As mentioned in previous articles, Almighty Allah placed the leadership of humanity and the carrying of the universal mission upon the shoulders of the Seal of the Prophets (PBUH), and after him, this responsibility was placed upon the Muslim Ummah.
When we examine the blessed life of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH), we see the hardships and trials he endured to nurture and strengthen this nascent tree. After him, the Muslim Ummah, in the early centuries of Islam, fulfilled their duty of conveying this universal message to humanity with great sacrifice, leaving behind a record of devotion unmatched by the followers of any other faith in human history.
Keywords: Muhammad (PBUH), Muslim Ummah, Torah, Gospel, Psalms, and Jesus.
Undoubtedly, there are many clear prophecies and evidences regarding the prophethood and universal mission of Muhammad (PBUH) both in the Qur’an and in the scriptures of previous prophets. All of them point to his eternal mission and to the fact that earlier prophets gave their communities glad tidings of the coming of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH). As Allah the Almighty says: «وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِآيَاتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ * الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ» [الأعراف: 156-157]» Translation: “My mercy encompasses all things, so I shall ordain it for those who are God-fearing, who give Alms (Zakat), and who believe in Our signs—those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find written about in the Torah and the Gospel.”
Therefore, the prophethood and universal mission of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is certain and undeniable; suspicion cannot override certainty. Numerous verses and narrations describe his qualities and virtues, and these are well-known in the scriptures of previous prophets.
Another verse speaks of this matter explicitly, showing that Allah took a covenant from the previous prophets regarding him: «وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّينَ لَمَا آتَيْتُكُم مِّن كِتَابٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُ قَالَ أَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمْ إِصْرِي قَالُوا أَقْرَرْنَا قَالَ فَاشْهَدُوا وَأَنَا مَعَكُم مِّنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ» [آل عمران: 81] Translation: “And when Allah took the covenant of the Prophets, saying, ‘Whatever I give you of the Book and Wisdom, then a messenger comes to you confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and support him.’ He said, ‘Do you affirm and accept My covenant on that condition?’ They said, ‘We affirm.’ He said, ‘Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.’”
Ibn Kathir narrates from Ali and Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that Allah never sent a prophet except that He took this pledge from them: if Muhammad (PBUH) was sent during their lifetime, they must believe in him and support him, and they must also instruct their communities to do the same.
It is also narrated from Tawus that the verse “And when Allah took the covenant of the Prophets” is related to the People of the Book (Jews and Christians). Allah took a covenant from them that they must believe in Muhammad (PBUH) and affirm him.
Thus, Muhammad (PBUH) is the leader of all prophets, and on the Day of Resurrection, all prophets will be under his banner, just as on the night of Isra and Mi‘raj, he led them in prayer in Masjid al-Aqsa.
He (PBUH) is the answer to the supplication of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). Allah informs us in the Qur’an that when Abraham and his son Ishmael (peace be upon them) were raising the foundations of the Ka‘bah, they prayed: «رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَبَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ» [البقرة: 129] Translation: “Our Lord! Send among them a messenger from themselves who shall recite to them Your verses, teach them the Book and Wisdom, and purify them. Indeed, You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.”
Al-Tabari narrated from Sudi, Rabi‘ah, and others that the “Messenger” mentioned here refers to Muhammad (PBUH). Abu al-‘Aliyah narrated that when Abraham (peace be upon him) made this supplication, he was told: “Your prayer has been answered; this Prophet will be sent at the end of time.”
Confirming this, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) himself said—as narrated by Abu Umamah—that he was the answer to Abraham’s prayer, the glad tidings of Jesus (peace be upon him), and that his mother had seen a light emanating from her which illuminated the palaces of Syria.
He (PBUH) was the glad tidings of Jesus (peace be upon him). Allah says: «وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ» [الصف: 6] Translation: “And when Jesus, son of Mary, said: ‘O Children of Israel! I am indeed the messenger of Allah to you, confirming the Torah which came before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.’”
This shows that the Torah before him had also foretold his coming, and Jesus (peace be upon him) reiterated this glad tidings, announcing the coming of a prophet named Ahmad (PBUH), the Seal of the Prophets, after whom there will be no prophet or messenger.
Regarding his names, the Prophet (PBUH) said: “I have several names: I am Muhammad, I am Ahmad, I am al-Mahi (the one through whom Allah erases disbelief), I am al-Hashir (the one at whose feet people will be gathered), and I am al-‘Aqib (the last, after whom there is no prophet).”
Glad Tidings in the Torah
Imam al-Bukhari narrates that Ata ibn Yasar (a Tabi‘i) said: “I met Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him to describe for me the Prophet (PBUH) as he is mentioned in the Torah. He said: ‘Indeed, by Allah, he is described in the Torah with the same qualities as in the Qur’an: O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of glad tidings, a warner, and a guardian of the unlettered. You are My servant and messenger; I have named you al-Mutawakkil (the one who relies…
Imam Shaybah narrated from Ka‘b al-Ahbar that the Torah describes the Prophet (PBUH) and his Ummah as: “Their rows in prayer and in battle are straight. Their caller to prayer (the mu’adhdhin) will announce in the middle of the night, and their voices in recitation will sound like the humming of bees. His birthplace will be in Makkah, his migration will be to Madinah, and his rule will extend to al-Sham.”
It is also stated in the Torah: “I will raise up a prophet from among their brethren, and I will put My words in his mouth; he shall speak to them all that I command him.” Scholars say this refers to Muhammad (PBUH), to whom the Qur’an was revealed, which he memorized and conveyed to humanity. “Their brethren” refers to the descendants of Ishmael (peace be upon him), who were the brethren of the Israelites (descendants of Jacob, peace be upon him). After Moses (peace be upon him), no prophet appeared among the Children of Israel who had an independent law (sharia) like him.
The Torah also says: “The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir, and shone forth from Mount Paran.” Scholars explain: the coming from Sinai refers to the prophethood of Moses (peace be upon him); the rising from Seir (Nazareth) refers to the mission of Jesus (peace be upon him) and the revelation of the Gospel; and the shining forth from Paran refers to Makkah and the revelation of Muhammad (PBUH).
In short, the Jews knew that Muhammad (PBUH) was the final prophet, but out of envy and hatred, they denied his message. Allah says: «الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ، كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِّنْهُمْ لَيَكْتُمُونَ الْحَقَّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ» [البقرة: 146] Translation: “Those to whom We gave the Book recognize him as they recognize their own sons. But indeed, a group of them knowingly conceal the truth.”
Before the Prophet’s (PBUH) mission, the Jews used to give the Arabs of Madinah glad tidings of his coming and even threatened them: “The time of the coming of the Prophet is near; we shall follow him and kill you as the people of ‘Ad and Iram were destroyed.” But when Muhammad (PBUH) was sent, the Arabs of Madinah accepted his message, while the Jews, out of envy and hostility, rejected it.
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