Genesis 22:15-18

This is a clear glad tiding of the Prophet Muḥammad, because he is the only prophet from the descendants of Abraham whom Allāh sent to all the nations of the earth. As for the prophets before him, Allāh sent them specifically to their own peoples, not to all the nations of the earth. For the Messiah, Moses, Zechariah, John, Jacob, and Isaac were sent by Allāh specifically to the Children of Israel, and He did not send them to all the nations of the earth. For in the Gospel of Matthew (15:24), Jesus said: “’I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” (Matthew 15:24) The Lord’s earlier saying to Abraham: “and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies” means that your followers, O Abraham, will inherit and possess the properties of their enemies from those who fought them. The “gate” here is an expression for the entrance of the house, which is the lands owned by the disbelievers, for they will be transferred to the Muslims. This was only achieved for Muḥammad, because after he defeated his enemies, their lands entered into his kingdom, both during his lifetime and after, as happened to the empires of Persia and Rome. For it is well known that the nation of Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) inherited the dominion of Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon), of the Persians, of the Greeks [the Greeks’ embrace of Islam dates to the Ottoman period in the southern Balkans], and of the Romans; indeed, it was this nation that conquered Constantinople (Istanbul), the capital of the Roman king [this conquest occurred in 1453 CE at the hands of the commander Sultan Muḥammad al-Fātiḥ, when the city of the Eastern Roman / Byzantine Empire fell].

This was so even while those who did not enter Islam retained their dignity in his kingdom, because Islam forbids wronging those who submit to the Muslims, and commands that they be granted protection and given their religious and worldly rights. (For an expansion on this topic, see the book The Rights of Non- Muslims in the Lands of Islam by Dr. Ṣāliḥ ibn Ḥusayn al-‘Āyid, published online.) And the saying preceding it: (and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore) — is a notice of the increase in the number of Muslims throughout the ages, and this is indeed the reality. Moreover, this glad tiding is in agreement with another glad tiding in Genesis (17:20), where Allāh said to Abraham concerning Ishmael:

“Behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly … and I will make him a great nation.”

In addition, in Genesis (21:18), the angel said to Hagar: “Arise, lift up the lad (i.e., Ishmael), and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.”

This is not fulfilled except in the prophethood of Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), because he is the only individual from the lineage of Ishmael who became a prophet and was followed by a great and mighty nation. This was done while preserving the dignity of those who entered his kingdom even if they did not enter Islam, because Islam forbids oppressing those whom Muslims have defeated and commands providing them protection and granting them their religious and worldly rights. The speech regarding this has a specific research; for expansion, refer to the book “Rights of Non-Muslims in Islamic Lands” authored by Dr. Salih ibn Husayn Al-Ayed, which is published on the internet. His earlier saying: “I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore” indicates the increase in the number of Muslims over time. This is reality.

Furthermore, statistics also indicate that in the present, the majority of converts from one religion to another are converts to Islam. This has been particularly true with the spread of Islamic media which helped introduce Islam in global languages. This glad tiding is congruent with another glad tiding in Genesis (17:20) in which Allāh said to Abraham about Ishmael: “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.” This could only be achieved through the prophethood of Muḥammad, because he is the only person from the descendants of Ishmael who became a prophet and was followed by a great nation.