Refutation: "From among their brethren..." (A Jewish brethren only?)

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."

[Deuteronomy 18:18]

Could brethren refer to Ishmaelites?

Brown's Hebrew lexicon states that the hebrew word can refer to an indefinite relative or kin in a wider way, like cousins.




In Deuteronomy 2:4*, 8, 'brethren' was used in conjunction with the Edomites, who were basically their cousins.


*King James Bible [Deuteronomy 2:4]

And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:


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Esau (is also known as Edom.) So his descendants are Edomites. (Metzger & Coogan (1993) Oxford Companion to the Bible, p191-2.)

http://www.keyway.ca/htm1999/19991226.htm (Biblical site)

http://www.islamicboard.com/comparative-religion/9344-sign-muhammad-deuteronomy.html#post8377 (The Sign of Muhammad in Deuteronomy)






The Ishmaelites (sons of Ishmael/Isma'il = arabs) are also cousins of the Jews (since Abraham is the father of Jews & Arabs), so the Prophecy can refer to 'Arabs aswell.





What's the proof that 'Arabs are brethren (brothers) of the Jews according to the Old Testament?



Is there any mention of Ishmael [Isma'il] being a brethren?

King James Version - Genesis 16:11
And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.

Genesis 16:12
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

Genesis 25:17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people. Genesis 25:18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

This shows that Ishmael was classed as a brother of Isac, and since his descendants are cousins of Jews [two brothers having children = their children being cousins to each other, and if you continue going down the lineage - their descendants are still cousins, even if it is far cousins.] The Arabs are cousins of Jews and therefore they can be termed as brethren.

If someone was to argue that this isn't true, then you have to question why Edomites who are cousins of Jews were referred to as Brethren? So why can't Arabs who are cousins of Jews be termed as Brethren also?

Background information:

The word brethren is used in many parts of the Old Testament. The Edomites who are called brethren (of Jews) in the OT are really their cousins, like the arabs are the Jews' cousins.


The arabs are close because Prophet Abraham [Ibrahim] had two sons, Ishmael and Isac [Isma'eel and Isshaq - in arabic], both these sons were half brothers because their mothers were different. But it still shows their closeness because their father is the same.


Therefore it wouldn't be surprising if this Prophecy really was in regard to Prophet Muhammad. Since the arabs are also brothers of the Jewish race like the Edomites are (because their main father - Abraham - is the same man.) If it wasn't for Abraham, the Jewish or the Arab race could not be born.



In simple terms:


The Jews had cousins (the Edomites), they were called brothers of the Jews in the Old Testament [which jews accept.]


The arabs are (far) cousins of the Jews, they can then also be called as 'brothers' because the Edomites were called 'brothers' although they too are cousins.

Due to the arabs and Edomites being cousins of the Jews - they both can be referred to as brothers of the Jews according to the Old Testament.


So when it is mentioned as 'among their brethren', the arabs can also be referred to as people who could receive the message.

Muhammad (peace be upon him) is 'arab, a direct descendant of Prophet Ibrahim [Abraham], - he is the final Prophet of God, and he fulfills that Prophecy since he is the most similar to Moses.

Here's a list of the similarities between Moses and Muhammad (peace be upon them) again; i) Both had a father and a mother, while Jesus (pbuh) was born miraculously without any male intervention. [Mathew 1:18 and Luke 1:35 and also Al-Qur'an 3:42-47] ii) Both were married and had children. Jesus (pbuh) according to the Bible did not marry nor had children. iii) Both died natural deaths. Jesus (pbuh) has been raised up alive. (4:157-158) iv) Both besides being Prophets were also kings i.e. they could inflict capital punishment. Jesus (pbuh) said, "My kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36). v) Both were accepted as Prophets by their people in their lifetime but Jesus (pbuh) was rejected by his people. John chapter 1 verse 11 states, "He came unto his own, but his own received him not." iv) Both brought new laws and new regulations for their people. Jesus (pbuh) according to the Bible did not bring any new laws. (Mathew 5:17-18). Whereas the only similarity between Jesus and Moses really is that they are male prophets and from the Children of Israel.

By the way, here's a really good discussion on what 'brethren' in Hebrew really means according to the Old Testament (Torah and Psalms [Zabur]):


http://www.answering-christianity.co...s_rebuttal.htm


Awkh means brother in Hebrew, similar to Akh in Arabic.



Response: [Is a Muslim brother) & Silas' is the christian.




It's interesting and nicely layed out masha Allah.



Source; http://www.islamic-life.com/forums/christianity-judaism/refutation-brethren-jewish-brethren-553.html