Islam - Isaiah 21:7

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Isaiah 21:7: "And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed."
Problem:: The Moslem argument goes along these lines: "Who was the rider on the ass? Every Sunday school student will know him. That was Jesus (John 12:14). Who, then, is the promised rider on a camel? This is the Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] If this is not applied to him then the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. That is why Isaiah mentioned further in the same chapter (Isa. 21:13) the burden upon Arabia which means the responsibility of the Arab Muslims, and now of course of all Muslims, to spread the message of Islam."¹
Solution:

The passage does not describe a man riding on a donkey at all. In the AV it describes a chariot pulled by donkeys although the word could refer to riders and is translated as such in the RSV and some other modern versions. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem he had no chariot, and in any case the prophecy in Isaiah suggests that several riders are involved. The choice for the camels is between a chariot (Muhammad never used one) or several riders.
Not only that, but the passage includes a third group, a chariot of horses. This group doesn't fit into the Moslem picture at all; for an adequate interpretation of the prophecy all the elements have to be used.
In fact the prophecy is about Babylon. The wilderness of the sea (v. 1) is an area of the Babylonian empire (now in southern Iraq). In verse 9 we read the outcome, "And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken to the ground." The prophecy is of a successful invasion of Babylon from Persia by way of the desert of the sea, and was fulfilled before the time of Jesus.
The burden of the Arabs (vs. 13-17) describes the fall of the children of Kedar (Arab tribes who were troubling Judah) within a year of the prophecy being given by Isaiah.
The Moslem interpretation of this prophecy hardly fits it at all, and it is difficult to think why they should use it.

Footnotes:

Baagil H. M., Muslim-Christian Dialogue, (Islamic Propagation Centre International (U.K.), Birmingham, U.K., 1984), p. 46. Return