The Certain Sign of Allah’s Word

What we know of today as the Bible, the Qur’an calls the “the Scriptures that were before”.   The term Bible means simply “the Book”.   It is called the Holy Bible or Kitab Sharif.  The Bible makes some important claims. 

 The Bible claims that it is true from beginning to end: 

Dawood in the Zaboor said:  “Your Word is true from the beginning.”[1] 

Isa said of His followers: “Make them holy according to Truth: Your Word is Truth.”[2] 

The Injiil says:  “No prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of Allah spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Allah).”[3]

The Bible also claims that it contains all that is needed to be saved from sin and go to heaven to be with Allah.  In the Injiil it says: 

And from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith in Isa Masih.[4]

It is interesting that the Qur’an says the same thing: 

Sura 3 -Al Imran 48 And Allah will teach Him (Isa) the Book, the Wisdom, the Tawrat and the Injiil. 

(So the Tawrat, Wisdom and Injiil come from Allah – they are the Word of Allah)

Sura 6 -Al Anam 115 The Word of the LORD is revealed in truth and justice; there is nothing that can change His Word.  He is the Hearer and the Knower.

Sura 5 –Al Ma’idah 65-66  If only the People of the Book (Scriptures/Bible) had believed and been righteous, we would have blotted out their iniquities (sins) and admitted them to the Gardens of Bliss.  If only they had obeyed the Tawrat and the Injiil and all the revelation that was sent to them by their LORD, they would have enjoyed happiness on every side.  

So we see that the Bible (Tawrat, Zaboor/Wisdom and Injiil) claims to be the truth from Allah.  We also see that it claims to contain all that we need to know and obey in order to have our sins forgiven and go to heaven to be with Allah!  And the Qur’an confirms this. 

But, many books from many different sects and religions claim to have the truth from Allah.

How can we know for sure if the Bible is really the truth from Allah. 

Some would say that if we are certain that the Book is exactly as it has always been, that it has not been changed, this would prove that it came from Allah.  But is that really true!  Since the printing press was invented in the 1400’s, we can know this about many books.  We have original copies of many books written since then.  We also have original copies of books even before the printing press.  Does that mean these books are the truth from Allah?  Of course not!  It only means they are accurate.  It is only the truth from Allah if it was the truth from Allah to begin with.  

The Sign 

So can we test the Bible to see if it comes from Allah?   

Yes we can! 

In fact the people of the Book asked Musa how they would know if a messenger was a true prophet of Allah or not.  Here, from the Tawrat, is what Musa told them: 

And if you say in your heart, “How shall we know that which the LORD has not spoken?”:  When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD; if the thing does not happen or come to pass, this is a thing that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken on his own; you shall not fear (listen and obey) him.[5] 

So, the confirming sign that a prophet had spoken in the name of the LORD was this:  If he foretold something that would happen, it would happen just as he said!   Musa said that this is the confirming sign for the truth from Allah.  So we can test the Bible and see if it is the truth from Allah.   Did the prophets in the Before Scriptures foretell things that later actually happened.  Yes they did!   Many times! 

The First Prophecy 

In the Garden, after Adam had sinned, Allah gave an amazing prophecy.  He said to Shaytan: 

I will put enmity (they will be enemies) between you and the woman and between you and her seed (descendent).  He shall crush your head and you will strike his heel.[6] 

Remember that this was spoken thousands of years before the birth of Isa.   The image is that of someone who crushes the head of a poisonous snake, but is fatally struck on his heel as he destroys the snake.  Allah promises that One is coming who will destroy Shaytan and his power over mankind.   What is Shaytan’s power over mankind?  It is sin.  He tempts and deceives people to sin.  As long as Adam obeyed Allah He could stay in the Garden; but by sin, Shaytan was able to separate him and all his descendants from the presence of Allah.  This Coming One would crush Shaytan’s head but Shaytan would strike His heal.  Notice that Allah said that this would be Howa’s descendant, not Adam’s!   

What an amazing prophecy!  Isa was the descendent of a woman (Howa), but not of a man (Adam).   He destroyed Shaytan’s power over us but He had to die for us in order to do this.  Thousands of years before Isa would come, Allah began to tell us of the Coming One who would destroy Shaytan’s power over mankind.   This is the standard: when Allah says something will happen it will happen, just as He said. 

In Tawrat and Zaboor and Injiil, there are many things foretold by the prophets of Allah.  Space or time does not allow us to look at all of these, but we will look at some of them.  We will pay special attention to those that foretell the Coming One – Isa Masih. 

The Lineage of the Messiah 

Remember that the Qur’an says: 

Sura Al Imran (Sura 3) 54  They planned (the kafir/unbelievers against Isa) and Allah also planned and Allah is the best of planners. 

As we saw, Allah said that the Coming Deliverer would be a descendant of Howa.  He would be a flesh and blood human.  As we move through history, Allah began to narrow down the line from which the Messiah, (Masih) would come.  First, Allah chose a man called Ibrahim Allah said to him: 

Get up out of your country (Chaldea – modern day Iraq) … and go to the land that I will show you.   I will make you a great nation.  I will bless you and make your name great …. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.[7] 

So Ibrahim obeyed Allah and went to the land of Canaan (modern day Palestine).  He was 75 years old when he left.  Many years passed by but Ibrahim still had no son.   It seemed that Sarah, Ibrahim’s wife would not be able to have a child.  So finally, Sarah told Ibrahim to take their slave girl Hagar and have a child.  The child’s name was Isma’il.  But Allah came to Ibrahim and told him that it would be through Sarah that Ibrahim would have this child of the promise.  Ibrahim had a hard time believing Allah, because he was 100 years old at this time and Sarah was 90. 

And Ibrahim fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is 100 years old?  And shall Sarah, who is 90 years old, bear a child? And Ibrahim said to Allah, “Oh that Isma’il might live before you!”  Then Allah said, “No, Sarah your wife shall bear a son and you shall call his name Ishaque.  I will establish my covenant (promise) with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him.  And as for Isma’il, I have heard you.   I have blessed him and will multiply him greatly.”  But my covenant, I will establish with Ishaque.”[8] 

Allah promised to bless the descendants of Isma’il, but His promise of a Coming One, through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed, was through Isaac.  It was through the line of Ibrahim and Isaac that the promised Coming One would come. 

Then Isaac had a son named Ya’qub, but Allah changed his name to ‘Israel’.  Israel had twelve sons and from these twelve sons came the twelve tribes of Israel.   Ya’qub prophesied that the Coming One would be from the tribe of Judah. 

The scepter (sign of the ruler or king) shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the people.[9] 

‘Shiloh’ means “the one who brings peace”.  It is a reference to the Coming One or the Messiah.  The One who would fulfill the promise made to Ibrahim to bless all the families of the earth would come from the line of the tribe of Judah.  Understand that this promise to Ibrahim and this prophecy made by Ya’qub were made almost 2000 years before Isa came. 

Almost a thousand years later Dawood, from the line of Judah, was king in Israel.  Just as Ya’qub had foretold, the scepter, or rule, of Israel had been given to a descendant of Judah name Dawood.  Allah had a special love for Dawood.  Allah called Dawood “a man after My own heart.”  So Allah sent the prophet Nathan to Dawood with a message. 

Your house (dynasty or kingly line) and your kingdom shall be established before you.  Your throne shall be established forever.[10] 

Allah promised Dawood that from his lineage would come an everlasting Kingdom.  About six hundred years later the prophet Daniel explained exactly what Allah meant by this ‘everlasting Kingdom’.  

In the time that Daniel was a prophet of Allah, many of the people of Israel, including Daniel himself, had been taken as captives to the kingdom of Babylon (modern day Iraq).  Allah’s people among Judah and Israel had wandered far from Allah and many of them had even turned to worship idols.  So God allowed the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and take many captives back to Babylon.  In those days a conquering king would take the best and smartest of the people he conquered back to his land as captives.   Without their best people, the conquered land would be less likely to plot another rebellion.  So Daniel was one of these captives. 

One night, the King of Babylon had a dream of a great statue with a gold head, silver chest, bronze middle body and iron legs.  Then in his dream, he saw a great stone was cut from a mountain and it fell on the feet of the statue crushing them and causing the whole statue to collapse and be crushed into dust.   Then the rock became a great mountain that filled the whole earth. 

None of the King of Babylon’s advisors could interpret the dream.  However, Daniel was able to interpret it.   Allah had sent the dream to the King and Allah revealed to Daniel what it meant.  Daniel explained that the head of Gold was the King of Babylon and his kingdom.  After his kingdom, another great kingdom would rule the world – the kingdom of the Medes and Persians.  After that, the Greeks led by Alexander the great would conquer the known world.  Then the Romans would come and rule the entire world with the strength of iron.  During the time of Roman rule, Allah would set up a kingdom that would last forever.[11]  

This was the same everlasting kingdom that Allah had promised to Dawood.  It would not be  just another physical kingdom that would rise and fall along with the lives and deaths of its earthly leaders.  This was a spiritual kingdom that would be established by Allah and would last forever.  Through the Messiah, Allah would establish this Kingdom.   When Isa came to Israel he told them that the Kingdom of Allah was at hand.  He told his disciples that the Kingdom of Allah did not come by outward appearance, but that the Kingdom of Allah was within them – it was the submitting of the heart to Allah.   The Roman governor, Pilate, asked Jesus if He was a King.  Isa told him that this was why He had come into the world.  But He also told Pilate that His Kingdom was not of this world.  And in the Injiil the followers of Isa are told that they will reign with Isa Masih in His everlasting Kingdom. 

You (Isa) have redeemed us to Allah by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth (at His return). [12]

If we endure (continue in faith in Isa) we shall also reign with Him (in His everlasting Kingdom).[13] 

Notice that through his prophet Daniel, Allah even foretold the historical events that would lead up to the coming of the Messiah.  These four world dominating kingdoms arose and fell just as Daniel foretold – The Babylonian, the Medo-Persian empire, the Greek empire and the Roman Empire.  And just as Daniel foretold the Messiah, who came to establish the Kingdom of Allah, came during the time of the Roman empire.  It is quite amazing that Daniel foretold the coming of these four great world empires.  But there is much more.  Daniel even foretold the exact time when the Messiah would come. 

The Time of the Coming of the Messiah 

Daniel asked Allah for understanding of the things that were to come.  Allah sent Jabreel to Daniel and gave him this message: 

Seventy sevens (490) are determined for your people and for your holy city (Jerusalem) to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy.  Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the prince shall be seven sevens and sixty two sevens (483).   After the sixty two sevens Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself.   Then he (Messiah will confirm a covenant with many for seven (7), but in the middle of the seven, He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.[14] 

In the year 458 BC, the Persian King Artaxerxes issued a decree that allowed the exiles from Jerusalem, who had returned to the city, to rebuild the city of Jerusalem.  483 years later was 26 AD.  This was the year that Isa began to publicly proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of Allah to Israel.   He told his followers not to go to anyone but the House of Israel.  Why?  Isa was confirming the covenant (promise) Allah had made to Israel that 490 years were determined to fulfill the prophecies to them and to make an end of sin through the Most Holy One – the Messiah.   After the 483 years the Messiah Isa came to confirm a covenant with Israel.  For three and a half years, Isa proclaimed the Kingdom of Allah to Israel, confirming what He said with many mighty miracles, such as healing the sick and even raising the dead to life again.  Then He allowed Himself to be crucified by the Romans, and He died as the Qurbani offering for our sins.  Allah proved that this was true and that Isa was the Coming One, the Messiah, that He had been promising, by raising Isa from the dead!   Notice that this was in the “middle of the seven” year period as Daniel had foretold.   

Then for the rest of the seven year period, the Gospel (Good New or Injiil) of forgiveness of sins and eternal life in Isa was proclaimed only to Israel.  Sadly, most of the Jews did not believe in Isa as the only way of salvation.  So after the seven year period was up, Allah released the followers of Isa to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, not only to the descendants of Israel, but also to the Gentiles (non-Israelites) as well. 

Allah told Musa that the true prophet of Allah would declare what was going to happen and it would happen.  Can it be any other way?  Allah said of Himself: 

I am Allah, and there is no other; I am Allah and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times, things that are not yet done, saying “My counsel (word) will stand, and I will do all My pleasure.”[15] 

The true prophets of Allah in the Before Scriptures foretold the coming of the Messiah with amazing accuracy, even to the point of telling the exact time when He would come!

But there were many other amazing things that the prophets in the Tawrat and Zaboor foretold about the Coming One. 

Prophecies of the Messiah 

The virgin birth of Isa was foretold by Isaiah over 800 years before Isa was born. 

Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son.[16] 

Of course, this could only refer to Isa, for He is the only person ever born who was born without an earthly father.  He was conceived by the Spirit of Allah. 

The place of the Messiah’s birth was foretold over 700 years before Isa was born. 

The prophet Micah - But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah.  Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be the Ruler of Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting.[17]

Injiil: The Gospel of Luke – And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus (Roman Emperor)  that all the world should be registered.  So all went to be registered, each to his own city.  Yusuf went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Maryam, his betrothed wife who was with child (Maryam was promised to Yusuf, but they had not yet come together.  The child was conceived by the Spirit of Allah).  So it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should deliver and she brought forth her firstborn Son.[18] 

Maryam did not live in Bethlehem.   But, Allah moved through the most powerful ruler on earth at that time to cause Maryam to be, not in her home of Nazareth, but rather in Bethlehem when she gave birth to Isa, according to the word of the prophet Micah. 

Isa’s name was actually foretold by the prophet Isaiah over 800 years before He was born. 

He says (Allah), “It is no small thing that you should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Ya’qub and to restore the preserved ones of Israel.  I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles (non-Israel) that you should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.”[19] 

The name Isa in Hebrew (the original language of the Tawrat) is “Yeshua”.  It means literally “the salvation of the LORD”.  In the Injiil Maryam was told to name her Son “Yeshua” (Arabic = Isa; English = Jesus) because He would save the people from their sins.[20] 

The suffering and death of Isa for our sins was foretold in the Before Scriptures. 

Prophecies of the Messiah’s suffering in Psalm (Zaboor) 22: 

• I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax; it has melted within me.  My tongue clings to my jaws.  The congregation of the wicked has enclosed me – they pierced my hands and feet.  – ayyat 14-15

This is an incredible prophecy.  It was given by Dawood over a thousand years before Isa was crucified.   Crucifixion was the method that the Romans used to execute people.  They would nail the victim’s hands and feet to a wooden cross and leave him there to die a slow and painful death.   As he hung there, the victim’s joints would become separated from holding up his weight.  Extreme thirst would come as fluids seeped out of the victim’s body.  This is an amazingly accurate description of a person being crucified.  And what is more amazing is that crucifixion was completely unknown in Dawood’s time!  It was the Romans who developed and used crucifixion. The city of Rome was still centuries away from even becoming a city and did not become the ruling power in the world until the first century BC. 

• They divide my clothing among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. ayya 18

Injiil – Then they (Roman soldiers) crucified Him and divided his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet.[21]

Prophecies of the Messiahs suffering in Isaiah 53:

• He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities and by His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray, but the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity (sin) of us all.  Ayyat 5-6

Injiil - So then Pilate (the Roman governor) took Isa and scourged Him.  (Note: Scourging was a beating inflicted by a whip with many strands with pieces of rock or metal tied to the strands of the whip.)  Then he delivered Isa to be crucified.[22]

            Masih has suffered once the righteous for the unrighteous that He might bring us to Allah.  Allah made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might  become the righteousness of Allah in Him.[23] 

• He poured out His soul unto death and He was numbered with the transgressors.

Ayya 12

Injiil - Now it was the third hour and they crucified Isa.  With him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right hand and the other on His left, that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”[24]

• And he made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death.  Ayya 9

Injiil - Isa died among two thieves, but two rich men, Yusuf of Arimathea and Nicodemus took the body of Isa, prepared it for burial with expensive ointments and spices and laid his body in a newly carved tomb.[25] 

These are just some of the many prophecies about the death of Isa for our sins.   His death also was pictured in the rituals of Israel.  For instance the death of Isa was pictured in the Passover festival that Israel observed each year.  In the festival, a lamb is sacrificed.  It is clearly taught that none of the bones of the lamb are to be broken.   The Injiil says that Masih Isa is our Passover.   In Zaboor 34:20 we see this prophecy “He (Allah) guards all His bones, not one of them is broken.”  When the Romans crucified a person, they usually allowed him to die slowly.  But, if they needed to speed up the process for some reason, they would take a club and break the legs of a victim below his knees.  Since he could no longer hold up his body weight, he would quickly die of suffocation.   

The Jewish holiday of Passover began the evening of the day on which Isa was crucified.   He actually died at the time that the people of Israel were killing their lambs for the great festival of Passover.  The Jewish leaders wanted the bodies of crucified men off of the crosses before the holy day of Passover started.  So they asked Pilate to break the bones of the men.  The Roman soldiers broke the bones of the two criminals, but when they came to Isa they saw that He was already dead.   So, they did not break his legs.  Instead they pierced His side with a spear to make sure He was dead.  In the Injiil we read this: 

These things were done that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”  And again another Scripture says, “They will look on Him whom they have pierced.”[26] 

There are many other prophecies in the Tawrat, Zaboor and Injiil that confirm the truth of the Scriptures.  For instance, in 30 AD, the disciples of Isa were with Him in Jerusalem.  They were admiring the beautiful Temple where Allah was worshipped and the Qurbanis were offered.  Isa told them that within one generation Jerusalem would be attacked and destroyed and not one stone of the Temple would be left upon another; it would be totally destroyed.[27]   In 66 AD the Romans came and laid a siege against Jerusalem.  In 70 AD they finally broke through the walls of Jerusalem and began to ravage the city.   Their leader named Titus commanded his soldiers not to destroy the beautiful Temple.  But, a rumor began to spread among the soldiers that there was gold between the stones in the walls of the Temple.  In their anger and greed, the soldiers completely pulled the temple apart searching for the gold – not one stone was left upon another! 

The Before Scriptures contain two instances in which a prophet of Allah actually foretold the name of a king and what he would do centuries before it happened!  Rehoboam was the son of Sulieman.  In the days when he was the King of Israel, the kingdom was divided and a man named Jeroboam became King in the northern part of the land of Israel.  King Jeroboam did evil and built an altar for sacrifices to idols.  A prophet of Allah came to him and gave Jeroboam this message: 

Thus says the LORD (concerning the altar), “Behold a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David (a descendant of David) and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of these high places … and the bones of men shall be burned on you.[28] 

About 300 years later this happened just as the prophet foretold it to Jeroboam! [29]  300 years before it happened, the prophet of Allah foretold, not only this event, but even the name the king of Israel who would do this! 

The prophet Isaiah (Yeshia) lived and prophesied in the eighth century BC.  He foretold that the people of Allah would be conquered by a foreign king and taken into captivity in a foreign land.  That King would tear down the Temple in Jerusalem and destroy Jerusalem.  But he also foretold this: 

I am the LORD Who makes all things; Who says to Cyrus, “He is my shepherd (servant) and he shall perform all I desire, saying to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be built’

And to the Temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”[30] 

The Kingdom that conquered Jerusalem was Babylon.  Later, Babylon was conquered by the Persians.   In 538 BC, Cyrus, the King of Persia, ordered the captive Jews in his kingdom to return to the land of Israel and rebuild the city and the Temple there.  So, almost 200 years before this happened and even before Persia became a powerful kingdom, Isaiah foretold even the name of the King who would send the People of Allah back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and the city.  Even though Allah had punished His people for their idolatry by sending them into captivity in a foreign land, he had a plan to send them back to rebuild Jerusalem.   Jerusalem and the Temple had to be rebuilt because Jerusalem was where the Masih (Messiah) would come!   Allah confirmed that the prophet Isaiah was speaking for Him by foretelling an important event and the name of a king whose kingdom was not yet established and who would not even be born for more than a century! 

It might be an interesting study for you to look for fulfilled prophecies in the Qur’an.  Look for what has been foretold there and what came to pass?  Since this is the certain sign of a prophet of Allah, there should be many instances of this.  I know of only one passage in the Qur’an that looks anything like a prophecy.   

Sura 30 - Al Rum (Rome) 2-4  The Roman Empire has been defeated, in a land close by; but they after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious, within a few years.  With Allah is the decision in the past and in the future. 

Rome was defeated by the Persians and later was victorious over them.  But consider that the Romans were the most powerful people in the world at that time, so it was a strong possibility they would be victorious again.  Also consider that the Meccans were counting on Persia for support against Muhammed, so essentially Muhammed was warning them against counting on the Romans for help.  Also, notice that he said that the decision is up to Allah.  He was essentially saying “The Romans will  soon be victorious, Inshallah.”   We are all familiar with the ‘principle of abrogation’ by which one verse in the Qur’an will be replaced or abrogated by another.  The wording of this passage leaves that as a possibility if the Romans had not been victorious.  This is quite different from the prophecies we see in the Before Scriptures.  There the prophets boldly proclaim that they were speaking for Allah and what they said would come to pass because Allah had spoken it! 

Allah has given us clear proof of the truth of the Tawrat, Zaboor and Injiil.  What the prophets said would happen came to pass, just as they said, because it was the Word of Allah.  As Isa said, “Your Word is Truth” and “The Scripture cannot be broken.”   We can look with confidence to these Scriptures because Allah has confirmed their truth to us, not only by the signs and wonders he performed through his prophets, but also by the many fulfilled prophecies contained in these Scriptures.