One of the ways in which a person proves his prophethood is
honesty, whether it be in regards to incidents in the past, in their everyday
life, or things to come in the future. In addition to the Quran, there
are many sayings of Prophet Muhammad which contain prophecies he made in his
lifetime dealing with near and distant future. Some of them have come
true, others await fulfillment. Hudhaifah, a disciple of Prophet
Muhammad, tells us:
“The Prophet once delivered a speech in front of us wherein
he mentioned everything [all the signs] that would happen till the Final Hour
without leaving anything. Some of us remembered it and some forgot
it. After that speech, I used to see events taking place which were
referred to in that speech, but I had forgotten them before their
occurrence. Then I would recognize such events as a man recognizes
another man who has been absent and then sees and recognizes him.” (Saheeh
Al-Bukhari)
There are at least 160 known and confirmed prophecies of
Prophet Muhammad which were fulfilled in his lifetime and the first generation
after him.[1] We will mention some here.
(1) Preceding the Battle of Badr, the first and
decisive confrontation with pagan Meccans in the second year of migration from Mecca in 623 CE, Prophet
Muhammad foretold the precise spot every pagan Meccan soldier would fall.
Those who witnessed the battle saw the prophecy come true with their own eyes.[2]
(2) Prophet Muhammad prophesized the Battle of the Confederates (al-Ahzab) would
be the last invasion the tribe of Quraish (the pagan Meccans) would launch
against the Muslims. It was fought in the fifth year of migration, 626 CE
and was the last military conflict between the two sides. All Meccans
embraced Islam after a few years.[3]
(3) The Prophet informed his daughter, Fatima, that
she would be the first member of his family to die after him. There are
two prophecies in one: Fatima will outlive her father; Fatima
will be the first member of his household to die after him. Both were
fulfilled.[4]
(4) The Prophet Muhammad prophesized Jerusalem would be conquered after his death.[5] The
prophecy was fulfilled when, according to Encyclopedia Britannica: “In 638 the
Muslim Caliph, Umar I, entered Jerusalem .”[6]
(5) The Prophet Muhammad prophesized the conquest of Persia .[7] It
was conquered by Umar’s commander, Sa’ad bin Abi Waqqas. In the words of
Encyclopedia Britannica:
“…raids into Sasanian territory were quickly taken up by
Muhammad’s Caliphs, or deputies, at Medina - Abu
Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab… an Arab victory at Al-Qadisiyyah in 636/637 was
followed by the sack of the Sasanian winter capital at Ctesiphon
on the Tigris . The Battle of Nahavand in
642 completed the Sasanids’ vanquishment.”[8]
(6) The Prophet Muhammad prophesized the conquest of Egypt .[9]
In the words of Encyclopedia Britannica:
“Amr… undertook the invasion in 639 with a small army of
some 4,000 men (later reinforced). With what seems astonishing speed the
Byzantine forces were routed and had withdrawn from Egypt by 642… Various explanations
have been given for the speed with which the conquest was achieved.”[10]
(7) The Prophet foretold confrontation with the Turks.[11] The
first conflict took place in the caliphate of Umar in 22 AH.[12]
(8) The Prophet foretold the first maritime battle to
be undertaken by Muslims would be witnessed by Umm Haram, the first woman to
participate in a naval expedition. He also prophesied the first assault
on Constantinople .[13]
The first maritime battle in Muslim history was in 28 AH in
the rule of Mu’awiya. It was witnessed by Umm Haram as foretold by
Prophet Muhammad, and Yazid ibn Mu’awiya led the first attack on Constantinople in 52 AH.[14]
(9) The prophecy that Rome ,
Persia , and Yemen will be
conquered was made during the Battle of Confederates in 626 CE,[15]
under extreme circumstances, as is described by the Quran:
“[Remember] when they came at you from above you and from
below you, and when eyes shifted [in fear], and hearts reached the throats and
you assumed about God [various] assumptions. There, the believers were
tested and shaken with a severe shaking. And [remember] when the
hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease said, ‘God and His Messenger
did not promise us except delusion.’” (Quran 33:10-12)
(10) Prophet Muhammad prophesized an
imposter claiming to speak in the name of God would be killed at the hands of a
righteous man in Muhammad’s lifetime.[16] Al-Aswad
al-Ansi, an imposter prophet in Yemen ,
was killed in the Prophet’s lifetime by Fayruz al-Daylami.[17]
There are at least an additional 28 prophecies pertaining to
the end times which are awaiting fulfillment.
Indeed these well-documented prophecies are clear proofs of
the Prophethood of Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon
him. There is no possible way that the Prophet could have knowledge of
these incidents except if it were inspired by God Himself, all in order to
further prove the authenticity of the Muhammad, that he was not an imposter,
but rather a Prophet raised by God to deliver humanity from Hellfire.
Footnotes:
[1] They
are collected by Dr. Muhammad Wali-ullah al-Nadavi in his Master’s thesis
entitled, ‘Nubuwwat al-Rasul,’ from al-Azhar
University , Cairo , Egypt
[2] Saheeh
Muslim, Abu Ya’la.
[3] Saheeh
Al-Bukhari, Bazzar, and Haithami.
[4] ‘Sharh’ Saheeh
Muslim,’ by Imam al-Nawawi.
[5] Saheeh
Al-Bukhari.
[6] “Jerusalem .” Encyclopædia
Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.
(http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-61909)
[7] Saheeh
Muslim.
[8] “Iran .”
Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.
(http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-32160)
[9] Saheeh
Muslim.
[10] “Egypt .”
Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.
(http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-22358)
[11] Saheeh
Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim.
[12] Ibn
Kathir’s ‘al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya.’
[13] Saheeh
Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim.
[14] Ibn
Kathir’s ‘al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya.’
[15] Saheeh
Al-Bukhari.
[16] Saheeh
Al-Bukhari.
[17] Encyclopedia
of Islam.
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