ishmaelite branch as well, the branch which remained obscure until it was made a “great nation” through the mission of the well-known Prophet Muhammad, a descendant of Abraham through Ishmael. That shift of prophethood and spiritual leadership to the Ishmaelite branch of Abraham’s descendants brought to completion the centuries-old promise of God to bless the families of the earth through Abraham, the father of monotheism and patriarch revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims.

To any unbiased mind, the above evidence alone suffices to show the connection between such great prophets as Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad

If such prophecies about the advent of Prophet Muhammad are that obvious, how is it that millions of Bible readers could not come to such a conclusion?

Putting other reasons aside for now, it seems that combination of erroneous notions and misinterpretations are partly responsible for this situation.

Let’s analyze some of these notions.

Objections to the Inclusion of Ishmael in God’s Covenant with Abraham

Were Ishmael and his descendants excluded from God’s promise and covenant?

A common, yet erroneous, answer to this question is yes. A number of reasons are given:

Ishmael was not a legitimate son of Abraham. According to the commentators of The Interpreter’s Bible:
“Ishmael, like Isaac, is a descendant of Abraham; but Isaac is the child of ultimate promise, born to Sarah the true wife while Ishmael is born of the slave girl. Though he came of the stock of Abraham, yet it was right that he should be separated from the legitimate son.

This argument cannot be supported logically, morally, or even on the basis of the available versions of the Bible itself. Did the alleged state of bondage of Hagar prevent her from being a legitimate wife of Abraham. Why was she not a “true” wife? And if she were not a “true” wife like Sarah, what kind of wife was she?

11-29-2007, 03:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
AL SERHANE Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 12	Many Christian theologians find no difficulty in pointing out what they consider as clear prophecies of the advent of Jesus. Where in the Old Testament does the name Jesus appear? Nowhere’ The main question is whether or not the profile of “that prophet” to come was materialized, and who fits that profile? The profile of Prophet Muhammad was so clear to many Jews and Christians among his contemporaries that many of them embraced Islam and accepted him as the fulfillment of numerous Biblical prophecies. Ever since, there have been many others who arrived at the same conclusion. Further questions pertaining to the possible mention of Muhammad’s name will be discussed later. Biblical Prophecies About Jesus Does that previous discussion mean that all prophecies which were believed to have been fulfilled in Prophet Jesus were actually fulfilled in Prophet Muhammad instead? There is no reason to rule out the possibility that some of the Old Testament Prophecies were in fact fulfilled in Prophet Jesus. This does not constitute a problem for the Muslims. On the authority of the Qur’an alone, the Muslims accept Jesus as a legitimate and major prophet of Allah. The same was reiterated in the sayings of Prophet Muhammad. There are, however, several Old Testament prophecies which were for a long time misinterpreted so as to apply to Jesus. Such prophecies do in fact refer to Prophet Muhammad. One such prophecy is in Deuteronomy 18:18 to be discussed later. Analysis and reinterpretation of such prophecies should in no way reflect negatively on the honoured status of Prophet Jesus in the hearts of Muslims. It is rather a revelation of the truth which would have been proclaimed by Jesus himself if he were among us today. Main Elements in Muhammed’s Profile. What then are the elements of the “profile” of Prophet Muhammad as depicted in the Bible? That profile includes six crucial elements: The lineage of the prophet, His characteristics, The location from which he was to come, The revelation which was to be given to him, Events which were to take place in his lifetime, and The time when he was to come. Lineage of “That Prophet” Prophet Abraham: Common Father Jews, Christians, and Muslims claim a common father, Prophet Abraham, the patriarch of monotheism. What does his family tree look like? A simple look at it may help show some of the key figures in the Abrahamic family tree. Abraham married Sarah From their union they had in their progeny the following prophets: Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus. Abraham married Hagar. From their union they had in their progeny the following prophets: Ishmael and Muhammad. According to the Bible, Abraham was first named to Sarah who happened to be a barren woman and bore him no children (Genesis 16:1). In the chronology of the Book of Genesis, God made an important promise to Abraham, even before any child was born to him: “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. “ (Gen. 12:2-3) In a later chapter in the Book of Genesis (Gen. 16) we are told that Sarah gave Abraham a handmaid (Hagar) to be his wife, in the hope that she may bear a child to Abraham. Hagar did bear Abraham’s first child whose name, Ishmael (peace be upon him), meaning “God hears”, was given by the angels (Gen. 16:11). For the following fourteen years, Ishmael was Abraham’s only child. After the birth of Ishmael and before the birth of Isaac, God’s promise to bless the families of the earth through Abraham’s descendants was repeated: “As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. “ (Gen. 17:4) Another pleasant surprise was in store for Abraham. In his old age, his first wife Sarah was to bear him another child, Isaac (peace be upon him) (Gen. 21:5). The Bible tells us that because of jealousy, Sarah asked her husband Abraham to cast out Ishmael and his mother Hagar (Gen. 21:10) who subsequently dwelt in the wilderness of “PARAN” (Gen. 21:21). God’s promise to bless the descendants of Abraham was indeed realized. Through Abraham‘s second son Isaac came the Israelite prophets, including Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus (peace be upon them all), the last Israelite prophet. Fulfillment of God’s promise through the Israelite branch of Abraham is clearly and abundantly articulated in the Bible. How was that promise fulfilled through the Ishmaelite branch of the Abrahamic family tree? Or was it fulfilled at all? Or has it yet to be fulfilled? To start with, God does not renege on His promises, nor does he forget, them. It is interesting to note that while the Bible contains elaborate details about the Israelite branch, the Ishmaelite branch is virtually ignored. With the exception of a few references here and there, the Bible is virtually silent on the Ishmaelites. If it is accepted that God does not renege on His promises (a prerequisite of faith for any believer in God) then we are left with two possibilities: a. that such a promise of blessing which included the Israelites had been fulfilled; b. that it is yet to be fulfilled. It is well known that out of the descendants of Ishmael came the last great prophet of monotheism, Prophet Muhammad, whose followers constitute nearly one-fifth of the total world population in all corners of the earth. After blessing the descendants of Isaac, the Israelites, for centuries with the spiritual leadership, and after many lapses and rebellions against God on their part, a final chance was given to them through the mission of the last Israelite prophet, Jesus. When Jesus too was rejected, it was now time in God’s plan to fulfill His promise to the Ishmaelite branch as well, the branch which remained obscure until it was made a “great nation” through the mission of the well-known Prophet Muhammad, a descendant of Abraham through Ishmael. That shift of prophethood and spiritual leadership to the Ishmaelite branch of Abraham’s descendants brought to completion the centuries-old promise of God to bless the families of the earth through Abraham, the father of monotheism and patriarch revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims. To any unbiased mind, the above evidence alone suffices to show the connection between such great prophets as Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad If such prophecies about the advent of Prophet Muhammad are that obvious, how is it that millions of Bible readers could not come to such a conclusion? Putting other reasons aside for now, it seems that combination of erroneous notions and misinterpretations are partly responsible for this situation. Let’s analyze some of these notions. Objections to the Inclusion of Ishmael in God’s Covenant with Abraham Were Ishmael and his descendants excluded from God’s promise and covenant? A common, yet erroneous, answer to this question is yes. A number of reasons are given: Ishmael was not a legitimate son of Abraham. According to the commentators of The Interpreter’s Bible: “Ishmael, like Isaac, is a descendant of Abraham; but Isaac is the child of ultimate promise, born to Sarah the true wife while Ishmael is born of the slave girl. Though he came of the stock of Abraham, yet it was right that he should be separated from the legitimate son. This argument cannot be supported logically, morally, or even on the basis of the available versions of the Bible itself. Did the alleged state of bondage of Hagar prevent her from being a legitimate wife of Abraham. Why was she not a “true” wife? And if she were not a “true” wife like Sarah, what kind of wife was she?