According to the Holy Bible, John the Baptist was Jesus’ forerunner sent to prepare for his appearance to Israel:

“John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the way for the Lord.”… I baptize with water,’ John replied, ‘but among you stands one you do not know.He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.’ Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.’ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’” John 1:23, 26- 36 New International Version (NIV) – Cf. Mark 1:1-8; 3:1-3, 11-15; Luke 1:67-68, 76-79; 3:1-6, 15-17; Acts 19:4

This explains why John leapt for joy while in his mother’s womb when he heard the greeting our Lord’s blessed mother:

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother OF MY LORD should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.’” Luke 1:41-44 NIV

It was God’s Holy Spirit, who had already begun filling both John and his mother while still in her womb,

“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” Luke 1:15

Who caused the Baptist to leap in his mother’s belly before Christ, who had just been conceived by Mary, in recognition of his being his Sovereign Lord.

Here is where it gets interesting.

The Quran attests that John who it erroneously calls Yahya was sent to confirm a Word from Allah, with that Word being Jesus:

Then the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: That Allah gives you the good news of Yahya verifying a Word from Allah, and honorable and chaste and a prophet from among the good ones… When the angels said: O Marium, surely Allah gives you good news with a Word from Him (of one) whose name is the Messiah, Isa son of Marium, worthy of regard in this world and the hereafter and of those who are made near (to Allah).” S. 3:39, 45 Shakir

The Muslim expositors not only confirm this in their exegesis of the foregoing texts, they go so far as to admit that John was caused to bow or prostrate in his womb in recognition of Jesus being superior to him!

And the angels namely Gabriel called to him standing in the sanctuary in the temple at worship that anna means bi-anna; a variant reading has inna implying a direct speech statement ‘God gives you good tidings read yubashshiruka or yubshiruka of John who shall confirm a Word being from God namely Jesus that he is God’s Spirit; he is referred to as God’s ‘Word’ because he was created through the word kun ‘Be’; a lord with a following and one chaste forbidden from women and a prophet of the righteous’ it is said that he never sinned and never so intended. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=3&tAyahNo=39&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold emphasis mine)

(And the angels) i.e. the Angel Gabriel (called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary) in the mosque: (Allah giveth thee glad tidings of John) a son whose name is John, ((who cometh) to confirm a Word from Allah) Jesus son of Mary that he will be a word from Allah, created without a father, (lordly) who is clement when wronged, (chaste) has no desire for women, (a Prophet of the righteous) among the messengers. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=3&tAyahNo=39&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold emphasis mine)

“She [Mary] came to her sister who was then pregnant and to whom the birth of the Baptist had been announced. When the two met, the Baptist’s mother felt that her child was bowing within her in recognition of Jesus…” (History of Al-Tabari: The Ancient Kingdoms, translated by Moshe Perlmann [State University of New York Press, Albany, 1987], Volume IV, p. 114; bold emphasis mine)

“… Her sister, the wife of Zechariah, came to visit her at night. When Mary opened the door for her, the sister clung to her. The wife of Zechariah said, ‘Oh Mary, do you know I am with child?’ Mary replied, ‘Do you know, that I too am with child?’ Zechariah’s wife then said, ‘I felt that the child in me was bowing to the child in you,’ as it is written, ‘confirming the Word of God.’” (Ibid., p. 119; bold emphasis mine)

Yaḥyā was the first to believe in and affirm ‘Īsā. He was three years older than ‘Isā, or six months is also said. They were cousins. When Zakariyyā heard his testimony, he went to him and embraced him while he was wrapped in a cloth. Aṭ-Ṭabarī said, ‘When Maryam was pregnant with ‘Īṣā, her sister was also pregnant with Yaḥyā. She visited her sister and said, “Maryam! Do you know that I am pregnant?” Maryam replied, “Do you know that I am also pregnant?” She said to her, “I felt what is in my womb prostrating to what is in your womb.”’ As-Suddī said that is acknowledgement of his words: ‘…confirm a Word from Allah.’ (Tafsir al-Qurtubi: Juz’ 3: Sūrat al-Baqarah 254 – 286 & Sūrah Āli ‘Imrān 1 – 95, translated by Aisha Abdurrahman Bewley [Diwan Press, 2019], Volume 3, p. 294; bold emphasis mine)

More than one of our earlier scholars have asserted that Jibril blew on her chest. The air entered HER VAGINA and the womb therefrom and she became pregnant just as a woman becomes pregnant after sexual intercourse. The context of the Quran supports this contention but not the one put forward by some that jibril [sic] blew in her mouth…

Suddi has said that the sister of Sayyidah Maryam revealed to her once that she was pregnant and Sayyidah Maryam made the same disclosure to her. Thus, both ‘Eesa Ibn Maryam and Yahya Ibn Zakariya were conceived about the same time. The mother of Yahya said to her “I feel that what is in my womb PROSTRATES TO WHAT IS IN YOURS.” Maalik said that this was because OF THE SUPERIORITY OF ‘EESA. Sayyidah Maryam said, “He talks to me when I am alone.” (Ibn Kathir Ad-Damashqi (700-774 AH), Al Bidaayah Wannihaayah (From the Beginning to the End) (From the Beginning to the End): Abridged Translation [Darul-Ishaat, Karachi-1, Pakistan, First edition 2014], Translated by Rafiq Abdur Rahman, Volume I. The Story of Creation of the Past the Life of Muhammad upto 9. AH, p. 404; bold and capital emphasis mine)

Allah says: “Confirming a word from Allah.” (3:39)

Yahya confirmed ‘Isa when he was three years old. He testified that he was THE WORD OF ALLAH and HIS SPIRIT. It is said that he confirmed him when he was in his mother’s womb. Yahya’s mother said to Maryam, “I feel what is in my womb BOWING TO what is in your womb to greet him.” (Qadi ‘Iyad Ibn Musa al-Yahsubi, Kitab Ash-shifa bi ta’rif huquq al-Mustafa (Healing by the recognition of the Rights of the Chosen One), translated by Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley [Madinah Press, Inverness, Scotland, U.K.; third reprint 1991, paperback], p. 51; capitalized bold emphasis mine)

Ironically when one of Muhammad’s followers prostrated before him, he rebuked him saying it was unlawful to do so. Muhammad further stated that he would have ordered women to bow before their husbands if prostrating to others besides Allah was permissible:

12 Marriage (Kitab Al-Nikah)

(707) Chapter: The Rights That The Husband Has Over The Wife

Narrated Qays ibn Sa’d:

I went to al-Hirah and saw them (the people) prostrating themselves before a satrap of theirs, so I said: The Messenger of Allah has most right to have prostration made before him. When I came to the Prophet, I said: I went to al-Hirah and saw them prostrating themselves before a satrap of theirs, but you have most right, Messenger of Allah, to have (people) prostrating themselves before you. He said: Tell me, if you were to pass my grave, would you prostrate yourself before it? I said: No. He then said: Do not do so. If I were to command anyone to make prostration before another I would command women to prostrate themselves before their husbands, because of the special right over them given to husbands by Allah.

Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 2140

In-book reference: Book 12, Hadith 95

English translation: Book 11, Hadith 2135 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2140; bold emphasis mine)

And:

9 The Chapters on Marriage

(4) Chapter: The husband’s rights over his wife

It was narrated that:

Abdullah bin Abu Awfa said “When Muadh bin Jabal came from Sham, he prostrated to the Prophet who said: ‘What is this, O Muadh?’ He said: ‘I went to Sham and saw them prostrating to their bishops and patricians and I wanted to do that for you.’ The messenger of Allah said: ‘Do not do that. If I were to command anyone to prostrate to anyone other than Allah, I would have commanded women to prostrate to their husbands. By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad! No woman can fulfill her duty towards Allah until she fulfills her duty towards her husband. If he asks her (for intimacy) even if she is on her camel saddle, she should not refuse.’”

Grade: Hasan (Darussalam)

Reference: Sunan Ibn Majah 1853

In-book reference: Book 9, Hadith 9

English translation: Vol. 3, Book 9, Hadith 1853 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:1853; emphasis mine)

And yet Islamic tradition agrees with the only Scriptures God ever inspired that Allah not only permitted but actually caused a baby in the womb to prostrate to the unborn baby in Mary’s consecrated belly!

In other words, Allah caused a prophet in his mother’s belly to bow down to Jesus who had just recently been conceived by his blessed mother in recognition of Christ being the very Word and Spirit of Allah!

If this doesn’t convince Muhammadans that Jesus is more than a mere human prophet, and much better and superior to their prophet Muhammad, then I am afraid nothing else will.

FURTHER READING

Islam Bears Witness: Christ is Superior to and Greater than the Baptist Pt. 1

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