Osama Abdallah's reaction to "Muhammad's False Prophecies" [Part 1]

The following is our first response to

Osama's attempted

"rebuttal" to my article.

Before beginning our rebuttal something needs to be said about Osama's work.

Osama's material is perhaps the worst we have seen. His articles are full of

absurdities, blasphemies and outright lies. Therefore, to respond to Osama is to

give him credibility in the eyes of our readers, a credibility that he does not deserve.

Despite all this, we have chosen to respond to Osama due to the request of our

good friend and colleague, Quennel Gale. He has asked us to put an end to Osama's

fallacies and lies by refuting his alleged "rebuttal" to my material.

We are extremely thankful for Quennel Gale since his website is a thorough refutation

and exposition of Osama's repeated lies, blasphemies and logical fallacies. Our readers

can access Gale's site here.

Due to Mr. Gale's tremendous efforts, we have been spared from wasting time

dealing with the nonsense promoted by Osama and his cronies, focusing our time

instead on the more serious and scholarly challenges against the truth of Christianity.

With that just said, we proceed to respond to Osama's rather lengthy

"rebuttal", much of which has very little to do with responding to my article.

We first begin with his appeal to alleged predictions of Muhammad in the Holy Bible.

RESPONSE:

Osama seemingly thinks that by appealing to alleged biblical predictions of his prophet

will somehow save Muhammad from all his false predictions. This is simply an evasion

tactic on the part of Osama, since he seeks to shift the focus away from Muhammad's

false predictions by introducing irrelevant issues.

As we shall see, his appeal to Deuteronomy 33:2 will serve to reinforce the fact

that Muhammad is a false prophet.

RESPONSE:

Click here for the proof that biblical Paran is

not Mecca and why Muhammad is not a descendent of Ishmael.

Furthermore, Osama has falsely applied Jude 14-15 and Deuteronomy 33:2 to Muhammad

and his followers. As we shall shortly see, these passages have nothing to do with Muhammad

or Islam.

Finally, Osama has assumed that Islam is true and uses this assumption to prove his

point. For instance, he assumes the Quranic lie that Abraham and Ishmael originally built

the Kabah. Beginning with this premise, he sees Muhammad's "restoration" of

the Kabah as an indication of fulfilled prophecy, establishing Muhammad as a true prophet.

Yet the only way Osama knows that Abraham and Ishmael built the Kabah

is from the Quran, the revelation allegedly given to Muhammad from God.

This entails arguing in a vicious circle.

And on and on it goes. Osama must first prove that Ishmael actually settled in Mecca,

as opposed to biblical Paran (which is not Mecca), and then prove that both he and Abraham

built the Kabah. To assert it isn't the same as proving it.

RESPONSE:

Again, notice the circular reasoning involved in Osama's argumentation, as well as

the fallacy of false dilemma. Osama has assumed that Paran refers to Mecca, and that ten

thousands of saints refers to human agents as opposed to spiritual beings such as angels.

Since he has already assumed that these passages can only be referring to a prophet that

comes with 10,000 men, Osama then posits an either/or scenario. Either these predictions

refer to Muhammad and his soldiers, or the Jews and Christians must show an event where

10,000 Jews or Christians entered Mecca.

Yet the fact is that Paran does not refer to Mecca, nor do ten thousands of saints

necessarily refer to human beings, as we shall shortly demonstrate.

Furthermore, since Osama assumes that these passages refer to the coming of Muhammad

we pose the following challenge to Osama. Deuteronomy 33:2 states:

The text says that God came with his myriads from several places such as Sinai, Seir,

and Mount Paran. The text nowhere claims that God's myriads only came with him from

Paran.

To be consistent, Osama must document to his readers the sending of prophets from

Sinai and Seir with 10,000 human soldiers. If Osama fails to document the fulfillment of this

event in Sinai and Seir, then this will only serve to establish the fact that Deuteronomy

has absolutely nothing to do with a false prophet entering Mecca with his armies.

RESPONSE:

First, as we have already indicated Osama erroneously assumes that Deuteronomy 33:2

is prophetic when it is not. It simply refers to God coming to deliver his people from

Egypt and leading them into the Promised Land. More on this later.

Furthermore, in the link to our article above, we have given the documentation that

Paran is nowhere near Mecca and therefore Deuteronomy 33:2 could not be referring to it.

For further documentation please read the following articles: [1],

[2], [3],

[4], [5].

Secondly, the reference to ten thousands of saints is a reference to the angelic host

that accompanied God. Osama takes exception to the claim that ten thousands refers to

the angelic host, an exception we will shortly address. We would first like to highlight

Osama's misreading of the text. Osama claims that the text speaks of ten THOUSAND

saints, yet here is how different translations render the text in question:

Since the text speaks of ten THOUSANDS or MYRIADS of holy ones, not ten thousand,

we challenge Osama to show us how Muhammad actually fulfilled this. He has already indicated

that there were only ten thousand soldiers, not ten THOUSANDS, accompanying Muhammad

into Mecca. We will have more to say below.

Finally, Jude 14-15 is a reference to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all

his holy angels and saints, as well shall shortly demonstrate.

RESPONSE:

We have already alluded to the gross error in identifying Paran with Mecca. Sadly for

the Muslims, the data doesn't support such a distortion of history and geography.

Furthermore, Osama disparagingly refers to "the corrupted nature of the

texts" of the Holy Bible. The fact remains that it is the Quran that has been badly

corrupted. The Holy Bible is vastly superior to the Quran in terms of the number and

quality of MSS, and in the number of variants. The Quran has suffered more corruption

and has more variant readings, despite the fact that it is more recent then the books of the

Holy Bible! Please read the following articles for the documentation:

[1], [2],

[3], [4],

[5], [6],

[7], [8],

[9], [10].

Astonishingly, the Quran itself testifies to its own corruption:

Scholar in Islamic studies Alphonse Mingana comments on this passage:

Muslims have attempted to "respond" to the textual corruption of the Quran,

but have failed. We challenge the readers to look at the facts and compare them to the

assertions made by Muslim propagandists and see if their arguments stack up against the

evidence.

Interestingly, this again demonstrates Osama's circular reasoning. Let us break

down Osama's logic to see how fallacious it really is:

Or:

This is a classic textbook example of circular argumentation, one that Muslims are

infamous for.

RESPONSE:

Again, as we have already indicated, the text doesn't speak of ten THOUSAND

saints, but rather of ten THOUSANDS of saints. So the Muslims' gross misreading

of the text doesn't help their case any, but soundly refutes it.

RESPONSE:

Let us highlight Osama's own source and see how it soundly exposes the deceptive

misquoting of the Holy Bible:

Notice that Osama's very own source says that ribboth DOESN'T mean ten thousand,

but rather ten THOUSANDS or even MYRIADS. Ribeboth and ribboth are actually the

same Hebrew word. The vowel with the first "b" in "ribeboth" is

a silent shewa and should not be transliterated. Some earlier transliteration systems did

transliterate shewa as "e"; and some instances of the word could be

transliterated as "ribeboth." Ribboth is the plural form of the feminine

singular word "rebabah" [Strong's number 7233]. It is rebabah that means

a myriad or ten thousand. Yet the plural means myriads or ten thousands.

Furthermore, as Osama's very own source indicates, the Hebrew word translated

"ten thousand" in 1 Chronicles 29:7, Ezra 2:64 and Numbers 7:66 is

"ribbo", not "ribboth." "Ribbo" is the singular form

of the word [Strong's number 7239]. While both words come from the same Hebrew root

"rbb" and have essentially the same meaning, they are different words as

evidenced by Strong's index numbers, and by separate entries in the lexicons. The

word in Deuteronomy 33:2 is plural, and the word used in the other citations is singular.

Osama's source claims that ribeboth, "has occurred at many places in the

books of the Prophets, and is derived ribboth which means ten thousands."

As we have seen ribeboth and ribboth are actually the same word. Furthermore, the

singular form of the word occurs only 7 times: Gen. 24:60; Lev. 26:8; Deut. 32:30; Jdg.

20:10; Ps. 91:7; Song 5:10; Ezek. 16:7.

The plural occurs 9 times: Num. 10:36; Deut. 33:2, 17; 1 Sam. 18:7f; 21:12; 29:5;

Ps. 3:7; Mic. 6:7.

In light of this, it can hardly be said that the word occurs many times in the prophets

since it only occurs twice in the prophetic books.

Osama's source further claims that, "The dictionary A Hebrew and English Lexicon

by Gesenius and Brown has shown ribboth to mean a myriad, ten thousands, and shte-ribboth

to mean twice ten thousand."

Yet according to The Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament by Brown, Driver,

and Briggs (Oxford Press, 1907) p. 914, it is the word "rebabah" that means

"multitude, myriad, or ten thousand." And the word "shte" doesn't

occur with the plural form of "rebabah" in the Bible.

Osama's source then claims that, "Sometimes ribboth is used without the final

letter th with the same meaning. [see e.g. 1 Chronicles, 29:7; Ezra, 2:64; Niemiah, 7:66,

all using ribbo]"

This is a completely incorrect statement. The word "ribbo" is a different

word and is not derived from the plural form of "rebabah" [ribboth] above. It

has a separate entry in the Brown, Driver, and Briggs Lexicon (same page). In that entry

the lexicon states: "later (Aramaizing) synonym of [the] foregoing; perh[aps] for

Aram[aic] ribbu(th)." The word "ribbo" means ten thousand or myriad.

This word occurs 10 times: 1 Chr. 29:7; Ezr. 2:64, 69; Neh. 7:66, 70, 71; Ps. 68:18; Dan. 11:12;

Jon. 4:11. Again rarely in the prophetic books. This word occurs twice with

"shte" to mean twenty thousand in the OT (Neh. 7:70, 71). These factors indicate

that Osama's source is not well informed in Hebrew grammar and lexicography. Much

like Osama, he needs to grasp at straws to make a point that cannot be justified.

This only further proves that the text says nothing about ten THOUSAND soldiers,

but rather of ten THOUSANDS of saints. As we shall shortly demonstrate these saints

refer to angels.

Interestingly, Osama attacks the NLT for deliberately omitting the reference to

"ten thousand". Yet as we have just seen, the actual Hebrew says nothing

about ten thousand, but rather refers to ten THOUSANDS! So it is Osama who is deliberately

misquoting the Holy Bible.

RESPONSE:

First, it should be stated that the New American Standard and Today's English

Version are the only ones that read the singular "ten thousand" in Deut. 33:2.

So Osama is wrong regarding the rendering of the RSV, the Webster's Bible and the

WEB. The following English translations also render the word as "ten thousands":

ASV, DRA, ESV, GNV, KJV, NKJ, RWB; likewise, the Greek Septuagint (LXX) renders it

as plural. The following English translations render the word as "myriads"

[plural]: DBY, JPS, NIB, NIV, NRS, YLT. The following English translations translate the

word as a place-name: BBE, NAB, NLT, TNK. One English translation (NJB) paraphrases

the text as though no number is there. Of all the 16 translations that render the word as a

number, roughly two (NAS and TEV) renders the plural word as a singular. One cannot build

a case on an incorrect translation. Standard Hebrew grammar, syntax, and lexicography

expect the plural form of the word to be translated plural.

Second, let us see if there is any weight behind Osama's assertion that to

translate qodesh/hagios as angels would be a mistranslation:

These passages clearly establish that qodesh/hagios can refer to angels.

In order to know whether Deuteronomy 33:2 is referring to angels we must first look

at the context, other passages of scripture, and ancient versions of the OT. We will be

looking at the Septuagint [LXX] in order to see if the pre-Christians Jews believed that

the ten thousands referred to angels.

Lest Osama objects to our use of the Septuagint, here is what his pals at

Bismikaallahuma have to say about its reliability:

Note the way the Septuagint translates Deuteronomy 33:2:

This shows that even prior to the birth of Christ, the Jewish translators understood

"holy ones" to be the angelic host accompanying God.

The following citations provide additional evidence that the ten thousands refer to the

angels that accompanied God during the Exodus:

The last two verses indicate that the ten thousands are angels that descended from

heaven to accompany God, not soldiers from Medina to accompany a false prophet.

Let us now look at the context of Deuteronomy 33:

When we examine the context we note the following:

• It is God that comes with his holy ones, not a prophet. In several places we are explicitly told that God personally came down to show himself to Israel:

  "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them

  on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could

  travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night

  left its place in front of the people." Exodus 13:21-22

  "The Lord said to Moses, I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so

  that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you

  . Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said ... On the morning of the third day

  there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud

  trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to

  meet with God

  , and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered

  with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire

  . The smoke billowed up from it

  like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the

  trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered

  him

  . The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the

  mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, Go down and warn the people

  so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish.

  Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will

  break out against them. Moses said to the Lord, The people cannot come up Mount

  Sinai, because you yourself warned us, "Put limits around the mountain and set it

  apart as holy." The Lord replied, Go down and bring Aaron up with you.

  But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord,

  or he will break out against them. So Moses went down to the people and told

  them." Exodus 19:9, 16-25

  "When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the

  mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses,

  Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we

  will die. Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid. God has come to test

  you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning. The people

  remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness WHERE GOD WAS."

  Exodus 20:18-21

  "Then he said to Moses, Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab

  and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, but Moses

  alone is to approach the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not

  come up with him ... Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of

  Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under HIS FEET was something like a pavement

  made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself

  . But God did not raise his hand against

  these leaders of the Israelites; THEY SAW GOD, and they ate and drank. The Lord

  said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give

  you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their

  instruction. Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the

  mountain of God. He said to the elders, Wait here for us until we come back to

  you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.

  When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord

  settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the

  seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the

  glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered

  the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and

  forty nights." Exodus 24:1-2, 9-18

  "And what great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous

  as all this law which I set before you this day? Only take heed, and keep your soul

  diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart

  from your heart all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your

  children's children- how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at

  Horeb, the LORD said to me, Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my

  words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, and

  that they may teach their children so. And you came near and stood at the foot of

  the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in

  darkness, cloud, and gloom. Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire; you

  heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. And he declared to you

  his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the ten commandments; and he

  wrote them upon two tables of stone

  . And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach

  you statutes and ordinances, that you might do them in the land which you are going over

  to possess. Therefore take good heed to yourselves. Since you saw no form on the day that

  the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire." Deuteronomy 4:8-15 RSV

  "Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I

  declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. The Lord our God

  made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this

  covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you

  face to face out of the fire on the mountain. (At that time I stood between the

  Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the

  fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said: I am the Lord your God, who

  brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." Deuteronomy 5:1-6

  "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own

  brothers. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb

  on the day of the assembly when you said, Let us not hear the voice of the Lord

  our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die." Deuteronomy 18:15-16

  Unless Osama wants to claim that Muhammad is Yahweh God, then the futility of trying

  to apply this to Muslims entering Mecca is quite apparent for all to see.

  Furthermore, these passages also demonstrate that the true God of the Holy Bible

  personally appears to his servants in some tangible manner, unlike Allah of the Quran.

  This in itself proves that the true God Yahweh is not the same entity as Allah, the god of

  Muhammad. They are two different Beings.

• The holy ones are said to be in God's hand, i.e. that God has complete and sovereign control over them.

  In the context (33:3), the holy ones refer to the people of Israel. Unless Osama wants

  to claim that Muhammad had sovereign control over Israel during the time of Moses the

  absurdity of viewing this as a prophecy of Islam is rather evident.

• The holy ones bow down before the feet of God.

  Again, unless Osama believes that the angels, the Israelites and/or the 10,000 Muslims

  bowed down to Muhammad he simply has no exegetical basis to argue that this is a prophecy

  of his prophet.

• God's coming with his holy ones is linked with the giving of the Mosaic Law.

  As the above passages clearly demonstrate, Moses received the Law directly from God

  on the mountain in full view of the Israelites. Nothing is said about the giving of future

  revelations via prophets and messengers.

  The passage also speaks of the deliverance of Israel from her enemies and her living

  safely in the land. In fact, the entire chapter focuses on Israel. For example Moses

  prophesies over tribes such as Zebulun (v. 18-19) and Naphtali (v.23).

  Yet unlike the Holy Bible, both the Quran and the Hadith view the nation of Israel as

  an enemy that must be vanquished:

  "O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends

  and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst

  you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people

  unjust." S. 5:51

  "Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and

  Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say,

  We are Christians: because amongst these are men devoted to learning and

  men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant." S. 5:82

  O ye who believe! The idolaters only are unclean. So let them not come near the

  Inviolable Place of Worship after this their year. If ye fear poverty (from the loss of

  their merchandise) Allah shall preserve you of His bounty if He will. Lo! Allah is Knower,

  Wise. Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in

  Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger,

  and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily, being brought

  low. The Jews call zair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of

  Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the

  unbelievers of old used to say

  . Allah's curse be on them (lit. Allah kill

  them-Qaatala-humullaah): how they are deluded away from the Truth! They take

  their priests and their anchorites to be their lords beside Allah, and (they take as their Lord)

  Christ the son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One God. there is no god

  but He. Praise and glory to Him: (Far is He) from having the partners they associate (with

  Him). Fain would they extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths, but Allah will not

  allow but that His Light should be perfected, even though the Unbelievers may detest

  (it). It is He Who hath sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to

  cause it to prevail over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it)."

  S. 9:28-33 Pickthall

  Narrated Ibn Umar:
  Umar bin Al-Khattab expelled all the Jews and Christians from the land of Hijaz.

  Allah's Apostle after conquering Khaibar, thought of expelling the Jews from the

  land which, after he conquered it belonged to Allah, Allah's Apostle and the Muslims

  . But the Jews requested Allah's Apostle to leave them there on the condition that they

  would do the labor and get half of the fruits (the land would yield). Allah's Apostle

  said, "We shall keep you on these terms as long as we wish." Thus they

  stayed till the time of Umar's Caliphate when he expelled them to Taima and Ariha.

  (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 53, Number 380)

  Narrated Ibn 'Umar:
  Umar expelled the Jews and the Christians from Hijaz. When Allah's Apostle had

  conquered Khaibar, he wanted to expel the Jews from it as its land became the property

  of Allah, His Apostle, and the Muslims

  . Allah's Apostle intended to expel the Jews

  but they requested him to let them stay there on the condition that they would do the labor

  and get half of the fruits

  . Allah's Apostle told them, "We will let you stay on

  thus condition, as long as we wish." So, they (i.e. Jews) kept on living there until

  'Umar forced them to go towards Taima' and Ariha'

  . (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3,

  Book 39, Number 531)

  Narrated Abdullah bin 'Umar:
  

  I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The Jews will fight with you, and you will be

  given victory over them so that a stone will say, O Muslim! There is a Jew behind

  me; kill him!" (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 791)

  Muhammad's extreme hatred for both Jews and Christians is further seen from the

  following Hadiths:

  Narrated Abu Huraira:
  

  I heard Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) saying, "We (Muslims) are the last (to come) but

  (will be) the foremost on the Day of Resurrection though the former nations were given the

  Holy Scriptures before us. And this was their day (Friday) the celebration of which was

  made compulsory for them but they differed about it. So Allah gave us the guidance for it

  (Friday) and all the other people are behind us in this respect: the Jews'

  (holy day is) tomorrow (i.e. Saturday) and the Christians' (is) the day after tomorrow

  (i.e. Sunday)." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 13, Number 1)

  Narrated Abu Huraira:
  

  The Prophet said, "Jews and Christians do not dye their hair so you should do the

  opposite of what they do." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 72, Number 786)

  Narrated Abu Huraira:
  

  Allah's Apostle said, "The Jews and the Christians do not dye (their grey hair), so

  you shall do the opposite of what they do (i.e. dye your grey hair and beards)."

  (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 668)

  Narrated Musab:
  

  I asked my father, "Was the Verse:-- 'Say: (O Muhammad) Shall We tell you the

  greatest losers in respect of their deeds?'(18.103) revealed regarding

  Al-Haruriyya?" He said, "No, but regarding the Jews and the Christians,

  for the Jews disbelieved Muhammad and the Christians disbelieved in Paradise and say that

  there are neither meals nor drinks therein. Al- Hururiyya are those people who break their

  pledge to Allah after they have confirmed that they will fulfill it, and Sad used to call

  them 'Al-Fasiqin (evildoers who forsake Allah's obedience).

  (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 252)

  Yahya related to me from Malik from Ismail ibn Abi Hakim that he heard Umar ibn Abd

  al-Aziz say, "One of the last things that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him

  and grant him peace, said was, 'May Allah fight the jews and the christians. They

  took the graves of their Prophets as places of prostration. Two deens shall not co-exist

  in the land of the Arabs." (Malik's Muwatta, Book 45, Number 45.5.17)

  Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
  

  Suhayl ibn Abu Salih said: I went out with my father to Syria. The people passed by the

  cloisters in which there were Christians and began to salute them. My father said: Do

  not give them salutation first, for Abu Hurayrah reported the Apostle of Allah

  (peace_be_upon_him) as saying: Do not salute them (Jews and Christians) first, and when

  you meet them on the road, FORCE THEM TO GO TO THE NARROWEST PART OF IT.

  (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 41, Number 5186)

  Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
  

  The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Religion will continue to prevail as long as people

  hasten to break the fast, because the Jews and the Christians delay doing so.

  (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 13, Number 2346)

  Narrated Abu Umayr ibn Anas:
  

  Abu Umayr reported on the authority of his uncle who was from the Ansar (the helpers of

  The Prophet): The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) was anxious as to how to gather the people

  for prayer.

  The people told him: Hoist a flag at the time of prayer; when they see it, they will

  inform one another. But he (The Prophet) did not like it. Then someone mentioned to him

  the horn.

  Ziyad said: A horn of the Jews. He (the Prophet) did not like it. He said: This is the

  matter of the Jews

  . Then they mentioned to him the bell of the Christians. He said:

  This is the matter of the Christians. Abdullah ibn Zayd returned anxiously from there

  because of the anxiety of the Apostle (peace_be_upon_him). He was then taught the call to

  prayer in his dream. Next day he came to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) and

  informed him about it ... (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 2, Number 0498)

• Sinai, Seir and Mount Paran refer to the locations that Israel traversed during their 40-year sojourn in the desert:

  "On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted

  from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. Then the Israelites set out from the Desert

  of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the

  Desert of Paran

  . They set out, this first time, at the LORD's command through

  Moses." Numbers 10:11-13

  "So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not

  move on till she was brought back. After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in

  the Desert of Paran

  ." Numbers 12:15-16

  "The LORD said to Moses, Send some men to explore the land of

  Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its

  leaders. So at the LORD's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of

  Paran

  . All of them were leaders of the Israelites." Numbers 13:1-3

  "At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. They came back to

  Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran.

  There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the

  land. They gave Moses this account: We went into the land to which you sent us,

  and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit." Numbers 13:25-27

  "These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of the

  Jordanthat is, in the Arabahopposite Suph, between PARAN and Tophel,

  Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by

  the Mount SEIR road.)" Deuteronomy 1:1-2

  "Then you replied, We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up

  and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us. So every one of you put on his

  weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. But the Lord said to me,

  Tell them, "Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will

  be defeated by your enemies." So I told you, but you would not listen. You

  rebelled against the Lord's command and in your arrogance you marched up into the

  hill country. The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you

  like a swarm of bees and beat you down from SEIR all the way to Hormah. You came

  back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf

  ear to you. And so you stayed in Kadesh many days-all the time you spent there."

  Deuteronomy 1:41-46

  It becomes quite evident that Sinai, Seir and Paran do not refer to Moses, Jesus and

  Muhammad as some Muslims erroneously assume. It refers to God appearing to his people

  to guide them throughout their sojourn prior to their entrance into the Promise Land.

  Dr. J.H. Hertz, editor of Pentateuch and Haftorahs, Hebrew Text English Translation

  and Commentary, comments:

  2. The LORD came from Sinai. The mountain of Revelation, to make

  His abode in Israel's midst. Sinai was the starting-point in the manifestation of

  the Divine glory to Israel.

  And rose. A metaphor of sunrise. God "dawned" on them; had

  risen for them, and had shed forth the light of His law upon Israel,

  so that henceforth they walked in His light.

  from Seir. The hill-country of Edom, to the east of Sinai.

  mount Paran. Perhaps the mountain-range forming the southern boundary of

  Canaan. The Divine Presence journeyed, as it were with Israel from Sinai, through

  Seir, through Paran, and then finally through the desert;

  aiding and guarding them,

  even until they became established in the good inheritance Divinely promised to the

  Fathers.

  holy. Better, of holy ones. As in Psalm LXVIII, 18, God is here

  poetically depicted as coming forth from the angelic hosts that surround His

  throne. (Hertz, p. 909; the Soncino Press, London second edition; bold emphasis ours)

  Interestingly, this is how Hertz translates the Hebrew:

  And he said: The LORD came from Sinai,
  And rose from Seir unto them;
  He shined forth from mount Paran.
  And He came FROM the myriads holy,
  At his right hand was a fiery law unto them.

  The rendering, from the myriads holy, is due to the Hebrew preposition min.

  Some render the preposition as with, while others like Hertz as from. If one

  opts for the latter rendering, then the text would be referring to God descending from the

  midst of the myriads of his angels in heaven to deliver his people. (cf. 1 Kings 22:19-23;

  Isaiah 6:1-8; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 5:11) Yet either rendering has nothing to do with

  Muhammad.

  The following passages provide additional proof that Deuteronomy 33:2 is speaking of

  the Exodus:

  "O LORD, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom,

  the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. The mountains quaked

  before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel." Judges 5:4-5

  "When you went out before your people, O God, when you marched through

  the wasteland, Selah the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One

  of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel ... When the Almighty scattered the kings in

  the land, it was like snow fallen on Zalmon. The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains;

  rugged are the mountains of Bashan. Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at THE

  MOUNTAIN where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever? The

  chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord [has come] from

  Sinai into his sanctuary. When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you

  received gifts from men

  , even from the rebellious-- that you, O LORD God, might dwell

  there. Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah Our

  God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death. Surely God

  will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins. The

  Lord says, I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the

  sea, that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your

  dogs have their share. Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession

  of my God and King into the sanctuary. In front are the singers, after them the

  musicians; with them are the maidens playing tambourines. Praise God in the great

  congregation; praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel. There is the little tribe of

  Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah's princes, and there the princes

  of Zebulun and of Naphtali. Summon your power, O God; show us your strength, O God,

  as you have done before. Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring you gifts.

  Psalm 68:7-8, 14-29

  The reference to "the One of Sinai", "Seir", "Edom",

  "the Mountain", "the Lord from Sinai," and "tens of thousands

  and thousands of thousands" are clear allusions to Deuteronomy 33. These passages

  are looking back to the Exodus as the major event in which God demonstrated his great power

  and love for his people, and as the basis for trusting God's unfailing promises to deliver

  his righteous remnant. Hence, the oldest biblical witnesses testify that Deuteronomy 33 is

  a poetic description of the Exodus event.

  Interestingly, Psalm 68:18 is applied to the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ into

  glory:

  "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is

  why it says: When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts

  to men. (What does he ascended mean except that he also descended

  to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than

  all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) Ephesians 4:7-10

  The reason why Paul can apply this passage to Christ is due to the NT teaching that

  Christians are experiencing a new Exodus. God is delivering his people from the hands of

  Satan and is leading them to the heavenly Promise Land:

  "Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through

  the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without

  yeast-as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore

  let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,

  but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Corinthians 5:6-8

  "So, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden

  your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where

  your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was

  angry with that generation,and I said, "Their hearts are always going astray,

  and they have not known my ways." So I declared on oath in my anger, "They

  shall never enter my rest." See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful,

  unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily,

  as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

  We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

  As has just been said: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as

  you did in the rebellion. Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they

  not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years?

  Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to whom

  did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we

  see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief." Hebrews 3:7-18

  And:

  "Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us

  be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the

  gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to

  them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have

  believed enter that rest, just as God has said, So I declared on oath in my anger,

  "They shall never enter my rest." And yet his work has been finished

  since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these

  words: And on the seventh day God rested from all his work. And again in the

  passage above he says, They shall never enter my rest. It still remains that

  some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not

  go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it

  Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: Today,

  if you hear his voice,do not harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given

  them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then,

  a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests

  from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to

  enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

  Hebrews 4:1-11

The final problem with Osama's claim is that according to Muslim sources,

Muhammad did not enter Mecca with ten thousand soldiers, but with twelve

thousand! Renowned Muslim exegete and historian, al-Tabari, wrote:

Another noted expositor Ibn Kathir narrates a tradition which says the same thing:

And:

Thus, Osama's key, foundational point connecting Muhammad with Deuteronomy 33:2

is not only utterly baseless from a biblical perspective, but his claim of ten thousand

Muslim soldiers doesn't even have the support of his own Muslim sources!

These points sufficiently put the rest the absurd notion that Deuteronomy 33:2 refers

to Muhammad.

In the next part, we will be addressing Osama's absurd claim that Jude 1:14-15 is

another reference to Muhammad and his soldiers.

In the service of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever. Amen. Come Lord

Jesus.

[Continue with Part 2]

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