A Chariot of Camels, and the Glory of Qedar

In Isaiah 21:7, he saw a vision: he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels. Christians would say that the chariot of asses is ʿĪsā (peace be upon him), because he was the one who rode a donkey. Who is the prophet known to ride a camel, other than Muhammad (peace be upon him)? So this is a prophecy that is speaking about Jesus, peace be upon him, and Muhammad, peace be upon him.

It continues, in Isaiah 21:9: "And behold, here comes a chariot of men with a couple of horsemen." And he answered and said, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground." Where is Babylon? In present-day Iraq. Babylon is in Iraq. The prophecy is saying that this army will destroy all the false gods of Babylon and erase all the images therein. Which army is that? Who is this army? Whose army is it that would go into Iraq and eliminate all of the idol worship, and erase all of the images of idolatry that existed in Iraq? The only army that fits this description is the army that was sent by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) to Iraq, and they succeeded in opening Iraq and eliminating all the false gods that existed there. So this is another prophecy that has been fulfilled.

Hijrah: in Isaiah 21:14-15, another reference to Hijrah. "The inhabitants of the land of Teman brought water to him that was thirsty; they prevented with their bread him that fled, for they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war." So Muhammad (peace be upon him) made Hijrah, and the Anṣār supported him with their bread — this is also talking about Hijrah and the Anṣār.

In Isaiah 21:16-17, another reference to Hijrah: "For thus has the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of Qedar shall fail, and the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Qedar, shall be diminished — for the Lord God of Israel has spoken it." Who is Qīdar — or, in English, Qedar? Who is that referring to? Q E D A R. Well, let the Bible speak for itself: it states in Genesis 25:13, "And these are the names of the sons of Ismāʿīl, by their names according to their generations: the firstborn of Ismāʿīl, Nebaioth, and Qedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam." So Qedar is one of the sons of Ismāʿīl. When the Bible speaks of the princes of Qedar, it is referring to the Arabs — in Arabic, Qīdar — and the people of Quraysh are descendants of Qīdar.

Going back to the prophecy: within a year, according to the years of a hireling, the glory of Qedar — Quraysh — shall fail, and the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Qedar, shall be diminished — they will be killed. What is this referring to? Hijrah has just been described, in verses 14 and 15, and how the Anṣār supported Rasūlullāh (peace be upon him). Verses 16 and 17 follow on from that. What is the event that happened one year after Hijrah? Notice that it says the glory of Qedar — Quraysh — will fail, and the mighty men of the children of Qedar will be diminished. This is referring to the Battle of Badr, and the Battle of Badr occurred in the second year of Hijrah, one year after the Hijrah of Rasūlullāh (peace be upon him). In the Battle of Badr — one of the most decisive battles in the history of Islam — all the leaders of Quraysh were killed. The leaders of Quraysh who were the most brutal in their war against Islam were eliminated: Abū Jahl, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, ʿUqbah ibn Abī Muʿayṭ — and one could go down the list, naming all of the disbelievers of Quraysh who died during the Battle of Badr.