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Have you ever wondered why Muslims have tried to find Muhammad
mentioned in the scriptures? The answer is because the Quran says he is.
Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom
they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who
enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and
makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil
and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon
them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him
and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who
will be the successful.
- Surah 7:157
And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, "O children of
Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what
came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a
messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad." But when he
came to them with clear evidences, they said, "This is obvious
magic."
- Surah 61:6
So you can see from these two verses that the Quran claims that we
will find Muhammad mentioned in the Torah (The first five books written by
Moses) and the Gospels (John, Mark, Luke, and Matthew). But since this is
claimed to be fact according to their book, if he isnt, then Islam is false.
One of Islams most famous preachers and apologists is Zakir Naik.
He is the President of the Islamic Research Foundation and runs the
Peace TV channel. He has several videos making cases for Islam and
against other viewpoints (Christianity and Atheism in particular). One of his
biggest videos is his lecture on Muhammad being foretold of in the
Christian scriptures. While he gives multiple examples, well be focusing on
one passage in particular.
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,
that he may abide with you for ever.
- John 14:16
This is one example of Biblical prophecy of Muhammad in the New
Testament that Dr. Naik gives us to examine. So lets take a look at what he
has to say.
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go
away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I
depart, I will send him unto you". "Ahmed" or "Muhammad" meaning "the
one who praises" or "the praised one" is almost the translation of the Greek
word Periclytos. In the Gospel of John 14:16, 15:26, and 16:7. The word
'Comforter' is used in the English translation for the Greek word Paracletos
which means advocate or a kind friend rather than a comforter. Paracletos
is the warped reading for Periclytos. Jesus (pbuh) actually prophesied
Ahmed by name. Even the Greek word Paraclete refers to the Prophet
(pbuh) who is a mercy for all creatures. Some Christians say that the
Comforter mentioned in these prophecies refers to the Holy Spirit. They fail
to realise that the prophecy clearly says that only if Jesus (pbuh) departs
will the Comforter come. The Bible states that the Holy Spirit was already
present on earth before and during the time of Jesus (pbuh), in the womb
of Elizabeth, and again when Jesus (pbuh) was being baptised, etc. Hence
this prophecy refers to none other than Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
- Zakir Naiks article on Islam101 website
His first argument is that the phrase pariklytos (its not spelled
Periclytos) is the phrase used in the original Greek text rather than
Paracletos. While he is correct that Paracletos is not the original greek
phrase, hes only half right. The greek phrase used in John 14:16 is
paracleton (). Paracleton is a form of the greek root paracletos
according to Strongs Greek Concordance and Thayers Greek Lexicon on
the Paracletos () root word. There is no linguistic or contextual
reason to believe that pariklytos is the original root word used by John in
his Gospel to describe the comforter.
What about his response to the idea that its the Holy Spirit? He
argues that comforter will only come if Jesus leaves and departs from
them, but the holy spirit was already there. So therefore it cannot be
Muhammad.
While he is correct that the Holy Spirit did already come into the world
before this chapter, hes misunderstanding the point of what Jesus is
saying. Hes talking to the world as a whole, he is talking to the Disciples.
So hes not saying that he will send the Comforter to the WHOLE WORLD,
hes saying he will send the Comforter to the disciples. Thus his objection
holds no water and does nothing to prove that the comforter is Muhammad.
Plus even if we accept that the Holy Spirit isnt the comforter, theres still a
problem that Dr. Naik cannot fix. John 14:16 says the the comforter will
dwell with the disciples forever. The greek word for forever is aiona
() which is a form of the greek root word aionios ( ). Aiona can
mean for eternity or for the age according to Thayers Lexicon. The context
of John 14:16 when you read from verse 1 to 18, its in reference to the
Disciples. So in this context, aiona is referring to the age of the disciples.
Did Muhammad exist during the time of the Disciples? No. Therefore even
if the Comforter is not the Holy Spirit, Muhammad is not still able to meet
the criteria necessary to be the comforter. Therefore Muhammad is not the
Comforter.
1. The Bible clearly states the the comforter is the Holy Spirit in John 14:26.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he
will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said
to you. The Bible couldnt be more clear on who the Comforter is.
2. The Bible gives the Comforter divine attributes that only God has.
- The Comforter has the ability convict the world of Sin. And when he
comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and
judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. John 16:8-9
- The Comforter proceeds from The Father But when the Helper comes,
whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds
from the Father, he will bear witness about me. John 15:26. Did
Muhammad proceed from the Father? I think not.
- The Comforter bear witness of Jesus as John 15:26 stated for the previous
point. This point requires more emphasis, so this will be discussed later.
- The Comforter is immaterial. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world
cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him,
for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:17. Muhammad was not
immaterial and never claimed to be able to do such things.
- The Comforter is omnipresent. John 14:17 in the previous point makes it
clear that he will be with ALL the disciples at once. But in order for him to
be able to do that, he must be able to be in more than one place at once.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is omnipresent. Muhammad is not omnipresent.
These are divine attributes that ONLY God has. So if a Naik wants to
maintain that this is Muhammad, he must affirm that Muhammad is God.
But if Naik does that, he has just preached a heretical teaching to Islam. So
Naik has a dilemma here; If he admits that Muhammad is not God, then he
cant be the comforter. But if he admits Muhammad is God, he fulfills Surah
7:157 and 61:6, but he is now an infidel to Islamic doctrines. No matter
what he does, he cannot escape this problem.
The Quran says that Jesus was only a messenger of Allah, he was
not the Son of God nor was he God in the Flesh.
But what does the Bible say? The Bible teaches very clearly that
Jesus is God in the Flesh. For example, Matthew 4:1-7
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was
hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God,
command these stones to become loaves of bread. But he answered, It is
written,Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God. Then the devil took him to the holy city and set
him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, If you are the Son of
God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He will command his angels
concerning you, and On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike
your foot against a stone. Jesus said to him, Again it is written, You shall
not put the Lord your God to the test.
- Matthew 3:16-17
The Father himself says that Jesus is his Son, therefore even God
himself says the Muhammad does not accurately testify of Jesus. So with
these two facts being the case, Muhammad cannot be the comforter sent to
the disciples.
Now one last objection that I am mostly going to hear from Zakir Naik
is that the Injil (Gospel) has been corrupted and is not the same Bible it
was before. However the first question I would have to ask Dr. Naik is,
Where is your manuscript evidence of such alterations? This objection
only works if he can present manuscript evidence that these passages
have been corrupted. So until he does so, this objection holds no water and
remains an argument that has an unjustified assumption.
In conclusion: