Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hāshim, from the Quraysh, an Arab tribe that lived in Makkah. He is from the offspring of Ismā‘īl ibn Ibrāhīm (Ishmael son of Abraham), the close friend of Allah.
As mentioned in the Old Testament, Allah has promised to bless Ishmael and bring out of his offspring a great nation.
"And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve chiefs shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." [136] Old Testament, Genesis 17:20.
This is the strongest evidence that Ishmael was Abraham's legitimate son. Old Testament, Genesis 16:11.
"The angel of the Lord also said to her: You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery." [137] Old Testament, Genesis 16:3.
"So after Abraham had been living in Canaan for ten years, Sarah his wife gave her Egyptian slave girl Hagar to Abraham to be his wife." [138]
Prophet Muhammad was born in Makkah. His father died before his birth, then his mother died when he was a little boy, so his grandfather took care of him. Then, after the death of his grandfather, his uncle, Abu Tālib, looked after him.
He was known for his truthfulness and honesty. He never took part in the entertainment, play, dancing, or singing that were practiced by the people of the pre-Islamic era of ignorance. Moreover, he never consumed alcohol and never acknowledged it. The Prophet, then, started going to a mountain, which was near Makkah (the cave of Hirā’), for worship. In that place, he received the revelation. An angel sent by Allah Almighty came to him and said: "Read, read." The Prophet was unlettered, so he said: "I cannot read". The angel repeated his request, and the Prophet gave the same reply. Then, the angel requested him to read for the second time and strongly embraced him till he could not bear it anymore, and then he said: Read, but the Prophet replied: I cannot read. On the third time, he said to him: {Read in the name of your Lord Who created, created man from a clinging clot. Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous, Who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know.} [139] Surat al-‘Alaq: 1-5.
Evidence on the truthfulness of his prophethood is represented in the following:
Evidence could be found in his biography, as he was known to be a truthful and honest man. Allah Almighty said:
{You [O Prophet] never recited any book before this, nor did you write with your hand. Otherwise, the people of falsehood would have raised suspicions.} [140] Surat al-‘Ankabūt: 48.
The Prophet was the first to practice what he was preaching, and his acts always conformed with his words, and he never asked for a worldly reward in return for making Da‘wah (inviting people to embrace Islam). So, he lived as a poor, honorable, merciful, and modest man. He was the most willing among them when it came to making sacrifices, and was the most ascetic when it came to people's possessions. Allah Almighty said:
{They are those whom Allah has guided, so follow their guidance. Say, “I do not ask any reward for it. It is but a reminder for the worlds.”} [141] Surat al-An‘ām: 90.
The Prophet presented evidence on the truthfulness of his prophethood through the verses of the Noble Qur’an that Allah revealed to him in their own language, and that expressed a great level of eloquence and fluency, which could not possibly come from human beings. Allah Almighty said:
{Do they not then ponder on the Qur’an? If it had been from anyone other than Allah, they would have surely found in it many discrepancies.} [142] Surat an-Nisā’: 82.
{Or do they say, “He has fabricated it”? Say, “Then produce ten fabricated Chapters like it and seek help from whoever you can besides Allah, if you are truthful!”} [143] Surat Hūd: 13.
{But if they do not respond to you, then know that they only follow their desires. Who is more astray than one who follows his desire without any guidance from Allah? Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.} [144] Surat al-Qasas: 50.
When some people in Madīnah claimed that the sun eclipsed owing to the death of Ibrāhīm, the Prophet's son, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon and made a statement, which was like a message addressed to whoever adopts countless superstitions about the sun eclipse until our present day. He clearly and explicitly said, more than fourteen centuries ago:
"Indeed, the sun and the moon are two of the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse on account of the death or life of anyone. So, when there is an eclipse, hasten to remembering Allah and to prayer." [145] "Sahīh al-Bukhāri".
Had he been a liar, he would have certainly taken advantage of this opportunity to convince people of his prophethood.
Another evidence on the truthfulness of his prophethood is the fact that his name and traits were mentioned in the Old Testament.
"And the book is delivered to someone who cannot read, saying: Read this, and he said: I cannot read." [146] Old Testament, Isaiah 29:12.
Despite the fact that Muslims do not believe that the Old and New Testaments, which are currently available, are from Allah as they were distorted; however, they believe that both of them come from authentic sources, which are the Torah and the Gospel that were revealed by Allah to His Prophets: Moses and Jesus. Thus, it is possible that some of what is mentioned in the books of the Old and New Testaments is from Allah. Muslims believe that this prophecy, if authentic, refers to Prophet Muhammad and represents part of the authentic Torah.
The message that was advocated by Prophet Muhammad is the pure creed, which is belief in one God and worshiping Him alone. It was the same message conveyed by all the prophets before him, and he brought it to all mankind as mentioned in the Noble Qur’an:
{Say [O Prophet], “O people, I am the Messenger of Allah to you all. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and earth; none has the right to be worshiped except Him; He gives life and causes death.” So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him, so that you may be guided.} [147] Surat al-A‘rāf: 158.
None has honored the Messiah on earth as Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "'I am the closest to Jesus, son of Mary, among all mankind in this worldly life and in the Hereafter.' They said: 'O Messenger of Allah, and how is that?' Thereupon he said: 'The prophets are brothers in faith, having different mothers. Their religion is one; however, there is no prophet between us (between Jesus Christ and myself).'" [148] "Sahīh Muslim".
The name of Jesus Christ was mentioned in the Qur’an more than the name of Prophet Muhammad (25 times against 4 times).
Mary, the mother of Jesus, has been given preference over all women according to what is mentioned in the Qur’an.
Moreover, Mary is the only woman whose name was mentioned in the Qur’an.
There is also a whole Chapter in the Qur’an that is named after Mary. [149] "‘Ayn ‘ala al-Haqīqah" by Faten Sabri. www.fatensabri.com
This is among the strongest proofs of his truthfulness (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), for had he been a liar, he would have mentioned the names of his wives, his mother, or his daughters. Had he been a liar, he would not have honored the Messiah or have made the belief in him one of the pillar's of the Muslim's faith.
By making a simple comparison between Prophet Muhammad and any priest today, we will instantly realize the truthfulness of Prophet Muhammad. He rejected all the privileges that he was offered: the money, the social status, and even the religious authority. He did not listen to confessions or forgive the believers' sins; rather, he commanded his followers to resort directly to the Creator.
Another proof of the truthfulness of his prophethood is the prevalence of his message and people's acceptance of his call and the success that Allah granted him, for none of those who falsely claimed prophethood has ever been granted success in the history of mankind.
Thomas Carlyle, an English Philosopher (1795- 1881), said: "It is a great shame for anyone civilized living in this age to listen to the accusation that Islam is a lie and that Muhammad was a fabricator and a deceiver. It is time for us to fight such absurd and shameful statements. The message that was conveyed by this Messenger has been acting as a beacon of light, for twelve centuries, for about two hundred million people like us, created by the same God. Have you ever seen a liar who can invent a religion and spread it? How odd! A liar cannot even build a house out of bricks, for if he is not well-informed about the characteristics of lime, plaster, sand, and the like, he will be building nothing but a pile of debris and a heap of mixed substances. A house like this cannot stand for twelve centuries and cannot be inhabited by two hundred million people; rather, its pillars would definitely collapse and it would fall down as if it had not existed in the first place." [150] "On Heroes, by Thomas Carlyle".