King Solomon
Islamic apologists since the early days of Islam have tried to paint Muhammad into the Bible. Let me state this clearly: Muhammad is not to be found in the pages of sacred scripture whether it be the Old or New Testament.
A famous one that they try to use is Song of Solomon 5:16. The verse reads:
His speech is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
The words for altogether desirable in Hebrew is pronounced Muhammadim. The muslims make the case that it should be translated:
His speech is most sweet, and he is Muhammad. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
The argument is based off of a phonetic parallel in a different language that probably didn’t exist at the time. Any reading of the Song of Solomon would show that this is a stretch. Let anyone read the first four chapters of this book and they will easily see that it is not prophetic at all but simply poetry.
A good way to look is to read it with the preceding verses. I substituted altogether desirable for Muhammad just so you can see how it stands out.
His eyes are like doves beside springs of water, bathed in milk, fitly set. His cheeks are like beds of spices, yielding fragrance. His lips are lilies, distilling liquid myrrh. His arms are rounded gold, set with jewels. His body is ivory work, encrusted with sapphires. His legs are alabaster columns, set upon bases of gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars. His speech is most sweet, and he is Muhammad. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
See how ridiculous it sounds when you try to shoehorn Muhammad into this passage? All eight chapters of the book are like this and therefore do not speak of Muhammad.
However, the best argument against Muhammad being in this passage is the constant references to alcohol in a positive manner. Alcohol is forbidden in Islam and therefore a prophecy of a prophet would not refer to alcohol in a positive way. Let’s see what the scripture says.
O that you would kiss me with the kisses of your mouth! For your love is better than wine,
-Song of Solomon 1:2
Draw me after you, let us make haste. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will exult and rejoice in you; we will extol your love more than wine; rightly do they love you.
-Song of Solomon 1:4
How sweet is your love, my sister, my bride! how much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
-Song of Solomon 4:10
And last of all, Chapter 5 which they quote starts out with this beautiful verse:
I come to my garden, my sister, my bride, I gather my myrrh with my spice, I eat my honeycomb with my honey, I drink my wine with my milk.
-Song of Solomon 5:1
I hope now that everyone sees how shallow and pathetic this argument is. Sadly it is promulgated by the top muslim scholars in the world such as Dr. Shabir Ally. It’s just one more example to show the bankruptcy of modern Islamic apologetics.
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