Islam - The Summit of Religious Evolution — Page 76
76 the teachings of other Prophets. Consequently, the Muslims more than any other people, are deserving of the promise contained in the Biblical prophecy. Hence their Prophet is uniquely placed to have fulfilled this prophecy. However, elimination of Satanic influence does not imply his physical killing. The Satanic influences and temptations will always be present; without them faith will have no value. To kill Satan, therefore, is to minimize evil influences and propensities and to maximize good influences and dispositions. The Church cannot lay claim to this part of the prophecy because it has declared the Law to be a curse. This declaration casts doubt over the Christian concept of good and evil. The words in the prophecy, 112 “He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak”, can only apply to the Prophet of Islam. There is not a single book in the Old and New Testaments in which man's word has not been mixed with the spoken words of God. On the contrary, the Quran contains only the exact word of God preserved in its pristine purity. Moreover, the words of the prophecy "He will show you things to come", can only apply to the Holy Prophet of Islam who foretold numerous future events more than any other prophet. The last sign in the prophecy, "he will glorify me", also applies to the Holy Prophet. He cleared Jesus of the stigma of having died an accursed death on the Cross. He also vindicated Jesus' alleged claim to Godhead. By implication, such a claim would make Jesus guilty of disobedience and disloyalty to God. Additional evidence supporting the advent of the Promised Prophet are found in the Acts: 113 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. The above verses refer to the prophecy in Deuteronomy according to which the promised Prophet who was to be raised from among the brethren of the Jews will be a like of Moses. Accordingly, he would bring a new law, the acceptance of which will be mandatory for the adherents of the Mosaic Law, and the people who refuse to accept this Prophet will be destroyed. A reference to this future event in The Acts establishes unequivocally that the Law and teachings of the Promised Prophet will supersede the teachings of Moses and Jesus. The promised Prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy (and in this passage from The Acts), therefore, was to mark the last stage in the spiritual human advancement, as he was to supersede Moses and Jesus and give the world a new Law. This passage from the Acts also points to another significant sign about the promised Prophet. It states that all the prophets from Samuel and those that followed him (including Jesus) had foretold the coming of this great Prophet. The Prophecy of Moses has already been discussed earlier in this chapter. Since Jesus came after Samuel, this verse can only mean that from Moses to Jesus every prophet had foretold the advent of this great Prophet. This means that this prophet will lay the