Deuteronomy 33:1-2

This prophecy contains the prophecies of the three prophets: Moses, Jesus, and Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon them all).

The coming of the Lord Almighty from Sinai is a reference to the mountain upon which Allāh spoke to Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) and where He bestowed his prophethood upon him. In addition, His rising from Seir is an indication of the place of the mission of the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) and his coming with the Gospel. Seir is the name of mountains in Palestine. It is also called Sā‘ir; it is the land of Ibrāhīm Al- Khalil “Abraham the intimate Friend”, from which the Messiah appeared in a village called Nazareth — and that is why his followers were named (Naṣārā / Nazarenes).

As for his birth, it was in Bethlehem.

As for His saying: “and he shined forth from Mount Paran” – this refers to the mountains of Mecca, which shone with the light of the prophethood of Muḥammad, and the revelation of the Noble Qur’ān therein.

It is well known that the first revelation of the Qur’ān to the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) took place on Mount (Ḥirā’), which is one of the most famous mountains of Mecca, where Allāh sent down upon him His saying: (Read!) [Iqra’].

Moreover, His saying: (and He shined forth from Mount Paran) — in it is a reference to the great manifestation of the religion of Islam and its guidance for mankind, because a shining thing has radiance, dissemination, and an attraction for the eyes. Moreover, it is well known that Allāh made Islam for all people and not for a specific group, so it became radiant in the universe. In this glad tiding, Allāh, the Glorified, likened the prophethood of Moses to the coming of dawn, the prophethood of the Messiah after him to its brightening and radiance, and the prophethood of the Seal of the Prophets after them both to the rising of the sun and the manifestation of its light across the horizons. The matter occurred exactly as foretold: Allāh, the Glorified, broke open the night of disbelief with the prophethood of Moses, so its dawn was illuminated with his prophethood; the radiance and illumination increased with the prophethood of the Messiah; and the radiance was perfected, became manifest, and covered the earth with the prophethood of Muḥammad — may Allāh’s prayers and peace be upon them all.

It is worth noting that no prophet has come forth from the mountains of Paran except Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).

Note: This glad tiding corresponds to the glad tiding mentioned in the Book of Habakkuk, chapter 3, Van Dyck edition: “3. God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran … His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise.”

His saying: (Teman) — what is meant is (Taymā’), one of the dependencies of the Prophetic City of Al-Madīnah, to which the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) emigrated. It is well known that the Qur’ān was revealed in Al- Madīnah, and before that in Mecca. So this is the meaning of (God came from Teman) — i.e., His revelation and His speech came from there.

And His saying: (and the Holy One from Mount Paran) — refers to Muḥammad, because he sanctifies Allāh, i.e., he glorifies and remembers Allāh frequently and recites His verses. And His saying: (and the earth was full of His praise) — there is no land filled with the praise of Allāh like the land of Paran (Mecca), which people visit throughout the year to perform the Ḥajj and the ‘Umrah, with all the glorification, remembrance of Allāh the Most High, prayer, and drawing-near with sacrifices that take place there.

In addition, the mountains of Paran are the mountains of Mecca, according to both the Old and New Testaments. Paran is an Arabicized Hebrew word, and it is one of the names of Mecca. It is the land where Ishmael lived, as stated in the Book of Genesis (21:20-21): “And he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran” The phrase: “and he came with ten thousand saints” refers to the coming of Muḥammad from Paran and accompanied by a multitude of saints. ‘Ten thousand’ means multitudes and great numbers, and is used in a part of the Gospel to refer to large numbers of followers. “Holy ones” means the pure ones, and they are the companions of Muḥammad. Similarly, Jibrīl (Gabriel) is described as Ar-Rūḥ Al-Qudus (The Holy Spirit).

Therefore, this text contains a clear glad tiding of the three prophets: Moses, Jesus, and Muḥammad.

In this prophecy, there is a glad tiding of the appearance of the Prophet Muḥammad, and with him are thousands of his pure companions who would accompany him and spread the light of Islamic law, as indicated by the phrase “from his right hand went a fiery law for them”.

It is worth noting that Allāh the Exalted confirms this glad tiding in the Qur’ān by saying (what means): “By the fig and the olive, And [by] Mount Sinai, And [by] this secure city [Makkah]” [At- Tīn (The Fig), 95:1-3] Here, Allāh mentioned the places where these three prophets had emerged.

He says: “By the fig and the olive” to refer to the holy land of Palestine, a place of growth where the Messiah (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) appeared.

The phrase: “And [by] Mount Sinai” refers to the mountain on which Allāh spoke to Moses (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), which is the place where his prophethood emerged. He says: “And [by] this secure city” refers to Mecca, the starting point of the prophethood of Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).