Shafaqna English- Commentary on the 2nd Chapter of the Holy Quran by Mohammad Sobhanie.
وَآمِنُوا بِمَا أَنزَلْتُ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ وَلَا تَكُونُوا أَوَّلَ كَافِرٍ بِهِ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا وَإِيَّايَ فَاتَّقُونِ ﴿٤١﴾ وَلَا تَلْبِسُوا الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُوا الْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾
2:41 And believe in what I have revealed, confirming the scriptures which is with you, and do not be the first to reject it. Do not trade my revelation for a small price; and fear (only) Me.
2:42 And do not mix truth with falsehood, and do not conceal the truth while you know.
2:41 Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)/(Part 2)
Commentary: The Quran asserts that the sacred scriptures of the Taurat (Torah) and Injeel (Gospel) prophesied the advent of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH). His characteristics and legitimacy were written about in the scriptures, which were in possession of the Children of Israel at the time of the Prophet (PBUH)[1]:
الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ
7:157 Those who follow the Apostle/Prophet, the Ummi (the untaught Prophet by mankind), whom they find written down with them in the Taurat and the Injeel.
Prophet Isa/Jesus (AS) prophesied the coming of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) by his name, Ahmad[2], to the Children of Israel[3]:
وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّـهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ قَالُوا هَـٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ ﴿٦﴾
61:6 And when Jesus son of Mary said: “O’ Children of Israel! Indeed I am the apostle of Allah (SWT) to you, to confirm what is before me of the Taura (Torah), and to give the good news of an apostle who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad.’ But when he (the Prophet (PBUH)) brought them manifest proofs, they said: ‘This is plain magic.”
Islamic scholars endeavored to find citations in the current scriptures that affirmed Isa (AS) foretold the coming of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH). Of course, many articles and books have been written by Islamic scholars on this subject. In this essay, one of the most cited references is presented.
The name of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in the New Testament: The Gospel of John in 14:16 (Chapter 14, Verse 16), 15:26 and 16:7 prophesied comings of the “Comforter.” In John, Chapter 16, Verse 7, Prophet Isa/Jesus (AS) said:
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
The Quran quotes Prophet Isa (AS) on the coming of Ahmad (PBUH), the praised one, whereas the Gospel of John prophesied the coming of the “Comforter.” There is a big difference between “the praised one” and the “comforter”. Could this difference be due to different translations of the original Greek text?
In the Bible[4], the word “Comforter” is a translation of the Greek word “Paracletos”. Another Greek word, “Periclytos,” is synonymous with “Ahmad”, the praised one. There is a debate between Muslims and Biblical scholars in the literature whether “Periclytos” had been replaced with “Paracletos” during early translations of the Bible from Aramaic, Prophet Isa’s (AS) native language, to Greek. Unfortunately, there is no ancient textual evidence to support whether the original utterance of Jesus (AS) was “Periclytos” or “Paracletos”.
Regardless of word choice, the Bible prophesized the coming of an identity called the “Comforter,” who would come after Prophet Isa (AS). Christian scholars have interpreted that the “Comforter” is the Holy Ghost. However, this interpretation contradicts the Bible itself, which asserts that the Holy Ghost existed before and during the time of Prophet Isa (AS) [Luke 3:21, 22].
Islamic opinion holds that the identity, whether we call them the “Comforter” or the “praised one”, is considered to be the last divine messenger, who Allah (SWT) calls “the mercy to the universe[5]”.
Note:
[1]. The Quran, Al-Araf 7:157.
[2]. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) was known with two names of Ahmad and Mohammad [Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol. 24, P. 77.
[3]. The Quran, As-Saff 61:6.
[4]. The Way to Salvation, M.M. Akbar,
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=L2VQuPzzLeQC&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=periclytos+meaning&source=bl&ots=XmP8JhWWfh&sig=Kr8y6kUL__ldNKe6zY__kuaM80I&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiP5YSQ9azLAhUEgj4KHYguCQEQ6AEIVzAJ#v=onepage&q=periclytos%20meaning&f=false.
[5]. The Quran, Al-Anbiya, 21:107.
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