The Codes of Training

The Codes of Training27%

The Codes of Training Author:
Translator: Sayyid Tahir Bilgrami
Publisher: Ansariyan Publications – Qum
Category: Family and Child
ISBN: 964-438-574-8

The Codes of Training
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The Codes of Training

The Codes of Training

Author:
Publisher: Ansariyan Publications – Qum
ISBN: 964-438-574-8
English

This book is corrected and edited by Al-Hassanain (p) Institue for Islamic Heritage and Thought

The Codes of Training

Author: Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini

Translator: Sayed Tahir Bilgrami

Publisher: Ansariyan Publications - Qum

First Edition 1425 -1383 - 2004

ISBN: 964-438-574-8

www.alhassanain.org/english

Notice:

This work is published on behalf of www.alhassanain.org/english

The typing errors are n’t corrected.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Translator’s Note 5

Foreword 6

1) THE PARENTS’ RESPONSIBILITY 8

2) THE KNOWLEDGE AND MUTUAL COOPERATION OF THE EDUCATORS 12

3) TRAINING-THROUGH DEEDS, NOT JUST TALK 14

4) ABSTAIN FROM DOMESTIC DIFFERENCES 16

5) STARTING LIFE AS A MOTHER 20

6) WELFARE OF THE EMBRYO (FOETUS) DEPENDS ON THE MOTHERS NUTRITION 22

7) THE EFFECT OF THE MOTHERS NUTRITION ON THE FOETUS 23

8) THE MOTHER’S NUTRITION 24

9) CONSUMING TOBACCO 26

10) WHEN PREGNANT WOMEN FALL ILL 27

11) EFFECT OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITION OF THE MOTHER ON THE EMBRYO 28

12) AN ADVICE TO PREGNANT WOMEN 30

13) CLEAN ENVIRONMENT 31

14) MISCARRIAGE 32

15) DIFFICULT DELIVERIES 35

16) AFTER THE BIRTH 38

17) MOTHER’S MILK-THE BEST NUTRITION 39

18) SUPPLEMENT THE MOTHER’S MILK 41

19) WEANING FROM MOTHER’S MILK 42

20) THE SCHEDULE OF BREAST FEEDING 43

21) IF THE MOTHER IS DEFICIENT IN MILK 46

22) WEANING THE CHILD 47

23) DAUGHTER OR SON 48

24) NAMING THE CHILD 50

25) HEALTH AND HYGIENE 52

26) THE CHILD’S SLEEP & FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT 54

27) THE MOST DELICATE PERIOD OF LIFE 55

28) THE NEWBORN AND MORAL UPBRINGING 57

29) RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING OF THE NEW BORN 59

30) THE SENSE OF BELONGING 61

31) WHEN THE CHILD STARTS TO SEE THE WORLD AROUND HIM 63

32) AFFECTION 64

33) THE EXPRESSION OF LOVE AND AFFECTION 67

34) LOVE - NOT AN INSTRUMENT OF CONVENIENCE 69

35) LOVE SHOULD NOT BECOME A HINDRANCE TO GOOD UPBRINGING 70

36) THE SPOILT CHILD 71

37) SUCKING OF THUMBS 74

38) FEAR 76

39) PLAY & RECREATION 80

40) CONCEIT OR PRIDE 84

41) TAQLEED OR EMULATION 85

42) SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH 87

43) SELF-CONFIDENCE 90

44) INDEPENDENCE 94

45) STUBBORNNESS 97

46) WORK AND PERFORMANCE OF DUTIES 100

47) STRAIGHTFORWARDNESS 104

48) KEEPING PROMISES 107

49) OWNERSHIP 109

50) MAGNANIMITY 111

51) A HELPING HAND IN GOOD WORK 114

52) HUMANENESS AND CHILDREN 115

53) JUSTICE & EQUALITY 117

54) RESPECT FOR THE CHILDREN 120

55) SELF-ASSESSMENT & MEANINGFUL EXISTENCE 122

56) THE INCOME OF THE HOUSEHOLD AND EXPENSES 124

57) RESPECT FOR THE LAW 126

58) RESPECT 127

59) THEFT AND KLEPTOMANIA 129

60) JEALOUSY 132

61) ANGER 135

62) TONGUE LASHING & IMPERTINENCE 137

63) BACKBITING OR CARRYING WORDS 139

64) FAULT-FINDING 141

65) CHILDREN’S QUARRELS 142

66) FRIENDS & FRIENDSHIP 146

67) THE CHILD & THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION 149

68) THE CHILD & THE RELIGIOUS DUTIES 151

69) POLITICAL & SOCIAL TRAINING 154

70) THE CHILD & THE RADIO AND TELEVISION 156

71) THE GENDER PROBLEMS 160

72) THE HABIT OF READING BOOKS 166

73) PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN 170

74) PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT 172

75) NON-PHYSICAL PUNISHMENTS 175

76) ENCOURAGEMENT & REWARD 177

Notes 179

The Translator’s Note

My friend Riaz Ahmed gave me a copy of the Urdu translation of the book to read and attempt its translation into the English language. He told me that the sponsors are keen to have the book published in the English language for the benefit of young, eligible, girls, newly married couples and expectant mothers who do not have proficiency in Persian, the language of the original text, nor can they read Urdu in which it has been translated and published. After reading the book I am convinced that it is a highly commendable project. I feel a copy should reach every household. It should be a part of the dower of newly wed brides, it should be presented to the young married couples and it must be there on every family bookshelf. The book should adorn the bed- side table of every young couple and will be a very useful reference and guide for proper upbringing of children.

Ayatollah Ustaz Ibrahim Amini has rightly pointed out in his foreword that the western libraries are chock full of works on child rearing and upbringing, but we find hardly any comprehensive reference on the subject with particular emphasis on the Islamic norms and guidelines for upbringing of children. The Western works are more materialistic which emphasize only on the material and moral aspects of child rearing. It is Islam that covers all the aspects including the religious and spiritual guidelines for bringing up the children as good Muslims and citizens. He has extensively quoted from the Holy Book and the Traditions of the Holy Prophet and his Infallible Descendants.

The need for English translations of Islamic works is universally felt and lot of work is being done in this direction. There is a very large section of Muslim youth, although fluent at speaking in their native languages, are more comfortable communicating in English which has assumed the status of lingua franca for them. We also come across people from other faiths who are curious to know more about Islam and they wish to have access to good literature on the subject in the English language. If the publication of the translation of this book sees the light of the day, it will be another small, but significant step, towards dissemination of Islamic precepts to a wide spectrum of people in the East and the West. Insha Allah.

Syed Tahir Bilgrami

11, Methodist Colony, Begumpet,

Hyderabad- 500016, INDIA

Foreword

There is pronounced difference between education and training or upbringing. Education means inculcation of knowledge, or imparting the meanings of the contents of curricula. But upbringing is molding of personalities on desired lines. The society can be transformed with proper upbringing of its population.

It is imperative that upbringing is based on well thought out program to ensure the degree of desired success. Upbringing is not only sermonizing and admonishing but it requires creation of the right environment towards attainment of the desired results. The criteria necessary for proper upbringing can be listed as:

The mentor should be properly acquainted with the student whose upbringing he is assigned to take up. He should familiarize himself with the physical and mental status of the student.

The mentor should have defined aims of the training program for the student. The ultimate goal of the upbringing process has to be the development of the student into a humane person.

The training program to be inclusive of the desirable criteria and conditions for producing best results. The mentor then can expect positive results over a period of time.

The best period for commencement of the upbringing or training is the childhood of the student. Childhood is the most impressionable period in the life of a person. At this delicate and responsible juncture the parents can play a very crucial role. But upbringing of small children is not an easy and simple function and requires deep thought of identification, knowledge, experience, determination and perseverance in the mentor or the parents. It is sad that most parents are found ignorant of the art of upbringing of the children. This is the reason most children are not receiving upbringing on desirable lines and they keep growing like self-sustained saplings.

In the progressive countries of the West and the East upbringing of children receives prime importance. They have conducted lot of research in this field. Many useful books have been published on the subject and they have many experts in the field. But in our country scant attention has been given to this crucial matter. We have few knowledgeable persons in this discipline and very few books on the subject which are absolutely insufficient. Quite a few books have been translated from other languages into Persian which are available to people. But these books from the West and the East have two big lacunae.

The first lacuna is that they treat of only the physical requirement of the students and the stress is on the worldly education of the subjects. All the research rotates around these aspects only and they are totally silent on the spiritual aspect of human life and have ignored any reference to mention of the concept of hereafter.

In the West the only objective is to train the children for their bodies and minds for the attainment of worldly conveniences and pleasures so that when they grow up they have ideal living conditions at their disposal. And if these books deal with the subject of morality they limit themselves to the treatment of morality specific only to the worldly benefits and are totally silent about the rewards or retribution which one can earn on the basis of his actions during the worldly life.

The second lacuna is that the training problems in the West are dependence for a solution only on past experiences and statistics. There is no impress of “Faith” in this process. Therefore, these books are not of comprehensive utility for the people of the Muslim Faith. In the eyes of a Muslim the human being has two pronounced aspects-one is the body and the other is the spirit. One pertains to the worldly life and the other to the Hereafter. In view of this the writer has decided to study and research and thereafter present the conclusions to the seekers of knowledge in the form of a book. For the writing of this book the main source of information has been the Holy Quran, the books of tradition and the writings on moral science. Reference has also been made to works in Arabic and Persian on the training of children, their psychology, health etc. The books written by Iranian scholars on the upbringing of children were also kept in view. The personal experiences of the author have also been invaluable in this effort. It is hoped that this humble presentation will be of use to the mentors who are associated with the training of impressionable minds in the Muslim community.

Ibrahim Amini Najafabadi

January 1980

1) THE PARENTS’ RESPONSIBILITY

In the eyes of Islam the status of the father and the mother is very exalted. Allah, the Holy Prophet and the Infallible Imams have exhorted the people in this regard. There are a lot of verses in the Holy Book relevant to the subject. The exemplary behavior of children towards their parents is rated as one of the best invocations.

Allah says:

“Your God has decreed that thou shalt worship only Him and adopt good behavior with (thy) parents. 17:23”

Imam Ja'far Sadiq observes:

“Three actions are the best: (1) Offer the five mandatory prayers with punctuality, (2) Maintain good behavior with your parents, and (3) Struggle in the cause of Allah.”[1]

Now the question arises why this exalted position has been bestowed on the parents of the Faithful! Is Allah giving this status for no specific reason? What big deed the parents perform for their progeny that they are deemed deserving of the august status. The father, in satisfaction of his carnal desire transfers his sperm into the womb of the mother where it compounds with the ovum and a new being starts to develop and after nine months of the incident arrives into the world as a tiny babe. The mother suckles it and gives it other nutrition. Sometimes she cleans it and sometimes changes its raiment. She cares of its wetness and dryness. During this time the father takes care of the expenses required for the upkeep of the child. Don’t the parents have any other responsibility besides these? Is it because of performing these duties that the parents have been endowed with the exalted status? Do the parents only have a right over their offspring and the children don’t have any rights over them? In my opinion no one will accept any such one sided privilege. The traditions of the Infallibles of the Holy Prophet’s Family are quoted in this regard:

1. The Holy Prophet of Islam has said:

“As your father has a right over you, so does your progeny have a similar right?”[2]

The Prophet also said:

“As are the children disinherited for their disobedience so also it is possible that the parents may be disowned by the children for not fulfilling their bonded duties.[3]

The Prophet said:

“Allah’s curse on such parents who become the cause of disinheriting their children.”[4]

Imam Sajjad said:

“Your children have a right that you consider if they are good or they are bad. You have been the cause of their birth and the world recognizes them as your offspring. It is your responsibility that you teach them good manners and guide them toward the recognition and obedience of Allah. Your behavior towards your children must be of a person who believes that a good deed shall get a suitable reward and ill treatment shall call for retribution.”[5]

Amir al-Mominin Ali says:

“Beware; your behavior might render your family and your relatives part of the ill fated people.”[6]

The Prophet said:

“Whoever wishes that his children are safe from disinheritance, he should help them performing good deeds.”[7]

The Prophet also said:

“To whomsoever a daughter is born should strive to impart norms of good behavior to her and make efforts to educate her. Provide means of comfort to her that she becomes a cause of his deliverance from the Hell Fire.”[8]

Above all, Allah says in the Holy Quran:

“O, Believers! Save yourselves and your dependents from the fire whose fuel are humans and the stones. 66:6”

The time when a child is in the process of adopting a way of life which can make him either virtuous or wicked, he can be metamorphosed into a perfect human being or a degraded wild animal. The virtue or wickedness of a person will be dependent on the upbringing he receives and this responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of the parents. In fact the parents are instruments of shaping a human being, good or bad, from the child. The greatest service which the parents can render to their children is that they train them to be good mannered, kind, friends of humans, well meaning, freedom loving, bold, just, wise, righteous, noble, faithful, dutiful, hard working, educated. The parents must mould their children in such a way that they are successful in both the world and hereafter. Only such people are those who are endowed with the exalted status of parenthood, and not those who in fulfillment of their carnal desire caused the birth of children and left the children to fend for themselves and rendering them likely to fall into evil ways.

The Holy Prophet said:

“The best thing a father provide to his child is good manners and ethical training.”[9]

The mother has a more important function to perform towards the upbringing of the progeny. Even during the pregnancy the mother’s food habits and her behavior affects the future virtuosity or otherwise of the developing child.

The Prophet of Islam said:

“Lucky is the one whose foundation of his virtue has been made in the womb of the mother and unlucky is one whose wickedness had its rudiments in the mother’s womb as well”[10]

The Prophet also said:

“The Janna (Heaven) is under the feet of one’s mother.”[11]

The parents, who don’t pay attention to the education and training of their children, become guilty of gross negligence. Such parents must be asked whether the innocent child pleaded with him to give him birth in the world to be abandoned like sheep and cattle. Now that you have become the cause of his existence, by virtue of religious tenets and human wisdom his education and training is your bonden duty.

The parents are also answerable to the society. Today’s children will be men and women, the citizens of tomorrow. The fabric of the society will be made of these individuals. Whatever lessons they learn today, they shall put them into practice tomorrow. If their upbringing today is perfect, the society of tomorrow shall be flawless. And if today’s generation follows a faulty program of training it is imperative that tomorrow's society will be evil and perverted. The personalities in the field s of politics, education and society shall emerge from these elements. Today’s children are tomorrow’s parents. Today’s children can be tomorrow’s reformers. If they have received good training at the hands of their parents, they in turn can carry forward this practice with their children. If the parents have the will, they can be the instruments of the reform of the society for the future and with neglect of the children they can be the cause of the ruination of the society. By giving the right training to their children, the parents can render invaluable service to their society.

Education and training should not be treated as an insignificant subject. The efforts which the parents make to educate their children and the hardships that they undergo in this quest result in the creation of thousands of professors, doctors, and engineers. It is the parents who strive to nurture perfect human beings, capable and pious mentors and other professionals.

The mothers in particular bear more responsibility for the upbringing of the children. The children spend most of their childhood with the mothers. The foundation of the direction their future is bound to take is laid here. So, the key to the vice or virtue of a person and the progress or decline of a society is with the mothers of the society. The woman’s place is not in the shop floor, ministerial or administrative positions. These functions don’t measure up to the importance of a woman as a mother. Mothers breed perfect human beings. Virtuous ministers, lawyers, professors owe their positions to the loving care received from their mothers during their formative years.

The parents, who nurture truthful, pious children not only serve their children and the society but also create a niche for themselves in the society. These children will be a support of the parents in their frail old age. If parents strive towards the education and upbringing of their children they reap the harvest of their troubles during their lifetime only.

Hazrat Ali says:

“Evil off-spring is among the greatest hardships for the parents.”[12]

Hazrat Ali also says:

“Evil off-spring causes loss of respect for the parents and the successors are shamed.”[13]

The Prophet of Islam says:

“May Allah bless the parents who trained their children to behave justly with them.”[14]

Therefore those who attain parenthood have great responsibility on their shoulders. This responsibility is to Allah Almighty as also to their fellow human beings and also to their own children. If they discharge the responsibility properly they will be rewarded in this world and hereafter. But if they falter in the discharge of this responsibility then they themselves will be the losers and they will be tantamount to have cheated their own children and the society at large and they would be perpetrating an unpardonable sin.

2) THE KNOWLEDGE AND MUTUAL COOPERATION OF THE EDUCATORS

The training and upbringing of a child is not an easy and simple task that the parents can perform with little or no effort. This task requires, in fact, delicate handling and temperament. There are myriads of fine points to be considered to achieve success in the efforts. The mentor has to relate himself with the spirit of the child. He cannot perform the task without knowing the spiritual, psychological, educational and practical niceties of the job. A child’s world is a world of his own and his imaginations and fantasies will be unique to him. These cannot be compared to the thought process of the adults. The child’s spirit will be delicate and will be very impressionable. The child will be a human being in miniature that has not as yet assumed a permanent identity but it has the capability to attain this change. The mentor of the child has to be capable of fathoming and identifying a human being and, also, identifying the mind of the children. He should have a keen eye on the intricacies of the process of upbringing. He should be aware of the human capabilities and failings. He should have sense of responsibility and keen interest in the job on hand. He should be patient and courageous that the hardships don’t overpower him. Besides, the rules of training are not rigid and cannot be implemented the same way under different circumstances. In fact these rules have to be modified and applied to each individual child according to his physical make up and mental capabilities. The parents must keenly observe the physical built of the child and educate him keeping this factor in mind. Otherwise, the effort may not bring about the desired result.

The man and woman should acquire knowledge about education and training before parenting a child. The education of the child commences with its birth and, in fact, from the time of conception. During this period the foundation of the child’s nature is established and his nature, behavior, thinking process starts taking shape.

It is not right that the parents remain unconcerned during this visibly dormant period. .

They postpone the upbringing of the expected new arrival till its actual arrival. They tend to keep away this task till the child is capable of distinguishing between good and bad behavior. While it may be easier to correct the behavioral defects in the early stages, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to effect these corrections once the habits are formed.

Hazrat Ali says:

“The most difficult politics is bringing about changes in the habits of people.”[15]

Hazrat Ali also says:

“Habits settle down upon people.”[16]

Hazrat Ali says:

“Habits become second nature.”[17]

Shunning habits is so difficult that doing it is considered amongst better invocations.

Hazrat Ali says:

“Overcoming bad habits is amongst benevolent invocations.”[18]

Another important factor in imparting ideal training to the child is the coordination and cooperation between the parents and other mentors like the grand parents on the program of training to be followed. Their joint effort will produce the desired results. But if any one of them takes a cavalier attitude on the training process, the results may not me as desired.

The child should be made aware of its duty. When the parents give contrary directions the child gets confused. Particularly if they insist on their contrary points of view, there is likelihood of negative results in the process of the training of the child. The biggest difficulty in imparting training to the child is that the father makes a decision about him and the mother or the grand parents insist on a contrary course. There is always a need for such understanding between the mentors that the child is able to clearly understand what he has to do and the idea of doing anything against this does not enter his mind.

Sometimes it happens that the father is well educated and reasonable and the mother of the child is ill tempered and uneducated. Sometimes the situation is reversed, when the mother is better equipped to train the child and the father is not. Many families face this problem. Children in such families do not receive proper training. But this doesn’t mean that they should give up efforts of properly training their children.

In such a difficult situation the responsibility become more pronounced. The need in such a situation is to give more thought to the program of educating the child. The parents should make sincere efforts to overcome the lacunae in their character and behavior and give more attention to the children. With good actions the parents can attract the children’s attention and set a desirable example before them. The parent’s action should help the child to decide what is good for him and what is not. If the mentor is wise, thoughtful and patient he can to a greater extent counter the negative impact of his wife’s behavior on the training of the child. This is no doubt a difficult task but there is no way out of it.

One intellectual says:

“A family in which the father and the mother think alike about the upbringing of the children and are able to mould their character and actions accordingly the impact on the senses of the children will be ideal. The family unit is a small society in which the child’s moral character assumes definite form. A family in which the members are friendly towards each other their children are generally mild mannered, self-respecting and judicious. Against this, a family where the parents have the habit of contradicting each other their children will be morally deficient, pretentious and excitable.”

3) TRAINING-THROUGH DEEDS, NOT JUST TALK

Most parents think that oral instructions and occasional talk about dos and don’ts is sufficient for good upbringing of children. They presume that the upbringing of the child is thus taken care of and they do not have to do anything about the upbringing of the child concerning other walks of life. This is why such parents do not feel any need to think of the upbringing till the child is a tiny tot. They say that the child is still a babe and is incapable of understanding anything about upbringing. When the child comes to the age of understanding they give a thought to its upbringing. It is the period in the life of a child when he starts discriminating between good and bad. While this thinking is incorrect, the child, as a matter of fact, is ready for the upbringing the day he is born. He gets trained every moment and his nature is molded in a particular way. Whether the parents are aware of this process or not the child does waits not for any initiative on their part. The child’s active mind and other senses are like a camera, which keeps preserving images of what happens in its environment. A child of five to six years would have acquired a certain character. Good or bad habits would have got engrained in its nature and it would be a difficult task to bring about a change in his behavior. The child, as a matter of fact, is a mimic. It tries to emulate its parents and the other inmates in its surroundings. The child views its parents with a degree of respect and makes efforts to copy their life style. Their actions become his yardstick for good and bad actions. The nature of a child is not cast in a mould but it takes the parents as the example to follow. The child depends more on the behavior of the parents as a model for its actions than any amount of sermonizing.

The daughter observes her mother and learns the niceties of house keeping. She sees her father and understands the nature of men. The boy takes lessons about life from his father’s actions and from his mother’s behavior he learns about the nature of women.

It is therefore necessary for responsible people to reform themselves at the outset and if they have any flaws in their behavior they should avoid them. In a nutshell, they should mould themselves into good human beings before they embark on the road to parenthood.

The parents should give a thought to what sort of offspring the desire to give to the society. If they feel that their child should be a morally upright, kind, humane, freedom loving and responsible person then they too have to be owning such characteristics that they set an example for him to emulate. The mother wishes that her daughter should be responsible, kind, equanimous person who respects the feelings of her spouse then she should herself try to fit into these norms. The daughter will then observe the behavior pattern of the mother and automatically mould herself the same way. If the mother is an ill tempered, lazy, disorderly, untidy and selfish person then she cannot expect to train her daughter only through lecturing on the norms of good behavior.

Only those persons can competently train and bring up children properly who had similar upbringing themselves in their childhood. They will have better understanding of the nature and psyche of the children. The parents who have differences and pick up fights over trivialities will be incompetent in bringing up children. Similarly professional educators who have taken up the task only for the material remuneration, who are impatient, excitable and do not have an understanding of the child’s nature and psyche will not be able to put their trainees on the right track.

Dr. Jalali writes:

“Whosoever has the responsibility of upbringing a child should occasionally do introspection on his own character and behavior, realize his responsibilities and try to correct his failings.”

Hazrat Ali says:

“The person who is in the lead should first reform himself and then try to correct others. Before teaching the norms of good behavior to others he should set an example himself. One who educates himself in learning and manners is more deserving of respect than he who only teaches the norms of good behavior to others.”[19]

“You respect your elders that your children respect you.”[20]

“If you wish to reform others, then commence the exercise with reforming yourself. If you like to correct others and keep yourself flawed it will be the biggest blemish.”[21]

“When the talking tongue is silent on sermonizing and the actions of the sermonizer speak for themselves, then no ears can keep the sermon out and nothing is more effectively beneficial than this.”[22]

One lady writes in a letter:

“…my parents’ character has deeply impressed me. They have always been kind to their children. I never found any flaw in their words or deeds. We also acquired this habit. I cannot forget their good character and behavior. Now that I am a mother my endeavor is to see that I don’t do any thing in the presence of the children, which is not considered good. My parent’s character is the example to be emulated in my life. I try to see that my children too are brought up the same way.”

Another lady wrote in a letter:

“…When I recapitulate my past life I recall that my mother used to argue and shout on trivial matters. Now that I am a mother I feel that with a little difference my condition is nearly the same as my mother’s was. All her negative manners have become a part of my character. The strange problem is that however much I try to reform myself I am unable to make much progress. Definitely it is proved in my case that the parents’ character and behavior has far-reaching effect on the molding of the character of their children. The saying, therefore, is correct that a mother with the good training of her children can transform the world.”

The Mission of Prophet Jesus

In order for us to understand the mission of Prophet Jesus it is essential to be acquainted with the period during which Jesus was living.

Christianity has emerged from Judaism. As most of the first Christians were Jews, the rest being converts, their history is deeply rooted in Judaism. The roots of Christianity are most directly traced to the period of Hellenistic Judaism (4th century BC to the 2nd century) of the ancient Greek culture. This period was introduced with Alexander theGreat’s conquest of Palestine in 332 BC. When Alexander the Great conquered Palestine, it became a Greek state. During this period the Israelites had been inflicted with various caste and tribal differences. The Roman kings had subjugated them and their main city of Jerusalem was under the reign of the Roman government.

Hellenistic influences on Jewish culture and religion were evident by the early 2nd century BC, when Hellenizing Jews took control of the high priesthood. During this time the Syrian King Antiochus IVEpiphanes gave an edict against the practice of the Jewish religion. Hellenistic Judaism continued and reached its climax during the reign of Herod I of Judea (37 BC-AD4).

The idolatrous Roman rulers had built many temples in Palestine and created various idols.

The Israelites on the other hand, after several centuries had passed from the time of Moses, were afflicted with various superstitions, theological divisions and deviations. As gradually the spell of Hellenistic influences fell upon the priesthood, the lay scribes found themselves more and more the only guardians and exponents of the Law. The scribes and teachers of Scripture gained the title of Rabbi (‘my lord’ in Hebrew) which was meant to be a title of respect. Rabbis proved by the Law (Ex. 34:37) that oral traditions (theMishna and the Talmud which was its commentary) should be preferred to the written Law (Torah). The Rabbis had perverted the Jewish scriptures and religion had become a means of their earning. Abuse of power byRabbinical figures had reached the extreme.

According to William Durant in his Story of Civilization, the Jewish merchants dissimulated in their transactions. They then assumed that by merely offering a sacrifice or prayer, their vices were compensated. In short, the Jewish community was politically, socially and religiously in decline.

The holy Quran in variousAyaat condemns theRabbinic perversion of the Mosaic Law. InSurah al-Baqarah the Almighty God reveals:

“Then Woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say this is from Allah, to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn.” [2:79]

It was under such circumstances that the Almighty Allah sent Prophet Jesus to the Children of Israel to confirm the Torah and to bring the lost sheep of Israel to the Right Path. “And when Jesus, son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Torah which came before me…” [61:6]

The following are the main themes of Jesus` mission as described in the holy Quran.

1. Monotheism

Like all other prophets, Jesus began his mission by preaching the unity of God. His first address to the Israelites was, “Truly Allah is my Lord and your Lord so worship Him alone. This is the straight path.” [3:51]

Neither Jesus nor any other Messenger of God had ever called to the worship of other than Almighty Allah. Jesus never called himself "God" or "son of God".

As already noted, the first Christians were Jews, so they worshipped only God. As long as Jesus lived with his community he made sure no one ever believed in his deity. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus states: “Never did I say to them aught except whatYou (Allah) did command me to say: Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but whenYou took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all things.” [5:117]

2. Acknowledging the Torah

Jesus in his teachings confirmed the Torah of Moses. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus states: “I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Torah which came before me…” [61:6]

Prophet Jesus did not come to abolish the Torah, in all his teachings he acknowledged it although he did correct the perversions being taught by the rabbis. Nonetheless he made some minor abrogation to the law of Torah and accomplished some of its teachings.

St. Paul; the author of several Epistles in the New Testament, allegedly claimed in his letter to Ephesians [2:14-15] that Jesus had abolished the Law with all its commandments and regulations. Matthew in his Gospel narrated from Jesus quite the contrary: “Do not suppose that I came to annul the Law of the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to complete them; for I assure you, while heaven and earth endure not one iota or one projection of a letter will be dropped from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever, therefore, abolishes the least significant of these commands and so teaches the people, he shall be of least significance in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever shall observe and teach them shall be prominent in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteous surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not at all enter into the kingdom of heaven.” [Matt. 5:17-20]

It is worth mentioning that Paul, although a high-ranking Jew who referred to himself as "Hebrew of the Hebrews" from the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1,2 ; 2 Corinthians 11:22; Phil.3:5) became greatly influenced by Greek teachings and his work appears to have been largely among the Ephesians and other peoples who were Greek, whereas Matthew and those for whom he had written his Gospel were Jewish Christians.

Contrary to the Jews, the Greeks were not committed to the Jewish Law. Thus, it is quite possible that each one of the authors have compiled their works according to the interests of their readers. Thus, there are elements of exaggeration in both the records. Jesus did not thoroughly abolish the Law nor did he say that even one letter should not be dropped from it.

Religion is a set of divine guidelines for prosperity of mankind both in here and in hereafter. A religion without do`s and don’ts is no more than a deceit and in practice leads to atheism. Ironically the analogy of Paul for abolishing the Law was “to break down the barrier that separated Jews and Gentiles.” [Ephesians 2:14] He further argues that in doing so, Jesus had united the two sects! Imagine how cool it sounded to a community with an atheist background that a Prophet invites them to a religion where there are no obligations. Uniting the Jews and the Gentiles (non-Jews) by abolishing the Law was, in essence, an invitation to unite all under atheism!

The mission of every Prophet was to accomplish the teachings of the previous prophets on the one hand, and to abrogate some of the laws that the Almighty God had temporarily decreed on the other. Thus, Matthew also has exaggerated by claiming that Jesus did not even change a letter of the Law. As we shall read in the next paragraph, whilst Jesus confirmed the Torah in general, he also abrogated some of the Jewish law.

3. Removing some of the forbidden acts

One of the missions of Prophet Jesus was to remove some of the difficult statutes that the Almighty God had temporarily made obligatory upon the Israelites. Those obligations had been put upon the Israelites due to their oppression and sinful deeds. When the right time arrived the Merciful God dispatched Jesus to remove those difficult obligations. According to the holy Quran, Jesus declared “And to make lawful to you part of (not all of) what was forbidden to you.” [3:50]

One of the missions of the lawmaking prophets was to abrogate some of the temporary laws as decreed by the Almighty God. For instance, at the time of Moses God had forbidden the consumption of some foods. The holy Quran with reference to this states, “And unto those who are Jews, We forbade every (animal) with undivided hooves, and We forbade them the fat of the ox and the sheep except what adheres to their back or their entrails, or is mixed up with the bone.” [6:146]A similar rule is mentioned in chapter 11 of the book of Leviticus in the Old Testament. Thus, eating the flesh of horse and camel was forbidden for the Jews. This rule was rather a punishment for their sins. The Quran says, “We recompense them for their rebellion and verilyWe are truthful.” [6:146]

Unfortunately, at present the erroneous Christian dogma, which follows the perverted teachings of St Paul, assumes that the main reason why Jesus came was to free his believers from all religious law. Jesus, they claim, gave his life as a ransom for many (Matt.20:28-Mark 10:45) and has thus "fulfilled" the law.

It is with this justification that Christians do not commit themselves to any jurisprudential rules of the Old Testament. They called their Scripture ‘New Testament’ to indicate that it is a new version of the Old Testament. And we note that although consumption of the flesh of swine is clearly forbidden in the Old Testament (Leviticus 11:7-8, Isaiah 65:2-4), the Christians relentlessly consume it. They further argue that these are civil laws and mere rituals and the ministry of Jesus was not on earth. Therefore, Mark allegedly quotes from Jesus that he declared all food clean for the purpose of returning the emphasis of the true holiness to the heart. (Mark 7:18-23) Another reason they give is that the Mosaic Law was for the children of Israel and most Christians are not descendants of Israel hence they are not subjected to the civil laws!

Contrary to the above claim the Gospels narrate that Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day of his birth, he was a faithful and committed Jew abiding by the Mosaic Law. If Jesus had come to abolish the Law, then why did Peter the chief disciple of Jesus say, “I have never eaten anything impure orunclean. ” (Acts 10:14) We should also bear in mind that the human consumption of the flesh of swine is still a medical health issue.

Undoubtedly Jesus prayed and fasted. Historically, during the period of the Christian Church there was a period of forty days prior to Easter called Lent which was a fasting period for Christians. According to the CatholicEncyclopaedia modern scholars are almost unanimous in rejecting the view of fasting forty days before Easter. The obligation of fasting is rarely observed in its integrity nowadays. Yes, Jesus said when you fast or pray do not do it to make a show of it, like hypocrites do. But he never said to stop praying or fasting.

The truth is that it was Paul and not Jesus who abolished the law. Paul in his letter to the Romans (14:20) said that all food is clean. In his letter to Ephesians (2:14-15) he alleges that Jesus had abolished the law with all its commandments and regulations. As stated above, Matthew in his Gospel states the contrary. It is worth mentioning that in its earliest years, the Christian religion was divided into three main religious movements: The Gnostics, Jewish Christians, and Pauline Christian. The first almost disappeared. The second did disappear. Almost all current Christian groups trace their lineage back to the Pauline Christina movement. Thus, what we have today is the religion of Paul, not Prophet Jesus.

4. Follow me, not worship me

Like all other prophets Jesus had also come to teach the sublime ethical issues. With his lifestyle he set a role model for his followers inviting them to guard themselves against evil and to obey his commands. He said to his people: “Fear Allah (be pious) and obey me.” [3:50]

From the day he miraculously spoke in his crib, he declared, “Verily I am the servant of God”, and until the time that he lived among people he invited them to follow him not to worship him. He always invited people to praying, fasting and worshipping God much. He lived a very simple life and always shared his words of wisdom with people. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus stating: “And when Jesus came with clear Proofs, he said: I have come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the points in which you differ. Therefore fear Allah and obey me. Verily, Allah He is my Lord (God) and yourLord( God). So worship Him alone. This is the only Straight Path." [43:63-64]

Imam Ali (a.s ) inNahjul Balaghah in description of the simple life of Prophet Jesus says, “If you desire I will tell you about Jesus; son of Mary (p). He used a stone for his pillow, put on coarse clothes and ate rough food. His condiment was hunger. His lamp at night was the moon. His shade during the winter was just the expanse of earth eastward and westward. His fruits and flowers were only what grew from the earth for the cattle. (Sermon No.160)

How far indeed the lifestyle of the Popes is from Prophet Jesus!

5. Resolving religious disputes

Another mission of Prophet Jesus was to clarify the religious issues which different Jewish sects were disputing over. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus states: “I have come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the points in which you differ.” [43:63]

During the period of Hellenistic Judaism two major groups of Jewish religious leaders appeared on the scene, i.e. Sadducees and Pharisees. The conservative and aristocratic Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch (five books of Moses) while at the same time denying the existence of angels, spirits, and the resurrection of the body. Pharisees were the popular Jewish group at the time of Jesus. The strict Pharisees accepted texts outside the Pentateuch and embraced doctrines of angels and resurrection. They emphasized on both the oral and written form of the Mosaic Law.

Although clarification and unification of religious issues was one of the missions of Jesus, Christianity today suffers the most major of religious divisions. There are hundreds of lists ofrecognised Christian denominations in existence- all different. In the North America itself over 1000 Christian faith groups arerecognised all of whom regard themselves to be the only ‘true’ Christianity. The holy Quran with reference to the divisions occurred in Christianity after Jesus states: “Then the sects differed amongst themselves.So, woe unto the disbelievers from the Meeting of a great Day (of Judgment).”

Glad Tidings of the Advent of Ahmad

One of the missions of all the previous prophets had been to announce and prophesy the advent of the forthcoming prophet(s). To this effect, Prophet Moses as well as many other Israelite Prophetsprophesised the coming of Prophet Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them).

Christian theologians quote from many passages of the Old Testament such as passages in the Psalms and the Book of Prophet Isaiah to prove the advent of Jesus. Muslim scholars also quote from the Bible to convince their Christian friends of the advent of Prophet Muhammad. The description about the seal of the prophets; Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) had been so apparent in the Torah and the Gospel (Injil ) that the People of the Book knew of his name and even the placewhereat his advent would occur.

The holy Quran states: “Those who follow the Messenger, the prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they find (his name) written with them in the Torah and the Gospel…” [7:157]

Similarly, quoting from Prophet Jesus (a.s ) the holy Quran states:

“And (remember) when Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Torah which came before me, and give glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. But when he (Ahmad) came to them with clear proofs, they said: This is plain magic.” [61:6]

According to the above ayah Prophet Jesus introduced himself as a link between Prophet Moses and Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.w ). The above prophecy was so clear that with the advent of the Prophet of Islam many Jews and Christians embraced Islam as their religion although the majority of them denied the truth and accused the Prophet of being a magician. The question is the name of the forthcoming prophet as quoted from Jesus was to be ‘Ahmad’ whereas the name of the Prophet of Islam is known to be Mohammad. W. M. Watt claims that Muslim children were practically never called Ahmad before the year 125AH. (G.Parrinder , Jesus in the Quran, p99) Alfred Guillaume furthermore claims that the name Ahmad is not found inIbn Is’haq orIbn Hisham’s Sirah Rasul , in their argument, dealing with the prophecy of the coming of a prophet after Jesus. (The Life of Mohammad pp. 103-104) Contrary to the above claims there are many historical evidences proving that the Prophet of Islam from his very childhood was known by two names, Mohammad and Ahmad. The first was chosen for him by his grandfather AbdulMutalleb and the latter by his motherAminah . (Sirah al-Halabi ) Among those who repeatedly used to call the Prophet of Islam Ahmad was his uncle AbuTaleb . The poetry book of AbuTaleb is available today and in many instances he calls his nephew Ahmad. The following are some examples

“The wrongdoers attempted to kill Ahmad,

but they did not find any leader for this atrocity.

Although Ahmad brought them a religion

of truth and he never brought a false religion.”

(Deewan AbuTaleb pp.25-29)

It is also narrated from AbuTaleb :

“Surely Allahhonoured the Prophet Mohammad

and thus the mosthonourable creation of God amongst people is Ahmad.”

(Tarikh ibn Asaker vol.1 p.275)

Moreover, the Prophet of Islam is repeatedly addressed by the Almighty God in the night of Ascension as ‘Ahmad’. All Muslims have also narrated the following from the Prophet, “Surely there are names for me, I am Ahmad and I am Mohammad and I am the Eraser the one by whom Allah erases the infidelity and I am the Raiser that people will rise in front of my feet and I am the End that there is no prophet after me. “ (AlBukhari ,Majma’ul Bayan vol9 p357,Beharul Anwarvol 16 p129)

With regards to the claim of Mr. Watt, we agree that the name ‘Ahmad’ and ‘Mohammad’ were not common among Arabs prior to the birth of the Prophet of Islam; nevertheless, as the advent of the last promised prophet was approaching some Arabian tribes began calling their children Ahmad or Mohammad hoping that their sons would be the promised Prophet. For instance, Ahmadibn Hafs al-Moghairah known as AbuAmr al-Makhzoomi the husband of Fatima; the daughter ofQais was one of the companions of the Prophet of Islam who accompanied Imam Ali (a.s ) on his trip to Yemen. (Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani , al-Isabah vol.4, p.139)

The Prophet of Islam in the Present Gospels

Before we make any investigation in the present Gospels about the prophecy of Prophet Jesus (a.s ) with regard to the forthcoming Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) we need to address the question of whether it is justifiable for Muslims to quote the Bible or quote from it to prove any of our claims.

As Muslims we believe that the Quran is the last but not the only book revealed by Allah to mankind through His Messengers. The holy Quran is, however, the only holy book which remained intact from the time of its revelation to the present time andfor ever . The Quran is the only divine Scripture of which the full text is available in the original language in which it was revealed (Arabic).

Although we believe in the original Torah of Moses and Gospel of Jesus, we also believe, and numerous evidences confirm, that many additions, deletions and interpolations have occurred in the previous scriptures. The original Gospel of Jesus is lost to such an extent that Christians today do not even acknowledge any written Gospel for Jesus. Thus, what is available today is the recollection of passages of the original Gospel as remembered by the authors of the Gospels in addition to their own versions of the history of Jesus.

That however does not mean that as Muslims we totally reject the present Bible and do not accept a single passage of it. We ought to distinguish betweenliterature of divine origin yet distorted throughout history, and the one which is a mere fiction. Let me give you a vivid example. Prophet Jesus (a.s ) is quoted in the Gospel according to Mark to have said: “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord and you shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with our whole mind, and with your whole strength.” [Mark 12:29-39] Muslims have no problem accepting this quotation from Jesus and agree with its essence which is the chief Commandment of the Ten Commandments.

Criteria of Acceptance

The holy Quran provides the main criteria for accepting or rejecting the passages from the Bible. InSurat-ul Ma’idah the rule is stated as follows; “AndWe have sent down to you (O Mohammad) the Book (this Quran) in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it and trustworthy in highness and a witness over it (all the scriptures). So judge among them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that has come to you.” [5:48]This emphasises that Biblical passages must be examined and judged by the Quran, and if the Quran confirms and verifies the Biblical passages, then they can be accepted.

To this end, if the Bible contains apparent prophecies about the advent of Prophet Mohammad, and if the Quran confirms that fact, then there is no objection in referring to such prophecies. It is to this effect that the Imams ofAhlul -Bait in their debates with Rabbis or Christian scholars have quoted from the Bible.

ImamRedha (a.s ) V’sJatheliq

Ma’moon ; the Abbasid king of the 9th century AD ordered a debate between ImamRedha (a.s ); the eighth Imam ofAhlul-Bayt (a.s ) and the grand scholars of various religions.

Jatheliq was the Christian archbishop who was called to debate the Imam. When he entered the court of the Abbasid king, he complained to the king as to how he could debate with someone who may refer to a Book (the Quran) that he does not acknowledge. Upon hearing that ImamRedha (a.s ) replied: “O Christian! What if I debate you with your Bible? Would you acknowledge that?"

Jatheliq replied: "How would I be able to deny what the Bible says. Yes, indeed I will acknowledge even if it`s against my wish".

Among the points that Imam Reza raised toJatheliq was; “O Christian! Do you know the speech ofIssa in the Gospel where he says ‘Surely I am going to your Lord and my Lord andParcletos is coming to witness for me in truth as I witnessed for him and he is the one who will explain everything for you and he is the one who will convict the world of the wrongdoings and he is the one who will break the pillars ofKufr (atheism).’”

Jatheliq replied, “You did not mention anything from the Gospel but I acknowledge it.”

ImamRedha : “Are you sure you find this in the Bible?”

He answered “Yes.” [al-Tabrasi , al-Ihtejaj vol.2p.411]

The Glad Tidings of the Coming of Ahmad

Are there any passages in the present Gospels wherein the advent of Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.w ) has been prophesied? The Gospel according to John contains some passages that although they are made notoriously obscure in addition to some alterations, still the prophecy of Jesus about Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.w ) can be concluded from it.

Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John reads:

“If you love me, keep my commands, and I shall ask the father and he will give you anotherparaclete to stay with you forever, the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither perceives nor understands him. You know him, for he remains with you and will be within you. “[John 14: 15-17]

Chapter 16 also reads:

“However, I tell you the truth: My going is for your benefit; for if I do not leave, theParaclete will not come to you; but if I go, then I will send him to you. When he comes he will convict the world regarding sin and righteousness and judgment- regarding sin, because they do not believe in me; regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no more and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. I have still many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. When the spirit of truth comes, however, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own account but he will say whatever he hears, and he will make known to you what is to take place. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine and will declare it to you.” [John 16: 12-14]

The word ‘Paraclete

The key word in the above passages is the Greek term ‘Paraclete ’. The word occurs 5 times in the New Testament, all in writings of John. Four instances are in his Gospel and one in the First Epistle in which Jesus is aParaclete . In the English translations of the Bible, the word ‘Paraclete ’ is usually translated to ‘Comforter’, ‘Advocate’, ‘Helper’ and ‘Intercessor.’ The term is so ambiguous that the International Standard BibleEncyclopaedia after suggesting various translations concludes that “it would be the best that instead of translating we simply transfer the word ‘Paraclete ’”.

The term ‘Paraclete ’ in John 2:1 without doubt is a title for Jesus. But Christians in general argue that theParaclete in the Gospel of John is meant as a title for the Holy Spirit that, they believe, descended to the disciples on Pentecost (50 days after the ascension of Jesus). Father Raymond E. Brown however argues in Appendix V of ‘The Anchor Bible’ that theParaclete cannot be ‘the Holy Spirit’.

The above mentioned passages of the Gospel of John has been for long the subject ofon going debates between Muslim and Christian scholars.

Analysis of the word ‘Paraclete

I believe the debate over the term ‘Paraclete ’ is quite futile. The word ‘Paraclete ’ is a Greek term. Although scholars are not unanimous about the language that Jesus used to speak, we know that Jesus did not speak Greek because the Aramaic and Hebrew speaking people in the time of Jesus considered it sinful to speak any other language.The Greek term ‘Paraclete ’ is really the distortion of ‘Periklytos ’ or ‘Paraklytos ’. Both words mean ‘praised’ or ‘celebrate’, the meaning and character of Prophet Muhammad. Also, according to the present day Aramaic scriptures, the word for Muhammad would read ‘Paraqleyta ’ or ‘Paraklytos ’ in Greek and ‘Menahem ’ in Hebrew. In the ancient Aramaic scriptures, before these changes, it read ‘Ahmad’, thenMunahammana which is the Aramaic/Syriac rendering for the name ‘Muhammad’. These are names, not simply words. Unless, one discovers the distortion occurred in the term, the passage remains notoriously obscure and the debates about it will be in vain. It is due to this obscurity of the distorted Greek word ‘Paraclete ’ that even the International Standard BibleEncyclopaedia fails to provide a clear translation for it. Similarly, it is perhaps due to this ambiguity thatAllamah Tabatabaei ; the most renowned exegete of the holy Quran in the 20thcentury, suggests that the present Gospels contain no prophecy about the advent of the Prophet of Islam.

Supporting Points from theJohannine Literature

Ironically Christians quote from many obscure passages of the Old Testament to prove the advent of Jesus, yet when Muslims exercise the same method, they bluntly deny it. “That indeed is a division most unfair”. [53:22]

Nonetheless, if one still argues about the wordParaclete that it does not, even in its original Aramaic sense, mean Ahmad, there are many supporting points that can provide a meaningful prophecy for the advent of Prophet Muhammad. Let’s examine how much the passages that John has narrated in his Gospel apply to the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.w ):

1. Regarding the coming ofParaklytos :

1/1: TheParaklytos will come (but only if Jesus departs) [15:26, 16:7,8,13 ]

The Holy Spirit was already there and had been with the Prophets including Jesus. According to the Bible when Jesus was beingbaptised by Prophet John (Yahya ), the Holy Spirit happened to be present at the River Jordon. {Mark 1: 4-11} So, how could Jesus say: “But if I don’t go away theParaklytos shall not come to you”.

1/2: TheParaklytos comes forth from the father. [15:26]

This implies that the forthcoming Prophet similar to Jesus himself would be sent by Allah.

2. Identification ofParaklytos :

2/1: He is called ‘anotherParaklytos ’ (14:16)

This can only be correct ifParaklytos is a name or a title for a male human who will be another Messenger of God. For obviously there can be no ‘another Holy Spirit’.

2/2: He will speak only what he hears and nothing on his own. (16:13)

The Messengers of God spoke only what was revealed to them from God. Thus, Jesus proclaimed: “For I have not spoken of my own accord, but the Father who sent me. He has given me a command what I should say and what I should speak.” [John12:49] Similarly, Almighty Allah proclaims the following about the Prophet of Islam: “Nor does he speak of his own desire. It is only a Revelation revealed.” [53:3-4]

2/3: He is the spirit of truth. (14:17)

John in his First Epistle relates the spirit of truth and the spirit of error to human characters. [1John 4-6]. Thus, the spirit of truth can refer to an honest and very righteous person. Historically, there is no doubt that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) even before he received the revelation was well known as a trustworthy and honest person. It seems the prefix ‘Holy’ in Chapter 14 verse 26 is added to the ‘spirit’ for it is not consistent with other parts of the passage.

At the time of Prophet Jesus, the position of Prophet-hood belonged to Jesus. With the advent of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) he took over that position and declared it to the world. (16:14)With the advent of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w .) the position of Jesus would be upheld and his teachings shown to be true.

3. His role in relation to the Disciples:

3/1: He will teach them everything (14:26)

Christians usually argue that the idea of a Prophet some 600 years after Jesus would be too late for the disciples.

Ironically however the Catholics claim that theParaclete comforts the Church by guaranteeing her inerrancy and fostering her sanctity. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: “There is no reason for limiting to the Apostles themselves the comforting influence of theParaclete as promised in the Gospel.” In fact, Jesus was sharing his prophecy with the faithful community of his time, insomuch as Moses and Isaiah did. Therefore, it should not be taken that they were the only or direct address of Jesus.

The teaching of Islam is the most comprehensive of all and the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.w ) taught the world all that was required by humanity for their prosperity both here and in the hereafter.

3/2: He will glorify Jesus. (16:14)

The history of religions has recorded none other than Muhammad (s.a.w.w ), the Prophet of Islam who has uncompromisingly borne witness to the birth of Jesus through the Virgin Mary; attested the miracles performed by Jesus by the Leave of God, and has declared Jesus as a ‘Messiah’ and the righteous Prophet..

Jesus’ Disciples

‘Disciples’ were those who chose to follow Prophet Jesus and to listen to his teachings. They are also called ‘Apostles’. According to the Bible they called him ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Teacher’. Historically we know very little about Jesus’ disciples. The Gospel of Matthew and Luke have mentioned their names (Chapter 6). The Twelve Disciples were followers of Jesus whom he had chosen to become his core group, the people he talked things over with and depended on. Ironically, however, the Bible records that one of his disciples named Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver! Similarly, according to the Gospel of Mark prior to the so-called crucifixion of Jesus all his disciples forsook him and fled. (Mark 14:50)

Disciples in the Quran

The disciples of Prophet Jesus are mentioned five times in the Quran and their faith has been always praised. The holy Quran states with reference to their sincerity and submission to Allah:

“Then when Jesus came of know of their (Jews) disbelief, he said: Who will be my helpers in Allah’s Cause? Al-Hawariyyun (the disciples) said: We are the helpers of Allah; we believe in Allah, and bear witness that we are Muslims.” [3:52]

According to a narration from ImamRedha (a.s ) the name ‘al-Hawariyyun ’ (literally means whitening) is given to them for they used to cleanse themselves from sins and struggling in cleansing others by teaching and preaching. (al-Bahrani , al-Borhan vol. 2: p.40)

Islamic literature does not confirm the betrayal of Jesus by any of his disciples. Nay, an authenticHadith indicates that one of his disciples following the request of Jesus offered himself to be killed instead. (Ibid p.41)

The Mission of Prophet Jesus

In order for us to understand the mission of Prophet Jesus it is essential to be acquainted with the period during which Jesus was living.

Christianity has emerged from Judaism. As most of the first Christians were Jews, the rest being converts, their history is deeply rooted in Judaism. The roots of Christianity are most directly traced to the period of Hellenistic Judaism (4th century BC to the 2nd century) of the ancient Greek culture. This period was introduced with Alexander theGreat’s conquest of Palestine in 332 BC. When Alexander the Great conquered Palestine, it became a Greek state. During this period the Israelites had been inflicted with various caste and tribal differences. The Roman kings had subjugated them and their main city of Jerusalem was under the reign of the Roman government.

Hellenistic influences on Jewish culture and religion were evident by the early 2nd century BC, when Hellenizing Jews took control of the high priesthood. During this time the Syrian King Antiochus IVEpiphanes gave an edict against the practice of the Jewish religion. Hellenistic Judaism continued and reached its climax during the reign of Herod I of Judea (37 BC-AD4).

The idolatrous Roman rulers had built many temples in Palestine and created various idols.

The Israelites on the other hand, after several centuries had passed from the time of Moses, were afflicted with various superstitions, theological divisions and deviations. As gradually the spell of Hellenistic influences fell upon the priesthood, the lay scribes found themselves more and more the only guardians and exponents of the Law. The scribes and teachers of Scripture gained the title of Rabbi (‘my lord’ in Hebrew) which was meant to be a title of respect. Rabbis proved by the Law (Ex. 34:37) that oral traditions (theMishna and the Talmud which was its commentary) should be preferred to the written Law (Torah). The Rabbis had perverted the Jewish scriptures and religion had become a means of their earning. Abuse of power byRabbinical figures had reached the extreme.

According to William Durant in his Story of Civilization, the Jewish merchants dissimulated in their transactions. They then assumed that by merely offering a sacrifice or prayer, their vices were compensated. In short, the Jewish community was politically, socially and religiously in decline.

The holy Quran in variousAyaat condemns theRabbinic perversion of the Mosaic Law. InSurah al-Baqarah the Almighty God reveals:

“Then Woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say this is from Allah, to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn.” [2:79]

It was under such circumstances that the Almighty Allah sent Prophet Jesus to the Children of Israel to confirm the Torah and to bring the lost sheep of Israel to the Right Path. “And when Jesus, son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Torah which came before me…” [61:6]

The following are the main themes of Jesus` mission as described in the holy Quran.

1. Monotheism

Like all other prophets, Jesus began his mission by preaching the unity of God. His first address to the Israelites was, “Truly Allah is my Lord and your Lord so worship Him alone. This is the straight path.” [3:51]

Neither Jesus nor any other Messenger of God had ever called to the worship of other than Almighty Allah. Jesus never called himself "God" or "son of God".

As already noted, the first Christians were Jews, so they worshipped only God. As long as Jesus lived with his community he made sure no one ever believed in his deity. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus states: “Never did I say to them aught except whatYou (Allah) did command me to say: Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but whenYou took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all things.” [5:117]

2. Acknowledging the Torah

Jesus in his teachings confirmed the Torah of Moses. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus states: “I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Torah which came before me…” [61:6]

Prophet Jesus did not come to abolish the Torah, in all his teachings he acknowledged it although he did correct the perversions being taught by the rabbis. Nonetheless he made some minor abrogation to the law of Torah and accomplished some of its teachings.

St. Paul; the author of several Epistles in the New Testament, allegedly claimed in his letter to Ephesians [2:14-15] that Jesus had abolished the Law with all its commandments and regulations. Matthew in his Gospel narrated from Jesus quite the contrary: “Do not suppose that I came to annul the Law of the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to complete them; for I assure you, while heaven and earth endure not one iota or one projection of a letter will be dropped from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever, therefore, abolishes the least significant of these commands and so teaches the people, he shall be of least significance in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever shall observe and teach them shall be prominent in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteous surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not at all enter into the kingdom of heaven.” [Matt. 5:17-20]

It is worth mentioning that Paul, although a high-ranking Jew who referred to himself as "Hebrew of the Hebrews" from the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1,2 ; 2 Corinthians 11:22; Phil.3:5) became greatly influenced by Greek teachings and his work appears to have been largely among the Ephesians and other peoples who were Greek, whereas Matthew and those for whom he had written his Gospel were Jewish Christians.

Contrary to the Jews, the Greeks were not committed to the Jewish Law. Thus, it is quite possible that each one of the authors have compiled their works according to the interests of their readers. Thus, there are elements of exaggeration in both the records. Jesus did not thoroughly abolish the Law nor did he say that even one letter should not be dropped from it.

Religion is a set of divine guidelines for prosperity of mankind both in here and in hereafter. A religion without do`s and don’ts is no more than a deceit and in practice leads to atheism. Ironically the analogy of Paul for abolishing the Law was “to break down the barrier that separated Jews and Gentiles.” [Ephesians 2:14] He further argues that in doing so, Jesus had united the two sects! Imagine how cool it sounded to a community with an atheist background that a Prophet invites them to a religion where there are no obligations. Uniting the Jews and the Gentiles (non-Jews) by abolishing the Law was, in essence, an invitation to unite all under atheism!

The mission of every Prophet was to accomplish the teachings of the previous prophets on the one hand, and to abrogate some of the laws that the Almighty God had temporarily decreed on the other. Thus, Matthew also has exaggerated by claiming that Jesus did not even change a letter of the Law. As we shall read in the next paragraph, whilst Jesus confirmed the Torah in general, he also abrogated some of the Jewish law.

3. Removing some of the forbidden acts

One of the missions of Prophet Jesus was to remove some of the difficult statutes that the Almighty God had temporarily made obligatory upon the Israelites. Those obligations had been put upon the Israelites due to their oppression and sinful deeds. When the right time arrived the Merciful God dispatched Jesus to remove those difficult obligations. According to the holy Quran, Jesus declared “And to make lawful to you part of (not all of) what was forbidden to you.” [3:50]

One of the missions of the lawmaking prophets was to abrogate some of the temporary laws as decreed by the Almighty God. For instance, at the time of Moses God had forbidden the consumption of some foods. The holy Quran with reference to this states, “And unto those who are Jews, We forbade every (animal) with undivided hooves, and We forbade them the fat of the ox and the sheep except what adheres to their back or their entrails, or is mixed up with the bone.” [6:146]A similar rule is mentioned in chapter 11 of the book of Leviticus in the Old Testament. Thus, eating the flesh of horse and camel was forbidden for the Jews. This rule was rather a punishment for their sins. The Quran says, “We recompense them for their rebellion and verilyWe are truthful.” [6:146]

Unfortunately, at present the erroneous Christian dogma, which follows the perverted teachings of St Paul, assumes that the main reason why Jesus came was to free his believers from all religious law. Jesus, they claim, gave his life as a ransom for many (Matt.20:28-Mark 10:45) and has thus "fulfilled" the law.

It is with this justification that Christians do not commit themselves to any jurisprudential rules of the Old Testament. They called their Scripture ‘New Testament’ to indicate that it is a new version of the Old Testament. And we note that although consumption of the flesh of swine is clearly forbidden in the Old Testament (Leviticus 11:7-8, Isaiah 65:2-4), the Christians relentlessly consume it. They further argue that these are civil laws and mere rituals and the ministry of Jesus was not on earth. Therefore, Mark allegedly quotes from Jesus that he declared all food clean for the purpose of returning the emphasis of the true holiness to the heart. (Mark 7:18-23) Another reason they give is that the Mosaic Law was for the children of Israel and most Christians are not descendants of Israel hence they are not subjected to the civil laws!

Contrary to the above claim the Gospels narrate that Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day of his birth, he was a faithful and committed Jew abiding by the Mosaic Law. If Jesus had come to abolish the Law, then why did Peter the chief disciple of Jesus say, “I have never eaten anything impure orunclean. ” (Acts 10:14) We should also bear in mind that the human consumption of the flesh of swine is still a medical health issue.

Undoubtedly Jesus prayed and fasted. Historically, during the period of the Christian Church there was a period of forty days prior to Easter called Lent which was a fasting period for Christians. According to the CatholicEncyclopaedia modern scholars are almost unanimous in rejecting the view of fasting forty days before Easter. The obligation of fasting is rarely observed in its integrity nowadays. Yes, Jesus said when you fast or pray do not do it to make a show of it, like hypocrites do. But he never said to stop praying or fasting.

The truth is that it was Paul and not Jesus who abolished the law. Paul in his letter to the Romans (14:20) said that all food is clean. In his letter to Ephesians (2:14-15) he alleges that Jesus had abolished the law with all its commandments and regulations. As stated above, Matthew in his Gospel states the contrary. It is worth mentioning that in its earliest years, the Christian religion was divided into three main religious movements: The Gnostics, Jewish Christians, and Pauline Christian. The first almost disappeared. The second did disappear. Almost all current Christian groups trace their lineage back to the Pauline Christina movement. Thus, what we have today is the religion of Paul, not Prophet Jesus.

4. Follow me, not worship me

Like all other prophets Jesus had also come to teach the sublime ethical issues. With his lifestyle he set a role model for his followers inviting them to guard themselves against evil and to obey his commands. He said to his people: “Fear Allah (be pious) and obey me.” [3:50]

From the day he miraculously spoke in his crib, he declared, “Verily I am the servant of God”, and until the time that he lived among people he invited them to follow him not to worship him. He always invited people to praying, fasting and worshipping God much. He lived a very simple life and always shared his words of wisdom with people. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus stating: “And when Jesus came with clear Proofs, he said: I have come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the points in which you differ. Therefore fear Allah and obey me. Verily, Allah He is my Lord (God) and yourLord( God). So worship Him alone. This is the only Straight Path." [43:63-64]

Imam Ali (a.s ) inNahjul Balaghah in description of the simple life of Prophet Jesus says, “If you desire I will tell you about Jesus; son of Mary (p). He used a stone for his pillow, put on coarse clothes and ate rough food. His condiment was hunger. His lamp at night was the moon. His shade during the winter was just the expanse of earth eastward and westward. His fruits and flowers were only what grew from the earth for the cattle. (Sermon No.160)

How far indeed the lifestyle of the Popes is from Prophet Jesus!

5. Resolving religious disputes

Another mission of Prophet Jesus was to clarify the religious issues which different Jewish sects were disputing over. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus states: “I have come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the points in which you differ.” [43:63]

During the period of Hellenistic Judaism two major groups of Jewish religious leaders appeared on the scene, i.e. Sadducees and Pharisees. The conservative and aristocratic Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch (five books of Moses) while at the same time denying the existence of angels, spirits, and the resurrection of the body. Pharisees were the popular Jewish group at the time of Jesus. The strict Pharisees accepted texts outside the Pentateuch and embraced doctrines of angels and resurrection. They emphasized on both the oral and written form of the Mosaic Law.

Although clarification and unification of religious issues was one of the missions of Jesus, Christianity today suffers the most major of religious divisions. There are hundreds of lists ofrecognised Christian denominations in existence- all different. In the North America itself over 1000 Christian faith groups arerecognised all of whom regard themselves to be the only ‘true’ Christianity. The holy Quran with reference to the divisions occurred in Christianity after Jesus states: “Then the sects differed amongst themselves.So, woe unto the disbelievers from the Meeting of a great Day (of Judgment).”

Glad Tidings of the Advent of Ahmad

One of the missions of all the previous prophets had been to announce and prophesy the advent of the forthcoming prophet(s). To this effect, Prophet Moses as well as many other Israelite Prophetsprophesised the coming of Prophet Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them).

Christian theologians quote from many passages of the Old Testament such as passages in the Psalms and the Book of Prophet Isaiah to prove the advent of Jesus. Muslim scholars also quote from the Bible to convince their Christian friends of the advent of Prophet Muhammad. The description about the seal of the prophets; Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) had been so apparent in the Torah and the Gospel (Injil ) that the People of the Book knew of his name and even the placewhereat his advent would occur.

The holy Quran states: “Those who follow the Messenger, the prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they find (his name) written with them in the Torah and the Gospel…” [7:157]

Similarly, quoting from Prophet Jesus (a.s ) the holy Quran states:

“And (remember) when Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Torah which came before me, and give glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. But when he (Ahmad) came to them with clear proofs, they said: This is plain magic.” [61:6]

According to the above ayah Prophet Jesus introduced himself as a link between Prophet Moses and Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.w ). The above prophecy was so clear that with the advent of the Prophet of Islam many Jews and Christians embraced Islam as their religion although the majority of them denied the truth and accused the Prophet of being a magician. The question is the name of the forthcoming prophet as quoted from Jesus was to be ‘Ahmad’ whereas the name of the Prophet of Islam is known to be Mohammad. W. M. Watt claims that Muslim children were practically never called Ahmad before the year 125AH. (G.Parrinder , Jesus in the Quran, p99) Alfred Guillaume furthermore claims that the name Ahmad is not found inIbn Is’haq orIbn Hisham’s Sirah Rasul , in their argument, dealing with the prophecy of the coming of a prophet after Jesus. (The Life of Mohammad pp. 103-104) Contrary to the above claims there are many historical evidences proving that the Prophet of Islam from his very childhood was known by two names, Mohammad and Ahmad. The first was chosen for him by his grandfather AbdulMutalleb and the latter by his motherAminah . (Sirah al-Halabi ) Among those who repeatedly used to call the Prophet of Islam Ahmad was his uncle AbuTaleb . The poetry book of AbuTaleb is available today and in many instances he calls his nephew Ahmad. The following are some examples

“The wrongdoers attempted to kill Ahmad,

but they did not find any leader for this atrocity.

Although Ahmad brought them a religion

of truth and he never brought a false religion.”

(Deewan AbuTaleb pp.25-29)

It is also narrated from AbuTaleb :

“Surely Allahhonoured the Prophet Mohammad

and thus the mosthonourable creation of God amongst people is Ahmad.”

(Tarikh ibn Asaker vol.1 p.275)

Moreover, the Prophet of Islam is repeatedly addressed by the Almighty God in the night of Ascension as ‘Ahmad’. All Muslims have also narrated the following from the Prophet, “Surely there are names for me, I am Ahmad and I am Mohammad and I am the Eraser the one by whom Allah erases the infidelity and I am the Raiser that people will rise in front of my feet and I am the End that there is no prophet after me. “ (AlBukhari ,Majma’ul Bayan vol9 p357,Beharul Anwarvol 16 p129)

With regards to the claim of Mr. Watt, we agree that the name ‘Ahmad’ and ‘Mohammad’ were not common among Arabs prior to the birth of the Prophet of Islam; nevertheless, as the advent of the last promised prophet was approaching some Arabian tribes began calling their children Ahmad or Mohammad hoping that their sons would be the promised Prophet. For instance, Ahmadibn Hafs al-Moghairah known as AbuAmr al-Makhzoomi the husband of Fatima; the daughter ofQais was one of the companions of the Prophet of Islam who accompanied Imam Ali (a.s ) on his trip to Yemen. (Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani , al-Isabah vol.4, p.139)

The Prophet of Islam in the Present Gospels

Before we make any investigation in the present Gospels about the prophecy of Prophet Jesus (a.s ) with regard to the forthcoming Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) we need to address the question of whether it is justifiable for Muslims to quote the Bible or quote from it to prove any of our claims.

As Muslims we believe that the Quran is the last but not the only book revealed by Allah to mankind through His Messengers. The holy Quran is, however, the only holy book which remained intact from the time of its revelation to the present time andfor ever . The Quran is the only divine Scripture of which the full text is available in the original language in which it was revealed (Arabic).

Although we believe in the original Torah of Moses and Gospel of Jesus, we also believe, and numerous evidences confirm, that many additions, deletions and interpolations have occurred in the previous scriptures. The original Gospel of Jesus is lost to such an extent that Christians today do not even acknowledge any written Gospel for Jesus. Thus, what is available today is the recollection of passages of the original Gospel as remembered by the authors of the Gospels in addition to their own versions of the history of Jesus.

That however does not mean that as Muslims we totally reject the present Bible and do not accept a single passage of it. We ought to distinguish betweenliterature of divine origin yet distorted throughout history, and the one which is a mere fiction. Let me give you a vivid example. Prophet Jesus (a.s ) is quoted in the Gospel according to Mark to have said: “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord and you shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with our whole mind, and with your whole strength.” [Mark 12:29-39] Muslims have no problem accepting this quotation from Jesus and agree with its essence which is the chief Commandment of the Ten Commandments.

Criteria of Acceptance

The holy Quran provides the main criteria for accepting or rejecting the passages from the Bible. InSurat-ul Ma’idah the rule is stated as follows; “AndWe have sent down to you (O Mohammad) the Book (this Quran) in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it and trustworthy in highness and a witness over it (all the scriptures). So judge among them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that has come to you.” [5:48]This emphasises that Biblical passages must be examined and judged by the Quran, and if the Quran confirms and verifies the Biblical passages, then they can be accepted.

To this end, if the Bible contains apparent prophecies about the advent of Prophet Mohammad, and if the Quran confirms that fact, then there is no objection in referring to such prophecies. It is to this effect that the Imams ofAhlul -Bait in their debates with Rabbis or Christian scholars have quoted from the Bible.

ImamRedha (a.s ) V’sJatheliq

Ma’moon ; the Abbasid king of the 9th century AD ordered a debate between ImamRedha (a.s ); the eighth Imam ofAhlul-Bayt (a.s ) and the grand scholars of various religions.

Jatheliq was the Christian archbishop who was called to debate the Imam. When he entered the court of the Abbasid king, he complained to the king as to how he could debate with someone who may refer to a Book (the Quran) that he does not acknowledge. Upon hearing that ImamRedha (a.s ) replied: “O Christian! What if I debate you with your Bible? Would you acknowledge that?"

Jatheliq replied: "How would I be able to deny what the Bible says. Yes, indeed I will acknowledge even if it`s against my wish".

Among the points that Imam Reza raised toJatheliq was; “O Christian! Do you know the speech ofIssa in the Gospel where he says ‘Surely I am going to your Lord and my Lord andParcletos is coming to witness for me in truth as I witnessed for him and he is the one who will explain everything for you and he is the one who will convict the world of the wrongdoings and he is the one who will break the pillars ofKufr (atheism).’”

Jatheliq replied, “You did not mention anything from the Gospel but I acknowledge it.”

ImamRedha : “Are you sure you find this in the Bible?”

He answered “Yes.” [al-Tabrasi , al-Ihtejaj vol.2p.411]

The Glad Tidings of the Coming of Ahmad

Are there any passages in the present Gospels wherein the advent of Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.w ) has been prophesied? The Gospel according to John contains some passages that although they are made notoriously obscure in addition to some alterations, still the prophecy of Jesus about Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.w ) can be concluded from it.

Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John reads:

“If you love me, keep my commands, and I shall ask the father and he will give you anotherparaclete to stay with you forever, the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither perceives nor understands him. You know him, for he remains with you and will be within you. “[John 14: 15-17]

Chapter 16 also reads:

“However, I tell you the truth: My going is for your benefit; for if I do not leave, theParaclete will not come to you; but if I go, then I will send him to you. When he comes he will convict the world regarding sin and righteousness and judgment- regarding sin, because they do not believe in me; regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no more and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. I have still many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. When the spirit of truth comes, however, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own account but he will say whatever he hears, and he will make known to you what is to take place. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine and will declare it to you.” [John 16: 12-14]

The word ‘Paraclete

The key word in the above passages is the Greek term ‘Paraclete ’. The word occurs 5 times in the New Testament, all in writings of John. Four instances are in his Gospel and one in the First Epistle in which Jesus is aParaclete . In the English translations of the Bible, the word ‘Paraclete ’ is usually translated to ‘Comforter’, ‘Advocate’, ‘Helper’ and ‘Intercessor.’ The term is so ambiguous that the International Standard BibleEncyclopaedia after suggesting various translations concludes that “it would be the best that instead of translating we simply transfer the word ‘Paraclete ’”.

The term ‘Paraclete ’ in John 2:1 without doubt is a title for Jesus. But Christians in general argue that theParaclete in the Gospel of John is meant as a title for the Holy Spirit that, they believe, descended to the disciples on Pentecost (50 days after the ascension of Jesus). Father Raymond E. Brown however argues in Appendix V of ‘The Anchor Bible’ that theParaclete cannot be ‘the Holy Spirit’.

The above mentioned passages of the Gospel of John has been for long the subject ofon going debates between Muslim and Christian scholars.

Analysis of the word ‘Paraclete

I believe the debate over the term ‘Paraclete ’ is quite futile. The word ‘Paraclete ’ is a Greek term. Although scholars are not unanimous about the language that Jesus used to speak, we know that Jesus did not speak Greek because the Aramaic and Hebrew speaking people in the time of Jesus considered it sinful to speak any other language.The Greek term ‘Paraclete ’ is really the distortion of ‘Periklytos ’ or ‘Paraklytos ’. Both words mean ‘praised’ or ‘celebrate’, the meaning and character of Prophet Muhammad. Also, according to the present day Aramaic scriptures, the word for Muhammad would read ‘Paraqleyta ’ or ‘Paraklytos ’ in Greek and ‘Menahem ’ in Hebrew. In the ancient Aramaic scriptures, before these changes, it read ‘Ahmad’, thenMunahammana which is the Aramaic/Syriac rendering for the name ‘Muhammad’. These are names, not simply words. Unless, one discovers the distortion occurred in the term, the passage remains notoriously obscure and the debates about it will be in vain. It is due to this obscurity of the distorted Greek word ‘Paraclete ’ that even the International Standard BibleEncyclopaedia fails to provide a clear translation for it. Similarly, it is perhaps due to this ambiguity thatAllamah Tabatabaei ; the most renowned exegete of the holy Quran in the 20thcentury, suggests that the present Gospels contain no prophecy about the advent of the Prophet of Islam.

Supporting Points from theJohannine Literature

Ironically Christians quote from many obscure passages of the Old Testament to prove the advent of Jesus, yet when Muslims exercise the same method, they bluntly deny it. “That indeed is a division most unfair”. [53:22]

Nonetheless, if one still argues about the wordParaclete that it does not, even in its original Aramaic sense, mean Ahmad, there are many supporting points that can provide a meaningful prophecy for the advent of Prophet Muhammad. Let’s examine how much the passages that John has narrated in his Gospel apply to the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.w ):

1. Regarding the coming ofParaklytos :

1/1: TheParaklytos will come (but only if Jesus departs) [15:26, 16:7,8,13 ]

The Holy Spirit was already there and had been with the Prophets including Jesus. According to the Bible when Jesus was beingbaptised by Prophet John (Yahya ), the Holy Spirit happened to be present at the River Jordon. {Mark 1: 4-11} So, how could Jesus say: “But if I don’t go away theParaklytos shall not come to you”.

1/2: TheParaklytos comes forth from the father. [15:26]

This implies that the forthcoming Prophet similar to Jesus himself would be sent by Allah.

2. Identification ofParaklytos :

2/1: He is called ‘anotherParaklytos ’ (14:16)

This can only be correct ifParaklytos is a name or a title for a male human who will be another Messenger of God. For obviously there can be no ‘another Holy Spirit’.

2/2: He will speak only what he hears and nothing on his own. (16:13)

The Messengers of God spoke only what was revealed to them from God. Thus, Jesus proclaimed: “For I have not spoken of my own accord, but the Father who sent me. He has given me a command what I should say and what I should speak.” [John12:49] Similarly, Almighty Allah proclaims the following about the Prophet of Islam: “Nor does he speak of his own desire. It is only a Revelation revealed.” [53:3-4]

2/3: He is the spirit of truth. (14:17)

John in his First Epistle relates the spirit of truth and the spirit of error to human characters. [1John 4-6]. Thus, the spirit of truth can refer to an honest and very righteous person. Historically, there is no doubt that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) even before he received the revelation was well known as a trustworthy and honest person. It seems the prefix ‘Holy’ in Chapter 14 verse 26 is added to the ‘spirit’ for it is not consistent with other parts of the passage.

At the time of Prophet Jesus, the position of Prophet-hood belonged to Jesus. With the advent of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) he took over that position and declared it to the world. (16:14)With the advent of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w .) the position of Jesus would be upheld and his teachings shown to be true.

3. His role in relation to the Disciples:

3/1: He will teach them everything (14:26)

Christians usually argue that the idea of a Prophet some 600 years after Jesus would be too late for the disciples.

Ironically however the Catholics claim that theParaclete comforts the Church by guaranteeing her inerrancy and fostering her sanctity. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: “There is no reason for limiting to the Apostles themselves the comforting influence of theParaclete as promised in the Gospel.” In fact, Jesus was sharing his prophecy with the faithful community of his time, insomuch as Moses and Isaiah did. Therefore, it should not be taken that they were the only or direct address of Jesus.

The teaching of Islam is the most comprehensive of all and the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.w ) taught the world all that was required by humanity for their prosperity both here and in the hereafter.

3/2: He will glorify Jesus. (16:14)

The history of religions has recorded none other than Muhammad (s.a.w.w ), the Prophet of Islam who has uncompromisingly borne witness to the birth of Jesus through the Virgin Mary; attested the miracles performed by Jesus by the Leave of God, and has declared Jesus as a ‘Messiah’ and the righteous Prophet..

Jesus’ Disciples

‘Disciples’ were those who chose to follow Prophet Jesus and to listen to his teachings. They are also called ‘Apostles’. According to the Bible they called him ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Teacher’. Historically we know very little about Jesus’ disciples. The Gospel of Matthew and Luke have mentioned their names (Chapter 6). The Twelve Disciples were followers of Jesus whom he had chosen to become his core group, the people he talked things over with and depended on. Ironically, however, the Bible records that one of his disciples named Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver! Similarly, according to the Gospel of Mark prior to the so-called crucifixion of Jesus all his disciples forsook him and fled. (Mark 14:50)

Disciples in the Quran

The disciples of Prophet Jesus are mentioned five times in the Quran and their faith has been always praised. The holy Quran states with reference to their sincerity and submission to Allah:

“Then when Jesus came of know of their (Jews) disbelief, he said: Who will be my helpers in Allah’s Cause? Al-Hawariyyun (the disciples) said: We are the helpers of Allah; we believe in Allah, and bear witness that we are Muslims.” [3:52]

According to a narration from ImamRedha (a.s ) the name ‘al-Hawariyyun ’ (literally means whitening) is given to them for they used to cleanse themselves from sins and struggling in cleansing others by teaching and preaching. (al-Bahrani , al-Borhan vol. 2: p.40)

Islamic literature does not confirm the betrayal of Jesus by any of his disciples. Nay, an authenticHadith indicates that one of his disciples following the request of Jesus offered himself to be killed instead. (Ibid p.41)


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