Glad Tidings of Previous Prophets for Our Holy Prophet (S.A.W.A.)

By: Ayatullah al-Uzma Shaykh Husayn Vahid Khorasani
The Divine Books and previous Prophets (as) gave glad tidings about our Prophet, Muhammad (S), although their followers altered their books so there may not remain any sign of those glad tidings. Nevertheless, if one studies what remains of them, he will discover the reality. We will suffice with two examples:

First Example
It has come in the Torah: This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death.
He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes.152
Sinai [Sina’] is the place where revelation came to Prophet Moses. Seir [Sa’ir] is the place where Allah sent Jesus. Mount Paran [Faran] is where the light of Allah shined, and that is the mount in the holy city of Mecca, where the light of the Prophethood of Muhammad (S) shined.
In another place in the Torah, regarding Prophet Ishmael [Isma’il] and his mother Hagar [Hajar], it says: God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.
While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.153
Paran is Mecca, where Ishmael and his sons lived. The one whose light shined from Mount Paran, who came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from its mountain slopes, is the light Allah sent from the cave of Hira to illuminate the world with the light of the guidance of the Qur’an. He will burn infidelity and hypocrisy with the fire of the wrath of the Subduer [al-Qahhar]. O Prophet! Strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites.154
In another place in the Torah it states: God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth.
His splendour was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden.155
With the coming of Prophet Muhammad (S) the world heard the declaration from the Mount in Mecca: Glory be to Allah, all praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest. سبحان الله والحمدلله ولااله الاالله والله اكبر
Thus, it spread around the world through the daily prayers of the Muslims: Glory be to my Lord, the Greatest and praise be to Him; and Glory be to my Lord, the Highest and praise be to Him.

Second Example
It is said in the Bible: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.”156
And in another place in the Bible: “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.”157
In the original script, the name of the Prophet (S) had been quoted which Jesus had promised them that their Lord will send: Paraclete [Farqilita] which translates in Arabic as Mahmud or Ahmad. However, the translators changed it to al-Mu’izzi.
This is found in the Gospel of St. Barnabas: Know, O Barnabas, that for this I must have great persecution, and shall be sold by one of my disciples for thirty pieces of money.
Whereupon I am sure that he who shall sell me shall be slain in my name, For that God shall take me up from the earth, and shall change the appearance of the traitor so that everyone shall believe him to be me; Nevertheless, when he dies an evil death, I shall abide in that dishonour for a long time in the world.
But when Muhammad shall come, the sacred Messenger of God, that infamy shall be taken away.158
In this Gospel, the glad tiding with the words: Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah: Adam, having sprung upon his feet, saw in the air a writing that shone like the sun; which said: “There is only one God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”
Whereupon Adam opened his mouth and said: “I thank you, O Lord my God, that You have deigned to create me; But tell me. I pray to You, what means the message of these words: “Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Have there been other men before me?”
‘Then said God: “Be you welcome, O my servant Adam.
I tell you that you are the first man whom I have created.
And he whom you have seen [mentioned] is your son, Who shall come into the world many years hence, and shall be my Messenger, for whom I have created all things; Who shall give light to the world when he shall come; whose soul was set in a celestial splendour; sixty thousand years before I made anything.”159
In another place from the same Gospel it is found: Then, Adam, turning around, saw written above the gate, “There is only one God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”160
And in another place from the same Gospel, it says: Whereupon God will have mercy upon the world, And will send his Messenger for whom he has made all things who shall come from the south with power, And shall destroy the idols with the idolaters who shall take away the dominion from Satan which he has over men.
He shall bring with him the mercy of God for salvation of them that shall believe in him, And blessed is he who shall believe his words.
“Unworthy though I am to untie his hosen, I have received grace and mercy from God to see him.”161
It is sufficient for ascertaining the glad tidings of the Torah and the Bible about our Prophet, Muhammad (S), that he called the Jews and the Christians, and their rulers, rabbis, monks and clerics to Islam. He announced the deviation of the Jewish belief: Uzayr is the son of Allah;162 and for the Christian belief: Surely Allah is the third of the three.163
He made known very clearly that it was he for whom the Torah and the Bible gave glad tidings.
Those who follow the Messenger-Prophet, the Ummi, whom they find written down with them in the Tawrat and the Injil.164
And when ‘Isa son of Maryam said: O children of Israel! Surely I am the apostle of Allah to you, verifying that which is before me of the Tawrat and giving the good news of an Apostle who will come after me, his name being Ahmad.165
Is it possible to make such an announcement about this claim when he is not truthful in it; especially before those enemies who used to wait for every opportunity to condemn him, physically or mentally?
Indeed, the rabbis, the monks, the Jewish and Christian scholars and their rulers exploited all resources to stand before him. They strived to oppose him, but returned disappointed and unsuccessful, even in battles and disputes. How did they fail in confronting this annihilating claim and become incapable of facing it and invalidating it?
Indeed, this disgraceful silence of the Jewish and Christian scholars and rulers, and that clear claim from the Prophet (S), is a conclusive proof over the confirmation of those glad tidings during that time. They did not spare a moment before changing their books to protect their worldly positions and status before the people. This is apparent from the report of a Christian cleric who became a Muslim and wrote a book called Anis al-A’lam. Its summary is stated below: I was born near the Armenian Churches. Towards the end of my studies, I started to serve one the Catholic Bishops. Around four to five hundred listeners used to attend his lecture. One day, the students were discussing between them in the absence of the teacher. When I entered his presence he asked me, “What were they discussing?”
I said, “About the word Paraclete.”
Thus, he asked me about the views of the ones discussing so I informed him. He said, “The truth is other than what they have said!” Then he gave me the key to a box, which I used to think contains his treasure. He said, “In this box are two books; one is in Syriac language and the other is in Greek. Both of these were written before the deputation of Muhammad (S). Bring them to me.”
When I brought him the books, he showed me the sentence that contained the word Paraclete and said, “This word means Ahmad and Muhammad.” He then added, “Before the deputation of Muhammad, there was no difference between the Christian clerics about the meaning of this word. However, they changed his name after his deputation.”
I asked him about the religion of the Christians. Thus, he said, “It is abrogated. The path of salvation is confined to the following of Muhammad (S).”
I asked him, “Why do you not display that?”
He answered, “If I displayed that they will kill me.”
At that point we both cried. Then I travelled with this provision which I took from my teacher to Muslim countries.
The recitation of those two books was enough to bring change to the belief of that cleric. After being honoured with faith in Islam, he compiled his book, Anis al-A’lam in nullifying Christianity and proving that the true religion is Islam. His book shows his pursuit and research on the Torah and the Bible.
Notes:
152. Deuteronomy: 33.
153. Genesis: 21.
154. Holy Qur’an, 9: 73.
155. Habakkuk: 3.
156. John: 14.
157. Ibid: 15.
158. Gospel of St. Barnabas: 112.
159. Ibid: 39: 14-20.
160. Ibid: 41.
161. Gospel of St. Barnabas: 97.
162. Holy Qur’an, 9: 30.
163. Holy Qur’an, 5: 73.
164. Holy Qur’an, 7: 157.
165. Holy Qur’an, 61: 6.