Jesus was conscious of the limits and scope of his mission. He knew that his message was meant only for the house of Jacob, the Israelites. He was aware of their glorious past, as the chosen people of God; and that Prophets had been raised amongst them for their guidance, whom they had disbelieved, maltreated and persecuted, even killing some of them. To his knowledge, the house of Jacob had, time and again, proved to be utterly unworthy of the trust thus reposed in them; and had rendered themselves unfit for future favours. He also knew that the Lord Himself had said: Ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers, ye are gone away from My ordinance and have not kept them. Ye are cursed with a curse (Mal., 3 : 6-7, 9). The Prophet Isaiah had also, before Jesus, informed Israel of the wrath of God and that the Lord had hid His face from the house of Jacob (Isa., 8 : 17). The time had, therefore, come when the house of Jacob should be punished, and made an example to the whole world. But God in His Divine Wisdom does not punish anyone without giving him an opportunity for repentance. So Jesus was sent as a Nazir, a warner, to the twelve tribes of Israel living in Judaea and elsewhere. He tried to save them from the Divine Judgement. He addressed the two tribes in Judaea first; but they mocked at him, scorned him and persecuted him. He then cursed them; by cursing the fig-tree (Matt., 21 : 19), he cursed the house of Jacob. Dummelow says: The curse of perpetual barrenness pronounced by Jesus upon the fig-tree i.e., upon Israel, has received a signal fulfilment. In the time of Christ it was an active missionary religion... now it enrolls no proselytes (Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible, 694-695). Jesus not only cursed Israel, but he also cursed the important towns of Judaea, Jerusalem in particular (Luke, 13 : 34-35; Matt., 11 : 20-24: 23 : 37-38), and thus made the significance of this curse absolutely clear. In this matter he was very precise and explicit. He warned them: The Kingdom of God shall be taken away from you and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruit thereof (Matt., 21 : 43). Jesus was so clear in his pronouncement that, for once, those who heard him understood him unmistakably; for, in the next but one verse, we are told that They perceived that he spoke of them( Matt., 21 : 45). Some Christian commentators of the Bible have endeavoured vainly to apply this prophecy of Jesus to Christian converts. They interpret the words a nation as referring to the Gentiles. But the Gentiles have never in history been described as a nation. A reference to the Old Testament, however, will exclude all possibilities of any such interpretation; for in that Book we come across many prophecies pointing out, in unambiguous terms, the nation referred to by Jesus. The Lord had made a covenant with Abraham (Gen., 17 : 10) and had blessed him with a promise that his seed should multiply exceedingly in numbers (Gen., 15 : 5) and the same promise had been vouchsafed to Hagar, his wife (Gen., 16 : 30). To Abraham, the Lord had further promised: And I will make a nation of thee, and I will bless them and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee (Gen., 12 : 2-3). If we read this prophecy with the promise to Hagar, the meaning becomes absolutely clear-they mean that a nation would be raised, through Hagar, which would be blessed by the Lord. He would make the name of this nation great and He would bless them, for they would bless Abraham. According to Dummelow the promise to Hagar was fulfilled in the Arab race (Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible, 25) for Paran is still in possession of Beduin Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael (Ibid., 29. See Gen., 21 : 17-21). But I am able to carry the matter still further. Abraham had prayed for posterity of Ishmael (Gen., 17 : 18): and his prayer had been answered: And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve tribes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation (Gen., 17 : 20). This assurance was given at a time when Sarah had not conceived Isaac. There was, of course, a similar prophecy regarding Isaac, the house of Jacob, but subsequently they came under the curse and consequently ceased to be a nation, as foretold by Prophet Jeremiah: The seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever (Jer., 31 : 36). In order to appreciate these prophetic utterances, I must discuss at some length four other prophecies in the Old Testament, which must be read with the promise to Abraham and Hagar. The first is addressed to Moses: 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 command him (Deut., 18: 18). The second reads: Behold, a woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat… (Isa., 7 : 14-15). Associate yourself O ye people (against him) and ye shall be broken in pieces, and give ear, all ye of far countries, gird yourself (against him) and ye shall be broken in pieces (Isa., 8 : 9). Take counsel together (against him) and it shall come to naught; speak the word and it shall not stand; for God is with us.. (Isa., 8 : 10). (He will) Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples (Isa., 8 : 16). The third prophecy runs thus: Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth. I have put in My spirit upon him (Isa., 42 : 1). He shall not fail, nor be discouraged till he have set judgement in earth… (Isa., 42: 4). Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto the Lord a song, and His praise from the ends of the earth (Isa., 42 : 9-10). Let the wilderness and cities thereof lift up their voice the villages that Kedar doth inhabit .... (Isa., 42 : 11). Hear, ye deaf, and look, ye blind, that ye may see ... (Isa., 42 : 18). Who gave Jacob for a spoil and Israel to the robbers? Did not the Lord? For they would not walk in His way, neither were they obedient unto His law (Isa., 42 : 24). The fourth prophecy was: But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law, ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts .... (Mal., 2 : 8). Behold, I will send my Messenger, and he shall prepare the way for Me… (Mal., 3 : 1). To appreciate the real significance of these prophetic utterances, we must read them together in the light of the promises to Abraham and Hagar. I will, however, analyse these independently and show that they foretold the advent of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and did not apply to Jesus. I. The Promises to Abraham and Hagar:  (a) A nation will be raised from their progeny and God will bless them and make them great. Jesus belonged to the house of Jacob, was an Israelite and not an Ishmaelite. Therefore, this did not apply to him. The Holy Prophet Muhammad was in direct line of descent from Ishmael. It is for this reason that Abraham has been styled as his father and has also been described as the progenitor of the Arabs (The Holy Quran, 90 : 3). The Holy Quran records the following prayer of Abraham regarding the progeny of Ishmael: Our Lord... (raise) from our offspring a nation submitting to Thee (Ibid., 2 : 128). (b) God will bless them, for they will bless Abraham. Jesus did not bless Abraham. Christians do not remember or bless him in their prayers. The Quran sends peace on Abraham (Ibid., 37 : 109), so did the Holy Prophet Muhammad. The Holy Prophet and the Muslims, following the Sunna, say Darud at least eleven times in their five daily prayers, in which Abraham and his descendants are blessed. (c) The descendants of Ishmael will be made a great nation. See I (a) above. This is inapplicable to Jesus or to his followers. No one can deny that the Arabs, after embracing Islam, did become a great nation. II. The Prophecy of Moses:  (a) A prophet will be raised from among their brethren. See I (a) above. The address being to an Israelite Prophet the words their brethren cannot apply to Israel, i.e., the house of Jacob. If, according to the Christian belief, the birth of Jesus was immaculate he could not have been a descendant of Isaac and the question of his brethren can hardly arise. Ishmael and Isaac, being sons of the same father, Abraham, were brothers. The descendants of the one would be the brethren of the progeny of the other. The term of their brethren has been applied to the progeny of Hagar (Gen., 16 : 10-11) and of Ishmael (Gen., 17 : 20). (b) That Prophet will be like unto Moses. Nowhere does Jesus claim to be like unto Moses. His apostles or disciples have never asserted that Jesus was like unto Moses. In fact, if Jesus was the son of God, he could not be like unto Moses, who was a mortal. The Holy Quran says: Surely, We have sent to you an Apostle, a witness against you as We sent an Apostle to Pharaoh (The Holy Quran, 73 : 15). In another place it says: And a witness (Moses) among the children of Israel has borne witness of one like him (Muhammad) (The Holy Quran. 46 : 10). Besides, the first six verses of Ch. 52 draw attention to a parallel set of facts in the revelations of Moses and Muhammad. Thus, the likeness of the Holy Prophet to Moses was indicated in very early revelation. The Holy Prophet in a letter to one of the Christian Rulers described himself as a companion of Moses and urged that the prophecy of Moses applied to him (Sirat Ibn-i-Hisham, Vol. I : 196). Maulvi Abdul Haq Vidyarthi, in his book Muhammad in the World Scriptures, devotes a chapter: The Advent of a Prophet in the likeness of Moses, to this subject and proves by quotations from the Bible and other ancient literature that that Prophet was the Holy Prophet Muhammad; and the reader, if interested, might read this book for a detailed study. (c) God will put His words into the mouth of that Prophet. Jesus was a prophet of God, and this part of the prophecy may be held to be applicable to him. The Holy Quran says: And most surely this is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds (The Holy Quran, 26 : 192). The Holy Spirit has revealed it from your Lord with truth (Ibid., 16 : 102). Nor does he (Muhammad) speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed. The Lord of Mighty Power has taught him (Ibid., 53 : 3-5). The Beneficent God, taught the Quran (Ibid., 55 : 1-2). And thus have We revealed to you an Arabic Quran (Ibid., 42 : 7). Say (Muhammad) .... it is only a delivery (of Communications) from Allah and His Message (Ibid., 62 : 22-23). (d) That Prophet will address all nations. I have already explained that to his knowledge the mission of Jesus was confined to Israel; and, in particular, to the Lost Tribes (see Matt., 15 : 24 etc.) and in fact he addressed himself to none besides Israel. The Holy Quran says: Blessed is He Who sent down the discrimination upon His servant that he may be a Warner to all nations (Ibid., 25 : 1). This is one of the very early Makkan revelations and shows that the message of the Holy Prophet was meant for all nations from the very beginning. The Holy Quran also claims that it is nothing but a reminder to all nations (Ibid., 6 : 90; 68 : 52; 81 : 27, etc.) from the very beginning and was also meant for those who had received the Books before. The Holy Quran also says: We have not sent you (Muhammad) but as a mercy to all nations (The Holy Quran, 21 : 107). And the Holy Prophet is commanded: Say, O Prophet! surely I am an Apostle of Allah to you all (Ibid., 7 : 158). Again, the message of the Holy Prophet (Muhammad) was meant for all because Gods mercy encompasses all (Ibid., 7 : 156) and because He is the Creator of all the world (Ibid., 1 : 1). This was one of the very earliest Makkan revelations. Thus Muhammad was the Prophet to all nations and had come to remove all barriers and limitations of nationality and colour. That the Holy Prophet succeeded in his mission is testified by Islamic history. There is a saying of the Holy Prophet which is pertinent to the discussion. He said: I said I am the Apostle of Allah to you all but you said: You lie, and Abu Bakr said: You speak the truth. While dealing with the Hadith I have already mentioned the fact that the Holy Prophet sent letters to various Christian Rulers beyond Arabia to embrace Islam (Ubi. Sup., p. 76). He sent some of his Companions to preach Islam to far off countries even to China. He would not have done so if Islam, to him, had not been the universal religion. (e) God will command that Prophet. For reasons given in II (c) above this may be conceded to be applicable to Jesus; though the Gospels disclose no such commands. Peake, while dealing with this prophecy in Deuteronomy, says that it contains no primary reference to the Messiah (The Holy Quran, 74 : 1-2). The Holy Quran says: O you who are clothed (Muhammad) arise and warn (Peake, Commentary on the Bible, 239). Again: O Apostle! declare what has been revealed to you from your Lord (The Holy Quran 5 : 67). And again: Say (O Muhammad): My prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. No associate has He; and this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who submit (Ibid., 6 : 162-163). III. The Prophecy of Prophet Isaiah:  (a) The Prophet shall be conceived of a woman. In this particular verse the words Haalmah or `alma (women) has been confused with Bethulah (virgin) to make the prophecy applicable to Jesus. I will quote Peake again: The rendering virgin is unjustifiable... the word employed here `almah means a young woman of marriageable age, without any suggestion that she is not married... It has, therefore, no reference to the birth of Jesus... The name Immanuel means God is with us, not God with us; there is no reference in it to any Incarnation of God (Peake, Commentary on the Bible, 442). Jesus was certainly born of a woman through natural human agency. But the significance here is that the child will only be conceived of a woman and will not have the protection of his mother or father, as in the case of Moses. Jesus, as already shown, had the protection of his parents. Matthew unjustifiably applies this prophecy to Jesus (Matt., 1 : 22-24). The Holy Prophet was a posthumous child of Abdullah. His mother, Amina, died when he was only six years old. Thus in his tender years he was deprived of both his parents. The significance of the prophecy has been explained above. (b) He shall eat butter and honey. Nowhere are we told that the usual diet of Jesus was butter or honey. On the contrary, in his very first miracle he converted pure water into wine (John, 2 : 8-9). He must have been eating food and drinking wine heavily, for people to have called him a gluttonous man (Matt., 2 : 19) and a wine-bibber (Luke, 7 : 34). The usual and staple food of the Holy Prophet consisted of dates, barley bread and milk. Abu Daud records that the Holy Prophet used to take delight in eating butter and Bukhari records a similar Hadith regarding honey. (c) People will associate, counsel and gird themselves against him, but they shall be broken in pieces. It is true that the Pharisees and Sadducees did associate and hold counsels against Jesus, but they were not broken in pieces, certainly not during his life-time. In any case they did not gird themselves against him. To gird yourself means warfare (Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible, 419).
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 09:09:03 +0000