Old Testament:

We read the following words from Chapter 18 of the Book of Deuteronomy:

Comparison between Moses, Muhammad and Jesus (Peace be upon them)

Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhammad is like Moses.

Further Proofs:

Let us examine the prophecy in (Deuteronomy 18:18) in a greater detail. "I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee..." The emphasis is on the words -- "From among their brethren".
Moses and his people, the Jews, are here addressed as a racial entity, and as such their 'brethren' undoubtedly be the Arabs.

Ishmael the First born and Arbas are the brethren of the Jews

The Holy Bible speaks of Abraham as the "Friend of God". Abraham had two wives-- Sarah and Hagar. Hagar bore Abraham a son- "His first-born"--"...And Abram called his son's name, which Hagr bare, Ishmael" (Genesis 16:15). "And Abraham took Ishmael his son.... " (Genesis 17:23). "And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin". (Genesis 17:25).

Up to the age of thirteen Ishmael was the Only son and seed of Abraham, when the covenant was ratified between God and Abraham. God granted Abraham another son through Sarah, named Isaac, who was very much the junior to his brother Ishmael.

Now, if Ishmael and Isaac are the sons of the same father Abraham, then they are brothers. And so the children of the one are brethren of the children of the other. The children of Isaac are the Jews and the children of Ishmael are the Arabs-- so they are brethren to one another. The Bible also affirms, "And he (Ishmael) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren" (Genesis 16:12). "And he (Ishmael) died in the presence of all his brethren" (Genesis 25:18). The children of Isaac are the brethren of the Ishmaelites. In like manner Muhammad is from amnong the brethren of the Israelites because he was a descendant of Ishmael the son of Abraham. This is exactly as the prophecy has it- "From among their brethren". There the prophecy distinctly mentions that the coming prophet who would be like Moses, must arise not from the "children of Israel" or from among themselves, but from among their brethren. Muhammad therefore was from among their brethren!

Put the words in the mouth, Khadija is the witness

The prophecy of (Deuteronomy: 18:18) proceeds further: "... And I will put my words into his mouth..." This means that God will put the unheard words into the promised prophet's mouth. The words of the Holy Qur'an, the Revelation vouchsafed by the Almighty God to Muhammad were actually revealed.

History tells us that Muhammad was forty years of age (610CE). He was in a cave some three miles north of the city of Mecca. It was the 27th night of the Muslim month of Ramadan. In the cave the Archangel Gabriel commanded him in his mother tongue: 'Ikra' which means Read! or Proclaim! or Recite! Muhammad is terrified and in his bewilderment replied "I am not learned!" The angel commanded him a second time with the same result. For the third time the angel continued "Ikra Bismi RabbikaAllaazi Khalaq".

Now Muhammd, grasps, that what was required of him was to repeat! And he repeated the words as they were put into his mouth:

"Ikra Bismi RabbikaAllaazi Khalaq"-- "Read! in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, who created-

"Khalaqal Insaana Min A'laq"--"created man, from a (mere) clot of congealed blood:"

"Ikra Wa Rabbukal Akram"--"Read! and thy Lord is most bountiful"-

"Allazi A'llama Bil Qalam"--"He Who taught (the use of ) the Pen"

"A'llamal Insaana lam Iya'lam"--"Taught man that which he new not".

These are the first five verses which were revealed to Muhammad which now occupy the beginning of the 96th chapter of the Holy Qur'an..

Immediately the angel had departed, Muhammad rushed to his home. Terrified and sweating all over he asked his beloved wife Khadija to 'cover him up!' He lay down, and she watched by him. When he had regained his composure, he explained to her what he had seen and heard. She assured him of her faith in him and that Allah would not allow such a terrible thing to happen to him. Are these the confessions of an imposter? Would imposters confess that when an angel of the Lord confronts them with a Message from on High, they get fear-stricken, terrified, and sweating all over, run home to their wives? Any critic can see that his reactions and confessions are that of an honest, sincere man, the man of truth-"Al-Aamin"-The Honest, the Upright, the Truthful.

During the next twenty-three years of his prophetic life, words were "put into his mouth", and he uttered them. They made an indeliable impression on his heart and mind: and as the volume of the Sacred Scripture (Holy Qur'an) grew, they were recorded on palm-leaf fibre, on skins and on the shoulder-blades of animals; and in the hearts of his devoted disciples. Before his demise these words were arranged in the order in which we find them today in the Holy Qur'an.

The words (revelation) were actually put into his mouth, exactly as foretold in the prophecy under discussion ((Deuteronomy 18:18).

Muhammad's experience in the cave of Hira, later to be known as Jabal-un-Noor-The Mountain of Light, and his response to the first Revelation is the exact fulfilment of another Biblical Prophecy of ( Isaiah 29:12).

In the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 29, verse 12, we read: ("King James Version" or the "Authorised Version")

"And The Book is delivered to him that is not learned, Saying, 'Read this, I pray thee*:' And he saith, 'I am not learned' "

(* The words 'I pray thee' are not in the Hebrew manuscripts, compare with the Roman Catholics' "Douay Version" and also with the "Revised Standard Versions")

"I am not learned" is the exact words Muhammad uttered twice to the Holy Ghost--the Archangel Gabriel, when he was commanded to Read!

It may be noted here that there were no Arabic Bibles in existence in the 6th Century of the Christian Era when Muhammad lived and preached! Besides, he was absolutely unlettered and un-learned. No human had ever taught him a word. His teacher was his Creator, Elohim or Allah. Therefore, one can not claim that Muhammad pretended to be the promised prophet knowing the biblical verse beforehand.

In My Name:

In (Deuteronmy 18:19) note the words, "... My Words which he shall speak in My Name".

In whose name is Muhammad speaking?

Everey Chapter of the Holy Qur'an (except the 9th Chapter) begins with,
"Bism-i-Allah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim", meaning "In the Name of Allah (the proper name of the One and Unique True God), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

The Muslims begin his every lawful act with the Holy formula. But the Christians begin: "In the name of the Father, son and holy ghost".

Concerning (Deuteronmy 18:18-19) more than 15 reasons have been cited as to how this prophecy refers to Muhammad and not to Jesus.

However, if these words (Deuteronomy 18:18-19) do not apply to Muhammad, they still remain unfulfilled. The Christians argue that it refers to Jesus. They say Jesus is like Moses firstly because: Moses was a Jew and Jesus was a Jew. Secondly Moses was a prophet and Jesus was also a prophet. However, the words of (Deuteronomy: 18:18-19) do not refer to Jesus at all. Jesus himself never claimed to be the Prophet alluded to. Even his disciples were of the same opinion: they looked to the second coming of Jesus for the fulfilment of the prophecy described in the following verses of The Acts.

22: For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. (The Acts 3:21-22)

Another Prophecy of Moses

In ascertaining the personality of the promised prophet the other prophecy of Moses is, however, very helpful where it speaks of the shining forth of God from Paran, the Mecca mountain. The words in Chapter 33 of the Book of Deuteronomy run as follows:

Hagar, with her son Ishmael, wondered in the wilderness of Beersheba, who afterwards dwelt in the wilderness of Paran.

Ishmael married an Egyptian woman, and through his first-born, Kedar, gave descent to the Arabs who from that time till now are the dwellers of the wilderness of Paran. And if Muhammd admittedly on all hands traces his descent to Ishmael through Kedar and he appeared as a prophet in the wilderness of Paran and re-entered Mecca with ten thousand saints and gave a fiery law to his people, is not the prophecy above-mentioned fulfilled to its very letter?

The Region of Kedar and Ancient Arabia

The words of the Prophecy in Habakkuk are especially noteworthy. His (the Holy One from Paran) glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of his praise.

In connection with it there are two other prophecies worthy of note where references have been made to Kedar. The one runs in Isaiah as follows:

Now, if Ishmael inhabited the wilderness of Paran, where he gave birth to Kedar, who is the ancestor of the Arabs; and if the sons of Kedar had to  receive revelation from God; if the flocks of Kedar had to come up with acceptance to a Divine altar to glorify "the house of my glory" where the darkness had to cover the earth for some centuries, and then that very land had to receive light from God; and if all the glory of Kedar had to fail and the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, had to diminish within a year after the one fled from the drawn swords and from the bent bows- the Holy One from Paran (Habakkuk 3: 3) is no one else than Muhammad.

Muhammad is the holy offspring of Ishmael through Kedar, who settled in the wilderness of Paran. Muhammad is the only prophet through whom the Arabs received revelation at the time when the darkness had covered the earth. Through him God shone from Paran, and Mecca is the only place where the house of God is glorified and the flocks of Kedar come up with acceptance on its altar. Muhammad was persecuted by his people and he had to leave Mecca. He was thirsty and fled from the drawn sword and the bent bow, and within a year after his flight the descendants of Kedar meet him at Badr, the place of the first battle between the Meccans and the Prophet, the children of Kedar and their number of archers diminish and all the glory of Kedar fails.

If the Holy Prophet Muhammad is not to be accepted as the fulfilment of all these prophecies they will still remain unfulfilled.

"The house of my glory" referred to in (Isaiah 60:7) is the house of God at Mecca and not the Church of Christ as thought by Christian Commentators. The flocks of Kedar, as mentioned in (Isaiah 60:7), have never come to the Church of Christ; and it is a fact that the villages of Kedar and their inhabitants are the only people in the whole world who have remained impenetrable to any influence of the Church of Christ.

Again, the mention of 10,000 saints in (Deuteronomy 33:2), is very significant. He shined forth from Paran, and he came with 10,000 of saints. Read the whole history of the wilderness of Paran and you will find no other event but when Mecca was conquered by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He comes with 10,000 followers from Medina and re-enters "The house of my glory", Ka'ba. He gives the fiery law to the world, which reduces to ashes all other laws.

The Comforter- the Spirit of Truth- spoken of by Jesus was no other than Muhammad himself. It can not be taken as the Holy Ghost, as the Church theology says.

"It is expedient for you that I go away", says Jesus, "for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart I will send him unto you". (John 16:7)

Are we to presume that Jesus was devoid of the Holy Ghost if his coming was conditional on the going of Jesus? Besides, the way in which Jesus describes him makes him a human being, not a ghost. "He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear that he shall speak" (John 16:13).

13: Howbeit when he, the spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. (John 16:13).

Should we presume that the Holy Ghost and God are two distinct entities and that the Holy Ghost speaks of himself and also what he hears from God?

The words of Jesus clearly refer to some messenger from God. He calls him the Spirit of Truth, and so the Qur'an speaks of Muhammad, "Nay, he has come with the Truth and verified the apostles".

In New Testament times, we find that the Jews were still expecting the fulfilment of the prophecy of 'ONE LIKE MOSES'; refer to John 1: 19-25. When Jesus claimed to be the Messiah of the Jews, the Jews began to inquire as to where was Elias. The Jews had a parallel prophecy that before the coming of the Messiah, Elias must come first. Jesus confirms this Jewish belief:

"... Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, ... Then the disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist" (Holy Bible, Matthew 17:11-13).

According to the New Testament the Jews were not the ones to swallow the words of any would-be Messiah. In their investigations they underwent intense difficulties in order to find their true Messiah. And this the Gospel of John confirms:

"And this is the record of John" (the Baptist) "when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ". (This was only natural because there can not be two Messiahs at the same time. If Jesus was the Christ then John could not be the Christ! It should be noted here that the Jews were expecting a single Messiah, not two.)

"And they asked him, what then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not".

We Muslims know John the Baptist as Hazrat Yahyaa Alai-his-salaam (peace be upon him). We revere him as a true prophet of Allah. The Holy Prophet Jesus known to us as Hazrat ISAA Alai-his-salaam (peace be upon him), is also esteemed as one of the mightiest messengers of the Almighty. How can we Muslims impute lies to either of them? We leave this problem between Jesus and John for the Christian's to solve, for their "sacred scriptures" abound in discrepancies which they have been glossing over as the "dark sayings of Jesus".

Please note that three different and distinct questions were posed to John the Baptist and to which he gave three emphatic "NO"s as answers. To recapitulate--

(1) Art thou the Christ?
(2) Art thou Elias?
(3) Art thou that prophet?

But the learned men of Christendom somehow only see two questions implied here!

To make doubly clear that the Jews definitely had THREE separate prophecies in their minds when they were interrogating John the Baptist, let us read the remonstrance of the Jews in the verses following--

"And they asked him, and said unto him, why batizest thou then, if thou be
(1) not that Christ,
(2) nor Elias,
(3) neither that prophet?" (Holy Bible, John 1:25)

The Jews were waiting for the fulfilment of THREE distinct prophecies: One, the coming of Christ. Two, the coming of Elias, and Three, the coming of that prophet.

THAT PROPHET

If we look up any Bible which has a concordance or cross-references, then we will find in the marginal note where the words "the prophet", or "that prophet" occur in John 1:25, that these words refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18.

And that 'that prophet'-'the prophet like Moses'--"like unto thee", we have proved through overwhelming evidence that he was Muhammed and not Jesus!

We Muslims are not denying that Jesus was the "Messiah", which word is translated as "Christ". We are not contesting the "thousand and one prophecies" which the Christians claim abound in the Old Testament foretelling the coming of the Messiah. What we say is that Deuteronomy 18:18 does NOT refer to Jesus Christ but it is an explicit prophecy about the Holy Prophet Muhammad!

Also, Jesus was telling the people that the Promised Messiah will not come in the line of David as was written in their Bible. Because the Jewish Rabbais had deliberately replaced the name of Ishmael with Isaac in their Bible. This will be clear from the following verses from the New Testament.

41: While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42:  Saying, What think ye of Christ [Messiah]? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.
43:  He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying
44:  The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
45:  If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
46: And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst ant man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
(Matthew 22:41-46)

Explanation: Here Jesus certainly was not talking about the Christ himself but of the Messiah that will follow him. He actually mentioned that the Promised Messiah will come in the lineage of Ishmael. Please refer to the following link in the Gospel of Barnabas: Promise not Made in Isaac!  (http://www.barnabas.net/barnabasP44.html). Gospel of Matthew ends in verse 46 above, but the Gospel of Barnabas will tell you the whole truth.

Let us look at the Hebrew pronunciation of the above verse in English:

Hikko Mamittadim Vikullo Mahamudim
Zehdudi Vezem Raai Benute Yapus Halam

(The hebrew text will be inserted here later, when received)

In Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic languages, in addition to the plural of numbers, there is a term called plural of respect and dignity. In Hebrew language, the suffix im is sometimes added to the end of a proper name to mean the Great so and so. This is a plural of dignity or respect in Hebrew language. For example, the name of God in Hebrew is Elohim; here the suffix im after Eloh stands to mean The Great Eloh or The Great Allah (The proper name of the One and Unique True God).

Thus, the actual translation of the above verse should be:

His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is Mahamud. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.