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-The '''Bhavishya Purana''' (Sanskrit:भविष्य पुराण, literally "the future Purana") is one of the eighteen major Hindu Puranas. It is traditionally ascribed to the Rishi Vyasa, the compiler of the Vedas, although the actual authorship remains unknown and the document is likely the work of many hands. Like the other mahapuranas it is written in Sanskrit.<ref>For the Bhaviṣyat Purāṇa as one of the eighteen major puranas see: Winternitz, volume 1, p. 531.</ref> The title Bhavishya Purana signifies a work that contains prophecies regarding the future or a "history of the future."<ref>For the title signifying "a work which contains prophecies regarding the future" see: Winternitz, p. 567.</ref> The full text of the purana itself was put to writing at a relatively late date, and much of the material in it is are likely later accretions to the original core text.
+The '''Bhavishya Purana''' (Sanskrit:भविष्य पुराण, literally "the future Purana") is one of the eighteen major Hindu Puranas. It is traditionally ascribed to the Rishi Vyasa, the compiler of the Vedas, although the actual authorship remains unknown and the document is likely the work of many hands. Like the other mahapuranas it is written in Sanskrit.<ref>For the Bhaviṣyat Purāṇa as one of the eighteen major puranas see: Winternitz, volume 1, p. 531.</ref> The title Bhavishya Purana signifies a work that contains prophecies regarding the future or a "history of the future."<ref>For the title signifying "a work which contains prophecies regarding the future" see: Winternitz, p. 567.</ref> The full text of the purana itself was put to writing at a relatively late date, and much of the material in it likely consists of later accretions to the original core text.
 Popular Indian Islamic preachers and apologists such as Dr. [[Zakir Naik]] often make the claim that the Hindu scriptures, the Bhavishya Purana in particular, predict the mission and life of Muhammad, and that this constitutes a miracle. This claim is a relatively recent invention, and is not often made outside of India to non-Hindus. There do appear to be passages in the Bhavishya Purana  that that describe Muhammad, but some of these are hostile and appear to paint him as a mlecha, a dastardly foreigner, or even as a demon. Rather than being an actual example of a prophesy, most scholars view these references as an example of ''Vaticinium ex eventu'', a prophecy being placed in the mouth of a prophet by a writer composing after the fact, in order to attribute divine prophesy to his character.
 ==The Puranas==
-The "mahapuranas" or "great puranas" are traditionally counted at 18, but many more puranas exist outside of these, composing a vast mass of mythological and historical literature on the history of Hindu kings, gods and people. The word "purana"  पुराण in both Hindi and Sanskrits means "old" or "ancient" and the Puranas are thus "the tales of the ancients."  They are traditionally attributed to Vyasa, the narrator of the Mahabharata. They purport to relate the history of the world from its creations. Like most of the Sanskrit Hindu scriptures, the puranas were originally oral texts handed down from teacher to pupil by the priestly brahmin caste. Unlike the Vedas, though, the Puranas show the deep influence of the medieval, popular bhakti worship movement in addition to the high-caste brahmin conception of dharma <ref>Dimmitt, Cornelia; van Buitenen, J. A. B. (2012). Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas. Temple University Press (1st Edition: 1977). ISBN 978-1-4399-0464-0, 10</ref> The actual composition of the puranas happened far after their supposed composition according to the tradition, and the texts themselves show much evidence of accretions, editions, additions and subtractions along the way to finally being written down. The texts as they come to us in modern times appear to be an amalgation of multiple texts across generations, a veritable encyclopedia of spirituality, myth, chronicles of kings and heroes, as well as devotional and philosophical literature.
+The "mahapuranas" or "great puranas" are traditionally counted at 18, but many more puranas exist outside of these, composing a vast mass of mythological and historical literature on the history of Hindu kings, gods and people. The word "purana"  पुराण in both Hindi and Sanskrit means "old" or "ancient" and the Puranas are thus "the tales of the ancients."  They are traditionally attributed to Vyasa, the narrator of the Mahabharata. They purport to relate the history of the world from its creations. Like most of the Sanskrit Hindu scriptures, the puranas were originally oral texts handed down from teacher to pupil by the priestly brahmin caste. Unlike the Vedas, though, the Puranas show the deep influence of the medieval, popular bhakti worship movement in addition to the high-caste brahmin conception of dharma <ref>Dimmitt, Cornelia; van Buitenen, J. A. B. (2012). Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas. Temple University Press (1st Edition: 1977). ISBN 978-1-4399-0464-0, 10</ref> The actual composition of the puranas happened far after their supposed composition according to the tradition, and the texts themselves show much evidence of accretions, editions, additions and subtractions along the way to finally being written down. The texts as they come to us in modern times appear to be an amalgation of multiple texts across generations, a veritable encyclopedia of spirituality, myth, chronicles of kings and heroes, as well as devotional and philosophical literature.
 ==Contents and Composition of the Bhavishya Purana==