Who is a True

Prophet ?

"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Apostle of God, and the Seal of the
Prophets: And God has full knowledge of all things."

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 Who Qualifies as a True Prophet of God?

Criteria revealed by the Scriptures

"Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his
servants the prophets." Amos 3:7
We would all agree with Amos that God uses prophets to fulfill His
purposes on earth. At times other individuals are used to prophesy a
specific event. The office of a prophet, however, is a specific task given
only to certain chosen men. Many of us know the names of the more
famous prophets: Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, Yahya, and so on... Muslims
add to the list of prophets another name, Muhammad, whom they
believe to be the final and greatest of all prophets. But how is it that
men have come to have the office of prophet? What gives them the
authority for calling themselves "prophet"? If we follow the message of a
prophet, it is important that we ensure the validity of his calling as well
as the truthfulness of his message. In the Scriptures we find God's three
qualifications for the office of a true prophet. Let us now examine these
qualifications.

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 A Prophet must Speak in the Name of God

Names for God

A prophet must speak in the name
of God (in Hebrew Yahweh or Hebrew Number of Arabic
Jehovah, depending on which times used in equivalent
transliteration is used for YHWH). the Bible
Exodus 3:1-6, 13-15 speaks of the
"I am" (which means "YAHWEH" General Elohim (God) 2,550
or in English "The One Who Is") names Allah (God)
"as this is my name for ever" (see
also: Psalms 72:17-19; and
Revelation 1:8,17). One can now Descriptive Adonai (Lord) 340 Rabb (Lord)
see the reason for the anger of the names
Jews (in John 8:24,58 and
10:30,33), where Jesus claimed to
be the "I am" (also in Mark 13:6;
Philippians.2:5-11). Specific or YAHWEH (the Not known - no
Personal One Who Is) 6,823 equivalent
names

In the above chart, we see that the name of God "the One Who Is" (YAHWEH) is
used 6,823 times in the Taurat. All of the ancient Biblical prophets speak in His name.
However, this name of God is not used even once in the Qur'an and has no
equivalent in Arabic.
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 The Message Must Conform to the Revelation
Which Has Gone Before

God's word must remain consistent (unchanging) (Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Isaiah 8:20; Matthew 5:17-18; 24:35; and
Revelation 22:18-20). In Psalms 89:35 we find that God cannot contradict His word. In the Qur'an we read, "I had already
in advance sent you warning. The Word changes not." (Qaf 50:28-29). That which the prophets revealed cannot be
contradictory. If it is, it cannot be trusted.

When we look at the Qur'an we find many stories which contradict the
revelations which came before (the Biblical account).

Many contradictions are found concerning Abraham:

1. Abraham's father is called Azar, instead of Terah (An'am 6:74 vs. Genesis11:26).
2. He did not raise his descendants in the valley of Mecca, but in Hebron (Genesis 13:14-18).
3. His hometown was not called Mecca but Ur in Chaldea (the secular Ebla tablets of Syria confirm the
account of Genesis 11:31).
4. He did not wander in the Meccan valley of Arabia, but through Haran and Canaan (Genesis 11:31 &
12:5).
5. The Lord made His covenant with Isaac and not the son of the slave, Hagar (see Genesis 17:18-21 &
22:2).
6. There is no record that he and Ishmael went to Arabia and built the Ka'bah in Mecca, though he did
spend some time in Egypt (Genesis 12:10).

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 Muslims assume that Arabs are Ishmael's descendants.
1. Historically the first father of the Arabs was Qahtan or Joktan. Some of his sons' names are
still found in geographical locations in Arabia today, such as Sheba, Hazarmaveth, Ophir, and
Havilah.
2. Abraham's nephew Lot is another ancestor; as is Jacob's twin brother Esau, the father of the
Edomites and the Moabites.
3. Finally, Keturah, Abraham's third wife (Genesis 25), had six sons who all became forefathers
of Arabs (i.e. Sheba and Dedan located in Yemen).

Other contradictions of the Biblical account are found in the Qur'an. Two of these are:
1. In the Qur'an, Mary is recorded as the sister of Aaron and the daughter of Imran, as well as
the mother of Jesus (Surat Maryam [Mary] 19:28). Thus, the Mary the Qur'an depicts as the
mother of Jesus is 1,570 years removed from the Mary of the Bible.
2. Haman, a Babylonian, not an Egyptian name, is mentioned as the "Wazir" of Pharaoh in
Suras 28:5; 29:38: 40:25,38; yet the book of Esther correctly lists him as an official of king
Xerxes, in Babylon.

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 A Prophet's Prediction Must Be Verifiable

1. The predictions which cover the longest duration are the most relevant and valuable for us and thus we tend to focus
on them. Yet, according to the principle which is announced in Deuteronomy 18:21-22; Isaiah 43:9; and John 13:18-
21, it is important that there be other predictions which are short-term and can be verified by contemporaries of the
prophet. These predictions serve to identify him as a prophet, and so give credibility to longer range predictions.
2. If we look at Moses, we see that his prediction of the death and defeat of the Egyptian army was immediately fulfilled
(Exodus 14:13-14,27-28). Another prediction (Deuteronomy 28:1,15,64-66; 30:1,4-5) is not fulfilled until centuries
later. Likewise, if we look at the prophet Isaiah, we see that one prophecy was fulfilled the same day (Isaiah 38:5-8),
another the next day (Isaiah 37:21-38), while another 150 years later in B.C. 606 (Isaiah 39:6-7) and another was
fulfilled 200 years later (Isaiah 13:1,19-22)*.
3. This prophecy refers to the destruction and desolation of Babylon. To this day even the local people refuse to stay
overnight in her ruins.
4. Note: God seems to have chosen a line or race through which His word is revealed, the line of Abraham and Isaac.
Although this is not necessarily a qualification for prophethood, it is nonetheless important for this discussion.
5. Many Muslims point to the passage in Deuteronomy 18:15,18 to validate their claim that Muhammad qualifies as a
prophet. In this passage a prophet is promised who will be "like me" (Moses). Most Muslims cite verse 18 as a
prediction of Muhammad as prophet. Yet vs.18 is a repetition of vs.15 which clearly refers to one who is "from among
your own brothers," an Israelite, a descendant of Jacob (whose name God later changed to Israel). This is a clear
indication that God intended the office of prophethood to descend uniquely through the Israelite race.

<Isaac > Jacob > Judah > Moses > David > Jesus
Abraham
Ishmael ....................................................................Muhammad
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Conclusion

1. Which of these Biblical qualifications does Muhammad demonstrate?

2. Did Muhammad speak in the name of "the One Who Is", YAHWEH?Though YAHWEH is used 6,823
times in the Bible, it is not used once in the Qur'an, and was perhaps not even known by Muhammad.
3. Did Muhammad's revelation conform to the message which had preceded him?There are many
contradictions between the Qur'an and the Bible, the most damaging of which pertain to the identity
of Jesus and the purpose of his mission on earth. If a prophet's message goes against previous
predictions, he, then, can no longer qualify as a true prophet.
4. Were any of Muhammad's predictions verifiable within his lifetime?Muhammad could produce no
verifiable proof to claim the office of a prophet. In fact, this became a cause for concern to
Muhammad, who three times mentions the distrust of others of his inability to produce a miraculous
sign for his authority (see Surahs Yunus 10:21 and Ra'd 13:7,27).
5. Does Deuteronomy 18 refer to Muhammad?There are no Muslims who believe Muhammad was a
descendant of Isaac. While there is an ongoing discussion concerning the veracity of the claim for
Muhammad's descendence through Ishmael, this view is, nonetheless, widely held by Muslims today.
Yet, according to the Qur'an (Al Ankabut 29:27 and Jathiya 45:16), all the prophets came in the line of
Isaac, fulfilling the promise to Abraham in Genesis 17 that only through Isaac (and consequently Israel)
would the covenant with the Lord be fulfilled.
6. As you read these verses and consider what has been said, you too, must come to a conclusion. Based
on the evidence before you, you must decide who, indeed, can claim to have been given the office of a
prophet.
7. "But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name [Yahweh] anything I have not commanded him to
say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death." Deuteronomy 18:20

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