The Ancestry of the Prophet (Peace be upon him)

 Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael (Peace be upon them), while in Mecca, asked Allah (SWT) to make out of their offspring a Muslim nation and send among them a Messenger from among themselves. Their prayer is mentioned in These Qur’anic Verses: “Our lord! Make us Muslims, bowing to Your (Will), and out of our progeny (make) a Muslim nation, bowing to Your (Will); and show us our places for the celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us (in Mercy); for you are the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. Our lord! Send among them a Messenger who shall rehearse your Signs to them and instruct them in Scripture and wisdom, and sanctify them; for you are the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” (II: 128-129)

 a)             Allah’s promise to Abraham that he would make a great righteous nation out of Ishmael’s progeny is mentioned in the Old Testament. In the Book of Genesis (17:20), we read: “And as for Ishmael, I heard thee. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.”

 b)             We also read in Genesis (21:13): “And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.”[33] No righteous nation appeared out of Ishmael’s progeny other than the nation (Ummah) of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) that Allah (SWT) describes in His Saying: “You are the best of peoples, introduced to mankind….” (III: 110).

 c)           In the Book of Deuteronomy (18:17-18) we read Moses’ words: “And the Lord said unto me, ‘they have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth.”

“Their brethren” means the descendants of Ishmael (Peace be upon him), for he was the brother of Isaac (Peace be upon him), the forefather of the Children of Israel, since both Ishmael and Isaac were Abraham’s sons. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is descended from Ishmael. Were the glad tidings meant to refer to one of the children of Israel it should say, “from among their own people”.[34]

Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is from among their brethren. He is like Moses (Peace be upon him) in that both of them were Prophets and Messengers and came with a new law. Both of them fought against the polytheists, married, and were shepherds. The glad tidings cannot refer to Joshua as Jews claim, for Joshua did not receive any book of revelations, as the Book of Deuteronomy (34:10) confirms: “And there arose not a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses.”

Nor can the glad tidings refer to Jesus (Peace be upon him), as Christians claim, for he was unlike Moses in many respects: he had only a mother and no father, and he spoke while a child in the cradle and he did not come with a new law as Moses did, and he did not die but was lifted to the heavens.

 d) In Matthew (21: 42-43) we read: “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”

 This means that the Apostleship will be taken away from the Children of Israel and given to another nation, and thus the Messenger promised will be from among people other than the Children of Israel.

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