(peace and blessings of God be on him) Glossary A™madiyyat XÕûdøäZ, A™madiyyah, A™madiyya: Muslim sect believing ©añrat Mirzā Ghulām A™mad (1835-1908) to be the Promised Messiah (second coming) and the Mahdi awaited by Muslims, peace be on him. ‘alaihissalåm wαöZ ‰√æì : peace be on him Bukhår∏: }f£™Ö : The most reliable source of the sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be on him. ©añrat, Hazrat, Hadhrat: \Æ¥ä : His Holiness ©ishām: A book of early Islamic history mentioned by the name of its author. Islām: peace, submission khalīfah, khalīfa: Vicegerent. Successors to Hadrat Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and the Promised Messiah, ‘aliahisalam. Also calif, caliph, kalif, kaliph, khalif. Khalīfatul-Masīh —√±˚Z Êπ√æã : Successor to the Promised Messiah, ‘alaihissalam. Majlis ‘æ®õ : Society, organization. Majlis Ansarullåh ‰æöZf£≥úZ ‘æ®õ (Organization of Helpers of God): The organization of all Ahmadi men aver 40 years of age. Masī™-i-Mau‘ūd, Masih Mau‘ood: d¬ì¬õ —√±õ : The Promised Messiah (©añrat Mirza Ghulam A™mad, ‘alaihissalam) Mecca, Makkah: A city in Arabia where Abraham and Ishmael (may peace be on both) built a structure over old ruins in inhabitant desert, according to Islamic tradition. Muhammad, ”allallåhu ‘alaihi wa sallam, grew up in Mecca. Muhammad: Praiseworthy, commendable, laudable. Prophet of Islam (571-632). Promised Messiah (Second Coming): See Masih-i-Mau‘ud. Quraish: A respected Arabian tribe Muhammad, ”allallåhu ‘alaihi wa sallam, belonged to. Quran, Qur’an, Koran: The Holy Book revealed to Muhammad, ”allallāhu ‘alaihi wa sallam. ”allallåhu 'alaihi wa sallam ‚æçz ‰√æì ‰æöZ ˙è : peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 58 Muhammad in the Bible HADRAT MIRZA BASHIR-UD-DIN MAHMUD AHMAD (KHALIFATUL-MASIH II) Majlis Ansarullah, USA 1 First Edition published in September 2003 by The Majlis Ansarullah, U.S.A., An auxiliary of The Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, U.S.A., 15000 Good Hope Road, Silver Spring, MD 20905 ISBN 1 88 2494 22 9 Copyright © Islam International Publications Ltd., Islamabad, Sheephatch Lane, Tilford, Surrey GU10 2AQ, United Kingdom. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the Publisher, except for the quotation of brief passages in criticism. From Introduction to the Study of the Holy Quran, by Hadrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (Khalifatul-Masih II), (1889-1965) 1985 English Edition published by Additional Nazarat Isha‘at and Vakalat Tasneef, The London Mosque, 16, Gressenhall Road, London, SWI8 5QL, U.K. Pp. 79-129 and 442-443. Cover design by Rashid Arshed 2 Muhammad in the Bible HADRAT MIRZA BASHIR-UD-DIN MAHMUD AHMAD (KHALIFATUL-MASIH II) 3 4 CONTENTS God’s Promise to Abraham: 7 The Prophecy in Deuteronomy: 10 Faran—A Part of Arabia: 17 The Quraish are Ishmael’s Descendants: 18 The Prophet Mentioned in Habakkuk: 21 Prophet’s Advent Foretold by Solomon: 24 Isaiah’s Prophecies: 27 Prophecies of Daniel: 42 Prophecies in the New Testament: 46 Acknowledgements: 56 Index: 57 Glossary: 58 5 6 GOD’S PROMISE TO ABRAHAM A ... question, the answer to which should throw light on the question relating to the need of the Quran, is: Did earlier religions regard themselves as final? Or did they believe in a kind of spiritual progression which was due to culminate in a universal teaching for the guidance of mankind? In answer to this, we must admit that a continuous narrative, in which the story of one Prophet is linked with that of another, is to be found only in the Bible. In reconstructing the stories of the Prophets, the help we derive from the Bible is invaluable. No other book revealed before the Quran can give us this help. To answer the question whether earlier teachings and earlier Prophets did or did not foretell the coming of a perfect Teaching and a perfect Prophet after them, we have to turn to the Bible. When we do so, we find that God made many promises to the Patriarch Abraham. He was born in Ur of the Chaldees. From there he migrated with his father to Canaan. His father stopped on the way at Haran and died there. On his father’s death, Abraham was commanded by God to leave Haran and go to Canaan and had the following revelation: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:2-3). And again (Genesis 13:15): For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And again (Genesis 16:10-12): And the angel of the Lord said unto her (i.e. to Hagar), I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every 7 man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And again (Genesis 17:9-11): And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man- child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And (Genesis 17:14): And the uncircumcised man-child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. Further on (Genesis 17:16), we are told that Abraham’s wife Sarah also was promised a son: And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her; yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Of the progeny of Sarah (through Isaac) we are told (Genesis 17:19): And I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. Of Ishmael (Genesis 17:20-22) we read: And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee (refers to Abraham’s prayer in Genesis 17:18—“O that Ishmael might live before thee”): Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. Again (Genesis 21:13): And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. Again of Ishmael, God said to Hagar (Genesis 21:17-18) 8