النص المفهرس

541
The Life of Muhammad %
وَمَا قَتَلُؤْهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوْهُ وَلكِنْ شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ﴿ وَإِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ اخْتَلَفُوْا فِيْهِ لَفِيْ شٍَّ مِنْهُ ﴿ مَا لَهُمْ بِهِ
مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلاَّ اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنّ ◌ٌ وَمَا فَتَلُؤْهُ يَقِيْنَا بَلْ رَّفَعَهُ اللهُ إِلَيْهِ ﴿ وَكَانَ اللهُ عَزِيْزًا حَكِيْمًا
"And for their saying: We killed the Messiah, 'Îsa, the son of
Maryam, who was a Messenger of Allah.' They neither killed
him nor did they crucify him, but it was made to appear like
that before them. Those who hold conflicting views about it are
in doubt thereof. They have no knowledge whatsoever thereof.
They are merely following conjecture. They certainly did not
kill him." (Sūrah an-Nisa', verse 157-158)
3. He also apprised them of righteousness and justice.
4. He fully punished those who did not believe in 'Isa al. He
waged jihad against some of them while he banished others,
e.g. the Jews of Khaybar and the Jewish tribes of Banu Nadir
and Banū Qaynuqa'. On the other hand, the Spirit neither
apprised anyone, nor did he punish anyone. Punishment in this
context means that after the appearance of Fariqlit, he would
establish an authority and reprimand and punish the people. It
is obvious that after the appearance of the Holy Spirit, no where
is it established that he established his authority over the
masses nor did the disciples of 'Isa & enjoy this status. The
disciples did not reprimand anyone on the basis of being rulers
and leaders. Instead, they used to merely advise and admonish
the people without enjoying any rule or leadership. In short, the
Holy Spirit can in no way be considered to be Fariqlīt.
The reason for explaining punishment in this way is because
they do not believe in me proves that the appearance of a
Fariqlīt, helper, representative and intercessor will be before
those who reject 'Isa tell. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit
appeared before the disciples who were not of those who
rejected 'Îsa stall. Nor did the disciples punish anyone. They
were helpless themselves. How could they have punished any
of the rejecters?

542
The Life of Muhammad *
5. Muhammad % demonstrated such paths and ways of honesty
and righteousness that were neither seen before nor heard of
before. His pure Shari'ah and clear teachings are testimony to
all this.
6. He gave such information of future events that they cannot
even be enumerated. He gave them with such accuracy, that
they occurred exactly as he said - without a single word proved
wrong. And they will continue being witnessed till the day of
resurrection.
7. He did not say anything of his own accord. Allah s says in
the Qur'an:
وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّ وَحْيٌ يُّؤْحَى
"He does not speak of his own desire. It is nothing but
revelation that is sent to him."
8. He was also the ruler and leader of this world. Reference to
this is made from the fact that his prophet-hood would be for
the entire world and not confined to any particular nation.
9. The Christians had obliterated the correct teachings of 'Îsa
Stall. He reminded them of this. Among them were the lessons of
tauhid and their incorrect beliefs concerning the trinity. He
reminded them of this. He also rejected the murder and
crucifixion of 'Isa stay and affirmed his raising to the heavens.
Allah s says:
قُلْ يَأَهْلَ الْكِتِبِ تَعَالَوْا إِلى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَآءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلَّ نَعْبُدَ إِلَّ اللهَ وَلاَ نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا
وَلاَ يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُوْنِ اللهِ.
"Say: 'O people of the Book! Come to one fact that is common
to us and you - that we do not worship anyone other than Allah,
and that we do not ascribe any partners to Him, and that no one

543
The Life of Muhammad *
should take anyone else as lords apart from Allāh."" (Sūrah Āl
'Imran, verse 64)
لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِيْنَ قَالُؤْآ إِنَّ اللّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيْحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَ ﴿ وَقَالَ الْمَسِيْحُ بِبَنِيْ إِسْرَآءِيْلَ اعْبُدُوا
اللّهَ رَبِّيْ وَرَبَّكُمْ ﴿ إِنَّهُ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجُنَّةَ وَمَأْوَهُ النَّارُ ﴿ وَمَا لِلظِلِمِيْنَ
مِنْ أَنْصَارٍ
"Surely they have become unbelievers, those who said: 'Allah
is that very Masih, the son of Maryam.' While the Masih has
said: 'O Banī Isra'il! Worship Allah - He is my Sustainer and
your Sustainer. Surely whoever has ascribed a partner to Allah,
Allah has made paradise forbidden to him and his abode is hell.
And there is no helper for the sinners."" (Sūrah al-Ma'idah,
verse 72)
10. During his time, Muhammad % also informed the people of
those things that the Banī Isra'il could not bear during the time
of Isa stall. In other words, Muhammad caused the oceans of
knowledge to flow about the essence and attributes of Allah,
about the Shari'ah and tarīgah, about the resurrection, about
paradise and hell - all of which the world was totally unaware
and were not found in any book. Matters that were incomplete
were completed by the Shari'ah of Muhammad . Allah
says:
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِيْنَكُمْ وَأَتْتَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِيْ وَرَضِيْتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلاَمَ دِيْنًا
"Today I have perfected for you your religion, and completed
upon you My favour, and I have chosen for you Islam as your
religion." (Sūrah al-Mā'idah, verse 3)
Muhammad % thus gave to the world a perfect and complete
Shari' ah that guarantees their protection in all the material and
spiritual affairs right till the day of resurrection. The world is
astonished by its essences, intricacies, mysteries and wisdoms.
The ruling with regard to incidents that will occur right till the

544
The Life of Muhammad
resurrection can be learnt from the Shari'ah of Muhammad .
The Jewish and Christian scholars possess no Shari'ah
whatsoever which they could place before them and thereby
issue fatwas like the 'ulama' and jurists of this ummah. At
present, the Christian scholars possess no knowledge
whatsoever of the Shari'ah in whose light they could issue
fatwas. Yes, the Christians do possess knowledge of arts, crafts
and technology. But they have no divine instruction for the
running of this world, for the leadership of this world and for
meting out justice among the inhabitants of this world. The
constitutions that the western nations have are results of a few
thinkers and opinion makers. They have no divine constitution
like the Shari'ah of Islam.
The Christian scholars consider this glad tiding to be in favour
of the Holy Spirit who descended upon the disciples 47 days
after 'Isa study was raised up to the heavens. However, this
opinion is baseless for several reasons:
1. The coming down of the Holy Spirit was not dependent on
the departure of 'Isa . Rather, he used to stay with 'Îsa (de)
all the time.
2. The Holy Spirit did not apprise anyone of righteousness and
justice. Nor did he punish any Jew for not believing in 'Îsa stack).
Rather, Muhammad % waged jihad against the polytheists and
unbelievers, and punished the Jews considerably. He also made
them answerable. This is because to make the people of the
world answerable does not seem possible without any authority
and rule. The forthcoming Fariqlīt and helper will be the ruler
of this world and he will punish the criminals. Chapter 14,
verse 30 which makes reference to the coming of a ruler refers
to this very ruler and leader, his leadership, and his
reprimanding and punishing the criminals.
3. 'Îsa schy emphasising that they should believe in him is totally
out of place because the disciples already believed in the Holy

545
The Life of Muhammad
Spirit. So of what benefit would there be in his saying: "When
he comes, you must believe in him." By 'Isa ] paying such
attention to this and advising them to believe in him in itself
demonstrates that the coming thing will be such that it is not
far-fetched that you will reject it. Therefore, if the Fariqlīt
refers to the Holy Spirit, there would be no need to give such
importance to it and to emphasise it to such an extent. It is
impossible for the heart in which the Spirit descends to reject
the Spirit.
The coming down of the Holy Spirit is certainly beneficial just
as the Prophet is certain of his prophet-hood with the coming
down of the Holy Spirit to him. When a person experiences
something, he is so totally convinced of it that his thought
processes too cannot reject it. When man experiences a
situation, it is impossible for him to reject or deny it.
4. The context of this glad tiding shows that the Fariqlit who is
to come is different from 'Isa stay. The words of the 16th verse
"he will send him another helper" clearly demonstrate this. He
will appear in a different form and appearance. Therefore, if the
Fariqlīt is considered to be the Holy Spirit, he can in no way
whatsoever be different from 'Îsa y because the Christians
themselves believe that there is total unity and oneness between
the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit that will appear
before the disciples did not appear in any different form. This is
similar to a person being possessed by a jinn. The words of the
jinn are the very words which issue forth from the person's
mouth. He does not take on another form or appearance.
5. This glad tiding also stated: "He will remind you of whatever
I said to you." It is not proved from any book that the disciples
rejected and set aside the guidelines of 'Isa sal and that the
Holy Spirit therefore came in a different form and reminded
them of those guidelines.

546
The Life of Muhammad %
6. This glad tiding also states: "He will testify in my favour."
This description can only be applicable to Muhammad ¿ for it
was he alone who testified in 'Isa's a favour before the
polytheists and Jews. It was he alone who announced the
message of 'Isa y before those who rejected the latter's
message or those who were unaware of it.
On the other hand, the Holy Spirit went to the disciples who,
from before hand, knew of the prophet-hood of 'Îsa stal. There
was no need to testify in his favour before them. A testimony is
given before those who reject and not before those who believe.
On the other hand, Muhammad % openly testified in favour of
'Îsa stal before the Jews who were 'Îsa's y enemies and who
had rejected his prophet-hood and messenger-ship. Rasūlullah
rejected the belief that he was killed and crucified and
established the fact that he was raised to the heavens.
7. 'Isa su says with regard to this Fariqlit: "I do not have
anything that he has." This can only be applied to Muhammad
and not to the Holy Spirit because the Christians consider
'Îsa Schl and the Holy Spirit to be one.
8. It is also worth pondering that what future predictions did the
Holy Spirit make whereby we could consider the Holy Spirit to
be the realization of this glad tiding?
9. The entire context and tone of this glad tiding demonstrates
that the coming Fariqlit will be a human who will come in a
human form. He will come like 'Îsa ssan in a human form to
invite people towards the truth and for the consolation of
people. Therefore, to consider the Holy Spirit as the Fariqlīt
who came down to humans like a jinn is absolutely incorrect.
10. After 'Îsa's y raising to the heavens, the Christians in
general remained waiting for the Fariqlīt and felt that a great
Prophet will be sent. Consequently, Mantis, a Christian made
this claim in the 2nd century C.E. that he was the Fariqlit

547
The Life of Muhammad
regarding whom 'Îsa tay had told them. Many people believed
him. Details in this regard are provided by William Muir in the
third chapter of his history. This book was published in 1848.
We conclude from this that the Jewish and Christian scholars
believed that the Fariqlit will be some human and not the Holy
Spirit.
The author of Lubb at-Tawarikh, who is also a Christian
scholar, writes that the Jews and Christians had been waiting
for a Prophet before the coming of Muhammad . It was for
this reason that the Negus of Abyssinia embraced Islam after
hearing about Muhammad # from Ja'far % and said: "Without
doubt, he is the Prophet regarding whom 'Îsa ša spoke about
in the Injil." Together with being a scholar of the Injil, the
Negus was also the king of Abyssinia. He had no cause to fear
any danger.
As for Muqawqis, the Coptic ruler, he wrote the following
reply to Muhammad :
سلام عليك أما بعد فقد قرأت كتابك وفهمت ما ذكرت فيه وما تدعو إليه وقد علمت
أن نبيا قد بقي وقد كنت أظن أنه يخرج بالشام وقد أكرمت رسولك.
"Peace be to you. I have read your letter and understood what
you said in it and whatever you are inviting towards. I knew
that a Prophet was yet to come. I thought that he will be
commissioned from Syria. I have honoured your envoy."
Although Muqawqis did not embrace Islam, he admitted that
there was a Prophet yet to come.
Jārūd ibn 'Alā' was a great scholar of his people. When he
presented himself to Rasūlullah % together with a group of his
people, he embraced Islam and said this:

548
The Life of Muhammad %
والله لقد جئت بالحق ونطقت بالصدق لقد وجدت وصفك في الأنجيل وبشر بك ابن
البتول فطول التحية لك والشكر لمن أكرمك لا أثر بعد عين ولا شك بعد يقين ابسط
يدك أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأنك محمد رسول الله
"By Allah, you have come with the truth and you have spoken
the truth. I have found your description in the Injil and ['Îsa],
the son of Maryam, gave glad tidings about you. I therefore
present a lengthy greeting to you. All thanks to he who honours
you. There is no need for any sign after seeing you and there is
no cause for doubt after having conviction. Stretch out your
hand, I bear testimony that there is none worthy of worship
except Allah and that you are Muhammad, the Messenger of
Allāh."
Similarly, Heraclius, the Roman ruler, and other prominent
scholars of the Taurah and Injil gave testimony in favour of the
prophet-hood and messenger-ship of Muhammad . It is
therefore established that the glad tidings and name of
Muhammad
were recorded in the Injil. On seeing these,
people believed in him. And before his arrival, people had been
waiting for him. Those who were inspired by Allah % and were
not overcome by material motives, benefited from the wealth of
īmān.
This is the bounty of Allah & which He confers on whomever
He wills. And Allah & is possessor of great bounty. All praise
is due to Allah s who guided us to this and we would not have
been guided had it not been for Allah % guiding us.
11. The 16th verse states that "he will remain forever with you".
This does not mean that the Fariqlit will himself remain forever
with you. Because if the Fariqlit were taken to mean the Spirit,
as claimed by the Christians, then even he did not remain with
'Îsa a forever.

549
The Life of Muhammad %
Rather it means that his Shari'ah and religion will remain
forever. No religion will come after his which could cancel and
abrogate his religion.
12. Chapter 14, verse 17 states: the Spirit of truthfulness which
the world cannot acquire because it neither sees it nor has
knowledge of it.
This means that the world does not know his rank and position.
He will be the best and highest in the entire universe.
A few misgivings of the Christians and a reply to them
First misgiving
The Ruh al-Haqq and Ruh al-Quds refers to the third Uqnum.
Therefore, how can it be correct to assume that these two
names refer to Muhammad ?
In both, the old and modern, eras, the word Ruh was not
exclusively used for the third Uqnum. Rather it also means
righteous and wicked, one who guides and one who leads
astray.
In the first letter of chapter four in the Gospel of John, the
following is stated:
O respected one! Do not believe in every spirit. Rather test each
one to see whether it is from God or not. You can recognize the
spirit of God if he testifies that the Messiah came in a bodily
form. Such a spirit is from God. Any spirit that does not testify
in favour of the Messiah is not from God.
The sixth verse states: "It is in this way that we differentiate
between the truthfulness and deviation of the spirit."
In this context, the spirit refers to either a true or false adviser.
No one considers it to be the third Uqnum.

550
The Life of Muhammad %
Second misgiving
In this glad tiding, the address is to the disciples. Therefore, the
coming down of the Spirit and its appearance will have to be in
the presence of the disciples and during their life. Whereas, the
appearance of Muhammad took place many centuries
thereafter.
The disciples were addressed because they were the ones who
were present at that time. But they were not the objects of the
address.
The Gospel of Matthew, 26: 64 states: "Jesus said to him: 'It is
as you said. Neverthelss, I say to you, hereafter you will see the
Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming
on the clouds of heaven."""
Over 2000 years have passed since those who are addressed in
this verse passed away. None of them saw 'Isa say coming from
the heavens. Therefore, just as the objects of this address are
those who will be present at the time when he will come down
from the heavens, in like manner, the objects of this glad tiding
are those who will be present at the time when the Ruh Haqq
and Fariqlīt will appear.
Third misgiving
Chapter 14, verse 30 of the Gospel of John makes mention of a
"leader". Some fanatical Christians mock at it and say that it
refers to Satan.
To consider such a meaning amounts to absolute ignorance and
is based on total fanaticism and jealousy. This is because no
dictionary gives the meaning of Satan for "leader of the world"
nor is such a meaning used by anyone. Moreover, it is totally in
contradiction to the context. This is because right from the
beginning, the context and theme is about the Ruh Haqq and
the Fariqlit and descriptions of him. At the time with the
Fāriqlīt made his appearance, the emphasis was on believing in

551
The Life of Muhammad *
him. The reason for this was given in the following words:
"This is because the leader of the world is coming."
This can only be correct if the leader of the world is considered
to be the leader of the universe and the leader of the Prophets
and Messengers. Allah forbid, if the leader is considered to be
Satan, how can the reason for his coming be the above-
mentioned matters? We thus learn that the leader of the world
refers to that Fariqlit and Ruh Haqq at whose hands, an
authoritative and just punishment will be meted out for sins and
crimes in this world. As for the book of Yuhanna, chapter 16,
verse 11, where it is mentioned that the leader of the world will
be proved to be a criminal, this is absolutely incorrect and is
certainly a fabrication which totally against the context and
tone. On one hand you have the noble qualities of Fariqlit being
enumerated and on the other hand you consider it to refer to
Satan !? How is this possible? Worse than this, Christian
scholars at times consider it to refer to the Holy Spirit. Is this
not clearly immature and a Satanic whispering? Secondly,
when 'Îsa stall said that the leader of the world is to come, it is a
clear proof that this person has not come into this world as yet.
On the other hand, the Jews, Christians and Muslims
unanimously accept that Satan was existing at the very time of
the creation of this universe and the creation of the human race,
that he is living among the humans and is with them.
Now where was this Satan gone to that it is now said that he is
going to come? Was he not present from before?
Thirdly, according to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2, verse
6, 'Îsa stal is referred to as a leader. This verse reads as follows:
"But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least
among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel."
In this verse, the leader refers to 'Îsa . This is easily gauged
from the following verse till verse 12. In fact, the divine books

552
The Life of Muhammad %
also refer to Allah is as the leader and ruler. We thus conclude
that it is absolutely incorrect to consider this word to refer to
Satan.
Twenty second prediction
The following is stated in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13,
verses 31-32:
"Another parable he put forth to them, saying: 'The kingdom of
heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in
his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it
is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that
the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.""
The kingdom of heaven refers to the Shari'ah of Islam which
was like a mustard seed at the beginning. However, in a few
days it grew to such an extent that it extended from east to west
and north to south. The Qur'an makes reference to this glad
tiding:
وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الإِنْجِيْلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَى عَلَى سُوْقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ
لِيَغِيْظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ
"And their similitude in the Injil is like that of a crop that
brings forth its shoot, then strengthens it. It then becomes thick
and thereafter stands on its stem, delighting those who sowed it,
so that He may enrage the unbelievers by them." (Sūrah al-
Fath, verse 29)
It is not surprising that a good word is compared to a good tree
in the following verse:
أَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللهُ مَثَلاً كَلِمَةً طَيَِّةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَآءِ تُؤْتِيْ
أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِيٍْ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا وَيَضْرِبُ اللهُ الأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُوْنَ.

553
The Life of Muhammad
"Have you not seen how Allah set forth a parable? A good
word like a good tree whose root is firmly established and
whose branches are in the sky. It produces its fruit in every
season by the order of its Sustainer. Allah sets forth the
parables for the people so that they may reflect." (Sūrah
Ibrāhīm, verse 24)
Twenty third prediction
The following is related in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 20,
verses 1-16:
"for the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out
early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now
when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he
sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third
hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said
to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I
will give you.' So they went. Again he went out about the sixth
and ninth hour and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour
he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them,
'Why have you been standing here idle all day?' They said to
him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go
into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.' So
when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his
steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages,
beginning with the last to the first.' And when those came who
were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a
denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they
would receive more; and they likewise received each a
denarius. And when they had received it, they complained
against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked
only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne
the burden and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of
them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not
agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go away.

554
The Life of Muhammad %
I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not
lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your
eye evil because I am good?' So the last will be first, and the
first last."
The landowner refers to Allah . The vineyard refers to the
religion of Allah. The labourers refer to the different nations.
The last group of labourers who came and worked for one hour
only refers to the ummah of Muhammad # which came last and
became first.
The Sahih of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah relates the following
Hadith:
عن ابن شهاب عن سالم بن عبد الله عن أبيه أنه أخبره أنه سمع رسول الله صلى الله عليه
وسلم يقول إنما بقاؤكم فيما سلف قبلكم من الأمم كما بين صلوة العصر إلى غروب
الشمس أوتي أهل التوراة التوراة فعملوا حتى إذا انتصف النهار عجزوا فاعطوا قيراطا
قيراطا ثم أوتي أهل الإنجيل الإنجيل فعملوا إلى صلوة العصر ثم عجزوا فأعطوا قيراطا قيراطا
ثم أوتينا القرآن فعملنا إلى غروب الشمس فأعطينا قيراطين قيراطين فقال أهل الكتابين
أي ربنا أعطيت هؤلاء قيراطين وأعطيتنا قيراطا قيراطا ونحن أكثر عملا، قال الله عز وجل
هل ظلمتكم من أجركم من شيء؟ قالوا لا، قال فهو فضلي أوتيه من أشاء (صحيح
البخاري، باب المواقيت، ج1، ص 79)
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar 4% says that he heard Rasulullah % saying:
"Your remaining in this world in comparison to the previous
nations is like the time of the 'asr salah till the setting of the
sun. The Jews were given the Taurah and they began working.
They continued working till mid-day and became tired. So they
were given one girat each [as a wage]. The Christians were
then given the Injil and they began working till the time of 'asr
salah and they also became tired. So they were given one qīrāt
each [as a wage]. We were then given the Qur'an and we began
working till sunset. We were given two girats each [as a wage].

555
The Life of Muhammad %
So the Jews and Christians said: 'O our Sustainer! You paid
these people two qīrats each and you gave us one qirat each
despite us having done more work?' Allah g asks them: 'Did I
give you anything less from your stipulated wage?' They reply:
'No.' Allah % says: 'That is My bounty which I confer on
whomever I will."""
The 16th verse of the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 20 states: "So
the last will be first, and the first last."
It is exactly in accordance with the following Hadith of Sahih
Bukhārī:
حدثنا أبو هريرة رضي الله عنه عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال نحن الآخرون
السابقون. (صحيح البخاري، ج2، ص 1042)
Abū Hurayrah
des narrates that Rasūlullah % said: "We are the
last but the first."
In other words, we have come last into this world, but through
the grace of Allah , we will be the first to enter paradise.
Twenty fourth and twenty fifth prediction
The following is an extract from the introduction to the
translation of the Qur'an by George Sale, a clergyman, based
on the Gospel of Barnabas, published in 1854. however, this
has been omitted from later editions. The prophecy that Sale
quoted from Barnabas, we reproduce it after translating it from
an Arab author who quoted it.
"O Barnabas (says Jesus), God retributes every sin however
small, because God is never pleased with sin. When my people
and my disciples sinned for this world, God was displeased
with them and to mete justice and equity he decided to punish
them in this world, for their unwholesome belief, so that they
may be saved from the chastisement of the hell, and may not
suffer there. Although I am free of this, their false belief, but as

556
The Life of Muhammad
some people termed me God and a son of God, and it pleased
not the Lord. He wished not that the devils may mock at me in
the Day of Judgement, so He, out of His mercy, deigned that
this mockery should be of Judah and each one conjectured that
I was crucified. But this insult and mockery due to Judah, will
remain till the coming of Muhammad. And when he shall
appear he would warn every believer against this error, and the
doubt will be eliminated from the minds of men." (literally
translated)
The author of Izhar al-Haqq, commenting on Christian's
reception and attitude towards the Gospel of Barnabas, writes
that some would object that this Gospel (of Barnabas) has been
rejected by the Christian Church and doctors as apocryphal, to
them we say that such rejection is not acceptable, because this
Gospel is one of the ancient narrations, and it is mentioned in
the second and third century books. To reject it on the ground
that it was written two centuries before the advent of the Last
Prophet Muhammad % and foretelling an event so great and so
true without revelation is an impossibility to men of
understanding.
Another Muslim scholar, Haydar 'Alī Qurashi in his book,
Khulāsah Sayf al-Muslimîn, said that an Armenian clergyman,
Oskan, translated the Book of John in his Armenian language
in 1666 A.C., published in 1733 A.C, observed that in Isaiah,
chapter 42, the following is stated: "Glorify God, the promised
prophet will bear a sign on his back, and his name is Ahmad",
and this translation is still with the Armenians. (al-Jawab al-
Fasīh li mā li figh al-Masīh, vol. 1, p. 97)

557
The Life of Muhammad
Future Predictions from the Qur'an and
Hadith
Allah % says:
تِلْكَ مِنْ أَنْبَآءِ الْغَيْبِ نُؤْحِيْهَا إِلَيْكَ مَا كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُهَا أَنْتَ وَلاَ قَوْمُكَ مِنْ قَبْلِ هَذَا فَاصْبِرْ
إِنَّ الْعَاقِبَةَ لِلْمُتَّقِيْنَ.
"These are some of the stories of the unseen which We reveal
to you. Neither you nor your people knew them before this. Be
patient then, surely a good end is for the pious."
After some time, the unbelievers during the time of Nuh xl
were eventually drowned while Nuh ) and his followers were
saved. Among the numerous proofs and evidences of prophet-
hood and messenger-ship, are the numerous predictions that are
contained in the Qur'an and Hadith. News of future events
were given before their actual occurrence. The intellect,
rational thinking, estimation and mere conjecture could not
even envisage the realization of these predictions. Those events
eventually occurred exactly as foretold. For example, even
before the battle of Badr could start, Rasulullah & informed the
Sahabah that so and so person will die at such and such spot.
He said this with regard to several people. He even made a
mark with his walking stick on the spot where they will be
killed. The following day, this happened exactly as he foretold.
Everyone saw each of those persons lying dead at that very
spot.
Rasūlullah informed the Sahabah & of the conquest of
Yemen, Syria and Iraq. These lands were conquered in the
exact sequence as foretold by Rasūlullah . The people were
convinced of the honesty and integrity of Rasulullah . The
sign and indication of honesty is honesty itself. When

558
The Life of Muhammad
Rasūlullah repeatedly gave news of the unseen and these
events occurred exactly as he foretold, the people were
compelled to believe him to be honest and truthful. They also
concluded that his other predictions will also prove to be true.
When a chosen servant of Allah & makes such predictions
which are beyond human comprehension and they are proved
absolutely true, then this is a clear proof that this person has
some special connection with Allah g, the absolute knower of
all the unseen. The reason for this is that a human cannot make
such predictions without being informed by Allah %. For a
person to say, without any circumstantial evidence or
estimation, that such an event is going to take place at such a
time, and then for that event to take place exactly as he
foretold, is impossible without divine revelation and
information from Allah g. It is therefore necessary to believe
in such an honest and truthful person.
When a king informs one of his ministers or ambassadors of
certain secret matters, and that minister or ambassador informs
the masses of these secrets at appropriate times in order to
apprise them or warn them, people of understanding conclude
from this that this person enjoys a special relationship with the
king and that he is very close to him.
In like manner, Allah % occasionally gives news of the unseen
to His Messengers via divine revelation so that the people may
conclude that this person has some special connection with
Allah , that he is an accepted servant of Allah is, and that he
is a chosen one by Allah . He has therefore informed him of
such secrets. The things that the Prophets and Messengers
speak about are beyond intellect, experience, rational thinking
and estimation. On hearing these things, the people are
convinced that this could only have been learnt from Allah is,
the absolute knower of the unseen. It is for this reason that the

559
The Life of Muhammad
hypocrites used to always fear their secrets being exposed, and
their being humiliated in the open.
Allah š says:
يَحْذَرُ الْمُنَافِقُوْنَ أَنْ تُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُوْرَةٌ تُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا فِيْ قُلُؤْبِهِمْ
"The hypocrites fear that a surah be revealed to the Muslims,
telling them of what is in their hearts." (Sūrah at-Taubah, verse
64)
The natural temperament of the masses demands that they
should have somone to guide and lead them. That matters of
guidance and the truth be shown to them. The masses can only
accept such matters if the truthfulness of the guide and the
person inviting towards the truth is exposed to them. In order to
expose and display the truthfulness and honesty of the
Prophets, Allah % gives them, through divine revelation and
inspiration, information of the unseen. By the realization of
these predictions, the truthfulness of the Prophets is displayed.
To give information about peoples and incidents, which is far
beyond the imagination, before they can even occur is
impossible without divine and unseen help and assistance.
The distinction of the predictions of Muhammad .
The Prophets of the past also made predictions. However, the
distinction of the predictions of Muhammad # was that the
predictions of the Prophets of the Banī Isra'il were sketchy and
vague. They were mere references and allusions. They were in
need of explanations. On the other hand, the predictions of
Muhammad % were clear, explicit and very far from doubts and
misgivings. For example, the predictions about the defeat of the
Roman Empire, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the conquest of
Yemen, the conquest of Syria, the conquest of Iraq, the
capturing of the thrones of Caesar and Khusroes are all clear,
explicit and not in need of any further expounding. In addition

560
The Life of Muhammad %
to this, these predictions are so great that by looking and
listening to them, the world is left astonished and tongue-tied.
The future events which Rasulullah # spoke about and the
trials and tribulations that will be experienced later on which he
informed us of are described in such a manner that it was as
though he was seeing them with his very eyes.
We will first quote the predictions from the Qur'an and then
those from the Ahadith.
1. The preservation of the Qur'an
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُوْنَ
"Surely it is We who revealed the Admonition, and it is
certainly We who shall safeguard it." (Sūrah al-Hijr, verse 9)
Does anyone have the audacity to remove anything, add
anything, change anything or alter anything from the Qur'an?
This promise of Allah % is fulfilled. Over 1400 years have
passed, yet the Qur'an has been coming down through the
generations without a single letter changed - exactly as it was
revealed to Muhammad . Not only Sir William Muir, but the
entire world accepts this miracle. Many enemies of Islam tried
to create doubts about the Qur'an, however, all praise is due to
Allah s that no one was able to change or alter even a single
letter. The promise of preservation which Allah % had made is
undoubtedly true. On the other hand, the Jews and Christians
themselves admit that every type of change and alteration was
made to the Taurah and Bible.
2. The miraculous nature of the Qur'an
قُلْ لَئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الإِنْسُ وَالْحِثُّ عَلَى أَنْ يَأْتُوْا بِثْلِ هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ لاَ يَأْتُوْنَ بِثْلِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَ
بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيْرًا.