May God forgive me and guide me regarding any sign that would have been misinterpreted in this study and elsewhere. May He always guide us to a better understanding of His profound scripture so we can purify ourselves and increase our guidance and knowledge.

The Quran states that God sent at least one messenger to every community (10:47):

(10:47) A messenger is assigned to each community. Then, once their messenger comes, justice will be served equitably between them and they will not be wronged. 

Messengers and prophets form a community and support each other (3:81) which is abundantly reflected in the prophetic message of the Bible and the Quran. This is even more obvious when it comes to prophetic messages regarding the advent of Muhammad because he is the seal of the prophets (33:40), meaning that he was blessed to deliver the last divine scripture revealed to mankind.

The primary purpose of this study is, God willing, to invite Jews, Christians and any person seeking the truth to investigate those prophecies in the light of the Bible and the Quran with sincerity. This topic is equally important for Muslims to strengthen their faith and for them to convincingly present the message of the Quran to Jews and Christians who are held in great respect being called “people of the Book” (3:113, 3:75).  

Biblical prophecies related to the advent of Muhammad, the Quran and the practice of Islam is a surprisingly extensive subject. Our goal is not to attempt to present all aspects which would be a very arduous task, but to present in an efficient and concise manner the most compelling proofs.

Table of contents:

1. Deuteronomy 18:18: A prophet like Moses

2. Muhammad is mentioned by name in the Song of Songs, by Solomon

3. The pilgrimage to Mecca is described in Psalm 84

4. Isaiah 60: Mecca, The new Jerusalem

5. The prophecy of Isaiah 29:10-12: The revelation of the Quran to an illiterate prophet

6. Where was the book revealed to an illiterate prophet going to be revealed?

6.1 Arabia, Mount Sela and the city of Medina

6.2 Mount Paran and the city of Mecca

7. Did Jesus prophesy the advent of Muhammad?

1. Deuteronomy 18:18: A prophet like Moses

One of the major prophecies announcing Muhammad is mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy, which is part of the Torah and was revealed to Moses:

Deuteronomy 18:18: I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, one like you (O Moses), and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

Translation: A faithful version.

We read that a prophet will be raised among “their brethren”, that is to say among the brethren of the Israelites. It is a historical fact that Arabs, and therefore Muhammad, are the brothers of the Israelites through Abraham and Ismael.

Muhammad is “Like you” (O Moses) because like Moses who received the Torah (one of the meanings of which is “the law”), he received a divine revelation (the Quran) which also contains a new divine law. By contrast, Jesus “did not come to abolish the law or the prophets”, “but to fulfill them” according to Matthew 5:17.

Another powerful argument in favor of Muhammad is that the prophet never speaks on his own volition in the Quran. God literally “puts His words in his mouth” as said in Deuteronomy 18:18.

An example which illustrates this fact is that 333 times exactly, God commands to Muhammad to recite entire sentences by commanding him to say: “qul” (say!), followed by the sentence He wants him to proclaim.

Examples:

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

(112:1) Say !(Qul) [O Muhammad]: “He, Allah, is One. (112:2) God, the Absolute. (112:3) Never does He beget, nor is He begotten. (112:4) None equals Him!”

The prophet had absolutely no other choice but to obey and repeat to his people word for word what God had commanded him to say. He had no personal input whatsoever regarding the content of the revelation and God literally “put His word in his mouth”.

To give a visual idea, 333 times “say!” (قل) in the Quran looks like this:

2:80 (قل); 2:91 (قل); 2:93 (قل); 2:94 (قل); 2:97 (قل); 2:111 (قل); 2:120 (قل); 2:135 (قل); 2:139 (قل); 2:140 (قل); 2:142 (قل); 2:189 (قل); 2:215 (قل); 2:217 (قل); 2:219 (قل +قل); 2:220 (قل); 2:222 (قل); 3:12 (قل); 3:15 (قل); 3:20 (قل + قل); 3:26 (قل); 3:29 (قل); 3:31 (قل); 3:32 (قل); 3:61 (قل); 3:64 (قل); 3:73 (قل +قل); 3:84 (قل); 3:93 (قل); 3:95 (قل); 3:98 (قل); 3:99 (قل); 3:119 (قل); 3:154 (قل +قل); 3:165 (قل); 3:168 (قل); 3:183 (قل); 4:63 (قل); 4:77 (قل); 4:78 (قل); 4:127 (قل);  4:176 (قل); 5:4 (قل); 5:17 (قل); 5:18 (قل); 5:59 (قل); 5:60 (قل); 5:68 (قل); 5:76 (قل); 5:77 (قل); 5:100 (قل); 6:11 (قل);  6:12 (قل +قل); 6:14 (قل +قل); 6:15 (قل); 6:19 (قل +قل + قل +قل); 6:37 (قل); 6:40 (قل); 6:46 (قل); 6:47 (قل); 6:50 (قل +قل); 6:54 (قل); 6:56 (قل +قل); 6:57 (قل); 6:58 (قل); 6:63 (قل); 6:64 (قل); 6:65 (قل); 6:66 (قل); 6:71 (قل +قل); 6:90 (قل); 6:91 (قل +قل); 6:109 (قل); 6:135 (قل); 6:143 (قل); 6:144 (قل); 6:145 (قل); 6:147 (قل); 6:148 (قل); 6:149 (قل); 6:150 (قل); 6:151 (قل); 6:158 (قل); 6:161 (قل); 6:162 (قل); 6:164 (قل); 7:28 (قل); 7:29 (قل); 7:32 (قل +قل); 7:33 (قل); 7:158 (قل); 7:187 (قل +قل); 7:188 (قل); 7:195 (قل); 7:203 (قل); 8:1 (قل); 8:38 (قل); 8:70 (قل); 9:24 (قل); 9:51 (قل); 9:52 (قل); 9:53 (قل); 9:61 (قل); 9:64 (قل); 9:65 (قل); 9:81 (قل); 9:83 (قل); 9:94 (قل); 9:105 (قل); 9:129 (قل); 10:15 (قل); 10:16 (قل); 10:18 (قل); 10:20 (قل); 10:21 (قل); 10:31 (قل +قل); 10:34 (قل +قل); 10:35 (قل +قل); 10:38 (قل); 10:41 (قل); 10:49 (قل); 10:50 (قل); 10:53 (قل); 10:58 (قل); 10:59 (قل +قل); 10:69 (قل); 10:101 (قل); 10:102 (قل); 10:104 (قل); 10:108 (قل); 11:13 (قل); 11:35 (قل); 11:121 (قل); 12:108 (قل); 13:16 (قل +قل +قل +قل +قل); 13:27 (قل); 13:30 (قل); 13:33 (قل); 13:36 (قل); 13:43 (قل); 14:30 (قل); 14:31 (قل); 15:89 (قل); 16:102 (قل); 17:23 (قل); 17:24 (قل); 17:28 (قل); 17:42 (قل); 17:50 (قل); 17:51 (قل +قل); 17:53 (قل); 17:56 (قل); 17:80 (قل); 17:81 (قل); 17:84 (قل); 17:85 (قل); 17:88 (قل); 17:93 (قل); 17:95 (قل); 17:96 (قل); 17:100 (قل); 17:107 (قل); 17:110 (قل); 17:111 (قل); 18:22 (قل); 18:24 (قل); 18:26 (قل); 18:29 (قل); 18:83 (قل); 18:103 (قل); 18:109 (قل); 18:110 (قل); 19:75 (قل); 20:105 (قل); 20:114 (قل); 20:135 (قل); 21:24 (قل); 21:42 (قل); 21:45 (قل); 21:108 (قل); 21:109 (قل); 21:112 (قل); 22:49 (قل); 22:68 (قل); 22:72 (قل); 23:28 (قل); 23:29 (قل); 23:84 (قل); 23:85 (قل); 23:86 (قل); 23:87 (قل); 23:88 (قل); 23:89 (قل); 23:93 (قل); 23:97 (قل); 23:118 (قل); 24:30 (قل); 24:31 (قل); 24:53 (قل); 24:54(قل); 25:6(قل); 25:15(قل); 25:57(قل); 25:77(قل); 26:216(قل); 27:59 (قل); 27:64 (قل); 27:65 (قل); 27:69 (قل); 27:72 (قل); 27:92 (قل); 27:93 (قل); 28:49 (قل); 28:71 (قل); 28:72 (قل); 28:85 (قل); 29:20 (قل); 29:50 (قل); 29:52 (قل); 29:63 (قل); 30:42 (قل); 31:25 (قل); 32:11 (قل); 32:29 (قل); 33:16 (قل); 33:17 (قل); 33:28 (قل); 33:59 (قل); 33:63 (قل); 34:3 (قل); 34:22 (قل); 34:24 (قل +قل); 34:25 (قل); 34:26 (قل); 34:27 (قل); 34:30 (قل); 34:36 (قل); 34:39 (قل); 34:46 (قل); 34:47 (قل); 34:48 (قل); 34:49 (قل); 34:50 (قل); 35:40 (قل); 36:79 (قل); 37:18 (قل); 38:65(قل); 38:67 (قل); 38:86(قل); 39:8(قل); 39:9 (قل); 39:10 (قل); 39:11(قل); 39:13 (قل); 39:14 (قل); 39:15 (قل); 39:38 (قل +قل); 39:39 (قل); 39:43 (قل); 39:44 (قل); 39:46 (قل); 39:53 (قل); 39:64 (قل); 40:66 (قل); 41:6 (قل); 41:9 (قل); 41:13 (قل); 41:44 (قل); 41:52 (قل); 42:15 (قل); 42:23 (قل); 43:81 (قل); 43:89 (قل); 45:14 (قل); 45:26 (قل); 46:4 (قل); 46:8 (قل); 46:9 (قل); 46:10 (قل); 48:11 (قل); 48:15 (قل); 48:16 (قل); 49:14 (قل); 49:16 (قل); 49:17 (قل); 52:31 (قل); 56:49 (قل); 62:6 (قل); 62:8 (قل); 62:11 (قل); 64:7 (قل); 67:23 (قل); 67:24 (قل); 67:26 (قل); 67:28 (قل); 67:29 (قل); 67:30 (قل); 72:1 (قل); 72:20 (قل); 72:21 (قل); 72:22 (قل); 72:25 (قل); 79:18 (قل); 109:1 (قل); 112:1 (قل); 113:1 (قل); 114:1 (قل) = 333 times Say! (“قل” = Qul !).

The divine command “Qul!” occurs in 307 verses which represents approximately 5% of all 6236 numbered verses of the Quran.

Deuteronomy 18:19:

I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.

This verse indicates that the prophet prophesied was going to proclaim “God’s words”, meaning a divine revelation, in the name of God. It is truly striking that the first verse of the Quran starts precisely with the words “In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful” (1:1), expression which is repeated 113 times at the beginning of every single sura, except sura 9, and 114 times (19×6) overall.

(7:158) Say: “O mankind, verily, I (Muhammad) am God’s messenger to all of you. He is the one to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, there is no god except He. He grants life and death.” Therefore, you shall believe in God and His messenger, the gentile prophet, who believes in God and His words. Follow him, that you may be guided.

The above verse uses the same language as Deuteronomy 18:18-19 where we read “18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, one like you (O Moses), and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.”

2. Muhammad is mentioned by name in the Song of Songs, by Solomon

The name of the holy prophet “Muhammad” occurs literally in the Bible in the original Hebrew language in the “Shir haShirim” (שיר השירים = Song of Songs) 5:16, also known as “the Song of Solomon”. The Song of Songs describes a love story that has been interpreted by many Jewish and Christian scholars as an allegory prophesying the advent of a messianic figure, which explains why it is universally accepted in the canon of Holy scriptures. Jews will typically say that it either describes Solomon or the Messiah, and Christians claim that it refers to Jesus, the Messiah. It prophesies in a very poetic way the advent of a prophet by providing the very detailed physical description of a man:

For instance, Song of Songs 5:10 reads: “My beloved is white and ruddy, chief among ten thousand.” Given the fact that, as we are going to see, Muhammad is mentioned by name in Song of Songs 5:16, Muslims interpret this verse as a prophecy announcing his peaceful conquest of Mecca on December 629 or January 630 CE, when he led an army of “ten thousand men” (reference: Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri (1996), The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet, Riyadh, p.391). This is one reference among many and it is a very well documented historical fact.

The following Quranic verse describes that victory:

(48:24) He is the one who restrained their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of Makkah, after having granted you victory over them, and God witnessed everything you did.

Song of Songs 5:11-12 says: “his head is like gold, pure gold, his locks are wavy, and black as a raven”. Verse 15 continues: “His appearance is like Lebanon. His eyes are like doves by the water streams, washed in milk, mounted like jewels.” The magnificent description of that illustrious man ends in 5:16 by saying:

חִכּוֹ, מַמְתַ קִּים, וְכֻלּוֹ, מַחֲמַדִּים; זֶה דוֹדִי וְזֶה רֵעִי, בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם.

English: His mouth is sweetness itself; yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Just like early manuscripts of the Quran, ancient Hebrew used to be written without vowels. The Hebrew word translated as “he is altogether lovely” (מַחֲמַדִּים) is correctly pronounced as “Muhamad-im” according to the Hebrew/English dictionary by Ben Yehuda. Ben Yehuda (1858-1922) is the author of the first modern Hebrew dictionary and he was a major figure regarding the creation of the Academy of the Hebrew language which still exists today. The ending letter “im” signals a plural of majesty typically applied to a name, just like “Eloh-im” which is the plural of majesty widely used for “God” in the Bible as well as many other names.

Note: “Elohim” most obviously belongs to the same root word as “elah” (god) in Arabic, “Allah” being a contraction of “Al Elah”, The God, demonstrating the fact that He is “The [one and only] God”.

Another example taken from the Bible is Mizraim (plural of majesty), who was the son of Ham and gave his name to Egypt (مِصْر = “Misr” in Arabic) and was the younger brother of Cush and elder brother of Phut and Canaan, whose families together made up the Hamite branch of Noah’s descendants. According to Genesis 10:13-14, Mizraim‘s sons were Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim out of whom came Philistim, and Caphtorim. We have here a very impressive list of names ending with the plural of majesty “im”.

If we now discard the plural of majesty in “Muhamad-im” (by definition a name), we are left with the letters “מחמד” [Mem, Chet (or Het), Mem, Daled]. In other terms, once we transcribe these letters into Arabic, we get “MHMD”, (م ح م د), which are the four letters which compose “Muhammad” (مُحَمَّد). What we are stating here is merely a fact that no one can deny, not even the most ardent opponents of Islam.

It is unmistakable from the context of the verses that the expressions “his head is like gold”, “His appearance is like Lebanon” (an Arab country), “His eyes are like doves” and “His mouth is sweetness itself” refer to a man. The question is who is the man designated through “Muhamad–im”, by definition a name because it ends with the plural of majesty “im”? The answer is self-explanatory and merely a matter of sincerity.

Jews and Christians typically claim that “he is altogether lovely” (מַחֲמַדִּים) should be pronounced “mahamad-im” or “machamad-im” [“Cha” (חֲ) is the equivalent of “Ha” (حَ) in Arabic like in Muhammad] instead of “Muhamad-im” to attempt to deny that Muhammad is indeed mentioned by name in the Song of Songs.

Truth prevails over falsehood regarding the pronunciation “muhamadim” because it is documented by no other than a Jewish rabbi in the recitation of the Song of Songs on mechon-mamre.org, a Jewish website dedicated to Holy scriptures: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt3005.htm

Click on the link “Listen to this chapter in Hebrew” at the top of the page and you will hear at 2 minutes and 31 seconds the word “Muhammadim” (with a double “M” like in “Muhammad”!). This is how the truth manifests itself, despite the fact that many Jews and Christian scholars desperately try to hide it.

I recommend that you watch the following amazing video regarding Song of Song 5:16 and the pronunciation “muhammadim” :  

https://youtu.be/cur_6aYs_7k 

We will also add that “Google Translate” vocalizes the full Hebrew word “מַחֲמַדִּים” translated as “he is altogether lovely” as follows:

In other words, Song of Solomon 5:16 should be read as follows:

“His mouth is sweetness itself; yea, he is Muhammad-im (a name in the plural of majesty “im”) This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.”.

Therefore, and contrary to what Jews and Christians scholars claim, Muhammad is indeed mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible, where he was prophesied by the prophet Solomon.

(2:41) You shall believe in what I have revealed, which confirms [the revelations] in your possession; and do not be the first to disbelieve in it. Do not trade away My revelations for a small price. Me alone you shall fear!

وَلَا تَلْبِسُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ بِٱلْبَٰطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

 (2:42) Do not confound the truth with falsehood, nor shall you conceal the truth while you know.

On a personal note, the Songs of Songs by Solomon has a particularly strong meaning for me because 3 years before I became a Muslim, I had to comment The Song of Solomon including verse 5:16 for my oral exam in French when I graduated from High School. The text was chosen by the teacher conducting the test, and I had strictly no idea at the time that this magnificent piece of literature prophesied Muhammad. I retrospectively see it as a sign from God that, by His infinite Grace, I was destined to become a Muslim and bear witness to the truth of Islam.

Note: Muhammad is mentioned by name in the Quran in 3:144, 33:40, 47:2 and 48:29.

3. The pilgrimage to Mecca is described in Psalm 84

Psalm 84 (New Revised Standard Version)

¹ How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! ² My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. ³ Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. ⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. ⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. ⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. ⁷ They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. ⁸ Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob. ⁹ Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. ¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. ¹¹ For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. ¹² Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Psalm 84 identifies a place of pilgrimage (⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.) which takes place in “the Valley of Baka”.

The name of the temple dedicated to God is called exactly the same in Psalm 84 as in the Quran: “The house” (bêt = house = bayt in Arabic):

Psalm 84:4: ⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house [בֵיתֶ֑ךָ = bê-te-ka = baytika (Arabic) = Your house); theyare ever praising you.

Psalm 84:10: ¹⁰ I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God (אֱלֹהַ֑י בְּבֵ֣ית = be-bêt élohay = in the house of my God) than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Note: Please note the striking similarity in “the house of my God” between Hebrew (אֱלֹהַ֑י בְּבֵ֣ית = be bêt élohay) and Arabic (في بيت الهي = fî bayti elahee).

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِى بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ

(3:96) Verily, the very first HOUSE [bayti] established for mankind is the one located at Baccah.

(3:97) In it are clear signs, the place where Abraham stood (“Maqâmi Ibrahîma”), and whoever enters it will be safe. For the sake of God, it is incumbent upon mankind to perform the pilgrimage to the HOUSE (al bayti, i.e. the Ka’bah) for whoever can undertake the journey to it; and whoever disbelieves, then God is in no need of the universe.

Anyone familiar with the Arabic Quran knows that the word “the house” (الْبَيْت, al bayt) repeatedly refers to the Ka’bah in the Quran (2:125, 2:127, 2:158, 3:96-97, etc…), just like we witnessed in Psalm 84 where the word “house” (בֵ֣ית = bêt) occurs twice (verses 4 and 10) clearly referring to God’s temple.

We also read in Psalm 84:

⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

One of the possible meanings of “Baka” in Hebrew is “dry”. Therefore we can read the verse as “⁶ As they pass through the dry Valley, they make it a place of springs;…”. Several translations render the meaning of “dry valley” such as the Contemporary English Version and Good New Translation. It is an undeniable fact that the valley of Mecca is a dry valley, as mentioned in the Quran itself (see 14:37). The “place of springs” relates to the well of Zamzam located inside the sacred mosque of Mecca. It is very well documented historically that the Holy City has frequently been flooded during the autumn season as a result of its climate and geography.

The following picture shows an autumnal flood at the sacred mosque:

Typical Autumnal flood in Makkah before dams were constructed

Finally, we will mention that “They go from strength to strength ” in Psalm 84:7 is translated completely differently by A. Alem, a comparative religion Muslim scholar (see the French book entitled “Muhammad in the Bible and Jesus in the Quran”, A.Alem, La ruche editions, 2007) which explains that a more correct translation is “They walk from a height to a height”, referring to the pilgrimage ritual known as “sa’ee” (سَعِي) where pilgrims walk back and forth between the knolls (or heights) of “Al Safa” and “Al Marwah” and go around them (2:158).

Such a translation is confirmed for instance by the French translation “Bible de Jérusalem 1973” (Bible of Jerusalem 1973): 8 “Ils marchent de hauteur en hauteur, Dieu leur apparaît dans Sion.” which can be translated as “The walk from a height to a height, God appears to them in Sion.”

I also found the following Christian translation of verse 7 of Psalm 84; the translation is not named but it confirms the meaning translated by A. Alem and the Bible of Jerusalem 1973:

They will climb from height to height,…

(https://www.missionstclare.com/english/psalm/84.html).

Knolls of Al Safa and Al Marwah, located in the proximity of the Holy Ka’bah

Psalm 84 is therefore one of many passages of the Old and New Testament which bears witness to the veracity of Islam. The city of “Baka” or “Bakkah”, which is the old name for Mecca, is thus documented both in the Bible and the Quran as the city and location where the pilgrimage instituted by Abraham by God’s grace takes place.

We will also note that David, to whom God revealed the Psalms, went to the desert of Paran according to the Book of Samuel:

1 Samuel 25:1: Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran.

The desert of Paran is the desert of Arabia and Mecca where Hagar and Ismael were abandoned by Abraham and were saved by the miraculous appearance of a spring (the well of zam-zam, located right next to the Ka’bah) and where Ismael lived afterwards (Genesis 21:19-22); It is therefore not surprising that Psalm 84 describes the pilgrimage to Baca in the light of the fact that the Bible documents David’s trip to the desert of Paran at the death of Samuel. We will get back later to the extreme importance of the desert of Paran in Biblical prophecies related to the advent of Muhammad and the Quran.

4. Isaiah 60 : Mecca, The new Jérusalem

Just like Psalm 84, Isaiah 60 describes a pilgrimage where tribes converge to a city commonly called “the new Jerusalem” by Christians.

Isaiah 60 (Translation: New International Version):

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. 5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.

6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah.

Madian was the son of Abraham, Epha (arab tribe of Epha, one of the sons of Madian, Genesis 25:1-6). The verse unquestionably describes Arab tribes.

Above: Slab with an inscription about the political activities of the kings of Sheba. Ancient South Arabian script appears. From Yemen, 2nd century CE. Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul.

It proves in a definitive manner that the kingdom of Sheba refers to Southern Arabia, which Jews and Christians have often tried to deny to this day because it favors Islamic prophecies in the Bible such as Isaiah 60.

Isaiah 60:6 (continued): …And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

Unquestionably, Sheba refers to modern day Yemen, the south of Arabia. Once again, the prophecy mentions Arabs converging to that city of pilgrimage.

7 All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple.

The above refers to the ritual of sacrifice during the hajj and the temple (בֵ֣ית = Bêt = house, bayt in Arabic) is the Ka’bah, as indicated in the previous section. Kedar was the second son of Ismael, Nebaioth the first (Genesis 25:13). We are dealing once again with Arab tribes.

8 Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests?

Most obviously, most pilgrims who perform the hajj to Mecca take the plane. This verse prophesies in a very poetic manner the aviation era.

9 Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, a bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor. 10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion.

– 9 “Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, a bringing your children from afar”: Muslims from islands all over the world perform the pilgrimage to Mecca (Indonesia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Maldives, Mauritius,  etc..), the verse shows that the pilgrimage is universal. Tarshish (verse 9) is generally identified as the city of Carthage (today’s Tunisia), for instance by Théodoret de Cyr (393-453). Therefore, it refers again most likely to an Arab, Muslim community.

– “10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you.”: Foreign workers have historically built and rebuilt the walls surrounding the ka’bah, and kings have served the holy sanctuary of Mecca.

– “Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion.”: The verse shows that Mecca was forgotten before the advent of the Quran and Muhammad because of the idolatry of the Arabs, before God manifested His compassion [רִֽחַמְתִּֽיךְ׃ = “ri-ham-tik” = “I will show you mercy”: This is the same root as the verb « rahima » (رَّحِمَ) in the Quran = to have mercy].

11 Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations, their kings led in triumphal procession.

– “Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night,”: It is a historical fact that since the time of Muhammad, the gates of the sacred mosque have remained open, day and night, and all year round, for people to pray and glorify God.

– “so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations” shows again that the pilgrimage described is universal.

12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined. 13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the juniper, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place for my feet. 14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will prostrate at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

– Verse 13 mentions again an Arab country (Lebanon) and clearly refers to the “sanctuary” of God (the sacred mosque of Mecca).

– Verse 14 states that “The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will prostrate at your feet”. “Bowing and prostrating” obviously reflects the phases of the Islamic prayer which are literally described in the Holy Quran and in the same order:

(22:26) And we revealed to Abraham the location of the temple: “Do not associate anything beside Me and purify My temple for those who perform the Tawâf (ritual of circling the Ka’bah), and those who stand, bow and prostrate (during the salât).”

“bow down at your feet” in Isaiah 60:14 is an allegory that the pilgrims bow down right before the temple of God, the Ka’bah, as shown in the above picture. Finally, Mecca, the new Jerusalem predicted by Christians in Isaiah 60, represents today “the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel”. The accuracy of the prophecies of Isaiah 60 is no less than stunning.

Copyright. Please, do not copy or reproduce the above picture.

Verse 14 states that “The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will prostrate at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”. Just like millions of Muslims in the world, I happen to be a living proof of the fulfillment of that prophecy because at least part of my family were crusaders who took part in the crusades to conquer Jerusalem and therefore “oppressed” and massacred Muslims.

When the Crusaders, led by French nobleman Godfrey of Bouillon, seized Jerusalem the first time on 15 July 1099, it took them two entire days to massacre 100% of the population and pillage the city, killing about 100,000 people. By the infinite grace of God and His mercy, and despite my family’s past, I submitted to the truth and embraced Islam and bow down and prostrate to Allah facing the Holy Ka’bah five times a day. The above picture is a family emblem of descendants of part of my family who took part in the crusades. The emblem is clearly meant to intimidate, with a crusader wielding a war club over his head and sitting at the top of the Carpathian Mountains. There are three mountains, and three roses on each side, likely to allude to the doctrine of trinity. The background of the mountains is purposely red like blood, in order to spread fear. This is how part of my family chose to define itself, being proud of taking part in the crusades and killing Muslims.

15 Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations.

For many centuries Mecca was forgotten as Arabs had fallen into idol worship. It is now the beacon of faith of the entire world and the greatest pilgrimage on earth. The pilgrimage lasts the last four lunar months according to the Holy Quran and not 5 or 6 days as currently practiced in Sunni and Shia Islam (see the article “the 4 sacred months of hajj”), therefore, the pilgrimage will take an even greater dimension in the future God willing.

16 You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts. Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace (shalom = salaam) your governor and well-being your ruler.

18 No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls “Salvation” and your gates “Praise”.

– These words are some of the words written on the walls surrounding the sacred mosque as well as on the door of Ka’bah.

19 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. 20 Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. 21 Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.

22 The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”

5. The prophecy of Isaiah 29:10-12: The revelation of the Quran to an illiterate prophet

Isaiah 29:10-12:10 For the Lord has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries. 11 All the future events in this vision are like a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, “We can’t read it because it is sealed.” 12 And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”

(29:48) You (O Muhammad) did not recite any Book before this one (the Quran), nor did you transcribe any with your hand. Otherwise, the deceivers would certainly have had ground to harbor doubts.

If you have no knowledge of any book and cannot write, you are by definition illiterate.

(7:157) Those who Follow the messenger, the gentile prophet (Muhammad), whom they find written in their midst in the Torah and Gospel. He commands them righteousness, forbids them that which is evil, allows for them what is pure, and prohibits to them that which is impure, and relieves the burdens and shackles imposed upon them. Therefore, those who believe in him, respect him, support him, and follow the light revealed upon him: Those are the successful ones.

“Al nabiyyu al ummiyu” (ٱلنَّبِىُّ ٱلْأُمِّىُّ) in the above verse signifies “the gentile prophet” and not “illiterate” as claimed in Sunni and Shia Islam if we compare all verses where the word occurs. Nevertheless, it does not contradict the fact that Isaiah 29:12 and verse 29:48 indicate that Muhammad was illiterate at the time God revealed the Quran to him. Moreover, sura 96, first sura revealed, implies that Muhammad became literate once God revealed the Quran into his heart on the night of decree (laylatul Qadr).

ٱقْرَأْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ

(96:1) “Read! in the name of your Lord, who created”.

God could not command to Muhammad to “read” (ٱقْرَا, “Iqrâ”, imperative form) unless Muhammad could obey His command by giving him the ability to read. Either Muhammad became miraculously literate by God’s grace when he received the revelation, or he learned afterwards because we read in 96:4 that God “teaches by means of the pen”. We also note that verse 29:48 specifies that the prophet was illiterate but implies that it was only prior to the revelation of the Quran by saying that he could not read nor write “before that” (مِن قَبْلِهِۦ). Muhammad’s illiteracy at the time of the revelation was a condition sine qua non for the fulfillment of Isaiah 29:12 which describes a divine book being revealed to an illiterate prophet. 

6. Where was the book revealed to an illiterate prophet going to be revealed?

6.1 Arabia, Mount Sela and the city of Medina

The book of Isaiah indicates that the book which was going to be revealed to an unlettered prophet (Isaiah 29:10-12) was going to be given to the people of Kedar:

(Isaiah 42:9-12) 9 “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and the new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. 10 Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth’. 11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voices, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare His praise in the islands.”

The “new song” alluded to in the verse is a new revelation because it is an established tradition for millennia in Judaism, Christianity and Islam to sing God’s verses. The “new song” mentioned in Isaiah 42:9-12 was going to be revealed to “the villages that Kedar doth inhabit” in the “wilderness” (desert) that is to say in Arabia because Kedar was the son of Ismael (Genesis 25:13) and therefore an ancestor of Muhammad. “The inhabitants of Sela” who were going to sing or rejoice refers to the city of Medina. the city where the prophet lived until his death after being evicted from Mecca and where many chapters of the Quran (suras) were revealed. “Sela” is the name of one of the highest mountains in Medina, located today in the district of the seven mosques.

Above: Mount Sela in Medina, Arabia.

In other terms, not only does the book of Isaiah teach us that a new divine revelation was going to be revealed to an illiterate prophet (Isaiah 29:10-12), it also mentions the mountain of Sela located in Medina as well as the people of Kedar (the Arabs) to whom the new song was going to be sent!

Isaiah 42:12 (Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare His praise in the islands.”) sends the same message as Isaiah 60:9 which we studied earlier and indicates that Islam was going to reach islands all over the world.

6.2 Mount Paran and the city of Mecca

Some may wonder why the mountain of Sela in the city of Medina would be mentioned in the Bible and not a prominent mountain referring to Mecca since it is the holy city of Islam. First of all, both Mecca and Medina are mentioned by name in the Quran [Mecca in 48:24 and Medina (Yathrib) in 33:13] which makes complete sense because they are the two cities where the revelation took place. In addition, it turns out that the Bible does mention a very important mount to refer to the city of Mecca which we saw is mentioned in the Bible under its ancient name “Baka” in Psalm 84 which we saw also occurs in 3:96.

(Deuteronomy 33:2) And he said, “The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the ten thousand of saints; from His right hand went a fiery law for them.”

Above a picture of the real Mount Sinai, located in Arabia and not in Egypt, as proven by the archeological discoveries of Ron Wyatt who identified it as Jabal Al Lawz (the Almond Mountain) in the Midian mountains.

Mount Sinai obviously refers to the revelation of the Torah to Moses. Mount Seir is “the Mount of Esau” and refers allegorically to the revelation of the Gospel to Jesus; Mount Paran is “the Mount of Ismael” in the Hijaz region and more precisely in Mecca [where it was called “Tal Faran”, located on the outskirts of Mecca according to Wahb Ibn Munabbih (654-637 approximately), a Muslim traditionist]; Mount Paran therefore refers to the revelation of the Holy Quran to Muhammad.

Furthermore, we read in Deuteronomy 33:2 that God “shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones”. We quoted earlier Song of Songs 5:10 which refers to the very same prophecy of 10,000 men [“My beloved (i.e. Muhammad) is white and ruddy, chief among ten thousand.”) in a prophetic passage which mentions Muhammad by name (Song of Songs 5:16). As said in section 2, it is a well-documented historical fact that Muhammad conquered Mecca leading an army of 10,000 men.

Finally, Deuteronomy 33:2 indicates that “from His right hand went a fiery law for them.”: The Quran decreed a comprehensive new law, for instance regarding marriage, divorce, prohibitions, inheritance, theft, etc…

Hagar was left by Abraham in Mecca, in the desert of Paran:

Genesis 21:10-21 describes the episode when Hagar, Abraham’s second wife was abandoned in the desert of Paran and was saved by the appearance of a spring (i.e. the well of zam-zam right next to the Ka’bah in the city of Mecca):

Genesis 21:19-22: Then God opened her [Hagar’s] eyes and she saw a well of water. So, she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

In 1989, Professor Haseeb Shahada, an Arab Christian, wrote in his translation of the Samaritan Torah that the desert of Paran refers to the desert of Western Arabia, known today as the Hijaz (Shehada Haseeb, translation of the Samaritan Torah, 1989, page 90). The desert of Paran is also interpreted as the Hijaz desert in an old Samaritan translation of the Samaritan Pentateuch (Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, essays on the life of Muhammad, 1870, page 75). When it was translated in 1851, it included a footnote saying that Paran or Faran refers to the desert and mountains near Mecca.

Finally, we see in the book of Samuel that at the death of the prophet Samuel, David moved down to the desert of Paran and it is very possible that it is the time and place where Psalm 84 was revealed and which describes the pilgrimage to Baca (the ancient name for Mecca) in great detail as explained in section 3:

1 Samuel 25:1: Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran.

We will also point out that Kadesh, located in the desert of Paran according to Numbers 13:26, is identified as the city of Mecca by Jewish historian Immanuel Velikovsky who famously said “I identify it (i.e. Kadesh) with Mecca”.

Numbers 13:26: And they went and came to Moses and to Aaron and to all the congregation of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh, and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.

In addition, one of the most famous rabbi in the history of Judaism, namely Abraham Ibn Ezra (1089/1092-1164/1167) said that the miraculous spring in the desert of Paran that saved Hagar and Ismael (Genesis 21:19-22 quoted earlier) is located in Kadesh “where the Arabs hold an annual festival. This is Zemzem near Mecca.”. Zemzem is of course the famous Zam-zam well located right by the Ka’bah in Mecca.

All this to reaffirm and conclude that Deuteronomy 33:2, which mentions Mount Paran most definitely prophesizes the conquest of Mecca by Muhammad and his army of 10.000 men:

Deuteronomy 33:2: He said, “The Lord came from Sinai (revelation of the Torah to Moses) and dawned on them from Seir (revelation of the Gospel to Jesus); He shone forth from Mount Paran (revelation of the Quran to Muhammad), and He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; at His right hand there was flashing lightning for them.”

In other terms, the Bible allegorically prophesied with a miraculous accuracy that the revelation of the Quran would take place both in Mecca (Mount Paran) and Medina (Mount Sela).

7. Did Jesus prophesy the advent of Muhammad?

In this section, we are going to study verses related to the crucial prophecy of the paraclete.

We will start by pointing out that at the time of Jesus, Jews were expecting three different messengers, which is why they asked John (Yahya) the following questions, reported in the gospel of John:

(John 1:19-27): 19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[c] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”[Isaiah 40:3] 24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 “I baptize with[e] water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know (i.e. Jesus, the Messiah who was already with them). 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

The above verses prove that Jews were waiting for three prophetic figures at the time of Jesus. According to the words of the gospel, John, a legitimate prophet according to Christianity and Islam, was not “not the Messiah (Jesus), nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”. The prophecy of Elijah stems from Malachi 4:5-6 which predicts the return of Elijah before the end of the world. To this day, many Jews still believe in the second coming of Elijah, who would herald the coming of the Messiah. While the second coming of Elijah shall be categorized as a false prophecy, demonstrated by the fact that the Messiah (Jesus) has already accomplished his mission over 2000 years ago, the Biblical prophecies alluded by the Jews in John 1:19-27 announcing “the Messiah” and “the prophet” are based on authentic divine revelations of the Old Testament, some of which we have explained in this study (Deuteronomy 18:19-19, Songs of Songs 5:16, Isaiah 29:12, etc…).

Note: The Jews sent to John refer last to a prophetic figure whom they call “the prophet” (“Are you the Prophet?”, “…if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”): It is absolutely amazing because it is exactly how Muhammad is acknowledged in the collective unconscious throughout the world today, included by Jews, Christians and even atheists. Muhammad is so universally known as being “the prophet” that it is not even necessary to mention his name because everyone already knows who it refers to.

Since John declared that he was neither Jesus (the Messiah), nor Elijah, nor the prophet, then, who is “the prophet” distinct from John and the Messiah? Could it possibly be…. Muhammad, universally known today as “the prophet”?

Let us now study the prophecy that Jesus made regarding the advent of the paraclete:

In the First Epistle of John, Chapter 2, Verse 1, Jesus Christ is called a “Paraclete” (in Greek, Parakletos signifies Advocate, Comforter or Helper):

1 John 2:1: My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate (paraclete) who pleads our case before the father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.

Jesus uses the very same term “Paraclete” in the Gospel of John prophesying the coming of “another Paraclete”:

(John 14:16) “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another helper (literally: “another Paraclete”), that he may be with you to the age.”

Translation: Berean Literal Bible, the parenthesis is mine.

Note: “meth hymon aiona”, which are the three words that end John 14:16, are almost always translated by Christians as “with you forever” because it suits their interpretation of the paraclete being the holy spirit who will be staying with people forever after Jesus’ departure. However, “aiona” means “an age”, “a span of time”. “a period of time” and not necessarily “forever”. The Strong Biblical dictionary translates “aiona” as follows:

“from the same as aei; properly, an age; by extension, perpetuity, by implication, the world, specially a messianic period.”

Therefore, the Greek expression “meth hymon aiona”, used by John signifies, if we do not extrapolate the meaning, “in the age”, that is to say “in a period of time” or “in the future”, and not “forever”. We can therefore translate John 14:16 as follows:

(John 14:16) And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Paraclete, that he may be with you in a period of time (or “in the future”).

The above verse demonstrates that Jesus prophesied the advent of another paraclete (or messenger) like himself who was to be sent in the future. The concept of another paraclete being a human prophet or messenger in early Christianity was later confused with the “Holy Spirit” with the appearance of the doctrine of the trinity. We read the following in the Anchor Bible Volume 29A:

“The word parakletos is peculiar in the NT to the Johnannine literature. In 1 John 2:1 Jesus is a parakletos (not a title), serving as a heavenly intercessor with the Father. …Christian tradition has identified this figure (Paraclete) as the Holy Spirit, but scholars like Spitta, Delafosse, Windisch, Sasse, Butlmann and Betz have doubted whether this identification is true to the original picture and have suggested that the Paraclete was once an independent salvific figure, later confused with the Holy Spirit.” (Anchor Bible Volume 29A, page 1135).

(John 14:26) “But the Paraclete, the Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

Notes:

1. In the Codex Sinaiticus (4^th century, approximately 325 CE), the oldest almost complete Syriac manuscript of the Gospels to date, the text of John 14:26 reads; “Paraclete, the Spirit”; and not “Paraclete, the Holy Spirit” like in more recent codices, which constitutes a fundamental difference. “The Spirit” in John 14:26 refers to “the Spirit of Truth” in 15:26 and in John 16:13 (possibly the most important verse related to the identity of the paraclete), which we will quote in a moment. Christian translations conveniently ignore the Codex Sinaiticus to translate John 14:26 (despite the fact that it is the oldest codex in the world) simply because “Paraclete, the Spirit” does not suit the Christian trinitarian interpretation of the verse, and because it effectively prevents readers from understanding that the paraclete is in fact a human being (a spirit), in this case Muhammad, and not “the Holy Spirit”.

2. The word “spirit” (in Greek “pneu’ma”) is of neutral gender and is typically associated with the pronoun “it” in the gospels, whereas it is the pronoun “he” that is used to refer to the Paraclete because it refers to a human being.

The paraclete, i.e. Muhammad, was blessed with the revelation of the Quran which “teaches all things”. The Quran deals with all aspects of the life of a human being by teaching a way of life based on faith and purity, as well as laws, justice, the history of messengers and prophets, prophecies, etc… As indicated in the above verse, the Quran frequently brings Jesus to our “remembrance” by recounting the miracles that he performed and the message that he preached; it also reestablishes the truth that he was not the son of God (5:116) but only a human being like all other messengers in the history of humankind.

(John 15:26) “But when the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, he shall give testimony of me.”

We note here again that the Paraclete is called the “Spirit of Truth” and not the “Holy Spirit”. These are two separate expressions designating two independent entities. The first one agrees in the third person masculine (he) because it refers to a human being, whereas the second one takes the neutral pronoun “it” in the gospels. In 1 John 4:6, the same expression “the spirit of truth”, as well as “the spirit of error” are also used to designate human beings and not the holy spirit.

Furthermore, according to John 15:26, the spirit of truth was going to testify about Jesus. It is another major fulfilment that Muhammad is the paraclete because Jesus is mentioned by name no less than 25 times in the Quran and is called 23 times “son of Mary”. Examples:

(3:59) Indeed, the example of Jesus, as far as God is concerned, is similar as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was.

Note: The examples of Adam and Jesus are said to be similar and it is astonishing that Both of them are mentioned by name 25 times in the Quran. Jesus did not have a father, but we have to bear in mind that Adam did not have a father nor mother: This shows the fallacy of the Christian claim that Jesus not having a human father elects him as being “the son of the father” or “son of God”. On the contrary, the Quran sets the record straight by calling Jesus 23 times “Ibnu Maryam” (ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ, “the son of Mary”) and condemns the doctrine of trinity in the strongest words:

(4:171) O people of the book, do not transgress your religion, and do not say about God except the truth: The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was a messenger of God, and His word which he conveyed to Mary, as well as a spirit from Him. Therefore, you shall believe in God and His messengers. Do not say “Trinity.” Desist! It is better for you. God is only one god. It is inconceivable that he may have a son! To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. God is self-sufficient as a guardian.

The Quran also “testifies” about the profound miracles that Jesus performed by god’s grace such as restoring the vision to the blind, healing lepers, and reviving the dead (3:49). In addition to being the “Messiah”, Jesus also declared that he was a prophet (Luke 4:24). We already pointed out that Jesus was a paraclete (1 Jean 2:1). In other terms, the prophecy of “another Paraclete” (John 14:16) is similar to the coming of another prophet.

Most importantly, the Christian claim that “the paraclete” is the Holy Spirit is literally nullified by the following verse:

(John 16:7) “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Paraclete shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

The fulfillment of the prophecy of the Paraclete was subject to the departure of Jesus. Christians typically claim that “another paraclete” (John 14:16) to be sent after him is the “Holy Spirit”, but it is impossible because Jesus was assisted at all times by the Holy Spirit according to the Bible (for instance Luke 4:1) and even the Quran (2:87):

(Luke 4:1)Jesus, full of the holy spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the spirit into the wilderness for forty days…

According to Matthew 3:16, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove when he got baptized by John the Baptist. How could he have meant in John 16:7 “for if I do not go away, the Holy Spirit (“the Paraclete” in the text) shall not come to you” since the Holy Spirit was already present with him? It does not make any sense. Furthermore, the Holy spirit has been present on earth since its Creation and was hovering upon the surface of the earth (Genesis 1:2). It also manifested itself to the prophets of the Old Testament (1 Samuel 10:6-10, Psalm 51:10-12, Isaiah 63:11). Clearly, the paraclete cannot the holy spirit, and he is simply another prophet.

John 16:7 refers to the same episode described in 61:6 where Jesus prophesies that a messenger was going to come after him:

(61:6) Recall that Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O Children of Israel, I am God’s messenger to you, confirming the Torah and bringing good news of a messenger to come after me whose name will be illustrious (Ahmad).” Then, when he showed them the clear proofs, they said, “This is profound magic.”

“Ahmad” is not a name, but an adjective which indicates that Muhammad was going to be “illustrious” in the world, and not “most praised” as often translated by Sunnis, because God alone shall be Praised. “Ahmad” shares the same root as “Muhammad” which is most definitely intended, but the prophet has only one name. In the light of the Quran, the word “paraclete” (comforter, advocate) refers in my view to the word “messenger” (rasul, which is one other possible meaning for “paraclete”) and not “Ahmad” as claimed by David Benjamin Keldani who said that the original word in the gospel of John was “periklytos”, a possible rendering for “Ahmad”, and not Parakletos as consistently found in pre-Islamic gospel manuscripts. Jesus foretold a “messenger” (rasul) to come after him in 61:6 while “Ahmad” is simply an adjective indicating that the seal of the prophets was going to be “illustrious”. Jesus announced “another paraclete” (John 14:16) and said that “if I do not go away, the Paraclete shall not come to you” (John 16:7): The word “paraclete” is a synonym of “messenger” and not “illustrious” (Ahmad).

Finally, John 16:13 is possibly the greatest proof that “the paraclete”, “the spirit of truth” according to John 15:26, indeed refers to Muhammad:

(John 16:13) But when he, the Spirit of truth (“the paraclete” according to 15:26) comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

“He will not speak of his own” means exactly the same thing as what we read in Deuteronomy 18:18: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto you (O Moses), and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shallcommand him.”

This obvious parallel between “the prophet like Moses” foretold in Deuteronomy 18:18 and “the spirit of truth” in John 16:13 demonstrates once again that “the spirit of truth” (in the context, the paraclete) announced in John 16:13 is not the holy spirit as claimed by Christians, but a “prophet” or “paraclete” (messenger) to be sent after Jesus.

Moreover, “He will tell you what is yet to come” in John 16:13 refers to the many prophecies that we find in the Quran.

Conclusion:

It is often very difficult for us humans to accept the truth if it contradicts our core beliefs, especially if it conflicts with the religion of our parents or society we are part of. It takes a lot of sincerity and character to accept the truth whenever it is presented to us.

The Quran teaches us that the message of Holy Scriptures shall never be concealed:

(2:41) You shall believe in what I have revealed, which confirms what you have; and do not be the first to disbelieve in it. Do not trade away My revelations for a small price. Me alone you shall fear! (2:42) Do not confound the truth with falsehood, nor shall you conceal the truth while you know.

We witnessed the following biblical prophecies regarding the advent of Muhammad, the Quran and the practice of the hajj to Mecca:

– 1. Deuteronomy 18:18-19 foretells the advent of a prophet like Moses:

Deuteronomy 18:18-19: 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, one like you (O Moses), and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.

– ““a Prophet from among their brethren”: The brethren of the Israelites are the Arabs because Isaac was the brother of Ismael, first born of Abraham.

– “a Prophet… one like you (O Moses)”: Moses is a prophet like Muhammad because God “put His words (a divine revelation) in his mouth”: 333 times in the Quran, God commands to the prophet to recite key sentences by saying “say”. In addition, and unlike Jesus, Muhammad received a new divine law (the Quran) just like Moses with the Torah.

– “my words that the prophet speaks in my name.”: Furthermore, Muhammad spoke “in the name of God” because the Quran as well as 113 suras start with the words “In the name of God” (بِسْمِ ٱللَّه, Bismillah). 

– 2. Muhammad is mentioned by name as “Muhammadim” (a plural of majesty) in the Song of Songs 5:16, by Solomon. Furthermore, Song of Songs 5:10 says that “My beloved is white and ruddy, chief among ten thousand.” This prophecy announces Muhammad’s peaceful conquest of Mecca when he led an army of ten thousand men, fact documented historically.

– 3. The pilgrimage to Mecca is described in Psalm 84

^“4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. ⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.”: Clearly, Psalm 84 describes a pilgrimage to the House (temple) of God. “The house” (الْبَيْت, al bayt) repeatedly refers to the Ka’bah in the Quran (2:125, 2:127, 2:158, 3:96-97, etc…) just like in Psalm 84 where the word “house” occurs twice (verses 4 and 10) clearly referring to God’s temple.

– “⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs”: The pilgrimage takes place in “the valley of Baka”, which is the ancient name for “Mecca” as acknowledged in 3:96 (Bacca). “A place of springs” makes immediately think of the well of Zam-zam, located right by the Ka’bah.

– “the autumn rains also cover it with pools.”: Psalm 84:6 mentions the autumnal floods which were very typical in Mecca sometimes even at the sacred Mosque before dams were built a few decades ago.

– “The walk from a height to a height,”: Psalm 84:7 is translated correctly as “They walk from a height to a height” (translation acknowledged in the “Bible de Jerusalem 1973”), referring to the pilgrimage ritual known as “sa’ee” (سَعِي) where pilgrims walk back and forth between the knolls (or heights) of “Al Safa” and “Al Marwah” and go around them (2:158).

– 4. Isaiah 60 also describes in great detail the pilgrimage to Mecca, the new Jerusalem.

– The chapter mentions almost exclusively Arab tribes, which is an unmistakable sign that the pilgrimage described takes place in Arabia. Examples:

– Isaiah 60:6: Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord: Madian was the son of Abraham (Genesis 25:1-6l), Epha (arab tribe of’Epha, one of the sons of Madian). Sheba is modern day Yemen.

– Isaiah 60:7 All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple: This describes the sacrifice during the hajj and the “temple” of God, “Bêt” in the text in Hebrew (house), equivalent of “bayt” in Arabic, which is the same term used in the Quran and Psalm 84 and refers to the Ka’bah located at the sacred mosque in Mecca. Kedar was the second son of Ismael, Nebaioth the first (Genesis 25:13). We are again dealing with Arab tribes.

– Isaiah 60:8 Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests?: Most obviously, most pilgrims who travel to perform the hajj fly to Arabia. This verse prophesies very poetically the aviation era.

– Isaiah 60:11 Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations, their kings led in triumphal procession: It is a historical fact that since the time of Muhammad, the gates of the sacred mosque have remained open, day and night, and all year round, for people to pray and glorify God.

– Isaiah 60:14: The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will prostrate at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel: “Bowing and prostrating” obviously reflects the phases of the Islamic prayer which are literally described in the Holy Quran and in the same order as evidenced for instance in 22:26.

– Isaiah 60:15 Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations: For many centuries Mecca was forgotten as Arabs had fallen into idol worship. It is now the beacon of faith in the entire world towards which a large portion of the human race performs five daily prayers and reunites for the hajj.

– 5. Isaiah 29:10-12 describes the revelation of the Quran to an illiterate prophet:

Isaiah 29:10-12:10 For the Lord has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries. 11 All the future events in this vision are like a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, “We can’t read it because it is sealed.” 12 And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”

(29:48) You (O Muhammad) did not recite any Book before this one (the Quran), nor did you transcribe any with your hand. Otherwise, the deceivers would certainly have had ground to harbor doubts.

We see in the above verse that Muhammad was illiterate at the time he was blessed with the revelation of the Quran. It was a condition sine qua non to be able to fulfill the great prophecy of Isaiah 29:12 which describes a divine book being revealed to an illiterate prophet. 

– 6. The book revealed to an illiterate prophet represents “a new song” which was going to be revealed in the land of Kedar to the inhabitants of Sela, a mountain located in Medina:

(Isaiah 42:9-12) 9 “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and the new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. 10 Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth’. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voices, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare His praise in the inlands.”

– The “new song” alluded to in the verse is a new revelation because it is an established tradition for millennia in Judaism, Christianity and Islam to sing God’s verses. “The villages that Kedar doth inhabit” are located in the desert of Arabia because Kedar was the son of Ismael and it is where he lived (Genesis 25:13). Sela is the name of the famous mountain located in Medina, the city of the prophet, where many suras were revealed.

– The second city where the Quran was going to be revealed is obviously the holy city of Mecca:

(Deuteronomy 33:2) And he said, “The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the ten thousand of saints; from His right hand went a fiery law for them.”

– Mount Sinai obviously refers to the revelation of the Torah to Moses. Mount Seir is “the Mount of Esau” and refers allegorically to the revelation of the Gospel to Jesus; Mount Paran (Faran in Hebrew) is “the Mount of Ismael” in the Hijaz region and more precisely in Mecca (where it was called “Tal Faran”), located on the outskirts of Mecca, where the Quran was revealed to the prophet and contains the new “fiery law”.

– Deuteronomy 33:2 states that God “shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones”. Song of Songs 5:10 alludes to the very same prophecy of 10,000 men [“My beloved (i.e. Muhammad) is white and ruddy, chief among ten thousand.”) in a prophetic passage which mentions Muhammad by name (Song of Songs 5:16). It is a historical fact that Muhammad conquered Mecca leading an army of 10,000 men.

– Genesis 21:10-21 describes the episode when Hagar, Abraham’s second wife was abandoned in the desert of Paran and was saved by the miraculous appearance of a spring (i.e. the well of Zam-zam, right next to the Ka’bah).

– In the book of Samuel, David moved down to the desert of Paran at the death of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 25:1), and it is very possible that it is the time and place where Psalm 84 was revealed to him, and which describes the pilgrimage to Baca (the ancient name for Mecca) in great detail.

– Kadesh, located in the desert of Paran (Numbers 13:26), is identified as the city of Mecca by Jewish historian Immanuel Velikovsky and the rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra (1089/1092-1164/1167), considered one of the greatest exegete in the history of Judaism.

– 7. Jesus prophesied the advent of Muhammad calling him “the paraclete”:

(John 14:16) “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you into the age (to come).”

– 1 John 2:1 indicates that Jesus was a paraclete. The above verse demonstrates that Jesus prophesied the advent of another paraclete (messenger) like himself in the future.

(John 15:26) “But when the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, he shall give testimony of me.”:

– Jesus is mentioned by name 25 times in the Quran. Therefore, Muhammad gave extensive testimony of Jesus and restored the truth that he is not the son of God (4:171): “The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was a messenger of God, and His word which he conveyed to Mary, as well as a spirit from Him. Therefore, you shall believe in God and His messengers. Do not say “Trinity.” Desist! It is better for you. God is only one god.”.

– The Christian claim that “the paraclete” is the Holy Spirit is literally nullified by the following verse:

(John 16:7) “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Paraclete shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

– The fulfillment of the prophecy of the Paraclete was subject to the departure of Jesus.

– Christians typically claim that the “other paraclete” (John 14:16) that was going to be sent after him is the “Holy Spirit”, but it cannot be the case because Jesus was assisted at all times by the Holy Spirit according to the Bible (for instance Luke 4:1 and Matthew 3:16) and even the Quran (2:87).

– John 16:7 refers to the same episode described in 61:6 where Jesus prophesies that a messenger was going to come after him:

(61:6) Recall that Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O Children of Israel, I am God’s messenger to you, confirming the Torah and bringing good news of a messenger to come after me whose name will be illustrious (Ahmad).” Then, when he showed them the clear proofs, they said, “This is profound magic.”

– In the light of the Quran, the word “paraclete” (comforter, advocate) refers to the word “messenger” (رَسُول = rasul, which is one of the possible definitions for “paraclete”) and not “Ahmad” as often claimed by Muslim theologians which simply indicates that Muhammad was going to be “illustrious”.

– Finally, John 16:13 is possibly the most profound proof that “the paraclete”, “the spirit of truth” according to John 15:26, indeed refers to Muhammad:

(John 16:13) But when he, the Spirit of truth (“the paraclete” according to 15:26) comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

– “He will not speak of his own” mirrors what we read in Deuteronomy 18:18: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto you (O Moses), and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shallcommand him.”.

– Moreover, “He will tell you what is yet to come” in John 16:13 refers to the many prophecies that we find in the Quran.

– The obvious parallel between the prophet foretold in Deuteronomy 18:18 and John 16:13 demonstrates once again that “the spirit of truth” (“the paraclete”) announced in John 16:13 is definitely not the holy spirit as claimed by Christians because Jesus was full of the Holy spirit when he made the prophecy of the paraclete (Luc 4:1, etc…), but a “prophet” or “paraclete” (messenger) to be sent after Jesus, whom we saw in Deuteronomy 18:19 was going to speak “in the name of God” (بِسْمِ ٱللَّه, Bismillah). 

I pray that Jews, Christians and any sincere person will open their heart and realize that the message of the Bible and the Quran are one and the same and originate from God, our Almighty Creator. I pray God that they will consider embracing Islam based on the Quran alone, which is the only pure form of Islam and has strictly nothing to do with all the deviance we are witnessing in Sunni and Shia Islam due to following baseless hadiths and Sunna (stone to death the adulterer, kill the apostate, kill those who refuse to pray, cut the hand of the thief, being allowed to beat your wife, etc…), which are the exact opposite of the message of peace and mercy of the Holy Quran, as extensively proven on this website.

(6:20) Those to whom we gave the scripture recognize it (The Quran) as they recognize their children. The ones who lose their souls are those who do not believe.

The Quran forbids to coerce people to embrace Islam (2:256: There shall be no compulsion in religion). It is purely a personal choice, and anyone deserves respect regardless of his decision.

We invite the reader to use this study in interreligious debates. We believe that Printing the article or the conclusion will provide you a list of compelling arguments.

(41:53) We will show them our proofs in the horizons, and within themselves, until they realize that this is the truth. Is your Lord not sufficient as a witness of all things?

Article published on 01/26/2022