caraol_au: "and finally.. the ultimate purpose of the coming "other" one.. was to glorify Jesus, so even if we did accept that the paracletos should have read perikletos, shouldn't we then expect to see Mohammed glorifying Jesus? John 16:4 "
John 14:16: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever."
We do not know exactly the original Aramaic word used by Jesus for "Comforter." Other Bibles use "Consoler," '`Advocate," "Helper," and in Greek Bibles we find the word "Paraclete." There are different explanations for it, among them "Holy Spirit" and "the Word. "
The Qur'an states in surah 61:6 that Jesus explicitly mentioned the name Ahmad: "And (remember) when Jesus, Son of Mary, said: 'O, children of Israel! I am the Apostle of Allah (sent) to you confirming the Torah (which came) before me, and giving glad tidings of an Apostle to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad (i.e., the second name of Prophet Muhammad, and literally it means "the one who praises Allah more than others")."
Whatever the explanation is of the Comforter, we conclude that Jesus left an unfinished work and that someone was coming to complete his mission. Let us examine, in the light of the Bible, if this Comforter fits the character of Prophet Muhammad:
1. "Another Comforter": So many Comforters had come, and another one was to come. 2. "That he may abide with you for ever": As there was no need for another one to come after him, and he was the seal of all prophets. The teaching will abide for ever and will remain intact. In fact, the Qurtan and all of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad remain as they were 1400 years ago.
3. "He will reprove the world of sin": (see John 16: 8) All other prophets, even Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon chastised their neighbors and their people for sin, but not the world as Muhammad did. He not only rooted out idolatry in Arabia within a twenty three year period, but also sent envoys to Heraclius, the sovereigns of the Persian and Roman empires, to Najashi (the king of Ethiopia), and to Muqauqis (the governor of Egypt). He reprimanded the Christians for dividing the unity of God into three portions, for having raised Jesus to a Son of God and then to God Himself. It was he who condemned the Jews and Christians for having corrputed their scriptures, demonstrated the birthright of Ishmael, and cleared the prophets from accusations of adultery, incest, rape, and idolatry.
4. "The prince of the world is judeed" (John 16:11). This is Satan, as explained in John 12:31 and 14:30. So Prophet Muhammad came to chastise the world on account of judgment.
5. "The Spirit of Truth" (John 16: 13). Since childhood, Prophet Muhammad was called al-Amin, i.e., the Honest or Truthful One. This person will also come and "he will guide you into all truth: ..." (John 16:13).
6. "For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak" (John 16:13). The Qur'an is God's word. Not a single word from Prophet Muhammad or his Companions was included within it. The angel Gabriel read it to him, he memorized it, and it was written down by his scribes. His own sayings and teachings were recorded in the hadith or (lit. tradition) literature.
Compare this with Deuteronomy 18:18: "... and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." This corresponds with surah 53:2-4: "Your companion [Muhammad] is neither astray nor being misled. Nor does he speak of [his own] desire. It is only the inspiration that is inspired."
7. "And he will show you things to come" (John 16: 13). Many prophecies of Prophet Muhammad have already come to pass, and the rest will be fulfilled in the future.
8. "He shall glorify me (John 16:14). Actually, the Qurtan and Prophet Muhammad have more reverence for Jesus than do the Bible and Christians themselves. The following will clarify this point:
a. To believe in Jesus' death on the cross discredits his prophethood, according to Deuteronomy 13:5: "And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death ..." It also stamps him as accursed, (May Allah forbid it!) according to Deuteronomy 21:22-23: "... for he that is hanged is accursed of God . .."
b. Matthew 27:46: "... My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Would Jesus have said such a thing? Even a non prophet would smile at agony, as he would know that his death would win him the title of martyr. Is this not an insult to Jesus and an insinuation that he did not have faith in Allah?
c. We Muslims cannot believe that Jesus could label the Gentiles as dogs and swine and address his mother with "woman," as the Qurtan states in surah 19:32: "And dutiful to my Mother [i.e. Mary], and [Allah] made me not an unblessed and arrogant." Matthew 7:6: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine ..." John 2:4: "Jesus saith unto her [Mary], Woman, what have I to do with thee?"
The Jews carry on insulting Jesus on the grounds that he was a false prophet and therefore was put to death. It is only when Muhammad came that the state of Jesus was told to mankind. Jesus was not a false prophet and so God kept his promise and lifted him up to the heavens and thus glorified him. Accepting Jesus ascended to the heavens before he was supposedly crucified is accepting the glory of Jesus in light of the prophecy in the Old Testament.