[Part 1]
The following is our first response to
Osama's attempted
"rebuttal" to my article.
Before beginning our rebuttal something needs to be said about Osama's work. Osama's material is perhaps the worst we have seen. His articles are full of absurdities, blasphemies and outright lies. Therefore, to respond to Osama is to give him credibility in the eyes of our readers, a credibility that he does not deserve.
Despite all this, we have chosen to respond to Osama due to the request of our good friend and colleague, Quennel Gale. He has asked us to put an end to Osama's fallacies and lies by refuting his alleged "rebuttal" to my material.
We are extremely thankful for Quennel Gale since his website is a thorough refutation and exposition of Osama's repeated lies, blasphemies and logical fallacies. Our readers can access Gale's site here.
Due to Mr. Gale's tremendous efforts, we have been spared from wasting time dealing with the nonsense promoted by Osama and his cronies, focusing our time instead on the more serious and scholarly challenges against the truth of Christianity.
With that just said, we proceed to respond to Osama's rather lengthy "rebuttal", much of which has very little to do with responding to my article. We first begin with his appeal to alleged predictions of Muhammad in the Holy Bible.
OSAMA:
As to the liberation of Mecca, it was foretold in the parts of the Bible that the Muslims believe are closest to the Truth.
The following was taken from www.answering-christianity.com/10000.htm
RESPONSE:
Osama seemingly thinks that by appealing to alleged biblical predictions of his prophet will somehow save Muhammad from all his false predictions. This is simply an evasion tactic on the part of Osama, since he seeks to shift the focus away from Muhammad's false predictions by introducing irrelevant issues.
As we shall see, his appeal to Deuteronomy 33:2 will serve to reinforce the fact that Muhammad is a false prophet.
OSAMA:
The liberation of Mecca (Paran) by 10,000 Muslims in the Bible:
Let us look at the following Verse from the King James Version Bible: "And Enoch [Idris in Arabic, one of Allah Almighty's Prophets peace be upon all of them to the people of Israel.] also, the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 1:14-15)"
Let us also look at the following Verse: "And he said, The LORD came from Si'-nai, and rose up from Se'-ir unto them; he shined forth from mount Pa'-ran [Mecca in Arabic], and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. (The King James Version Bible, Deuteronomy 33:2)" According to Islam's history, when Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and his followers faced hostility from the people of Mecca (Paran), they had to leave the city. They fled to the City of "Yathrib" which was called later "Madina" where Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him continued to spread Islam to all of the Arabs and then later to the countries near by.
(Click here) See Proof that "Paran" in the Bible is "Mecca"
When Islam became complete and the number of the Muslims grew up, Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him decided to liberated the Holy City of Mecca, the city of our beloved father Abraham the father of Ishmael and Isaac peace be upon all of them who built the black cube building of Kaaba in the same city, the Holy House of GOD Almighty.
The army of the Muslims that conquered Mecca without any blood shed (peacefully) were exactly 10,000 men (From the book of "Muhammad the Prophet" by Maulana Muhammad Ali, pages 128-129). The Bible calls them "ten thousands of saints".
It's quite interesting to see how the Bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament predicts this event to occur in the city of Paran (Mecca).
RESPONSE:
Click here for the proof that biblical Paran is not Mecca and why Muhammad is not a descendent of Ishmael.
Furthermore, Osama has falsely applied Jude 14-15 and Deuteronomy 33:2 to Muhammad and his followers. As we shall shortly see, these passages have nothing to do with Muhammad or Islam.
Finally, Osama has assumed that Islam is true and uses this assumption to prove his point. For instance, he assumes the Quranic lie that Abraham and Ishmael originally built the Kabah. Beginning with this premise, he sees Muhammad's "restoration" of the Kabah as an indication of fulfilled prophecy, establishing Muhammad as a true prophet. Yet the only way Osama ‘knows’ that Abraham and Ishmael built the Kabah is from the Quran, the ‘revelation’ allegedly given to Muhammad from God. This entails arguing in a vicious circle.
Osama: Muhammad is a true prophet since he restored the Kabah in fulfillment of prophecy. The Kabah was the first house of worship built by Abraham and Ishmael.
Questioner: How could Abraham and Ishmael build the Kabah when the Holy Bible states that Ishmael settled in Paran?
Osama: Well we know that Paran is actually Mecca.
Questioner: How do you know that Paran is actually Mecca?
Osama: Because the Quran tells us, and the Quran is the word of Allah.
Questioner: How do you know that the Quran is the word of Allah?
Osama: Because our prophet Muhammad told us so.
Questioner: How do you know that he is a true prophet?
Osama: Because he fulfilled the biblical prophecy stating that a prophet would enter Paran with 10,000 saints, and Paran is Mecca.
Questioner: Again, how do you know that Paran is Mecca?
And on and on it goes. Osama must first prove that Ishmael actually settled in Mecca, as opposed to biblical Paran (which is not Mecca), and then prove that both he and Abraham built the Kabah. To assert it isn't the same as proving it.
OSAMA:
Two questions for Jews and Christians:
If the prophecies above from the Bible were not referring to our beloved Prophet peace be upon him and his army, then who else are they referring to?
If you are a Christian or a Jew who does not think that the above prophecies are for Muhammad peace be upon him and his men, then would you please bring me one Christian or Jewish event that took place in the Holy City of Paran (Mecca) that involved 10,000 Christian or Jewish saints?
RESPONSE:
Again, notice the circular reasoning involved in Osama's argumentation, as well as the fallacy of false dilemma. Osama has assumed that Paran refers to Mecca, and that ten thousands of saints refers to human agents as opposed to spiritual beings such as angels. Since he has already assumed that these passages can only be referring to a prophet that comes with 10,000 men, Osama then posits an either/or scenario. Either these predictions refer to Muhammad and his soldiers, or the Jews and Christians must show an event where 10,000 Jews or Christians entered Mecca.
Yet the fact is that Paran does not refer to Mecca, nor do ten thousands of saints necessarily refer to human beings, as we shall shortly demonstrate.
Furthermore, since Osama assumes that these passages refer to the coming of Muhammad we pose the following challenge to Osama. Deuteronomy 33:2 states:
"The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir;
he shone forth from Mount Paran.
He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes."
The text says that God came with his myriads from several places such as Sinai, Seir, and Mount Paran. The text nowhere claims that God's myriads only came with him from Paran.
To be consistent, Osama must document to his readers the sending of prophets from Sinai and Seir with 10,000 human soldiers. If Osama fails to document the fulfillment of this event in Sinai and Seir, then this will only serve to establish the fact that Deuteronomy has absolutely nothing to do with a false prophet entering Mecca with his armies.
OSAMA:
Further from brother Haleem, a new convert to Islam; may Allah Almighty always be pleased with him:
It is a well-established tradition, that:
The Prophet [pbuh] left Medina [for Mecca] in the company of ten thousand in Ramadan.
Saheeh Bukhari, 5:574, emphasis added.
RESPONSE:
First, as we have already indicated Osama erroneously assumes that Deuteronomy 33:2 is prophetic when it is not. It simply refers to God coming to deliver his people from Egypt and leading them into the Promised Land. More on this later.
Furthermore, in the link to our article above, we have given the documentation that Paran is nowhere near Mecca and therefore Deuteronomy 33:2 could not be referring to it. For further documentation please read the following articles: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5].
Secondly, the reference to ten thousands of saints is a reference to the angelic host that accompanied God. Osama takes exception to the claim that ten thousands refers to the angelic host, an exception we will shortly address. We would first like to highlight Osama's misreading of the text. Osama claims that the text speaks of ten THOUSAND saints, yet here is how different translations render the text in question:
"And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten THOUSANDS of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them." KJV
"The LORD came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came with ten THOUSANDS of saints; From His right hand Came a fiery law for them." NKJV
"And he said, Jehovah came from Sinai, And rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, And he came from the ten THOUSANDS of holy ones: At his right hand was a fiery law for them." American Standard Version
"He said, ‘The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned from Se'ir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran, he came from the ten THOUSANDS of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand.’" RSV
"He said: The Lord came from Sinai, and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran. With him were MYRIADS of holy ones; at his right, a host of his own." NRSV
"He said, Yahweh came from Sinai, Rose from Seir to them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, He came from the ten THOUSANDS of holy ones: At his right hand was a fiery law for them." World English Bible
"And he said, the LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir to them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten THOUSANDS of saints: from his right hand [went] a fiery law for them." Webster's Bible
"And he said: The Lord came from Sinai, and from Seir he rose up to us: he hath appeared from mount Pharan, and with him THOUSANDS of saints. In his right hand a fiery law." Douay- Rheims Version
He said: "The Lord came from Mount Sinai and rose like the sun from Edom; he showed his greatness from Mount Paran. He came with THOUSANDS of angels from the southern mountains." New Century Version
He said, "The LORD came from Sinai. For his people he rose from Seir [like the sun]. He appeared like sunshine from Mount Paran. He came with TENS OF THOUSANDS of holy ones. On his right was a raging fire for them." GOD'S WORD Translation
And he said: "The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them. He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten THOUSANDS of saints; from His right hand went a fiery law for them." Third Millennium Bible
"and he saith: -- `Jehovah from Sinai hath come, And hath risen from Seir for them; He hath shone from mount Paran, And hath come [with] MYRIADS of holy ones; At His right hand [are] springs for them." Young's Literal Translation
"And he said, Jehovah came from Sinai, And rose up from Seir unto them; He shone forth from mount Paran, And he came from the MYRIADS of the sanctuary; From his right hand [went forth] a law of fire for them." Darby Translation
"The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with MYRIADS of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes." NIV
Since the text speaks of ten THOUSANDS or MYRIADS of holy ones, not ten thousand, we challenge Osama to show us how Muhammad actually fulfilled this. He has already indicated that there were only ten thousand soldiers, not ten THOUSANDS, accompanying Muhammad into Mecca. We will have more to say below.
Finally, Jude 14-15 is a reference to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all his holy angels and saints, as well shall shortly demonstrate.
OSAMA:
In both Old and New Testaments - despite the corrupted nature of the texts - the appearance of Muhammad with an army of 10,000 is prophesied. In Deuteronomy 33:2, the appearance of a prophet with "ten thousands of saints" is predicted by Moses:
And he said The Lord came from Sinai, and rose
up from Seir unto
them; he shined forth from Mount Paran, and he
came with ten
thousands of saints; from his right hand went a
fiery law for them.
Bible (King James Version), Deuteronomy 33:2, emphasis added.
That this reference is to the prophet Muhammad [pbuh] is unmistakable:
"Paran" is a biblical name for the
part of Arabia called Hejaz
where prophet Muhammad [pbuh] was born. When
prophet
Ishmael and his mother were driven out by
Sarah; they settled
in the "Wilderness of Paran"
(Genesis, 21:21). Prophet Ishmael
happens to be the progenitor of prophet
Muhammad [pbuh]. . . .
"Muhammad [pbuh] In the Bible," Mohd Elfi Nieshaem Juferi,
http://members.xoox.com/_XMCM/lordxarkun/Islam/habakkuk.html.
RESPONSE:
We have already alluded to the gross error in identifying Paran with Mecca. Sadly for the Muslims, the data doesn't support such a distortion of history and geography.
Furthermore, Osama disparagingly refers to "the corrupted nature of the texts" of the Holy Bible. The fact remains that it is the Quran that has been badly corrupted. The Holy Bible is vastly superior to the Quran in terms of the number and quality of MSS, and in the number of variants. The Quran has suffered more corruption and has more variant readings, despite the fact that it is more recent then the books of the Holy Bible! Please read the following articles for the documentation: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10].
Astonishingly, the Quran itself testifies to its own corruption:
"Like as We sent down on the dividers Those who made the Quran INTO SHREDS. So, by your Lord, We would most certainly question them all, As to what they did." S. 15:90-93 Shakir
Scholar in Islamic studies Alphonse Mingana comments on this passage:
"Finally, if we understand correctly the following verse of Suratul-Hijr (xv. 90-91): ‘As we sent down upon (punished) the dividers (of the Scripture?) who broke up the Koran into parts,’ we are tempted to state that even when the Prophet was alive, some changes were noticed in the recital of certain verses of his sacred book. There is nothing very surprising in this fact, since Muhammad could not read or write, and was at the mercy of friends for the writing of his revelations, or, more frequently, of some mercenary amanuenses." (Mingana, "Three Ancient Korans", The Origins of the Koran - Classic Essays on Islam's Holy Book, ed. by Ibn Warraq [Prometheus Books, Amherst NY, 1998], p. 84; bold emphasis ours)
Muslims have attempted to "respond" to the textual corruption of the Quran, but have failed. We challenge the readers to look at the facts and compare them to the assertions made by Muslim propagandists and see if their arguments stack up against the evidence.
Interestingly, this again demonstrates Osama's circular reasoning. Let us break down Osama's logic to see how fallacious it really is:
The Holy Bible has been tampered with.
Muslims know this to be the case since the Quran was sent down (allegedly) as a Criterion to (allegedly) indicate what was corrupted and what remained intact.
One reason why Muslims believe that the Quran is true is because Muhammad is a prophet.
Muslims know that Muhammad is a prophet because he is predicted in the Holy Bible.
Therefore, the corrupted Bible serves as a witness to Muhammad's prophethood, who in turn proves that the Quran is from God, which in turn proves that the Holy Bible has been corrupted!
Or:
The Quran (allegedly) demonstrates that the Holy Bible has been tampered with. And we know the Quran is true because Muhammad is a prophet. And we know that Muhammad is a prophet because he is predicted in the Holy Bible!
This is a classic textbook example of circular argumentation, one that Muslims are infamous for.
OSAMA:
Not only the history of the Israelite prophets, but the
annals of the world point out but one person - that of the Holy
Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] as being the holy one accompanied
by ten thousand saints. . . .
"Muhammad In World Scriptures," Volume I, Maulana Abdul Haq Vidyarthi (New USA
Edition, 1999), p. 73, emphasis added.
RESPONSE:
Again, as we have already indicated, the text doesn't speak of ten THOUSAND saints, but rather of ten THOUSANDS of saints. So the Muslims' gross misreading of the text doesn't help their case any, but soundly refutes it.
OSAMA:
In order to obscure this prophecy, the New Living Translation, Douay and some other English translations of the Bible, purposely mistranslate Deuteronomy 33:2, to eliminate all references to "ten thousand."
Maulana Abdul Haq Vidyarthi comments on this mistranslation as follows:
There is an important word ribeboth - which
occurs in the text
which we have translated as ten thousands. This
word has
occurred at many places in the books of the
Prophets, and is derived
ribboth which means ten thousands. The
dictionary A Hebrew
and English Lexicon by Gesenius and Brown has
shown ribboth
to mean a myriad, ten thousands, and
shte-ribboth to mean
twice ten thousand. Sometimes ribboth is used
without the final
letter th with the same meaning. [see e.g. 1
Chronicles, 29:7; Ezra, 2:64;
Niemiah, 7:66, all using ribbo]
Id., at p. 74, emphasis in original, footnotes and Hebrew text omitted, footnote 97
partially reproduced in ellipses.
Significantly , in both the New Living Translation and Douay Bible, 1 Chronicles 29:7, which talks about offerings of "ten thousand darics gold" and "ten thousand talents of silver," the Hebrew number term that is not translated "ten thousand" in Deuteronomy 33:2 is translated as "ten thousand."
RESPONSE:
Let us highlight Osama's own source and see how it soundly exposes the deceptive misquoting of the Holy Bible:
There is an important word ribeboth – which occurs in the text which we have translated as TEN THOUSANDS. This word has occurred at many places in the books of the Prophets, and is derived RIBBOTH which means TEN THOUSANDS. The dictionary A Hebrew and English Lexicon by Gesenius and Brown has shown RIBBOTH to mean A MYRIAD, TEN THOUSANDS, and shte-ribboth to mean twice ten thousand. Sometimes ribboth is used without the final letter th with the same meaning. [see e.g. 1 Chronicles, 29:7; Ezra, 2:64; Niemiah, 7:66, all using ribbo]
Notice that Osama's very own source says that ribboth DOESN'T mean ten thousand, but rather ten THOUSANDS or even MYRIADS. Ribeboth and ribboth are actually the same Hebrew word. The vowel with the first "b" in "ribeboth" is a silent shewa and should not be transliterated. Some earlier transliteration systems did transliterate shewa as "e"; and some instances of the word could be transliterated as "ribeboth." Ribboth is the plural form of the feminine singular word "rebabah" [Strong's number 7233]. It is rebabah that means a myriad or ten thousand. Yet the plural means myriads or ten thousands.
Furthermore, as Osama's very own source indicates, the Hebrew word translated "ten thousand" in 1 Chronicles 29:7, Ezra 2:64 and Numbers 7:66 is "ribbo", not "ribboth." "Ribbo" is the singular form of the word [Strong's number 7239]. While both words come from the same Hebrew root "rbb" and have essentially the same meaning, they are different words as evidenced by Strong's index numbers, and by separate entries in the lexicons. The word in Deuteronomy 33:2 is plural, and the word used in the other citations is singular.
Osama's source claims that ribeboth, "has occurred at many places in the books of the Prophets, and is derived ribboth which means ten thousands."
As we have seen ribeboth and ribboth are actually the same word. Furthermore, the singular form of the word occurs only 7 times: Gen. 24:60; Lev. 26:8; Deut. 32:30; Jdg. 20:10; Ps. 91:7; Song 5:10; Ezek. 16:7.
The plural occurs 9 times: Num. 10:36; Deut. 33:2, 17; 1 Sam. 18:7f; 21:12; 29:5; Ps. 3:7; Mic. 6:7.
In light of this, it can hardly be said that the word occurs many times in the prophets since it only occurs twice in the prophetic books.
Osama's source further claims that, "The dictionary A Hebrew and English Lexicon by Gesenius and Brown has shown ribboth to mean a myriad, ten thousands, and shte-ribboth to mean twice ten thousand."
Yet according to The Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament by Brown, Driver, and Briggs (Oxford Press, 1907) p. 914, it is the word "rebabah" that means "multitude, myriad, or ten thousand." And the word "shte" doesn't occur with the plural form of "rebabah" in the Bible.
Osama's source then claims that, "Sometimes ribboth is used without the final letter th with the same meaning. [see e.g. 1 Chronicles, 29:7; Ezra, 2:64; Niemiah, 7:66, all using ribbo]"
This is a completely incorrect statement. The word "ribbo" is a different word and is not derived from the plural form of "rebabah" [ribboth] above. It has a separate entry in the Brown, Driver, and Briggs Lexicon (same page). In that entry the lexicon states: "later (Aramaizing) synonym of [the] foregoing; perh[aps] for Aram[aic] ribbu(th)." The word "ribbo" means ten thousand or myriad. This word occurs 10 times: 1 Chr. 29:7; Ezr. 2:64, 69; Neh. 7:66, 70, 71; Ps. 68:18; Dan. 11:12; Jon. 4:11. Again rarely in the prophetic books. This word occurs twice with "shte" to mean twenty thousand in the OT (Neh. 7:70, 71). These factors indicate that Osama's source is not well informed in Hebrew grammar and lexicography. Much like Osama, he needs to grasp at straws to make a point that cannot be justified.
This only further proves that the text says nothing about ten THOUSAND soldiers, but rather of ten THOUSANDS of saints. As we shall shortly demonstrate these saints refer to angels.
Interestingly, Osama attacks the NLT for deliberately omitting the reference to "ten thousand". Yet as we have just seen, the actual Hebrew says nothing about ten thousand, but rather refers to ten THOUSANDS! So it is Osama who is deliberately misquoting the Holy Bible.
OSAMA:
It also should be noted that the Revised Standard Bible, Websters Bible, World English Bible and New American Standard all include the number "ten thousand" in their translations of Deuteronomy 33:2.
Todays English Version attempts to obscure the prophecy contained in Deuteronomy 33:2 another way, by translating the Hebrew as saying "ten thousand angels," rather than "ten thousand saints."
Maulana Abdul Haq Vidyarthi also has commented on this mistranslation:
The next important word in this regard is qodesh, which is now
being translated into angels. Its primary meaning is pure and holy and
is applied to every pure and holy thing, person or people or even to a place,
e.g. admath-qodesh, [Exodus 3:5] holy ground; meqom-ha-qodesh, [Leviticus,
10:7] holy place; am-ha-qodesh, [Daniel 12;7] holy people; har-qodeshi,
[Psalms 2;6] my holy hill.
Hence, me-ribeboth-qodesh, according to the dictionary and usage of the Bible means with then thousands of saints.
"Muhammad In World Scriptures," supra, at p. 74, emphasis in original, footnotes omitted, footnotes 98, 99, 100 and 101 reproduced in ellipses.
Here, again, most English translations of the Bible agree that the "ten thousand" are "saints" or "holy ones," not "angels." See e.g. Revised Standard Version ("holy ones"); Websters Bible ("saints"); New American Standard ("holy ones"); Douay ("saints").
RESPONSE:
First, it should be stated that the New American Standard and Today's English Version are the only ones that read the singular "ten thousand" in Deut. 33:2. So Osama is wrong regarding the rendering of the RSV, the Webster's Bible and the WEB. The following English translations also render the word as "ten thousands": ASV, DRA, ESV, GNV, KJV, NKJ, RWB; likewise, the Greek Septuagint (LXX) renders it as plural. The following English translations render the word as "myriads" [plural]: DBY, JPS, NIB, NIV, NRS, YLT. The following English translations translate the word as a place-name: BBE, NAB, NLT, TNK. One English translation (NJB) paraphrases the text as though no number is there. Of all the 16 translations that render the word as a number, roughly two (NAS and TEV) renders the plural word as a singular. One cannot build a case on an incorrect translation. Standard Hebrew grammar, syntax, and lexicography expect the plural form of the word to be translated plural.
Second, let us see if there is any weight behind Osama's assertion that to translate qodesh/hagios as angels would be a mistranslation:
"Call if you will, but who will answer you? To which of the HOLY ONES will you turn?" Job 5:1
"What is man, that he could be pure, or one born of woman, that he could be righteous? If God places no trust in his HOLY ONES, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, how much less MAN, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks up evil like water!" Job 15:14-16
"For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings? In the council of the HOLY ONES God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him. O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you." Psalm 89:6-8
"In the visions I saw while lying in my bed, I looked, and there before me was a messenger, a HOLY ONE, coming down from heaven ... The decision is announced by messengers, the HOLY ONES declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men." Daniel 4:13, 17
"You, O king, saw a messenger, a HOLY ONE, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live like the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.’" Daniel 4:23
"As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened." Daniel 7:9-10
"Then I heard a HOLY ONE speaking, and another HOLY ONE said to him, ‘How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled--the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot? He said to me, ‘It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.’ While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. And I heard a man's voice from the Ulai calling, ‘Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.’" Daniel 8:13-16
These passages clearly establish that qodesh/hagios can refer to angels.
In order to know whether Deuteronomy 33:2 is referring to angels we must first look at the context, other passages of scripture, and ancient versions of the OT. We will be looking at the Septuagint [LXX] in order to see if the pre-Christians Jews believed that the ten thousands referred to angels.
Lest Osama objects to our use of the Septuagint, here is what his pals at Bismikaallahuma have to say about its reliability:
From the citation above, we can conclude that:
1) Septuagint is a Greek version of the Old Testament.
2) It (Septuagint) has already existed three centuries before Christ was born, and therefore IT IS AUTHENTIC. (source)
Note the way the Septuagint translates Deuteronomy 33:2:
"And he said, The Lord is come from Sina, and has appeared from Seir to us, and has hasted out the mount of Pharan, with the ten THOUSANDS (muriasi) of Cades; on his right hand were ANGELS WITH HIM."
This shows that even prior to the birth of Christ, the Jewish translators understood "holy ones" to be the angelic host accompanying God.
The following citations provide additional evidence that the ten thousands refer to the angels that accompanied God during the Exodus:
"you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it." Acts 7:53
"What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator." Galatians 3:19
"For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment," Hebrews 2:2
"But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly," Hebrews 12:22
"Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and TEN THOUSAND times TEN THOUSAND. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders." Revelation 5:11
The last two verses indicate that the ten thousands are angels that descended from heaven to accompany God, not soldiers from Medina to accompany a false prophet.
Let us now look at the context of Deuteronomy 33:
"This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. He said: The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes. Surely it is you who love the people; ALL THE HOLY ONES ARE IN YOUR HAND. AT YOUR FEET THEY ALL BOW DOWN, and from you receive instruction, THE LAW THAT MOSES GAVE US, the possession of the assembly of Jacob. He was king over Jeshurun when the leaders of the people assembled, along with the tribes of Israel ... There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, ‘Destroy him!’ SO ISRAEL WILL LIVE IN SAFETY ALONE; Jacob's spring is secure in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew. Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places." Deuteronomy 33:1-5, 26-29
When we examine the context we note the following:
"By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people." Exodus 13:21-22
"The Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.’ Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said ... On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, ‘Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them. Moses said to the Lord, ‘The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, "Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy."’ The Lord replied, ‘Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.’ So Moses went down to the people and told them." Exodus 19:9, 16-25
"When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’ The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness WHERE GOD WAS." Exodus 20:18-21
"Then he said to Moses, ‘Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, but Moses alone is to approach the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him’ ... Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under HIS FEET was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; THEY SAW GOD, and they ate and drank. The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.’ Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, ‘Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.’ When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights." Exodus 24:1-2, 9-18
"And what great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day? Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children- how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’ And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom. Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that you might do them in the land which you are going over to possess. Therefore take good heed to yourselves. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire." Deuteronomy 4:8-15 RSV
"Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. (At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.’" Deuteronomy 5:1-6
"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.’" Deuteronomy 18:15-16
Unless Osama wants to claim that Muhammad is Yahweh God, then the futility of trying to apply this to Muslims entering Mecca is quite apparent for all to see.
Furthermore, these passages also demonstrate that the true God of the Holy Bible personally appears to his servants in some tangible manner, unlike Allah of the Quran. This in itself proves that the true God Yahweh is not the same entity as Allah, the god of Muhammad. They are two different Beings.
In the context (33:3), the holy ones refer to the people of Israel. Unless Osama wants to claim that Muhammad had sovereign control over Israel during the time of Moses the absurdity of viewing this as a prophecy of Islam is rather evident.
Again, unless Osama believes that the angels, the Israelites and/or the 10,000 Muslims bowed down to Muhammad he simply has no exegetical basis to argue that this is a prophecy of his prophet.
As the above passages clearly demonstrate, Moses received the Law directly from God on the mountain in full view of the Israelites. Nothing is said about the giving of future revelations via prophets and messengers.
The passage also speaks of the deliverance of Israel from her enemies and her living safely in the land. In fact, the entire chapter focuses on Israel. For example Moses prophesies over tribes such as Zebulun (v. 18-19) and Naphtali (v.23).
Yet unlike the Holy Bible, both the Quran and the Hadith view the nation of Israel as an enemy that must be vanquished:
"O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust." S. 5:51
"Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say, ‘We are Christians’: because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant." S. 5:82
O ye who believe! The idolaters only are unclean. So let them not come near the Inviolable Place of Worship after this their year. If ye fear poverty (from the loss of their merchandise) Allah shall preserve you of His bounty if He will. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise. Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low. The Jews call Ùzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them (lit. Allah kill them-Qaatala-humullaah): how they are deluded away from the Truth! They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords beside Allah, and (they take as their Lord) Christ the son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One God. there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (Far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him). Fain would they extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths, but Allah will not allow but that His Light should be perfected, even though the Unbelievers may detest (it). It is He Who hath sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to cause it to prevail over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it)." S. 9:28-33 Pickthall
Narrated Ibn ‘Umar:
Umar bin Al-Khattab expelled all the Jews and Christians from the land of Hijaz.
Allah's Apostle after conquering Khaibar, thought of expelling the Jews from the
land which, after he conquered it belonged to Allah, Allah's Apostle and the Muslims.
But the Jews requested Allah's Apostle to leave them there on the condition that they
would do the labor and get half of the fruits (the land would yield). Allah's Apostle
said, "We shall keep you on these terms as long as we wish." Thus they
stayed till the time of ‘Umar's Caliphate when he expelled them to Taima and Ariha.
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 53, Number 380)
Narrated Ibn 'Umar:
Umar expelled the Jews and the Christians from Hijaz. When Allah's Apostle had
conquered Khaibar, he wanted to expel the Jews from it as its land became the property
of Allah, His Apostle, and the Muslims. Allah's Apostle intended to expel the Jews
but they requested him to let them stay there on the condition that they would do the labor
and get half of the fruits. Allah's Apostle told them, "We will let you stay on
thus condition, as long as we wish." So, they (i.e. Jews) kept on living there until
'Umar forced them to go towards Taima' and Ariha'. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3,
Book 39, Number 531)
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin 'Umar:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The Jews will fight with you, and you will be
given victory over them so that a stone will say, ‘O Muslim! There is a Jew behind
me; kill him!’" (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 791)
Muhammad's extreme hatred for both Jews and Christians is further seen from the following Hadiths:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) saying, "We (Muslims) are the last (to come) but
(will be) the foremost on the Day of Resurrection though the former nations were given the
Holy Scriptures before us. And this was their day (Friday) the celebration of which was
made compulsory for them but they differed about it. So Allah gave us the guidance for it
(Friday) and all the other people are behind us in this respect: the Jews'
(holy day is) tomorrow (i.e. Saturday) and the Christians' (is) the day after tomorrow
(i.e. Sunday)." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 13, Number 1)
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "Jews and Christians do not dye their hair so you should do the
opposite of what they do." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 72, Number 786)
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "The Jews and the Christians do not dye (their grey hair), so
you shall do the opposite of what they do (i.e. dye your grey hair and beards)."
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 668)
Narrated Musab:
I asked my father, "Was the Verse:-- 'Say: (O Muhammad) Shall We tell you the
greatest losers in respect of their deeds?'(18.103) revealed regarding
Al-Haruriyya?" He said, "No, but regarding the Jews and the Christians,
for the Jews disbelieved Muhammad and the Christians disbelieved in Paradise and say that
there are neither meals nor drinks therein. Al- Hururiyya are those people who break their
pledge to Allah after they have confirmed that they will fulfill it, and Sad used to call
them 'Al-Fasiqin (evildoers who forsake Allah's obedience).
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 252)
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ismail ibn Abi Hakim that he heard Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz say, "One of the last things that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said was, 'May Allah fight the jews and the christians. They took the graves of their Prophets as places of prostration. Two deens shall not co-exist in the land of the Arabs.’" (Malik's Muwatta, Book 45, Number 45.5.17)
Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
Suhayl ibn Abu Salih said: I went out with my father to Syria. The people passed by the
cloisters in which there were Christians and began to salute them. My father said: Do
not give them salutation first, for Abu Hurayrah reported the Apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him) as saying: Do not salute them (Jews and Christians) first, and when
you meet them on the road, FORCE THEM TO GO TO THE NARROWEST PART OF IT.
(Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 41, Number 5186)
Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Religion will continue to prevail as long as people
hasten to break the fast, because the Jews and the Christians delay doing so.
(Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 13, Number 2346)
Narrated Abu Umayr ibn Anas:
Abu Umayr reported on the authority of his uncle who was from the Ansar (the helpers of
the Prophet): The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) was anxious as to how to gather the people
for prayer.
The people told him: Hoist a flag at the time of prayer; when they see it, they will inform one another. But he (the Prophet) did not like it. Then someone mentioned to him the horn.
Ziyad said: A horn of the Jews. He (the Prophet) did not like it. He said: This is the matter of the Jews. Then they mentioned to him the bell of the Christians. He said: This is the matter of the Christians. Abdullah ibn Zayd returned anxiously from there because of the anxiety of the Apostle (peace_be_upon_him). He was then taught the call to prayer in his dream. Next day he came to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) and informed him about it ... (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 2, Number 0498)
"On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran. They set out, this first time, at the LORD's command through Moses." Numbers 10:11-13
"So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back. After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran." Numbers 12:15-16
"The LORD said to Moses, ‘Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.’ So at the LORD's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites." Numbers 13:1-3
"At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: ‘We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.’" Numbers 13:25-27
"These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of the Jordan—that is, in the Arabah—opposite Suph, between PARAN and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount SEIR road.)" Deuteronomy 1:1-2
"Then you replied, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.’ So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. But the Lord said to me, ‘Tell them, "Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’" So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord's command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from SEIR all the way to Hormah. You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. And so you stayed in Kadesh many days-all the time you spent there." Deuteronomy 1:41-46
It becomes quite evident that Sinai, Seir and Paran do not refer to Moses, Jesus and Muhammad as some Muslims erroneously assume. It refers to God appearing to his people to guide them throughout their sojourn prior to their entrance into the Promise Land. Dr. J.H. Hertz, editor of Pentateuch and Haftorahs, Hebrew Text English Translation and Commentary, comments:
2. The LORD came from Sinai. The mountain of Revelation, to make His abode in Israel's midst. Sinai was the starting-point in the manifestation of the Divine glory to Israel.
And rose. A metaphor of sunrise. God "dawned" on them; had ‘risen’ for them, and had shed forth the light of His law upon Israel, so that henceforth they walked in His light.
from Seir. The hill-country of Edom, to the east of Sinai.
mount Paran. Perhaps the mountain-range forming the southern boundary of Canaan. The Divine Presence journeyed, as it were with Israel from Sinai, through Seir, through Paran, and then finally through the desert; aiding and guarding them, even until they became established in the good inheritance Divinely promised to the Fathers.
holy. Better, of holy ones. As in Psalm LXVIII, 18, God is here poetically depicted as coming forth from the angelic hosts that surround His throne. (Hertz, p. 909; the Soncino Press, London second edition; bold emphasis ours)
Interestingly, this is how Hertz translates the Hebrew:
And he said: The LORD came from Sinai,
And rose from Seir unto them;
He shined forth from mount Paran.
And He came FROM the myriads holy,
At his right hand was a fiery law unto them.
The rendering, from the myriads holy, is due to the Hebrew preposition min. Some render the preposition as with, while others like Hertz as from. If one opts for the latter rendering, then the text would be referring to God descending from the midst of the myriads of his angels in heaven to deliver his people. (cf. 1 Kings 22:19-23; Isaiah 6:1-8; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 5:11) Yet either rendering has nothing to do with Muhammad.
The following passages provide additional proof that Deuteronomy 33:2 is speaking of the Exodus:
"O LORD, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel." Judges 5:4-5
"When you went out before your people, O God, when you marched through the wasteland, Selah the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel ... When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Zalmon. The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan. Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at THE MOUNTAIN where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever? The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord [has come] from Sinai into his sanctuary. When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious-- that you, O LORD God, might dwell there. Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death. Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins. The Lord says, ‘I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea, that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share.’ Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary. In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the maidens playing tambourines. Praise God in the great congregation; praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel. There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah's princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali. Summon your power, O God; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before. Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring you gifts. Psalm 68:7-8, 14-29
The reference to "the One of Sinai", "Seir", "Edom", "the Mountain", "the Lord from Sinai," and "tens of thousands and thousands of thousands" are clear allusions to Deuteronomy 33. These passages are looking back to the Exodus as the major event in which God demonstrated his great power and love for his people, and as the basis for trusting God's unfailing promises to deliver his righteous remnant. Hence, the oldest biblical witnesses testify that Deuteronomy 33 is a poetic description of the Exodus event.
Interestingly, Psalm 68:18 is applied to the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ into glory:
"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: ‘When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.’ (What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) Ephesians 4:7-10
The reason why Paul can apply this passage to Christ is due to the NT teaching that Christians are experiencing a new Exodus. God is delivering his people from the hands of Satan and is leading them to the heavenly Promise Land:
"Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast-as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
"So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, "Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways." So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."’ See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.’ Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief." Hebrews 3:7-18
And:
"Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, ‘So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."’ And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: ‘And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.’ And again in the passage above he says, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:1-11
The final problem with Osama's claim is that according to Muslim sources, Muhammad did not enter Mecca with ten thousand soldiers, but with twelve thousand! Renowned Muslim exegete and historian, al-Tabari, wrote:
"Ibn Humayd- Salamah- Ibn Ishaq- 'Abdallah b. Abi Bakr: The Messenger marched with 2,000 Meccans and 10,000 of his companions [who had marched with him and] with whose help God had facilitated the conquest of Mecca. Thus there were 12,000 in all. The Messenger of God placed 'Attab b. Asid b. Abi al-'As b. Umayyah b. 'Abd Shams in charge of Mecca [to look after] the men who stayed behind while he proceeded to confront Hawazin." (The History of Al-Tabari: The Last Years of the Prophet, translated and annotated by Ismail K. Poonawala [State University of New York Press, Albany 1990], Volume IX, p. 8; bold emphasis ours)
Another noted expositor Ibn Kathir narrates a tradition which says the same thing:
"I note that according to the statements of 'Urwa, al-Zuhri and Musa b. 'Uqba, the total number of the 2 armies with which he faced Hawazin was 14,000 SINCE HE HAD BROUGHT 12,000 TO MECCA, IN THEIR VIEW, and 2,000 of the al-tulaqa had been joined to these." (Ibn Kathir, The Life of the Prophet Muhammad: Al-Sira Al-Nabawiyya, translated by Professor Trevor Le Gassick, Reviewed by Dr. Muneer Fareed [Garnet Publishing Court, 8 Southern Court, South Street Reading, RGI 4QS 2000], Volume III, p. 440; capital emphasis ours)
And:
"'Urwa b. al-Zbayr stated, 'He had 12,000 men with him.' Al-Zuhri and Musa b. 'Uqba said the same..." (Ibid., p. 386)
Thus, Osama's key, foundational point connecting Muhammad with Deuteronomy 33:2 is not only utterly baseless from a biblical perspective, but his claim of ten thousand Muslim soldiers doesn't even have the support of his own Muslim sources!
These points sufficiently put the rest the absurd notion that Deuteronomy 33:2 refers to Muhammad.
In the next part, we will be addressing Osama's absurd claim that Jude 1:14-15 is another reference to Muhammad and his soldiers.
In the service of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever. Amen. Come Lord Jesus.
[Continue with Part 2]
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