Muhammad and his Allah made a critical error — they failed to correctly understand the three questions posed by the Jews. Instead of answering the actual queries from the Bible (Book of Daniel), Muhammad gave vague, confused, and incorrect responses.
The Jews of Medina sent three specific and difficult questions to the pagan Meccans to test whether Muhammad was a true prophet. These questions were carefully chosen from the Book of Daniel in the Bible. Here is what happened:
| Question No. | Questions Asked by the Jews | Answer Given by Muhammad / Quran |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | About the “Spirit of God” (Ruach ha-Kodesh / Holy Spirit) in the context of Prophet Daniel’s visions | “The Spirit is from the command of my Lord, and you have been given only a little knowledge.” (Quran 17:85) |
| 2 | About the vision of the ram with two horns in the Book of Daniel | Muhammad thought it was about Alexander the Great and narrated the story of Dhul-Qarnayn |
| 3 | About the story of the three young Jewish men thrown into the fiery furnace but saved by a miracle (Daniel 3) | Muhammad confused it with the Christian legend of the People of the Cave (Ashab al-Kahf) and gave a vague answer about their number |
Background of the Three Jewish Questions
The Jews deliberately chose these questions because they were controversial and well-known among Jewish scholars at that time. They believed that if Muhammad was a genuine prophet receiving revelation from God, he would be able to answer them correctly.
1. First Question: The Spirit of God (Quran 17:85)
The main dispute was whether Daniel was a true prophet or not. Christians considered him a prophet because the Holy Spirit showed him visions. Many Jewish scholars, however, placed the Book of Daniel in the “Writings” (Ketuvim) rather than the “Prophets” (Nevi’im), arguing that visions in dreams do not necessarily make someone a prophet.
The Jews were asking about the Holy Spirit (Ruach ha-Kodesh) and its role in confirming prophethood. Muhammad, however, misunderstood the question as being about the general “human spirit” and gave a vague reply:
“They ask you about the Spirit. Say: ‘The Spirit is from the affair of my Lord, and you have not been given knowledge except a little.’” (Quran 17:85)
2. Second Question: The Ram with Two Horns (Dhul-Qarnayn)
The Jews asked about a specific vision in the Book of Daniel — a ram with two horns (Daniel 8). This vision had a clear interpretation in the Bible itself (representing the kings of Media and Persia).
Muhammad and his Allah completely misunderstood this. They thought the Jews were asking about Alexander the Great, who was historically known as “the Two-Horned One” (Dhul-Qarnayn in Arabic). As a result, Surah Al-Kahf (verses 83–98) narrates the story of Dhul-Qarnayn instead of addressing the actual vision from Daniel.
3. Third Question: The Three Young Men in the Fiery Furnace
The Jews asked about the miraculous story of the three pious Jewish youths (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) who were thrown into a blazing furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar but were saved by God (Daniel 3).
Muhammad confused this with the later Christian legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (Ashab al-Kahf) — a story about seven (or eight, including a dog) Christian youths who slept in a cave for centuries. This legend was not part of the Jewish Bible and was actually opposed by Jews, as it glorified Christians.
Because of this confusion, the Quran gives a vague answer about the number of people in the cave:
“They will say there were three, the fourth of them being their dog; they will say five, the sixth of them their dog — guessing at the unseen; and they will say seven, and the eighth of them their dog. Say: ‘My Lord is most knowing of their number.’” (Quran 18:22)
Major Problems with Muhammad’s Answers
- Complete Misunderstanding: Muhammad failed to understand what the Jews were actually asking.
- Mixing of Stories: He blended two completely different stories (Jewish biblical story + Christian legend).
- Vague and Evasive Answers: Instead of giving clear, precise information, the Quran repeatedly says “only Allah knows best” and discourages deep discussion.
- 15-Day Delay: According to Islamic tradition (Tafsir al-Tabari), revelation was delayed for 15 days while Muhammad inquired from people. The pagans mocked him for breaking his promise.
Islamist Objection and Response
Objection: “How can you be sure the Jews asked questions specifically from the Book of Daniel?”
Response: Common sense and circumstantial evidence make it clear:
- Jews would naturally ask from their own scripture (Bible), not from unauthentic Christian legends.
- The confusion over numbers (3 to 8) perfectly matches the mismatch between the story of the three Jewish youths and the seven/eight sleepers.
- Jews had no reason to ask about Alexander the Great or a Christian legend they rejected.
Conclusion
None of the Meccan pagans or Medina Jews accepted Islam after hearing Muhammad’s answers to these three questions. The Quran itself continues to make excuses for why no clear miracles were shown.
These incidents strongly suggest that Muhammad was not receiving divine revelation from an All-Knowing God. Instead, he spent 15 days gathering information from people, became confused between different stories, and then presented vague, mixed-up answers while claiming they came from Allah.
The failure to correctly understand and answer these three questions is yet another proof that Muhammad’s claim of prophethood faced serious difficulties when tested by knowledgeable Jews.
