Deuteronomy 32:19-21

This text shows that Allāh was angry with the Children of Israel. They did not obey Allāh, did not fulfill their covenant with Him, and angered Him. So He warned them that He would replace them with another nation who were also foolish people, who were in the darkness of misguidance, ignorance, and the worship of idols and false gods. These were the Arabs, as Allāh, Exalted be He, said in describing them, (what means): “for indeed, you were before that among those astray.” [Al-Baqarah (The Cow), 2:198].

So Allāh sent the Prophet Muḥammad from among the descendants of Ismā‘īl (Ishmael). These Arabs followed him, worshipped Allāh alone, abandoned idol worship, and became a great nation. Thus, the transfer of prophethood mentioned in the verse was fulfilled. Then the Arabs carried the light that came to him, to other non-Arabs, because the message of the Prophet Muḥammad is universal for all people.

In summary, prophethood was transferred from the Children of Israel to the descendants of Ishmael, confirming the other verse: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” (Matthew 21:43).

The kingdom of God is the prophethood that Allāh granted to the Prophet Muḥammad.

It is known that the nation of the Prophet Muḥammad is the only nation that worships Allāh alone, serves Him, obeys Him, and establishes His rituals.

With this transfer of prophethood, Allāh’s provocation of the Children of Israel was fulfilled, as in the prophecy. The reason is that they did not deserve it; for they are the killers of prophets, and they are the ones who distorted the Torah and the Gospel, and continue to distort them.

Within this chapter

THE ISSUE OF DISTORTION AND CONCEALMENT AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL The books of the Jews and Christians explicitly state that they are distorted, distorted by the scholars of the Children of Israel, so how is it correct to call them the Holy Bible? The Holy Book is the divine book preserved from addition or subtraction. If it is subjected to addition or subtraction, its attribute is that it is a human and distorted book, and not a holy book.

And many verses have come in the Old Testament rebuking the Children of Israel for their distortion of the Holy Book that was in the hands of Moses (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).

In the Book of (Jeremiah - 23:36), Jeremiah addresses the Children of Israel, saying: (... for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.) Furthermore, the Lord states in the same book (8:8-9): (How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?)

THE REALITY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL IN THE OLD TESTAMENT The condemnation of the Children of Israel came in the Old Testament. In the Book of Ḥizqiyāl (Ezekiel), the Lord said to him: “Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have revolted against Me to this very day. I am sending you to them who are impudent and obstinate children.’”

(1) (Ezekiel 2:3-4) Also, their description came in the Book of Isaiah with the worst and lowest attributes: “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, ‘Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.... They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.’”

(2) (Isaiah 1:2-4) In the Book of Jubilees from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Lord is quoted addressing Moses about the Children of Israel, saying: “They will forget all My law, all My commandments, and all My judgments.”

(1) Book of Ezekiel (2:3-4).

(2) Book of Isaiah (1:1-6).

The description of the scholars of the Children of Israel has come in many places in the Old and New Testaments as blind (1), an offspring of vipers (2), a seed of evildoers (3), doers of evil (4), and killers of prophets(5). What resulted from that of distortion and alteration in the religion of the two prophets, Moses and Jesus is known only to Allāh.

In summary, these people were not reformed by any call. Therefore, Allāh, the One, the Prevailing (Al-Qahhār), decreed that they were not fit to bear the burdens of the Lord’s message, as they were engaged in destroying prophecies, distorting scriptures, killing prophets, and fighting reformers. Therefore, Allāh decreed the transfer of prophethood from them to another nation that would worship Allāh, follow His law, and venerate it. What is astonishing is that the Christians look upon the Jews as the foundation of their belief, simply because they preceded them. They built their religion on the errors of the Jews, ignoring or being ignorant of the magnitude of deviation they are in, blindly imitating them without discernment.

(1) See John (9:40).

(2) See Matthew (23:33).

(3) See Psalms (94:4).

(4) See Isaiah (14:20).

(5) See 1 Kings (19:10), Matthew (23:31), (23:37). THE REALITY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL IN THE NEW TESTAMENT The Messiah described the Children of Israel, saying: “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled (1), which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’” Matthew (13:14-16).

When some of the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, they asked him: “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?” Jesus answered them: “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?... So for the sake of your tradition you have invalidated the word (1) This is an explicit statement from the Messiah (‘Īsā) regarding the transfer of prophethood from the Children of Israel (Banū Isrā’īl) to another nation.

of God. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matthew 15:1-9) When the Messiah (peace be upon him) came, he cried out in Jerusalem, as in Matthew 23:13-36:

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in....

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.

“You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

“So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ “Consequently, you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.

“You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Hābīl (Abel) to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barakhyā (Berechiah), whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation”. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.” (Matthew 23:37)

The Messiah also pointed out the concealment of truth by the Children of Israel, as he said in Matthew (10:26) within his instructions to his twelve disciples: “For nothing is covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.”

In summary, when the state of the Children of Israel reached this level – the level of distorting the word of Allāh and killing prophets – Allāh transferred prophethood from them to the descendants of Ishmaeland the Prophet Muḥammad.

THE TRANSFER OF PROPHETHOOD FROM THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL TO THE DESCENDANTS OF ISHMAEL Prophets followed one another among the Children of Israel by the tens and hundreds. This is a clear sign of their constant deviation and their perpetual need for correction and reminder. Nevertheless, unfortunately, they did not respond to or support Allāh and His Book. Therefore, Allāh transferred prophethood from the Children of Israel to the descendants of Ishmael. They objected to Allāh’s decree and did not believe in the Prophet Muḥammad, despite being completely confident in his prophethood. This was out of envy from themselves, that prophethood had been transferred from them to others. Therefore, Allāh’s wrath came upon them and He cursed them, as the Almighty said: “So they returned having [earned] wrath upon wrath. And for the disbelievers is a humiliating punishment.” [Al-Baqarah (The Cow), 2:90]. Allāh is predominant over His affair, but most of the people do not know.