Indexed OCR Text

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The Life of Muhammad
there remains no room for any doubt right till the day of
resurrection. And that whoever wishes to see this unlettered
Prophet % with his own eyes can do so through his Ahadith.
Whatever was said above was with regard to the Hadith of
Rasūlullah % being a miracle on the basis of the unique and
unparalleled preservation of Hadith.
If one wishes to look at the Ahadith of Rasulullah # from an
intellectual and juridical angle, he should look at the books of
the imams and the jurists. By studying these, he will be able to
gauge how intricate and deep the injunctions of the Shari'ah
are. The 'ulama' and jurists of this ummah were left amazed at
the amount of laws and injunctions they could deduce and
decipher from the Shari'ah. Despite spending their entire lives
in this field, and despite possessing the greatest intelligence,
when they left this world they had to say that they were still
unable to fathom the mysteries of the Shari'ah.
Just as the existence of scholars of Hadith is a miracle of
Muhammad , the existence of jurists is also a miracle of
Muhammad . The only difference being that the first miracle
is related to the narration of Hadith while the second miracle is
related to the understanding of Hadith.
The 'ulama' of Islam - the third miracle
The 'ulama' and reformers are also among the miracles of the
prophet-hood of Muhammad . Allah made the ummah of
Rasūlullah the best of communities and the inheritors of the
Prophets. Allah lg blessed the scholars of this ummah with such
unparalleled knowledge and understanding that an example of
this is not found in past and future nations. Allah de made the
muhaddithūn (scholars of Hadith) an example of the noble
scribes that record our deeds (kirāman kātibīn). Allah % made
the jurists an example of the close angels of Allah % in their
power to make deductions, understanding, intellect, and

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The Life of Muhammad %
awareness. As for His auliya' (close friends) - He blessed them
with His intense love and made them like those angels that
spend their entire time in circuiting the Bayt al-Ma 'mūr. You
will not find in any other nation 'ulamā' like the 'ulama' of
Islam in their knowledge, understanding, research and acumen.
Nor will you find any similarity to their unique and matchless
writings and compilations.
The western nations have displayed amazing feats of science
and technology. However, none of those nations have any
example like that of Sahih Bukhārī and Sahih Muslim of the
Taurah and Injil from which these two books could be
understood. Nor have they any scholars of Hadith like Yahya'
ibn Sa'īd al-Qattan and Yahya' ibn Ma'in. Nations that have
wittingly and deliberately made changes and alterations to the
divine books that were revealed to their Prophets can never
ever produce memorizers of Hadith like Ahmad ibn Hambal
rahimahullah and Yahya' ibn Ma'în rahimahullāh. Nor will
you find any early and latter jurists like Abū Hanīfah
rahimahullah and Shāfi'ī rahimahullah among the Jews and
Christians who could solve all the matters related to beliefs,
acts of worship, transactions, social affairs, political and urban
organization in the light of the texts of the Taurah and Injil. Nor
will you find any theologian like Abul Hasan Ash'arī
rahimahullāh, Abū Mansūr Māturīdī rahimahullāh, Ghazzālī
rahimahullāh and Rāzī rahimahullāh. When these scholars
came onto the field of debating and deliberating, they had an
entire "army" of rational and traditional proofs for the
confirmation of Islamic beliefs and whose ever-sharp blade
continued to slaughter the necks of falsehood. The leadership
and loftiness of Islam and the disgrace and humiliation of
unbelief and falsehood was laid bare before the world to see.
Nor did any nation give birth to ardent worshippers and true
lovers of Allah
like Junayd rahimahullah, Shiblī
rahimahullāh, Bā Yazīd rahimahullāh and Ma'rūf Karkhī

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The Life of Muhammad %
rahimahullāh.Nor did any nation give birth to any grammarians
like Khalil ibn Ahmad and Sīybawayh nor any scholars of
rhetoric like 'Abdul Qahir Jurjānī and Sa'd ad-Din Taftāzānī.
We ask the Jewish and Christian scholars to produce
dictionaries in their respective languages like Lisan al-'Arab,
al-Qamūs and Tāj al-'Arūs. Let alone the Jāmī of Jamal ad-Din
ibn Hajib, look at the Mīzan, Munsha 'ib, Sarf Mir and Nahw
Mir which are all basic books of Arabic grammar and
etymology. We ask the Jewish and Christian scholars to
produce anything like these in their respective languages. All
the above were just given as examples. One can gauge the
extent of Islamic sciences and scholarship from the above.
We ask the Jews and Christians to compare the Shari'ah of the
'ulama' of Islam to that of the Shari'ah of the 'ulama' of
Judaism and Christianity. Do not look at scientific and
technological advances. This is not intellectual and moral
progress - this is a mere craft. This will progress on a daily
basis.
It is obvious that in Islam this intellectual, practical and moral
progress was all through the blessing of following the Shari'ah
of Muhammad . Is this not a miracle of Islam that through the
blessing of following the Islamic Shari'ah, the doors of
knowledge and wisdom opened and the Islamic community
gave birth to such unique 'ulamā', scholars, auliya' and pious
men whose example cannot be found in any other nation and
community.
The fourth miracle
This refers to those unseen voices which many astrologers and
others heard in the jungles and desolate areas that this Prophet
is a true Prophet sent by Allah for the guidance of the
creation and that there is salvation in following him. For further

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The Life of Muhammad %
details concerning this type of miracles, refer to al-Khasā'is al-
Kubrā of Imām Suyūtī rahimahullāh, vol. 1, pp. 101-110.
The fifth miracle
Such voices were heard from trees and rocks which gave
testimony to Rasūlullah's % prophet-hood and which contained
their greeting to him: "Peace be upon you O Messenger of
Allah! On one occasion, Rasulullah % summoned a tree to him.
It came to him and when he asked it to return to its original
place, it returned.

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The Life of Muhammad #
Predictions of past Prophets with regard to
Rasūlullāh
From among the proofs of Rasulullah's & prophet-hood is that
the previous Prophets had given their respective nations the
glad tidings that towards the end of time there will come a
perfect Prophet who will be raised from the Arabs.
It was on the basis of these glad tidings that the Jews and
Christians were waiting for this Prophet. It was for this reason
that many of their sincere scholars believed in Rasulullah % no
sooner they heard his claim to prophet-hood. One such scholar
was 'Abdullah ibn Salam 4%. Many other scholars had been
narrating these glad tidings long before the advent of
Rasulullah and they had been giving testimony to the
authenticity of these glad tidings. They would also say to the
people: "The time has dawned for the arrival of the Last
Prophet." However, despite having this knowledge and
conviction, they resolved on opposing him and becoming his
enemies out of mere jealousy and obstinacy. Allah says:
أَّذِيْنَ آتَيْنَا هُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِفُوْنَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُوْنَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَإِنَّ فَرِئْقًا مِّنْهُمْ لَيَكْتُمُوْنَ الْحَقَّ وَهُمْ
يَعْلَمُوْنَ.
"Surely those to whom We gave the Book [the Taurah and the
Injil] recognize him as they recognize their own sons. Surely a
group from them conceals the truth wittingly."
Assuming the glad tidings concerning the prophet-hood of
Rasūlullah % were not mentioned in the Taurah and Injil, the
Jewish and Christian scholars would have openly rejected
Rasūlullah . And the assemblies in which verses like these:
"The unlettered Prophet whose description they find recorded
with them in the Taurah and the Injil ... " were recited - they
would have went there and stated plainly that these are all
wrong. They would have warned all the Jews and Christians

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The Life of Muhammad
about such verses. In fact, the polytheists of Makkah who were
the enemies of Rasulullah # would have also been warned that
all such verses are wrong. Furthermore, they would have tried
to bring back the Jews and Christians who had embraced Islam
to their original religion.
Rasūlullah ¿ confronted the Jewish and Christian scholars in
their very assemblies and said to them that he was the same
Prophet whose glad tidings are mentioned in the Taurah and
Injil. This is a clear proof that Rasūlullah % had absolute
certainty and conviction of these glad tidings.
The history books and biographies [of Rasūlullah ] explain in
detail that most of the Jewish and Christian scholars knew the
time of Rasūlullah's birth and the time of his commission as
a Prophet in the light of the predictions that were mentioned in
their Books.
1. When the birth of Rasulullah # drew near, Sayf Dhī
Yazn, the ruler of Yemen, informed 'Abdul Muttalib
that the last Prophet is going to be born in his family.
2. When Rasulullah # was 12 years old, he accompanied
his uncle, Abū Talib, to Syria. On reaching there, a
Christian scholar by the name of Buhayra saw
Rasūlullah and said to Abū Talib: You must take care
of your nephew. He is going to be the final Prophet. I
see all the signs and descriptions of the final Prophet
which I read about in the scriptures in this nephew of
yours. The Jews will become his bitter enemies."
Details in this regard were given previously.
3. Rasūlullāh % went again when he was 25 years old. A
monk by the name of Nastūra studied him and said to
the other members of the caravan: "This person is going
to be the final Prophet. The descriptions of the final

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The Life of Muhammad
Prophet that are written in our scriptures are all found in
him." Details in this regard were also given previously.
4. At the beginning of his commission as a Prophet,
Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā took Rasūlullah % to her
cousin Waraqah ibn Naufal. He also said: "He is the
very last Prophet regarding whom Mūsā and 'Îsa had
given glad tidings." Details in this regard were also
given previously.
5. Salman Fārsī
was a Magaen in the beginning. He
gave up this religion and became a Jew. However, he
did not experience any satisfaction with Judaism as
well. He therefore became a Christian. He heard the
predictions of the last Prophet from the Christian
scholars and remembered them well. When Rasūlullah
emigrated to Madinah and Salman % heard about his
arrival, he went to meet Rasulullah . On seeing
Rasūlullah's % face, he immediately realized that this
was the very last Prophet regarding whom he had heard
so much. This story was also related in detail.
6. Najashī, the ruler of Abyssinia also believed in
Rasulullah ¿ as the last Prophet after hearing the
predictions about him [from Christian scholars]. This
story was also related in detail.
7. In 7 A.H. Rasūlullah ¿ wrote a letter to Hercules, the
Roman emperor, inviting him to Islam. After making
inquiries about Rasūlullah , he also attested to the fact
that Rasūlullah
was the last Prophet who is
mentioned in the previous scriptures and whom they
were waiting for. This story was also related in detail.
Preliminary matters
Before quoting the glad tidings and descriptions of Rasūlullah
that are related in the previous Books, we feel it appropriate

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The Life of Muhammad
to enumerate certain preliminary points so that the seekers of
the truth may not fall into the trap of the Jews and Christians.
1. It is a baseless assumption of the Jews and Christians that in
order to prove prophet-hood of any Prophet, it is a pre-requisite
for the previous Prophets to have foretold the arrival of that
Prophet and that they must show the signs of the coming
Prophet - in the sense that if so and so signs are found in him,
he is a true Prophet. If not, he is an imposter. Based on this
self-concocted pre-requisite of theirs, the Jewish and Christian
scholars claim that no prediction of Muhammad Rasūlullah
is mentioned in the previous Books. And that whatever
predictions the Islamic scholars present, these do not apply to
Muhammad .
1. Muslims reply to this by saying that first of all this self-
concocted pre-requisite is wrong. For the affimation of
prophet-hood, it is not necessary for the previous
Prophet to give information about the forthcoming
Prophet. The reason for this is that if this was a
condition, continuity would have become necessary.
2. Hizqil , Daniyal , Ash'iya' s and others are
accepted as Prophets by both Jews and Christians.
However, they are not mentioned in the previous Books.
We can thus state that the basis for prophet-hood is
miracles and signs of prophet-hood. However, if a
previous Prophet gives the glad tidings of a forthcoming
Prophet, then this is proof of the greatness and loftiness
of the forthcoming Prophet. As for the fact that the
signs and descriptions of Rasūlullah % as given by
previous Prophets and whether they apply to him or not,
this will be explained later on.
3. The Christian scholars unanimously believe that the
previous Prophets had foretold the coming of 'Îsa ky.
However, the past and latter Jewish scholars totally

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The Life of Muhammad *
reject the predictions of the coming of 'Isa . The
descriptions in favour of Isa say as presented by
Christian scholars are explained away by Jewish
scholars in such a way that these descriptions do not
apply to 'Îsa . Therefore, just as the Jews reject the
glad tidings of 'Îsa sal, in like manner, the Christians
reject the glad tidings of Muhammad .
4. If a previous Prophet gives information about the
forthcoming Prophet, it is not necessary that he must
provide such elaborate details that the moment the
people see him, they are immediately convinced of his
prophet-hood and that there remains no doubt
whatsoever as regards his prophet-hood. If the
forthcoming Prophet is so clearly described, there
remains no need for miracles, proofs of prophet-hood
and evidences of messenger-ship.
2. Many Prophets of the Bani Isra'il such as Ash'iya' (),
Armiya' , Daniyal stall, Hizqil se and 'Îsa stal foretold many
stories and incidents, e.g. the stories of Bukhtnasr, Forish,
Iskander, etc. They also related some incidents which will take
place in Rome, Egypt, Nīnawa, Babylon, etc. A sound intellect
will consider it almost impossible for the past Prophets to give
information about such small and minor incidents and yet do
not give any information about the coming of Muhammad % -
an incident which is unsurpassed in the anals of history! We
can therefore conclude that the past Prophets must have most
certainly given glad tidings about Muhammad % but the people
of the Book removed these from their Books or altered them.
As for those glad tidings that still remain in their Books, they
give vague explanations to them.
3. The Christians claim that 'Isa y was the last Prophet. That
it is impossible for any Prophet to come after him. The

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The Life of Muhammad
Muslims say that this claim of the Christians is totally baseless.
They give the following reasons:
1. 'Isa say never said that he was the last Prophet and that
no Prophet was to come after him. No where in the
Bible is it mentioned that 'Isa stay is the seal of the
Prophets.
2. 'Îsa stal never said that after he ascends to the heavens,
no true Prophet will come. Rather, he gave the glad
tiding of a great Prophet, (Paraclete) who is going to
come after him. He emphasised on the people to believe
in him. It is based on this that the Christian scholars
remained waiting for (Paraclete) regarding whom a
promise was made in the Injil. It was on this basis that
Montanis claimed to be Paraclete and many people
became his followers.
3. The Christians consider the disciples and St. Paul to be
Prophets. And all of these came after 'Isa tabell.
4. The following is written in Acts, chapter 11, verses 27-
28: "And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem
to Antioch. Then one of them named Agabus, stood up
and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a
great famine throughout all the world, which also
happened in the days of Claudius Caesar."
It becomes clear from this that some prophets came
from Jerusalem to Antioch. The name of one of them
was Agabus. The Arabic edition gives his name as
Āgābūs. This matter is absolutely clear that this incident
took place after 'Isa sal. Since they confirm that
prophets came after him, their claim that 'Isa sada is the
last Prophet is absolutely incorrect.
5. In Mathews, chapter 7, verse 15, the teaching and
warning of 'Îsa cal is mentioned as follows: "Be careful

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The Life of Muhammad %
of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."
This verse goes into length at explaining that 'Îsa (les)
warned that many false claimants to prophet-hood will
come and claim prophet-hood in his name. In other
words, they will say: "I am the promised messiah."
(Like how an imposter from Qadian claimed that he was
the promised messiah.)
You must remain on your guard for they are like wolves
from inside. In this instruction of his, 'Isa stay stipulated
that the people should not fall into the trap of these false
claimants to prophet-hood. He did not say that no
Prophet will come after him. Rather, he said that they
should test the claimants to prophet-hood. Believe in the
true one and reject the false ones. In the first letter of
chapter 4 of Jonah, the following is stated: "O friends!
Do not believe in every spirit. Rather, test the spirits and
check whether they are from God or not, because many
false prophets made their appearance in this world ...
The gist of the above is that from the very texts of the
Christians, it becomes clear that 'Isa l was not the last
Prophet.
4. The Christians claim that the mother of Isma'il " was a
slave woman. The progeny of Isma'il X (Bani Isma'il) are
therefore not on the same honourable position as that of the
Banī Isrā'il.
A reply to this is that it is established from reliable narrations of
the Jews that Hajirah was the daughter of the king of Egypt and
not his slave woman. A reliable commentator of the Taurah,
Shalomlo Ishaq writes in his commentary to the book of births,
chapter 16, verse 1: "When the king of Egypt saw Sarah, he

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The Life of Muhammad %
said: 'For my daughter to live in her house as a slave is better
than for her to stay in my house as a queen."">1
We learn from this that Hajirah was not a slave woman but the
daughter of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The king gave her to
Sarah as a servant to her. When the king saw the miracles of
Sarah, he was convinced that she and her husband, Ibrahim ,
are the accepted and beloved servants of Allah is. He therefore
respected and honoured Sarah greatly. To the extent that he
gave his daughter, Hajirah, in marriage to Ibrahim & so that,
in accordance with the norm of those days, the second wife
would serve the first and senior wife.
The second reply to this is that to be a slave woman is not a
defect in itself. Yusuf " was sold as a slave. This is especially
so when two covenants were written in the Taurah - one in
favour of the progeny of Isma'il & and the other in favour of
the progeny of Ishaq . Allah promised that Ibrahim (l)
will be blessed through both these sons of his. The blessings
that he will enjoy through Isma'il & is that the latter will have
a big progeny and a huge following. It is clearly mentioned in
the book of creation, and in the book of deeds, chapter three
that a huge nation will come forth from the progeny of Isma'il
Still. Therefore, to abstain from mentioning these promises of
blessings by Allah % and to mention imaginary shortcomings
and defects [of being a slave] is rationally and traditionally
unacceptable.
The Christians should think about the sons of Romeo, Romus,
and Augustus and be ashamed of this. They should then ponder
over Yahuda and Auriya whom they talk about when
mentioning Ajsad and Masih. If they ponder over this, they will
not be able to raise their heads out of shame.
1
Sayyid Sulayman Nadwi: Ard al-Qur'an, vol. 2, p. 41. Also, Hifz ar-
Rahman Sîyhārwî: Qisas al-Qur'ān, vol. 1, p. 190.

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The Life of Muhammad %
The gist of the above is that Hajirah was the daughter of the
king of Egypt. On seeing the piety of Sarah, he gave his
daughter as a servant. It was the norm of that time that when a
daughter was given to noble people in marriage, they were
given as servants. The words of Sahīh Bukhārī are “Hajirah
served her." The Christians translated this as a "slave-woman"
which is totally unjustified. It is extremely surprising that the
Jewish and Christian scholars consider these Prophets who are
from among the forefathers of 'Isa stall, to be involved in
polytheism, idol-worship, adultery and wine-drinking. Allah
forbid, Allah forbid. They do not consider these acts to be
worthy of criticism while they consider the word "servant" in
respect of the mother of Isma'il xck, Hajirah, to be worthy of
criticism.
We now feel it appropriate to quote a few of the thousands of
predictions that were made by the previous Prophets of Allah
s. These are presented as examples from the Taurah and Injil.
First prediction
This is from the Taurah, Safar Istithna, chapter 18, verse 18.
18 - "Allah said to me that whatever he said is good. I will send
from among them a Prophet like you. I will instill My speech
into his mouth. He will convey to them whatever I say to him."
19 - "If he conveys My sayings in My name and a person does
not pay heed to them, then I will take such a person to task."
20 - "If a Prophet is so audacious as to say something in My
name without My having ordered him to say so, and says this in
the name of the idols, then that Prophet should be killed."
21 - "If you think in your heart that how do I know that what
he is saying is from Allah, then you should know that when a
Prophet says something in the name of Allah and that thing
does not take place, then Allah did not say such a thing."

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The Life of Muhammad
Muslims believe that the above glad-tiding is specifically in
favour of Muhammad . The Jews are of the opinion that this
glad-tiding is in favour of Yusha' . The Christians are of the
opinion that this glad-tiding is in favour of 'Îsa . The fact of
the matter is that this glad-tiding can be for no one but the seal
of Prophets, Muhammad . The reason for this is that this glad-
tiding is for that Prophet who is similar to Musa stall and is not
from the Banī Isra'il. Instead, he is from their brothers, the Banī
Ismā'il. Furthermore, in this glad-tiding, the attributes of that
coming Prophet are mentioned. Muslims say that this glad
tiding is in favour of Muhammad % for several reasons. They
are:
1. This glad-tiding states that I [Allah] will send a Prophet like
you to their [Banī Isra'il's] brothers. It is clear from this that
this Prophet will not be from the Banī Isra'il. This address was
not made to one or two persons but included all the tribes of the
Banī Isra'il. This address would therefore be directed to the
entire nation of the Banī Isra'il. This would mean that I [ Allah]
will send a Prophet like you who will be from the brothers of
the entire nation of the Banī Isra'il. This is a clear proof that
this Prophet will not be from the Banī Isra'il. If he was to be
from the Banī Isra'il, Allah s would have said "I will raise a
Prophet from amongst you." For example, Allah % says:
"Allah was very kind to the believers when He sent to them a
Messenger from amongst them." (Al Imran, verse164) He
would not have said that He will raise a Prophet from their
brothers. For example, Allah says, addressing the Banī
Isrā'il: "And He made Prophets from amongst you."
In short, Musa ka) addressing the entire Banī Isra'il without any
exclusion, that the promised Prophet will be from their brothers
is clear proof that such a Prophet will be from their brothers,
the Banī Isma'il. This is because the Banī Isma'il are the
brothers of the Banī Isra'il. The Christians claim that the
brothers of the Banī Isra'il refer to the Banī Isra'il themselves.

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The Life of Muhammad
However, this is absolutely wrong, irrational and against the
usage of all languages of the world. When we say "The
brothers of Zayd", then Zayd is not included among those
brothers. Rather, he will be apart from the brothers. This is
because the attributed is separate from whom he is attributed.
Moreover, a person and his progeny cannot in reality be
referred to as his brothers. Therefore, to regard the brothers of
the Banī Isra'il as their progeny itself is totally immature and
an act of ignorance. In colloquial usage we can say that "Zayd
is the brother of the Banu Tamīm", "Hud is the brother of the
'Ad nation", "Salih is the brother of the Thamūd nation". In
other words, they are members of these respective nations.
However, we cannot say that the 'Ad nation is the brother of
the 'Ad nation, or the Thamud nation is the brother of the
Thamud nation, or the Banu Tamim is the brother of the Banū
Tamīm, or the Banu Hashim is the brother of the Banū Hashim.
In like manner, it is clearly immature and ignorant to say that
the Banī Isra'il is the brother of the Banī Isra'il. To say that the
brothers of the Banī Isra'il refers to their offspring and progeny
is totally foolish.
In Genesis, chapter 16, verse 12, the progeny of Isma'il skal as
compared to that of the Banī Isra'il is described as follows:
"And he shall dwell in the presence of all his bretheren." In
chapter 25, verse 18, the following is said: "He [Isma'il] died in
the presence of all his bretheren."
In both these places, the brothers of Ismail sky are
unanimously considered to be Banī 'Îs and the Banī Isra'il. The
Jews and Christians unanimously accept that there was no
Prophet whatsoever who was specifically from the Banī 'Îs.
Both groups also accept that Allah % did not promise prophet-
hood and blessings to those children of Ibrahim ( who were
born from Qaturah. However, Allah % did promise blessings to
Ismail sek).

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The Life of Muhammad #
In this glad-tiding, the 'ulama' of the people of the Book have
added a word: "Allah will send solely amongst you, from your
brothers, a Prophet like you." (refer to the same chapter, verse
15). They did this so that this glad-tiding will not be applicable
to Muhammad Rasulullah . The words "solely from amongst
you", were added later on. The proof of this alteration is that in
the Taurah in Safar Istithna', chapter 18, verse 18, Allah's
address to Musa Jall is written thus: "I will raise a Prophet like
you for them from their brothers." In this verse, the word
"solely" is not mentioned. It is surprising that in the book of
acts, chapter 3, verse22, this incident is related but the words
"from amongst you" is not mentioned.
Moreover, wherever the disciples of 'Îsa a quote this address
of Allah to Musa , they never mention these words
"solely from amongst you". Instead, they use the words "from
amongst you".
Even if we were to make this supposition for a short while and
accept that this word was not added, then it is possible that the
words "from amongst you" could mean "from your progeny of
righteous servants". In other words, he will be from the
progeny of Ibrahim stall.
The gist of the above is that when Musa ( addressed the 12
tribes of the Banī Isra'il that Allah , will raise a Prophet from
their brothers, it is clear proof that he will not be from the Banī
Isra'il. Nor would he have wanted to inform them of this. If he
wanted, he would have said that a Prophet will be raised from
them or from their progeny. In such a case, adding the word
"brothers" would have been useless. The word "brothers" is
clearly announcing that the promised Prophet will not have the
relationship of being from their progeny. In other words, that
Prophet will not be from the progeny of the Banī Isra'il.
Yusha' S and 'Isa ) are both from the Bani Isra'il. They are
not from their brothers, the Banī Isma'il. These two Prophets

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The Life of Muhammad %
can therefore not be the realization of that glad-tiding. It can
only be that Prophet who is from the Banī Isma'il. No Prophet
from the Banī Isra'il can be the realization of that glad-tiding.
2. This glad-tiding states that "I will raise a Prophet like you."
Now it is obvious that neither Yusha' & nor Isa ) are like
Musa . Both these Prophets are from the Bani Isra'il. In the
Taurāh, Safar Istithnā', chapter 34, verse 34, it is stated that
from the Bani Isra'il there was no Prophet like Musa salg with
whom Allah % spoke directly.
Furthermore, Yusha' sal was a student of Musa . A person
who follows [student] and the followed [teacher] cannot be
same [the words "like you" cannot be applied in such a
situation]. Moreover, Yusha' ] was present at the time of this
glad-tiding. And this glad-tiding states "I will raise a Prophet",
which clearly means that a Prophet is yet to come in the future.
Yusha' el had already become a Prophet in the time of Musa
Still. How, then, can he be the realization of this glad-tiding
which talks about a Prophet coming in the future?
Similarly, 'Isa ) was also not like Mūsa sad. This is because
the Christians consider him to be the son of Allah or God
himself. Mūsā ska) was neither of both. Rather, he was a servant
of Allah . And there is no similarity between a servant and
Allah .
According to Christian belief, 'Isa ) was killed and crucified
for the sins of his people. Musa Mal was neither killed,
crucified, nor did he die for the sins of his people.
The Shariah of Isa ( does not have injunctions concerning
the penal law, retribution, warnings, banishments, and laws of
bathing and purification. On the other hand, the Shari'ah of
Musa s contains all these injunctions and laws. There is an
obvious similarity between Muhammad and Musa . Just
as the Shari'ah of Musa sa was an independent Shari'ah, in

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The Life of Muhammad %
like manner, the Shari'ah of Muhammad
was an
independent, complete and perfect Shari'ah. It comprises all the
injunctions concerning the penal law, warnings, jihad,
retribution, the lawful and the prohibited. Like these outward
injunctions, it also contains internal injunctions, viz. morals.
Just as Musa se removed the Bani Isra'il from the clutches of
Pharaoh and gave them honour, Muhammad % to a far greater
extent, removed the Arabs from the slavery of the Romans and
Persians, made them embrace Islam, and gave to them the keys
to the treasures of Caesar and Chosroes. Just as Musa (!)
married, Muhammad % also married in accordance with the
way of the past Prophets. The Qur'an makes reference to this
similarity in the following verse: "We sent to you a Messenger,
as a witness over you, just as we sent a Messenger to Pharoah."
(Sūrah al-Muzzammil, verse 15)
'Isa Study and Yusha' s never claimed this similarity. If it is
argued that this similarity refers to that promised Prophet will
be from the Bani Isra'il as Musa sua was from them, then what
is the speciality of 'Isa s and Yusha' ) in such a case?
Numerous Prophets from the Bani Isra'il came after Musa Kell.
In such case, every Prophet can be a realization of this glad-
tiding. If similarity to a certain extent is accepted in favour of
'Isa study and Yusha' , then there is no comparison between
this similarity and the one that Muhammad % enjoys with Mūsa
التعليم
3. This glad-tiding also states that "I [Allah] will place My
speech in his mouth." In other words, unlike the Taurah and
Zabur, an entire book will not be revealed at once to this
Prophet. Rather, the angel of Allah will come down with
revelation. On hearing this from the angel, he will learn the
words of Allah , recite them with his tongue and convey them
to his followers. It is obvious that this was not realized for
anyone besides Muhammad . Allah says: "He does not

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The Life of Muhammad #
speak of his own desire. It is nothing but a revelation that is
revealed to him." (Sūrah an-Najm, verses 3-4)
4. This glad-tiding also states that "I will punish whoever does
not follow the order of this promised Prophet." It is obvious
that this punishment does not refer to punishment in the
hereafter because what is the peculiarity of not obeying that
promised Prophet? Punishment of the hereafter is for not
following the order of every Prophet. Rather, in this case it
refers to punishment in this world, viz. jihad, fighting, penal
laws, retributions, etc. This was neither enjoyed by 'Îsā 5 nor
by Yusha' . Rather, it was enjoyed to perfection by the seal
of Prophets, Muhammad %. Therefore, it is only he who can be
the realization of this glad-tiding.
5. This glad-tiding also states that if this Prophet (Allah forbid)
fabricates a lie and attributes wrong things to Allah 5, then that
Prophet will be killed. It is obvious that after claiming prophet-
hood, Muhammad % was not killed. The enemies tried various
plots and plans but they all failed. Allah % says: "When the
unbelievers were plotting to capture you, kill you or banish
you. They were plotting and Allah also plotted. And Allah is
the best of plotters." (Sūrah al-Anfal, verse 30)
In accordance with the promise of Allah, "Allah will protect
you from the people", Muhammad remained totally protected
and safeguarded. Instead of any calamity striking him, his
position and following increased by the day. If Muhammad
was not that promised Prophet, he would have certainly been
killed. Yes, according to the assumption of the Christians, 'Îsā
Stall was killed and crucified. Therefore, if 'Îsa ) is considered
to be a realization of this glad-tiding, then based on their
assumption, he would necessarily be an imposter (Allah
forbid). The Qur'an also makes reference to this: "Had We not
kept you steadfast, you would have almost inclined towards
them slightly. In such a case, We would have caused you to

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The Life of Muhammad %
taste the double punishment of life and death. Then you would
have not found any helper for you against Us." (Sūrah Banī
Isrā'il, verse 76) "Had [Muhammad] fabricated any lie against
Us, We would have caught him by the right and then cut off his
jugular vein." (Sūrah al-Haqqah, verse 44)
In verse 20 it was said that "If that Prophet fabricates a lie
against Me, he will be killed." It should be known that not
being killed is not the absolute proof of being a true Prophet. If
not, the truthfulness of those Prophets who were killed by their
enemies will be in doubt. Allah % says: "They used to kill the
Prophets without justification." Based on their corrupt belief
[that 'Isa ] was killed and crucified], it would become
especially difficult for the Christians to prove the truthfulness
of‘Îsā .
It is in fact specifically applied to that promised Prophet whose
not being killed is a sign of his truthfulness. This is clear from
the following text of the Taurah: "That Prophet who is
audacious enough to ... he will be killed." In both sentences, the
words "that Prophet" and "he" refer specifically to that
promised Prophet. If this rule was applied to all Prophets
without exclusion, then, Allah forbid, Zakarīyya st and Yahya
Stall would have been labelled as false Prophets. And based on
the belief of the Christians, since 'Isa ) was killed and
crucified, he would also, Allah forbid, be labelled a false
Prophet. We can therefore conclude that this is specifically
applied to that promised Prophet regarding whom this glad-
tiding was given. If this was applied to all Prophets, then the
Jews who do not believe in 'Isa ] as a Prophet will have a
proof for themselves in their disbelief.
6. This glad-tiding also clearly states that the sign of the
truthfulness of this promised Prophet is that his predictions will
be correct and true. All praise is due to Allah , that not a
single prediction of Muhammad ¿ has been proved to be false