John 16:5-14

This glad tiding is a clear indication, as clear as the sun, of the prophethood of Muḥammad after ‘Īsā (Jesus), peace be upon him, for whomever Allāh has expanded his chest for the truth, and he has accepted the reality, and that is clarified in several ways:

In statement number 7: his saying “for if I go not away, the Comforter (al-Mu‘azzī) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you”; it poses a question:

Who is the one who came after ‘Īsā (Jesus), peace be upon him, other than Muḥammad?! And based upon that, who will the Comforter (al-Mu‘azzī) be if it is not Muḥammad? As for His saying, “But if I go, I will send him to you,” as already explained, this means that the Messiah was the cause of the sending of Muḥammad, for he used to pray to Allāh to send him; so Allāh answered his prayer and sent him. It was not the Messiah who sent Muḥammad of his own accord, for the sending of prophets belongs to Allāh alone.

Statement number 8 poses a question: Who is the one who rebuked the world for sins after the Messiah other than Muḥammad? For he exposed the falseness of the world’s ideas, so he forbade false beliefs, such as worshipping other than Allāh, and believing that the angels are the daughters of Allāh, and that the Messiah is the son of Allāh, and that ‘Uzayr (Ezra) is the son of Allāh. And he forbade consuming the orphan’s wealth, drinking alcohol, killing, and arrogance over people. And he forbade racism, the despising of slaves, and the boasting of tribes over one another, and other than that of misguidance and polytheistic practices. On the contrary, he commanded Islamic monotheism (Tawḥīd) and singling out Allāh in worship. And this is the religion of all the prophets before alteration, change, and distortion befell it. And he commanded seeking forgiveness for sins, repentance to Allāh, and purifying the soul from the sins that relate to the right of Allāh or the right of the servants.

- And in his saying in statement number 13 “he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak.” The question arises: Who is the one who does not speak from his own accord, but rather with what is revealed to him, other than Muḥammad? Allāh, Exalted be He, Says: (what means): {Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed.} [An-Najm (The Star), 53:3-4].

It is worth noting that Muḥammad did not receive knowledge from any of the prophets who preceded him, unlike those who came before him, such as the Messiah. The Messiah possessed knowledge of what Moses brought in the Torah, and then Allāh revealed to him a specific revelation above what he already possessed, which was the Gospel. Allāh says regarding the Messiah: {And He will teach him writing and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel} [Āl ‘Imrān (Family of Imran), 3:48] As for Muḥammad, it was quite the opposite; Allāh said of him: {And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command. You did not know what is the Book or [what is] faith} [Ash-Shura (Consultation), 42:52]. Therefore, the Prophet Muḥammad did not possess prior knowledge from those before him; rather, Allāh taught him the best of all knowledge, which is the Qur’ān, and this is among his unique characteristics.- And his saying in statement (13): “he will guide you into all truth” this invites us to question: What is the truth other than the Sharī‘ah [Islamic Law] of Muḥammad, which included all of it?! His Sharī‘ah [Islamic Law] included all correct beliefs, acts of worship, dealings, and behaviors, and forbade all incorrect beliefs, acts of worship, dealings, and behaviors. Allāh, Exalted be He, Says: (what means): {We have not neglected in the Register a thing.} [Al-An’am (The Cattle), 6:38]. Moreover, statement number 13 poses a question at his saying: “and he will shew you things to come” which is: Who is the one who informed about the future unseen matters (things to come), then they occurred as he informed, other than Muḥammad? For he informed of matters of the past, present, and future, and he conveyed them to the people, and he made them known to them through the path of Waḥy [revelation] that Allāh, Exalted be He, cast upon him, and from the proofs of his prophethood and the truthfulness of his message, many of them have already been fulfilled, such as the conquests, the tribulations at the end of time, and so on. Is this not evidence that Allāh informed him of it through the path of Waḥy [revelation]? Allāh, Exalted be He, Says: (what means): {[He is] Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone - Except whom He has approved of messengers.} [Al- Jinn (The Jinn), 72:26-27].

He also reported every sign of the nearness of the Last Day, and what occurs on the Day of Resurrection — such as Paradise and its bliss, the Fire and the various kinds of its torment — and many matters which are not found in the Torah or in the Gospel except in summary form. All of this verifies the saying of the Messiah: (and he will shew you things to come).

- And statement number 14 poses a question at his saying: “He shall glorify me” which is: Who is the one who glorifies the Messiah and his mother Maryam (Mary), may Allāh be pleased with her, other than Muḥammad? For the story of Jesus and his mother are recited in the prayers every day, in the east and west of the earth, which shows the extent of the Muslims’ connection to ‘Īsā (Jesus) and his mother, may Allāh be pleased with her, not only as historical figures, but as great symbols of faith that Muslims themselves emulate. - And statement number 15 poses a final question at his saying: “he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you” which is: Who is the one who informed his people with what the Messiah said other than Muḥammad? For the comprehensive news of the Messiah was not recorded in the books of the Christians as it was recorded in the books of Prophetic Ḥadīth from the Messenger of Allāh, Muḥammad. In addition, the speech regarding this is very lengthy, such as the news of his conception and birth, his miracles, his calling his people to the worship of Allāh alone, to the news of his ascension to heaven and his protection from the plot of the Jews who wanted to kill him.

As the Ḥadīth [narrations] of Muḥammad include the news of his descent at the end of time as a just ruler, and he will break the cross that the Christians worship, and he will kill the swine, and he will remain on earth for forty years, which are the best days of the world, then he will die and the Muslims will bury him, as the other prophets died.

Likewise, the Qur’ān includes the news of his mother Maryam (Mary), may Allāh be pleased with her, and the news of her family, and her sponsorship from the side of the Prophet Zechariah, peace be upon him, and other than that from the news. In conclusion, the message of the two noble Messengers is perfectly consistent with each other. The Messiah gave glad tidings of Muḥammad, and Muḥammad confirmed the Messiah; that is, he relayed the truthful accounts of the Messiah and affirmed that all he did and said was the absolute truth. In conclusion, this glad tiding shows that the departure of the Messiah is itself glad tidings of a prophet who would come after him, whose time would be after the Messiah’s ascent to heaven. This applies only to the Prophet Muḥammad who came after the Messiah, whom Allāh sent to all people, and who comforted the followers of the Messiah by clarifying what was hidden from his religion over the passage of time, because the meaning of the Comforter (al-Mu‘azzī) is the guide and the teacher. Therefore, these verses contain clear indications of the prophethood of Muḥammad.

- And for benefit: In his saying in statement (10): “Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more” is evidence that Allāh raised the Messiah, and he was not crucified nor killed.