Muslims appeal to verses like John 14:16-20, where Jesus says, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper..”Most Muslims quote only the first half of this verse, and then shut the Bible! If Jesus stopped at this point, one could speculate about the identity of this Helper. But Jesus clearly identifies Him by continuing, “that He (the Helper) may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” From the earliest centuries of Islam, Muslim scholars have endeavoured to prove that this Helper was Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. It is argued that the Greek word paracletos, which is translated ‘Helper,’ should be pareklutosor ‘praised one,’ meaning Ahmad or Muhammad. This is proof, they say, that the Biblical text has been changed! However, any knowledgeable
scholar in the field will tell you that there is no evidence at all for this ‘corruption.’ All of the Greek manuscripts in existence, which predate Muhammad, say parakletos, not paraklutos. There are more than 70 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament in existence today, dating from before the time of Muhammad, and not one of them uses the word paraklutos! All use the word parakletos. In fact the word paraklutos does not appear anywhere in the Bible!
Let us look at the specific details of the arrival and identity of this parakletos, ‘Helper,’ and see if they fit Muhammad:
1) He will give you another Helper
Even if, as Muslims claim, the original word was Paraklutos, the sentence would read, “He will give you another praised one.” It makes no sense and is completely out of context. What
Jesus is saying here is this, ‘I have been your Helper, Counselor, Comforter. I still have many things to teach you, but I will send you another Helper like me.’
2) He will give you another Helper – The Spirit of Truth
The one obvious fact that emerges is that the Helper is a Spirit. Has Muhammad ever been called the Spirit of Truth?
3) He will abide with you forever
In no sense was Muhammad ever with Jesus’ disciples, let alone permanently. Muhammad was born in the 7th century after Christ. He lived only 62 years and then died. He did not live with
his companions forever, did he? His body was buried in Medina. But Jesus said that the promised Helper would be with His disciples forever. The one referred to cannot possibly be
Muhammad.
4) The Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot see
According to this prophecy, the world cannot receive the Helper because it can’t see Him. Thousands of people saw Muhammad during his lifetime, for he was visible. The invisible Helper
cannot be the visible Muhammad.
5) You know Him for He dwells with you
Jesus is clearly talking about someone with whom the disciples were familiar. Was Muhammad known to them? Of course not. He was born more than five hundred years later.
6) He dwells in you
The Helper was to be in the disciples. How could the Helper be Muhammad? Muhammad was a flesh and blood person who is no longer alive. Muhammad is not in Jesus’ followers and never will
be.
What can we conclude? Was Muhammad alive at the time of Jesus’ apostles? No. Was Muhammad ever called the ‘Spirit of Truth’? No.
Did Muhammad live with the apostles forever? No.
Did Muhammad live inside the apostles? No.
This prophesy cannot be a reference to Muhammad. Who is it about? The Bible states the truth in the following verses. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:26). It is certain, then, that the Helper is the Holy Spirit (Ruh Al-Kudus) of God.
The fulfilment of this prophecy occurred within a matter of days.Only fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples received the Helper on the day of Pentecost. Jesus had told them to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit, the Helper, should come (Acts 1.4-8). The Holy Spirit came upon them while they were all together, praying in the city. “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2.3-4). The Holy Spirit was with the disciples in the person of Jesus while Jesus was still on earth, and the Holy Spirit was in the disciples’ hearts from the day of Pentecost and forever.
The Helper is indeed the Holy Spirit of the living God. We all need Him to open our eyes so that we can see who Jesus is and what He has done for sinners like us. The Helper is only given to those who believe the Gospel; that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. This is what makes someone a Christian. Only those who believe receive the Helper. You can receive
the Holy Spirit today by genuinely inviting Jesus into your life and receiving Him as your Saviour.
Having examined the context, it is evident that John 14:16-20 has nothing to do with Muhammad!
Conclusion
All of these verses, (and others that Muslims refer to), can be understood with a little study and consideration of the context. Those who apply these passages to Muhammad demonstrate that they have only a superficial understanding of the Bible. The truth is available for anyone who is willing to examine it. Searching for the truth requires effort, yet it can be done. As Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).