Did every prophet announce the mission of the next prophets?
Did every prophet confirm the prior prophets?
If the mission of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was announced by prior prophets, what are the references of this claim in the Qur'an, Bible, Torah and other holy books?
Coming from a Christian perspective, I can tell you that the general principle of prophetic succession is such that once a prophet arrives, his claim is made to rest on the authority of previous prophets.
Since Mohammed was, by all accounts, the last of the prophets, it would have been remarkable if he had been named in prior books. To give some idea of the time frames involved -
It is difficult to imagine a nonsensical datum existing for over 1600 years in any book, let alone a holy one.
In Christian and Jewish traditions, there is no example of a prophet being named prior to his appointment. Even Jesus, whom Christians view as both a prophet and as "the Messiah," the concept of Messiah is traced historically, but the name of Jesus does not appear until the angel Gabriel announces to Mariam. As another example, John the Baptist is often conflated with Elijah - a prophet who preceeded John the Baptist by 600 years - but again John the Baptist is later associated, not named.
The most famous example of the Prophet Muhammad being "named" in "Scripture" comes from "The Gospel of Barnabas," a work not recognized by Christians or Jews as sacred. The earliest mention of text is contemporaneous with the Prophet, and is thus both well after Christians believe the canon to be closed and in any event not inspired at all.
When I read the Bible as a Christian I took this below section to mean someone else is coming. Later I learned this is supposed to be the Holy Spirit so I forgot about the passage. Sometime after becoming Muslim I’ve remember this, and still don’t see why more people don’t know about it. Now I wonder why it took three years for someone to mention it as part of answering your question.
John 16:13-15New International Version (NIV)
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
From my point of view run on sentences in the Bible come from add ons to help explain or convince people of some ones point of view. Man was I mad (or distraught/disturbed) when I figured out Islam was the right religion, and so happy that much of the truth seems to have survived distinct from the cultural practices and false knowledge that people spread (when they may not know what they are talking about or implying).
