Critiquing Islam 2.0

WHO IS THE PROPHET IN DEUTERONOMY 18? — AND WHY IT DEFINITELY ISN’T MUHAMMAD

For centuries, Islamic apologists have pointed to Deuteronomy 18:15–19 as a supposed biblical prophecy endorsing Muhammad as the final prophet. The claim is deceptively simple: Moses, speaking to the Israelites, allegedly predicted a prophet who would arise from “among their brethren,” and since Muhammad appeared centuries later, Muslims argue that he fulfills this role. At first glance, this may seem plausible—but a careful, textual, historical, and theological analysis exposes this claim as a complete misreading of the Bible.

The prophet described in Deuteronomy 18 is never intended to be Muhammad. Everything about the prophecy—the lineage, the context, the fulfillment, and the expectations of Moses’ audience—points directly to Jesus Christ. This post examines this claim in exhaustive detail, leaving no stone unturned.

1. The Text of Deuteronomy 18:15–19

Let us first examine the text itself. Moses says:

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear… And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.”
— Deuteronomy 18:15, 17–19

Key elements emerge immediately:

“From your midst, from your brethren.”
- The prophet is to arise from among the Israelites. The Hebrew phrase miqerev’khem, mi-achiv’khem literally translates as “from your inner circle, from your brethren.”
- This is a Jewish prophet, not an Arab from the Arabian Peninsula. Muhammad, a Quraysh of Mecca, is not from Israel or Judah. He is outside this covenantal lineage.
“Like me.”
- The prophet is to resemble Moses in function, not merely in speech. Moses was a lawgiver, deliverer, miracle worker, mediator of a covenant, and servant of God. Any prophet “like Moses” would share these characteristics.
“I will put My words in His mouth.”
- This emphasizes divine inspiration and authority, but also accountability. The prophet must faithfully deliver God’s words.

These textual details alone rule out Muhammad. He was ethnically non-Israelite, culturally foreign to the covenantal framework of Israel, and, as we will explore, lacked the kind of supernatural signs and authority that Moses’ successor was supposed to exhibit.

2. The Ethnic and Lineage Argument

The strongest and most immediate refutation of the Muhammad claim is ethnic lineage. The prophecy explicitly says the prophet will come from “your brethren.” Moses’ audience were Israelites, the children of Jacob (Israel). They expected a Jewish prophet.

2.1 The Jewish Expectation

Historical context reinforces this: when John the Baptist began his ministry, the Pharisees asked:

“…Are you the Prophet?”
— John 1:21

The expectation of a prophet like Moses was internal—a prophet from the Jewish community, who would continue Israel’s covenantal relationship with God. Muhammad, born centuries later in Arabia, was not Jewish. His entire life and mission were outside this framework.

2.2 Muhammad and the Jewish People

Muhammad’s historical attitude toward Jews further underscores the impossibility of him fulfilling this prophecy. The Hadith record is explicit about his animosity:

“The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews… until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree… but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews.”
— Sahih Muslim, Book 54, Hadith 103

“I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim.”
— Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 75

This is hardly the behavior of someone raised “from their brethren” to guide Israel faithfully. It is not simply ethnic mismatch; it is opposition, not continuity.

3. Scriptural Confirmation: The New Testament Witness

Even apart from lineage, Scripture itself identifies the prophet of Deuteronomy 18 as Jesus Christ.

3.1 Peter’s Testimony

In Acts 3:22–26, Peter explicitly connects Moses’ prophecy to Jesus:

“For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ Yes, and all the prophets… have foretold these days. God… sent His Servant Jesus, to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

This is not a passing statement. Peter clearly identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of the Deuteronomy prophecy. Every faithful Jewish prophet from Samuel onward bore witness to Jesus’ coming.

3.2 Stephen’s Defense

Similarly, in Acts 7:37, Stephen declares:

“This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’”

Stephen’s speech before the Sanhedrin reiterates that Jesus fulfills the role Moses predicted. He frames Jesus as a deliverer, rejected by the people like Moses was, but uniquely empowered and sent by God.

4. Functional Parallels: Jesus as “Like Moses”

The prophecy specifies a prophet “like Moses.” Let us examine what this means and why Muhammad fails this criterion.

4.1 Moses’ Role

Moses’ life demonstrates:

Deliverance from bondage – led Israel from slavery in Egypt.
Covenant mediation – received the Law, mediated between God and Israel.
Miracles and signs – plagues, parting the Red Sea, manna from heaven.
Judgment and guidance – interceded for Israel, enforced God’s commands.

4.2 Jesus’ Parallels

Jesus fulfills all of these in spiritual and literal senses:

Deliverance from bondage: Not from physical slavery, but from sin and death (Romans 6:6–7, Colossians 2:14).
Covenant mediation: Initiates the New Covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20, Hebrews 9:15).
Miracles and signs: Healing, resurrection, control over nature—exceeding Moses’ works (John 11:43–44).
Judgment and guidance: Teacher with authority, the ultimate interpreter of God’s will (Matthew 7:28–29).

Muhammad, in contrast, lacks the same miracles, the covenantal authority, or the role as a deliverer of the chosen people. The Qur’an records no verifiable miracles beyond anecdotal claims of revelation. He never delivered the Israelites (or anyone else) from sin or spiritual bondage.

5. Theological Consistency

Beyond lineage and function, the theological framework of Deuteronomy 18 also rules out Muhammad.

5.1 The Covenant Continuity

The prophet like Moses must:

Speak God’s words faithfully.
Lead within the covenant of Israel.

Jesus fulfills this perfectly. Muhammad introduces an entirely new covenantal system with different laws, claims authority outside the Mosaic covenant, and challenges the God of Israel by denying Christ. From a biblical perspective, this breaks the continuity required of the prophecy.

5.2 The “Son of God” Connection

While Muhammad denies Jesus’ divinity, the biblical context anticipates a prophet who not only speaks God’s words but embodies God’s ultimate plan of salvation. Jesus is God incarnate, fully executing the promises made to Abraham and Moses. Muhammad does not fit this theological expectation at all.

6. Historical Context and Audience Expectation

The Israelites expected a prophet like Moses from among themselves. This expectation was immediate and practical.

The people of Moses’ time were to listen to the prophet he promised, not someone born in a distant desert centuries later.
The Pharisees’ questions to John the Baptist reflect this ongoing expectation: “Are you the Prophet?” (John 1:21).
The early Christian proclamation, including Peter and Stephen, shows that Jesus was widely recognized as fulfilling this expectation.

Muhammad’s emergence 1,400 years later was not anticipated by Israel. There is zero historical indication that Jewish communities expected a non-Israelite prophet outside their covenantal lineage.

7. Refuting Islamic Counterclaims

Islamic apologists often argue that:

“The Prophet like Moses” does not have to be Jewish.
- Scriptural text directly contradicts this: “from your brethren” specifies Israel.
Muhammad received God’s words just as Moses did.
- Receiving revelation alone does not fulfill the prophecy. The prophet must also deliver the covenant, perform signs, and act as a deliverer—roles Muhammad fails to meet.
Jesus was only a prophet, not like Muhammad.
- This is a misunderstanding of “like Moses.” Moses’ function as covenant mediator, miracle worker, and lawgiver is far more accurately fulfilled in Jesus, not Muhammad.
Timing and universality.
- The prophecy was for Israel first, not for Arabs centuries later. Peter explicitly confirms that the fulfillment is Jesus, sent first to the Jews.

8. Comprehensive Comparison Table: Moses, Jesus, Muhammad

Feature	Moses	Jesus	Muhammad
Ethnicity	Israelite	Israelite	Arab (Quraysh)
Covenant Role	Mediator of Law	Mediator of New Covenant	Founder of Islamic law
Miracles	Plagues, Red Sea, manna	Healing, resurrection, nature	Qur’an recitation only
Deliverance	Physical slavery	Spiritual slavery	Political/religious unification
Audience	Israelites	Israelites (first)	Arabs
Lineage “from your brethren”?	✔	✔	✘
Like Moses?	—	✔	✘

The table underscores the unambiguous fulfillment in Jesus and the impossibility of Muhammad being the prophet.

9. The Ultimate Verdict

Deuteronomy 18:15–19 cannot refer to Muhammad for multiple irreducible reasons:

Ethnic mismatch: Muhammad was not from Israel.
Historical expectation: The Israelites expected a Jewish prophet.
Scriptural testimony: Peter and Stephen identify Jesus as the fulfillment.
Functional fulfillment: Jesus fulfills Moses’ role as mediator, deliverer, and miracle worker.
Theological consistency: Muhammad introduces a foreign covenant incompatible with the promise to Israel.
Timing and continuity: Jesus’ ministry aligns with the prophecy; Muhammad’s does not.

Islamic claims to the contrary are built on misreading, selective quotation, and ignoring context. Muhammad does not meet the ethnic, functional, or theological criteria specified by Moses.

10. Closing Thoughts

The claim that Deuteronomy 18 predicts Muhammad is a theological stretch unsupported by text, history, or reason. The biblical prophecy is clear, precise, and anticipatory of Jesus Christ, not a distant Arab prophet centuries later. Moses promised a deliverer from among Israel who would speak God’s words, perform miracles, mediate a covenant, and guide God’s people. Jesus fulfills every aspect of this prophecy. Muhammad fulfills none.

For anyone reading the Bible with an honest, contextual lens, the verdict is unambiguous: Deuteronomy 18 points to Jesus Christ — the Prophet like Moses, the Savior of Israel, and the ultimate deliverer of mankind. To claim otherwise is to ignore the text, the context, and the historical reality of God’s promises.