Book on the Prophet’s Mission—may abundant blessings and peace be upon him—and a mention of some of the glad tidings that heralded it
Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq¹ said: The Jewish rabbis, the Christian monks, and the Arab soothsayers² all spoke of the matter of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—before he was actually sent, once the time of his mission drew near. The rabbis and monks did so on the basis of what they found in their scriptures regarding his description, the description of his age, and the covenant their prophets had handed down to them concerning him.
Allah the Exalted says:
“Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find written about in the Torah and the Gospel that they possess …” (al-Aʿrāf 7:157).
He also says:
“When Jesus son of Mary said, ‘Children of Israel, I am indeed Allah’s messenger to you, confirming what is before me of the Torah and giving glad tidings of a messenger who will come after me whose name is Aḥmad.’” (al-Ṣaff 61:6).
And He says:
“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are stern toward the disbelievers yet merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking bounty from Allah and His good pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah, and their likeness in the Gospel …” (al-Fatḥ 48:29).
He further says:
“When Allah took the covenant of the prophets: ‘Whenever I give you a Book and wisdom, then a messenger comes to you confirming what you have, you shall surely believe in him and support him.’ He said, ‘Do you affirm and accept My binding word on that?’ They said, ‘We affirm.’ He said, ‘Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.’” (Āl ʿImrān 3:81).
Al-Bukhārī reports in his Ṣaḥīḥ³ from Ibn ʿAbbās: “No prophet was ever sent by Allah without His taking from him the covenant that, should Muhammad be sent while he was alive, he would believe in him and support him; and He commanded that prophet to take the same covenant from his community: that if Muhammad were sent while they were alive, they would surely believe in him, support him, and follow him.”
From all this it is clear that every prophet gave glad tidings of his coming and commanded that he be followed.