196 OBJECTIONS ON THE GROUND OF MUHAMMAD'S

other passages in the Law as referring to Himself, John v. 46. Thus in the New Testament we have the inspired explanation of the prophecy.

Again, the promised prophet was to be sent "unto thee," that is unto Israel. Christ arose among Israel and spent almost His whole time among them. He sent His Apostles also in the first place to Israel (Matt. x. 6), and only secondarily to the Gentiles (Luke xxiv. 47). Muhammad, on the other hand, professed to be sent to the Arabs, among whom he was born. He did not do much for the Jews [except in the way of slaughtering them!]

204. M. Muhammad is evidently the prophet "like unto Moses." For (1) both of them were brought up in their enemies' houses; (2) appeared among idolaters; (3) were at first rejected by their own people and afterwards accepted by them; (4) were married and had children; (5) each gave a Law (which Christ did not: John i. 17); (6) fled from their enemies, one to Midian and the other to Medina—which words are of similar meaning; (7) marched to battle against the unbelievers; (8) wrought similar miracles; and (9) enabled their followers after their own death to enter on the possession of Palestine.

C. Almost the same things could probably be said of Musailamah or of Manes (Mani). Surely these points of resemblance are not those intended. We might proceed with the comparison by adding

DIVINE MISSION AS LAST OF THE PROPHETS 197

that [both committed murder, that both married wives, Muhammad a large number, that the names of both begin with M1., that] both died natural deaths, and so on. But all this is in vain, because the very foundation for the comparison is cut away by the verses which we have quoted from Genesis, proving that God definitely declared that His convenant was to descend not in Ishmael's family but in Isaac's.

Let us now appeal to the Qur'an for a proof that, in at least one very important point indeed, Muhammad was not in the least like Moses. In Surah VII., Al A'raf, 156, 158 we are told that Moses prophesied of Muhammad, calling him "the unlettered2 prophet," by God's command. Now in this Muhammad was not very like Moses, who "was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts vii. 22). Hence either you are wrong or the Qur'an is. Again we are told that Moses was the meekest3 of men (Num. xii. 3), which can hardly be truly said of Muhammad. There is no likeness between Moses' matrimonial arrangements and those of Muhammad. Moreover Muhammad was not even of the Jewish nation as Moses was. The words


1 Dr. H. M. Clark.
2 I think that this title (
الأُمّي ) means rather "the Gentile" prophet, as R. Abraham Geiger has pointed out. But Sir W. Muir thinks the above explanation correct. It is that adopted by all Muslims.
3 The Hebrew word so rendered is capable, however, of other meanings. (Rev. P. M. Zenker.)