The Prophet Muhammad PBUH as a Mercy to All Worlds: Proofs of His Prophethood - Part 4

By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 12 February 2024 This Part Provides A Few Proofs That Demonstrate The Prophetic Status Of The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), In Response To The Commentator, Namely Rizz, Who Asked For Proofs Of The Prophetic Status. ------ (Representative photo from file) ------ Some Christians and Jews want evidence supporting Muhammad's (peace be upon him) prophetic status. It is an extremely weird thing that they have never attempted to acknowledge the proofs regarding the arrival of the Last Prophet that are stated in the Bible and the Quran. Allah Almighty says in the Quran: “And when there came to them a Book from Allah confirming that which was with them—although before they used to pray for victory against those who disbelieved—but [then] when there came to them that which they recognized, they disbelieved in it; so, the curse of Allah will be upon the disbelievers.” [2:89] Maulana Shafi Usmani, the author of the Maarif ul Quran, says, “The Torah had in several places foretold the coming of the Holy Prophet. The Jews themselves used to tell the Arabs that a new prophet and a new Divine Book were soon to come. But when the Holy Quran came down from Allah, even when they had recognized its authenticity, the Jews denied it out of sheer spite. The verse says that the Holy Quran confirms the Torah. It means that the Holy Quran is concrete evidence of the truth of the prophecies made in the Torah about the coming of the Holy Prophet and of the Holy Quran. One who believes in the Torah cannot justifiably deny the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet, for such a denial would involve a denial of the Torah itself.” (Maarif ul Quran, 2:89) Maulana Maududi writes in his commentary: “Before the advent of the Prophet, the Jews were eagerly awaiting a Prophet whose coming had been prophesied by their own Prophets. The Jews used to pray for his advent so that the dominance of the unbelievers could come to an end and the age of their own dominance could be ushered in. The people of Madina were witnesses to the fact that these same Jewish neighbours of theirs had yearned for the advent of such a Prophet. They often used to say, ‘People may oppress us today as they wish, but when our awaited Prophet comes, we will settle our scores with our oppressors.’ Since the people of Madina had themselves heard such statements, they were inclined to embrace the religion of the Prophet all the more readily, lest their Jewish neighbours supersede them in acquiring this honour. It was therefore astonishing for them to find that when the promised Prophet did appear, those same Jews who had so eagerly looked forward to welcoming him turned into his greatest enemies. The statement ‘and they recognized it’ is confirmed by several contemporaneous events. The most authentic evidence in this connection is that of Safiyah, a wife of the Prophet, who was herself the daughter of one learned Jewish scholar (Huyayy b. Akhtab) and the niece of another (Abu Yasir). She says that when the Prophet migrated to Madina, both her father and uncle went to meet him and conversed with him for quite a while. When they returned home, she heard the following conversation: Uncle: Is he really the same prophet whose advent has been prophesied in our Scriptures? Father: By God, he is. Uncle: Do you believe that? Father: Yes. Uncle. Then what do you intend to do? Father: I will continue to oppose him and will not let his claim prevail as long as I live. (Ibn Hisham, Sirah, eds., Mustafa al-Saqqa’ et al., 2 vols., II edition, Cairo, 137511955, see vol. 1, pp. 518 f. See also Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, tr. and notes by A. Guillaume, London, Oxford University Press, 1955, pp. 241 f. – Ed., cited in Tafhim al-Quran, 2:89. According to some commentators, the Jews previously prayed, “O God, send this prophet we find written off in our [book], so that we can punish the idolaters and slay them,” but they then rejected him—that is, Muhammad—because he was not of the Israelites. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 2:90). Some traditions relate that some Arab Muslims, who were formerly idolaters, would remind the Jews by saying, “Reverence God and embrace Islam. You used to ask for victory over us by means of Muhammad while we were people of idolatry, telling us that he was being sent and describing his attributes to us” (Tafsir Tabari, 2:90). Some commentators believe that that which they recognized could also be understood to mean “that which they knew” or “that which they were acquainted with” and did not stem from a detailed description of the Prophet, but rather from an understanding of the general attributes of prophethood and truth that he displayed (Tafsir Razi, 2:290, cited in the Study Quran). This essay titled ‘The Prophecies of Prophet’ investigates the Prophet Muhammad’s prophetic status, emphasising his several prophecies of the future that are based on genuine hadith and scriptures from the Qur'an. It emphasises how these prophecies, which were given access to the invisible world, came to pass as predicted, which makes them among the strongest evidence of his prophetic abilities. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is true, as evidenced by several signs and proofs mentioned in the Quran and the Bible. He didn't have any sin or small-time resentment, for instance. He grew up in the Arabian Peninsula as one who did not know how to read and write, did not travel outside its limits to acquire religious knowledge, and did not spend any time learning religion. At forty years of age, he brought information from heaven that no previous or subsequent generation could have. Allah also provided him with additional protection and care, which kept him secure during trying times. He surely would have been executed if he hadn't had this protection. Both the Torah and the Injeel (Gospel) foretold of his coming. When some of the People of the Book—Jews and Christians—saw that the prophecies mentioned in their books were applied to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), they converted to Islam. The Old and New Testaments of the Bible, as well as the versions recognised by the People of the Book, still contain passages that explicitly allude to the prophetic status of Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Gospel of Barnabas, which Christians consider to be the most authentic of the Gospels, contains one such passage. During the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, Abdullah ibn Salam—a Jew before converting to Islam—said, "I immediately knew that this was not the face of a liar." "I have never heard anything superior or more balanced than this," remarked Tufayl ibn 'Amr. Several people validated his prophetic status due to his credibility as an honest person. After forty years of cohabitation, Quraysh's leadership declared, "We have experienced nothing but honesty from him." After seeing miracles, some people came to believe because they realised that nothing ordinary could have explained these incredible events. [See Mohammad Elshinawy, The Final Prophet: Proofs of Prophethood of Muhammad PBUH] God Almighty revealed the evidence supporting Muhammad's prophetic status in such a way that it is obvious to any sincere inquirer. God Almighty says, “And [even] if We opened to them a gate from heaven and they continued therein to ascend, they would say, ‘Our eyes have only been dazzled. Rather, we are a people affected by magic.’” (Surat Al-Hijr 15:14–20) A prerequisite for having a genuine faith in Islam is the belief in all of God's prophets and messengers, and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is certainly no exception to that rule. Allah says, “Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and the last of the prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, knowing." (33:40) This verse suggests that the Prophet Muhammad is the final prophet and messenger of Allah and that anyone who rejects the prophetic status of Muhammad (peace be upon him) has denied the existence of the One who sent him, that is, God Almighty. ---- Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. Previous Article: Part 1: The Prophet as a Mercy to All Worlds: His Moral Conduct and Compassion for Unbelievers - Part 1 Part 2: The Prophet as a Mercy to All Worlds: His Forgiveness and Compassion for Unbelievers - Part 2 The Prophet as a Mercy to All Worlds: Islam Spread Via the Virtue of Noble Character Rather Than the Sword - Part 3 URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/prophet-mercy-worlds-prophethood-part-4/d/131701 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism