Muslim-Christian Dialogue-Part 6

Introduction

In today's blog, we will explore further biblical prophecies that hint at the arrival of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and reflect upon different areas to compare his stance to that of Moses (PBUH) and Jesus (PBUH).

Chariot of Asses and Chariot of Camels

The vision of Isaiah of the two riders in Isaiah 21:7 (The Bible): "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 would know him. That was Jesus (PBUH) as mentioned in John 12:14 (The Bible): "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 Bible readers. This is Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). If this is not applied to him, the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. This is why Isaiah mentioned further in the same chapter (21:13): "The burden of 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 Bible): "The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled." Tema is probably Madinah where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions immigrated. Each immigrant was brothered by one inhabitant of Madinah and given food and shelter.

Isaiah 21:15 (The Bible): "For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword and the bent bow, and the grievousness of war." This was when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions were persecuted and left Mecca for Madinah.

Isaiah 21:16 (The Bible): "For thus hath the Lord saith unto me, Within a year, according to the years of a 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 (The Bible) 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: The Bible) from whom ultimately Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) arose. In the beginning, the children of Kedar were attacking Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions. But as many of them accepted Islam, the number of children of Kedar who resisted, diminished. In some Bible verses, Kedar is synonymous with Arab in general, as in Ezekiel 27:21 (The Bible): "Arabia and all the Princes of Kedar...".

The Prophet like unto Moses (PBUH)

God Almighty addressed Moses (PBUH): "I will raise them 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 (PBUH) is here excluded as he is an Israelite; otherwise, it should be written "a Prophet from among yourselves."

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

3. "put my words in his mouth." So, God's revelation came through Gabriel, and Prophet Muhammad's thinking was not involved. This is especially applicable to Islamic Divine revelation compared to the revelation to Moses (PBUH) which came in written tablets.

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

​Area of Comparison	Moses (PBUH)	Muhammad (PBUH)	Jesus (PBUH)
Birth	Usual	Usual	Unusual
Family Life	Married with children	Married with children	No marriage nor children
Death	Usual	Usual	Unusual
Career	Prophet and Statesman	Prophet and Statesman	Prophet
Forced emigration (in adulthood)	To Median	To Medina	None
Encounter with enemies	Hot pursuit	Hot pursuit, battles	No similar encounter
Results of encounter	Moral and physical victory	Moral and physical victory	Moral Victory
Writing down of revelation	In his lifetime (Torah)	In his lifetime (Quran)	After him
Nature of teachings	Spiritual and legal	Spiritual and legal	Mainly spiritual
Acceptance of leadership (by his people)	Rejected then accepted	Rejected then accepted.	Rejected (by most Israelites)

Supporting Evidence

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

In the Quran, 113 of the 114 Surah (chapters) start with "In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful." Also, in their daily work, the Muslims start with this saying: Not in the name of God, but 'in my name', His name which is 'Allah'. As it is a personal name, it is not subject to gender like God or Goddess, or plurality like God or Gods. Christians start with "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

It is to be noted that those who will not hear him, or who deny him, will be punished. This corresponds with passages in the Holy Quran (Surah 3:19): "Truly, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam." This message is further reinforced in the Holy Quran (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."

Conclusion

That is all for now. Please stay tuned for the next blog. May God Almighty bless you always. Assalamalaikum!