Is Mohammed Predicted in the Bible?

Introduction

The Quran says that Mohammed is mentioned in the Scriptures that the Jews and the Christians had at the time of Mohammed. (c. 570-632 AD). The Quran mentions the Torah (Tawrat), Psalms (Zabur), and the Gospel (Injil). The term "Injil" is derived from the Greek word (before this Arabic abbreviation) "euangelion," meaning "gospel".

It also references stories and characters from the Bible, such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. The Quran also attempts to override the Jewish worship of Yahweh and replace it with Allah. The Quran seeks to establish its authority by referencing stories and characters, yet provides very little detail and alters much from the original sources that predate it by 600 to 2500 years.

1. Internal to the Quran

The Quran itself contains verses that mention Mohammed as a prophet prophesied in the Torah and the Gospel. This cannot be easily dismissed by Muslims. If Mohammed is clearly predicted as a prophet to come after Jesus, then they should acknowledge it. However, if Mohammed is not clearly predicted in the Torah and Gospel then the Quran is false and Mohammed is a false prophet.

Surah 3:81 - “God received the covenant of the prophets, “Inasmuch as I have given you of scripture and wisdom; should a messenger come to you verifying what you have, you shall believe in him, and support him.” He said, “Do you affirm My covenant and take it upon yourselves?” They said, “We affirm it.” He said, “Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.” Surah 7:157 - “Those who follow the Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel in their possession. He directs them to righteousness, and deters them from evil, and allows for them all good things, and prohibits for them wickedness, and unloads the burdens and the shackles that are upon them. Those who believe in him, and respect him, and support him, and follow the light that came down with him—these are the successful.” Surah 48:29 - “Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Those with him are stern against the disbelievers, yet compassionate amongst themselves. You see them kneeling, prostrating, seeking blessings from God and approval. Their marks are on their faces from the effects of prostration. Such is their description in the Torah, and their description in the Gospel: like a plant that sprouts, becomes strong, grows thick, and rests on its stem, impressing the farmers. Through them He enrages the disbelievers. God has promised those among them who believe and do good deeds forgiveness and a great reward.” Surah 61:6 - “And when Jesus son of Mary said, “O Children of Israel, I am God’s Messenger to you, confirming what preceded me of the Torah, and announcing good news of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad.” But when he showed them the miracles, they said, “This is obvious sorcery.”

We know that Mohammed was illiterate, so how did he know that he was mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel? He must have been told by someone that he was in it or did he purposely lie? In Surah 9:61, his opponents give him the nickname of “The Ear” as he believes everything he hears. Did someone tell Mohammed he was in the Torah and Gospel? There would have been limited access to the Torah and the Gospel where he was living. He would later accuse Christians of hiding where he is mentioned. When the Jews and Christians come across Islam, they immediately recognise that not only is Mohammed NOT mentioned in their books, but that this new religion is actually a corruption of their books.

If Mohammed cannot be found in the Torah and the Gospel then he perfectly fits the bill of a false prophet. What he has said prophetically is false according to the Torah. If he is not following the gospel of Jesus, then he is a false prophet according to the Gospel.

Modern-day Muslims will often try to avoid this by saying that the Torah and Gospel have been corrupted or lost. This brings them face-to-face with the Islamic Dilemma.

2. Looking for Mohammed in the Torah

There is no direct mention in the Torah about a prophet called Muhammad coming to Arabia. The Jews were expecting a Messiah to come from the lineage of David. Some Muslim apologists (Dawah) will attempt to shoehorn Mohammed into the text or story.

The main verse used, which is taken to refer to Mohammed by Muslim apologists.

Deuteronomy 18:18 “I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”

They will highlight only the similarities between Moses and Mohammed. In Islam they diminish the role of Jesus to that of a minor prophet despite

They both had a normal birth - Jesus had a virgin birth

They both had parents - Jesus had only a mother

They both had married and had family - Jesus never married or had children

These and other points are contrived to try to fit the narrative Muslims want to fit. There are many stronger reasons to reject this as false and go with the Christian viewpoint. Jews also would have seen this as referring to the Messiah.

A. Speaking with God Directly

Deuteronomy 34:10 ASV

And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face”

Mohammed did NOT speak face-to-face with God like Moses. See Sahih al-Bukhari 4855. He claimed to receive his “revelations” from the angel Gabriel. We know that Jesus also spoke face-to-face with God.

B. Test of a False Prophet

Deuteronomy 18:20 ASV

But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.

There is clear evidence of Mohammed speaking in the name of other gods. The god Allah bears little resemblance to the God of Israel (Yahweh). Mohammed would have died for approving the idol worship at his time. The Jewish method was to stone them to death. The Kabaa and the black stone were used in pagan worship, including the practice of walking around it. It was adopted by Mohammed into Islam and a story made up that it goes back to Adam.

The fulfillment is answered by the Apostle Peter who was a direct disciple of Jesus.

Acts 3:20–22 ASV

and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old. Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me; to him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you.

It is not Mohammed but rather Jesus who is seen as the proper fulfillment of this prophecy in the First Century.

C. Performing Miracles

Moses was a prophet who did miracles and so did many other prophets in the Old Testament who had a close relationship with the LORD.

Moses did miracles

We see many miracles from Moses who is the most prominent prophet in the Torah. This is just a brief selection!

Rod becomes a Snake and back to Rod (Copied in Quran 20:17-22 and Quran 28:30-33).

Exodus 7:8–10 ASV

And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so, as Jehovah had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

Splitting the Red Sea (Copied in Quran 26:63-66) 

Exodus 14:22 ASV

And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Making bitter water drinkable (Corrupted in Quran 2:60)

Exodus 15:25 ASV

And he cried unto Jehovah; and Jehovah showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them;

Mount Sinai receiving the 10 Commandments from God (Limited mention in Quran 7:142–5 and Quran 2:83–4)

Exodus 34:29–35 ASV

And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses spake to them. And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that Jehovah had spoken with him in mount Sinai. And when Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. But when Moses went in before Jehovah to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Elijah did miracles

It should be noted that the Quran claims Elijah as a prophet of Allah (Quran 37:123) but is entirely reliant on the Old Testament to know anything about him. Islamic commentators are forced to go to the Bible to understand virtually everything about him! We see miracles performed by the prophet Elijah in the Bible. Such as:-

Multiplication of the Widow’s Food (No mention in the Quran)

1 Kings 17:14 ASV

For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth.

Raising the Widow’s Son (No mention in the Quran)

1 Kings 17:22 ASV

And Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

Fire from Heaven (No metion in the Quran)

1 Kings 18:38 ASV

Then the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

Parting the Jordan River (No mention in the Quran)

2 Kings 2:8 ASV

And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

Mohammed did NO miracles

Mohammed did no miracles, so he lacks the authenticity that comes from God to show he was a true prophet. He comes in the name of Allah, who is not the same as Yahweh, that is revealed throughout the Old and New Testaments. Mohammed was questioned about this and said he was just a plain preacher. He was not bringing a new revelation but transmitting what he thought was believed by Jews and Christians.

They say, “Why hath not a sign been sent down unto him from his Lord?” SAY, “Signs belong unto the Lord: and as for me, I am but a plain preacher - Quran 29:48

Muslims are forced to suggest that the Qu’ran is the miracle that Allah gave to him in a cave via the angel Gabriel. Suffice to say that the perfect preservation claimed by Muslim apologists has been thoroughly debunked and many Muslims will try to deflect from this by attacking the preservation of the Bible - which the Quran itself says is part of Allah’s holy books!

D. Two Witnesses in Acts say Jesus Fulfilled this Prophecy

The New Testment reveals it was fulfilled in Jesus. Peter (Disciple of Jesus) and Stephen say categorically that this exact verse was fulfilled by Jesus. It can't be fulfilled by Mohammad.

Acts 3:22– "For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you."

Acts 7:37 ESV

This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’

3. Looking for Mohammed in the Gospel

It is unclear in the Quran what is meant by the “Gospel” that the Christians has with them. It is clearly written down. Is it Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Is it just the book of John. Is it the whole of the New Testament? Is it just the words that Jesus speaks in the New Testament.

The common response from Muslims is either it is lost or that it has been corrupted by Christians. No one can consistently say when and how it happened. It is to try and detract from the Islamic Dilemma. The Qu’ran itself seems abundantly clear that it sees its holy scriptures to be the Torah, Gospel and Quran itself. Yet it is forced to say that the Quran has abrogated what came before. Jews would only accept the Torah (Old Testament) as their holy scripture but reject the New Testament and Quran. Christians accept the Old Testament and the New Testament as the Holy Scriptures and rejects the Quran that comes 600 years after the ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the apostles. There is no literature that has so many copies as the New Testament and we know that Christians had the New Testament in written form in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th century before Mohammed comes on the scene. It has been preserved beyond that and we know that today it has not been lost or corrupted. Any translation of the New Testament will tell you if it is not mentioned in all copies or earlier versions.

A. Claiming the Comforter is Mohammed

The main verse used which is taken to refer to Mohammed by Muslim apologists. It is easily debunked. It is still mentioned by Muslims who take verses out on context to try and fit their narrative. The Comforter is clearly the Holy Spirit (The third person of the Godhead) which Muslims reject.

John 14:16 ASV

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever,

John 16:7–16 ASV

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 go, I will send him unto you. And he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you. All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto you. A little while, and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and ye shall see me.

Muslims take this and other verses about the Holy Spirit as the Comforter (paraclete) to try and fit their narrative. Notice that Jesus mentions “the Father” on a couple of occasions which is against the teaching of Islam that Allah is a father to anyone. This blindly misses the fulfillment in Acts below.

Acts 2:1–12 ASV

And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speaking in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying, Behold, are not all these that speak Galilaeans? And how hear we, every man in our own language wherein we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judaea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of God. And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

B. Attempts to Discredit the Divinity of Jesus

The Quran mentions that Mohammad is in the Torah and the Gospel and this is known by the Jews and the Christians. However, when Christians look they can’t find Mohammad in either. This leads to Muslims claiming that that the divinity of Jesus is a later corruption so the whole Gospel has been corrupted.

Muslims have been told that Jesus was not accepted as divine until the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. This is not true. It was convened to address the teachings of Arius, who argued that Jesus was not fully divine but a created being, subordinate to the Father. Early church writings, including those of Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp, who were disciples of John the Apostle, demonstrate that the divinity of Christ was a widely held belief among early Christians. When the early Church underwent persecution it had a secret sign (Ichthys) that it used to show what they believed - Jesus, Christ, God, Son, Saviour during the first 300 years before Rome accepted Christianity. The whole of the New Testament was written before Nicaea.

Muslims also use the Gospel of Barnabas to try and say that Jesus was just a man and that Christians removed it from their New Testament. The truth is that it was never in the New Testament to start with! Also, the Gospel of Barnabos has been exposed as a forgery. It exists in two medieval manuscripts, one in Italian and one in Spanish.

C. Attempts to Discredit the Early Church

The Apostle Paul is said to have not met Jesus by Muslims and he later corrupted the message so hence no Mohammad to be found.

Muslims have a big problem especially with the Apostle Paul. We know that Paul wrote 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament and he may also have written Hebrews but it is not clear

Matthew - He was one the 12 original apostles and thus an eyewitness to the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Matthew, who was also called Levi, was a Jew who lived in Capernaum. He worked for the Romans as a tax collector, which means he was a rather shady businessman who would’ve been despised by his fellow Jews. In fact, he was working at his tax booth when Jesus called him to follow him (Mark 2:13-14).

Mark - He was known as John Mark and he had close connections with the apostles and the early church. His mother’s name was Mary, and their home was one of the key gathering places for the first church in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). Mark was also the cousin of Barnabas, another key leader in the early church (Col. 4:10), and he traveled with Barnabas and Paul for part of their first missionary journey. Towards the end of Paul’s life, he asked Timothy to bring Mark to him because “he was useful to him” (2 Tim 4:11). Early church tradition says that the apostle Peter was the main source for the Gospel Mark wrote.

Luke - Luke is the author of Luke and Acts. He was a close colleague of the apostle Paul. He traveled with Paul from Troas to Philippi on Paul’s second missionary journey (notice the “we” in Acts 16:11), remained there for a few years, rejoined Paul at the end of the third missionary journey (Acts 20:5-6), and stayed with him over the next four years while Paul was in prison. Luke was a physician by training, and, in Colossians 4, he’s included among Paul’s Gentile colleagues, which means he’s most likely the only Gentile author in the New Testament.

John - He wrote the Gospel of John, the 3 letters of John, and Revelation) was one of the 12 original apostles and an eyewitness to the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He grew up in a family of commercial fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, and when Jesus called him and his brother James to follow him, they left the family business to become his disciple. John calls himself the “disciple whom Jesus loved,” suggesting that he had a particularly close friendship with Jesus, and Jesus entrusted the care of his mother Mary to John as he hung on the cross (John 19:26-27). John outlived the other apostles (his later life spent in Ephesus) and his writings are likely the last ones of the New Testament.

Paul - He is the author of 13 letters in the New Testament. He grew up in a conservative Jewish home and was trained in the way of the Pharisees. His hometown was Tarsus (born with Roman citizenship), a large Greco-Roman commercial city in the southeastern corner of modern-day Turkey, but at some point he moved to Jerusalem for schooling (Acts 22:3). He studied under one of the greatest rabbis of his day, Gamaliel, and distinguished himself in zeal and learning (Gal 1:14). Jesus appeared to him when Paul was on his way to arrest Christians in Damascus (you can read the story in Acts 9). Once Paul surrendered to Jesus, he applied the same zeal to making disciples of Jesus that he once had for persecuting them. Paul’s ministry spanned about 30 years until he was finally beheaded for his faith in Jesus in Rome in the mid-60’s.

James - The author of James was (most likely) James the brother of Jesus. Based on the order in which the brothers are listed in Matthew 13:55, James is the next oldest son of Joseph and Mary after Jesus. During his ministry, James (and his other brothers) misunderstood Jesus’ purpose and was skeptical of him (John 7:5). But after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to James (1 Cor 15:7), and this led James to believe in him. He became a key leader in the church in Jerusalem (e.g., Acts 12:17; Acts 15). Paul even calls him one of the “pillars” (Gal 2:9). According to early church tradition, James’ leadership and faithfulness earned him several nicknames. He was called James the Just and also “camel knees” because he spent so much time on his knees praying for the Jews. He was stoned to death in Jerusalem in A.D. 62.

Peter - The author of 1 & 2 Peter. He was one of the 12 original apostles and an eyewitness to the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In fact, he and his brother Andrew were two of the very first followers of Jesus (John 1:40-41). His hometown was Bethsaida, and he and his brother were commercial fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. His actual name was Simon, but Jesus gave him the nickname “Peter” which means “Rock.” Peter denied Jesus three times on the night of his arrest. Peter wept bitterly over this failure and after his resurrection, Jesus reassured Peter by commissioning him to ministry (John 21:15-20). Peter became the key leader and spokesman in Jerusalem when the church first began, and he boldly proclaimed Jesus even to the very leaders who had crucified him.

Jude - The author of the short letter of Jude was Jude, Jesus’ brother. Like his older brother James, he misunderstood Jesus’ purpose and was skeptical of him during his ministry (John 7:5). But after Jesus’ resurrection, Jude was gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem with the believers (Acts 1:14). Jude identifies himself in his letter as the “brother of James,” seemingly content to be known as the sibling of a more well-known church leader.

Hebrews - There’s been no shortage of speculation over who wrote Hebrews. Suggestions include people like Paul, Apollos, Luke, and Barnabas. Whoever wrote it had a good command of the Old Testament and a very polished Greek writing style. But the fact is, the early church father Origen was right when he said, as to who wrote Hebrews, “Only God knows”! That was true when he said it around A.D. 200 and it’s still true today.

The writers of the New Testament were all people who were disciples who were taught by him during his earthly ministry, half-brothers who grew up with Jesus and later followed him, other professional people who believed and recorded from others or had a revelation such as Paul. The Quran mentions the disciples of Jesus (Al-Hawariyoon) in Quran 3:52-53 and Quran 5:111 and protrayes them as faithful messengers of the message of Jesus. Paul is not directly named but some scholars identify Paul as one of the messengers in Quran 36:13-17 along with John and Peter.

Conclusion

The beginning of Islam happens over 600 years after the time of Jesus’s ministry on earth. The early Church came about within 40 days after his death by crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into Heaven. The Comforter was sent at Pentecost and all those were now filled with the Holy Spirit and spread the Gospel (good news).

Despite the persecution of the Church by the authorities the message spread far and wide through the ministry of all the apostles coonverting Jews and Gentiles and baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The apostles pointed out (as Jesus had done) that Jesus was the fulfillment of different prophesies throughout the Bible. The early Church had writings that would form the basis of the New Testament but it was being persecuted so it was difficult to formalise.

The New Testament canon developed, or evolved, over the course of the first 250-300 years of Christian history. If the New Testament had been delivered by an angel, or unearthed as a complete unit it would not be as believable. The exact list of New Testament documents was confirmed at the third Synod of Carthage (397 AD), this was a relatively small regional council and by this time most of the 27 New Testament documents had already been agreed upon by most of the church. These books had to come from apostles or known by them and confirmed by early Church fathers as well as not contradicting other scriptures.

Muslims are forced to throw their own holy scriptures (Torah, Psalms, and Gospel (Injil) behind their backs. This is required because their Quran contradicts (corrupts) the stories and messages found in the earlier books. Yet, also asserts that the Quran has been perfectly preserved. However, this is also not true.