Muhammad in The Bible 3: the Servant described by Isaiah?

Almost since the time of the prophet, Muslims have claimed that Muhammad is described in verses found on the Book of Isaiah. Though the Qur'an only makes allegations that prophecies describing Muhammad were in the Torah and the Gospel, it's interesting to see that they would use the book of Isaiah. You see, though the Book of Isaiah is regarded as canonical by Christians and Jews, it's not strictly regarded as part of the Torah. Perhaps, Muslims from the time of Muhammad understood that the Tanakh (also known as Old Testament) was indistinctly called as well Torah, because it contained the Torah within it. Any way, the reason why I highlight this is because if a Christian makes a reference to a New Testament books (e.g. Revelation or Acts), arguing is part of The Gospel (the good News), Muslims disregard it. 

Having said that, let's look if the prophet of Islam was prophesied within the Book of Isaiah. Here are some of the Muslim's claims:

Isaiah 42 is among the earliest and the most common prophecies referred to by Muslims. (...) Muhammad is believed by Muslims to be the Chosen Servant of God and his Light, while Christians believe that Jesus was the begotten God of God, not the servant of God. Thus, Christians have no right, argue some Muslim writers, to call Isaiah 42 a prophecy of Jesus. Qur'an 3:159, Qur'an 9:128 and Qur'an 68:4 shed a light on the gentle character of Muhammad, and from the time they knew him(...)

Isaiah 42:13 is believed to be a prophecy of the Muslim conquests."the new song" is often interpreted as a reference to the Arabic Qur'an or to the Adhan "the Islamic call to prayer". The Islands could be a reference to Indonesia and Malaysia.

The mention of Mount Sela (Arabic: جبل سلع, Hebrew: הר סלע) "the mountain of Medina" and the mention of Kedar "the forefather of Muhammad", in verse 11, is also considered by Muslims to be a proof.

From Isaiah 54, Muslim writers argue that the "barren one" refers to Mecca, since no prophet came from it before Muhammad. Rahmatullah Kairanawi argues in his book that "have not labored with child" means "haven't received a prophet".They argue that the "desolate woman" refers to Hagar, and the "married woman" refers to Sarah.

The interpretation of Isaiah 40:3-5 as a prophecy of Muhammad is also common among Muslims.^[Ali Ünal cites Qur'an 1:6-7 which reads: "[1:6] Guide us to the straight path: [1:7] the path of those You have blessed; not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray." (1)

Summary of the claims:

1. Mohammad is The Servant described through the book of Isaiah.

2. The Qur'an or the Adhan is the new song described in Isaiah 42:10. The Islands are reference to Malaysia or Indonesia.

3. Mecca is the barren woman described in Isaiah 54.

4. Mohammad is the one who guides in the right path according Isaiah 40:3-5

Let us review one by one.

The Servant of God

It really calls my attention that anyone would affirm that christians do not believe Christ was a servant, simply because christianity claims that Jesus is the Son of God. That's like saying that Mohammad could not be called Abu'l Kassim because he was called Rusul Allah. One person could have many titles, and Christianity claim Jesus  titles include The Son of God, The Word of God, The Son of Man and The Servant of God. Mathew 20:28 records the Words of Jesus relating the office of The Son Of Man as a Servant(2):

28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life -- a ransom for many."

The claim of Muhammad being the Servant of Isaiah 42 it's found in the Hadith Sahih Bukhari, as follows. In order to highlight important points, I add bold emphasis to the following texts:

Narrated Ata bin Yasar:

I met `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As and asked him, "Tell me about the description of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) which is mentioned in Torah (i.e. Old Testament.") He replied, 'Yes. By Allah, he is described in Torah with some of the qualities attributed to him in the Qur'an as follows: "O Prophet ! We have sent you as a witness (for Allah's True religion) And a giver of glad tidings (to the faithful believers), And a warner (to the unbelievers) And guardian of the illiterates. You are My slave and My messenger (i.e. Apostle). I have named you "Al-Mutawakkil" (who depends upon Allah). You are neither discourteous, harsh Nor a noisemaker in the markets And you do not do evil to those Who do evil to you, but you deal With them with forgiveness and kindness. Allah will not let him (the Prophet) Die till he makes straight the crooked people by making them say: "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah," With which will be opened blind eyes And deaf ears and enveloped hearts." (3)

Isaiah chapter 42 reads as follows:

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” This is what God the Lord says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. (4)

If this prophecy is interpreted in an isolated manner, it might be possible to attribute its fulfillment in Prophet Muhammad's life. However, there are several more verses describing The Servant and what would happen to him. I'm highlighting in bold below attributes that can't fit to the prophet of Islam:

"See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness— so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. (5)

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (6)"

According to Islamic theology, no one can bear the sins of someone else. Each one is responsible for their own sins in the eyes of God. Therefore it's not appropriate to attribute to prophet Muhammad the prophecy of the Servant presented in the book of Isaiah. One thing for sure is that prophet Muhammad did not claim to have bore the sins of people. The book of Isaiah is filled with dozens of prophecies which can only be attributed to Isa Al Masih (Jesus Christ). Some further comments on this may be found in the article Who's Isaiah talking about?" (7)

In addition to this, the gospel annotate in Matthew 12 that this prophecy refers to Jesus:

Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. He warned them not to tell others about him. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.” (8)

The campaigns of Islam, the new song is either the Qur'an or Adhan, the Islands are Indonesia

The context within Isaiah 42 is the biggest issue here to declare these statements as true. All of the chapter is tied up to the importance of what God does through the Servant. Verses 1 to 4 introduce the servant. In verses 5 to 7 tells us the mission of the Servant, to open blind eyes and release prisoners. In verses 8 and 9 YHWH calls people to believe because the prophecies had been fulfilled, the prophecies of the suffering servant. That's why people should sing a new song (verse 10), because as we explained above the suffering servant brings righteousness, reconciliation with God. And the reconciliation is not only for the people of Israel, but for all nations. This is why it's made reference to gentile nations represented allegorically by Kedar, Sela, the Islands and the coastlands.

As such the muslim allegations, because the context turns around the servant. Because the reasons explained above, therefore context also disproves associating these verses to islam and prophet Muhammad.

The barren woman of Isaiah 54

Isaiah 54 among other topics talks about a city, which is described as a barren woman. Muslims claim it to be Mecca, for it was forgotten for a while, but then rescued. Similar to what happen when Prophet Muhammad conquered back Meca.

The problem once again is context. Verses in isolation may seem to match multiple  meanings. First, verse 11 clearly says that this woman, this city is Jerusalem. And second verse 17 says the city is inheritance for The Servant, which we have discussed cannot be Muhammad.

The one who guides on the right path of Isaiah 40

One other claim used by Muslim apologist is that Prophet Mohammed was described in Isaiah 40. In specific they claim that the following verse describes him:

A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. (9)

Reasonable one can claim that Mohammad would fit the description, as he came from the desert area of Arabia. Let us look at what else the verse attributes to the "voice". 

  6 A voice was saying, "Cry out! " Another said, "What should I cry out? " "All humanity is grass, and all its goodness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever."  9 Zion, herald of good news, go up on a high mountain. Jerusalem, herald of good news, raise your voice loudly. Raise it, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God! " 10 See, the Lord GOD comes with strength, and His power establishes His rule. His reward is with Him, and His gifts accompany Him. (10)  

The remaining portion of Isaiah 40 indicates that the voice that prepares the way of God would declare that the Word of God does not change (His commandments do not wither like grass) and announces the coming of God. I personally struggle to see fulfillment in Prophet Muhammad, because there are verses in the Qur'an which do not agree with these two premises. First, The Qur'an within its own verses there are verses which are abrogated by others:

(And when We put a revelation) when We send Gabriel with an abrogating verse (in place of (another) revelation) in place of another abrogated verse, (and Allah knoweth best what He revealeth) and Allah knows the probity of that with which He commands His servants, (they say) the disbelievers of Mecca say: (Lo! thou art but inventing) from yourself, O Muhammad. (Most of them know not) that Allah commands His servants with that which is good for them. (11)

Some may argue that the New Testament abrogated the Old Testament. Some people claim that Jesus in the Gospels today abrogated certain commandments which before were given. Not entering in dispute of the context of each of those claims, throughout the Old and the New Testament scriptures is preached eternity of the message of God and that it does not change. 

-"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle [a tiny mark in the original spelling of a word] will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." Matthew 5:18- "And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail." Luke 16:17

I have not found any verse of the Qur'an expressing that God is coming. The Qur'an is known as the criterion, The Furqan, carrier of Glad tidings for those who believe. For the Muslim believer gives clear guidance in preparation for the day of Judgment, but not for the coming of God.


The Gap in Summary

The following are the main issues refute the claim of Prophet Mohammad being described in these verses of the Bible:

1. The Servant of God described in Isaiah bears the sins of many. Islam preaches that no one can bear the sins of others. Many of the descriptions, like places, campaigns, islands, etc, are associated to The Servant of God who bears sins of others. And since this teaching is incompatible with the teachings of Islam, it cannot be attributed fulfillment in the person of Prophet Muhammad.
2. The Voice in the dessert proclaimed the coming of God and the unchangeable character of the Word of God. Since abrogation is proclaimed in the Qur'an, therefore the Prophet Muhammad cannot be "The Voice".

________________________________

Footnotes

(1) http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_in_the_Bible#Deuteronomy_33:2

(2) Matthew 20:28 (HCSB) 

(3) Reference  : Sahih al-Bukhari 2125. In-book reference  : Book 34, Hadith 77. USC-MSA web (English) reference  : Vol. 3, Book 34, Hadith 335. http://sunnah.com/bukhari/34

(4) Isaiah 42:1-7 NIV

(5) Isaiah 52:13-15 NIV

(6) Isaiah 53:1-12 NIV

(7) http://jtruthtobelieve.blogspot.com/2014/04/who-isaiah-talking-about.html

(8) Matthew 12:15-21 NIV

(9) Isaiah 40:4 HSCB

(10) Isaiah 40 HSCB

(11) Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs on Sura 16:101