Introduction: A Continuous, Non-Competing Prophecy

Islam affirms a fundamental principle: God has never ceased to guide humanity through prophets, all bearers of the same essential message—exclusive worship of God and moral uprightness. Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad ﷺ are not competing figures, but successive links in a single prophetic chain.

The Qur’an teaches that Muhammad ﷺ is the Seal of the Prophets, and that his mission represents the completion of revelation, not its negation. This perspective necessarily implies that his coming was announced by earlier prophets, even if those announcements were later partially concealed, altered, or reinterpreted over time.

1. Earlier Scriptures: Between Prophetic Origin and Human Transmission

Our analysis recalls a crucial methodological point:
the Torah and the Gospel in their current forms are not regarded as the literal Word of God, but as writings produced by human hands, containing both:

  • truths of revealed origin,
  • and alterations linked to the history of their transmission.

This observation is not an insult, but a key for interpretation: it allows one to acknowledge that certain authentic prophecies remain present, even if their meaning has been obscured.

2. The Parable of the Rejected Stone (Matthew 21:42–43)

Jesus declares:

“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone…
The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing its fruits.”

Proposed Islamic Interpretation

This parable is understood as:

  • the announcement of a messenger rejected by religious elites,
  • followed by the transfer of spiritual responsibility to another community.

From this perspective:

  • the “rejected stone” corresponds to Muhammad ﷺ, refused by those holding religious authority,
  • the “fruit-bearing nation” refers to the Muslim community, the final custodian of monotheism.

This interpretation is reinforced by an authentic hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ uses the same image:

“I am the final brick, and I am the Seal of the Prophets.”
(Reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim)

3. The End of Jerusalem’s Centrality (John 4:21)

Jesus says to the Samaritan woman:

“The hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.”

This passage is analyzed as:

  • the announcement of the end of an exclusive place of worship,
  • and the opening toward a universal spiritual center.

Historically:

  • Muhammad ﷺ initially prayed toward Jerusalem,
  • then received divine instruction to turn toward Mecca, the original Abrahamic sanctuary.

This transition corresponds precisely to Jesus’ statement:
authentic worship would no longer be tied to Jerusalem.

4. “The Ruler of This World” (John 14:30)

Jesus declares:

“The ruler of this world is coming…”

The text raises a simple, factual question:
Who, after Jesus, exercised universal religious, moral, and legislative authority?

Neither Paul, nor emperors, nor church councils fit this description.
By contrast:

  • Muhammad ﷺ legislated,
  • judged,
  • established a community,
  • and his message spread on a global scale.

5. The Paraclete: A Messenger Who Speaks by Revelation (John 14–16)

The Paraclete passages are examined in detail:

“He will not speak on his own; he will speak what he hears…
He will declare to you the things to come.”

The described characteristics are precise:

  • he speaks and conveys a message,
  • he does not speak from himself,
  • he announces the unseen,
  • he bears witness to Jesus.

Muhammad ﷺ:

  • foretold future events,
  • bore witness to Jesus as prophet and Messiah,
  • spoke exclusively through revelation:
“He does not speak from his own desire. It is only a revelation revealed.”
(Qur’an 53:3–4)

6. The Prophet Like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18)

The Bible states:

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers.”

The text demonstrates that:

  • Jesus is not comparable to Moses in political and legal authority,
  • Jesus neither governed nor founded a nation,
  • Jesus did not bring a comprehensive law.

By contrast, Muhammad ﷺ:

  • was both religious and political leader,
  • received legislation,
  • engaged in battles,
  • established a state.

The phrase “their brothers” is interpreted as a reference to the Ishmaelites, brothers of the Israelites.

7. Ishmael and the Promised Great Nation (Genesis 21:18; 16:12)

The divine promise to Hagar is recalled:

“I will make him into a great nation.”

The text emphasizes that:

  • this promise was not fulfilled through Isaac,
  • but through Ishmael’s descendants,
  • culminating in Muhammad ﷺ and the Muslim community.

The expression “his hand will be against everyone” is interpreted as authority, independence, and power, not blind violence.

8. Jesus and Mary in the Qur’an: Honor Without Deification

The final section introduces a key theological point:

  • Jesus (ʿĪsā) is mentioned 25 times in the Qur’an,
  • Mary (Maryam) is mentioned 31 times, always with honor and respect.

The text stresses that:

  • Jesus and Mary are honored human beings, not divine,
  • they possess no attributes of lordship or divinity,
  • they worship God like all prophets.

Jesus is explicitly included among the Ulū al-ʿAzm, the greatest prophets:
Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad ﷺ.

9. Doctrinal Consequence: Belief in Jesus Requires Belief in Muhammad ﷺ

The conclusion is unambiguous:

  • a true disciple of Jesus must believe in Muhammad ﷺ,
  • rejecting Muhammad ﷺ amounts to rejecting the culmination of prophecy,
  • likewise, a Muslim who rejects Jesus exits Islam.

The idea that Islam is incompatible with belief in Jesus is therefore historically and theologically unfounded.

General Conclusion

The examined texts converge on a clear thesis:

  • the Torah and the Gospel contain real but veiled prophecies of Muhammad’s ﷺ coming,
  • these prophecies were neutralized or reinterpreted after his mission,
  • the Qur’an comes to restore prophetic coherence, not to destroy it.

Islam does not deny Moses or Jesus; rather, it affirms that separating them from Muhammad ﷺ breaks the prophetic chain intended by God.