To argue that Deuteronomy 18:18 is not about Mohammed, we can analyze the text, its context, and other related Biblical passages. Deuteronomy 18:18 states:
“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.”
The phrase “from among their fellow Israelites” clearly indicates that the prophet will come from the Israelites. Mohammed was not an Israelite; he was an Arab from the Quraysh tribe in Mecca. This alone disqualifies Mohammed as the fulfillment of this prophecy.
Additionally, the prophet is to be like Moses. Moses was a leader, lawgiver, and mediator of a covenant. Jesus fits this description as he established a new covenant (New Testament), performed miracles, and was of Israelite descent. Mohammed, while a significant prophet in Islam, does not share these specific characteristics with Moses in the same way.
In the New Testament, John the Baptist denies being the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:18 (John 1:21). Instead, he points to Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy (John 1:29-34). This identification is critical because it comes from within the same religious tradition that produced the prophecy. The apostle Peter, in Acts 3:22-23, explicitly refers to Jesus as the prophet like Moses. Peter, speaking to a Jewish audience, connects Jesus directly to the prophecy in Deuteronomy, showing that early Christians understood Jesus to be the fulfillment of this verse. Similarly, in Acts 7:37, Stephen reiterates this point, affirming that Jesus is the prophet Moses spoke about.
The genealogy of Jesus, as detailed in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, traces his lineage back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, emphasizing his Israelite heritage (Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38). This solidifies his qualification as “from among their fellow Israelites.”
The mission and message of Jesus align with the broader narrative of the Bible, which consistently points towards a savior from within Israel who would fulfill the law and the prophets. Jesus’ teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection are seen as the culmination of these prophecies.
The Qur’an itself does not explicitly state that Deuteronomy 18:18 refers to Mohammed. Islamic tradition interprets certain Biblical passages as foretelling Mohammed, but these interpretations are not supported by the text itself.
Based on the specific details of Deuteronomy 18:18, the contextual analysis within the Bible, and the New Testament’s direct identification of Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy, it is clear that the verse is not referring to Mohammed. The criteria laid out in the scripture—being an Israelite, being like Moses, and the consistent message throughout the Bible—are all met by Jesus, not Mohammed.