# A Shoreless Ocean: The Prophet’s ﷺ Prophecies **Author:** Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy **Series:** Proofs of Prophethood **Published:** 2022-02-23 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/YuCGyhEvr2s **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/a-shoreless-ocean-the-prophets-prophecies **Topics:** Faith, Prophets ## Description Among his many miracles, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was given the divine insight to foretell future events accurately. Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy describes some of these prophecies from the Qur’an and how they undeniably prove his prophethood, including the fall of the Byzantine Empire and Abu Lahab’s fate.... ## Transcript **[0:00]** Some of the greatest and most convincing testimonies to the truth of the Prophethood of Muhammad are the numerous occasions upon which he correctly foretold future events. **[0:16]** This could only come from someone that had access granted to him by God, the All-Knowing, to the unseen realm of the future. And that is why the great 12th century scholar Al-Qadhi Iyad said that this particular genre of hadith, of prophetic statements, are a bottomless ocean **[0:36]** and an endless stream. He says because they undeniably establish his prophethood simply through their plethora. There are so many of these occasions and so many people narrating them to us, they reached us by tawatur, he says, meaning abundant concurrence, a multitude of transmitters, **[0:58]** narrators, all in concordance with each other, which all corroborate the fact that he must have been privy to some aspects of the unseen that only God knows. And so in this episode and in a few episodes following it, we wish to take a dive into this ocean and explore some of its wonders. **[1:17]** All accounts from either Qur'anic verses or authentic prophetic statements, all of which came to pass exactly as he, salallahu alayhi wa sallam, precisely foretold they would. **[1:36]** The first example we'll begin with is a Qur'anic prophecy. The Byzantines will rebound, the Qur'an said, in the chapter on Ar-Rum, Byzantium, or the Byzantine Empire. Consider this to begin with, that in a place of seemingly endless deserts that are largely **[1:56]** isolated and also unaffected by the power struggles of the superpowers of the world, the Qur'an boldly foretells about very specific events that will occur between the Persian Empire and the Roman **[2:11]** Empire in a few short years. Allah says at the very onset of this surah, this Qur'anic chapter, the Byzantines have been defeated in the lowest land and they will be, after having been defeated **[2:27]** here, triumphant and will rebound in three to nine years. Historically, from the year 613 to 619, the Roman Empire and the Byzantines in particular were absolutely decimated by the Persians, **[2:43]** losing the territories of Antioch and then Damascus and then Armenia and then their most cherished Jerusalem and then Chalcedon and then finally Egypt. That is why in his book, The History of the Fall and Decline of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon, a non-Muslim historian, **[3:04]** he writes, at the time when this prediction is said to have been delivered, no prophecy could be more distant from its accomplishment, from being imagined to materialize. Since the first 12 years **[3:21]** of Heraclius's reign, we're clearly announcing the beginning of the dissolution, the deterioration, the disintegration of this empire. You see, everyone saw at that point Byzantium as being on its deathbed and that's why even the opponents of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be **[3:42]** upon him, in Arabia, they laughed and they mocked at this supposedly preposterous prediction. And yet, as incredibly unexpected as it was, Heraclius takes off and from six to eight years, he leads **[3:58]** the Byzantine crusade like a dagger back into the heart of the Persian empire and rebounds and reclaims the territories of this empire or part thereof. Another Quranic prophecy is the abode of **[4:15]** Abu Lahab. You see, when the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, first went public with the call to Islam, the very first person to scoff at him and chastise him was his very own uncle, Abu Lahab. In those very tense, hostile moments, Almighty God reveals the following **[4:36]** verses in defense of his Prophet Muhammad. He says in Surat Al-Masad, ruined are the two hands, a reference to all his efforts, ruined are the two hands of Abu Lahab and he himself will be ruined. **[4:51]** Nothing will avail him, not his wealth, not all he's ever gained in life. He will be admitted to burn in a fire of intense flames. And so the Quran was saying that Abu Lahab was doomed to the hellfire nine years before he actually died. What's astonishing is that for those next nine **[5:13]** years, despite Abu Lahab hearing these verses be recited, he never took it as an opportunity to discredit Muhammad's message. You see, had he chosen to convert to Islam, even if pretending **[5:28]** to do so, even disingenuously, this would have called into serious question the truth of the message. Believers go to paradise, I say I'm a believer, your Quran says I'm going to the fire. But did he do that? Of course he didn't, because the Almighty who revealed these words knew that **[5:49]** he would forever be too proud and too prideful to do just that. ## Other Episodes in "Proofs of Prophethood" - [A Mighty Book: The Inimitable Qur'an](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/a-mighty-book-the-inimitable-quran.md) - [Knowledge Of The Lost Past : The Inimitable Qur'an](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/knowledge-of-the-lost-past-the-inimitable-quran.md) - [Muhammad ﷺ or Shakespeare? : The Inimitable Qur'an](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/muhammad-or-shakespeare-the-inimitable-quran.md) - [A Linguistic Wonder: The Inimitable Qur'an](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/a-linguistic-wonder-the-inimitable-quran.md) - [Behold God's Power: The Prophet’s ﷺ Miracles](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/behold-gods-power-the-prophets-miracles.md) - [Possible And Provable: The Prophet’s ﷺ Miracles](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/possible-and-provable-miracles-the-prophets-miracles.md) - [Signs of The End Times: The Prophet’s ﷺ Prophecies](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/signs-of-the-end-times-the-prophets-prophecies.md) - [His Companions' Deaths: The Prophet’s ﷺ Prophecies](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/his-companions-deaths-the-prophets-prophecies.md) - [Flawless Accounts of The Future: The Prophet’s ﷺ Prophecies](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/flawless-accounts-of-the-future-the-prophets-prophecies.md) - [Prohibiting Intoxicants: The Prophet’s ﷺ Message](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/prohibiting-intoxicants-the-prophets-message.md) - [Wise & Merciful Prohibitions: The Prophet’s ﷺ Message](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/wise-merciful-prohibitions-the-prophets-message.md) - [The Ritual Fast: The Prophet’s ﷺ Message](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-ritual-fast-the-prophets-message.md) - [The Islamic Prayer: The Prophet’s ﷺ Message](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-message-the-islamic-prayer.md) - [Moral & Intellectual Greatness: The Prophet’s ﷺ Message](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-message-moral-intellectual-greatness.md) - [Molding a Modern Generation: The Prophet’s ﷺ Accomplishments](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-accomplishments-molding-a-modern-generation.md) - [Revolutionizing Human Rights: The Prophet’s ﷺ Accomplishments](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-accomplishments-revolutionizing-human-rights.md) - [Restoring the Unity of God: The Prophet’s ﷺ Accomplishments](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-accomplishments-restoring-the-unity-of-god.md) - [A Love Larger Than Life: The Prophet’s ﷺ Accomplishments](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-accomplishments-a-love-larger-than-life.md) - [Preface: The Prophet’s ﷺ Accomplishments](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-accomplishments-preface.md) - [His Optimism: The Prophet’s ﷺ Character](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-character-his-optimism.md) - [His Bravery: The Prophet’s ﷺ Character](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-character-his-bravery.md) - [His Mercy: The Prophet’s ﷺ Character](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-character-his-mercy.md) - [His Simplicity: The Prophet’s ﷺ Character](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-character-his-simplicity.md) - [His Honesty: The Prophet’s ﷺ Character](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophets-character-his-honesty.md) - [The Fruits of His ﷺ Prophethood](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-fruits-of-his-prophethood.md) - [Biblical Prophecies](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/biblical-prophecies.md) - [The Darkest Century](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-darkest-century.md) - [The Multitude of Proofs of Prophethood](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-multitude-of-proofs-of-prophethood.md) - [Do We Still Need Prophets?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/do-we-still-need-prophets-proofs-of-prophethood.md) - [The Physical Miracles of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ- Infographic](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-physical-miracles-of-prophet-muhammad-infographic.md) - [The Prophecies of Muhammad ﷺ](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophecies-of-muhammad-infographic.md) - [A Miraculous Revelation](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/a-miraculous-revelation-infographic.md) - [The Accomplishments of the Prophet Muhammad](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-accomplishments-of-the-prophet-muhammad-infographic.md) - [The Inimitable Qur’an - The Revelation to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: The Proofs of Prophethood Series](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-inimitable-quran-the-revelation-to-prophet-muhammad.md) - [The Message of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-message-of-prophet-muhammad-infographic.md) - [The Character of Prophet Muhammad (Infographic)](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-character-of-prophet-muhammad-infographic.md) - [Laying the Groundwork for the Coming of Prophet Muhammad](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/laying-the-groundwork-for-the-coming-of-prophet-muhammad-infographic.md) - [The Physical Miracles of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: Proofs of Prophethood Series](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-physical-miracles-of-prophet-muhammad.md) - [The Prophecies of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: Proofs of Prophethood Series](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-prophecies-of-prophet-muhammad.md) - [The Accomplishments of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: The Proofs Of Prophethood Series](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-accomplishments-of-prophet-muhammad.md) - [The Message of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: The Proofs of Prophethood Series](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-message-of-prophet-muhammad.md) - [The Character of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: How His Noble Qualities and Personality Are Proof of His Prophethood](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/the-character-of-prophet-muhammad-how-his-noble-qualities-and-personality-are-proof-of-his-prophethood.md) - [An Ethical and Historical Necessity: The Proofs of Prophethood Series](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/proofs-of-prophethood/an-ethical-and-historical-necessity-the-proofs-of-prophethood-series.md)