Who is a True Prophet?

Who Qualifies as a True Prophet of God?
A Prophet Must Speak in the Name of God
The Message Must Conform to the Revelation Which has Gone Before
A Prophet's Prediction Must Be Verifiable
Conclusion

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Who Qualifies as a True Prophet of God?

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.

A Prophet must Speak in the Name of God

A prophet must speak in the name of God (in Hebrew Yahweh or Jehovah, depending on which transliteration is used for YHWH). Exodus 3:1-6, 13-15 speaks of the "I am" (which means "YAHWEH" or in English "The One Who Is") "as this is my name for ever" (see also: Psalms 72:17-19; and Revelation 1:8,17). One can now see the reason for the anger of the 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).

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.

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).

1. 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).

2. 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).

3. 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.

A Prophet's Prediction Must Be Verifiable

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.

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)*.

* This prophecy refers to the destruction and desolation of Babylon. To this day even the local people refuse to stay overnight in her ruins.

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.

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.

Conclusion

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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).

4. 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.

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.

"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

This pamphlet was compiled by an interdenominational group of evangelical Christians concerned with Muslim-Christian dialogue.