Note: In my hopes to bridge the gap between Christians and Muslims I gladly welcome the website "Answering Christianity" and any other sites evangelizing for Christians to convert to Islam to a real dialog on the similarities and differences of our faiths. Hopefully at the very least, we can clear up any misconceptions that each of us have about each other and where we can't come together we can simply agree to disagree, but my ultimate goal will be for Muslims to accept Yahushua (better known as "Jesus" in most of the world) as who he claimed to be. Sent by YHWH, the one true God, to be the Savior, the Messiah for each and every living human being from the four corners of the earth.
Who is this YHWH you may ask? The one true God has a name and it is not THE LORD or Jehovah as it is written in many Bibles. God has a name and it is Yahweh not Allah. Allah is a title like Elohim, nothing more, nothing less. Jewish tradition began long ago not to mention the name of God out of respect, but it is there in the ancient Scriptures for all to see! This wrong tradition was continued, wrongly, in Christianity as well. That's right, we Christians get things wrong! Remember, we don't think we're perfect, just forgiven!
Who is this YHWH you may ask? The one true God has a name and it is not THE LORD or Jehovah as it is written in many Bibles. God has a name and it is Yahweh not Allah. Allah is a title like Elohim, nothing more, nothing less. Jewish tradition began long ago not to mention the name of God out of respect, but it is there in the ancient Scriptures for all to see! This wrong tradition was continued, wrongly, in Christianity as well. That's right, we Christians get things wrong! Remember, we don't think we're perfect, just forgiven!
As any Christian who goes about studying The Scriptures can attest; we get to know not only a lot about Christianity from the New Testament, but also about Judaism from the more ancient Scriptures. We cannot learn much about other world religions from either of the Testaments (such as Buddhism, Taoism, Shinto and Hinduism) with the exception that those that promote a polytheistic view of God are wrong; that there is but one true God over the whole world. But can we learn of the third and latest monotheistic religion, Islam, from the pages of the Bible? The answer is positively in the affirmative and in this day and age we must gain as true an understanding of Islam from a Biblical perspective to better understand our brethren from the east.
Brethren you ask? Yes, brethren in the same way you would look at cousin, whether they be by blood or through marriage (ie. adoption). While the non Jewish believers in Christ as the Messiah have been grafted into the true vine of Israel by adoption, those from the Middle East who follow Islam were already blood brethren to the Jewish people through Abraham. These people were and ARE Semites like the people of Israel but their separation was part of God's plan long ago. The Angel of YHWH spoke with Hagar in the wilderness and promised her the seed of what would become the Islamic faith:
Genesis 16:10-12
Then the Angel of the YHWH said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” The Angel of the YHWH continued,
“Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall name him Ishmael (God hears),
Because YHWH has heard and paid attention to your persecution (suffering).
“He (Ishmael) will be a wild man;
His hand will be against every man [continually fighting]
And every man’s hand against him;
And he will dwell in defiance of all his brothers.”
And you will bear a son;
And you shall name him Ishmael (God hears),
Because YHWH has heard and paid attention to your persecution (suffering).
“He (Ishmael) will be a wild man;
His hand will be against every man [continually fighting]
And every man’s hand against him;
And he will dwell in defiance of all his brothers.”
And later in the following chapter, YHWH re-affirms this with Abraham as well after informing him that Sarah would bear him a child.
Genesis 17: 18-22
And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael [my firstborn] might live before You!” But God said, “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed, and you shall name him Isaac (laughter); and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard and listened to you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will greatly multiply him [through his descendants]. He will be the father of twelve princes (chieftains, sheiks), and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant [My promise, My solemn pledge], I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.” And God finished speaking with him and went up from Abraham.
So Islam's claim of it's roots being based in The Scriptures can be clearly seen, but how it developed into the world's third monotheistic religion is what Christians need to understand. To understand the Muslim worldview from THEIR perspective, and not just gain your understanding of it with 30 second sound bites from the cable news channels.
One major contention that I have found on the pro-Islamic websites that I have visited is that the "New Covenant" was to come from the Muslims, but from these verses there can be no doubt that God's chosen people to carry his covenant(s) were what we now know as the Jewish people or Israel. God established a clear delineation here in Genesis that carries through the whole of Scripture. Yahushua (Jesus) re-iterated this point in his conversation with the Samaritan women at the well.
One major contention that I have found on the pro-Islamic websites that I have visited is that the "New Covenant" was to come from the Muslims, but from these verses there can be no doubt that God's chosen people to carry his covenant(s) were what we now know as the Jewish people or Israel. God established a clear delineation here in Genesis that carries through the whole of Scripture. Yahushua (Jesus) re-iterated this point in his conversation with the Samaritan women at the well.
John 4:22
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
Another passage of Scripture Muslims use that can be debunked with Scripture itself is the belief that the prophet that Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18 was referring to Muhammad and not to Jesus.
Deuteronomy 18:18
I will raise up a prophet from among their brethren like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
Again, the above account in Genesis back up by Yahushua in John easily debunks that view. Although Moses uses the word "brethren", and it is true that the word "brethren" can mean anyone who is a descendant of Abraham (and has broader implications elsewhere with it being used to describe the relationship between David and Johnathan), the fact is that the book of Deuteronomy is written by Moses to the ISRAELITES, and the use of the word being consistent with it's audience would be speaking as someone who is like Moses, an Israelite. Furthermore, In Isaiah 41 God is telling "The House of Jacob" not to fear (this prophet) because He is with them. In the "Answering Christianity" website, the author inserts his OPINION that Isaiah is speaking of a coming prophet that they should not fear (and by extension, this prophet is not one of them because they have to be told not to fear), but that is read into the text by the author, it does not appear there. But even if his reading into the text something that is not clearly there is correct, the answer is easy to find in the pages of the New Testament. When Jesus meets the Samaritan women at the well, she is expecting the coming of Messiah. The Samaritans ARE the "House of Jacob" (as she proclaims her Father Jacob at HIS well) and at this point ARE NOT Israel but are expecting and not afraid of the coming Messiah.
So who was Muhammad? Was he truly a prophet of God, or did he just suffer from an exaggerated self-importance that he turned into a religion? Were the offspring of Ishmael supposed to be codified into a religion at all? After all, God's own description of Ishmael was that he was to be a "wild" man (pere adam from the Hebrew). What comes to my mind is a picture of mustangs roaming in the wild of the western frontier, wild and FREE, never being intended to be stallions fenced in in a stable, or tied down to a RELIGION. Surely anyone who can "harness" these types of men could build a formidable force that would be able to conquer nations... as history has shown that Muhammad did.
In doing so, Muhammad MAY HAVE fulfill Biblical prophecy about Arabia, that cannot be denied, but Islam's claim comes as a result of misunderstanding the hebrew term translated "ten thousands" in Deuteronomy 33:2 and the Greek from the same in Jude 1:14-15. But those who argue with the statistics of the size of Muhammad's army only deceive themselves in doing so, because the proper translation simply means "a myraid" or "multitude" in Strongs Hebrew Dictionary. So to say he didn't have the exact number "10,000" wouldn't really matter. Whether he did or didn't doesn't meet the test of a prophet or whether he was one sent to do God's will. After all, Balaam was also a prophet of God who fulfilled Biblical prophecies.
Deuteronomy 18:18
I will raise up a prophet from among their brethren like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
Again, the above account in Genesis back up by Yahushua in John easily debunks that view. Although Moses uses the word "brethren", and it is true that the word "brethren" can mean anyone who is a descendant of Abraham (and has broader implications elsewhere with it being used to describe the relationship between David and Johnathan), the fact is that the book of Deuteronomy is written by Moses to the ISRAELITES, and the use of the word being consistent with it's audience would be speaking as someone who is like Moses, an Israelite. Furthermore, In Isaiah 41 God is telling "The House of Jacob" not to fear (this prophet) because He is with them. In the "Answering Christianity" website, the author inserts his OPINION that Isaiah is speaking of a coming prophet that they should not fear (and by extension, this prophet is not one of them because they have to be told not to fear), but that is read into the text by the author, it does not appear there. But even if his reading into the text something that is not clearly there is correct, the answer is easy to find in the pages of the New Testament. When Jesus meets the Samaritan women at the well, she is expecting the coming of Messiah. The Samaritans ARE the "House of Jacob" (as she proclaims her Father Jacob at HIS well) and at this point ARE NOT Israel but are expecting and not afraid of the coming Messiah.
So who was Muhammad? Was he truly a prophet of God, or did he just suffer from an exaggerated self-importance that he turned into a religion? Were the offspring of Ishmael supposed to be codified into a religion at all? After all, God's own description of Ishmael was that he was to be a "wild" man (pere adam from the Hebrew). What comes to my mind is a picture of mustangs roaming in the wild of the western frontier, wild and FREE, never being intended to be stallions fenced in in a stable, or tied down to a RELIGION. Surely anyone who can "harness" these types of men could build a formidable force that would be able to conquer nations... as history has shown that Muhammad did.
In doing so, Muhammad MAY HAVE fulfill Biblical prophecy about Arabia, that cannot be denied, but Islam's claim comes as a result of misunderstanding the hebrew term translated "ten thousands" in Deuteronomy 33:2 and the Greek from the same in Jude 1:14-15. But those who argue with the statistics of the size of Muhammad's army only deceive themselves in doing so, because the proper translation simply means "a myraid" or "multitude" in Strongs Hebrew Dictionary. So to say he didn't have the exact number "10,000" wouldn't really matter. Whether he did or didn't doesn't meet the test of a prophet or whether he was one sent to do God's will. After all, Balaam was also a prophet of God who fulfilled Biblical prophecies.
Before the dawn of Islam, the Jews and Christians of Arabia were awaiting a prophet. Before Muhammad, Arabia was home to Jews, Christians, and pagan Arabs who, on occasion, went to war with each other. The Jews and Christians would say: "The time has come for the unlettered prophet to appear who will revive the religion of Abraham. We will join his ranks and wage fierce war against you." When Muhammad actually appeared, some of them believed in him, and some refused.(1). The Quran speaks to this event.
"And when there came to them a Book [Quran] from God confirming that which was with them – although before they used to pray for victory against those who disbelieved – but [then] when there came to them that which they recognized, they disbelieved in it; so the curse of God will be upon the disbelievers." (Quran 2:89)
But what were they praying for that God answered their prayers through Muhammad? Would it not simply be to bring the pagan Arabs into the fold? The Semite brothers of the Jewish people home to the House of God? If so, mission accomplished! With one glaring omission; the only way to God is through His Son, Yahushua, Jesus. Muhammad, to be a true prophet of God, needed to point the way THROUGH the ONLY way to Him! But doesn't the Quran do exactly that?
"And when there came to them a Book [Quran] from God confirming that which was with them – although before they used to pray for victory against those who disbelieved – but [then] when there came to them that which they recognized, they disbelieved in it; so the curse of God will be upon the disbelievers." (Quran 2:89)
But what were they praying for that God answered their prayers through Muhammad? Would it not simply be to bring the pagan Arabs into the fold? The Semite brothers of the Jewish people home to the House of God? If so, mission accomplished! With one glaring omission; the only way to God is through His Son, Yahushua, Jesus. Muhammad, to be a true prophet of God, needed to point the way THROUGH the ONLY way to Him! But doesn't the Quran do exactly that?
"…who shall become known as the Christ Jesus, son of Mary, of great honor in this world and in the life to come, and [shall be] of those who are drawn near unto God." (Quran 3:45)
"when Allah said, "O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify you from those who disbelieve and make those who follow you [in submission to Allah alone] superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, and I will judge between you concerning that in which you used to differ." (Quran 3:55)
"Those messengers - some of them We caused to exceed others. Among them were those to whom Allah spoke, and He raised some of them in degree. And We gave Jesus, the Son of Mary, clear proofs, and We supported him with the Pure Spirit. If Allah had willed, those [generations] succeeding them would not have fought each other after the clear proofs had come to them. But they differed, and some of them believed and some of them disbelieved. And if Allah had willed, they would not have fought each other, but Allah does what He intends." (Quran 2:253)So, YES, clearly from the first scripture cited, the Quran points to Yahushua; and it was Jesus who was raised in degree, because he was the Messiah! The fact that the Quran agrees that Jesus was the Messiah, that he was no mere prophet, should suffice in understanding that He is above Muhammad!
The crux of the issue between Islam and Christianity is one of the Deity of the Christ. That is confirmed here:
O People of the Scripture (ie. Christians), do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs. (Quran 4:171)
So how is it that in the second sentence of this verse scripture the Quran contradicts itself? It is clear that the writer of the Quran had no clear understanding of what it meant to be the Messiah, if in the same sentence He is also referred to as a mere messenger, that is, unless alterations were made to the original text. The contradictions of those who follow Islam comes from not understanding what it meant that Jesus was the Messiah, why He had to be crucified as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" as John the Baptist proclaimed. This was clearly prophesied in the Scriptures written by Isaiah.Isaiah 53: 5-12 (KJV)
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and YHWH hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it pleased YHWH to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of YHWH shall prosper in his hand.
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
This is what it meant to be the Messiah in His first appearance, the Suffering Servant of God. For it is the only way to God the Father, through the shed blood of His Messiah, the Lamb of God, can we approach the throne of God. Jesus was our propitiation. Those who do not believe we need this atonement do not know the Scriptures. One such website about Islam makes this assertion erroneously:
The sacrificial system was not simply a Jewish custom at the time the Temple stood in Jerusalem, but it was required before the foundation of Israel, God's chosen people, of the promise given to Abraham through Issac.
Genesis 4: 3-5 (NASB)
So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to YHWH of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And YHWH had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.
While Islam has a better understanding of who Jesus will be at his second coming (albeit not near enough to the Christian world view), they, like the Jews, miss the purpose of his first. While debates about Jesus's divinity during his earthly ministry can seen in Scripture as Him not existing as God, most notable;
Philippians 2: 6-8 (NASB)
(Jesus) who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
and those in Islam will point to a myriad of verses from the Gospels, in some cases using Jesus's own words, but they will not use any from beyond His death and burial. As the resurrected Christ we see Jesus confirming His deity when He did not rebuke Thomas for this comment;
John 20: 27-29 (NASB)
Then He *said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
Instead of a rebuke, Jesus confirmed Thomas and went further by saying that those of use who believe without seeing are blessed by doing so. Count me in as one who believes but yet did not see! I am blessed by God!
Proponents of the Islamic faith also look to the Scriptures we possess as being changed and corrupted, but they use those very Scriptures for their argument that even Jesus foretold of the coming of Muhammad. One of the most popular comes from the Gospel of John. In it, they look to the Greek word Paraclete. In the following verses, I will use this word where we would find Holy Spirit, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Comforter and where they find the Prophet Muhammad.
John 14: 16-17 (NASB)
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Paraclete, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
John 14:26 (NASB)
But the Paraclete,*the Spirit of Truth, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. (*purposely changed direct reference to the Holy Spirit)
John 15:26 (NASB)
When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father,that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,
John 16: 7-9 (NASB)
But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me,
Most references I have found of these "proofs" conveniently leave out the last line (verse 9) that I underlined, because it again is a direct reference that points back to Jesus being the atonement for our sin!
John 16: 13-15 (NASB)
But when the Paraclete, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.
Followers of Islam who use this as "proof" that Jesus was referring to Muhammad have a couple of dilemmas on their hands. First off, if on one hand, Jesus being sent by God the Father is proof that Jesus is not God, nor equal to God, but lesser than God, because God is the one sending Him; does it not stand to reason that Jesus is greater than Muhammad because Muhammad was sent by Jesus as the underlined portions of the above Scriptures clearly indicate? Furthermore, He was sending him to testify about Jesus and to glorify Jesus. Do we find that in the Quran or in other sacred Islamic texts?
Well in the Saheeh Al-Bukhari we find the Prophet Muhammad said:
"If anyone testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, and that Jesus is God’s servant and His Messenger and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit from Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, God will admit him into Paradise with the deeds which he has done even if those deeds were few." (3)
Curiously, we find this underlined section consistent and in agreement with another part of John's writings from his Gospel bringing about the second dilemma.
John 1 (NASB) (Subheading left in for emphasis)
The Deity of Jesus Christ
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
From this we get the idea that Christ was always in existence, that he existed before creation itself and even appeared in the Old Testament before he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary. These pre-incarnate appearance can be found, with evidence to back them up from the Scriptures. Again, from the trusted Biblical source Islam uses from the New Testament, John says:John 1:18 (NASB)
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
John 6:46 (NASB)
Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.
With that being said, who was it that was walking, physically walking, with Adam in the Garden (Genesis 4:8)? Jesus. Who was it who met Hagar in the wilderness, wrestled with Jacob in the night, walked by Moses on the mountain, and met Joshua on the battlefield (Genesis 16, Genesis 32, Exodus 33, Joshua 5)? None other than the pre-incarnate Jesus! This was no ordinary angel that Hagar saw, for she said she had physically seen God and remained alive thereafter (Genesis 16:13). Nor was it any ordinary man that was wrestling with Jacob because Jacob was re-named Israel by the man, which means "one who has striven with God and men and have prevailed" and Jacob said "for I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved."(Genesis 32:28,30). Moses got to see the physical back of God as He passed by (Exodus 33:23) and once Joshua realized whom it was who was standing in front of him, he fell with his face to the ground, bowed and asked of him as if he were more than a mere warrior prepared for battle (Joshua 5: 13-15).
Another curiosity I have found is not only Islamist's objection of Jesus as God, but their utter disdain for the Apostle Paul. Understandable so, that any religion that came along after the followers of Christ who claim they received their revelation from an angel would have a problem with Paul's statement if their Gospel was different than the one Paul preached:
Galatians 1: 6-9 (NASB) (Subtitle left in for emphasis)
Perversion of the Gospel
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him (God the Father) who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
But could it also be, that if it were true that Jesus was speaking of an actual person in John 14-16, and not the Holy Spirit, would it not be plausible, even more so than Muhammad, that this person was Paul himself? After all, it was after Jesus went away that we find this event:Acts 9: 3-6 (NASB)
As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”
Jesus then instructed Ananias:
Acts 9: 11-16 (NASB)
And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen [e]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
In no way am I saying I believe this to be true, however, a stronger case can be made from Scripture that if the Paraclete was to be a man and not the Holy Spirit, that this man would have been Paul and not Muhammad. This is clear when looking at the verses of John in question because Jesus was speaking directly to his disciples, so the 'helper' would have to have come in their lifetimes.
Another dispute that Islam has with the Christian view of Jesus is his crucifixion. Some believe that in the Biblical account, Jesus's crucifixion did not last long enough for him to die, while others opine that God gave someone Jesus's appearance (that it was Judas Iscariot or Simon of Cyrene*), causing everyone to believe that Jesus was crucified (majority view). A third explanation could be that Jesus was nailed to a cross, but as his body is immortal he did not "die" or was not "crucified" [to death]; it only appeared so. In opposition to the second and third foregoing proposals, yet others maintain that God does not use deceit and therefore they contend that crucifixion just did not occur. The basis of all of these beliefs is the following verse in the Qur'an: (4)
That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:- Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.(Quran, 4:157-158)
But yet again, this is contradicted by none other than Jesus, in one of the recorded miracles of Jesus that is not in the Bible:
"I am indeed a slave (servant, messenger) of God. He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet, and He has made me blessed wherever I may be. And He has enjoined upon me prayers, and to pay the alms, as long as I live and (He has made me) kind to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed. And may Peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and on the Day I shall be raised to life." (Quran 19:30-33)
Jesus is quoted in the Quran as saying He would DIE and be raised to life! A core doctrine of Christianity CONFIRMED in the Quran. Again, I believe this error in Islamic thinking, as evidenced in the conflicts within their own Scriptures, comes from not understanding the true nature of who Jesus was; not merely a prophet but the Messiah.
In trying to understand where these beliefs originated, I have found that they have existed before Muhammad did. Constant references to 'other gospels', other works written that contradict the Christian world view that we know today, but their basis were in Christianity itself. Sects of people who held beliefs that were deemed heretical, either at the time the apostles were still walking the earth or centuries later.
Keeping of the law and it's rituals and customs found in Islam very much mirror what we find in the Levitical law found in the Old Testament; with the exception of the animal sacrifices that were performed in the Temple. This always sounded to me like something a sect of Christianity believed in, that although Jesus was the replacement of the Temple Sacrifice, believers still had to do all that the law required, such as circumcision and the dietary restrictions. These were known then as the 'Judaizers' and references to them can be found in the Book of Acts (Acts 15) and elsewhere in the New Testament, especially in the Pauline Epistles and most directly in Galatians.
In the Epistle of Barnabas, we get an even clearer understanding of how the dietary restrictions of the Levitical law were no longer in effect (as stated by Jesus in the Gospels and Peter in his own writings and in the Book of Acts) and may have never been intended to be as they were taken. The Epistle, primarily in chapter 10 (5) explains many Torah laws as having a spiritual lesson as their main purpose. For example, the prohibition against eating pork is intended to forbid the people to live like swine, who supposedly grunt when hungry but are silent when full: likewise, the people are not to pray to God when they are in need but ignore Him when they are satisfied. Similarly, the prohibition against eating rabbit means that the people are not to behave in a promiscuous manner, and the prohibition against eating weasel is also to be interpreted as a prohibition of oral sex, based on the mistaken belief that weasels copulate via the mouth.(6) Judaizers were simply Christians who insist that their coreligionists should follow the Law of Moses.(7).
The next influence comes from Gnosticism that was around in the second century. References to these writings can be found throughout Islam. The Gospel of Basilides, The Gospel of Barnabas, and the Gospel of Peter, just to name a few, were all written at least a century after Christ and the Apostles walked this earth and were deemed heretical even before the Council of Nicea (which many critics point to as the church being codified into the state under Constantine, and no longer pure). Other than the Gospel of Basilides, who was the author, the others claim to be written as 1st hand accounts of Peter and Barnabas, but yet were written more than 100 years after their deaths! And unlike the Gospel named after him, it is very plausible that Barnabas penned the Epistle that bares his name. From these books is where the world of Islam gets their wrong ideas about what happened at the crucifixion, the true nature of who Jesus was, and how Paul was a deceiver and hence why the Bible (at least one of the reasons) is corrupt.
Finally, a couple of the other Christian sects, namingly Arianism and Nestorianism, are not only evident in the Islamic Theology, but at the root of the life of Muhammad.
Arianism is a Christological concept that asserts that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was created by God the Father at a point in time, is distinct from the Father and is therefore subordinate to the Father. The Arian concept of Christ is that the Son of God did not always exist but was created by God the Father. Furthermore, Arians do not believe in the traditional doctrine of the Trinity, but rather God, the Father, ("unbegotten" God; Almighty God) always existing and who is the only true God (John 17:3). The Son of God, Jesus Christ, ("only-begotten God" John 1:18; Mighty God Isaiah 9:6) begotten before time began (Proverbs 8:22-29; Revelation 3:14; Colossians 1:15) and who is Lord/Master (1 Corinthians 8:6). The Holy Spirit (the illuminating and sanctifying power, who is neither God nor Lord/Master. (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).(8)
Nestorianism is is a Christological doctrine that emphasizes a distinction between the human and divine natures of Jesus and at the time was criticized as being too close to adoptionism; the idea that Christ had been born a man who had later been "adopted" as God's son.(9) It was around the time in young Muhammad's life and the subsequent birth of Islam that Nestorianism had found a home in the Persian Church, now modern day Iran.
It was a man, Bahira, also called "Sergius the Monk", from this sect of Christianity whom foretold to the adolescent Muhammad his future as a prophet. It was also believed that Muhammad's mother was also of Arian or Nestorian Christian background as well. As the story goes, When Muhammad was either nine or twelve years old, he met Bahira in the town of Bosra in Syria during his travel with a Meccan caravan, accompanying his uncle Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. When the caravan was passing by his cell, the monk invited the merchants to a feast. They accepted the invitation, leaving the boy to guard the camel. Bahira, however, insisted that everyone in the caravan should come to him. Then a miraculous occurrence indicated to the monk that Muhammad was to become a prophet. It was a miraculous movement of a cloud that kept shadowing Muhammad regardless of the time of the day. The monk revealed his visions of Muhammad's future to the boy's uncle (Abu Talib), warning him to preserve the child from the Jews (in Ibn Sa'd's version) or from the Byzantines (in al-Tabari's version). Both Ibn Sa'd and al-Tabari write that Bahira found the announcement of the coming of Muhammad in the original, unadulterated gospels, which he possessed.(10)
So remember when I said the people of Islam are are brethren? Well, they are not only that but were among the first to be called Christians because this indeed is where it all began. Even within the pages of the Answering Christianity website is the claim that Muslims were first called Christians, and in a very real way it is absolutely true! We would say they were a heretical wayward sect of Christianity with incorrect beliefs and understandings. But what if they were the one's who were correct? What happens to us who believed sincerely but were sincerely wrong? As Paul said in his first letter to the Church in Corinth;
The next influence comes from Gnosticism that was around in the second century. References to these writings can be found throughout Islam. The Gospel of Basilides, The Gospel of Barnabas, and the Gospel of Peter, just to name a few, were all written at least a century after Christ and the Apostles walked this earth and were deemed heretical even before the Council of Nicea (which many critics point to as the church being codified into the state under Constantine, and no longer pure). Other than the Gospel of Basilides, who was the author, the others claim to be written as 1st hand accounts of Peter and Barnabas, but yet were written more than 100 years after their deaths! And unlike the Gospel named after him, it is very plausible that Barnabas penned the Epistle that bares his name. From these books is where the world of Islam gets their wrong ideas about what happened at the crucifixion, the true nature of who Jesus was, and how Paul was a deceiver and hence why the Bible (at least one of the reasons) is corrupt.
Finally, a couple of the other Christian sects, namingly Arianism and Nestorianism, are not only evident in the Islamic Theology, but at the root of the life of Muhammad.
Arianism is a Christological concept that asserts that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was created by God the Father at a point in time, is distinct from the Father and is therefore subordinate to the Father. The Arian concept of Christ is that the Son of God did not always exist but was created by God the Father. Furthermore, Arians do not believe in the traditional doctrine of the Trinity, but rather God, the Father, ("unbegotten" God; Almighty God) always existing and who is the only true God (John 17:3). The Son of God, Jesus Christ, ("only-begotten God" John 1:18; Mighty God Isaiah 9:6) begotten before time began (Proverbs 8:22-29; Revelation 3:14; Colossians 1:15) and who is Lord/Master (1 Corinthians 8:6). The Holy Spirit (the illuminating and sanctifying power, who is neither God nor Lord/Master. (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).(8)
Nestorianism is is a Christological doctrine that emphasizes a distinction between the human and divine natures of Jesus and at the time was criticized as being too close to adoptionism; the idea that Christ had been born a man who had later been "adopted" as God's son.(9) It was around the time in young Muhammad's life and the subsequent birth of Islam that Nestorianism had found a home in the Persian Church, now modern day Iran.
It was a man, Bahira, also called "Sergius the Monk", from this sect of Christianity whom foretold to the adolescent Muhammad his future as a prophet. It was also believed that Muhammad's mother was also of Arian or Nestorian Christian background as well. As the story goes, When Muhammad was either nine or twelve years old, he met Bahira in the town of Bosra in Syria during his travel with a Meccan caravan, accompanying his uncle Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. When the caravan was passing by his cell, the monk invited the merchants to a feast. They accepted the invitation, leaving the boy to guard the camel. Bahira, however, insisted that everyone in the caravan should come to him. Then a miraculous occurrence indicated to the monk that Muhammad was to become a prophet. It was a miraculous movement of a cloud that kept shadowing Muhammad regardless of the time of the day. The monk revealed his visions of Muhammad's future to the boy's uncle (Abu Talib), warning him to preserve the child from the Jews (in Ibn Sa'd's version) or from the Byzantines (in al-Tabari's version). Both Ibn Sa'd and al-Tabari write that Bahira found the announcement of the coming of Muhammad in the original, unadulterated gospels, which he possessed.(10)
So remember when I said the people of Islam are are brethren? Well, they are not only that but were among the first to be called Christians because this indeed is where it all began. Even within the pages of the Answering Christianity website is the claim that Muslims were first called Christians, and in a very real way it is absolutely true! We would say they were a heretical wayward sect of Christianity with incorrect beliefs and understandings. But what if they were the one's who were correct? What happens to us who believed sincerely but were sincerely wrong? As Paul said in his first letter to the Church in Corinth;
1 Corinthians 15:19 (NASB)
"If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied."
But it is not pity we get from Islam, but rather the sword. Hundreds of thousands of Christians being slaughtered in the Middle East in the name of Islam. Church, we know what we know and believe what we believe, and should not be afraid, even unto death, to stand for what we believe. We need not only to be ready to give an account for the hope that lies within but also be ready and able to give an answer to the challenges from Islam.
"If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied."
But it is not pity we get from Islam, but rather the sword. Hundreds of thousands of Christians being slaughtered in the Middle East in the name of Islam. Church, we know what we know and believe what we believe, and should not be afraid, even unto death, to stand for what we believe. We need not only to be ready to give an account for the hope that lies within but also be ready and able to give an answer to the challenges from Islam.
One challenge I have gotten on more than one occasion is that when Jesus returns he will break the cross and convert Christians (and Jews) to Islam which comes from these:
Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 656:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizya tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts).
Sunan Abu Dawud Book 37, Number 4310:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (pbuh) said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (pbuh). He will descend (to the earth). When you see him, recognize him: a man of medium height, reddish fair, wearing two light yellow garments, looking as if drops were falling down from his head though it will not be wet. He will fight the people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill swine, and abolish jizya. Allah will perish all religions except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist and will live on the earth for forty years and then he will die. The Muslims will pray over him.
So I say to those who would quote this to me (and I have on more than one occasion), "that's great"! The bible tells me not to run ahead of God; (and again from Islam's favorite author in the New Testament!)
2 John 1:9 (NIV)
Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
Furthermore, even the Quran agrees with the teaching of the New Testament as it pertains to Christians, therefore backing up what John said.
"Let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel" (Surah 5, Al Ma'idah, verse 47).
I can only go as far as what I have been taught in the Scriptures, and cannot go beyond that and the Quran agrees. So on that day we will see each other as we truly are, brothers in the one true God. But since your own Scriptures point to Jesus as the Messiah and you now know what Jesus being Messiah truly means, you have a decision to make. To trust in Him as your Savior for the forgiveness of your sins once and forever, or hope that when your deeds are brought before a holy and just God, that the good outweigh the bad. It is your choice, God gives us this. It's called our freewill. I hope you make the right choice, but that's for you to decide it's nothing I could or ever would force upon you.
(1)
2 John 1:9 (NIV)
Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
Furthermore, even the Quran agrees with the teaching of the New Testament as it pertains to Christians, therefore backing up what John said.
"Let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel" (Surah 5, Al Ma'idah, verse 47).
I can only go as far as what I have been taught in the Scriptures, and cannot go beyond that and the Quran agrees. So on that day we will see each other as we truly are, brothers in the one true God. But since your own Scriptures point to Jesus as the Messiah and you now know what Jesus being Messiah truly means, you have a decision to make. To trust in Him as your Savior for the forgiveness of your sins once and forever, or hope that when your deeds are brought before a holy and just God, that the good outweigh the bad. It is your choice, God gives us this. It's called our freewill. I hope you make the right choice, but that's for you to decide it's nothing I could or ever would force upon you.
(1)
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/200/viewall/bible-prophecies-of-muhammad/#_ftn26270
(2) http://tellmeaboutislam.com/90-verses-jesus-is-not-god.html
(3) http://sunnah.com/bukhari
(4)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_view_of_Jesus%27_death
*added to this section from another area and other websites.
(5) http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/barnabas-lightfoot.html
(6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_of_Barnabas
(7) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaizers
(8) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianism
(9) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestorianism
(10) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahira
(2) http://tellmeaboutislam.com/90-verses-jesus-is-not-god.html
(3) http://sunnah.com/bukhari
(4)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_view_of_Jesus%27_death
*added to this section from another area and other websites.
(5) http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/barnabas-lightfoot.html
(6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_of_Barnabas
(7) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaizers
(8) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianism
(9) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestorianism
(10) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahira
