Jesus is seen in the Qur’an as confirming the Law or Taurat and as having received the Gospel. Muhammad built on the work of Jesus.

The Bible makes no mention of Muhammad: it was completed centuries before his birth. It can only be claimed that the Bible contains very general predictions of Muhammad, and such claims depend on specific interpretations of certain passages.

The Qur’an says that Jesus announced the coming of a Messenger called Ahmad. Ahmad: the renowned, the celebrated, is another name for Muhammad. Reference is made to the Gospel of John, in which the Greek word ‘parakleitos’ is used.

‘Parakleitos’: has a variety of meanings such as comforter, helper, healer, spirit of Truth.

But there is another Greek word ‘periklutos: famous’ or, in Arabic, Ahmad. It is claimed that the word in question in John’s gospel/manuscript should be read as periklutos rather than as parakleitos.

Tradition has it that this refers to Muhammad, the uneducated prophet, who is also known as Ahmad, the Renowned. According to the Qur’an, Muhammad was not able to read or write:

“And thou wast not able to recite a Book before this, nor art thou able to transcribe it with thy right hand” Surah 29: 48

The Muslim interpretation of the texts of the Gospel according to John is rejected by Christian scholars. They say the Messenger or Comforter ( parakleitos) whose coming Jesus prophesied, is the Holy Spirit which descended on the apostles during the Jewish feast of Pentecost (chapter 10). This gave Jesus’ disciples the courage to spread his message to the world, even after his death. The descent of the Holy Spirit is seen as the beginning of the Christian Church and is celebrated at the annual Christian feast of Pentecost or Whitsun.

Here are the relevant passages from the Qur’an and the Bible.