Does John 14:16 predict the coming of Muhammad?

John 14:16 and the Muslim Claim About Muhammad

Does John 14 -16 actually predict the coming of Muhammad? John 14 -16 reads, And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. The Muslims argue that the above passage is a prophecy about Muhammad.

They argue this from a verse in the Quran which states, O children of Israel, I am the Apostle of God, giving glad tidings of an Apostle to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. That's found in Surah 61, verse 6.

Paraclete, Paracletos, and the Claim of Corruption

In Yusuf Ali's translation, which is a translation I use. The alleged equivalent for Ahmad, which means praise one in Arabic, is Paracletos, which is praise one in Greek. However, Paracletos does not even occur in John 14 -16.

Instead, the Greek word Paraclete, or Helper, occurs. Therefore, in order to support their argument, Muslims have to argue that the text of John has been corrupted. So, in response, there's a number of reasons why this passage is not referring to Muhammad.

First, there's absolutely no ancient textual evidence among all the over 5 ,600 Greek manuscripts to place the word Paracletos, or praise one, in place of Paraclete, which means helper. For a Muslim to argue that the correct reading should be Paracletos instead of Paraclete, shows his lack of understanding of the ancient Greek text and the reliability of the copying of the New Testament.

Why the Helper Is the Holy Spirit, Not Muhammad

Second, in the same passage, Jesus explicitly identifies the Helper as the Holy Spirit. In verse 26 of chapter 14 of John, he says this,. It was given to those who have been with him from the beginning, as John 15 -27 says.

However, Muhammad was not one of Jesus' apostles. Fourth, this Helper was to abide with him forever, in John 16, but Muhammad's been dead for over 13 centuries. Fifth, Jesus told the disciples, you know him, in reference to the Helper, in verse 17 of John 14.

But the apostles did not know Muhammad. Muhammad wasn't even born yet. He was not born until over 500 years later. Sixth, Jesus also told the disciples that the Helper would be in you, in verse 17. How Muhammad could be in the disciples stretches all credibility.

This reference of being in the disciples clearly is a reference to the Holy Spirit's role of indwelling inside believers as the context of John, as John 14 -16 -26 indicates, and the rest of the New Testament.

You can look at Ephesians, for example. Seventh, Jesus said that the Helper would be sent in my, Jesus' name, in John 14 -26. However, no Muslim believes that Muhammad was sent in Jesus' name. Eighth, the Helper whom Jesus would send would not speak on his own authority, as John 16 -13 says.

However, Muhammad constantly testifies of himself. For example, in Surah 33 -40, Muhammad says of himself,. Ninth, the Helper would glorify Jesus, as John 16 -14 says. How would Muhammad actually be glorifying Jesus if Muhammad is the last and the sealer of the prophets?

He really would not be glorifying an earlier and inferior prophet like Jesus. Tenth, and finally, Jesus said that the Helper would come in not many days. As Acts 1 -5 says, but Muhammad did not come for almost 600 years later.

Since the Helper is the Holy Spirit, he did come nearly 40 days later, as Acts 1 -5 and Acts 2 indicates. Therefore, given the above evidence, and as all New Testament scholars agree, the Holy Spirit clearly is the Helper in John 14 -16, not Muhammad.