The Final Prophet

CONTENTS Foreword vii Preface ix Quenching a Parched World ix The Proof Within Us xi The Multiple Forms of Proof xiv 1 Humanity’s Need for Prophethood 1 1. The Spiritual Necessity of Prophethood 1 2. The Moral Necessity of Prophethood 4 3. The Historical Necessity of Prophethood 6 4. The Biblical Necessity of Prophethood 8 i. A Gentile Prophet Like Moses 8 ii. John the Baptist and the Awaited Prophet 10 iii. God’s Servant Where Kedar Lives 10 iv. Jesus and the Comforter 12 v. Zamzam and the Flourishing City 13 2 The Prophet’s Character 17 1. His Honesty and Integrity 20 2. His Simplicity and Humility 24 3. His Mercy and Compassion 28 4. His Clemency and Forgiveness 31 5. His Bravery and Valour 35 6. His Generosity 37 7. His Perseverance and Trust in God 39 iv The Final Prophet 3 The Prophet’s Accomplishments 47 1. A Love Larger than Life 51 2. History’s Greatest Success Story 56 3. Restoring the Unity of God 60 4. Revolutionizing Human Rights 62 5. Molding a Model Generation 67 4 The Prophet’s Message 75 1. Pure Monotheism 77 2. Faith in Destiny 80 3. The Ritual Prayer (Ṣalāh) 83 4. Devotional Fasting (Ṣiyām) 87 5. Prohibiting Extramarital Relations 89 6. Prohibiting Interest-Based Lending 91 7. Prohibiting Alcohol Consumption 93 8. Healthy Eating and Personal Hygiene 97 9. Science and Medicine 102 5 The Prophet’s Prophecies 107 1. The Byzantines will Rebound 108 2. The Abode of Abū Lahab 109 3. The Globalization of Islam 109 4. Undeterred by Time or Distance 111 5. Six in Sequence 112 6. Counting the Conquests 113 7. Security will Prevail 115 8. The Last Emperors 116 9. A Whisper in His Daughter’s Ear 116 10. The Longest Arm 117 11. The Martyrdom of ʿUmar and ʿUthmān 118 12. Inevitable Infighting 119 13. Tensions Among the Prophet’s Household 120 14. The Fate of ʿAmmār 121 15. ʿAlī Suppressing the Khārijites 122 16. Repairing the Rift 123 17. Cycling Back to Virtue is Promised 124 Contents v 18. Asmā’ Sends a Tyrant Home 124 19. Umm Ḥarām’s Date with Destiny 125 20. Preempting the Questioner 126 21. An Unforgettable Sermon 127 22. The Emergence of Selective Textualism 127 23. A Horrific Wildfire 127 24. Prosperity and Hedonism Before the End Times 128 25. Competing in Materialism 129 26. The Unavoidability of Interest (Ribā) 130 27. An Increase in Brutality and Killing 130 28. The Plunge into Immorality 132 29. Muslims Becoming Easy Prey 133 30. The Immortality of His Nation 135 31. Never Thought You Would Speak 136 6 The Prophet’s Physical Miracles 139 1. The Possibility of Miracles 141 2. The Demonstrability of Miracles 145 3. Specific Miracles Performed by the Prophet 148 i. Splitting the Moon 149 ii. The Night Journey 152 iii. The Weeping Tree 155 iv. The Talking Stones 156 v. Increasing the Water Supply 158 vi. Increasing the Food Supply 159 vii. Answered Prayers 163 7 The Inimitable Qur’an 169 1. A Literary Masterpiece 170 i. Muhammad or Shakespeare? 173 2. Knowledge of the Inaccessible Past 178 i. Pharaoh’s Body Will Survive 179 ii. The Heavens Did Not Grieve for Pharaoh 180 iii. Joseph’s King Wasn’t a Pharaoh 180 iv. Was Muhammad Spoon-Fed Biblical History? 183 3. Preserved as Promised 184 vi The Final Prophet 4. An Extraordinary Potency 187 5. Echoes of a Prophet 192 A Parting Word on the Journey of Faith 199 Bibliography 203 English Sources 203 Arabic Sources 209 Index 215