Did Buddhist scriptures predict the coming of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?

Buddhist tradition holds a prophecy about a future enlightened teacher — known in Pali as Metteyya and in Sanskrit as Maitreya — who will arise after the Dharma of Gautama Buddha has declined. Muslim comparative religion scholars have engaged this tradition, arguing that certain descriptions of this coming figure match Prophet Muhammad ﷺ precisely.

The Text: Gospel of Buddha by Paul Carus

The primary text cited is the Gospel of Buddha, compiled and published by Paul Carus in 1894. Carus drew from Pali and Sanskrit Buddhist sources to produce an accessible retelling in English. The exchange below appears on pages 217 and 214 of his work:

'Ananda said to the Blessed One: Who shall teach us when thou art gone? And the Blessed One replied: I am not the first Buddha who came upon the earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a Holy One, a supremely enlightened one.'

When Ananda asks how this future Buddha will be recognized, the text provides six criteria:

1. A Buddha attains supreme and perfect insight at night.
2. On the occasion of his complete enlightenment, he looks exceedingly bright.
3. A Buddha dies a natural death.
4. He dies at night.
5. He looks exceedingly bright before his death.
6. After his death, a Buddha ceases to exist on earth.

How All Six Match Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Criterion 1 — Attains supreme insight at night: The first revelation came to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the Cave of Hira during the blessed nights of Ramadan — at night. The Quran affirms: 'Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night' (Ad-Dukhan 44:3). He left that cave with the first divine revelation, forever transformed.

Criterion 2 — Looks exceedingly bright at enlightenment: Historical accounts record that the Prophet ﷺ was filled with an awe that his companions witnessed upon his emergence from the cave. Throughout his life, companions such as Jabir ibn Samurah described his face as brighter and more radiant than the full moon.

Criterion 3 — Dies a natural death: Prophet Muhammad ﷺ passed away from fever — a natural death — at the age of 63 in Madinah, in the home of his wife Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).

Criterion 4 — Dies at night: Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that when the Prophet ﷺ was dying, there was no oil left in the lamp and she had to borrow oil from a neighbor — a detail indicating nighttime. He passed away on Monday, 12 Rabi al-Awwal, in the early night hours.

Criterion 5 — Looks exceedingly bright before death: The companion Anas ibn Malik reported that the Prophet ﷺ had a radiant and luminous appearance during the final days before his passing, with companions noting his brightness even in his weakened state.

Criterion 6 — After death, ceases to exist on earth: Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was buried in Madinah and was never seen again in his bodily form on this earth. There were no post-death appearances or manifestations. He passed from this world completely and permanently.

Why Jesus Does Not Fulfill Criterion 3

Muslim scholars note that Jesus (peace be upon him) does not fulfill criterion 3 under any theological interpretation. Christian belief holds he was crucified — not a natural death. Islamic belief holds he was raised alive to God without dying — also not a natural death. Under either interpretation, the 'natural death' criterion eliminates Jesus as a candidate while unambiguously confirming Muhammad ﷺ.

Critical Caveat — Textual Authenticity

Two important limitations must be clearly stated:

1. The Gospel of Buddha by Paul Carus (1894) is not a canonical Buddhist scripture. It is a modern Western narrative compilation — a 19th-century retelling — not a translation of the Pali Canon (Tipitaka), which is the authoritative scripture of Theravada Buddhism, nor of any recognized Mahayana sutra. The specific six-criteria formulation cited above appears in Carus's compilation and cannot be verified as-is in classical Buddhist texts.

1. The Maitreya prophecy does exist in canonical Buddhism — it appears in the Digha Nikaya and other texts — but the specific physical and circumstantial details described above (dying at night, bright appearance before death, etc.) are drawn from Carus's retelling, not from the Pali Canon directly.

Muslim scholars acknowledge this limitation but argue that: (a) even granting the compilation's non-canonical status, the correspondences across all six points are too precise to be coincidental; (b) the broader tradition of a coming enlightened teacher in Buddhism reflects the same divine inspiration found across all authentic traditions; and (c) the question of whether Carus accurately reproduced an authentic tradition remains open.

The Broader Pattern

The Buddhist six-criteria argument should be understood within a convergent pattern: the Torah (Deuteronomy 18:18, Isaiah 42, Isaiah 29:12), the Gospel (John 14–16), the Hindu scriptures (Bhavishya Purana, Vedic Narasansha), and the Buddhist tradition all describe a coming figure whose characteristics align with those of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. For Muslim scholars, this convergence across geographically and historically independent traditions is itself powerful evidence for the universality of the prophetic message and the truth of the Quranic claim that the unlettered prophet is 'written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel' (7:157).