Although there are many
passages in the Torah which have been traditionally understood by Islamic
scholars to describe the Prophet (pbuh), Tabari quotes only one, because it was
the basis of a sahih hadith and not anyone's personal opinion:
Narrated Ata bin Yasar: I
met `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As and asked him, "Tell me about the
description of the Messenger of God in the Torah. He said, "Yes, by God,
he is described in the Torah in the same way that he is described in the Qur'an:
in the Qur'an: 'O Prophet, We have sent thee as a witness, and good things to
bear, and warning' [Surat 33:45]; a refuge to the nations. Thou art My
Messenger, I have named thee the trusting. He is neither harsh nor rough, nor
crying in the streets. He does not reward evil with evil, but pardons and
forgives. We shall not take him until through him We have caused the crooked
nation to say, There is no god but God, and through him We shall open
uncircumcised hearts, deaf ears, and blind eyes." (Sahih Bukhari 3, 34,
335)
The first part of the
hadith "witness..warner..refuge to the nations" reminds of these
verses in Isaiah:
20. And it shall be for a
sign and for a witness to the Lord of Hosts in the land of Egypt, for they
shall cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, and He shall send them a
savior and a prince, and he shall save them.
21. And the Lord shall be
known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord on that day, and
they shall serve [with] a sacrifice and a meal offering, and they shall make
vows to the Lord and they shall fulfill [them]. (Isaiah 19:20-21)
The second part reminds me
of these verses, also in Isaiah.
1. Behold My servant, I
will support him, My chosen one, whom My soul desires; I have placed My spirit
upon him, he shall promulgate justice to the nations.
2. He shall neither cry
nor shall he raise [his voice]; and he shall not make his voice heard outside.
3. A breaking reed he
shall not break; and a flickering flaxen wick he shall not quench; with truth
shall he execute justice.
4. Neither shall he weaken
nor shall he be broken, until he establishes justice in the land, and for his
instruction, islands shall long.
5. So said God the Lord,
the Creator of the heavens and the One Who stretched them out, Who spread out
the earth and what springs forth from it, Who gave a soul to the people upon it
and a spirit to those who walk thereon.
6. I am the Lord; I called
you with righteousness and I will strengthen your hand; and I formed you, and I
made you for a people's covenant, for a light to nations.
7. To open blind eyes, to
bring prisoners out of a dungeon, those who sit in darkness out of a prison.
(Isaiah 42:1-7)
The verses in Isaiah end
with a reference to the desert and the villages of Kedar:
10. Sing to the Lord a new
song, His praise from the end of the earth, those who go down to the sea and
those therein, the islands and their inhabitants.
11. The desert and its
cities shall raise [their voice]; Kedar shall be inhabited with villages; the
rock dwellers shall exult, from the mountain peaks they shall shout.
12. They shall give glory
to the Lord, and they shall recite His praise on the islands. (Isaiah 42:10-11)
--------------------------
Isaiah 42:1 says
Behold My servant, I will support him, My chosen
one, whom My soul desires; I have placed My spirit upon him, he shall
promulgate justice to the nations.
Mathew 12:18 says
Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved,
in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall
shew judgment to the Gentiles.
It doesn't look like anything is left out
Behold My servant (hen avdi) = Behold my servant
(idou ho pais)
I will support him (etmakh) = of whom I prefer (mou
hon heretisa)
My chosen one (bo bechiri) = my beloved (ho
agapetos)
whom My soul desires (ratzeta nafshi) = in whom my
soul delights (mou eis hon eudokesen he psuche)
Actually, IMHO what would have immediately become
apparent to Jews and proto-Muslims of the 6th century is that "in whom My
soul desires" and " in whom my soul delights" are conceptually
equivalent with Daniel 10:19, "O man of delights" where the word
HaMuDot which shares the same root as the name of the Prophet muHaMaD (pbuh).
It is possible that Aramaic and Arabic translations of Isaiah 41:1 used the
word "hamudot".
