The Quran

Preface

وَإِذ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ ميثاقَ النَّبِيّينَ لَما آتَيتُكُم مِن كِتابٍ وَحِكمَةٍ ثُمَّ جاءَكُم رَسولٌ مُصَدِّقٌ لِما مَعَكُم لَتُؤمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُ ۚ قالَ أَأَقرَرتُم وَأَخَذتُم عَلىٰ ذٰلِكُم إِصري ۖ قالوا أَقرَرنا ۚ قالَ فَاشهَدوا وَأَنا مَعَكُم مِنَ الشّاهِدينَ

Yusuf Ali

Behold! God took the covenant of the prophets¹, saying: “I give you a Book and Wisdom; then comes to you a messenger, confirming what is with you; do ye believe in him and render him help.” God said: “Do ye agree, and take this my Covenant as binding on you?” They said: “We agree.” He said: “Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.”

Cf. 2:63, n. 78, and 33:7. The argument is: You (People of the Book) are bound by your own oaths, sworn solemnly in the presence of your own Prophets. In the Old Testament as it now exists, Muḥammad is foretold in Deut. 18:18; and the rise of the Arab nation in Isaiah 42:11, for Kedar was a son of Isma'il and the name is used for the Arab nation. Also, in the New Testament as it now exists, Muḥammad is foretold in the Gospel of St. John, 14:16, 15:26, and 16:7; the future Comforter cannot be the “Holy Spirit” as understood by Christians, because the Holy Spirit already was present, helping and guiding Jesus. The Greek word translated “Comforter” is “Paracletos”, which is an easy corruption from “Periclytos”, which is almost a literal translation of “Muḥammad” or “Ahmad”; see 7:157 and 61:6. Further, there were other Gospels that have perished, but of which traces still remain, which were even more specific in their reference to Muḥammad; e.g., the Gospel of St. Barnabas, of which an Italian translation is extant in the State Library at Vienna. It was edited in 1907 with an English translation by Mr. Lonsdale and Laura Ragg.