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Isaiah 42 in the Old Testament, describes Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
6:17 AM
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6:17 AM
قَالَ عَذَابِي أُصِيبُ بِهِ مَنْ أَشَاءُ ۖ وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ ۚ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِآيَاتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ – الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِنْدَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنْجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِهِ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَاتَّبَعُوا النُّورَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ مَعَهُ ۙ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
The above is one of the many verses in the Noble Qur’an which points out that previous scriptures viz. the Torah and the Injeel, have foretold the coming of Prophet Muhammad (sws). Much has been written to establish this claim and it is established, accepted even by the unbiased scholars of the Judeo-Christian tradition. But there is always a space to add something more or to see things from another perspective. I am personally intrigued by one particular prophecy on which I decided to work. Additional emphasis to this prophecy was provided by the fact that the early generation of Muslims (the Companions of Prophet Muhammad) have hinted at it. This would be my foundation on which I would construct my edifice. The prophecy I am referring to is mentioned in the Old Testament book of Isaiah and its 42nd chapter. Let me first share with you the narratives from Muslims traditions of how early Muslims saw the mention of Prophet Muhammad (sws) in the Torah.
عن عطاء بن يسار قال لقيت عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص رضي الله عنهما قلت أخبرني عن صفة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في التوراة قال أجل والله إنه لموصوف في التوراة ببعض صفته في القرآن يا أيها النبي إنا أرسلناك شاهدا ومبشرا ونذيرا وحرزا للأميين أنت عبدي ورسولي سميتك المتوكل ليس بفظ ولا غليظ ولا سخاب في الأسواق ولا يدفع السيئة بالسيئة ولكن يعفو ويغفر ولن يقبضه الله حتى يقيم به الملة العوجاء بأن يقولوا لا إله إلا الله ويفتح بها أعينا عميا وآذانا صما وقلوبا غلفا- تابعه عبد العزيز بن أبي سلمة عن هلال وقال سعيد عن هلال عن عطاء عن ابن سلام غلف كل شيء في غلاف سيف أغلف وقوس غلفاء ورجل أغلف إذا لم يكن مختونا [صحيح البخاري » كتاب البيوع » باب كراهية السخب في السوق]
A similar hadith is mention at another place in Bukhari as follows,
Read the above ahadith carefully and you cannot help but notice and remarkable resemblance to Isaiah 42. Even the early Muslims were aware of this prophecy, at least in its overall meaning, if not verbatim. How would early Muslims have come to know of this prophecy from the Torah is a question. The most probable answer is that they came to know of this prophecy from the Jewish converts to Islam, especially Rabbis such as Abdullah ibn Salaam (ra) who was a leading Jewish scholar of the Torah. The concluding words of the hadith prove this تابعه عبد العزيز بن أبي سلمة عن هلال وقال سعيد عن هلال عن عطاء عن ابن سلام غلف كل شيء في غلاف سيف أغلف وقوس غلفاء ورجل أغلف إذا لم يكن مختونا . These honest and upright people from the Jews converted after recognizing Prophet Muhammad (sws) as being THAT PROPHET whose coming was foretold in the Torah. Let me also share with you the incident of the conversion of Abdullah ibn Salaam (ra) to Islam.
… فَقِيلَ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ جَاءَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ جَاءَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَشْرَفُوا يَنْظُرُونَ وَيَقُولُونَ جَاءَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ جَاءَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ فَأَقْبَلَ يَسِيرُ حَتَّى نَزَلَ جَانِبَ دَارِ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ فَإِنَّهُ لَيُحَدِّثُ أَهْلَهُ إِذْ سَمِعَ بِهِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلَامٍ وَهُوَ فِي نَخْلٍ لِأَهْلِهِ يَخْتَرِفُ لَهُمْ فَعَجِلَ أَنْ يَضَعَ الَّذِي يَخْتَرِفُ لَهُمْ فِيهَا فَجَاءَ وَهِيَ مَعَهُ فَسَمِعَ مِنْ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ فَقَالَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَيُّ بُيُوتِ أَهْلِنَا أَقْرَبُ فَقَالَ أَبُو أَيُّوبَ أَنَا يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ هَذِهِ دَارِي وَهَذَا بَابِي قَالَ فَانْطَلِقْ فَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مَقِيلًا قَالَ قُومَا عَلَى بَرَكَةِ اللَّهِ فَلَمَّا جَاءَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جَاءَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلَامٍ فَقَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَأَنَّكَ جِئْتَ بِحَقٍّ وَقَدْ عَلِمَتْ يَهُودُ أَنِّي سَيِّدُهُمْ وَابْنُ سَيِّدِهِمْ وَأَعْلَمُهُمْ وَابْنُ أَعْلَمِهِمْ فَادْعُهُمْ فَاسْأَلْهُمْ عَنِّي قَبْلَ أَنْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنِّي قَدْ أَسْلَمْتُ فَإِنَّهُمْ إِنْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنِّي قَدْ أَسْلَمْتُ قَالُوا فِيَّ مَا لَيْسَ فِيَّ فَأَرْسَلَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَقْبَلُوا فَدَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا مَعْشَرَ الْيَهُودِ وَيْلَكُمْ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ فَوَاللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ حَقًّا وَأَنِّي جِئْتُكُمْ بِحَقٍّ فَأَسْلِمُوا قَالُوا مَا نَعْلَمُهُ قَالُوا لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَهَا ثَلَاثَ مِرَارٍ قَالَ فَأَيُّ رَجُلٍ فِيكُمْ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلَامٍ قَالُوا ذَاكَ سَيِّدُنَا وَابْنُ سَيِّدِنَا وَأَعْلَمُنَا وَابْنُ أَعْلَمِنَا قَالَ أَفَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَسْلَمَ قَالُوا حَاشَى لِلَّهِ مَا كَانَ لِيُسْلِمَ قَالَ أَفَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَسْلَمَ قَالُوا حَاشَى لِلَّهِ مَا كَانَ لِيُسْلِمَ قَالَ أَفَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَسْلَمَ قَالُوا حَاشَى لِلَّهِ مَا كَانَ لِيُسْلِمَ قَالَ يَا ابْنَ سَلَامٍ اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِمْ فَخَرَجَ فَقَالَ يَا مَعْشَرَ الْيَهُودِ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ فَوَاللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَأَنَّهُ جَاءَ بِحَقٍّ فَقَالُوا كَذَبْتَ فَأَخْرَجَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ [صحيح البخاري – كِتَاب مَنَاقِبِ الْأَنْصَارِ – باب هجرة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأصحابه إلى المدينة]
So if Abdullah bin Salaam did let the Muslims know of a prophecy or some prophecies from the Torah fulfilled in the person of Prophet Muhammad (sws), it carries a lot of significance.
Now what does Isaiah 42 say after all? Let us deal with each verse and see their echo is the ahadith quoted above from Ata ibn Yasar.
Verse 1.
Hebrew Text
הֵ֤ן עַבְדִּי֙ אֶתְמָךְ־בּ֔וֹ בְּחִירִ֖י רָצְתָ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י נָתַ֤תִּי רוּחִי֙ עָלָ֔יו מִשְׁפָּ֖ט לַגּוֹיִ֥ם יוֹצִֽיא׃
Transliteration
hēn ‘aḇədî ’eṯəmāḵə-bwō bəḥîrî rāṣəṯâ nafəšî nāṯatî rûḥî ‘ālāyw mišəpāṭ lagwōyim ywōṣî’:
English Translation (New King James Version)
Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
Fulfillment
“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold”, is rendered in the hadith as أنت عبدي “You are My Servant”. The hebrew text also uses the word aḇədî. Prophet Muhammad (sws) asked people to address him as Allah’s Servant, as is mentioned in the following hadith
سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ لَا تُطْرُونِي كَمَا أَطْرَتْ النَّصَارَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ فَإِنَّمَا أَنَا عَبْدُهُ فَقُولُوا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولُهُ
“My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him”. This is rendered in the hadith as أنت رسولي “You are My Messenger”. The Spirit means inspiration and a message as the Qur’an confirms it as follows,
وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ رُوحًا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا ۚ مَا كُنْتَ تَدْرِي مَا الْكِتَابُ وَلَا الْإِيمَانُ وَلَٰكِنْ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُورًا نَهْدِي بِهِ مَنْ نَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ۚ وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
“He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles” again echoes in the hadith as وحرزا للأميين “guardian of the Ummiyyeen”. The Qur’an says
النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ The Ummi Prophet (7:157)
As a matter of fact, Ummy in Arabic also carries the meaning of Gentile or non-Jewish. Renowned Arabic-English lexicon of William Edward Lane gives ‘Gentile’ as one of the meanings of the word ‘Ummi’, on the authority of Baidawi.
That he brought justice to the Gentiles is known to all. I will deliberate on it later.
Verse 2.
Hebrew Text
לא יצעק ולא ישא ולא־ישמיע בחוץ קולו׃
Transliteration
la yitz·’ak ve·la yis·sa ve·la-yash·mi·a’ ba·chutz ko·v·lov.
English Translation (New King James Version)
He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
Fulfillment
The hadith says ولا سخاب في الأسواق “nor one who shouts in the markets”. The believers found this quality fulfilled in the person of Prophet Muhamamd (sws) and they bore witness to it. In fact the title of the chapter in which this hadith occurs is The dislike of raising voices in the market. The Prophet (sws) taught through his example that it is not good manners to shout or raise your voice in the streets.
Verse 3.
Hebrew Text
קנה רצוץ לא ישבור ופשתה כהה לא יכבנה לאמת יוציא משפט׃
Transliteration
qā·neh rā·ṣūṣ la yiš·bō·wr, ū·p̄iš·tāh ḵê·hāh la yə·ḵab·ben·nāh; le·’ĕ·meṯ yō·w·ṣî miš·pāṭ.
English Translation (New King James Version)
A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
Fulfillment
The hadith confirms these noble qualities of Prophet Muhammad (sws), ليس بفظ ولا غليظ ولا يدفع السيئة بالسيئة ولكن يعفو ويغفر “You are neither hard-hearted nor of fierce character and you do not return evil for evil, but you deal with them with forgiveness and kindness.” Several incidents from the life of Prophet Muhammad (sws) verify this statement. For example, one hadith records,
The Qur’an also echoes the same noble manners,
وَلَا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ ۚ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ
Verse 4.
Hebrew Text
לא יכהה ולא ירוץ עד־ישים בארץ משפט ולתורתו איים ייחילו׃
Transliteration
la yiḵ·heh wə·la yā·rūṣ, ‘aḏ- yā·śîm bā·’ā·reṣ miš·pāṭ; ū·lə·ṯō·w·rā·ṯōw ’î·yîm yə·ya·ḥê·lū. p̄
English Translation (New King James Version)
He will not fail nor be discouraged,
till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
Fulfillment
The hadith confrims this with the words ولن يقبضه الله حتى يقيم به الملة العوجاء بأن يقولوا لا إله إلا الله ويفتح“Allah will not let him (the Prophet) die till he makes straight the crooked people by making them say: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,” The Prophet was given a detailed Law (Shariah) by Allah, which is based on supreme justice, a Law similar to the Law of Moses in its comprehensiveness. Prior to the advent of Prophet Muhammad (sws), total anarchy had gripped Arabia, lewdness was rampant; slavery, usury, bloodshed, and tribal feuds was the order of the day. When the Noble Prophet commenced his mission of reforming his society based on the message of monotheism, he faced stiff opposition from the Pagans. When all the lucrative offers made to him to abandon his preaching did not work, the pagans of Makka resorted to torture and severe persecution. In the face of this stiff opposition an ordinary man might be discouraged, but the Noble Prophet (sws) struggled on. His mesage of equality of all humans was attractive for the slaves and the downtrodden. Many such as Bilal, Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, Yasir and Sumayya embraced Islam. These new converts suffered the most. But I only want to point out the grand prophecy which Prophet Muhammad (sws) made in these testing times. Following is the account given in Bukhari,
سمعت خبابا يقول أتيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو متوسد بردة وهو في ظل الكعبة وقد لقينا من المشركين شدة فقلت يا رسول الله ألا تدعو الله فقعد وهو محمر وجهه فقال لقد كان من قبلكم ليمشط بمشاط الحديد ما دون عظامه من لحم أو عصب ما يصرفه ذلك عن دينه ويوضع المنشار على مفرق رأسه فيشق باثنين ما يصرفه ذلك عن دينه وليتمن الله هذا الأمر حتى يسير الراكب من صنعاء إلى حضرموت ما يخاف إلا الله زاد بيان والذئب على غنمه
Notice the underlined words. The Prophet is predicting this at a time when there were hardly 150 Muslims in the whole of Arabia. Khabbab (ra) saw these words fulfilled in his lifetime. Is this not the fulfillment of the words “He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth”?
Verse 5.
Hebrew Text
כה־אמר האל ׀ יהוה בורא השמים ונוטיהם רקע הארץ וצאצאיה נתן נשמה לעם עליה ורוח להלכים בה׃
Transliteration
kōh- ’ā·mar hā·’êl Yah·weh bō·w·rê haš·šā·ma·yim wə·nō·w·ṭê·hem, rō·qa‘ hā·’ā·reṣ wə·ṣe·’ĕ·ṣā·’e·hā; nō·ṯên nə·šā·māh lā·‘ām ‘ā·le·hā, wə·rū·aḥ la·hō·lə·ḵîm bāh
English Translation (New King James Version)
Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
This verse is simple to understand. Let us go to the next verse
Verse 6.
Hebrew Text
אני יהוה קראתיך בצדק ואחזק בידך ואצרך ואתנך לברית עם לאור גוים׃
Transliteration
’ă·nî Yah·weh qə·rā·ṯî·ḵā ḇə·ṣe·ḏeq wə·’aḥ·zêq bə·yā·ḏe·ḵā; wə·’eṣ·ṣā·rə·ḵā, wə·’et·ten·ḵā liḇ·rîṯ ‘ām lə·’ō·wr gō·w·yim
English Translation (New King James Version)
I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
Fulfillment
The righteous mission of establishing justice on earth, will require a special help from God, which is conveyed by the figurative words “And will hold Your hand”. Once “God holds the hand of anyone”, it is impossible to defeat that person. God uses that person as an instrument to wipe out evil and manifest His judgment on evil doers. Let us see how the Qur’an confirms this in the battlefield of Badr where 313 ill-armed Muslims faced a thousand strong army of the pagans. Allah says,
فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ رَمَىٰ ۚ وَلِيُبْلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلَاءً حَسَنًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿١٧﴾ ذَٰلِكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مُوهِنُ كَيْدِ الْكَافِرِينَ ﴿١٨﴾ إِنْ تَسْتَفْتِحُوا فَقَدْ جَاءَكُمُ الْفَتْحُ ۖ وَإِنْ تَنْتَهُوا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ تَعُودُوا نَعُدْ وَلَنْ تُغْنِيَ عَنْكُمْ فِئَتُكُمْ شَيْئًا وَلَوْ كَثُرَتْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١٩
The expression “I will keep you” means I will protect you. Several assassination attempts made on the life of the Holy Prophet (sws) ended in failure due to the the special protection of God. God used a fragile spiders web at the cave of Thaur to protect His Prophet from the bloodthirsty enemies, who were after him. How wonderful the ways of God!
“I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles” means that God renewed the covenant through Prophet Muhammad (sws) with the descendants of Abraham, and this time the Ishmaelite branch. The Qur’an confirms and explains this covenant precisely as follows,
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّينَ لَمَا آتَيْتُكُمْ مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مُصَدِّقٌ لِمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنْصُرُنَّهُ ۚ قَالَ أَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمْ إِصْرِي ۖ قَالُوا أَقْرَرْنَا ۚ قَالَ فَاشْهَدُوا وَأَنَا مَعَكُمْ مِنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ ﴿٨١﴾ فَمَنْ تَوَلَّىٰ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ ﴿٨٢﴾ أَفَغَيْرَ دِينِ اللَّهِ يَبْغُونَ وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ ﴿٨٣﴾ قُلْ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَالنَّبِيُّونَ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ ﴿٨٤﴾ وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ ﴿٨٥
All the prophets predicted the coming of Prophet Muhammad (sws) and made it binding on their followers to believe in him when he appears and support him. Thus God gave Prophet Muhammad as a covenant to the people for ever.
“As a light to the Gentiles” refers to the light of guidance which was sent with him. The Quranic Aayah with which I began this article points to this, when it says,
وَاتَّبَعُوا النُّورَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ مَعَهُ
The Holy Prophet (sws) was himself addressed as a light in the Qur’an, such as
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى اللَّهِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَسِرَاجًا مُنِيرًا
Verse 7.
Hebrew Text
לפקח עינים עורות להוציא ממסגר אסיר מבית כלא ישבי חשך׃
Transliteration
lip̄·qō·aḥ ‘ê·na·yim ‘iw·rō·wṯ; lə·hō·w·ṣî mim·mas·gêr ’as·sîr, mib·bêṯ ke·le yō·šə·ḇê ḥō·šeḵ
English Translation (New King James Version)
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
Fulfillment
By the light and the Divine Law which Allah provided him, the spiritually blind people saw the truth. The hadith explains it in the words ويفتح بها أعينا عميا وآذانا صما وقلوبا غلفا “with which will be opened blind eyes and deaf ears and enveloped hearts.” With his noble character the Prophet (sws) attracted the hearts of sincere and noble people around him. I would share some lovely couplets of a Muslim poet Ibn Rawaha (Companion) about the beloved Prophet Muhammad (sws) which are narrated in Bukhari,
فينا رسول الله يتلو كتابه
كما انشق معروف من الفجر ساطع
أرانا الهدى بعد العمى فقلوبنا
به موقنات أن ما قال واقع
يبيت يجافي جنبه من فراشه
إذا استثقلت بالكافرين المضاجع
كما انشق معروف من الفجر ساطع
أرانا الهدى بعد العمى فقلوبنا
به موقنات أن ما قال واقع
يبيت يجافي جنبه من فراشه
إذا استثقلت بالكافرين المضاجع
Poetic Rendering in English
Translation in Prose
Verse 8.
Hebrew Text
אני יהוה הוא שמי וכבודי לאחר לא־אתן ותהלתי לפסילים׃
Transliteration
’ă·nî Yah·weh hū šə·mî; ū·ḵə·ḇō·w·ḏî lə·’a·ḥêr lō- ’et·tên, ū·ṯə·hil·lā·ṯî lap·pə·sî·lîm
English Translation (New King James Version)
I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
Fulfillment
This verse speaks of pure monotheism and a strong negation of idolatory. This means that the Prophet who is foretold will have to primarily deal with idolatory and he will preach the message of pure and uncompromising monoethism. No one can find a better candidate than Prophet Muhammad (sws) who fulfills this. Tha hadith of Ata bin Yasar also mentions this crucial aspect in the words ولن يقبضه الله حتى يقيم به الملة العوجاء بأن يقولوا لا إله إلا الله Allah will not let him (the Prophet) die till he makes straight the crooked people by making them say: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah,” This uncompromising monotheism is the echo of the monotheism of the Old Testament as opposed to the Christian concept of Trinity. Here I share with you portion of a conversation between Prophet Muhamamd (sws) and Amr b. ‘Abasa Sulami whilst the Prophet was still in Makkah.
Verse 9.
Hebrew Text
הראשנות הנה־באו וחדשות אני מגיד בטרם תצמחנה אשמיע אתכם׃
Transliteration
hā·ri·šō·nō·wṯ hin·nêh- ḇā·’ū; wa·ḥă·ḏā·šō·wṯ ’ă·nî mag·gîḏ, bə·ṭe·rem tiṣ·maḥ·nāh ’aš·mî‘ ’eṯ·ḵem
English Translation (New King James Version)
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Fulfillment
That this is a prophecy about the future is made clear.
Verse 10.
Hebrew Text
שירו ליהוה שיר חדש תהלתו מקצה הארץ יורדי הים ומלאו איים וישביהם׃
Transliteration
šî·rū Yah·weh šîr ḥā·ḏāš, tə·hil·lā·ṯōw miq·ṣêh hā·’ā·reṣ; yō·wr·ḏê hay·yām ū·mə·lō·’ōw, ’î·yîm wə·yō·šə·ḇê·hem
English Translation (New King James Version)
Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise from the ends of the earth,
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!
And His praise from the ends of the earth,
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!
Fulfillment
The universal mission of the coming Prophet is emphasized here, as against the localized mission of the Israelite Prophets. The Qur’an says of Prophet Muhammad (sws),
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا كَافَّةً لِلنَّاسِ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
By “a new song” is meant new ways of worship.
Verses 11 and 12.
Hebrew Text
ישאו מדבר ועריו חצרים תשב קדר ירנו ישבי סלע מראש הרים יצוחו׃ – ישימו ליהוה כבוד ותהלתו באיים יגידו׃
Transliteration
yiś·’ū miḏ·bār wə·‘ā·rāw, ḥă·ṣê·rîm tê·šêḇ qê·ḏār; yā·rōn·nū yō·šə·ḇê se·la‘, mê·rōš hā·rîm yiṣ·wā·ḥū | yā·śî·mū Yah·weh kā·ḇō·wḏ; ū·ṯə·hil·lā·ṯōw bā·’î·yîm yag·gî·ḏū.
English Translation (New King James Version)
Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice,
The villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing,
Let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the Lord,
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
The villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing,
Let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the Lord,
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
Fulfillment
This is a very significant verse in this whole chapter as it confirms the identity of the place of the coming Prophet’s advent. Two crucial words used in this verse are ‘Kedar’ and ‘Sela’. Let us ascertain their identity. Who is ‘Kedar’? Well according to the Bible, Kedar is the son of Prophet Ishmael. It reads,
It is a known fact that Prophet Muhammad, a member of the Quraish tribe in Makka descended from Kedar. Some shameles Christian polemicists have tried to contest this claim and said that Kedar’s descendants never settled in Arabia, but all in vain. Here is not the appropriate place for me to enter into this debate. I will establish this ‘establish fact’ in another of my article. For now, I will quote a not so favourable witness, Rev. Charles Forster, who was one of the six preachers in the Cathedral of Cantebury, a fervent critic of Islam and author of Mahometanism Unveiled. He writes in his two volume work The Historical Geography of Arabia,
He writes further,
This would suffice for now.
Please also see the image showing the lineage of Prophet Muhammad right upto Prophet Ishmael via Kedar. (Click Here)
Besides, the verse uses the word מדבר ‘miḏ·bār‘ which stands for Arabia. But more importantly the word ‘Kedar’ used together with the word ‘Sela’ settles the point that what is being spoken of are the cities of Makkah and Madinah because ‘Sela’ is the name of a mountain in Madina. Hadith records mention this name clearly as the name of a mountain in Madinah. Following is a portion of one hadith I produce from the episode of Ka’b bin Malik (ra) and the battle of Tabouk,
فَبَيْنَا أَنَا جَالِسٌ عَلَى الْحَالِ الَّتِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ قَدْ ضَاقَتْ عَلَيَّ نَفْسِي وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيَّ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ سَمِعْتُ صَوْتَ صَارِخٍ أَوْفَى عَلَى جَبَلِ سَلْعٍ بِأَعْلَى صَوْتِهِ يَا كَعْبُ بْنَ مَالِكٍ أَبْشِرْ قَالَ فَخَرَرْتُ سَاجِدًا وَعَرَفْتُ أَنْ قَدْ جَاءَ فَرَجٌ
Mount Sela in Madinah
From these it is clear that verses 11 and 12 are again fulfilled in the person of Prophet Muhammad (sws) and none else. Further it is a known fact that when the Holy Prophet (sws) migrated to Madinah from Makkah, after facing severe persecution in Makkah, he was welcomed with the lovely songs of the people of Madinah and the voices of God’s Glory. One of them is very famous and I produce it below
طلع البدر علينا
ṭala‘a ‘l-badru ‘alaynā
Oh the white moon rose over us
ṭala‘a ‘l-badru ‘alaynā
Oh the white moon rose over us
من ثنيات الوداع
min thaniyyāti ‘l-wadā‘
From the valley of al-Wadā‘
وجب الشكر علينا
wajaba ‘l-shukru ‘alaynā
And we owe it to show gratefulness
min thaniyyāti ‘l-wadā‘
From the valley of al-Wadā‘
وجب الشكر علينا
wajaba ‘l-shukru ‘alaynā
And we owe it to show gratefulness
ما دعى لله داع
mā da‘ā li-l-lāhi dā‘
Where the call is to Allah.
أيها المبعوث فينا
’ayyuha ‘l-mab‘ūthu fīnā
Oh you who were raised among us
mā da‘ā li-l-lāhi dā‘
Where the call is to Allah.
أيها المبعوث فينا
’ayyuha ‘l-mab‘ūthu fīnā
Oh you who were raised among us
جئت بالأمر المطاع
ji’ta bi-l-’amri ‘l-muṭā‘
Coming with a word to be obeyed
ji’ta bi-l-’amri ‘l-muṭā‘
Coming with a word to be obeyed
جئت شرفت المدينة
ji’ta sharrafta ‘l-madīnah
You have brought to this city nobleness
ji’ta sharrafta ‘l-madīnah
You have brought to this city nobleness
مرحبا يا خير داع
marḥaban yā khayra dā‘
Welcome best caller to God’s way
marḥaban yā khayra dā‘
Welcome best caller to God’s way
Verse 13.
Hebrew Text
יהוה כגבור יצא כאיש מלחמות יעיר קנאה יריע אף־יצריח על־איביו יתגבר׃
Transliteration
Yah·weh kag·gib·bō·wr yê·ṣê, kə·’îš mil·ḥā·mō·wṯ yā·‘îr qin·’āh; yā·rî·a‘ ’ap̄- yaṣ·rî·aḥ, ‘al- ’ō·yə·ḇāw yiṯ·gab·bār
English Translation (New King James Version)
The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man;
He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.
He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud;
He shall prevail against His enemies.
He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.
He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud;
He shall prevail against His enemies.
Fulfillment
The Prophet is an instrument of manifesting God’s judgment and by the “going forth of The LORD” is meant the going forth of his Messenger. The coming Messenger will have to engage the evil people in war and will prevail against them. We all know that Prophet Muhammad (sws) had to engage in battles in the Madinan period of this ministry to manifest the judgment of God on the pagans for their disbelief coupled with the persecution of the non-violent believers in the Makkan period. Their oppression and tyranny had reached its climax such that ultimately God manifested His Judgment. Ironically, some shameless Christian polemicists assert that these battles of Prophet Muhammad (sws) were for his personal ambitions, to gain slaves, wealth, women etc ignoring the fact that Isaiah 42:13 predicts that the coming Prophet would have to engage in battles and would have the special help of God thereby prevailing over his enemies. History is witness that this prophecy was also fulfilled in a grand manner in the person of Prophet Muhammad (sws). Even the Noble Qur’an proclaims it loud and clear as follows,
يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ ﴿٨﴾ هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ ﴿٩
Christian polemicists would do well to look at the battles of Prophet Muhammad (sws) from this perspective and stop their malicious campaigns against this Noble Prophet at least, if they do not wish to believe in him and honour him.
Verses 14 and 15.
Hebrew Text
החשיתי מעולם אחריש אתאפק כיולדה אפעה אשם ואשאף יחד׃ – אחריב הרים וגבעות וכל־עשבם אוביש ושמתי נהרות לאיים ואגמים אוביש׃
Transliteration
he·ḥĕ·šê·ṯî mê·‘ō·w·lām, ’a·ḥă·rîš ’eṯ·’ap·pāq; kay·yō·w·lê·ḏāh ’ep̄·‘eh, ’eš·šōm wə·’eš·’ap̄ yā·ḥaḏ. 15 ’a·ḥă·rîḇ hā·rîm ū·ḡə·ḇā·‘ō·wṯ, wə·ḵāl ‘eś·bām ’ō·w·ḇîš; wə·śam·tî nə·hā·rō·wṯ lā·’î·yîm, wa·’ă·ḡam·mîm ’ō·w·ḇîš.
English Translation (New King James Version)
I have held My peace a long time,
I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will cry like a woman in labor,
I will pant and gasp at once.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills,
And dry up all their vegetation;
I will make the rivers coastlands,
And I will dry up the pools.
I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will cry like a woman in labor,
I will pant and gasp at once.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills,
And dry up all their vegetation;
I will make the rivers coastlands,
And I will dry up the pools.
Fulfillment
Here, God Almighty, is conveying His scheme in figurative language. It means, in general, that God would go forth with a fixed and settled purpose to destroy his foes, through His coming Great Prophet (sws). By “laying waste of mountains and hills” and “drying up all their vegetation”, the reference is probably to the great changes which God would make in the pagan world. All that flourished on Pagan ground; all that was nurtured by idolatry; all their temples, fanes, altars, shrines, should be overturned and demolished; and in all these things great and permanent changes would be produced.
Verse 16.
Hebrew Text
והולכתי עורים בדרך לא ידעו בנתיבות לא־ידעו אדריכם אשים מחשך לפניהם לאור ומעקשים למישור אלה הדברים עשיתם ולא עזבתים׃
Transliteration
wə·hō·w·laḵ·tî ‘iw·rîm, bə·ḏe·reḵ lō yā·ḏā·‘ū, bin·ṯî·ḇō·wṯ lō- yā·ḏə·‘ū ’aḏ·rî·ḵêm; ’ā·śîm maḥ·šāḵ lip̄·nê·hem lā·’ō·wr, ū·ma·‘ă·qaš·šîm lə·mî·šō·wr, ’êl·leh had·də·ḇā·rîm, ‘ă·śî·ṯim wə·lō ‘ă·zaḇ·tîm
English Translation (New King James Version)
I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;
I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them,
And not forsake them.
I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them,
And not forsake them.
Fulfillment
The pagan Arabs had not known the phenomenon of Revelation for a long time, nor had a Prophet been sent to them. Revelation and Prophethood were unfamiiar to them. But now they had been sent a Mighty Prophet (sws). The Qur’an bears witness to this as follows,
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ ۚ بَلْ هُوَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لِتُنْذِرَ قَوْمًا مَا أَتَاهُمْ مِنْ نَذِيرٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ
and further,
لِتُنْذِرَ قَوْمًا مَا أُنْذِرَ آبَاؤُهُمْ فَهُمْ غَافِلُونَ
“I will make darkness light before them” – Darkness, in the Scriptures, is the emblem of ignorance, sin and adversity. All this would be turned topsy-turvy. Sin will be replaced by virtue, ignorance by knowledge and adversity by prosperity. Darkeness was turned into light as is even recorded in the Noble Qur’an as follows,
اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَوْلِيَاؤُهُمُ الطَّاغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُمْ مِنَ النُّورِ إِلَى الظُّلُمَاتِ ۗ أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
and again,
رَسُولًا يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ مُبَيِّنَاتٍ لِيُخْرِجَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ ۚ وَمَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَيَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا يُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۖ قَدْ أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ لَهُ رِزْقًا
“And not forsake them.” means that God will not abandon them until they finish their mission. How great these words and how great their fulfillment in the words of Prophet Muhammad (sws). Listen to these very words from the blessed mouth of the blessed Prophet (sws) recorded in the Qur’an as follows,
إِلَّا تَنْصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا ۖ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا السُّفْلَىٰ ۗ وَكَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
Verse 17.
Hebrew Text
נסגו אחור יבשו בשת הבטחים בפסל האמרים למסכה אתם אלהינו׃
Transliteration
nā·sō·ḡū ’ā·ḥō·wr yê·ḇō·šū ḇō·šeṯ, hab·bō·ṭə·ḥîm bap·pā·sel; hā·’ō·mə·rîm lə·mas·sê·ḵāh ’at·tem ’ĕ·lō·hê·nū
English Translation (New King James Version)
They shall be turned back,
They shall be greatly ashamed,
Who trust in carved images,
Who say to the molded images,
‘You are our gods.’
They shall be greatly ashamed,
Who trust in carved images,
Who say to the molded images,
‘You are our gods.’
Fulfillment
How beautifully does this verse summaize the conclusion of Prophet Muhammad’s (sws) mission in the Arabian Penisnsula and most probabaly refers to the conquest of Makkah when all the gods in whom the Pagan’s trusted could not help them in any way. “They shall be greatly ashamed who trust in carved images”; as converted persons when they come to be convinced of the folly of their idolatrous practices are; and if not converted, yet are confounded when they find their idols cannot help and assist them, nor deliver them out of their trouble.
How this grand prophecy finds fulfillment in the person of Prophet Muhammad (sws) is now beyond doubt. Each and every verse fits perfectly on him and his noble mission. Who can be so blind to not believe in him after reading this?
This Prophecy does not refer to Prophet Jesus (pbuh)
There might still be one more hurdle for Christians to accept this as a prophecy of Prophet Muhammad (sws), because in the Gospel according to Matthew 12:17-21 an attempt has been made to fit this prophecy on the person of Jesus Christ (pbuh). Thus, it is essential for me to explain how this prophecy DOES NOT refer to Jesus (pbuh).
The first verse emphasizes that this Prophet will do his mission among the Gentiles. Jesus (pbuh) did his ministry within the Israelites, he even denied being sent to the non-Jews as in Matthew 15:24, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. Isaiah 42:4 says that this coming Prophet will establish justice on earth and not not falter or be discouraged. This certainly does not refer to Jesus (pbuh). He did no such thing and according to Christians, he was crucified by his enemies. Verse 6 says that God will hold his hand to specially help him mission and verse 16 says that God will not forsake him. Nothing of this sort happened with Jesus (pbuh) and according to the Christian Gospels, Jesus blamed God for forsaking him; Matthew 27:46 “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Same is repeated in Mark 15:34. Isaiah 42:8 and 42:17 explicitly mention that the coming Prophet will have to deal with the idol worshipers. Jesus (pbuh) dealt with his own people, the Israelites. Verse 11 tells us the location of the people among whom the Prophet will be raised as the peoeple of Kedar and Sela (Makkah and Madinah). Jesus (pbuh) had no relation to these places. Verse 13 clearly says that this coming Prophet will participate in battles against the pagans and overcome his enemies. Jesus (pbuh) did not have any opportunity to particpate in battles and as per Christian belief, it was his enemies who overcame him.
All these points prove conclusively that this prophecy is referring to Prophet Muhammad (sws) in each and every way, and not at all to Prophet Jesus (pbuh).