Acts 3:22

This prophet is not Jesus, peace be upon him, because he said: “of your brethren”, and the brothers of the sons of Israel (Banū Isrā’īl) are the sons of Ishmael (Banū Ismā‘īl), and Allāh did not send a prophet from the sons of Ismā‘īl (Ishmael) except Muḥammad.

And what also indicates that the intended is Muḥammad is the saying of Moses: “A prophet... like unto me”, and in reality, there is no prophet to whom it applies that he is like Moses except Muḥammad. For both of them were characterized by strength and courage, and both of them fought the enemies of Allāh, and both of them were sent with an independent message. As for Jesus, peace be upon him, he did not fight nor was he sent with an independent message. Rather, the Gospel is a follower to the Torah; in it is a lawfulness for some of what was forbidden in it, and in it are exhortations, so it is a completer of the Torah. Also, he was overpowered and did not triumph over his enemies, so when his enemies, the Jews, surrounded him and wanted to kill him, he did not fight them, but rather Allāh raised him to Himself in heaven.

Based upon what preceded, Moses, peace be upon him, and likewise the Messiah, (Jesus of Maryam), peace be upon him, both gave glad tidings to their followers of the Prophet Muḥammad, and commanded submission to his Sharī‘ah (Islam). So following the Sharī‘ah of Islam is considered a completion of the Sharī‘ah of Moses and the Messiah, and obedience to them, and not a turning away from them or disbelief in them.

Based upon that, faith is inseparable between Jesus and Muḥammad. For the Christian who is truthful in his following of Jesus must believe in Muḥammad and follow his Sharī‘ah, otherwise he would be disobedient to both of them, and deserving of the Fire.

In addition, the one who believes in Muḥammad must believe in Jesus, peace and blessings be upon them, otherwise he would be a disbeliever in Muḥammad, because faith in Jesus and in all the prophets has been commanded by Allāh in the Qur’ān. So whoever does not believe in the Messiah or other than him of the messengers is a disbeliever in the Qur’ān.

Allāh Says in the Qur’ān: (what means): {The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allāh and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], “We make no distinction between any of His messengers, And they say, ‘We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.’”} [Al-Baqarah (The Cow), 2:285].

And the meaning of: {We make no distinction between any of His messengers} is: We do not believe in some of the messengers and disbelieve in others, but rather we believe in all of them. The conclusion is that whoever believes in the two messengers, Muḥammad and Jesus, peace and blessings be upon them, has attained the honor of faith in both of them.

Among the subtle points is that this glad tiding corresponds with what is in the Book of Deuteronomy (chapter 18, Van Dyck edition), where the Lord said to Moses:

15. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken. … 17. And the Lord said unto me: They have well spoken that which they have spoken.

18. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

His statement, “from among their brethren”, refers to the descendants of Ishmael, and it is definitely not referring to the Children of Israel. For the brethren of the Children of Israel are the children of Ishmael; otherwise, the meaning would be that the brethren of the Children of Israel are the Children of Israel themselves, which does not hold true.

As for His statement, “like unto thee,” this confirms that the intended person is Muḥammad, for he is the only Prophet who resembles Moses. Both their missions were universal and independent of previous laws; the law brought by each of them was a new one. Furthermore, both Moses and Muḥammad married and had children; both were leaders and rulers over their followers; and both died a natural death.

Therefore, it cannot be said that the prophecy refers to the Messiah, peace be upon him, for the Messiah was not independent of the Torah; rather, his message was subordinate to that of Moses. This is why Allāh said in describing him: {And He will teach him writing, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel} [Āl ‘Imrān (Family of Imran), 3:48] Moreover, in the view of Christians, the Messiah is not like Moses; for Moses is a human, while the Messiah—according to Christians—is a worshipped deity. Thus, the prophecy applies to Muḥammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and no one else. Regarding His statement, ‘and I will put My words in his mouth,’ this is clear: Allāh reveals to his heart, then he speaks to the people the revelation from his mouth, exactly as Allāh revealed it to him, without addition or omission. Allāh, Exalted be He, Says: (what means): {Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed. Taught to him by one intense in strength} [An-Najm (The Star), 53:3-5]. “One intense in strength” is the angel Gabriel, who is tasked with conveying revelation to the Prophets.

The mention of the heart and the tongue has also appeared in Surah Ash-Shu‘ara’, Allāh The Exalted be He, Says (what means): “And indeed, the Qur’ān is the revelation of the Lord of the worlds. The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down upon your heart, [O Muḥammad] – that you may be of the warners – in a clear Arabic language.” [Ash-Shu‘arā’ (The Poets), 26:193-195]. 157