Hal Bashshara al-Kitab al-Muqaddas bi-Muhammad
- Author died
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- Editions
- Dar al-Islam lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
Hal Bashshara al-Kitab al-Muqaddas bi-Muhammad (Arabic: هل بشَّر الكتاب المقدس بمحمّد ﷺ, "Did the Bible Prophesy Muhammad?") is a contemporary comparative religion treatise written by Munqidh al-Saqqar and published by Dar al-Islam as the fifth installment in his al-Huda wa-l-Nur (Guidance and Light) series . The book examines biblical prophecies in both the Old and New Testaments to argue that textual descriptions of an awaited final prophet apply to the Islamic prophet Muhammad .
Background and Objectives
The author positions the book within Islamic apologetics and interfaith dialogue, asserting that demonstrating the prophethood of Muhammad is essential to Islamic creed and that scriptural prophecies from previous divine revelations serve as a key proof against the People of the Book . While Jews and Christians acknowledge the presence of prophecies foretelling a coming prophet or messianic figure, Christian scholars interpret them as references to Jesus, and Jewish traditions maintain that the figure is yet to come; the book aims to demonstrate that these texts describe Muhammad instead . In adopting the term "the Awaited Prophet" or "the Awaited Messiah" throughout the text, the author follows the usage of earlier comparative religion scholar Ahmad Hijazi al-Saqqa and conventional Jewish phrasing .
Content and Arguments
The work analyses various biblical passages, dividing its textual investigations across the Old and New Testaments:
- Old Testament Prophecies: The book examines several prophetic passages, including the Book of Haggai (2:6–9), arguing through linguistic analysis of the original Hebrew root mhmd (or hamdat) that the phrase translated as "the desire of all nations" is an unrendered form of the name Ahmad or Muhammad, citing arguments from the former Catholic priest Abdul Ahad Dawud and historical remarks by Will Durant .
- New Testament Prophecies: The text addresses the Johannine discourse regarding the Paraclete (al-Baraqlit) in the Gospel of John (chapters 14–16), where Jesus speaks of another Comforter or "Spirit of Truth" who will guide humanity into all truth and testify concerning him, presenting this figure as Muhammad rather than the Holy Spirit .
- Historical Testimonies: The author highlights historical and modern figures from Christian backgrounds whose conversions to Islam were linked to their recognition of biblical prophecies, including the Negus of Abyssinia, al-Hasan ibn Ayyub, Ziyada al-Rasi, Abdul Ahad Dawud, Ibrahim Khalil, and Maurice Bucaille .
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