Surah Al-Saff 61:6

وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ ۖ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ قَالُوا هَـٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ

61:6 The verse mentions a prophecy of Jesus about the advent of an apostle “Ahmad” أَحْمَدُ, which was fulfilled in the person of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Ahmad أَحْمَدُ is an attributive name of the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet of Islam enjoys two distinct attributive names. One is an attribute of glory called Jalâl جلال, as implied in his name Muhammad, which saw its manifestation in his Makkan life. The other attribute is of his dignified position called Jamâlجمال , which is an aspect of grace, as implied in his name Ahmad (أَحْمَدُ). This was perceptible in his Madinite life. Muhammad is the result of the Divine Attribute of Rahmânîyyatرحمانيت as verse says, “We have sent you as a Rahmat (Grace and Blessing) for all humankind” (21:107). The Revelation of the Holy Qur’ân is also His Rahmânîyyat as the verse says, “Al-Rahmân has taught (and sent) this Qur’ân” (55:1). However, the attributive name Ahmad (أَحْمَدُ) is from His Divine Attribute of Rahîmîyyatرحيميت – that is the result of the Prayer of Abraham. In 2:129, we read a prayer of Abraham: “Our Lord! Raise among them (his progeny) a prophet from them who will read them Your Revelations, and teach them the Book and the Wisdom and purify them”.

This verse refers to a prophecy of Jesus about the advent of Ahmad who would come after him. He would glorify him and testify to his truth. The prophecy of Jesus of the coming of Ahmad (أَحْمَدُ) in the person of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) was in the Books of the Christians at the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). He used to recite this verse before his contemporary Christians telling them that his advent had been prophesised in their Holy Book. Modern Christians claim that such a prophecy never existed. It is still to be found in the pages of the Book of John (John 14.15-17; 15.26; 16.7-14) in a modified form. In addition, the Gospel of Barnabas, which was the most authentic Bible in the eyes of the Christians until the year 496 A.D. but was later banned by pope Gelasius, contained this prophecy in even clearer words. In this Gospel, the Greek word Periclyte is used, which means “Ahmad” if translated back into Aramaic. Other translations render it as Illustrious or Praiseworthy. In the Book of John, Periclyte was most likely corrupted to read Paraclete.

The prophecy of Jesus about the coming of the Paraclete as given in John is as follows: “And I will request the Father and he will give you another ‘helper’ (Paraclete, Farqalit, Ahmad, Admirable, Glorified one) to be with you forever, the spirit of the truth (John 14.16-17)”. “However, when that one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you to all truth” (John 16.26). The term “spirit” here does not mean that the coming one would be a spirit as opposed to a human being. In religious books, the word spirit applies to an inspired person, the possessor of a spiritual communication or revelation. This is why the next sentence of the prophecy containing this expression says, He will guide you into all the truth. How can a ghost-like spirit guide all human beings—or at least all the Christians—to something called “Truth”. Note that “all” the truth can be understood to refer to Muhammad (pbuh) being the seal of the Prophets and the Qur’ânic message he brought as the complete teaching, which will not be added to by later Prophets. Compare the following words in John – “He will not speak of his own impulse, but what things he hears (from God), he shall speak” (John 16.25-26) with the Qur’ânic verse - “He does not say anything out of his fanciful desires” (53:4). These words also describe the unique form of the Holy Qur’ân as directly revealed speech. The next sentence in John, “But the helper, the holy spirit, which the father will send in my name, that one will teach you all the things and bring back to your mind all the things I told you” (John 14.26). The statement is informing the Christians that they will forget his teachings and that the “helper”, the Holy Spirit will remind them of the teachings they forgot. This applies to the current Christian dogma of atonement, which the Holy Qur’ân repeatedly rejects (6:164; 35:18; 39:7; 53:38). We continue to read in John, “I am going away, or the helper will by no means come to you, but if I do go. I will send him to you”. This statement clearly tells us that the helper, the Holy Spirit was not present at the time of Jesus, and only after him this helper is to come. This helper “spirit” cannot be the Holy Ghost, as the spirit of the Holy Ghost was present with Jesus at the time of Baptism. This odd interpretation involving the “Holy Ghost” gained currency only after the church began to regard God as a Trinity with the Holy Ghost being the third of the three.

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