Recently I obtained a small, very colorful book* by I.A. Ibrahim entitled A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam. In it, I learned much concerning Islamic beliefs on various subjects. I learned, for example, that “Islam, a religion of mercy, does not permit terrorism” (p. 59). When I read that sentence, I was amazed! I had just learned something that was foreign to the Muslims in the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Somebody send this book to Al-Qaeda! They evidently don’t know that the merciful religion of Islam is forbidden to use terrorism! How differently circumstances could have turned out if only the Fort Hood shooter and the Boston bombers could have read this book!
Oh but wait! There’s more! I learned further that “the life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered sacred, whether a person is Muslim or not” (p. 61). I never would have guessed that the lives of non-Muslims are sacred. When I examine Sharia-practicing countries, I notice that under blasphemy laws citizens lose their “sacred” lives, often by having their sacred heads cut off, for simply converting to Christianity. Someone please send this book to the government in Iran!
Then, my education continued. I learned that “Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings without any guardianship over her (whether that be her father, husband, or anyone else)” (p. 63). Any casual student of modern Islamic social science, if honest, is forced to admit that none of the more than fifty Muslim states is known for the freedom of its citizens, to put it mildly. And the most oppressed among Muslim citizens are the women, who in many Muslim nations, are publicly flogged for removing the veil from their faces. Evidently, political leaders in Pakistan have never read this book!
These “truths” were eye-openers. But the sentence that perhaps seized my attention more than the others was the sentence that was directed to Bible believers. Ibrahim (the author) made the claim that if a person believes the Bible, they must believe that Muhammad is a prophet sent from God. The Bible supposedly teaches this. Look at the author’s own words:
The Biblical prophecies on the advent of the prophet Muhammad are evidence of the truth of Islam for people who believe the Bible. (p. 33)
Deuteronomy 18:18-19
Given as proof, the first Bible passage stated by Ibrahim is Deuteronomy 18:18-19:
Deuteronomy 18:18-19 – “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
The Prophet in this passage whom God promised to send, according to Muslims, is Muhammad. A simple study of the Bible will refute this solidly. Look at the above text. It says that God will raise up a Prophet “from among their brethren.” Ibrahim believes that the phrase “from among their brethren,” means that God promised to raise up a Prophet from among the Ishmaelites, because Ishmael was the brother of Jacob (Israel). Look at Ibrahim’s words:
The prophet spoken of was not to come from among the Jews themselves, but from among their brothers, i.e. the Ishmaelites. Muhammad, an Ishmaelite, is indeed this prophet. (p. 34)
This interpretation seems plausible, but is this interpretation actual? Does the Bible teach that the phrase “their brethren” in Deuteronomy 18 refers to the Ishmaelites (descendents of Ishmael, i.e. Arabs)? To see if this interpretation holds out, let us back up one chapter from Deuteronomy 18. Let us quickly examine a passage from Deuteronomy 17. This passage also contains the phrase “from among their brethren.”
Deuteronomy 17:15 – “Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one FROM AMONG THY BRETHREN shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.”
This verse speaks of the time when Israel would want a king to reign over them. The Lord made it plain that, when that time arrived, they were to set a king over them “from among thy brethren.” Is there anyone who would make any feeble attempt to claim that God wanted Israel to set an Ishmaelite over them as king? In I Samuel 9, the Lord indeed chose Israel’s first king. Whom did He choose? Did He choose an Ishmaelite? Absolutely not. However, He did choose a man from among Israel’s brethren. I Samuel 9:17 tells us that God chose Saul to be king. Who was Saul? He was an Israelite, of the tribe of Benjamin (I Samuel 9:21).
If I interpret the scripture fairly and honestly, I must admit that the phrase “from among thy brethren” in Deuteronomy 17 refers to God raising up an Israelite to be king, not an Ishmaelite. To be faithful to the laws of hermeneutics, I must interpret the same phrase one chapter later the same way. When God promised to raise up a Prophet “from among thy brethren” in Deuteronomy 18, that Prophet would also be an Israelite.
As for the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18, the Bible clearly identifies Him. In Acts 3, Peter the apostle is preaching. In Acts 3:22-23, Peter quotes Deuteronomy 18:18-19:
Acts 3:22-23 – “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.”
In verse 26, Peter identifies this Prophet plainly and unmistakably:
Acts 3:26 – “Unto you first God, having RAISED UP HIS SON JESUS, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”
The Prophet of Deuteronomy 18 is an Israelite, not an Ishmaelite; a Jew, not an Arab; a Saviour, not a murderer; and His name is Jesus, not Muhammad.
Isaiah 42:1-4
Ibrahim uses yet another passage scripture to indict Bible believers for their rejection of Muhammad as the Prophet. He states that the “servant” of Isaiah 42 is Muhammad. Let us look at the passage:
Isaiah 42:1-4 – “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.”
Pointing to verse 11 of the same chapter, Ibrahim states that the above passage must refer to Muhammad:
Verse 11 connects that awaited messenger with the descendants of Kedar. Who is Kedar? According to Genesis 25:13, Kedar was the second son of Ishmael, the ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad. (p. 35)
Actually, verse 11 does not connect the “servant” of verses 1-4 with a man by the name of Kedar. Let us look at verse 11:
Isaiah 42:11 – “Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.”
Verse 11 does not say that the “servant” of verse 1 is a descendent of Kedar. That is a nice try in twisting the scriptures, but that is plainly not what is said. In verse 11, the villages of Kedar were exhorted to lift up their voice and sing because of the servant of verse 1! Verse 11 says nothing about the “descendents of Kedar.”
So, who is the “servant” of verse 1? Matthew 12:15-20 quotes Isaiah 42:1-4, identifying the servant very plainly:
Matthew 12:15-20 – “But when JESUS knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; And charged them that they should not make him known: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.”
Jesus Christ told some of His followers to not make Him known. Why? So that Isaiah 42:1-4 could be fulfilled. Jesus Christ is the servant of Isaiah 42, not Muhammad.
John 14:16
Some time ago, while on Facebook, there was a thread of discussion regarding the Holy Spirit. At some point in the conversation, a Muslim gave his point of view, claiming that he was a former Christian. He converted to Islam upon understanding that the Comforter of John 14:16 was the prophet Muhammad. Notice John 14:16:
John 14:16 – “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.”
I never thought I would hear a man say that he believes that the Comforter of John 14 is the prophet Muhammad. Any so-called Christian who converts to Islam after seeing that Muhammad is the Comforter never had a genuine experience with Jesus Christ a day in his life. The claim that Muhammad is the Comforter of John 14 is so absurd that I hate to ask you for even a second of your time to read my refutation of such a notion.
Who is the Comforter of John 14? Jesus Christ, in the Bible, clearly identifies the Comforter.
John 14:26 – “But the Comforter, WHICH IS THE HOLY GHOST, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
The Comforter is the Holy Ghost. And just in case a Muslim Bible scholar tries to claim that Muhammad is the Holy Ghost, let me go ahead and refute that idea. Muhammad was not born until the sixth century A.D. The book of Acts was written in the first century A.D. In the book of Acts chapter 5, Peter asked Ananias why he lied to the HOLY GHOST. The Holy Ghost could not have been Muhammad because there was no Muhammad for five more centuries.
Conclusion
I will not be having any Bible studies with my local imam unless he is the student. The above passages of scripture do not refer to the prophet Muhammad. I must be fair, however. There is one Bible verse that very well may refer to Muhammad and his followers:
John 16:2 – “…the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.”
*I.A. Ibrahim. A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam: Second Edition. Darussalam. Houston, TX. ©1997, 1996.
