Muhammad in the Bible? John 14-16

Is the “Helper” of John 14-16 Muhammad or the Holy Spirit?

It boggles the mind of most people who read the Bible text plainly, but Muslims will fight tooth and nail believing that the “Helper” that Jesus spoke about is actually Muhammad.

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 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 that I have said to you” (John 14:15-17; 25-26). 

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27). 

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-15). 

Let’s stop for a moment.  Because Jesus himself identifies the Helper in v. 17 and in v 26.  It is the Holy Spirit.  It’s very clear.  So how is it that Muslims say that this is anything else than what Jesus said it is?
The Shabir Ally Muslim argument:
  1. Jesus said another “Helper/Comforter” would come after him (John 14:16), and Shabir argues this points to a future human prophet rather than the Holy Spirit.
  2. He claims the Paraclete would “speak” what he hears (John 16:13), which he compares to the Quran’s description of Muhammad receiving revelation:
    1. “he will not speak on his own authority” → compared with Quran 53:3–4.
  3. He argues the Paraclete would “guide into all truth” (John 16:13), which he says fits Muhammad bringing a final revelation.

  4. He points to John 16:7:

    “If I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you”

    and argues this sounds like a later historical figure arriving after Jesus departed.

  5. He sometimes argues the Paraclete would “convict the world” (John 16:8), which he interprets as a global prophetic mission like Muhammad’s.
  6. Some muslim apologists connected to this argument also claim the original word was not paraklētos (“helper/advocate”) but something like periklutos (“praised one”), which they say would resemble the meaning of “Ahmad” in Quran 61:6.
    1. “Ahmad” means “most praised” or “praised one.”
    2. ** However, there is no known Greek manuscript of John that reads periklutos.

Based on these arguments often put out by Shabir Ally, how is this not Joseph Smith, prophet of Muhammad?  He claimed to be the final prophet, to speak the truth, to be the Helper, was a human.  Or how was it not any other prophet claim.

Let’s look more tightly as to why this is not Muhammad, and why even according to Islamic standard, this cannot be Muhammad.
1) Jesus said the Helper will be sent from the Father, in the name of Jesus – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name” (John 14:26).  And again in John 15:16 – “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father.”  Can Muslims say that Muhammad was sent by the Father, in the name of Jesus?  And by Jesus himself?  Not at all.
2) Jesus says of the Helper, “You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17).  This demonstrates that the Spirit was with the disciples during Jesus’ lifetime.  So was Muhammad with them at the time, in them, and will be with them forever?  Not at all.
3) The Helper also will “be with you forever” (John 14:16).  The world “neither sees him nor knows him” (John 14:17).  Does this fit a human or the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit?
4) The Helper will bring to remembrance all that Jesus said.  Not just what he did, but what he said (John 14:26).  Jesus said he was going to be crucified (Matthew 20:18–19 | Mark 15:13–14 | Luke 24:7 | John 19:6; 19:15; 19:16; 19:18).  Where does Muhammad do this?  In fact, he denies the crucifixion.
5) The Helper will glorify Jesus.  Where does Muhammad glorify Jesus?  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14, 15).

Where does Muhammad bring to remembrance the very words of Jesus (not just his actions)?  Is Muhammad bearing witness about Jesus?  Is Muhammad glorifying Jesus?  Is Muhammad declaring Jesus to others?

5) Jesus explicitly identifies the Helper as “the Holy Spirit” in John 14:26, directly naming who he meant.

6) The word paraklētos (“helper/advocate”) but something like periklutos (“praised one”), yet no surviving Greek manuscript of John says Periklutos (“praised one”).  The word means (“Helper,” “Advocate,” “Comforter”) as it is used elsewhere in Scripture.
7) The Word “Holy” is said not to appear in some manuscripts such as the Syriac Siniaticus, but it does appear in the overwhelming majority of manuscripts. But even if the word “Holy” is not in this manuscript, the word “Spirit” is there on multiple occasions.  Is Muhammad a spirit?  Not at all.

8) The Apostles were not waiting for a human to come.  They were expecting and waiting on the Holy Spirit to come:
“And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:4-5)
“Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:33). 
The disciples nowhere were waiting for another human for the promise to be fulfilled.  They were waiting on the Holy Spirit which Jesus specifically named.
Muslims will also say that the Gospel is lost.  If it is lost, how, then, can a Muslim use the Gospel, then say it is corrupted or lost?
It is impossible for Muslims to logically say that Jesus is speaking of Muhammad here, unless they also believe that Muhammad was sent by the Father, in Jesus’ name, he is spirit, was with the disciples, was in the disciples, and would be with them forever.  Do you see why this is a problem?