The Awaited Prophet
Before starting, I want to let you know that the purpose of this article is not only to prove that Muhammad (ﷺ) was a true Prophet but also to help you learn critical thinking.
If you are a logical person, have critical thinking skills, and look for the true religion, this article would help you a lot in your journey. Without further ado, let’s get started:
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was born in Mecca in 570 AD in a polytheist community where ignorance and vice morals were widespread among them. Still, he didn’t worship idols, nor did he have bad morals and he became a Prophet in 610 AD when he reached 40 years old.
He started inviting people to Islam in Mecca for 13 years and some of them accepted him as a true Prophet but many people rejected him and when the harm to him intensified, Allah (The True Creator) commanded him to migrate to Medina to start inviting people to Islam there.
The eternal miracle for the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is the Qur’an, which was revealed to him by the true creator, and he recited the verses to his companions when it was revealed, so they memorized it and wrote it down at the same time and they pass it to us generation after generation which makes it impossible to corrupt it.
The Qur’an is a book of guidance for all mankind and deals with every aspect of life, so the Qur’an not only teaches you how to worship Allah but also a complete system of life at the individual level, the societal level, and the government level.
The book mentions some events that happened during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) such as when Allah bestowed blessings on the believers when he saved them from the Quraish oppression in Mecca and their winning in the Battle of Badr.
Therefore we will use some of the Qur’an verses that talk about the events that took place during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to prove that he was a true Prophet.
People in Medina welcomed the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) when he migrated there which took place in the last of 622 AD and they were happy with his coming because they knew that he was a true Prophet, but how people of Medina knew about it?
The Jews in Medina were telling the Arabs this is the time of a Prophet who would come out in the Arabian Peninsula, but the Jews did not realize that he would be from the Arabs and not from the Children of Israel, so they did not believe in him involuntarily.
You may also be wondering, how the Jews knew this information about the coming of a Prophet in the 7th century in the Arabian Peninsula.
Muslims believe that Allah sent a lot of Prophets before the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) but their teaching revealed to them was only to their people at their time, unlike the teaching that was revealed to this last Prophet which was for all mankind.
Allah mentioned the coming of his Prophet in the previous books that were revealed to the Prophets before him, and the Jews in Medina were known for the coming of a Prophet at that time and this information was passed down to them by their ancestors.
The story where the Jews were waiting for a Prophet is mentioned in the Qur’an — Qur’an [2:89] [And when there came to them a Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] from Allāh confirming that which was with them — although before they used to pray for victory against those who disbelieved — but [then] when there came to them that which they recognized, they disbelieved in it; so the curse of Allāh will be upon the disbelievers.]
Let’s read the meaning of this verse in Tafseer (Explanation) of Al-Tabari:
كانت العرب تمر باليهود فيؤذونهم, وكانوا يجدون محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم في التوراة, ويسألون الله أن يبعثه فيقاتلوا معه العرب. فلما جاءهم محمد كفروا به، حين لم يكن من بني إسرائيل.
The Arabs would pass by the Jews, and they would harm them, and they find Muhammad peace be upon him in the Torah, and they ask Allah to send him so they will fight the Arabs with him. When Muhammad came to them, they disbelieved him since he was not among the Children of Israel.
The verse states that when Arabs would pass by the Jews, they would harm them, so they were telling the Arabs this is the time for a Prophet to come out and we will fight with him against you but the Jews then rejected him out of hatred and envy because they thought he would be from the Children of Israel and not Arabs.
This part of the previous verse "confirming that which was with them" refers to the original Torah and they had the description of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) which is this prophecy about the coming of a Prophet in the Arabian Peninsula but not the Five books of Moses which Jews call it the Torah which we can’t find this in it explicitly in detail.
From the verse, you can understand that the Jews knew where and when that Prophet would come, which was in the Arab peninsula in the 7th century, and that this Prophet would be victorious over his enemies.
Some people would argue that we don’t find the description of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) explicitly in detail in any of the Jewish books because Allah said in the Qur’an[2:146] [Those to whom We gave the Scripture know him [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)] as they know their own sons. But indeed, a party of them conceal the truth while they know [it].]
Let’s read the meaning of this verse in Tafseer (Explanation) of Ibn Kathir:
يروى أن عمر قال لعبد الله بن سلام : أتعرف محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم كما تعرف ولدك ابنك ، قال : نعم وأكثر
It is narrated that Omar said to Abdullah ibn Salam: Do you know Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as you know your child, your son? He said: Yes, and more.
The original Torah existed at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in the hand of the rabbis of Medina but they hid it from people and used another book they wrote which is the Five Books of Moses. Let’s read this narration of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in Sunan ad-Darimi:
أَنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَتَبُوا كِتَابًا، فَتَبِعُوهُ وَتَرَكُوا التَّوْرَاةَ
The children of Israel wrote a book, so they followed it and left the Torah.
That book was the Five Books of Moses where they made the interest allowed to themselves while it was -According to the Qur’an- forbidden on them and many other judgments for themselves. Let me prove my claim more with this hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in Sahih al-Bukhari:
The people of the Scripture used to read the Torah in Hebrew and explain it to the Muslims in Arabic. Then Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Do not believe the people of the Scripture, and do not disbelieve them, but say, ‘We believe in Allah and whatever has been revealed…’ (3.84)
So this is the book that the people were reading which they call the Torah. Still, the original one was hidden from normal people because it doesn’t serve the personal interests of the rabbis so they left using the rules in the original Torah.
The Jews today believe that Malachi is the last Prophet since they deny that Muhammad (ﷺ) was a true Prophet and Malachi died in 424 BC according to the Talmud so the question here is how the Jews who lived in the 7th century knew that another Prophet would come out in the Arabian Peninsula after a gap of more than a thousand years?
This proves that Muhammad (ﷺ) was indeed mentioned in the original Torah and he was a true Prophet not only they knew the time and the place but also they knew he would be the seal of the Prophets and he would be victorious over his enemies.
Many Children of Israel scholars (Rabbis) in Medina believed in him after recognizing that he was The Awaited Prophet and the most known one is Abdullah ibn Salam since he had prominent knowledge compared to other rabbis — Qur’an [26:197] [And has it not been a sign to them that it is recognized by the scholars of the Children of Israel?]
Let’s read the meaning of this verse in Tafseer (Explanation) of Al-Tabari:
عني بعلماء بني إسرائيل في هذا الموضع: عبد الله بن سلام ومن أشبهه ممن كان قد آمن برسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من بني إسرائيل في عصره.
What is meant by the Children of Israel scholars in this verse: Abdullah ibn Salam and others like him who had believed in the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from among the Children of Israel in his time.
The verse addresses the disbelievers who didn’t accept to believe in the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and says to them: Is it not enough for you as a proof that Children of Israel scholars believed in him?
The polytheists and Jews established many wars against the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) but they couldn’t assassinate him in any battle and he completed the message of Islam which proves he was victorious over his enemies as that was known among the Jews.
Perhaps one of the most famous battles that took place between the Muslims and their enemies was a battle called the Battle of the Trench also known as the Battle of Al-Ahzab, in which the enemies besieged Muslims from above and below so they were in a great crisis, then Allah sent a wind on the enemies who were surrounding them from below.
A chapter (Surah) in the Qur’an named Surah Al-Ahzab mentions the wind that Allah sent to destroy the strongholds of their enemies besieging them from below.
This miracle is mentioned in the Qur’an — Qur’an [33:9] [O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allāh upon you when armies came to [attack] you and We sent upon them a wind and armies [of angels] you did not see.]
Let’s read the meaning of this verse in Tafseer (Explanation) of Al-Qortoby:
وكانت هذه الريح معجزة للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ; لأن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم والمسلمين كانوا قريبا منها ، لم يكن بينهم وبينها إلا عرض الخندق ، وكانوا في عافية منها ، ولا خبر عندهم بها.
This wind was a miracle for the Prophet Peace be upon him; Because the Prophet Peace be upon him and the Muslims were close to it, and there was nothing between them except the trench width, and it didn’t harm them, and they had no news about it.
This miracle which took place in the 5th year of Heigra (627 AD) wasn’t the biggest one nor the first one but the first miracle for the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was the biggest one which is the Qur’an.
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was born in a time and area where people wrote poetry and challenged others which one had better poetry but the Qur’an was not poetry and when people disbelieved in it when the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was in Mecca, Allah challenged them to produce something like his book.
In the 10 years of the public dawah in Mecca, Allah challenged people there who refused to believe in this book many times — Qur’an [52:33–34] [Or do they say, “He has made it up”? Rather, they do not believe. Then let them produce a statement like it, if they should be truthful.]
Still, people prefer to disbelieve and tell the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) that he invented this rather than accepting the challenge, and yet another challenge has come to them — Qur’an [11:13] [Or do they say, “He invented it”? Say, “Then bring ten sūrahs like it that have been invented and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allāh, if you should be truthful.”]
Again, they oppressed Muslims, besieged them, and persecuted them for three years when they were in Mecca before Heigra rather than challenging the Qur’an and trying to destroy this religion so another challenge came to them to produce only one Surah like the Qur’an — Qur’an [10:38] [Or do they say [about the Prophet (ﷺ)], “He invented it?” Say, “Then bring forth a sūrah like it and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allāh, if you should be truthful.”]
Nobody was able to challenge the excellence of the Qur’an in Mecca so when the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) migrated to Medina, Allah challenged them again to produce one chapter like the Qur’an — Qur’an [2:23] [And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down [i.e., the Qur’ān] upon Our Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)], then produce a sūrah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses [i.e., supporters] other than Allāh, if you should be truthful.]
Yet, nobody again was able to challenge this book and Allah revealed this verse to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) telling people that they would never be able to — Qur’an [2:24] [But if you do not — and you will never be able to — then fear the Fire, whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.]
Even the polytheists in Mecca had allied with the Jews in Medina to besiege the Muslims in the Battle of Al-Ahzab, and they preferred to travel from Mecca to Medina with a very large number of soldiers to fight the Muslims and sacrifice their money and lives rather than produce one Surah like the Holy Qur’an.
Dr. Laura Veccia Vaglieri who was a Professor of Arabic and History of Muslim Civilization at the University of Naples said in her book AN INTERPRETATION OF ISLAM:
Although the opponents of Islam were invited by Muhammad to compose a book similar to his own, or, at least, a chapter (“And if you are in doubt as to what We have sent down to Our servant, then produce a chapter like it;”), 11 and although those who had the ability to express themselves with great eloquence were plentiful among the A’rabs, yet nobody was able to produce anything which could stand comparison with the Quran; they fought the Prophet with arms but failed to match the excellence of the Quran.
Laura Veccia Vaglieri, AN INTERPRETATION OF ISLAM, p 41
So in a nutshell, the Qur’an mentioned four events that happened in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) which prove he was a true Prophet, and these events are:
The Jews in Medina were waiting for a Prophet to come out in the 7th century in the Arabian peninsula which they knew from the original Torah.
Children of Isreal scholars believed in him such as Abdullah ibn Salam after they recognized that he was a true Prophet.
The Miracle that happened to him which is the wind that Allah sent to destroy the strongholds of their enemies besieging them from below.
Preferring the polytheists and Jews to fight the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) rather than produce one Surah like the Holy Qur’an.
The Companions who witnessed these four events mentioned before supported the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) with their money and lives and the impact of Islam was significant on them.
You may ask, how do I know they were so supportive of him and how much impact of Islam was on them? Let’s quote some verses from the Qur’an and use the same previous logical argument:
1- The Muslims’ victory over the polytheists of Mecca in the Battle of Badr in the year 624 AD despite their small number without fear — Qur’an [3:123] [And already had Allāh given you victory at [the battle of] Badr while you were weak [i.e., few in number]. Then fear Allāh; perhaps you will be grateful.]
Let’s read the meaning of this verse in Tafseer (Explanation) of Al-Tabari:
فكانوا ثلثمئة وبضعة عشر رجلا والمشركون يومئذ ألفٌ، أو راهقوا ذلك.
They were three hundred and a few more men, and the polytheists at that time were a thousand, or more than that.
2- Muslims endured the persecution of the infidels of Mecca, their migration to Medina, and their subsequent victory over them — Qur’an [8:26] [And remember when you were few and oppressed in the land, fearing that people might abduct you, but He sheltered you, supported you with His victory, and provided you with good things — that you might be grateful.]
Let’s read the meaning of this verse in Tafseer (Explanation) of Al-Muyassar:
واذكروا أيها المؤمنون نِعَم الله عليكم إذ أنتم بـ”مكة” قليلو العدد مقهورون، تخافون أن يأخذكم الكفار بسرعة، فجعل لكم مأوى تأوون إليه وهو “المدينة”، وقوَّاكم بنصره عليهم يوم “بدر”، وأطعمكم من الطيبات -التي من جملتها الغنائم-؛ لكي تشكروا له على ما رزقكم وأنعم به عليكم.
And remember, O believers, the blessings of Allah upon you, since you were in Mecca, few and subjugated, fearing that the infidels would take you quickly. So He made for you a shelter to which you can shelter, which is Medina, and strengthened you with His victory over them on the Day of Badr, and fed you with good things — which included spoils -; So that you may thank Him for what He has provided for you and bestowed upon you.
3- Muslims had compassion for each other and were tough on the infidels in battles against them — Qur’an [48:29] [Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allāh; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves.]
Let’s read the meaning of this verse in Tafseer (Explanation) of Al-Muyassar:
محمد رسول الله، والذين معه على دينه أشداء على الكفار، رحماء فيما بينهم، تراهم ركعًا سُجَّدًا لله في صلاتهم، يرجون ربهم أن يتفضل عليهم، فيدخلهم الجنة.
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him in his religion are fierce against the infidels and merciful to each other. You see them kneeling, prostrating to Allah in their prayers, hoping for their Lord to be gracious to them and admit them to Paradise.
4- The formation of Islam between the hearts of the people in Medina after they couldn’t be brothers due to their great hatred for each other before Islam — Qur’an [8:63] [And brought together their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together; but Allāh brought them together. Indeed, He is Exalted in Might and Wise.]
Let’s read the meaning of this verse in Tafseer (Explanation) of Al-Qortoby:
وألف بين قلوبهم أي جمع بين قلوب الأوس والخزرج . وكان تألف القلوب مع العصبية الشديدة في العرب من آيات النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ومعجزاته.
He united their hearts, meaning he united the hearts of the Aws and the Khazraj. The familiarity of hearts with the intense nervousness of the Arabs was one of the signs and miracles of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
5- The Companions preferred to fight alongside the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with their money and their lives — Qur’an [9:88] [But the Messenger and those who believed with him fought with their wealth and their lives. Those will have [all that is] good and it is those who are the successful.]
Let’s read the meaning of this verse in Tafseer (Explanation) of Al-Tabari:
لكن الرسول محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم والذين صدقوا الله ورسوله معه، هم الذين جاهدوا المشركين بأموالهم وأنفسهم.
But the Messenger Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and those who believed Allah and His Messenger with him, were the ones who waged jihad against the polytheists with their money and their lives.
6- The formation of Islam among the hearts of the Arabs in Medina after a long war with them that lasted for more than a century — Qur’an [3:103] [And remember the favor of Allāh upon you — when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers.]
Let’s read the meaning of this verse in Tafseer (Explanation) of Al-Tabari:
كانت الحرب بين الأوس والخزرج عشرين ومائة سنة، حتى قام الإسلام وهم على ذلك، فكانت حربهم بينهم وهم أخوان لأب وأم، فلم يسمع بقوم كان بينهم من العداوة والحرب ما كان بينهم. ثم إن الله عز وجل أطفأ ذلك بالإسلام، وألف بينهم برسوله محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم.
There was a war between the Aws and the Khazraj for one hundred and twenty years until Islam came and they were still in that state. Their war was between them while they were brothers from father and mother. Never someone has heard of a people who had such enmity and war as it was between them. Then Allah Almighty extinguished this with Islam, and united them with His Messenger Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
“And We have truly set forth every ˹kind of˺ lesson for humanity in this Quran, yet most people persist in disbelief.” Qur’an(17:89)
Conclusion
The American author Michael H. Hart in his famous book — The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History — listed the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) as the most influential person in human history and asserted that he was supremely successful.
You can find throughout the Qur’an while reading it many scientific signs and stories of the former nations that no one could know in the 7th century and I’ve written about them in my article Proving The Prophethood of Muhammad (ﷺ) which I suggest reading it to have more information about these facts.
When someone claims to be a Prophet, he is either the most truthful of people because he is a true Prophet, or he is the most liar of people since he claimed to get a revelation while he didn’t. Still, it is easy to differentiate between both unless you are the most ignorant of people, and by evidence you’ve read, it is clear that Muhammad (ﷺ) was a true Prophet.
