Muslim Christian Dialogue

13. Chariot of Asses and Chariot of Camels

CHARIOT OF ASSES AND CHARIOT OF CAMELS

The vision of Isaiah of the two riders in Isaiah 21:7: "And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels."

Who was the rider upon an ass? Every Sunday school student will know him. That was Jesus (John 12:14) "And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon as it is written."

Who then is the promised rider on a camel? Bible readers have overlooked this powerful Prophet. This is Prophet Muhammed (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 (21:13): "The burden upon Arabia . . ." which means the responsibility of the Arab Muslims, and of course now of all Muslims, to spread the message of Islam.

Isaiah 21:14: "The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty; they prevented with their bread him that fled." Tema is probably Madina where Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) and his companions fled to, when the Quraish of Makkah wanted to kill them. The people of Madina gave them food and shelter as is recorded in the hadiths of the prophet. In Isaiah 21:15: "For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war." This was when Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) and his companions were persecuted and left Makkah for Madina. Isaiah 21:16: "For thus hath the Lord said unto me: "Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail." Exactly in the second year of Hijrah (immigration) the pagans were defeated in the battle of Badr. (313 ill equipped Muslims under the leadership of the Prophet, defeated more than 1000 well-equipped Arabs from Makkah.)

Finally Isaiah 21:17 concludes with "... the mighty men of the children of Kedar shall be diminished, for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it." Kedar is the second son of Ishmael (Genesis 25:13) from whom ultimately Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) arose. In the beginning the children of Kedar were attacking Muhammed (pbuh) and his companions. But as time went many of them accepted Islam, and the number of children of Kedar who resisted, diminished. In some Bible verses Kedar is synonymous with the Arabs as in Ezekiel 27:21 "Arabia, and all the Princes of Kedar..."