Is there a "prophecy" about Muhammad in Deuteronomy 18?

Who is the Real Jesus? Deductions from the Deuteronomy

Muslims often boost that the most popular "prophecy" about Muhammad in the Bible is found in Deuteronomy 18 (Deut 18).

It is quite ironic, then, to learn that, according to Deut 18, Muhammad can’t possibly be a prophet. Deut 18 serves as the foundation of Islam’s "Argument from Biblical Prophecy," used by generations of Muslims to prove that Muhammad was a true prophet. Indeed, the popular Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam uses Deut 18 as its primary evidence that the Bible speaks of Muhammad. Author I. A. Ibrahim says: “In Deut 18, Moses stated that God told him: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him…" (Deut 18: 18-19)

The book goes on to argue that M fulfilled this prophecy in numerous ways. While such claims have been refuted ad nauseum, I will simply note that Muslims have here granted that Deut 18:18-19 is inspired by God. Surely, then, we can’t ignore the next verse, where God says: "But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have NOT commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die." (Deut 18:20).

We learn about the Satanic Verses, not from Christian or Jewish sources, but from early Muslim writings. Accounts of the Satanic Verses are given in a number of early sources, including: (1) Ibn Ishaq, (2) Wakidi, (3) Ibn Sa’d, (4) al-Tabari, (5) Ibn Abi Hatim, (6) Ibn al-Mundhir, (7) Ibn Mardauyah, (8) Musa ibn 'Uqba, and (9) Abu Ma'shar. According to the great Muslim scholar Ibn Hajar, three chains of transmission (isnad) in these accounts "satisfy the conditions requisite for an authentic report." Moreover, Bukhari, Islam’s most trusted source on the life of Muhammad, gives indirect confirmation of the event (Number 4862). Beyond this, certain verses of the Q (17:73-5 and 22:52-3) were revealed in response to Muhammad’s embarrassing lapse into polytheism. We therefore have compelling historical evidence that the story is authentic. (About Satanic Verses, see (here) and "Muhammad and the Satanic Verses." (here))

Historians examining the lives of leaders and religious figures employ what is known as the "Principle of Embarrassment," (utilized as well in legal investigations). "Declarations against interest are regarded as having a high degree of credibility because of the presumption that people do not make up lies in order to hurt themselves; they lie to help themselves." Applying the Principle of Embarrassment to accounts of the Satanic Verses, we see immediately that Muslims would not have invented this story, since it calls Muhammad’s reliability into question.

Based on the History of al-Tabari. Muhammad performed a prostration when he finished reciting Suraht an-Najm [Surah 53], and all the Muslims and Al-Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, and disbelievers) and jinn and human beings prostrated along with him. (4862) .Bukhari understandably omits the embarrassing reason for the prostration of the pagans, he inadvertently confirms the account given by Ibn Ishaq and the others, who faithfully reported that the pagans bowed down because Muhammad spoke favourably of their gods. Muslims must account for Surah 22:52, which, again, declares that all God’s prophets received revelations from Satan (verse offered to the Muslim community as absurd explanation). Indeed, Muhammad won few converts when he appealed to the Qur’an as evidence of his divine commission. He only saw large number of converts when he turned to other (bloody) means of conversion

IHS