CAIRO – A Christian minister and theologian has revealed that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) may have been predicted as a coming Prophet sent by God in the Jewish and Christian scriptures, blowing away a main difference between the followers of the two faiths.
“Changing our view of Muhammad—so that we recognize him as a true prophet rather than discredit him as a false prophet—would effectively inoculate Christians against Islamophobia and would help to establish a new paradigm of cooperative Christian-Muslim relations,” reverend Ian Mevorach wrote in a blog published by Huff Post in April, 2016.
“In Jesus’ farewell discourse in the Gospel of John (chapters 14 to 16), Jesus speaks about the coming of the “Spirit of Truth” or “Advocate” (in Greek, parakletos).
“For centuries Muslim interpreters have seen Muhammad as this “Advocate,” based on Qur’an 61:6, a verse in which Jesus predicts the coming of a future prophet named Ahmad: “O Children of Israel! Truly I am the Messenger of God unto you, confirming that which came before me in the Torah and bearing glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me whose name is Ahmad” (61:6, The Study Quran).
“Ahmad, which is another name for Muhammad, is very close etymologically to the Greek word, parakletos, so it is likely that the Qur’an is claiming that Jesus’ farewell discourse in the Gospel of John predicts Muhammad.”
Reverend Dr. Ian Mevorach, holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Middlebury College, an M.Div. from Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH), and a Ph.D. in Theological Ethics and Constructive Theology from BUSTH.
He is the co-founder and spiritual leader of the Common Street Spiritual Center in Natick, MA (www.commonstreet.org). He is the co-founder of the American Baptist Churches Creation Justice Network and represents the American Baptist Churches USA on the board of Creation Justice Ministries, a national, multi-denominational environmental justice coalition.
He has argued previously that Islamophobia in the US may be reduced if Christians learn to accept the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a prophet of God.
Spirit of Truth
Dr. Mevorach goes on to discuss how Jesus (pbuh) predicted the coming of a prophet, same as the Qur’an relates into this issue.
He also urged Christians to accept Prophet Muhammad as a “Spirit of Truth” and not a “Spirit of Error.”
“There is no better candidate than Muhammad, no one in fact that comes even close, in terms of fulfilling Jesus’s promise of the Spirit of Truth who would bring forth a new revelation from God,” Mevorach added.
“I do not have space in this article to explore the many Qur’anic verses directly addressed to Christians, but if we were to receive them our religion would be transformed for the better and would come into balance with Judaism and Islam.”
Mevorach is not the first Christian theologian to try to bring both faiths closer.
Earlier this year, Steve Chalke, pastor and founder of the Oasis charity, confirmed that Islamic teachings are closer to the Christ than many churches in the west, following a comparative study into both faiths.
Muslims believe in Jesus as one of the great Prophets of God and that he is the son of Mary but not the Son of God. He was conceived and born miraculously.
In the Noble Qur’an, Jesus is called “Isa”. He is also known as Al-Masih (the Christ) and Ibn Maryam (Son of Mary).
As for his crucifixion, Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified but was lifted up to heaven.
Muslims believe that Jesus will come back to earth before the end of time to restore peace and order, fight the Anti-Christ (Al-Masih Al-Dajjal) and bring victory for truth and righteousness.
The true followers of Jesus will prevail over those who deny him, misrepresent him and reject him.