Muhammad in World Scriptures Prophecies about the Holy Prophet Muhammad in the scriptures of major world religions by Maulana Abdul Haq Vidyarthi Scholar of Hebrew, Sanskrit, and other ancient languages, Writer and Researcher on Islam and Comparative Religion, Missionary and Debator of Islam. New U.S.A. Edition Volume 1: The Bible Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore Inc. U.S.A. Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. www.aaiil.org First Urdu edition, 1936 (Part I), 1950 (Part II) Second Urdu edition both parts in 1 volume, 1988 First English edition, 1940 (Part I), 1955 (Part II) Second Enlarged 3-volume English edition, 1966 (vol. I), 1969 (vol. II), 1975 (vol. III) New U.S.A. edition, Volume 1, 1999 © 1999 by Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore, Inc. 1315 Kingsgate Road, Columbus, Ohio 43221 U.S.A. All rights reserved throughout the world. Copyrightnotice:NoreproductionofthisEdition,inwholeorpart,on anymediumwhatsoever,isallowedwithouttheexpresspermission of the Publisher, except that quotations from it may be incorpo- rated in reviews and other publications, provided that the book, author and Publisher are acknowledged. Warning is hereby given that the Publisher will take the most serious action in case of any violation of Copyright of this Edition in any part of the world. TheAhmadiyyaAnjumanIsha‘atIslam(AhmadiyyaAssociationforthe PropagationofIslam)wasfoundedat Lahore,Pakistan,in1914by the prominent followers of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. It exists to promotealiberal,tolerantandpeacefulpictureofIslam,asfoundinthe Holy Quran and the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. It has published a vast quantity of highly-regarded literature on Islam in variouslanguages,andhasbranchesandmembersinseveralcountries. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: ISBN: 0–913321–59 –1 Editorial Note This is Volume 1 of the new U.S.A. Edition of the well-known research work Muhammad in World Scriptures, in which the author brought to light propheciesfromallmajorworldscripturesrelatingtothecomingofthegreat Promised One that were fulfilled through the advent and life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him). This Volume consists of the material relating to prophecies found in the Bible, and corresponds to the second volume of the last 3-volumed edition, printed in Pakistan during the years 1966 to 1975. Inproducingthe presentEdition,itwas absolutelyessentialtocarryout asubstantialandthoroughrevision,correctionandrearrangementofthepre- viousedition.Themainreasonwasthatthepreviouspublicationwasmarred byfrequentmisprints,typesettingerrorsandmispositioningoftext,manyof which caused serious confusion in thetext, and indeed in someplaces made it impossible to follow the meaning. We, the Editors, briefly describe below the necessary revision and correction work that we carried out. Manyofthemisprintsreferredtoaboveoccurredwithinquotationsgiven fromencyclopaedias,commentaries,dictionariesandsimilarreferenceworks. It was therefore necessary to find these original sources for comparison and checking. This was no easy task, and required much time and perseverance. We painstakingly searched through the computerised indexes of University libraries in England as well as the Library of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A., which are available on the Internet. The vast majority of the sources was located, the quotations were checked and corrected, and full references added in the present edition. While searching for these quotations, there were a few instances when we found some addi- tionalextractsinsupportofthepointbeingarguedbytheauthor.Thesehave been added to the present edition. Checking references in the Bible and the Holy Quran was, of course, a considerablyeasiertask,thoughtime-consumingnonetheless.Asregardsthe quotationsfromtheBible,whichnaturallyformthebackboneofthisvolume, the author had used the King James Version, known also as the Authorised Version (AV). In view of the archaic language of this version, we decided to replace it by the Revised Standard Version (RSV), which is much easier to v vi MUHAMMAD IN WORLD SCRIPTURES follow for modern readers. It was noticed, however, that the author in some of hisowncomments wasreferringto particularwordsused inthe AV trans- lationwhichhavebeenamendedintheRSVtranslation.Inanysuchcase,we followedoneofthreeapproaches.(1)Ifthedifferenceisinconsequential,we have also amended the words in the author’s own comments to conform to the RSV. (2) In other cases, we have indicated within the quotation from the RSV what the AV translation of certain words or phrases is. The AV trans- lationhasbeeninsertedwithinsquarebracketsandprintedinitalics,prefixed by the letters AV. (3) In the few cases in which the author’s argument was heavilydependentontheAVtranslation,wehavenotamendedthequotation to the RSV, but retained the AV translation and indicated in the footnote reference that the AV is being used. Therefore, please note that in all quo- tations from the Bible, the RSV translation has been used in this Edition unless it is specifically indicated that the AV or some other translation is used. We found that many misprints and obscurities in the previous edition couldberemovedbycheckingagainstthecorrespondingUrduversionofthe contents of this book, when available, and this often cleared up a problem. ThepublishedUrdueditionofthisbook(underthetitleMitha¯q-un-Nabiyyin) isnotacompleteversionoftheEnglishbookbecausetheauthorhadexpan- ded and revised the English work many years after publishing the Urdu book.However,wedidhaveaccesstomanyUrduarticleslaterpublishedby theauthorinthepaperPaighamSulhofLahore,whichcorrespondtocertain expandedpartsoftheEnglishbook.Thusaconsiderablepart,thoughnotall, oftheEnglishworkwasavailabletousintheoriginalUrduform.Whilethis proved to be an invaluable source, the comparing of the English with the Urdu, which we carried out, added much time and effort to our revision work. In dealing with the scriptural Hebrew and Greek words and expressions occurring plentifully in this book, and also the references to other classical languages, it must be acknowledged that the work of misprint correction, revisionandtypesettingwouldhavebeenimpossiblebutforthefactthatthe second-named of the Editors below (Selim Ahmed) is well-conversant with these languages, possessing a degree in Hebrew from the prestigious University College in the University of London. Besides checking and correcting misprints in the transliterated expressions from these languages, rendering the transliteration according to modern rules, and doing general checking wherever these languages were involved, Selim Ahmed has also typeset all the Hebrew and Greek passages that appear in this book. The formatting, type-designing, proof-reading and typesetting of the whole book has been done entirely by us, the two Editors. The task of formatting was made more difficult due to two factors: (1) trying to incor- EDITORIAL NOTE vii porate Hebrew and Greek passages into footnotes, and (2) placing consecu- tively occurring short footnotes along the same line, rather than each such footnote on a separate line. As to the first problem, there were some cases in which it was not practical to place the Hebrew or Greek text within the footnote, so it has been put at the top of the following page. The printing schedule of the book has not allowed us time to compile an Index. However, we are planning to prepare an Index shortly and issue it as a separate, free booklet. The Index will be included in future printings of the book. Asthefirst-namedEditorbelow,Iwishtostateforthehistoricalrecord, and not as a personal statement, that I knew the author very closely (being his maternal grandson, though physical relationship by itself confers no merit), and I had the opportunity to discuss and study some aspects of this book with him during his life. Therefore the revision and improvement carried out in this edition can, in a sense, be considered to be authorised by Maulana Abdul Haq Vidyarthi. I had promised him about a year before his death that I would arrange for the reprinting of this book, to which he was looking forward. We thank Almighty Allah that, at long last, this promise has now been fulfilled to the extent of the publication of the first half of the work. We now look forward to working on the preparation and publication of Volume 2, which will consist of the prophecies about the Holy Prophet Muhammad as found in the Zoroastrian, Buddhist and Hindu ancient reli- gious writings, as well as in the mystic syllables and symbols of various religions. The Editors, Zahid Aziz Nottingham, England Selim Ahmed Slough, England November 1998. Dedication To Muhammad the Holy Prophet who has so much meaning to me. Abdul Haq Vidyarthi. viii Preface to the Second Edition The book in your hands was first published some twenty-six years ago, in 1940,asaninadequateliturgy.However,itwonimmediaterecognitionfrom the Muslim world and was acclaimed as a great achievement. It was sub- sequently rendered in Persian, and appeared in Din-o-Daanish, a magazine of Tehran, Iran, and a comprehensive review on it appeared in an Arabic paperAl-HilalofBaghdad.Manyyearsago,whenadeputationoftheUlama of Al-Azhar University came to Lahore, a copy of it was presented to them. They congratulated me on the wonderful researches I had made. Its popu- larity and fame induced some unscrupulous publishers and writers to reproduce it without my permission. ThebookwascriticallyexaminedbyaJewishpaper,YishraelMessenger ofHongKong,andtheChristianEpiphanyofCalcutta.Irefutedtheirflimsy objectionsconvincingly.Besideswritingonthistopic,Ihavehadtheoppor- tunity to debate and discuss with ministers of every religion. An exhaustive discussion on the prophecy of “A Praised One, Camel Rider” mentioned in theAtharvaVedatookplaceinDiwanHall,Delhi,inFebruary1944,andthe learned Hindu Pandit who spoke from the opposite side could not deny the prophecy, but unconvincingly tried to minimise its importance by dubbing it as an interpolation in the Veda. Twenty years or so of my life have since elapsed and during this period the running stream of time drifted me towards the farthest corners of the world.IhadtheoccasiontoexploretheBritishMuseumLibraryinLondon, the Buddhist libraries of Madras and Colombo in Ceylon, and the libraries of Hyderabad Deccan, San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York. I also studied minutely the original scriptures. Last year I was convinced that it is a subject of unlimited scope and can never be thoroughly exhausted. I have, therefore,decidedtopublishmyresearch.Thefirsteditionconsistedofonly 300 pages, but now it has run into 1500 pages. I have, with all humility, tried todrinkdeepat thesefountainsofknowledgeand tosearchouthidden truths more valuable and beautiful than the costliest pearls. In the end, I would request my readers to pray to the Almighty that He may cherish inthe hearts ofthe seekers-after-truth fromall religions aswell ix x MUHAMMAD IN WORLD SCRIPTURES as of brethren in Islam, the love of the “mercy to all the nations” (peace be upon him). Abdul Haq Vidyarthi Lahore, Pakistan 4 December 1966 Preface to the First Edition Muhammad in World Scriptures was first published in Urdu four years ago. Being the first book of the kind, containing prophecies about the advent of the Holy Prophet in the various world scriptures, giving those prophecies in the original words of those scriptures, it had a warm reception at the hands of the Urdu knowing public. This brought us a demand from many friends that an English edition of the same should be brought out. The present volume in English is due to that pressing demand. For certain circumstances beyond my control, the translation could not be done as it should have been. There are also misprints. With all these shortcomings, it has one merit which should commend it to the reader’s interest. It is a great and quite original research work. It is as such that I present it to the reader, requesting him to pray at the same time that God mayopentheheartsofthenon-MuslimstothegreatnessoftheHolyProphet Muhammad. I may also add that I shall feel grateful for any suggestions for the improvement of the book. Abdul Haq Vidyarthi Lahore, India 9 October 1940 Contents Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxv Two kinds of testimony to the Holy Prophet’s truth . . . . . 1 The testimony of the Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Belief in the Holy Prophet alone ensures universal peace . . . . . . . 3 “The Lord of the worlds” — a Quranic conception only . . . . . . . 4 Testimony of God in the form of Divine support . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Promised Prophet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The testimony of the People of the Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 A strong evidence on the Finality of Prophethood . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 A prophet after the Finality of Prophethood causes dissension . . . 9 A word to Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian and Buddhist friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Some characteristics of the prophecies about the Holy Prophet . . 12 Some important conventions about prophecies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Part 1 Muhammad in Jewish Scriptures (The Old Testament) Chapter 1: The Early Prophets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 1. Prophecies in the Book of Adam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Adam and the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Jesus Christ’s own testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 2. The prophecy of Idris or Enoch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 3. Noah’s prophecy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Noah’s flood as described in the Hindu scriptures . . . . . . . . 25 Noah and Manu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 This prophecy applies to the Holy Prophet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The common factors in all the Deluge stories . . . . . . . . . . . 27 The Promised Ship and the world’s Rescuer . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 xi xii MUHAMMAD IN WORLD SCRIPTURES Does this ship signify Vedic Dharma? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 The ship stands for the Holy Quran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Prophecy fulfilled in the Prophet Muhammad . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Chapter 2: Abraham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Brahma of Hindus is the same as Abraham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Sweet water and salt water — temperaments of the sons . . . . . . 34 The world’s unique spiritual Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Chapter 3: Jacob and Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Christian attempt to apply prophecy to Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Fabricated lineage of Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Discomfiture of the compilers of the Gospels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Mistake of the compilers of Gospels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 The prophecy does not apply to Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 The prophecy relates to Muhammad (peace be on him) . . . . . . . 48 Further proof of the Holy Prophet’s likeness to Joseph . . . . . . . . 48 How the prophecy was fulfilled in the person of the Holy Prophet 50 Chapter 4: Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 A Prophet in the likeness of Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Jesus was not in the likeness of Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Refutation of Christian claim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 The prophecy applies to none but the Holy Prophet . . . . . . . . . . 57 ‘That Prophet’ expected after Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 How the Holy Prophet was like Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 That Prophet will be more exalted than Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 The arrival of Moses in Midian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 The origin of Madina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Moses is an Arabic word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 The Holy Prophet himself claims to be like Moses . . . . . . . . . . 68 The last prophecy of Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 1. Coming of the Lord from Mount Sinai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 2. “The Lord … rose up from Seir” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 3. “The Lord … shined forth from Mount Paran” . . . . . . . . 70 4. Paran is the name of a Makkan hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 5. “He came with ten thousands of saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 6. The original text in the Hebrew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74