Muhammed's Journey

AlbChristian.com - Albanian Christian Pages	Home Page

Muhammed's Journey Into Prophethood.
Paper by Abdul-Maseeh

Introduction

The institution of Mohammed as the prophet of Islam may be viewed by many as a punctiliar event in history, possibly achieved upon his capture of Mecca in 630 A.D. However, in the minds of Muslims, the prophet's life was more of a process of events than a culmination.   Indeed, according to Islam, the divine position was ordained of God from ancient times.

Mohammed's journey into prophethood can be seen in three major phases: prophetic announcements and foreknowledge of his coming, his own recognition of prophethood, and his acceptance among the people of his time. Each of these phases will be discussed further in this paper.

The Foretelling of Mohammed's Coming

In Sura 2:129 of the Qur'an, upon the completion of the Ka'ba, Abraham and Ishmael are recorded as praying: "Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall rehearse Your Signs to them and instruct them in Scripture and Wisdom."

It is possible that Mohammed's journey into prophethood began with this prayer of Abraham and Ishmael. At least, this is the earliest recorded mention of the coming of a messenger of God from among the Arabs.

Muslim scholars have offered a variety of claims that the advent of the Prophet Mohammed was clearly foretold. Among the sources of such a foretelling, they include the Bible, the Qur'an, and the Gospel of Barnabas. These claims will be outlined further as they are presented in each source.

In the Bible. The basis for the alleged foretelling of Mohammed in the Bible stems from two passages of the Qur'an:

Those who follow the Messenger…whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures), - in the Law and the Gospel… (Q 7:157)

And remember, Jesus…said: 'O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah…giving Glad Tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad (Q 61:6).

Among the many purported references to Mohammed in the Bible is Deuteronomy 18:15,18:

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.”
“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.”

Many Muslims claim that this prophet to be raised up after Moses and to be like Moses is Mohammed. The phrase "from among their brothers" is referring to the descendants of Ishmael, who were the Israelites' cousins. Therefore, this prophet "like Moses" must refer to Mohammed, since he was the only great prophet that descended from Ishmael. He was like Moses in that he instituted the Law of God and performed miracles.¹

Additionally, where the context seems to fit, the Hebrew word mahmad, meaning 'goodly', 'beloved', or 'lovely', that occurs more than a dozen times in the Old Testament - as in Song of Solomon 5:16 - is held by some Muslim scholars to refer to Mohammed.²

Muslims use these and many other passages from the Old Testament to build upon the premise that the Prophet Mohammed was foretold in the Bible.

In the New Testament, passages in which Jesus refers to the coming Comforter are also ascribed to Mohammed. These passages are stated as follows, in the Gospel of John:

“And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, to be with you forever (John 14:16).

But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you (John 14:26).

But when the Comforter comes…he will bear witness to me (John 15:26).

If I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you (John 16:7).

Muslims generally believe that the Greek word paracletos (above translated 'Comforter') has been changed from the original. They claim that Jesus actually spoke of Mohammed by name in these passages and that the actual translation of his name into Greek is periklutos, that is, the "praised one".³ Since the names Ahmad (Arabic for 'praised one') and Mohammed are derived from the same root, Mohammed claimed to be the Paraclete.⁴

Most Muslim authorities, however, have dismissed the claim that the passage has been altered, since research shows that the early manuscripts of the Bible dating after the time of Mohammed are the same as those prior to the time of Mohammed. However, they continue to claim that even though Mohammed's name is not explicitly mentioned, still certain passages in the Bible clearly point to him.⁵

In the Qur'an. Though the Qur'an came through the Prophet Mohammed, God is believed by Muslims to be the true author. This being the case, certain passages in the Qur'an tend to confirm or verify the validity of Mohammed as God's messenger. Also, some of the stories mentioned therein, if accurate, would serve to foretell of his coming, such as the prayer of Abraham and Ishmael and Jesus' reference to Ahmad mentioned above. Since, however, Mohammed was already on the scene at the time of these writings, a prediction of his coming would have been totally unnecessary. Such information, if accepted, would have simply served to confirm or verify his validity and to show that some knowledge of a coming prophet existed prior to the arrival of Mohammed.

Since the current purpose is to discover ways in which the coming of Mohammed was foretold, these passages in the Qur'an will be investigated from such a perspective. One such passage, which, incidentally, could be added to those that imply reference to Mohammed in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures is Sura 3:81:

Behold! Allah took the Covenant of the Prophets, saying: 'I give you a Book and Wisdom; then comes to you a Messenger, confirming what is with you.

Also, in response to the prayer of Abraham and Ishmael, mentioned above, Salahi remarks:

Allah also answered Abraham's and Ishmael's prayer to send among their offspring a           messenger to instruct them in the pure faith based on total submission to Allah. That           messenger was Mohammed, the last of all Prophets.⁶

Again, the Qur'an explicitly states:

Mohammed is…the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets (Q. 33:40).

From these few examples, one can see that the Qur'an, when viewed as a credible historical record, quite naturally tends to foretell of the coming of the Prophet Mohammed.

In the Gospel of Barnabas. An apocryphal work entitled The Gospel of Barnabas will be mentioned at this point, since some Muslims hold it to be credible as foretelling the advent of Mohammed. The pseudo-gospel was actually written centuries after Mohammed's death by a Jewish or Christian convert to Islam. In this book, Mohammed, by name, is mentioned as the Paraclete. The book is also in agreement with the belief of some Muslims that Judas was crucified in the place of Jesus.⁷

However, the Gospel of Barnabas contradicts the Qur'an in several crucial aspects as well. For instance, in the book, Jesus denies being the Messiah. Instead, Muhammad is called the Messiah, and Jesus becomes more of a Yahya-type forerunner.⁸

Thus, one finds it quite difficult to ascribe credibility to such a source, since it proves inaccurate when measured up against the Bible, as well as the Qur'an. For this reason, most Muslims disregard the record in the Gospel of Barnabas.

Furthermore, in light of the scarcity of sound evidence, it can hardly be said that the coming of Mohammed was at all foretold, be it in the Bible, in the Qur'an, or in the Gospel of Barnabas. Indeed, even if such foreknowledge has ever existed, it was never manifested until after Mohammed claimed himself to be the Prophet of Islam.⁹

Early Signs of Prophethood

Hassan ibn Thabit once relayed a story to the tribesmen of Salih ibn Ibrahim that when he was 7 or 8 years old, he heard a Jew calling out in a loud voice from the top of a fort in Yathrib: "O company of Jews", until all of them came running to find out what was the matter. The Jew continued, "Tonight has risen a star under which Ahmad is to be born."¹⁰

After the birth of Muhammad, his mother sent to tell his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib of the news. When he arrived she told him what she had seen and what was said to her and what she was ordered to call him. Abd al-Muttalib then took the boy before Hubal in the Ka'aba, where he stood and thanked Allah for this gift.¹¹

Differing views exist concerning whether or not divine signs accompanied the birth of Mohammed alluding to his prophethood. Many miracles have been recounted concerning the infancy of Mohammed. Yet, others doubt these accounts, since the Prophet himself later admitted that he could not work miracles.¹² Still, these accounts do exist and are considered reliable by many Muslims. Therefore, they will be discussed further.

From Childhood. According to some popular stories, Amina, the mother of Mohammed, used to say during her time of pregnancy that a voice said to her, "You are pregnant with the lord of this people, and when he is born, say: 'I put him in the care of the One from the evil of every envier'; then call him Mohammed." As she was pregnant with him, she saw a light come forth from her by which she could see the castles of Bostra in Syria.¹³

It is said that Amina had no great trouble with her pregnancy. Everything went quite well for her. During this time, it had become a Meccan custom to put children out to nurse with the desert tribes. Twice a year the Bedouin women, who were strong and healthy, came to the city to offer their services to rich mothers of Mecca. However, Amina was not rich, and Mohammed's father had died only months before his birth. Naturally, these Bedouin women were not in the habit of giving their milk for charity. Fortunately, though, Amina found the wife of a shepherd of the Sa'adite nomads called Halima, who agreed to look after Mohammed. From this time, Mohammed would become a wanderer of the desert.¹⁴

Many miraculous occurrences are said to have taken place during Mohammed's time with Halima and the Bedouins. It is reported that she had been unable to produce quite enough milk to satisfy her own son. However, as soon as she put Mohammed to her breast, she felt that both were completely full. In fact, they thought it would be wise to attempt to milk their camel, which had also been having problems producing milk. Much to their surprise, the camel also had full breasts. It was the family's best night for a long while.

These miraculous occurrences continued regularly for nearly four years. Then one day, while Mohammed was playing with the other children, the Angel Gabriel came and took him by the hand. He laid Mohammed down and opened his chest. He then took out his heart and removed from it a black clot, which he threw away. He said, "This is what Satan has in you." He then washed the heart in a gold bowl full of snow and returned it to its place.

At this, Halima's other son ran to his mother to report what had happened. Halima became quite terrified and decided it best to return the boy to his mother.¹⁵

During his years among Bani Sa'd it is believed that Mohammed's speech was formed upon one of the purest models of the Arabic language. This would certainly play a key role in his later communication of the Qur'an to his companions.¹⁶

Now by the time Mohammed was 8 years old, his father, mother, and grandfather had died, leaving him to the care of his uncle, Abu Talib. Abu Talib was a merchant, and at the age of 12, Mohammed accompanied him on a journey to Syria.

On their way back to Mecca, they stopped at Bostra, in Syria. There they met a Christian monk named Bahira, who was said to have perceived an aura of greatness about Mohammed, which he confirmed from a mark between Mohammed's shoulder blades. Bahira spent some time with the boy and predicted that he would be the prophet of the Arabs, lead them from idolatry, and clean up the temple of the Ka'ba.¹⁷

As a Youth. Abu Talib continued to look after Mohammed until he became a man. During this time also, there were signs that Allah's blessings were associated with the presence of Mohammed. There always seemed to be plenty when Mohammed was there. If dinner was served and Mohammed was not there, his uncle would order his children to wait for him. He had noticed that when Mohammed was there to eat with them, the food seemed never to run out. However, when he wasn't present, the food was never sufficient, and everyone asked for more.

Mohammed was also very proud of having spent some of his youth as a shepherd. He used to say, "Allah sent no prophet who was not a shepherd. Moses was a shepherd, David was also a shepherd." According to Muslims, the reason for this is that Allah wanted his messengers to have experience of life as a shepherd, to help deal with human beings with rare patience while preaching Allah's message.¹⁸

During this time, Mohammed is believed to have been specially safeguarded by divine grace. Once, while attending his flock, he decided to go into Mecca to amuse himself there as the other youths were in the custom of doing at night. However, as soon as he arrived into the city, he fell asleep. This happened once again on his way to the city. Thus he escaped temptation and decided not to take another chance of this sort.¹⁹

Thus respected and honored, Mohammed lived a quiet and humble life in the family of Abu Talib. Was Mohammed aware at this point in his life, that he would become the Prophet of Islam? It is unclear. However, the next stage of his life would serve to assure him of his divine role among the Arabs.

Into Adulthood. After Mohammed was married to Khadijah at the age of 25, an accidental fire followed by a flood had done severe damage to the Ka'ba. However, sufficient resources were not available for its repair until some years later when a Greek ship carrying timber was wrecked on the Red Sea. The Quraish realized that it was certainly time to rebuild the Ka'ba. The whole body of the Quraish cooperated in the work, until the structure rose to about four feet above the foundations.

The time came to replace the sacred Black Stone. Each of the four main families of the Quraish felt it their duty to replace the stone. Such a disagreement was sure to lead to bloodshed. However, Mohammed, who was helping out with the operation, saw this danger and came up with a quick resolution. Whoever would be the first to enter the Ka'ba through a certain gate on a certain day would make the decision.

Mohammed happened to be that person! When they saw him, they all exclaimed, "Here comes Al-Amin ('The Trustworthy'); we are content to abide by his decision." Mohammed spread his mantle on the ground and placed the black stone on it. He instructed one from each family to take one corner and together to carry the stone to its place in the Ka'ba.²⁰

This event certainly served to establish Mohammed as a sort of umpire, or judge, among the Quraish at the time of their disputes and crises.

Mohammed was the type of person who loved to think and meditate. He had begun a habit of retreating in solitude to a cave, Hira, in Mount Nur. There he would meditate and sink into deep thoughts about the mysteries of nature.

He had an eager longing for the untainted truth. The religions of the Jews and Christians were unclear to him. The Meccans worshipped idols that their own hands had made. Somehow, he knew that there was one truth, and he had resolved to find it.

Mohammed is believed to have passed the month of Ramadan, at times, in this cave. It is during this month, on the 27^th night, now called "The Night of Power", that he received his first revelation from Allah.²¹

It is believed that while meditating, the angel Gabriel appeared to him. "Read", said the angel. "I am not a reader", replied Mohammed. The angel squeezed him until he could hardly breathe and repeated the command to read. Several other strange happenings occurred that night, until all that the angel had purposed was accomplished.

Mohammed returned home, quite shaken by the experience. He discussed with Khadijah what had happened, and after some testing to see whether the spirit was good or evil, she said to him, "Be of good cheer. Truly, by the Lord in whose hand lies the soul of Khadijah, I hope you will be the prophet of his people."

Afterwards, Khadijah went to see her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal. He was quite an experienced man, and a Christian. When he heard the story of what had happened to Mohammed, he replied, "If you have been given a true account of what has occurred, then, O Khadijah, there has come to Mohammed the spirit of the Namus ('Law') which appeared to Moses, and Mohammed will be the prophet of his people. Bid him therefore be of good heart."

Later, Mohammed went to Waraqa himself, and was greatly encouraged by him, to such a degree that he became completely assured of the validity of his newly discovered role as God's messenger.²²

These revelations continued over the next twenty-three years of Mohammed's life. His message was new to most people of his time, and he would soon encounter extreme reactions from believers, as well as unbelievers.

Mohammed's Acceptance Among His People

In the first stage of his mission, Mohammed worked silently. He didn't feel it necessary to disrupt the whole of Meccan society with his message. However, he did manage to make an impact on a small group of individuals who embraced Islam fully.

Early Converts. The first to believe was his wife, Khadijah, who accepted his message without any hesitation. Ali, who was only ten years of age, and Zaid bin Haritha, were both members of his family. They also accepted Islam immediately. Outside his family, Hazrat Abu Bakr, his closest friend, believed in Mohammed's message as well.²³

Abu Bakr was quite an important figure in the early mission of Mohammed. He was a wealthy merchant who would later become the first caliph. He convinced Othman ibn Affan, a Quraishi of the powerful Omayyad clan, to become a Muslim as well. Othman would become the third caliph.

The group was growing quite rapidly, but they were forced to practice the new religion with caution, in order not to ruffle the religious feathers of the Quraish. They especially had to keep their prayers confined to more secluded places, since the ritual act of prostration gave way to much ridicule from the pagans of that time.

Despite opposition, though, Mohammed also experienced his share of victories. One such victory involved Omar ibn al-Khattab, who was regarded as 'a man of blood and iron' and a bitter opponent of the new faith. When he found out that his sister and brother-in-law had become Muslims, he went at once to their home and struck his sister on the face. Omar, later overcome with remorse, was persuaded by the slave, Khabab, to become a Muslim himself.

The group had grown to about forty, mostly of the lower social scale of either Abyssinian or Byzantine origin. A number of Mohammed's closest associates in Mecca were Christians or came from a Christian background, and some of them also became followers of Islam.²⁴

Over the course of about three years, Mohammed had established a small community of faithful followers. However, a message such as his would not be contained for long, and he soon felt it necessary to take a more deliberate stance in the propagation of Islam.

A more Determined Approach. During the next phase of his life, Mohammed would come to regard himself as a 'warner' to the people of Mecca. He brought to light the 'grievous suffering' they had inflicted on the innocent people among them, and instructed them strongly to disregard all other deities, save Allah.²⁵

These warnings brought with them not a small amount of opposition from the Quraish, who thrived upon the religious attitudes of the people. The Muslims were fiercely persecuted, but Mohammed, for the most part, was protected due to the influence of his uncle. Still, Islam was claiming converts, even among the leaders of Mecca. Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib and the before-mentioned Omar ibn al-Khattab were among the Quraish who came to follow Islam.

Eventually, the Muslims were excluded in an attempt, so it seems, to starve Mohammed and his followers into submission. Soon, Khadijah and Abu Talib would die leaving Mohammed defenseless against the Meccans. All seemed quite grim for the band of believers and their divinely appointed leader.²⁶

However, Mohammed had been making earnest pleas to the surrounding Arab tribes for protection against his opposers. These pleas were heard by some visitors from Yathrib of the Khazraj and Aus tribes. There in Akaba Mohammed expounded to them some of the beliefs of Islam and recited the Qur'an to them.

As a result of their meeting, some of them took Mohammed to be the Prophet that the Jews were expecting and embraced his presence among them. They saw him as possibly having the ability to bring some peace to the civil strife at Yathrib. They took an oath not to worship idols, or lie, or commit adultery, or kill their infant daughters, and to obey Mohammed. Thus many Jews and other Medinans became Muslims, and Mohammed was reestablished as the holy prophet of Islam.²⁷The Final Conquest. Mohammed would make Medina his headquarters and live there the rest of his days. From there he would establish himself, not only as Prophet, but also as a military leader.

In 623 A.D., just months after the Hijra to Medina, Mohammed inaugurated his military career with a raid on a Meccan caravan. A year later, Mohammed planned an ambush on a Meccan caravan resulting in the Battle at Badr. A strategic plan of attack was utilized involving the destruction of wells, which was a serious crime in a desert community. Abu Sofyan, the leader of the Meccan caravan, received word of the ambush and was able to bring his caravan safely home. In the meantime, the Meccans assembled a force and confronted the raiders at Badr.

According to traditions, the 700 Meccans fought against 350 Muslims, but the Muslims went away victorious. This victory gave way to several more in the next months, but in March 625, the Meccans decided to return the gesture. They invaded Medina and engaged in battle against Mohammed and his followers. This time, however, the Meccans were victorious, leaving Mohammed himself nearly dead.

This untimely defeat for Mohammed and his supporters was a tremendous setback. However, within a year, they were back to the original habit of raiding Meccan caravans. In all, Mohammed had organized over 100 raiding expeditions. In addition, by 628, Mohammed had successfully eliminated every Jewish settlement and tribe in Medina. Subsequently, many tribes joined his clan due to such successes.

In 627, the Meccans again made advances against Medina. This time, they were prepared with an army of 7,000 men. Mohammed began to panic and was unclear as to what to do, so he turned to one of his companions, Salman the Persian. Salman was able to protect the city by having a Persian-type fortified trench dug around certain unprotected areas of Medina.²⁸

In 628, Mohammed had made up his mind to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. He left from Medina with 1,400 men, along with animals to be used in the sacrifice. Mohammed's plan was to test the Quraish to see how strong their opposition was. The Quraish heard that Mohammed was on his way and resolved not to allow him into the city. Mohammed sent Othman ahead of the group to Mecca, who returned with a proposal for a treaty. Mohammed quickly dictated the terms of the treaty. According to the treaty, there would be ten years of peace, and the Muslims were allowed to return to Mecca the following year to observe the pilgrimage.

Battles continued among Muslims and their surrounding Arab tribes up through 630 A.D. In January of that year, following a stunning defeat at the Battle of Mota, hostilities broke out between the Muslims and some tribes that were allied to the Quraish. Mohammed regarded this as in infraction of the treaty of Hodebiya and so found and excuse to end the ten year treaty of peace made only two years earlier.

He set out against Mecca with an army of about ten thousand men. Mohammed's uncle Abbas, came out to meet him as did Abu Sofyan, who scheduled an interview for the following day. Arrangements were made for Mohammed to enter and obtain control of Mecca in January 11, 630 A.D., upon which he ordered all the idols in the Ka'ba to be destroyed, along with the pagan temples of the neighboring tribes. After a two-week stay in Mecca, with his greatest victory secured, Mohammed returned to Medina, where, after making a final pilgrimage to Mecca in 632, he died and was buried behind his mosque.²⁹

Thus, after many conflicts with the Arabs of Mecca, Mohammed was accepted as a true prophet, even among his fiercest of enemies.

Conclusion

From this brief study one can see that the accomplishments of Mohammed granted him the right to become renown as The Holy Prophet of Islam. After his death, much investigation was made into his life and the work of the Qur'an, which led to the belief that his coming was preordained and pre-acknowledged in several sources. Furthermore, many testimonies of his childhood and early adulthood have been produced, which attest to signs of the divine roll of Mohammed. Finally, after adjusting his position to that of a military leader, he was successful in overcoming all who opposed his religion until Islam became instituted as the true religion of Allah, and Mohammed became accepted as his Messenger.

Bibliography

¹ Morin, pp. 23. Cf. 23-25 and Gilchrist 6-25 for a strong refutation of these claims.² Walker, p. 201.
³ Gilchrist, pp. 26-27.
⁴ Walker, p. 201.⁵ Morin p. 20.
⁶ Salahi, p. 7.⁷ Walker, p. 201.⁸ Morin, p. 69.⁹ The Jews, on the other hand, were aware of the coming of a
Messiah centuries before the birth of Christ.¹⁰ Lammens, p. 242.¹¹ Ibn Ishaq pp. 69-70.¹² Glubb, p. 70.¹³ Peters, p. 101.¹⁴ Bodley, p. 27.¹⁵ Salahi, pp. 24-26.¹⁶ Khan, p. 13.¹⁷ Walker, p. 88.¹⁸ Sarwar, p. 87.¹⁹ Khan, p. 17.²⁰ Ibid, p. 20.²¹ Sarwar, p. 90.
²² Walker, p. 95.²³ Khan, pp. 26-27.²⁴ Walker, pp. 101-103.²⁵ Salahi, pp. 82-87.
²⁶ Peters, pp. 173-182.²⁷ Walker, pp. 114-115.
²⁸ Ibid, pp.119-122.²⁹ Ibid, pp. 130-141.

Extended Bibliography

Bodley, R.V.C. The Messenger: The Life of Mohammed. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1946.

Gilchrist, John. Is Muhammad Foretold in the Bible? England: Roodepoort Mission Press, 1985.

Glubb, John B. The Life and Times of Muhammad. New York: Stein and Day, 1970.

Ibn Ishaq. The Life of Muhammad. A Translation of Ishaq's "Sirat Rasul Allah," with           Introduction and Notes by Alfred Guillaume. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Pr., 1955.

Khan, Muhammad Z. Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul,           1980.

Lammens, Henri. "L'Age de Mahomet et la chronologie de la sira." Journal Asiagique, 10^th           series, 17: 209-250, 1911.

Morrin, Harry. Responding to Muslims. Springfield, MO: CMM, 1996.

Peters, F.E. Muhammad and the Origins of Islam. New York: State of New York Press, 1994.

Salahi, M.A. Muhammad: Man and Prophet. Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995.

Sarwar, Ghulam. Islam: Beliefs and Teachings. London: The Muslim Educational Trust, 1989.

Walker, Benjamin. Foundations of Islam: The Making of a World Faith. London: Peter Owen Publishers, 1998.

Return to page: Apologetics