Muhammad in the Holy Books
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- Editions
- Markaz al-Tanwīr al-Islāmī lil-Khadamāt al-Ma‘rifiyyah wal-Nashr bi-al-Qāhirah
Muhammad in the Holy Books (Muḥammad ﷺ fī al-kutub al-muqaddasa) is a comparative religion study by the contemporary Tunisian scholar Sami Amiri that examines prophecies and references to the Prophet Muhammad across the sacred scriptures of world religions.
Background and Scope
The book spans over 400 pages and investigates prophetic heralds not only within the Judeo-Christian scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, but also across Eastern and ancient religious traditions, including Hinduism, Mandaeism (the Sabaeans), Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism. The work opens by framing the theological inquiry into whether previous scriptures must attest to a prophet's mission, drawing upon classical Islamic scholarship such as Ibn Taymiyya's al-Jawāb al-ṣaḥīḥ li-man baddala dīn al-Masīḥ (The Correct Answer to Those Who Changed the Religion of Christ), and outlines reasons why both Muslims and non-Muslims are called to investigate these biblical and historical records.
Structure and Content
The work is organized into an introduction, thematic polemical evaluations, scriptural exegesis, and comparative chapters:
- Refutation of Christian Missionary Objections: The author addresses recurring polemics regarding scriptural prophecies, such as the reliance on Church Fathers, allegations that the Prophet is never explicitly named, assertions that biblical citations are vague or arbitrarily interpreted, and claims that prophethood ceased after Jesus. In addressing claims of biblical preservation, the work critiques textual traditions and manuscript variations across the Masoretic Hebrew text, the Greek Septuagint, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and early codices such as Codex Sinaiticus. It also examines biblical motifs such as the "Righteous Servant", the "Son of Man", "Shiloh", and the rejected cornerstone.
- Biblical Prophecies: Amiri conducts a detailed textual analysis of passages in the Old and New Testaments, including descriptions of the one coming from Mount Paran, the descendant of Kedar, the unlettered prophet, the rider on the camel, references to Mecca, the conquest of Jerusalem, the night journey to al-Aqsa Mosque, the kingdom of heaven, and linguistic readings of Hebrew passages such as Song of Songs 5:16 containing the term Mahamaddim. It also includes a treatment of the Gospel of Barnabas.
- Eastern and Ancient Scriptures: The final chapters examine prophetic allusions and passages found in Hindu texts, Sabaean writings, Buddhist scriptures, and Zoroastrian/Magian books.
The volume concludes with two appendices, a comprehensive multilingual bibliography comprising Arabic, English, and French sources and commentaries, and an index.
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