“Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One, In Your splendor and Your majesty! 4 And in Your majesty ride on victoriously, For the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; Let Your right hand teach You awesome things. 5 Your arrows are sharp; The peoples fall under You; Your arrows are in the heart of the King’s enemies (Psalm 45:3-5).”

Muslim argument

Since verse 3 refers to someone coming with a sword to subdue his enemies, some Muslims argue that this passage refers to Muhammad who was known as “the prophet of the sword.”  These Muslims argue that this passage could not refer to Jesus, since he never came with the sword, as He Himself admitted (Matt. 26:52).

Christian response

There are a number of reasons why this passage does not refer to Muhammad.¹ Norman Geisler and Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross, Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002, p. 155-56.  First, the very next verse (Psalm 45:6) identifies the person coming as God, whom in the New Testament Jesus truly claimed to be (John 8:58; 10:30), but Muhammad denied.  Second, though Jesus did not come the first time with the sword, He will come with one in his second coming (Rev. 19:11-16; cf. 2 Thess. 1:7-8).  Finally, the New Testament explicitly refers to Christ in this very passage (Heb. 1:8).  Therefore, it is Jesus who truly fulfills this passage, not Muhammad.