THE HOLY SPIRIT, MUHAMMAD AND AHMAD REVISITED

In the following posts,

AHMAD OR THE HOLY SPIRIT?

More of the Incomplete Quran Exposed: Who or What Is Ahmad?

I conclusively proved that Ahmad in the Quran is not Muhammad’s name, but a descriptive noun referring to the Holy Spirit.

Here I will provide additional evidence to show that the prophecy of Ahmad is based on Jesus’ promise to send the Paraclete, who is the Holy Spirit of God.

As I showed in the aforementioned posts, specific English versions do not translate the term as a proper name but as a description specifying a particular quality of the messenger in question:

And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One. Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic. S. 61:6 Pickthall

“… O Children of Israel, I am GOD’s messenger to you, confirming the Torah and bringing good news of a messenger to come after me whose name will be even more praised (Ahmad)…” Rashad Khalifa

“… and bringing good news of a messenger to come after me whose name will be ‘most acclaimed’…” [The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition) https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/61/st58.htm]

According to the earliest Islamic sources the foregoing text was viewed as referring to Jesus’ promise to his disciples that he would be sending the Paraclete to be with them forever:

The early Quran-exegete of Transoxiana, Muqā til b. Sulaymān (d. 767), claims that Ahmad simply “means Paraclete in Syriac (bi-l-siryāniyya fāraqlītā)”, demonstrating that he relied on a Syriac Vorlage that, unlike Ibn Ishāq’s CPAVorlage, merely transcribed the Greek παράκλητος. See Tafsīr Muqātil b. Sulaymān, 5 vols, ed. ʿAbdallāh Mahmūd Shahāta (repr. Beirut: Mu’assasat al-Tārīkh al-ʿArabī, 2002), 4:316. (Sean Anthony, “Muḥammad, Menaḥem, and the Paraclete: New Light on Ibn Isḥāq’s (d. 150/767) Arabic Version of John 15:23-16:1,” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 79.2 (2016): 255-278. https://www.academia.edu/12230900/_Mu%E1%B8%A5ammad_Mena%E1%B8%A5em_and_the_Paraclete_New_Light_on_Ibn_Is%E1%B8%A5%C4%81q_s_d_150_767_Arabic_Version_of_John_15_23_16_1_Bulletin_of_the_School_of_Oriental_and_African_Studies_79_2_2016_255_278; bold emphasis mine)

When we examine the context of Jesus’ prophecy, it becomes crystal clear that the Paraclete is the Holy Spirit whom the Father and the Son send forth from the Father’s presence to indwell and empower Christ’s disciples to testify concerning what they had personally seen and heard from the Lord Jesus. The disciples would also make known that which the Spirit would continue to reveal to them, revelations that they weren’t ready to receive when Christ was physically dwelling in their midst:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, to be with you for all time, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; but you will know him, for he will dwell with you and will be in you… But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will instruct you regarding all things, and cause you to remember everything that I have told you.” John 14:16-17, 26 William Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament (MOUNCE)

“But when the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes forth from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also are to bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning.” John 15:26-27 MOUNCE

“Nevertheless I am telling you the truth; it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go away, I will send him to you. And he, when he comes, will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because they do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going away to the Father, and you will see me no longer; in regard to judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own, but will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you things yet to come. He will glorify me, for he will receive what is mine and tell it to you. All that the Father has is mine; that is why I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” John 16:7-15 MOUNCE

To say that these promises all refer to Muhammad would mean that the Father and the Son are the God who sent forth Muhammad in the name of Christ in order to glorify Christ as God’s unique Son who owns all that the Father possesses. And since the Father possesses all things, this means that Jesus owns all of creation which would include Christ owning Muhammad and all Muslims as well!

This would further imply that Muhammad preexisted with the Father in heaven who then came forth from the Father’s heavenly presence right after Christ sent him to indwell and empower the Apostles for ministry.

As such, Muslims are now required to affirm and believe that Muhammad is a preexistent, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent being!  

It is obvious that none of these qualities could ever be true of Muhammad, seeing that he was nothing more than an imperfect, immoral, fallible, sinfully wicked, temporal, finite creature and a false prophet who expressly denied that Jesus is God’s unique Son and also rejected God’s spiritual Fatherhood (Cf. Q. 5:18; 9:30; 19:88-93; 39:4; 72:3).

However, all these characteristics perfectly describe the eternal Spirit of God who came to testify to the world to all of the aforementioned truths about God and Christ. And the Holy Spirit did so through the agency of the holy Apostles of the risen Christ and their companions as the Spirit assisted them in fulfilling their commission.

In fact, the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus’ followers to proclaim the Gospel wherever they went, whether by word of mouth or in writing, with miraculous signs and wonders:

“So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’… Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:21-23, 27-31 New King James Version (NKJV)

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’ Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter answered her, ‘Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?’ She said, ‘Yes, for so much.’ Then Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed… And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Acts 5:1-16, 32 NKJV

“For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient—in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ… Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,” Romans 15:18-19, 30 NKJV

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God… These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, 13 NKJV

“Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” 2 Timothy 1:13-14 NKJV

“Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.” 1 Peter 1:10-12 NKJV

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:1-3 NKJV

This brings me to my next point.

The Scriptures further attest that the Spirit is worshiped by all believers:

“We are the ⌞true⌟ circumcised people ⌞of God⌟ because we serve God’s Spirit (Pneumati Theou latreuontes) and take pride in Christ Jesus. We don’t place any confidence in physical things,” Philippians 3:3 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Here’s another rendering of the aforementioned passage:

“For we are the circumcision, who serve the Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus, also having no confidence in the flesh:” Godbey New Testament (Godbey(i))

What makes this text rather amazing is that the blessed Apostle describes true believers as those who render latreuo to the Spirit of God, which Christ taught is the highest form of worship that is to be given to God alone!

“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him ONLY you shall serve (latreuseis).”’” Matthew 4:8-10 NKJV

“Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’ And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve (latreuseis).”’” Luke 4:5-8 NKJV

This affirms that the Holy Spirit is God Almighty, even though he is neither the Father nor the Son!

Hence, Muhammad wasn’t the Ahmad whom the historical Jesus proclaimed would come. Rather, the one and true Ahmad is none other than God’s all-glorious, all-powerful, all-majestic Spirit, being the eternal Companion of the Son who has come to glorify the risen Lord by convincing the world of his true identity:

“Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:3 NKJV

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world… In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins… By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” 1 John 4:1-3, 9-10, 13-15 NKJV

It is, therefore, the Holy Spirit who truly is the eternally Praised One since he is the one and true Ahmad whom Jesus promised would come after he physically ascends into heaven to sit enthroned alongside of the Father in the same divine glory which he had possessed before the creation the world:

“So now, Father, glorify me at your side with the glory that I had alongside you before the world was…  Father, I want those whom you have given me to be with me where I am, in order that they may behold my glory that you have given me, because you loved me from before the creation of the world.” John 17:5, 24

FURTHER READING

HOLY SPIRIT WORSHIPED AS GOD

Did the Ante-Nicene Fathers Worship the Holy Spirit as God Almighty?

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