Transcription
Islam makes the bold claim that numerous Jewish tribes were present within 7th Century Arabia, eagerly anticipating the arrival of God's final messenger, Muhammad, upon whom be peace. If this can be substantiated using independent, outside sources, then it's a powerful argument for the truth of Islam, because it shows that Muhammad fulfilled Jewish Messianic expectations. In this video, we will demonstrate that both the Bible and archaeology fully support Islam's claims.
Historians testify to the presence of various Jewish tribes in and around the oases of Arabia before the Advent of Islam. Alexander Marx wrote, "In the northwest of the peninsula, the Jews occupied the oases on the line of the caravan route; Yathrib, later to Medina, was in all probability founded by them." Now consider the fact that Arabia is one of the harshest environments on Earth, host to some of the most extensive sand and gravel deserts in the world, with very little rainfall. It was also under the constant threat of Bedouin raids. In light of these difficulties, what could have motivated Jewish tribes to migrate to such a location? There must have been a very good reason for wanting to inhabit such a hostile environment. Islam provides us with a motive; it records the fact that before the Advent of Muhammad's prophethood, whenever a dispute arose between the Jewish tribes and Arabs in Medina, they would taunt their Pagan neighbors by saying, "When our Prophet arrives, he shall obliterate you."
Just where could the Jewish tribes have gotten such detailed and accurate knowledge of the coming Prophet? We find the source in two prophecies in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, which pinpoint not only a specific location within Arabia but also provide a timeline. In the 42nd chapter of the book of Isaiah, God proclaims, "Here is my servant, my Chosen One; he will establish justice on Earth. In his law the islands will put their hope. Let the settlements where Kadar lives rejoice; let the people of Salah sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops." Note the key details in the prophecy: a servant of God is foretold to bring a law and justice to the Earth, with an emphasis on the geography of Kadar and Salah. The Bible informs us that Kadar was one of the sons of Ishmael, who was associated with Arabia. Isaiah's mention of Salah narrows down the location and pinpoints a specific area within Arabia, as Salah happens to be the name of a famous mountain in Medina, the city of Prophet Muhammad. So here Isaiah identifies Arabia, specifically the city of Medina, with the coming of a special Messianic figure.
Now, an important question to consider is: if Jewish tribes in Medina really were eagerly anticipating the imminent arrival of a new Prophet, then how did they know exactly when he would arrive? How did they know when the right time was to migrate to the harsh and hostile environment of Arabia? The answer to this question lies in Isaiah 21, another key prophecy which links to Isaiah 42 and elaborates on Kadar's role in God's plan for Arabia. "The oracle concerning Arabia: In the thickets in Arabia you will lodge, O caravans of Dedanites." Here Isaiah mentions the Dedanites in relation to Arabia, prophesying that they will lodge in the thickets of Arabia. Historically, Dedan was situated on an important incense trading route and was one of the main commercial cities of North Arabia. In the second century CE, Dedan was incorporated into the Roman Empire, which brought with it an economic decline, eventual collapse in the 3rd Century CE, and was followed by an abandonment of the settlements by the Arabs. Thus, the old order of the settled Arabs came to a sudden end; they shifted to a nomadic lifestyle by living in the wilderness—an event that academics have dubbed the "Bedouinization of Arabia." As we can see, the collapse of the oasis city of Dedan in the 3rd Century CE was explicitly foretold in Isaiah's prophecy. What is remarkable is that soon after Dedan's collapse, there is archaeological evidence of the beginnings of a Jewish presence in the area. The German historian, Verna CasCal, wrote, "Dedan seems to have perished at the end of the 3rd Century; soon afterwards we find in the area a population that writes in Nabataean, among them many Jews who left behind some Hebraic inscriptions." We find a similar situation in southern Arabia. "The speed and finality of the change in the religious phraseology in southern Arabian inscriptions in the 4th Century AD certainly suggests a revolution in the religious outlook, and it is from this same period that we begin to find inscriptions containing Jewish expressions." We can see that the timing of this sudden Jewish presence in the oases of Arabia corresponds perfectly with Isaiah's prophesied "Bedouinization" of the Dedanites. Is this a pure coincidence, or could it be that these Jews were keeping a watchful eye on Dedan, witnessed its economic collapse and the subsequent "Bedouinization" of its inhabitants, which they then took as a signal that the time had come for them to migrate and await the imminent arrival of the coming Prophet?
We will now move onto the next part of the prophecy in Isaiah 21, which states, "To the thirsty, bring water; meet the fugitives with bread. O inhabitants of the land of Tamar, for they have fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the press of battle." Here Isaiah calls on the people of Tamar, a large oasis situated in North Arabia which was renowned for its abundant wells, to give food and water to some fugitives—a poetic way of implying that these people are of great significance. The fugitives are said to flee drawn swords and bent bows, indicating that they have escaped persecution. This happens to coincide with a monumental event that took place in the life of Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace. The early Muslims preached a message of pure monotheism, which was a direct challenge to the existing power structures and religions that dominated Mecca, then the center of idolatry in Arabia. In a bid to suppress the spread of Islam, the Pagan Meccans boycotted, starved, tortured, and even killed Muslims. After over a decade of persecution, the seeds of escape were finally sown during the pilgrimage season of the year 620 CE, when Muhammad met with a delegation of men from Medina. He conveyed the core message of Islam, and they subsequently embraced the religion and returned to Medina. The new Muslims in Medina later pledged their full support to their Meccan brethren, promising to protect them if they were to migrate to their land. Following this, Muhammad encouraged his followers to escape to Medina, and in a span of two months, nearly all the Meccan Muslims performed the migration—a historic event known as the Hijra. This mirrors the prophecy in Isaiah, which spoke of fugitives who have fled from persecution. This point in the prophecy is profound, as it indicated to the Jewish tribes that Muhammad was very much a prophet in the mold of Moses, who also experienced an exodus by fleeing Pharaoh's persecution in Egypt.
We now come to the final part of the prophecy in Isaiah 21, which mentions, "For thus the Lord said to me: Within a year, according to the years of a hired worker, all the glory of Kadar will come to an end, and the remainder of the archers of the mighty men of the sons of Kadar will be few." Here Isaiah states that the glory of Kadar will come to an end. This point in the prophecy also relates to the Prophet Muhammad, as the Meccan persecutors of the early Muslims—those who we have seen forced them to migrate to Medina—were among the most noble and elite tribes of Arabia. The peace and security that Medina offered the Muslim migrants was short-lived, as the Pagan Meccan tribes raised an army to attack the Muslims. In a famous encounter known as the Battle of Badr, not only were the Muslims outnumbered 3 to 1, but they were also at a massive disadvantage in terms of weaponry and cavalry. Then the unthinkable happened: the Pagan Meccans suffered a devastating defeat. This radical turn of events destroyed Pagan Kadar's conceit; it shattered their illusion of invincibility; indeed, their glory came to an end, as Isaiah eloquently puts it. This was the beginning of the end of Paganism in Arabia, as the Muslims would eventually go on to make a triumphant return to conquer Mecca. Islam would spread east and west, and the history of the world would be forever changed.
It's important to note the timeline of the Battle of Badr: it took place in the year 624 CE, approximately two years after the Muslim migration to Medina. By contrast, Isaiah's prophecy states that Kadar's glory will come to an end within one year of the fugitives fleeing persecution. How can we reconcile this discrepancy? There are, in fact, textual variants of this prophecy which mention a different timeline. The Great Isaiah Scroll discovered in Qumran is the oldest known manuscript of the book of Isaiah, predating the more commonly used versions by around 1,000 years. This older version of Isaiah reads as follows: "Within three years the pomp of Kadar will come to an end." We can see that the oldest surviving copy of Isaiah in existence has a longer timeline of within three years, which perfectly matches the timeline of the Muslims at the Battle of Badr. The Jewish tribes of Arabia would have been keeping a watchful eye on all these events as they unfolded. Isaiah's prophecies were important to them, as they served as a checklist of achievements that they could use as a means of testing and identifying God's true prophets.
In summary: firstly, the people of Dedan were prophesied to lodge in Arabia's wilderness; historically, we've seen that this was fulfilled by the economic collapse of Dedan in the 3rd Century CE and the subsequent abandonment of its settlements by its occupants. The fulfillment of this part of the prophecy signaled to the Jewish tribes that the time was right; they were to make their move and migrate to the oases of Arabia. Secondly, some fugitives are prophesied to flee from persecution; historically, we've seen that this was fulfilled with the migration of the Muslims to Medina when they fled Meccan persecution. Thirdly, Kadar's glory is prophesied to come to an end within a period of three years after the migration of the fugitives; historically, we've seen that Muhammad shattered Pagan Kadar's glory when he achieved the impossible feat of victory over the Meccans at the Battle of Badr. Moreover, we've seen that he and his companions accomplished this task within the timeframe of three years specified by Isaiah.
In conclusion, Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace, not only fulfilled all of the conditions laid out in the prophecies, but he did so in the same order and within the exact timeframe specified. At this point, there could only be one course of action for those among the Jewish tribes who are sincere seekers of truth: to acknowledge Muhammad's prophethood and follow him. Many of the most learned Jews of Arabia did indeed embrace Islam.
Despite all this overwhelming evidence, there were some among the Jewish tribes who still denied the truth. According to Islamic sources, Safia bint Huyay, the Jewish wife of Prophet Muhammad, is reported to have said, "When the messenger of God came to Medina, my father and my uncle went to see him; they came back worn out and depressed, walking with slow, heavy steps. My father was asked, 'Is it him?' 'Yes, it is he,' he replied. 'Can you recognize him? Can you verify it?' 'Yes, I can recognize him too well.' 'What do you feel towards him?' 'Enmity, enmity as long as I live.'" What this narration indicates is that for those Jewish people of Arabia who refused to follow Prophet Muhammad, they did so not due to a lack of knowledge or a failure on his part to fulfill the prophecies laid out in scripture, rather they rejected him out of enmity, possibly racial and religious prejudice due to his ethnicity as an Arab. For more information on biblical prophecies about the coming of Muhammad, upon whom be peace, please download your free copy of the book "Abraham Fulfilled" at the link below.