It is written in the Qur’an
Sura Al Saff 61:6: "And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: ‘O
Children of Israel! I am the apostle of God (sent) to you, confirming
the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of an Apostle to
come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.’ "
I have read in Ahmad Deedat’s
book that Jesus spoke of the prophet Mohammed in the Bible.
Dear Friend, thank you for
your question. John Chapter 14 verses 16 and 17 are the ones quoted
most frequently to prove the above point. So let us discuss them. Let
me clarify first for you, Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit in
Christianity is not the Archangel Gabriel as Muslims use the term. The
Holy Spirit of God is the spirit of God. He is God himself.
So let us understand the
verses. "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot
accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him,
for he lives with you and will be in you."
In the second part of verse
16 you see the statement: "to be with you forever." This speaks of the
eternal Spirit of God. The world cannot see him because the Holy Spirit
is invisible. The spirit of God is in us. As you see, these descriptions
could not fit or match the claim.
In John 14 verses 25-26, you
find Jesus saying that the Holy Spirit will testify for him and no one
else. "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor,
the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you
all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." And in
John 15 verse 26 we read: "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to
you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father,
he will testify about me." The Holy Spirit goes out of the Father. This
is not created. The Holy Spirit is not created but he is the Spirit of
God.
Acts chapter 2 verse 4: "All
of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other
tongues as the Spirit enabled them." Acts chapter 2 verses 31-33:
"Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that
he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has
raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted
to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised
Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. "
In the above passage, you
find the followers of Jesus being filled with the Spirit. The events in
the above verses show a timing that is immediately after Jesus has left.
The prophecy has been fulfilled in the time just after Jesus and not 600
years later.
Another passage of the
Scripture states that we have to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God
instead of being filled with alcohol. "Do not get drunk on wine, which
leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. " (Ephesians
chapter 5 verse 18)
As Christians it is wrong to
speak of the Holy Spirit as a created being or man or as an angel. As
you read the Bible you will find that the acts performed and the
attributes given to the Holy Spirit are the same as God.
One last issue to discuss is
the Greek word for the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. If you study all the
early manuscripts you will find none of these manuscripts mentions the
Greek form of the "praised one." But they mention the comforter, the
defender.
As you have seen, the Holy
Spirit in us helps us to live godly lives. He makes us aware of sins and
how to avoid them. He also reminds us with the word of God so we may not
sin against him. Our body is called the temple of the Holy Spirit. This
carries responsibilities that we may not and should not abuse the body
where the Spirit lives. So as you see, the Holy Spirit is our comforter
and our defender against Satan. He is the ever-present Spirit of God
guiding us to be godly everyday of our lives.
The Holy Spirit also helps us
in praying: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do
not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes
for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans chapter 8 verse
26)
The Holy Spirit also gives
different gifts to different believers. Here is what the Bible declares
and pronounces:
"There are different kinds of
gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but
the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God
works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the
Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the
Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by
means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to
another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous
powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits,
to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another
the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the
same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." (1
Corinthians chapter 12 verses 4-11)
We can resolutely conclude
from the passages above that the Holy Spirit does not mean a man, a
prophet or an Angel. He is God Himself. Therefore the claim made above
could not be substantiated chronologically, theologically or
linguistically.
Thank you for your question.