"And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Surely I am the apostle of Allah to you, verifying that which was (revealed) before me of the Torah, and giving the good tidings of an Apostle who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad... ” Holy Qur’an (61:6)
"Those who follow the Apostle - Prophet the Ummi whom they find ordained for them in the Torah and the Gospel, he enjoins them good and forbids them evil...” Holy Qur’an (7:157)
The Gospel of Jesus (a.s.) brought into sharper focus the identity of the one who would fulfill the promise to make the line of Ishmael (a.s.) a great nation. In the Gospel of John - a New Testament book which is not the Gospel of Jesus (a.s.) and which may be considered as representing only in general terms portions of Jesus' teaching - Jesus (a.s.) informs his close companions that his work among them was drawing to conclusion, but God would send someone else after a time to carry forward the prophetic movement. This someone, however, would be the last of the prophets.
The following passages of the New Testament lend further proof to the Prophethood of Muhammad (s.a.w ) :
"And this is the record of John (the Baptist) when the Jews sent priests and levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who art thou?
And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed lam not the Christ.
And they asked him, what then? Art thow Elias? And he saith lam not. Art thou THAT PROPHET? And he answered, No.
And they asked him, and said unto him, why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither THAT PROPHET. ”
John (1:19-21,25)
"If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you.
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” John (14:15, 16, 26, 30)
"But when the Comforter is come, whom I shall send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” John (15:26)
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.
And when he is come, he will reprove the world sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement:
Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and y see me no more;
Of judgement because the prince of this world judged.
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will skew you things to come”.
He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall skew it unto you.” John (16:7-14)
A careful study of these passages brings to light the following facts:
1) Jesus Christ (a. s.) prophesies the coming of a Comforter after him.
2) The coming of the Comforter depends on Christ's departure.
3) He is sent by Almighty, Allah.
4) He will teach everything.
5) He will draw attention towards what the Christ had foretold.
6) He will testify and glorify Christ.
7) He will not speak by himself but what he divinely hears.
8) He will foretell future events.
9) The world will follow his religion.
10) He will stay forever.
In view of these glaring facts if we cast a glimpse at the life of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) we will discover the amazing truth that these points perfectly tally with his mission and hence without doubt he is the Comforter whose tidings Jesus (a. s.) gave. Because the holy Qur'an revealed to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) not only confirms and glorifies Jesus (a. s.) and his Prophethood but reminds people of Christ's prophecy. Besides, the Qur'an is a final revelation for mankind and an eternal message. It is an inexhaustible mine of information, foretells future events and promises that Islam will eventually spread all over the world uniting humanity in peace and harmony.
A closer look at the word Comforter' as mentioned in the Bible will help us uncover some more startling facts. Comforter here stands for the word Parakletos' mentioned in the Greekversion of the New Testament from which the English translation is made. And more precisely the meaning of Parakletos' is an advocate, one who counsels or advises another from deep concern for the other's welfare. Or to say it more clearly Parakletos' would designate one who would be considered "Mercy for all creatures (Rahmatun lil Alameen), the term the holy Qur'an uses in chapter 21 verse 107 to describe Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).
Moreover scholars have pointed out that what Jesus' said in his native language of Aramaic represents another similar Greek word Perildytos', which means the Admirable or the Glorified One and corresponds exactly to the Arabic word Ahmad'.
Hence the Qur'an's quotation of Jesus' good tidings to the Jews: "An Apostle will come after me whose name is Ahmad .
When Jesus declares of this coming Prophet- Counsellor that he would "abide with you forever” he shows that there would be no need for additional prophets to succeed him. He would be the last one. He would lead mankind "to every aspect of the truth. So truthful and trustworthy would he be that he will be called Al-Amin (The Truthful) or as the text of John 16:13 says, "the spirit of truth, one of whom it could be said: "He has brought them the Truth.” (Qur'an 23: 70)
The term spirit' here does not mean that the coming Prophet would be other than human. In New Testament Greek, this word has also been applied to an inspired person, "the possessor of a spiritual- communication or revelation. This is why the next sentence of the verse containing this expression says: He will guide you unto all truth; for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hew' (from God), that shall he speak. (John 16: 13).
This person would receive the revelation of truth from God and these words alone would constitute the message, not his own opinions or the writings of his companions. His message or revelation would be first and foremost and literally the Word of God. Note that this corresponds exactly to what God revealed to Moses (a.s.) about the Prophet who would come from among the "brothers of the Hebrews: I.... will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. (Deuteronomy 18: 18).
Now compare these to the following verse of the holy Qur'an which drives home the ultimate truth:
"Your companion (Muhammad) does not err, nor does he go astray; Nor does he speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed, The Lord of Mighty Power has taught him.” Holy Qur’an (53:2 5)
It cannot be overlooked that Jesus (a.s.) gives a unique requirement that would help to identify the last Prophet: "He shall glorify me (John 16: 14). If anyone had come claiming to be this Prophet, but did not give due honor to Jesus (a.s.) as Prophet and Messiah, he would be the wrong one. At the same time, this Prophet to come would not be a follower of Jesus (a.s.), that is, a Christian, because Jesus (a.s.) said that this Prophet would reveal things of which Jesus (a.s.) himself was unaware.
If Jesus (a.s.) had brought "all the truth, there would have been no need for him to single out someone else who would come with all the truth. Likewise, since this Prophet would bring all the truth he would have to be the last one, the seal of the Prophet is. Therefore, we would have to look for someone who, like Abraham (a.s.) in whose line he would come, would be neither Jew nor Christian but would believe in God. He would "glorify Jesus (a.s.) by insisting that Jesus (a.s.) was a true Messenger of God and by acknowledging that Jesus (a.s.) was the true Messiah. But the teaching of this Prophet would come from God Himself.
As a revelation from God, the message of this last Prophet would confirm what God revealed previously by means of the original Torah and the original Gospel, but his message would be no mere plagiarized copy, no condensed edition of either the Torah or the Gospel. God Almighty had said, "I... will put My words in his mouth;' and it is proper that these words agree with previously revealed words of the One and Same God "Whatsoever he shall hear (from God), that shall he speak.”
History has recorded that Christians during the first few centuries after Christ, not only believed in these above-mentioned facts but eagerly awaited the coming of the last Prophet, as foretold by Jesus (a.s.) It was only during the 3rd century, when hordes of Roman pagans began converting to Christianity, the pure monotheistic message of Prophet Jesus (a.s.) showed signs of pollution, with weird heathen ideas such as God Father', God Son', Holy Ghost' and Trinity' creeping in.
This strange Holy Ghost interpretation gained currency only after Christians began to look upon God as a Trinity with the Holy Ghost being an aspect of it. Neither the word Trinity nor its concepts can be found anywhere in the Bible. The Paraclete would be a man, not a ghost, because the same word is applied to Jesus (a.s.) himself, in John (2:1).
The annals of history prove that faithful Christians from time to time stood up against these heretical ideas. But when Constantine assumed the reins of the Roman Empire, not only did he espouse the cause of the heretics, but also launched a mass persecution against the true believers, forcing them to flee to deserts and inaccessible mountains to live as hermits.
Finally the following passage from the French Encyclopedia, Larousse', is a sufficient admittance to the truth of Islam: "Muhammad' is a derivative of the word Mahmood', whose root-word is Hamid', which means glorifying. Strangely another word is derived from the same origin and that is Ahmad'. It is widely believed, Christians in the Arabian Peninsula used the word ‘Ahmad' for the Greek word Paraclete' mentioned in the Bible, which means the Glorified or Promised one. Muslims subsequently made great efforts saying this refers to Prophet Muhammad, as described by the Qur'an (in Chapter 61).
Thus it is clear that despite centuries of disastrous human interference in the Torah and the Bible, portions remain indicating the eternal truth of Islam.
The Encyclopedia Brittanica has the following comments on the Gospels:
"They resemble oil paintings rather than photographs. Legendry and apologetic motifs, and the various preoccupations of the communities for which they were first produced, can readily be discerned as influences upon their narratives.”
The coming of Muhammad (5.a.w.) was heralded, not only by Moses (a.s.) and Jesus (a.s.), but by all the prophets.
Even Abraham (a.s.), the father of the prophets, foretold his coming, and prayed God for a guide and rescuer. This is explicitly referred to by the Qur'an which quotes Abraham's prayer:
"Our Lord! and raise up in them an Apostle from among them who shall recite to them Your revelations, and teach them the Book and the Wisdom and cleanse them (of false beliefs); surely You are the Mighty, the Wise.” Holy Qur’an (2:129)
The verse given below declaring the prophethood of Muhammad (s.a.w.) is a clear answer to Abraham's (a.s.) prayer mentioned above; for Muhammad (s.a.w.), was a direct descendent of Abraham (a.s.) through his eldest son Ishmael (a.s.):
"He it is Who raised among the unlettered, an Apostle from among themselves, who recites to them His revelations and cleanses them (of false beliefs), and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom, although they were before certainly in clear error.” Holy Qur’an (62:2)
These facts are quite obvious to a rational thinker and any seeker of truth interested in finding the path of guidance, like Negus, the Christian king of Abyssinia, who positively responded to the call of truth. When the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) wrote to Negus citing proofs of his prophethood, foretold in the Torah and the Gospel and invited him to accept Islam, Negus immediately surrendered ( became Muslim) to the message of Islam. History has preserved his eternal words as a fair testimony of a just man, free from the effects of the environment, or the pressures of obstinacy and bigotry; "I call Allah as witness that he (Muhammad s. a.w.) is the prophet awaited for by the followers of the Scriptures...”
Thus, anyone pursuing truth can clearly discern that Muhammad (s.a.w.) had been heralded by the previous prophets, and that he was the awaited one to reform mankind and deliver them, from darkness and going astray. Yes, it was he whom all the prophets had heralded and prayed Allah to send.