Page 14 - Demo

glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of his10praise. The word “praise” is very significant, as the very name Muhammad (pbuh) literally means “the praised one.” Beside the Arabs, the inhabitants of the wilderness of Paran had also been promised a Revelation: “Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants ofthe rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands. The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war, he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies” (Isa. xlii.II.).In this connection, there are two other prophecies worthy of note where references have been made to Kedar. One runs thus (chapter Ix. of Isaiah): “Arise, shine for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee… The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come… All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory” (1-7). The other prophecy is again in Isaiah xxi. “The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim. The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty; they prevented with their bread him that fled. For they fled from the swords... and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of Kedarshallfail:And the residue ofthe number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished” (13-17). Read these prophecies in Isaiah in the light of one in Deuteronomy, which speaks of the shining forth of God from Paran. If Ishmael (pbuh) inhabited