In the name of Allāh,
the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Peace and Blessings of Allāh on Mohammad.
DEDICATED TO
Allāh–the Glorious and the High,
Lord of the worlds
AND TO
Mohammad–who brought the world
to our feet and eternity to our arms.
*
PROPHECIES IN THE QUR’AN
Three Divine aspects of the Qur’an are its Scientific Pronouncements –verified by modern research (see Qur’an-science)– ; Prophecies –that have already manifested– and events of the Doomsday –some of which have been noted by science. The following are some prophecies noted in the Qur’an:
1. Victory at Badr: (Qur’an 3:12; 8:41; 54:45). In this prophecy of the battle of Badr, the followers of the Prophet who numbered only 313 men defeated over a thousand Makkan soldiers.
2. The Prophet (and Muslims) will be successful: (Qur’an 20:1-2). The success of the Prophet and of Mus-lims ruling the world is history.
3. Islam will prevail over all other religions: (Qur’an 9:33; 48:28; 61:9). (This does not mean that there will not be any other religion than Islam. Only that Islam will be the dominant religion). Allah says that He has chosen Islam as the religion for mankind. The first part of this prophecy has already been fulfilled–Arabia which was tribes of idolaters became an Islamic State.
4. Islam will reach remote corners of the earth; the kingdom of Islam will be established: (41:53; 24:55; 28:58). This is evident.
5. Pharaoh’s drowned body: (Qur’an 10:92). It was believed that the body of Ramses, the Pharaoh of Moses, had perished in the river when he drowned. But the Qur’an said that Allah saved him to be a sign for future generations. It was only about a hundred years ago that this Pharaoh’s body was discovered among the mum-mies of Egypt. Yet Allah revealed it to the Prophet Mohammad some two thousand years after Pharaoh’s drowning. And today, more than thirteen hundred years later, mankind has confirmed this truth of the Qur’an. (Some may want to claim that this is not a prophecy because Pharaoh’s death was not foretold before the event. But this was not the prophecy. The prophecy was that Pharaoh’s body would be preserved for future generations to witness).
6. The Prophet will be brought back to Makkah: (Qur’an 14:14; 28:85; 57:10). (14:14a): “The prophecy of the final triumph of the Holy Prophet and of the utter discomfiture and overthrow of the power of his opponents is of very frequent occurrence in the Holy Qur’an; here, too, it is expressed in the clearest words. The opponents are told that they may expel the Prophet, but there was not the least doubt that he would ulti-mately come back as a conqueror, and be made the ruler in the land after their power was crushed. This verse contains, in fact, a very clear prophecy of the flight of the Holy Prophet from Makkah and of his re-entry into that city as a conqueror and ruler.”
(28:85a): “The word ma‘ad means the ultimate place of one’s returning (from ‘ada, meaning he returned) (LL). The word ma‘ad here has been taken to mean Makkah according to an interpretation given by I‘Ab, and T accepts this interpretation, because the conquest of it was promised to the Prophet, so that it was the place to which he would return. But Makkah is really called ma‘ad, or Place of Return, because the pilgrims return to it (LL). According to some this verse was revealed on the Prophet’s departure from Makkah, i.e., on his way to Madinah. It contains a clear promise of the Prophet being brought back to the city from which he was now being expelled.”
(57:10a): “By Victory here is meant the moral victory gained by the Hudaibiyah truce, or the conquest of Mak-kah, which made the Muslims virtually the masters of the whole of Arabia. The sacrifices made earlier had therefore a greater value on account of the trials which the Muslims had then to face.” (M. Ali).
7. The Qur’an will be free from corruption: (Qur’an 15:9; 56:77-78; 85:21-22). Fourteen hundred years later not one letter in the Qur’an has been changed.
8. Pilgrimage to Makkah: (Qur’an 22:27). This verse prophesies that people the world over will journey to Makkah. Today, Muslims, males and females, from around the world visit Makkah to perform the Hajj.
9. Victory for Romans/Believers at Badr: (Qur’an 30:1-4; 52:46; 54:45). This prophecy was made in the year 616. It is now a fact of history that the hostilities bet-ween the Romans and Persians ended with the Romans being victorious in 624.
10. Defeat of the Allies: (Qur’an 33:22; 38:11). This is known as the Battle of the Allies. In which the powerful Makkan tribes allied them-selves against the Prophet at Madinah. The result was the defeat of the Makkans.
11. Drought upon the disbelievers: (Qur’an 44:10) (While this seems more of a miracle) this drought was brought upon the Quraish, in answer to the prayer of the Prophet–(Bokhari Vol; 6 # 297).
12. Jesus was not killed/crucified; son of God is paganism: (Qur’an 4:157; 9:30). (While these are not pro-phecies) there is evidence that Jesus did not die on the cross; and research has proven that son of God was pagan belief.
13. A speedy victory for Believers: (Qur’an 61:13). Muslims were victorious in the battles over the disbelie-vers.
14. Allah orders affairs, ascend to Him in a day: (Qur’an 32:5) Muhammad Ali explains: Al-Amr or the Affair is the Affair of Islam, and its ordering or regulation from heaven to earth means that it comes from heaven and will be established firmly on earth. Then we are told that it will ascend to God in a day, the measure of which is a thousand years according to human reckoning, which means that it will receive a set-back for a thousand years. As regards the period of its firmness, we are told in a hãdith that it will retain its purity for three centuries: “The best of the generations is my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them, then after them will come people who will pride themselves in abundance of wealth and love plumpness” (Tr. 31:39). According to another hãdith: “There will come a people in which there is no good” (KU. VI, 2068). The words of another are: “A crooked way — they are not of me nor am I of them” (KU. VI, 2073). That there is a prophecy here is shown by the next verse, which says, Such is the Knower of the unseen and the seen. Thus we have here a prophecy relating to the future of Islam. This prophecy was made known at a time when there was not the least indication that Islam would be established in the earth; it was the middle of the Makkan period, when the cause of Islam was utterly hopeless. At that time the Prophet was told that Islam would be firmly established at first. That the cause would go on advancing for three centuries is made clear by the Prophet’s saying. After that the cause of Islam would be chequered and it would have its set-backs, which would continue for a thousand years. The limita-tion of the period of chequering shows clearly that, after that, the advancement of Islam will again be as unhamp-ered as it was in its early stages in the time of the Prophet and after him.”
15. Allah’s Light will be perfected: (Qur’an 9:32; 61:8) Despite the opposition to the Prophet Mohammad, Islam became dominant, and will prevail the world over.
16. Decline and rise of Islam: (Qur’an 57:16 (22). Muhammad Ali notes: Commenting on this verse, IJ quotes an earlier authority to the effect that the first thing that will be taken away from the people is khushu‘ or humbleness of heart. It is clear that this verse speaks of the Muslims of a later age, for it compares their case to those who were given the scriptures before them and then a long time having passed over them, their hearts hardened. It is therefore the later generations of the Muslims that are addressed in these words. They are reminded that after the passing of a long time, they will fall off from the high standard of the earlier generations, and their hearts will be hardened like the hearts of the earlier people.”
(Verse 22). “The book here means Divine knowledge. Disaster is here spoken of as befalling in the earth or in yourselves, i.e., it either affects the people of the world generally or the Muslims in particular. Dailami records a report from the Prophet: “A door of disasters will be opened for my community (ummah) in the latter days, which you will be unable to close, unless you meet the situation with this verse.” And then the Prophet recited this verse. In view of what has already been stated in verse 16, relating to the lapse of a long time and the hardening of the hearts of the Muslims, it is easy to see that the disasters which are predicted as befalling the Muslims in the latter days are due to their own falling off from the high standard of life which they were re-quired to follow, and hence the remedy suggested is again the making of sacrifices as pointed out in v. 18. The great World-wars, which have brought the heaviest disasters on humanity in general, and the disasters of the Muslims in particular, are all spoken of in the Hadith, which it is difficult to quote in a footnote.”
(It is worth noting here regarding Qur’an 85:21-22 in which Allāh reveals that the Qur’an is “In a guarded tablet,” M. Ali comments that: “The lauh, or tablet, occurring here, is the same as the alwah (singular, lauh), or tablets, occurring regarding the book given to Moses (7:145, 150, 154). The Qur’an is here spoken of as being in a guarded tablet. The signi-ficance of these words is simply this, that the Holy Qur’an is guarded against corruption and against the attacks of its opponents; compare 15:9: “Surely We have revealed the Reminder and surely We are its Guardian”. There is no mention here or anywhere else in the Qur’an of the lauh mahfuz on which the decrees of God are written; but even if the reference here be to it, the significance is still the same, viz., that the Qur’an shall be fully guarded — This is a glorious Qur’an, protected against change and alteration (Rz).”
The Bible teaches that God is responsible for evil deeds as well as good ones: “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven”–(John 3:27); and that our deeds are recorded in a book: “And I saw the dead…stand before God; and the books were opened…and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works;” and “were judged every man according to their works–(Rev. 20:12-13).
There is fatalism/predestination in Christianity. That man is born with sin condemns the unbaptized and the still-born to eternal perdition, and must be buried in unconsecrated grounds. That inherited sin is washed away by sprinkling water on the new-born is charm. Even superstition).
17. Scribes (of Qur’an) will be honorable men: (Qur’an 80:13-16). “Vv. 15 and 16 clearly state that the scribes of the Qur’an will be virtuous men, who will be hon-oured in the world. Not only was this true of men like Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Ali, who were among the first scribes of the Holy Qur’an, but even in its later history great rulers of empires earned their livelihood by writing copies of the Holy Qur’an”–(M. Ali).
18. Muslims will inherit land, establish Religion: (Qur’an 24:55; 70:40-41) M. Ali comments on these verses–(24:55): “This verse not only prophesies the establishment of the kingdom of Islam, but also its per-manence, so that successors will be raised to the Holy Prophet and the Muslims made a ruling nation on earth. By those before them are meant in particular the follow-ers of Moses (Bd). Islam at the time of the revelation of these verses was still surrounded by enemies on all sides; there was still fear for the believers, as the verse clearly shows, and idol-worship still had the upper hand in Arabia. The triumph of Islam, which is prophesied in the parable of the Divine Light first, and the gradual advent of which is referred to afterwards, is here predicted in the clearest and most emphatic terms: the believers will be made rulers in the earth; their religion will be firmly established; security will be given to them in place of fear; Divine Unity will rule supreme. All these favours will be bestowed upon the Muslims, for which they should be thankful; but, if they are ungrateful after that, they shall be dealt with as transgressors. Kafara means he disbelieved as well as he was ungrateful, and the latter significance suits the context here. Even if kufr is taken as meaning disbelief here, it would mean a denial in practice, or disobedience to Divine commandments.
Though the promise contained in this verse refers clearly to the establishment of the kingdom of Islam and to the Muslims being made successors to the Israelites as regards the promised Holy Land, there is also a reference here to the Divine promise to raise reformers among the Muslims as prophets were raised among the Israelites. Such is the clear promise contained in a saying of the Holy Prophet: “Surely Allāh will raise up for this people (i.e., the Muslims) in the beginning of every century one who will revive for it its religion” (A.D. 36:1). The promise given in the verse may therefore refer not only to the temporal successors of the Holy Prophet, but also to his spiritual successors or reformers.”
(Qur’an 70:40-41). “Note the clear prophecy that an evil generation will be brought to naught and another people, the righteous, shall inherit the land. The old order will be changed and a new order established instead of that.”
19. Mohammad to abide in land: (Qur’an 14:14) “The prophecy of the final triumph of the Holy Prophet and of the utter discomfiture and overthrow of the power of his opponents is of very frequent occurrence in the Holy Qur’an; here, too, it is expressed in the clearest words. The opponents are told that they may expel the Prophet, but there was not the least doubt that he would ulti-mately come back as a conqueror, and be made the ruler in the land after their power was crushed. This verse contains, in fact, a very clear prophecy of the flight of the Holy Prophet from Makkah and of his re-entry into that city as a conqueror and ruler”–(M. Ali).
20. Muslims shall be made guardians of the Ka’ba: (Qur’an 8:34; 22:25). “(8:34) The disbelievers are here declared not to be the true guardians of the Sacred Mosque, because while that Mosque was an emblem of the Unity of the Divine Being, its name having been clearly associated with monotheism since the time of Abraham, the disbelievers who now posed as its guar-dians were idolaters. So they are told that they are unfit to hold its guardianship, which would henceforth be made over to a people who keep their duty, i.e. the Mus-lims. The words contain a prophecy not only as to the deprivation of the disbelieving Quraish of the guardian-ship of the Ka‘bah, but also as to the passing of the guardianship into the hands of the Muslims.”
“(22:25) Or, ‘åkif may signify the dweller in Makkah, and båd, the dweller in the desert, or the two may res-pectively signify one who dwells in it constantly and one who comes to it occasionally. The disbelievers, being then in possession of the Sacred Mosque, prevented the Muslims from using it. They are told that this state of things will be brought to an end, for it must be open to all visitors, and that could only be brought about by the Muslims being made masters of it”–(M. Ali).
21. Muslims shall be made eminent: (Qur’an 2:152). “The opening words of the verse fadhkuru-ni adhkur-kum may be translated either as remember Me I will remember you or as glorify Me I will make you eminent,
for the word dhikr carries either significance, remem-brance or honouring. Adopting either significance, what is stated here is that if the Muslims keep God in the forefront of their programme, they will be made great as a nation.” (M. Ali).
22. Muslims shall be masters of the Holy Land: (Qur’an 21:105). “The Qur’an had repeatedly warned the disbelievers that Islam would be made triumphant in the land, and the righteous servants who were made to suffer persecution would one day be masters of the land. The words also contain a prophecy of the possession of the Holy Land by the Muslims, which was fulfilled in the caliphate of ‘Umar. Compare Ps. 37:29. But as already noted, it is of the whole world that the Qur’an is speaking and we are here told that Truth will ultimately tri-umph in the whole world, which would thus be inherited by the righteous. This is made clear in v. 107.”(M. Ali).
23. Muslims shall be made rulers on earth: (Qur’an 24:55; 27:62) (27:62a). “The manifestation of the mar-vellous power of God in nature, the creation of the heavens and the earth, the sending down of rain, the making of rivers and mountains — all these wonderful signs of the existence of the Great Creator are here followed by another equally wonderful sign of the exist-ence of God, the manifestation of His marvellous power in man. But mark the contrast. This manifestation of the existence of God is not to be sought in the greatness and power of man as the conqueror of the forces of nature, but in his weakness in his great distress when, unable to find help from any source, he throws himself on the Divine threshold and seeks help from God. We are thus told that the manifestation of God’s great power in the mighty forces of nature is as clear an indication of the existence of God as the manifestation of His power in a weak mortal who finds himself in extreme distress. But what is more, this manifestation of God’s power is beautifully mingled with prophecy — and He will make you successors in the earth. The distressed ones here are no other than the Muslims, who were being cruelly persecuted and tortured, and they are told that the mani-festation of God’s power in making them rulers of the earth would be as great as it was in His creation of the heavens and the earth. This also shows the purpose underlying the narration of the histories of David and Solomon.” (M. Ali). (See also prophecy # 18).
24. Muslims shall make conquests outside of Arabia: (Qur’an 33:27) “The land which you have not yet trod-den refers to the foreign lands which are here promised to the Muslims and which they conquered later.”(M. Ali).
25. Muslims shall triumph at Makkah: (Qur’an 2:196; 17:76; 17:81; 90:2). (2:196a): “Apparently a new subject, the subject of pilgrimage is introduced here, but it would be seen that the Holy Qur’an has generally linked up the two subjects of war and pilgrimage. The reason is that the Muslims were free at Madinah to perform all the religious ordinances required by Islam, but they were not free to perform the pilgrimage, their Spiritual Centre, Makkah, being in the possession of their enemies who were at war with them.
Hajj and ‘umrah, the latter of which is generally translated as the minor pilgrimage, but which may more correctly be rendered as the visit, differ slightly. The ‘umrah may be performed at any time, whilst the hajj or the pilgrimage proper can only be performed at a particular time. Of the ceremonies connected with pilgrimage proper, the staying on the plain of ‘Arafat is dispensed with in the case of the ‘umrah. Thus the principal requirements of ‘umrah are ihram, making circuits round the Ka‘bah and running between the Safa and the Mar-wah. The pilgrimage in fact represents the last stage in the progress of the spiritual pilgrim. Of the principal requirements of the pilgrimage, the first, or ihram, represents the severance of all worldly connections for the love of God. All costly dresses in which the inner self is so often mistaken for the outward appearance, are cast off, and the pilgrim has only two seamless wrappers to cover himself. The other important requirement is making circuits round the Ka‘bah, called tawaf, and running between the Safa and the Marwah, called sa‘y, and both these are external manifestations of that fire of Divine love which has been kindled within the heart, so that like the true lover, the pilgrim makes circuits round the house of his beloved One. He shows in fact that he has completely surrendered himself to his beloved Master, and sacrificed all his interests for His sake.”
(17:76a): “When the opponents failed to make the Prophet swerve from the path of Truth, they planned to expel him from the land, though they were told before-hand that in that case they themselves would not retain power but for a short time. It was only eight years after the Hijrah that the Prophet entered Makkah as a conqueror.”
(17:81a): “The advent of the Prophet is here spoken of as the advent of the Truth, in reference to the prophecy in John 16:13 as to the coming of the “Spirit of truth” to guide men into all truth: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come.” The vanishing of falsehood is here spoken of in the past tense to indicate the certainty of its occurrence. Falsehood finally disappeared from Makkah when the Prophet entered it as a conqueror, and as the House of the Holy One was cleared of the idols, the Prophet recited this verse, The Truth has come and falsehood vanished (B. 46:32), thus showing that he understood it to contain the prophecy of the conquest of Makkah.
According to another report, he also recited on this occasion 34:49: “Truth has come, and falsehood neither originates, nor reproduces,” showing that idol-worship was being swept away from Arabia forever. The statement made here, however, is general and it means that falsehood cannot stand before Truth and that Truth must finally prevail in the whole world, as it prevailed in Arabia in the lifetime of the Prophet.”
(90:2a): “The words are parenthetical. Hill is an infinitive noun, and signifies the same as halal, meaning in a state which is the opposite of haram, and hence it signifies free from obligation or responsibility with respect to a thing. English translators have generally adopted a different translation: And thou a dweller in this land (Palmer); and thou residest in this territory (Sale); the soil on which thou dost dwell (Rodwell); which is wrong, because halla, as meaning nazala, i.e., he alighted, or abode, or lodged in a place, has its infinitive hulul or hull (LL) and not hill, which is the word occurring here. Some commentators have also been led into this error. The significance which I adopt is in accordance with the true significance of the word hill, for you say anta fi hill-in min kadha, meaning thou art free from obligation or responsibility with respect to such a thing. The statement in this case is prophetical, indicating that the Prophet would be made free from obligation in respect to the sacredness of the territory of Makkah, being allowed to enter it by force.” (M. Ali).
26. Makkah shall be the Muslim centre: (Qur’an 22:27). (22:27a). “The words are addressed to the Holy Prophet, and contain a mighty prophecy that Makkah will become the centre to which men will come for pil-grimage. It was announced just at the time when the Holy Prophet was being driven away from Makkah by his enemies, who were the sole masters of the place. Just when Makkah seemed to have lost every chance of becoming a Muslim centre, and when the Muslims them-selves were in danger of being entirely destroyed, a mighty prophecy is announced in the most forcible words that Islam will spread to all countries of the world, and Makkah will become the universal centre to which pilgrims from all nations will resort.”
(22:27b). “The lean camel is particularly mentioned here to indicate the great distances from which the pilgrims would come. The addition of the words from every remote path shows that people will come from the remotest parts of the earth.” (M. Ali).
27. Makkah will be made a place of security: (Qur’an 28:57). “The verse speaks first of the unfounded fears of those who thought that the weakness of the Muslims would result in the seizure, death, or expulsion of those who accepted the faith of Islam. In reply they are told that the prophecies which declare Makkah to be a safe and sacred territory, to which people will flock in all ages, must come to fulfillment, and Makkah will ultimately be theirs for whose sake these prophecies were uttered.” (M. Ali).
28. Makkah to be made the universal spiritual centre: (Qur’an 6:93). (6:92a). “Umm al-Qura, lit., the mother of the towns, is the title by which Makkah is known. The reason why Makkah is called umm al-qura is not only that it was both the political and the spiritual centre of Arabia, but also because it was destined to be the universal spiritual centre — the real mother of the whole world.” (M. Ali).
29. Supremacy of Muslims over disbelievers: (Qur’an 83:34-35). “The laughing of the believers is not to be taken literally. The word dabikah, which literally means laughing, also occurs elsewhere regarding the faces of the righteous (80:39), and signifies only the brightness of hope in their faces. The laughing in this case simply expresses a condition of joy which should make one laugh. The reversal of the condition of the believers and the disbelievers is all that is meant.” (M. Ali).
30. Three prophecies relating to the future of Makkah: (Qur’an 3:96). “Bakkah is the same as Makkah (R) from tabåkk meaning the crowding together of men (Rz). Others say it is from a root meaning the breaking of the neck, and the name is given to it because whenever a tyrant forced his way to it, his neck was broken (Rz). Some think that Bakkah is the name of the mosque or the House itself that is in Makkah. The Jews and the Christians are told that the Temple at Jerusalem was erected long after Abraham, while the Holy House at Makkah was there even before Abraham, and was, in fact, the first House on earth for the worship of the Divine Being. The subject has been fully discussed in 2:125a.”
“If, on the one hand, Makkah is declared to be the first House raised on earth for the worship of the Divine Being, it is, on the other, announced to be mubårak, which word, though ordinarily rendered as blessed, signifies the continuance for ever of the blessings which a thing possesses, or that from which extensive good flows (LA).
Thus Makkah is the first spiritual centre that was appointed for men, and it is the ultimate spiritual centre for the whole of humanity.” (M. Ali).
(Muhammad Ali’s translation of the Qur’an can be viewed online: www.muslim.org).
Mohammad could not have been the author of these prophecies.
If Mohammad was an “impostor” and wrote the Qur’an it is the miracle of all ages that statements on science and history: coming from the mouth of a Seventh Century unschooled desert dweller have proved true.