�.And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read (Iqra) this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned�. Isaiah 29-12

I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and the new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. `Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth'. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voices, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare His praise in the inlands - Isaiah 42:8-12

Prophet Moses (as) 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.  If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account -Deuteronomy 18:18-19

From these verses we conclude that the prophet in this prophecy must have the following three characteristics:

1. That he will be like Moses.

2. That he will come from the brothers of the Israelites, i.e. the Ishmaelites.

3. That God will put His words in to the mouth of this prophet and that he will declare what God commands him.

Let us examine these three characteristics in detail:

1. There were hardly any two prophets who were so much alike as Moses and Muhammad (pbuh). Both were given a comprehensive law and code of life. Both encountered their enemies and were victorious in miraculous ways. Both were accepted as prophets and statesmen. Both migrated following conspiracies to assassinate them. Analogies between Moses and Jesus overlook not only the above similarities but other crucial ones as well.  These include the natural birth, the family life, and death of Moses and Muhammad but not of Jesus.  Moreover Jesus was regarded by his followers as the Son of God and not exclusively as a prophet of God, as Moses and Muhammad were and as Muslims believe Jesus was. So, this prophecy refers to the Prophet Muhammad and not to Jesus, because Muhammad is more like Moses than Jesus.

Also, one notices from the Gospel of John that the Jews were waiting for the fulfillment of three distinct prophecies.  The first was the coming of Messiah (Christ). The second was the coming of Elijah. The third was the coming of the Prophet. This is obvious from the three questions that were posed to John the Baptist: �Now this was John�s testimony, when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, �I am not the Christ.�  They asked him, �Then who are you?  Are you Elijah?�  He said, �I am not.�  �Are you the Prophet?� He answered, �No.� (John 1:19-21).  If we look in a Bible with cross-references, we will find in the marginal notes where the words �the Prophet� occur in John 1:21, that these words refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18:18 � Wehich proves from this that Jesus Christ is not the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:18.

2. Prophet Abraham (as) had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 21).   Ishmael became the grandfather of the Arab nation, and Isaac became the grandfather of the Jewish nation.  The prophet spoken of was not to come from among the Jews themselves, but from among their brothers, i.e. the Ishmaelites.  Muhammad, a descendant of Ishmael, is indeed this prophet.

3. The words of Allah (Holy Qur�an) were truly put into Muhammad�s (pbuh) mouth.  Allah sent the Angel Gabriel to teach Muhammad (pbuh) the exact words of Allah (Holy Quran) and asked him to dictate them to the people as he heard them. The words are therefore not his own. They did not come from his own thoughts, but were put into his mouth by the Angel Gabriel. During the life time of Muhammad, and under his supervision, these words were then memorized and written by his companions.

Also, this prophecy in Deuteronomy mentioned that this prophet will speak the words of God in the name of God.  If we looked to the Holy Qur�an, we will find that all its chapters, except Chapter 9, are preceded or begin with the phrase, �In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.� In conclusion, Holy Qur�an is a book for the Jews for guidance.