The Prophet Muhammad in Hindu Scriptures

The field of comparative religion has always interested me. This is especially true for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as they are all closely related. But other religions, specifically Hinduism, have captured my attention in the past. In becoming a Muslim, the place of Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wassalam in other religions intrigues me. The scriptures of Jews and Christians do mention the Blessed Prophet salallahu alayhi wassalam, but what about a religion like Hinduism?

Now, I will be the first to admit that I do not know much about Hinduism beyond the basics, and I certainly do not know much about the Hindu scriptures. The closest I have ever come to them was the novel ‘The Palace of Illusions,’ which is a fictionalized account of the Mahabharat. Since ‘The Palace of Illusions’ was a great novel, I considered reading the Mahabharat and other Hindu scriptures for a time. However, I decided it was better to read the Qur’an in its entirety before moving on to the books of another religion.

So, because I am greatly unaware of any references to the Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wassalam in the Hindu scriptures, I will be referring to an article published by Dr. Zakir Naik. Dr, Naik is a well-known and respected scholar from India, having authored many articles and books. To prevent a long post and thus boredom, I will choose only one section to analyze insha’Allah. If you would like to read the rest of the article, it can be accessed here.

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Muhammad salallahu alayhi wassalam prophesized in Bhavishya Purana

From Bhavishya Purana in the Prati Sarag Parv III Khand 3 Adhay 3 Shloka 5 to 8:

‘A malecha (belonging to a foreign country and speaking a foreign language) spiritual teacher will appear with his companions. His name will be Mohammad Raja (Bhoj) after giving this Maha Dev Arab (of angelic disposition) a bath in the Panchgavya and the Ganga water (i.e. purifying him of all sins) offered him the present of his sincere devotion and showing him all reverence said, ‘I make obeisance to thee. O ye! The pride of mankind, the dweller in Arabic, Ye have collected a great force to kill the Devil and you yourself have been protected from the malecha opponents.’”

How does this passage of the Bhavishya Purana prophesize Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wassalam?

First, the prophecy clearly states the name of the prophet as Mohammed.

Second, it states the prophet will come from Arabia; the Sanskrit word marusthal means a sandy track of land or a desert.

Third, special mention is made of the companions of the prophet. The Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wassalam had many companions (Sahaba), more than any other prophet in history. Allah knows best, but scholars have estimated there were more than 100,000 companions at the farewell Hajj.

Fourth, the prophet is referred to as the pride of mankind. The Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wassalam is considered the greatest of mankind in Islam. Indeed, there are a couple of verses in the Qur’an which confirm the status of the Prophet Muhammad.

‘Truly you [Prophet] have a strong character.’ Qur’an 68:4

‘The Messenger of Allah is an excellent model [of conduct].’ Qur’an 33:21

Fifth, the prophet will kill the devil. In this case, this means he will abolish idol worship and all sorts of voices, which the Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wassalam did.

Lastly, the prophet will be given protection from the enemy. The Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wassalam had the best protection of all: the Magnificent and Great, Allah. If one were to study the seerah of the Prophet, they would see how many times his life could have been in danger, but every time he continued with the protection of Allah.

Some might question the line ‘bath in…the Ganga water’ as the Prophet lived exclusively in the Middle East. How could he have been bathed in the holy water of the Ganges? This line is not literal, but is rather an idiom. Here, taking a bath in the Ganges mean washing away sins or immunity of all sorts of sins. Thus, this implies that the Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wassalam was sinless.

When all seven of the above explanations are put together, it is hard to argue that the prophecy in this particular section of the Bhavishya Purana does not point towards the Blessed Prophet salallahu alayhi wassalam. Even Hindu scriptures, depending on how one analyzes specific passages, speak to the truth of the Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wassalam.