What Did Jesus (PBUH) Foretell About the Coming of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)?
ماذا قال عيسى عليه السلام لبني إسرائيل عن نبينا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم؟
He told them that there will come a prophet after him whose name is Ahmad.
(And ˹remember˺ when Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O children of Israel! I am truly Allah’s messenger to you, confirming the Torah which came before me, and giving good news of a messenger after me whose name will be Aḥmad.” Yet when the Prophet came to them with clear proofs, they said, “This is pure magic.”) As-Saf 61:6
1. His most known and greatest name is (Muhammad).
It is a name derived from praise, and the meaning of praise is: lauding the one who is praised, and loving, revering and honouring him.
The meaning of “Muhammad” is due to the ‘Hamd’ that is the thankfulness of people for him again and again, and it is possible that the meaning is: he who deserves to be praised again and again, both of which our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is worthy of.
2. Among his names in the Holy Qur’an is (Ahmad), the scholars have two views on that:
The first is that he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the one who praises his Lord most,
The second, which is the most possible : - : He is the most worthy of the people and foremost in deserving praise, it is similar to Muhammad in meaning, except that the difference between them is that (Muhammad) means that he has a lot of qualities for which he is praised.
As for Ahmad, he is the one who is praised better than others are praised, so Muhammad concerns abundance and quantity, and Ahmad concerns quality and manner.
These two names are taken from his commendable morals and characteristics, for which he deserved to be called Muhammad and Ahmad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He is praised by the people of heaven, the people of the earth, the people of the world and the people of the afterlife, for his many commendable characteristics
3. Of his names are: Al-Māhi (the effacer), Al-Hāshir (the gatherer), Al-Muqaffi (the one who followed), Al-‘Aqib (the last). In Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim, Jubair ibn Mutem reported that the Prophet pbuh said: “I have names. I am Muhammad. I am Ahmad. I am Al-Māhi (the effacer), by whom Allah effaces disbelief. I am Al-Hāshir (the gatherer), at whose feet people will be gathered. I am Al-‘Aqib (the last).” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4896)
In the wording of Muslim: “... and I am Al-‘Aqib (the last), after whom there is no one.” And Allah named him Compassionate and Merciful (Sahih Muslim 2354).
The meaning of the Mahi: The Effacer : Is the one by whom Allah erases all infidelity, and no one has erased infidelity as much as the Prophet pbuh did.
He was sent at a time when all the people on earth were infidels, except for the remnants of the People of the Book, some who were idolaters, others were Jews whom Allah was displeased with, and others were the misguided Christians, and materialist Sabaeans, who know neither a Lord nor a resurrection, and those who idolize the planets, the idolaters of fire, and philosophers who do not know the religions of the prophets, and do not recognize them,
Allah the Almighty wiped out through His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) all the previously mentioned , until the religion of Allah prevailed over every religion, and His religion spread in every land.
4. One of his names (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the Al-Hāshir (the gatherer), and the meaning of the Hasher is taken from the hashr which is gathering. So he is the first to appear on Judgement Day and everyone else will be gathered after him. It could also mean that he was sent to gather people on Judgment Day.
5. One of his names (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the Aqib (the last one) , and the meaning of the last one is that he came after all the prophets, for there is no prophet after him.
6. One of his names is al-Muqaffi, that is, the one who followed all the earlier messengers, so he was the last of them.
7. It is from the hadith of Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, reported by Imam Muslim: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to name himself for us with several names. He said: “I am Muhammad, Ahmad, Al-Muqaffi, Al-Hāshir, the Prophet of Repentance and the Prophet of Mercy.” (Sahih Muslim 2355)
Note: The earlier published wording named the narrator as Abu Sa’id al-Khudri and gave the wording of another narration (“some of which we memorized ... and the Prophet of al-Malhamah”); Sahih Muslim 2355 reports it from Abu Musa al-Ash’ari in the wording above, so it was corrected.
The meaning of the ‘prophet of repentance’ is that he is the one by whom Allah opened the door of repentance to the people of the earth, and Allah forgave them in such a way that had never happened to the people of the earth before him.
He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was also the most repentant of the people, and people would count the times he asks for forgiveness in one Majlis: a hundred times: “My Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance; You are the Accepter of Repentance, the Most Forgiving” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 3434, graded sahih by al-Albani) and he would say: “Oh you people! Repent to Allah your Lord, for I repent one hundred times a day.” (similar wording in Sahih Muslim 2702)
The repentance of his nation was more complete than the repentance of other nations and faster to accept, as for the nations before his nation, repentance was one of the most difficult things. The repentance of the Israelites for worshipping the calf was to kill themselves, while this nation, Allah made its repentance to repent sincerely by regretting the sin and ceasing it.
8. One of his names (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the Prophet of the battles. He was sent to the jihad (combat) with the enemies of Allah; no Prophet and his nation ever struggled as much as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his nation did , and the great battles that took place and are still happening between his nation and the infidels were never witnessed before.
9. One of his names (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the Prophet of Mercy, who was sent by Allah as a mercy to the worlds. He was merciful to all the people, believers and infidels. The believers received the greatest share of mercy, while the infidels, a number of them were the People of the Book who lived under his protection and covenant, whereas those whom he and his nation killed, they were admitted to the fire, and they were relieved of the long life with which only the intensity of torment in the afterlife increases.
10. Among his names is al-Mutawakkil, in Sahih al-Bukhari about ‘Ata ibn Yassar he said: I met ‘Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As and I said: Tell me about the character of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the Torah. He said: “Yes, by Allah, he is described in the Torah with some of his qualities in the Qur’an: ‘O Prophet! We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of good news, a warner and a protection for the unlettered.
You are My servant and My messenger; I have named you al-Mutawakkil. He is not harsh, nor rough, nor loud in the markets, and he does not repay evil with evil, but pardons and forgives. Allah will not take his soul until He straightens through him the crooked creed, so that they say: there is no god but Allah, and through it He opens blind eyes, deaf ears and covered hearts.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2125)
He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the most deserving of people by this name (Mutawakkil), because he relied on Allah in establishing the religion with a reliance unmatched by anyone else, and therefore he was called the Mutawakkil.
قال لهم إنه سيأتي من بعده رسول اسمه أحمد.
(وَإِذْ قَالَ عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ يٰبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ ٱلتَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّراً بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي ٱسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَاتِ قَالُواْ هَـٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ)
الصف 61: 6
أشهر أسمائه وأعظمها (محمد).
وهو اسم منقول من الحمد ومعنى الحمد: الثناء على المحمود، ومحبته، وإجلاله، وتعظيمه.
ومعنى (محمد) من كثر حمد الحامدين له مرة بعد أخرى، ومن الممكن أن يكون معناه: الذي يستحق أن يحمد مرة بعد أخرى، وكلاهما حق لنبينا ﷺ.
ومن أسمائه في القرآن الكريم (أحمد)، وعند العلماء فيه وجهان:
الأول: أنه ﷺ أحمد الناس لربه، أي أكثرهم حمدًا.
والثاني-وهو الأقرب-: أنه أحق الناس وأولاهم بأن يُحمد، فهو يشبه محمد في المعنى، إلا أن الفرق بينهما أن (محمدًا) هو كثير الخصال التي يحمد عليها.
أما أحمد فهو الذي يُحمد أفضل ممّا يُحْمَدُ غيره، فمحمد في الكثرة والكمية، وأحمد في الصفة والكيفية.
وهذان الاسمان مأخوذان من أخلاقه وخصائصه المحمودة التي لأجلها استحق أن يسمى محمداً وأحمد ﷺ، وهو الذي يحمدُه أهل السماء وأهلُ الأرض وأهلُ الدنيا وأهلُ الآخرة، لكثرة خصائصه المحمودة التي تفوق عَدَّ العادِّين وإحصاء المحصين.
ومن أسمائه: الماحي، والحاشر، والمقفِّي، والعاقب، ففي صحيح البخاري ومسلم من حديث جبير بن مطعم أن النبي ﷺ قال:
"إنَّ لي أسْماءً، أنا مُحَمَّدٌ، وأنا أحْمَدُ، وأنا الماحِي الذي يَمْحُو اللَّهُ بيَ الكُفْرَ، وأنا الحاشِرُ الذي يُحْشَرُ النَّاسُ علَى قَدَمِي، وأنا العاقِبُ" (صحيح البخاري 4896)
وفي لفظ مسلم:
"... وأنا العاقِبُ الذي ليسَ بَعْدَهُ أحَدٌ"، وقدْ سَمَّاهُ اللَّهُ رَؤُوفًا رَحِيمًا (صحيح مسلم 2354).
ومعنى الماحي: الذي محا الله به الكفر، ولم يُمحَ الكفر بأحد من الخلق ما مُحي بالنبي ﷺ فإنه بُعِثَ وأهل الأرض كلهم كفار، إلا بقايا من أهل الكتاب، وهم ما بين عُبَّاد أوثان، ويهود مغضوب عليهم، ونصارى ضالين، وصابئة دَهرية، لا يعرفون ربًا ولا معادًا، وبين عُبَّاد الكواكب، وعُبّاد النار، وفلاسفة لا يعرفون شرائع الأنبياء، ولا يُقرون بها، فمحا الله سبحانه برسوله ﷺ ذلك حتى ظهر دينُ الله على كل دين، وبلغ دينُه ما بلغ الليل والنهار، وسارت دعوته مسيرَ الشمس في الأقطار.
ومن أسمائه ﷺ الحاشر، ومعنى الحاشر مأخوذ من الحشر: وهو الذي يُحشر الناسُ على قدمه، أي يحشر الناس بعده فهو يحشر أولاً ثم يحشر الناس وراءه، وقيل: إنه بُعث لحشر الناس.
ومن أسمائه ﷺ العاقب، ومعنى العاقب: أنه جاء عَقِبَ الأنبياء، فليس بعده نبي، فإن العاقب هو الآخر، بمعنى الخاتم.
ومن أسمائه: المقفِّي، أي الذي قفَّى من قبله من الرسل، فكان خاتمهم وآخرهم.
ومن حديث أبي موسى الأشعري عند الإمام مسلم قال:
"كان رسول الله ﷺ يسمي لنا نفسه أسماء، فقال: أنا محمد، وأحمد، والمقفي، والحاشر، ونبي التوبة، ونبي الرحمة" (صحيح مسلم 2355)
ملاحظة: نُسب هذا الحديث في النص المنشور سابقا إلى أبي سعيد الخدري، وجاء بلفظ رواية أخرى ("منها ما حفظنا... ونبي الملحمة")، والذي في صحيح مسلم (2355) من حديث أبي موسى الأشعري باللفظ المثبت أعلاه، فصُحح.
ومعنى نبي التوبة: أنه الذي فتح الله به بابَ التوبة على أهل الأرض، فتاب الله عليهم توبة لم يحصل مثلها لأهل الأرض قبله.
وكذلك أنه ﷺ كان أكثر الناس استغفارًا وتوبة، حتى كانوا يَعُدُّون لَهُ في المَجْلِس الوَاحِدِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ: «رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَتُبْ عَلَيَّ إنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الغَفُور» (جامع الترمذي 3434، وصححه الألباني).
وكان يقول: «يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ تُوبُوا إِلَى اللهِ رَبَّكُم، فَإِني أَتُوبُ إِلى اللهِ في الْيَوْمِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ» (وبنحوه في صحيح مسلم 2702).
وكذلك توبةُ أمته أكملُ مِن توبة سائر الأمم، وأسرع قبولاً، وأسهل تناولاً، وكانت توبة من قبلهم مِن أصعب الأشياء، حتى كان من توبة بني إسرائيلَ مِن عبادة العجل قتلُ أنفسهم، وأمّا هذه الأمّة، فلكرامتها على الله تعالى جعل توبتها الندمَ والإِقلاع.
ومن أسمائه ﷺ نبي الملحمة، فهو الذي بعث بجهاد أعداء الله، فلم يجاهد نبي وأمته قطُّ ما جاهد رسول الله ﷺ وأمّته، والملاحم الكبار التي وقعت وتقع بين أمته وبين الكفار لم يُعهد مثلُها قبله.
ومن أسمائه ﷺ نبيُّ الرحمة، فهو الذي أرسله الله رحمة للعالمين، فرحم به أهلَ الأرض كلَّهم مؤمنَهم وكافرَهم، أمّا المؤمنون، فنالوا النصيبَ الأوفر مِن الرحمة، وأمّا الكفار، فأهل الكتاب منهم عاشوا في ظله، وتحت حبله وعهده، وأما من قتله منهم هو وأمتُه، فإنهم عجلوا به إلى النَّار، وأراحوه من الحياة الطويلة التي لا يزداد بها إلا شدَّةَ العذاب في الآخرة.
ومن أسمائه المتوكل، ففي صحيح البخاري عن عَطاءِ بنِ يَسارٍ قال: لقيتُ عبدَ اللهِ بنَ عمرو بنِ العاصِ فقلتُ: أخبرني عن صفةِ الرسولِ ﷺ في التوراةِ. قال: فقال: أجل واللهِ، إنَّهُ لموصوفٌ في التوراةِ ببعضِ صفتِه في القرآنِ: "يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا وحِرزًا للأُمِّيِّينَ، أنت عبدي ورسولي، سمَّيتُك المتوكلَ، ليس بفظٍّ ولا غليظٍ ولا صخَّابٍ في الأسواقِ، ولا يدفعُ بالسيئةِ السيئةَ، ولكن يعفو ويغفرُ، ولن يقبضَه اللهُ تعالَى حتى يُقيمَ به المِلَّةَ العوجاءَ بأن يقولوا لا إلهَ إلا اللهُ ويفتح بها أعيُنًا عُمْيًا وآذانًا صُمًّا وقلوبًا غُلفًا" (صحيح البخاري 2125).
وهو ﷺ أحقّ الناس بهذا الاسم (المتوكل)؛ لأنه توكَّل على الله في إقامة الدين توكلاً لم يَشْركْه فيه غيره، ولذلك سمي المتوكل.
1. The Prophecy of Ahmad in the Quran | البشارة القرآنية بنبوة أحمد عليه الصلاة والسلام
Surah As-Saff records the words of Jesus to the Children of Israel: he confirmed the Torah before him and gave the good news of a messenger after him whose name would be Ahmad (61:6). The same verse is explained in what Jesus told the Children of Israel about Prophet Muhammad.
وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ (سورة الصف: 6)
وثق القرآن الكريم في سورة الصف كلمات عيسى لبني إسرائيل: مصدقاً للتوراة التي سبقته، ومبشراً بخاتم النبيين الذي سماه باسمه الشريف "أحمد" ﷺ.
2. Harmony of Names: Muhammad and Ahmad | التوافق الكامل بين اسمي محمد وأحمد
The Prophet ﷺ confirmed the name himself: "I have names: I am Muhammad, and I am Ahmad..." (Sahih al-Bukhari 4896, Sahih Muslim 2354). Al-Qurtubi explains (61:6) that "Muhammad" means the one praised again and again, and "Ahmad" the one who praises his Lord more than anyone; al-Baghawi adds the view that Ahmad is the one most deserving of praise, the view the scholar's answer above finds more likely.
اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ (سورة الصف: 6)
أثبت النبي ﷺ اسمه أحمد بقوله: "إن لي أسماء، أنا محمد، وأنا أحمد..." (صحيح البخاري 4896، صحيح مسلم 2354). قال القرطبي: "فالمحمد هو الذي حمد مرة بعد مرة"، و"معنى أحمد أي أحمد الحامدين لربه"، وذكر البغوي وجها ثانيا: أنه أكثر الأنبياء استحقاقا للحمد، وهو الوجه الذي رجحه الجواب أعلاه.
3. The Closing of Israelite Prophecy | ختام نبوات بني إسرائيل والتمهيد للعالمية
Ibn Kathir calls Jesus the last of the prophets of the Children of Israel, who stood among them giving the good news of Muhammad ﷺ, who is Ahmad, the last of all the prophets and messengers (61:6). That final Prophet descends from Isma'il (peace be upon him), as the Prophet's full lineage shows.
يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّـهِ إِلَيْكُم مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ (سورة الصف: 6)
قال ابن كثير: "فعيسى عليه السلام، وهو خاتم أنبياء بني إسرائيل، وقد أقام في ملإ بني إسرائيل مبشرا بمحمد، وهو أحمد خاتم الأنبياء والمرسلين، الذي لا رسالة بعده ولا نبوة".
4. Testimonies in Historical Scriptures | الشهادة الصادقة في التوراة والإنجيل
Surah Al-A'raf states that the People of the Scripture find the unlettered Prophet ﷺ described in their Torah and Gospel, commanding what is right and forbidding what is wrong (7:157).
الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ (سورة الأعراف: 157)
أوضح القرآن في سورة الأعراف أن أهل الكتاب يجدون النبي الأمي مكتوبا عندهم في التوراة والإنجيل، يأمرهم بالمعروف وينهاهم عن المنكر (الأعراف 7: 157).
5. Who Came With the Clear Proofs? | من الذي جاءهم بالبينات؟
The verse ends: "Yet when the Prophet came to them with clear proofs, they said, 'This is pure magic'" (61:6). Al-Qurtubi reports two views on who came with the clear proofs here: Jesus himself, or Muhammad ﷺ; he also notes the reading sahir, "a magician," which describes the man rather than what he brought.
فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ قَالُوا هَـٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ (سورة الصف: 6)
قال تعالى: (فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ قَالُوا هَـٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ). ذكر القرطبي في الذي جاءهم بالبينات قولين: "قيل عيسى. وقيل: محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم"، وذكر قراءة "ساحر" نعتا للرجل.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What did Jesus announce regarding Prophet Muhammad?
He gave good tidings of a messenger coming after him whose name would be Ahmad (Surah As-Saff 61:6).
Is Ahmad confirmed as a name of Prophet Muhammad in Hadith?
Yes. The Prophet ﷺ said: 'I have names: I am Muhammad, and I am Ahmad...' (Sahih al-Bukhari 4896, Sahih Muslim 2354).
Why did Jesus give this announcement to the Children of Israel?
Ibn Kathir explains that Jesus was the last of the prophets of the Children of Israel and stood among them giving the good news of Muhammad ﷺ, the last of all the prophets (Surah As-Saff 61:6).
How did opponents respond to the clear proofs when they arrived?
They said, 'This is pure magic' (Surah As-Saff 61:6). Al-Qurtubi reports two views on who brought the clear proofs here: Jesus himself, or Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.