Assalamu alaikum and we all welcome you once again to Islam and focus,
taste with me shala will be our 22nd in our series, Muhammad last messenger of Allah and our segment today will be on the coming of Muhammad in other ancient scriptures on the host which has been mentioned here once again from St. Mary’s University is Dr. Jamal Beto Arsenal when they come back.
For the benefit of our viewers, Please, could I ask you for a summary of last week’s program? Okay. Last week, we continue the discussion of the famous British writers
Godfrey Higgins, and authority on ancient traditions and their origins, especially when respect to the issue of the product lead,
which is attributed to Prophet Jesus as having predicted to come after him. And we said that he concluded that the product lead is not a reference to the Holy Spirit but others to the person. And he actually believed that Prophet Mohammed is that person refers to in the prophecy made by Jesus, peace be upon him. We also refer to the book of the guy in the Bible, which was mentioned by by Higgins in chapter two verse seven. And he indicated that what was translated as the desire of all nations, if we go back to the Hebrew root word, actually is come from Hemet, which is the equivalent to praise. And that’s the basis or the root word for the name Mohammed, the praised one, or the
praise worthy.
And we try to explain why sounds such important and clear cut prophecies are not common is that most people depend on translations of the Bible, which may not necessarily reflect the original heritage, the original Hebrew or Greek words used in the oldest manuscripts.
We also discussed the context of that prophecy and how guy and how it’s influenced also to the glory of the letter house and how that applies quite clearly to the prophet of Islam.
Finally, we indicated also that this is not the only point where Higgins is somewhat similar to the Gospel of Barnabas in its basic theme, but he pointed also to some other quotations that seemed to show that similarity in thinking even though there is no evidence that he was aware of the existence of the gospel of banners, at least I couldn’t detect any place where he speaks about the Gospel of Barnabas. Finally, a question was raised as to whether the several programs we had so far that focused on the advent of Prophet Mohammed as prophesied in the Bible is the sword reference or whether there are other ancient scriptures of other religions and basic use and one important work
on that subject by vidyarthi seem to provide a rather convincing evidence that the anticipation of the coming Prophet Muhammad was known to Zoroastrians or Westons, Buddhist and even Hindus before.
Now, documentary some of our viewers may wonder, as to how a Muslim can refer to the Scriptures or other religions outside the Abrahamic traditions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. what the question is both probably fair and important. But to answer it from an academic standpoint,
I must say that according to the Quran, it is quite clear that the grace of God and His mercy guidance was not on the restricted to the Middle East. It includes all humanity.
And as such, it was not only limited to the non Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In fact, to give you some reference in the Quran, in Surah 35, verse 24.
It says what I mean by that is in the philosophy and ideas which means there was never a people without a word means a prophet,
having lived among them.
In Surah 40 verse 78, it indicates that there have been prophets mentioned in the Quran, but others not what also there are other means.
messengers, we have not told you about Mohammed, which means that it’s not only biblical prophets and others who are mentioned in the Quran, that are the only prophets, there may be others as well according to the Quran in surah 10, verse 47, the method rhassoul for every nation is a messenger, on the basis of that it is very
inappropriate for a Muslim to imagine that God did not care about the majority of humanity, because the majority of humanity lives actually outside of the Middle East. Even though the names do not appeal in the Quran for other reasons, for
different reasons, but that doesn’t mean that their
guidance was totally ignored at all. On the basis of that, then the teaching of all of the prophets whether they were in the Middle East, the Abrahamic faith, or outside of that, in their original and pure forms, were nothing about the pure monotheistic faith, which the Quran has finally brought to fruition and completion.
But the problem as we all know that it was only the passage of time, that might have resulted in the adulteration, or change of the original teaching of the various prophets throughout the world, because they thought in our belief, according to the Quran, nothing but essentially the same basic, fundamental truth.
There are problems with portions of Scripture that have been lost or changed or things that have been added by way of people’s own opinions and interpretations, possibly misinterpretation, even in the Muslim believed this happened to own revelations prior to the advent of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him for Abrahamic and non Abrahamic faiths, for that matter. And that’s why the Quran is called for the criterion to bring the truth and to eliminate other
you know, things that has been incorporated into them that diverted it from the original path of all of the prophets. And obviously, with this kind of difficulties, historical in terms of preservation of the origin and words of these prophets. I’m not talking about the Middle Eastern throughout the world.
Obviously, it became rather difficult to discern what portion is indeed, the authentic, pure teaching of God’s prophets in which sections were basically cultural type of adaptation or adoption. Put simply, I would say that as a Muslim, I could not really say that, because no prophet of Zoroastrianism or Buddhism or Hinduism is mentioned in the Quran, that means this religions are free, are devoid of any credibility or that they have nothing to do whatsoever with the message of various prophets. How do we know that the preachers who taught those religions in their original teaching were not prophets, they might have been prophets of God, we don’t know. In fact, I was
interested to find that the DRC in his book, Muhammad in Word scripture
presents a very interesting argument that the term Brahma known in India Of course, Brahman Brahman
is the same reference actually to Ibrahim or Abraham, Prophet Abraham. So, for that reason, I think it’s quite possible to make reference to those scriptures if they are consistent with the Quran. And the Quran indicate that all prophets spoke about the advent of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. So there’s any scripture even though the form of religion at the present time may not appear as purely monotheistic. As the Quran indicates, it’s quite possible that the origin was fused. And some of the germs of truth portion that remained intact included the one that the Quran confirm that they spoke as previous prophets about the advent of the sea and or final prophet.
Now, now let’s review some of these prophecies and even if it will be briefly First of all, can you introduce to us Sarah was chewing scriptures which, which which might be quite pertinent in our in our discussion, the religion just for a brief introduction really come from the name of Zahra Westar, who was a religious reformer in ancient Persia.
their religion is sometimes referred to also as Maggie anism for magazines. And sometimes people also refer to that religion as fire worshippers.
Some people believe that this people are depressions believed in two gods, the one guard for good and evil or darkness and life.
But according to vidyarthi, he says that the magazines or the Russians actually considered themselves to be money.
History
and indicates that anyone who studied the ancient scriptures of Zoroastrians, you will find that a great deal of their teachings are, or is somewhat consistent with both the Bible and the Quran. An example of this is the belief that God is one, that there is no like to God, that He is the Creator of all things, that one should not despair from the mercy of God. Actually, one statement says, neither the IE behold Him, nor the Power of Thinking can conceive him.
They are similar in some of the modern teachings like gentleness and behavior, chestatee, fulfillment of promise, and you’ll be surprised even prohibition of wine drinking, or intoxicants, which is very similar again to Islamic teaching in that sense.
They also believe in inspired books,
which, according to vidyarthi, are of two types. One is the Zend avesta, and the other called Desa. Tears, again, without getting into details, because both of these two basic scriptures also are subdivided
into different groups also. But
he believes that these Russians, uphold the view that their religion is very, very ancient. But he says that some scholars feel that their religion borrowed a great deal also from both Egyptian as well as Jewish nations, even to some extent, from Greek mythology. But in any case, I think the point is, is that it is quite possible that Zoroastrianism and its origin might have been a monotheistic faith, just like the original teaching of Moses, Jesus, or Muhammad peace be upon them on and that there was there could have been a prophet also sent by God. But again, what we have today might not necessarily be the exact teaching that he has taught his people like the case of
many other religions. And I must say that
those people, for example, who dismiss Zoroastrianism as paganism or fire worship, that this needs to be reviewed carefully, because according to vidyarthi, in volume three, on page 978, he indicates that the fire the what is the Russians use initially originally was a symbol of their covenant with God, or the commitment to follow the divine light, and to abide by the religious knows, the fact that some people later on, or some forwarders might have started to worship the fire itself. This is an aberration, but the fire in its origin might have been actually assembled, but not an object
of worship itself. Just In brief, I should know any examples of prophecies in the Scriptures, possibly relating to the coming of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. They there are several I just chose to from what the DRC again, my main reference for that mentioned, when it appears in the Zend avesta. The first category of Scripture that he talks about,
in which there is a clear prophecy, that the burning fire, you know, we used to have that constantly burning fire in the temples, the burning fires
will actually be extinguished.
And it’s interesting to notice that historically speaking, It is reported that when Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him was born, for the first time, that life was extinguished impression, or it could also be understood, besides the literal, historical interpretation, symbolically, because the extinguishing of that fire also might be a symbol that their religion would be on the decline because as you know, when Islam came to pressure, you know, there were very very few interesting left because bearish embraced Islam. So it could be also a disappearance of that form of religion as developed after the western.
The other aspect of that prophecy is that it says that, when this light is extinguished, or this fire is extinguished, it will be associated with the so called powerful restoration of the world. Powerful restoration of the word could that be correction of the maybe adulteration or deviation that might have taken place? It’s very interesting.
The, the other aspect also in the same scriptures, is that it speaks also about someone called so sorry, shan’t I have to spell that its s or s h. YMT.
As the last prophet and actually according to vidyarthi
That term means the Praiseworthy, and he gives as one of his references. In fact, a famous work by James Heston called the Encyclopedia of religion and ethics, we made several reference to that, that actually determined that the speak about as the last of the apostles actually means the Praiseworthy, which etymologically means Mohammed.
So this is a very interesting one. The second one I have an illustration of
here
is
from the desert tears, so, as I mentioned earlier is the other
category of Scripture they use. And this particular
copy
is copied from the book by the DRC, which in turn is based on the copy in the State Library in Hyderabad, India,
published in 1935, which is also compared with a copy in the British Museum library. In London.
We find that in that particular prophecy, the same thing has been also emphasized or confirmed in even a more explicit way. Because basically, without getting to great lengths of translation, it’s basically speak that when, or Hawaiian people are so much engaged, that is in deviations from the path of truth, there shall arise a man among the Arabs, as interpreted from the original words, who is going to overthrow the government means the oppressive government. And of course, everybody knows what kind of government existed in Byzantine impression at the time of Islam, and the early days of Islam.
And it also says that those who used to direct their prayers toward the temple fire will direct the prayers now towards another house, which is stripped of its images, which is stripped of its images. That’s a very interesting one, because as we all know, the car back to which the Russians now pray towards because they became Muslims, the Kaaba actually was filled with idols, by the Arabs, and it was only through the advent of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, that it was purified, and stripped from all of this, either that were all destroyed, and the purity and simplicity of the worship of one God was restored. Again, I find that very interesting one, in addition to this, it
talks about that person also.
Who will bring about that change as one would be a no giver, someone who received revelation in a form of law, and that definitely applies to Prophet Muhammad. It describes him as eloquent. And obviously, not only was Prophet Muhammad eloquent in terms of his settings, but also the Quran that God revealed through him also is the topmost of eloquence that has been known to humanity. What these are
very interesting
signs really, especially if they are based on the such ancient scriptures. Question I’ve always wanted to ask and for this, I’ll come to the subject of Buddha. But is there any possibility that he may have actually been a prophet? To put the answer in a nutshell? Yes, probably yes.
I would even go beyond that and say, likely, probably is the Buddha was a preacher, preeminent preacher. In fact of Mormons.
Sometimes he is referred to as the light of Asia, is said to have been born in a garden in Nepal about 2400 years ago. His father was a king, however, he left all this glory and power in the hotel, the incentive to try and understand and deal with some basic problem three basic problems, aging, disease, and death.
In the pursuit of truth, he visited several Hindu Saints for six years, but he was not too happy with their
understanding or explanation. He tried to practice Hindu yoga by found again, not much use of that. He continued to research with a great deal of sympathy, that his basic model was his basic model, about human suffering until he received enlightenment under a tree known as the boats in Bo.
And at that time, he was actually invited people to achieve the Nirvana, Nirvana or the state of perfect peace and tranquility.
He said to have lived a very simple life, very disciplined life in fact.
In fact, at one point, he disciplined itself too much to the point of getting close to death, but then he started to make his religious reforms.
On the basis of moderation.
Like many other religious leaders, his followers also were divided after him.
And maybe we can say also, some might have added something that he didn’t teach at all.
For example, according to the GRC, there are two basic groups, the Mahayana, Buddhist, who believed that Buddha in fact was himself, God, the eternal, the ever living, who came in human form. Well, that sounds somewhat similar to what the followers of Prophet Jesus peace be upon him said after him, even though both of them Buddha and Jesus denied that they were gods. In fact, in the case of Buddha, for example, he says, I’m only a human teacher, but this is the idea, or the position that his followers and lovers bestowed upon him after why in another category of Buddhism, the
higher Nana,
they actually disbelieve in God. So again, whether the Buddha told them to disbelieve in god that’s that’s, that’s not necessarily certain could be their own particular development or theological understanding. Sometimes it is said that Buddha did not believe in God or the soul.
But while it may be true that some Buddhist scholars, not Buddhists, some Buddhist scholars, or philosophers, might be classified as atheist, we cannot really say for sure that Buddha himself was an atheist. In fact, some scholars say he was not an atheist at all, but he simply objected to the idea of reincarnation, and transmigration of the souls and other rituals, like burn sacrifices, without doing good in one’s life. Because people used to do that just to appease the gods. So he objected to that. But it doesn’t mean necessarily that he said, there is no Gods his objection to aberrations does not mean rejection of God, I would tend more even though we cannot be certain.
To accept this as the possible explanation of his position, he might have been probably a prophet, but these are changes introduced after him. And why he did not leave a written book as such, his followers, of course, tried to preserve whatever they understood, of his teaching and edited. And still, surprisingly enough, even with all of that there are still places where the advent of Prophet Muhammad is mentioned. Well, it’s really interesting, you should say that, maybe, maybe I’ll ask you to expand on that and asked you any prophecy about the coming of the Prophet Muhammad May peace be upon him, which we may attribute to Buddha, when it goes attributed to him that he said that they
weren’t allowed to arise in the world, another Buddha, and that would would actually like the teacher, another teacher,
and he said his name is metria. MIT, are in the white room, which sumption Snape actually has been nominated. And then he gave the description of that benevolent prophet or teacher, as someone who is compassionate, gentle, lenient, humble, who is a good example for others in good deeds, that he is a prophet of peace, that he would be under divine protection even in the battlefield, when he has to defend himself that you will be successful in this life and the hereafter and others descriptions, one of which actually, that he will be unique interest from this. And notice here that this would get very much close to the nickname given to Prophet Muhammad and I mean, the thrust of the
trustworthy. This is interesting
pattern that you find. And if you said that Buddha so much emphasize that prophecy, that it is said that at the time of his death,
his followers actually forgot their sorrow,
when they remember that this promised one is, is to come.
Of course, the interesting part is that this is not only about professors not only found among Buddhist or Buddhist writings in one place, but according to the DRC there are remains of that prophecy among Buddhists in China, Java, which is in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Tibet and Central Asia. And
some of the Buddhist Chinese expected that promise teacher to come about 3000 years after the death of Buddha.
move now to the Hindu scriptures. What led to
Very serious about
about the Prophet Mohammed coming into power Okay. Let me first just to shed some light very briefly on the Hindu scriptures, since it will be making reference to that, according to the DRC. He divided them into three
basic categories, the VEDA, you Punisher, and Puranas. I hope those who speak Hindi or Sanskrit, excuse my pronunciation, these are the the, let’s say the three basic categories.
He says that the VEDA also is divided into four categories, for example, like Rig Veda and so on.
There have been difference about the age of those scriptures. Some people believe that the go to almost 4000 years back
about the Punisher, he said that some scholars and discolored consider it to be even superior to the VEDA.
The Quran as as a category of Scripture, he says, is distinguished by the fact that the the are more readable, you can read it easily. And it is believed to have been revealed about the same time as big data’s or before.
And among the most important books
of the Vedas
also have the book called The
rich Polina it’s BHAV I sh ye pradana. In that book, there is an amazing prophecy, whose basic elements is that in a foreign country,
a spiritual teachers will come. He will be at winner of Arabia,
he will go there’s a large force to fight or kill the devil,
that God will protect him from his opponents, as happened with the Prophet Muhammad. And his name actually is going to be Muhammad. Now this is a very interesting mentioned that perhaps
we’ll have to pick up on this next week. Thank you very much for joining us here in Israel in focus and your questions and comments would be most appreciated. As I’m like conformance time and focus
