a christian response to muslim beliefs

8/6/2019 A Christian Response to Muslim Beliefs

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'If thou wert in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee, then ask thosewho have been reading the Book from before thee....' (Surah, 10, Yunus, verse94)

A Christian Response to Muslim Beliefs

Rev. Andrew Abraham

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1. INTRODUCTION

2. CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO BASIC BELIEFS OF ISLAM

A. BELIEF IN ALLAH

B. BELIEF IN ANGELS OF ALLAH

C. BELIEF IN BOOKS OF ALLAH

D. BELIEF IN PROPHETS OF ALLAH

E. BELIEF IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

F. BELIEF IN SUPREMACY OF DIVINE WILL

G. BELIEF IN LIFE AFTER DEATH

H. BELIEF IN WAR

I. BELIEF IN JESUS

3. CONCLUSION

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1. INTRODUCTION

Some people think that Christianity and Islam have so much in common that it does not reallymatter which of the two religions one adheres to. The purpose of these pages is to comparethe fundamental beliefs of both to establish whether this view is true or not.

2. A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO BASIC BELIEFS OF ISLAM


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A. Belief in Allah

'Say: He is Allah. the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is Hebegotten; And there is none like unto Him.' (Surah 112, Al-Ikhlas, verses 1-4, please notethat different Quran translations may have different verse numbering systems. Therefore, it

may be necessary to look up the surrounding verses.)

Most important to Muslims is the belief that Allah is One, Almighty, All-powerful, beyondcomparison. The Bible too confirms that truth (Deut. 6:4). However, the concept of the name'Allah' in Christianity is different from that of Islam in two areas:

i) The origin and meaning of the word

While Arab Christians view the name 'Allah' as a common name for the divine (i.e. 'God' inEnglish, 'Theos' in Greek, 'Eloah' in Hebrew and 'Alaha' in Aramaic), Arab and OrthodoxMuslims consider it as the very personal name of God allegedly revealed to Muhammad inthe Quran. This view contradicts the Bible. According to Exodus 3:15, the eternal (personal)name of God is 'Yahweh'. It is never translated as 'Allah' in any Arabic Bible. The personalname of God is either kept as 'Yahweh' or translated into to 'Rrab' ('Adonai' in Hebrew,'Kyrios' in Greek and 'LORD' in English). 'Yahweh' is never mentioned in the Quran nor doesit appear in the Hadith. Therefore, Christians and Jews refused to accept him as a prophet

based on Deuteronomy 18:20, where 'Yahweh' said, '...a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.' 'Allah' is not known as a common or personal name for thedivine in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, the languages the Bible was first revealed in.Linguists and experts in Semitic languages are not sure if 'Allah' is a contraction of 'al-ilah'(the-god), a transliteration of 'alaha' (the-god) in Syriac or a derivation from the Babylonian'Enlil'. There are about twenty different views as to the derivation of the name 'Allah.' Themost probable is that the root is 'ilah', the past participle form, on the measure fi'al, from theverb 'ilaho' (to worship), to which this article was prefixed to indicate the supreme object of worship.' (Muheet-el.Muheet, dictionary) According to the opinion of some Muslimtheologians it is infidelity (kufr) to hold that the word has any derivation whatever! Buthistory establishes beyond the shadow of a doubt that even the pagan Arabs, beforeMuhammad's time, knew their chief god by the name of 'Allah' and in a sense,

proclaimed his unity. (Ibn Hisham, earliest biographer of Muhammad, Sirat, Part II., p. 27)Centuries before Muhammad the Arabian Kaaba, or temple at Mecca was called 'Beit-Allah', the house of God, and not 'Beit-el-Alihet', the house of idols or gods.

ii) Allah and Yahweh God have different attributes

The description of Allah in the Quran is deistic. He is completely separate from his creation.The central Christian teaching of God's entrance into the world or of any sort of humanfellowship with him is totally absent in Islam.

'The thunder hymneth His praise and (so do) the angels for awe of Him. He launcheth thethunderbolts and smiteth with them whom He will while they dispute concerning Allah, and

He is mighty in wrath' (Surah 13, Al-Rad, verse 13)

This verse is a good introduction to the study of Allah's attributes; it expresses the effect

Allah's attributes are intended to have and do have on His worshippers. Through fear of death and terror of Allah's mighty power the pious Muslim is all his life subject to


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bondage. In contrast Biblical Christianity teaches to respect God, to be in awe of himand to obey him joyfully out of thankfulness for what he has done in Jesus. The mostcommon division of Allah's attributes are: Isam-ul-Jalaliyah and Isma-ul-Jemaliyah,terrible attributes and glorious attributes. The former are more numerous and moreemphasised than the latter, not only in the Quran but in tradition and in daily life. The

net total of the moral attributes is only found in two verses, which mention that Allah is Holyand Truthful in the Muslim sense of those words. God is only called once 'the Holy' in theQuran (Surah 59). Unlike in the Bible the term does not signify moral purity or perfection,'just the complete absence of anything that would make him less than he is.' (Beidhawi) TheArabic word 'tahir' is only used in the Quran to define outward purity of the body. TheBiblical idea of moral purity and utter separation from sin as a prerequisite to approachingGod is unknown to the vocabulary in the Quran. Both concepts are of doubtful significancein Muslim theology while they are found throughout the Bible. What a contrast is foundin it where God himself is at least 29 times described as holy. (Lev.11:44,45, 19:2, 21:8,Joshua 24:19, etc.) At least 8 times God is mentioned as being the truth. (Genesis 24:27,Exodus 34:6, etc.) While the God of the Bible is called 'just' at least 5 times (Deut. 32:4,Job 4:17, etc.) this attribute is completely missing in the account of the Quran. 'El Adl' -The Just. is only put in the list of his 99 names as found outside the Quran in traditions. Theword 'Adl', Justice, occurs twelve times only in the Quran and is never used of the righteousacts of God and only once (Surah 6:115) of His words. In every other case it refers to humanequity or faithfulness (Surah 4: 128). It seems Allah does not say about himself that hepossesses justice as an attribute. Unlike the Biblical concept of God being inherentlygood (Psalm 34:8) Allah can therefore do whatever he pleases, be it good or bad. Another attribute of Allah is 'El-Hak,' the Truth. (Surah 22:62) Unlike in the Bible the Islamic conceptof truth depends on the situation. According to tradition, a lie is justifiable in three cases:'To reconcile those who quarrel, to satisfy one's wife and in case of war' (Sur. 16:106. ElHidayah, Vol. IV., p.81).

The Quran gives the reader in a measure a correct picture of God's power as displayed innature but it has to say very little about his justice and holiness. Consequently the Islamicpicture of the nature, origin, consequences and remedy of sin is almost non-existent. Sin,according to the Quran, (Surahs 4:30, 2:80, etc.) is a wilful violation of known law or aconscious act committed against known law; wherefore sins of ignorance are notnumbered in the catalogue of crimes. Out of this understanding great and small sins weredistinguished. Some Muslim commentators say there are seven great sins: idolatry, murder,false charge of adultery, wasting the substance of orphans, usury, desertion from Jihad, anddisobedience to parents. Others say there are seventeen, still others catalogue seven hundred!

Small sins are regarded with utter carelessness and no qualm of conscience. Lying,deception, anger, lust and such like are all smaller and lighter offences; all these will be'forgiven easily' if only men keep clear from great sins. The most common word used inthe Quran for sin is 'thanib'. Another common term used for sin is 'haram' (forbidden). Itindicates that nothing is right or wrong by nature, but only becomes such if Allah saysso. What he forbids is sin, even if he forbade what seems to the human conscience rightand lawful. What Allah allows is not sin and cannot be sin at the time he allows it,though it may have been before or after. (E.g.: Muttah, 4:28, the marriage of conveniencestill practised by Shias today, direction of prayer, 2:119, 2:145, number of daily prayers,30:17, 11:116, drinking of alcohol, 2:216, 5:92 etc.) He reveals truth to his prophets, butalso abrogates it, changes the message, or makes them forget it. (2:105) This practice is

utterly opposed to the idea of God's immutability and truth. Allah is not subject to anabsolute moral standard. He can do what he pleases. He mocks and deceives because he


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is the best of those who plot and conspire. Had he wanted Allah could have guided all on theright path. From this it follows that he must have deceived some into going the wrong way.Allah gives grace only to those whom he will. (Surahs 8:30, 3:54, 16:9, 14:11, 9:51)

Muhammed-al-Burkawi says: '...if all the infidels became believers and all the wicked

pious he would gain nothing. And if all believers became infidels it would not causeAllah loss.' It is therefore no wonder that the Quran has no word for 'conscience'. Thelack of all distinction between the ceremonial and moral law comes out most of all in thetraditional sayings of the prophet. These sayings, we must remember, have nearly equalauthority with the Quran itself. Take two examples:

'Allah's Messenger (peace_be_upon_him) said, 'A dirham which a man knowingly receives inusury is more serious than thirty-six acts of fornication.' Ibn Abbas's version adds that hesaid, 'Hell is more fitting for him whose flesh is nourished by what is unlawful.' (Ahmad andDaraqutni transmitted it. Bayhaqi transmitted in Shu'ab al-Iman on the authority of IbnAbbas.)

'Allah's Messenger (peace_be_upon_him) said, 'Usury has seventy parts, the leastimportant being that a man should marry his mother.' (Abdullah ibn Hanzalah; Abdullahibn Abbas narrated it in Mishkat al-Masabih, Hadith number 2825)

Sin, according to Islam, is after all a matter of minor importance. It is the repetition of the creed that counts, and not the reformation of character. The repetition of the 'Kalima'makes one a true believer, so much so that if one says it accidentally or by compulsion, itwould make them a Muslim. It seems that Allah does not appear bound by any standardof justice.

Allah is also described as 'El Awwal', the first, 'El-Akhir', the last, 'El-Dhabir', the substanceand 'El-Batin', the essence. These four titles are known as the mother of the attributes, beingregarded as fundamental and all-comprehensive. All four occur together in Surah 57:3 whichmakes it a great favourite among the Sufis, the mystics of Islam . With it they justify theirpantheistic thoughts that God is the inside and the outside of everything. He is the

phenomena (Dhahir) and the power behind the phenomena (Batin). In that the Sufis agreecompletely with the Hindu followers of the Vedanta school. There is only one verse, Surah24:35, in which Allah is described as seemingly dependent on or indebted to somethingoutside of himself. It speaks of Allah being the light of the world. Commentators differ inexplaining the mystical teaching of the parable in which the verse is found.

In the Quran (Surah 112:4) and in the Bible we are asked to look at God's Oneness in termsof uniqueness rather then simply as a numerical unity. The Biblical understanding of God'sOneness can also be defined as Multiplicity within Unity, (Isaiah 46:16, 1 Timothy 3:16) avery common phenomena in creation too. (Time = past, present, future, universe = space,matter, time, nature = incredible diversity yet harmonious unity). Man has one mind, which iscapable of thinking thoughts and expressing them in words. Mind, thoughts and words areone yet not exactly the same. No one can say that God has no Mind that expresses itself inThoughts and Words. God in Mind and Thoughts and Words is one God and He never claimed that there would be two other gods beside Him or that He, the numerically One God,would reveal Himself in three parts or modes! The Unity of God in Christianity is truly

representative of the Mind of God (or God the Father), His Thoughts, (or God the Holy


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Spirit) and His Word (God the Son). All are of the same divine essence, coequally andcoeternally God, yet they have different functions.

As Christians grew in numbers the need for protection against false teachings arose.Therefore, Tertullian , a leader of the early church, summarised the biblical teaching on the

nature of God by introducing the word 'Trinity' at the end of the 2nd century after the birth of Christ (AD). It is derived from the Latin 'trinitas,' being a combination of the words 'tri' for 'three' and 'unitas' for 'unity.' The Church adopted the doctrine of the Trinity at the council of

Nizea in 325 and in its final form at the council of Constantinople in 381. (See also, 'TheIllustrated Bible Dictionary' by F.F. Bruce, IVP Leicester, 1962, 'Trinity') The Christiansdefinition of Trinity is based on the Bible and expressed in the Athenasian Creed as: 'Weworship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding (mixing up) thePersons; nor dividing the Substance (Essence)' The word 'Person' is here used in the senseof 'self with a particular function.' ('The Illustrated Bible Dictionary' by F.F. Bruce, IVPLeicester, 1962, see 'person') It has to be stated emphatically that Christians do notworship three gods but one God because each member of the Godhead, God, Jesus andthe Holy Spirit, in some sense indwells the other, without diminishing the fullpersonhood of each. The essential unity of the Godhead, then, is found both in their inmostequality of divine characteristics and also in the intensely personal unity that comes frommutual indwelling. Thus when Jesus died at the cross, God did not cease to exist but wasseparated from himself regarding the relationship within the Trinity not regarding hisessence. To think that God gave up a perfect relationship for a time shows how great his lovetowards us is!

The main stream of Christianity throughout the world believes in one God, the Holy Trinity .It is indeed a mystery, as God Himself is. Many attributes of Him are accepted, yet are simplynot fully comprehensible to the human mind. We all accept that God has no beginning, yet dowe understand this? 'Impossible!' the sceptic cries out, yet true. Then why should it be such a

problem if there is some aspect of God's essential nature (his Trinitarian existence) which isdifficult for us to grasp? C.S. Lewis, professor of Medieval and Renaissance literature atCambridge University said: ' If Christianity was something we were making up, of coursewe could make it easier. But it is not. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people whoare inventing religions. How could we? We are dealing with Fact. Of course anyone can besimple if he has no facts to bother about.' ('Mere Christianity', Macmillan Company, NewYork, 1943, page 145)

The Trinity alone answers difficult questions about the nature of God:

'How could God have been self sufficient and loving before the creation of angelsand of the earth?' Since true love needs an object to whom it can give, if the Trinityof God did not exist, there would have been a time when he was incomplete, beingunable to have the attribute of self giving love. This can not be true because God hasalways been and always will be perfect.

'Is God selfish?' Since love is described as having '...no envy;...no high opinion of itself,....no pride;...no thought for itself...(1 Corinthians 13: 4-5) some unbelievers,like John Stuart Mill, Mark Twain or Pablo Picasso have come to the conclusion thatGod is utterly selfish. They say that by asking us to worship nobody else but God, hehimself commits the sin of seeking glory for himself only for which he condemns

man. Bible believing Christians find the answer to this apparent contradiction in theTrinitarian nature of God. There he shares his glory among himself.


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'Is God limited?' Of course that can not be but he who thinks of God as an absoluteunity where there is no room for multiplicity at all, is forced to believe in a god whodoes not know himself. Self-knowledge demands a distinction, a multiplicity, betweenknowledge and the one who acquires it. Self-consciousness, the recognition of acreature by itself as a 'self' can only exist in contrast with an 'other', a something

which is not the self. Only a Trinitarian concept of God allows for such a vitaldistinction.

B. Belief in Angels of Allah

Muslims believe in angels as messengers and servants of Allah. In that respect the Islamicconcept differs little from the Christian one. However, in Islam angels act also as mediatorsfor the transcendent God. Allah is not omnipresent, rather He dwells locally. Islam had toexpress the divine immanence in some other way. In the Islamic system, angels fulfil thisfunction. Thus, many of the actions that Christian associate with Christ or the Holy Spirit are

performed by angels e.g. scriptural inspiration (the Holy Spirit in Islam is Gabriel), creation(in the Bible it is described as an act of the Triune God whereas in Islam angels are involvedin it.)

C. Belief in Books of Allah

Muslims and Christians believe that God revealed His will to mankind by sending prophetsand messengers with revelations. Muslims believe that they are found in the Tawrat (Torah)of Moses, the Zabur (Psalms) of David, the Injil (Gospel) of Jesus and the Quran of Muhammad. The understanding of revelation is, however, fundamentally different. UnlikeChristians, most Muslims make a distinction between the following three progressivelyinferior kinds of revelation:

1) The Word of God (passages where he speaks directly as found in the Quran). 2) The wordsof a Prophet of God (e.g. passages where Muhammad speaks. They are found in thetraditions of Islam, known as Hadith). 3) The words of a historian (passages where things aresaid about the prophet by others as found in books like the Tasfir and the Tahriq). This viewis inconsistent also with Muslim sources. Here are only a few examples: In Surah 3, AlImaran, verse 40, the prophet Zakariya questions how he can have a son. In Surah 19,Maryam, verse 64 an angel speaks to Muhammad about Allah. In Surah 19, Maryam, verses22-23 we find a historical narrative identical in form to that in the Bible (Mark 11:13). In the

Hadith Qudsi, the divine sayings, Sahih Muslim, vol.4, Allah speaks directly.

Muslims hold that the Quran is Allah's ultimate revelation to mankind because it came downdirectly (nazil), word for word, to Muhammad via the angel Iibril. In contrast Christians

believe that God inspired prophets to reveal information about Himself. In 2 Timothy 3:16,we read that all Scripture is inspired. The Greek word for 'inspiration' is theopneustos, whichmeans 'God-breathed'; indicating that what was written had its origin in God Himself. In 2Peter 1:21 we read that the writers were moved by God. Thus, he used each individual,including their personality and background to accomplish a divinely authoritative work. Yet,his ultimate revelation came to us when he entered humanity in Jesus. (Hebrews 1,10:5)Christ said in John 14:9, 'He that has seen me has seen the Father.'


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The proof for the authority of God's revelation which the Bible emphatically demands arecompletely absent in the Quran. Its prophet did not speak in the Name of God, Yahweh(Exodus 3:1-6,13-15; Psalms 72:17-19; and Revelation 1:8,17); Its message does not conformto revelation which has gone before (Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Isaiah 8:20; Matthew 5:17-18;24:35; and Revelation 22:18-20) Muhammad did not make predictions which are verifiable

(Deuteronomy 18:21-22; Isaiah 43:9; and John 13:18-21). Signs and wonders did notaccompany his revelation in order to give him authority as having come from God.Consequently, Muslims believe that all books, except the Quran, have been corrupted andchanged wherever they disagree with it. Christians believe that there are some major

problems with this Islamic view:

i) The Quran was written about 600 years after the Gospels. Why should we believe awitness that is so far away from when the actual events happened?

ii) According to many commentators the Quran denies the historical fact of Jesus' death andresurrection and numerous other things that had been foretold in the Old Testament (Torah,Psalms). Did God contradict Himself and history in what is alleged to be His lastrevelation, the Quran?

iii) The Quran states that the death of Jesus on the cross was only 'made to appear to them'.(Surah 4, Al Nisa, 157-159) Such a view would turn the Holy and Righteous God into thegreatest deceiver of all! From a Christian point of view it is totally unacceptable to think thatHe would be responsible for misleading 1.3 billion people who call themselves Christianstoday! Is a God who allegedly deceives his people worthy to be worshipped?

iv) Today's translations of the Jewish Scriptures, known as the Old Testament, are based onthe Masoretic text the standard edition of the Hebrew Old Testament. It was prepared byJewish scholars, called Masoretes, mainly from 500 to the 950 AD (See, 'The World Book Encyclopaedia', Volume 2, 1982, USA, page 222b) Furthermore the translators comparedit with a number of other sources still in existence today. The most important of which isthe Dead Sea Scrolls, written in Hebrew at about 100 BC. They were discovered in thelate 1940's and early 1950's in Palestine. Among the fragments are complete copies orparts of every Old Testament book except Esther, and the variations in the text after athousand years of copying are minimal. The manuscript evidence for the ChristianScriptures, known as the New Testament (NT), is equally strong. Approximately 5500 partialor complete copies of it are still in existence. That is by far the most evidence we have of anyancient work. Further witnesses include: -About 18000 copies of early NT translations into

different languages. -About 86000 citations of different parts of the NT in the writings of early Church Fathers within 250 years of its composition. The oldest known copies of almosthalf of the New Testament that are still in existence, are dated about 200 AD, that is 130-174years after they were originally written. It is important to realise that all the main Christiandoctrines are contained in them! The oldest copy of the complete New Testament (Gospel)which still exists today is dated around 350 AD, that is 280-324 years after it was first writtendown. This time span is minimal when compared to most ancient works. No wonder that Sir Frederic Kenyon, former director and principal librarian of the British Museum, a leadingexpert on ancient manuscripts, wrote: '...the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptureshave come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both theauthenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as

finally established.' (Cited in 'Answers to Tough Questions', by J. Mc Dowell and DonStewart, 1980, USA page 6) For an in-depth study of the matter please see www.domini.org


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v) Muslim belief is that the Bible, accepted as being God's word , is not reliable any more.The Quran contradicts this when it says in Surah 10, Yunus, verses 64-65:

'Those who believe and (constantly) guard against evil; -- For them are Glad Tidings, in thelife of the Present and in the Hereafter: No change can there be in the Words of Allah . This

is indeed the supreme Felicity.' (also Surah 2, Al-Baqarah, verse 85; 7, Al Araf, verses 159;10,16).

Muslims are commanded in the Quran to believe in the books of the Jews and the Christians,the Torah and the Injeel (Surah 4, Al Nisa, verse 136). But are they not changed or in partforgotten? If that was the case when should it have happened, how and by whom? Whatexcactly has been distorted and why? Muslims best look up their Quran to find out what itsays about such serious charges.

'And if thou wert in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee , then ask those who havebeen reading the book from before thee..' (Surah 10, Yunus, verse 94)

Those who have been reading the book from before thee' are Jews and Christians! It wouldmake no sense for Allah to command doubters to ask people for guidance whose Scriptureshad been corrupted! Several verses in the Quran bear witness to the truth that the Torah wasunchanged at the time of Jesus. In Surah 19, Maryam, verse 12, Yahya, who lived at thetime of Jesus was told 'to take hold of the Book, (the Torah).' Surah 3, Ali'Imran, verse 48tells us that Jesus was also taught in the Torah.

Numerous verses attest to the truth that the Torah was uncorrupted in the time of Muhammad, the sixth century AD (Surah 34, Saba, verse 31, Surah 35, Fatir, verse 31).The Arabic phrase 'bain yadaihi' which is used in these references to the Torah literally means'between his hands.' This usually is an idiom for 'in his possession,' or 'at his disposal'. SomeJewish contemporaries of Muhammad are called 'those who guide and do justice in the lightof truth,' besides many others whose reputation was not so favourable. (Surah 7, Al Araf,verse 159) The very fact that they were commended so highly shows that they were in

possession of the uncorrupted Torah.

'Say, ' Bring ye the Law and study it, if ye be men of truth.' (Surah 3, Ali 'Imran, verse 93)

In this specific incident the Jews are asked to bring their own Law, the Torah. They arecommanded by God to study it in order to find the right answer to a particular

question.

'But why do they come to thee for decision, when they have (their own) Law before them?-Therein is the (plain) command of Allah ;..(Surah 5, Al Ma'idah, verse 43)

Maududi comments on this verse: '...sometimes, when their own law did not suit them, theywould take their cases to the Holy Prophet in the hope that they might obtain a morefavourable decree from him than they could from their own law.' ('The meaning of theQuran', 12th Edt. 1992, S.A. Maududi, Isl. Publ., Pakistan) This shows clearly that evencorrupted Jews would never change the written Torah! They were only prepared toconceal the meaning of it. In spite of their wickedness, they did not dare to change the writtenform of the Torah! That is why, according to the Quran, Allah told them to look up their ownlaw in which is the plain command of God!


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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)

This command is given to Muhammad's contemporaries, it is written in the 'present'

tense which in the Arabic language can also refers to the future! If the Gospel (Injil) wascorrupted at that time then surely Allah would never have asked the people of the Gospel, theChristians, to believe in it!

'If only they had stood fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that was sent tothem from their Lord, they would have enjoyed happiness from every side. There is fromamong them a party on the right course... ' (Surah 5, Al Ma'idah, verse 69)

The fact that there were Jews and Christians 'on the right course' in Muhammad's timeconfirms the Torah and the Gospel to be unchanged in the 6th century AD! Certainly,they could never have been described in such an honourable way if they had 'stood fast' bycorrupted Holy Books!

'Say: O People of the Book! Ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord....' (Surah 5, Al Ma'idah, verse 68)

WHAT ABOUT TAHRIF?

The Arabic word used by Muslim scholars to describe the supposed corruption of the sacredScriptures is Tahrif. A distinction is made by them between a corruption of meaning or of

words. All the most celebrated among the earliest commentators on the Quran speak onlyabout the first corruption of meaning. (e.g. Imam Muhammad Ishmail al-Bukhari. He formedhis opinion on the authority of Ibn Abbas. Ibn Mazar and Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned only thefirst type of corruption on the authority of Ibn Muniyah in the Tafsir Durr-i-Mansur. Thesame opinion is also held by Shah Waliyu Ilah in Fauzu l Kabir and by Imam Fakhru d-din. Dictionary of Islam, T.P. Hughes, Asia Publishing House, London 1988). Contrary tothese authorities modern Muslim commentators hold the view that only parts of the Bibleremained unchanged. Faith is only put in those statements which are supposed to confirmone's own opinions. Some Jews did the same in the days of Muhammad. Surah 2, AlBaqarah, verse 85 condemned them for doing so. There is no reason why that judgement for such a view should not apply anymore today.

DOES QURAN SAY THE BIBLE HAS CHANGED?

The Quran nowhere explicitly states the Injeel (Gospel) was changed! But what about theTorah? History shows that whenever God revealed Himself, most of His people fell intodisobedience after a period of time. So it was with the Jews. In spite of this sad fact Surah 7,Al A'raf, verse 159 states there were always good Jews who remain true to the book Godgave them:

'Of the people of Moses there is a section who guide and do justice in the light of truth.'

God's word is truth and good Jews surely would never have changed the meaning or even thewords of their Holy Book!


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'There is among them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (as they read) youwould think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, 'That is from

Allah,' but it is not from Allah: It is they who tell a lie against Allah...' (Surah 3, Ali 'Imran,verse 78)

In the verse quoted above the Jews are reading parts of their Book wrongly while the writtenwords remain unchanged.

'But because of their breach of their Covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts growhard: They change the words from their (right) places and forget a good part of the

Message that was sent... (Surah 5, Al Ma'idah, verse 13)

The phrase 'They change the words from their (right) places' could mean that they tamperedwith the text of the Book. However, the second possibility, that the true meaning wasdistorted, not the text itself, will have to be given preference in the light of the widercontext mentioned above:

-The unchanged Torah was with the Jews of Muhammad's time.

-It was referred to by the Prophet in matters of dispute.

-The unchanged Torah was with the Jews of Muhammad's time.

-It was referred to by the Prophet in matters of dispute.

In Surah 2, Al Baqarah, verses 75-79 (in verse 75 Jews are listening to the Quran being

recited); Surah 4, Al Nisa, verse 46;, the Jews are accused of changing, writing downwrongly, what Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) said. After checking all these references it becomesclear that the Torah remained unchanged!

The Quran makes it clear that it has not been changed before the time of Muhammad(p.b.u.h.) Otherwise God would have demanded to believe in and follow Scriptures that werealready corrupted. If we assume that changes were made while or after the prophet's time, wecan simply compare a twenty first century copy with one that was written before the sixthcentury. The result will be that all the teaching remained the same! Muslims who say that theBible is corrupted contradict their own book. Therefore, follow the Prophet of Islams advicewhen he said, seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave, by learning what the Torah and

the Injeel says.

D. Belief in Prophets of Allah

Islam and Christianity agree that God sent prophets to reveal his will since human beings aresinful and need His guidance. In distinction to Christians, Muslims are told that these

prophets did not commit any (big) sins. However, even the Quran says that, Adam disobeyedGod knowingly (Surah 20:119), Moses killed an Egyptian (Surah 28:16), Muhammad, Noahand Jonah asked for forgiveness of their sins (Surah 47:19, 48:1-2, 11:47, 21:87, 71:29)Contrary to them Jesus is called sinless, even in the Quran (19:19)! Since no ordinaryhuman being is without sin Jesus must be God in the flesh.

E. Belief in the Day of Judgment


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Christianity and Islam alike teach that there will be a day of judgment. Muslims believe thatmost of them, except those who die in Jihad, and all of the non-Muslims will be sent to Hell.(Surah 19:71, Arberry, Rodwell and Dawood translate the Arabic phrase wariduhain thisconstruction as will go through it meaning that Muslims will go down to hell. Verse 72supports this rendering in all translations by saying we shall leave the wrong-doers

therein . The following tradition in the Mishkat of Tirmidhi and Darimi confirm this bysaying: Ibn Masud said that the Prophet of Islam said: All people shall enter hell. Then theywill come out of it according to their works This is also expressed in Sahih BukhariVolume 9, Book 93, Number 532c see also Surah 11:118-119, 18:51, 19:89, 20:76). Whereasunbelievers will be in hell forever (Surah 43:74-78), Muslims will be punished for their evildeeds (Surah 23, Al Muminun, verse 103) but eventually they will be able to go to heaven,God willing. Islam teaches that the more good deeds one does, the less time one has to spendin hell. However, nobody knows ultimately what Allah looks at as being a good deed. The

basic duties of Muslims are:

i) The creed ('I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah') ii) Prayer (Five set times a day in Arabic) iii) Almsgiving (1/40 of income) iv)Ramadan (Fasting for 30 days from sunrise to sunset) v) Pilgrimage to Mekka (once in alifetime if one can afford it)

It is remarkable that nearly all the references to hell and punishment are in the MedinahSurahs, and therefore belong to the latter period of the prophet's life. The allusions to hell inMecca Surahs are very brief and are in every case directed against unbelievers in theprophet' mission and not against sin. (Hughes' Dictionary of Islam p.171)

The Bible does not teach salvation by works but by grace through faith:

'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us,created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.' (Titus 3:5)

In opposite to Islam where sin is regarded only as a mistake, a moral weakness, theBible teaches that sin is rebellion against the perfect God. It can not be paid for withgood deeds. Complete perfection is an absolute requirement to spend eternity with acompletely perfect God. Because of our sinfulness only God himself can satisfy thedemands of His absolute justice and holiness. These attributes of His character ask for

the punishment of sin. On the other hand, God's love demands forgiveness for thesinner. That is why Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the punishment for our sins onour behalf. God does not cast away all those who believe in Jesus in this way by lookingat them as being hidden in Christ whose sacrifice he has accepted.

Salvation by faith in Jesus is believing with the intellect that the Bible is right about our sinful condition, about who Jesus is and about what he did on the cross for us. Passages thatspeak about judgement according to works have to be read in the light of what true faithmeans. This is confirmed when their immediate context is considered. (e.g. Joh 5:28-29,compare with verses 23-24, Mat 16:27 with verses 21-26, 25:31-46 with 23:37-39, Jam 2:14-26). As the German reformer Martin Luther used to say 'the faith that saves is never alone.'

True faith in Christ shows itself in four ways:


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1. Out of thankfulness followers of Jesus do what he tells them: To love God and man.This is the essence and test of true obedience. They desire to follow the moral lawset out in the Old Testament and summarized in what is known as the 10commandments. (Exo 20:1-17)

2. Genuine faith in Jesus produces a desire to become more like him, to do what is right

and just.3. Saving faith creates the awareness that this new obedience can only come through

faith in Christ. It does not come from focusing on the law, the desperate attempt tomeet its demands. Instead it comes from continually fixing ones eyes on Jesus andhis work, by remaining connected to him through being in his presence with onesthoughts.

4. Lastly, Biblical faith generates a constant abiding in and reliance on Jesus byfaith. In this way only the Holy Spirit of God supplies the power for a changedlife and lasting fruit. (Rom 8:13, Joh 15:5)

The driving motivation in Islam is the fear of Allah's judgement and subsequently theobedience of his countless laws. Driving motivation in Christianity is the love of God andsubsequently the keeping of the two greatest commandments, 'To love God and to loveothers.' Islam (lit. 'submission, obedience') is a complete way of life. So is Christianity,provided it is being practised!

F. Belief in Supremacy of Divine will

This very important belief speaks about the absolute decree of good and evil. OrthodoxMuslims believe that whatever has, or shall come to pass in this world, proceeds entirelyfrom the Divine Will, and has been irrevocably fixed and recorded on a preserved tablet bythe pen of fate. (Surah 54:49, 3:139, 87:2, 8:17, 9:51, 13:30)

'This is an admonition: Whosoever will, let him take a (straight) Path to his Lord. But ye will not, except as Allah wills; for Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom. He will admit to HisMercy whom He will; but the wrong-doers, --for them has He prepared a grievous Penalty.' (Surah 76, Al- Dahr, verses 30-32)

Christians believe that all this is total determinism. Man is judged and condemned forwhat he cannot help doing. This is total injustice ! By forgiving whom He wants Godwould contradict his attribute of justice at the cost of mercy. Moderate Muslims would, incontradiction of all the above verses, go along with the Christian view of predestination.

There it is not something arbitrarily decreed or pre-ordered, but resulting from God'sforeknowledge. (Romans 8:29)

G. Belief in Life after Death

Muslims and Christians believe in eternal heaven and hell. However, contrary to the Biblethe Quran only reveals Allah's will and very little about his character. He is absent from allbut the seventh of the Islamic heavens according to traditions of the prophet of Islams

journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and afterwards to the heavens(http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/aqeedah/0039.htm#3 ). Quranic passages regarding

paradise are dominated by descriptions of sensual delights waiting for the faithful. To be

sure Muslims are told they would see Allah in heaven. (Surah 9:72-73; 10:26; and especially75:22-23) . The Hadith confirms this, and emphasizes that the sight of Allah is the crowning
http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/aqeedah/0039.htm#3http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/aqeedah/0039.htm#3


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glory of paradise. (Suhayb ibn Sinan ar-Rumi Sahih Muslim). In the light of Islamsemphasis on Gods transcendence this came as a great surprise to many Muslims as thefollowing hadith shows:

The people said, O Allahs Messenger (peace be upon him)! Shall we see our Lord on the

Day of Resurrection? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, Do you have any difficulty inseeing the full moon on a clear night? They said, No, O Allahs Messenger. He said, Doyou have any difficulty in seeing the sun when there are no clouds? They said, No, OAllahs Messenger (peace be upon him). He said, So you will see Him, like that. (AbuHurayrah Sahih al- Bukhari)

In contrast the Biblical view of heaven not only promises the believers that they will seeGod but more so that He will have a personal, ongoing relationship with them:

I heard a loud voice shout from the throne: God's home is now with his people. He will livewith them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. He willwipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain.These things of the past are gone forever. (Revelation 21:3-4)

The meaning of life in Islam is to obey God (Surah 51:56). In Christianity it is to know Him.(John 17:3) Such a purpose of life is much more appealing, especially in the light of thesupreme importance of relationships.

H. BELIEF IN WAR

Generally speaking, Islam differentiates between three kinds of war, called jihad (lit.

struggle) in Arabic. War against the temptations raging within ones soul, defensive andoffensive jihad. It is the duty of every Muslims to engage in the first two types. Defensivewar becomes necessary when Muslims are treated unjustly. Innocent civilians are not to betargeted. However, Al Qaida maintains that people are not innocent if they pay taxes to anoppressive government and vote for it during elections. Offensive war can only be called for

by a caliph, the legitimate leader of a Muslim country. (Fiqh: 3988 Al-Hedaya Vol. II, chap 1Hanafi manual)

The Christian approach to war and peace is found in the character of God. The Bibledescribes Him as the 'God of peace' (Heb 13:20). But it also calls Him a 'Warrior' (Exo15:3). How do we reconcile these two apparent opposites? The answer is found by

identifying His enemy.

Teaching of the Torah (Old Testament)

God is passionately opposed against all forms of injustice, wrongdoing and sin. He isdeeply immersed in battle against these forces of evil which hold captive the people Hecreated. In the Old Testament we read the story of how He selected the Jewish people to setthem free from the evil one and his influence. Ultimately this blessing was to come to thewhole world (Gen 12:3) through the Jewish Messiah translated as Christ in English. Godre-conquered the land of Canaan from the evil powers that had claimed it for themselves byforce of arms and reliance on idols. At that time national and political entities were viewed asthe creation of the gods and living proofs of their power. By practising child sacrifice,religious prostitution and divination the Canaanites had become so terribly sinful that


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punishment was unavoidable. (Gen 15:16, Deut 18:9-12). God commissioned the Jews lead by Joshua to take the land in His name out of the hands of the idolatrous inhabitants. It waslater known as Israel and Palestine. The Lord's triumph testified to all nations that the God of Israel is the one true and living God, whose claim on the world is absolute. It was also awarning that the irresistible advance of the kingdom of God would ultimately disinherit all

those who opposed it, giving place in the earth only to those who acknowledge and serve theLord.

The battles the Israelites fought in the Old Testament were therefore the Lord's holy war ,undertaken at a particular time in history. God gave His people under Joshua nocommission or licence to conquer the world with the sword but only a unique, limitedmission. The conquered land itself would not become Israel's national possession by right of conquest, but it belonged to the Lord. So the land had to be cleansed of all remnants of

paganism. Its people and their wealth were not for Israel to seize as the booty of warfrom which to enrich themselves (Jos 7). On that land Israel was to establish acommonwealth faithful to the righteous rule of God and thus be a witness and a blessing tothe nations. If Israel herself became unfaithful and conformed to Canaanite culture andpractice, she would in turn lose her place in the Lord's land. That is exactly whathappened later.

Teaching of the Injil (New Testament)

War is a terrible curse that the human race brings on itself as it seeks to possess theearth by its own unrighteous ways. But it pales before the curse that awaits all thosewho do not believe in God and His word. The meaning of the Hebrew name Joshua isGod saves. The English version of that name is Jesus. For a time He now reaches out tothe whole world by calling everyone to believe that He died for their sins at the cross. Thosewho trust in Him by doing what He says are guaranteed eternal life in heaven (1Joh 5:13)Soon, however, Jesus himself, the second Joshua, will wield the sword of His judgement atHis second coming upon those who do not believe in Him (Rev 19:11-16).

Since we still live in the time of Gods undeserved favour where His Good News is preachedlet us examine the ministry of Jesus to see what kind of warfare He modelled for Hisfollowers. In His works He was in conflict with the various disorders which imprison people;in His words He battled with sin, especially the hypocrisy and practical godlessness of religious people. The final showdown came in His death when He met the full fury of eviland made peace through the blood of His cross'. His first words to His disciples after his

resurrection were Peace be with you, signalling that His victory had brought harmony andreconciliation between God and those who accepted it. Jesus followers too are involved inGod's present kind of war. They need to be very disciplined like soldiers (1 Tim 1:18), andare part of God's army fighting against all that opposes his rule. There will only ever be real

peace when sin is defeated in human relationships, in social life and in political structures.Just as Jesus was not slow to speak out against all that oppressed people, so hisfollowers should not be afraid to oppose sin in whatever guise it comes. They use theweapons of peace as He did: clear teaching which confronts hypocrisy and wrongdoing,a willingness to speak to their enemies and address them with love, understanding andrespect; a desire to negotiate rather than drive people away. When it comes to advancingthe kingdom of God on this earth, war is now forbidden:


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Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world,my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is,my kingdom is not from here." (John 18:36, Luke 22:36 and Matth.10:34 mention the

sword figuratively to expect hard times where they would have to make provisions and whenthe meesage will bring division.)

When it comes to maintaining law and order in this world, force may be used as a lastresource by the governing authorities:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur

judgement. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; for it isGod's servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for theauthority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on thewrongdoer. (Romans 13:1-4)

This passage does not contradict earlier ones which forbid revenge and ask to overcome evilwith good (12:14.21). Those verses are directed to private, individual Christians. However, atthe same time they can also be state officials. In the latter role, followers of Christ who work as police or prison officers, as judges or soldiers become Gods agents in the punishment of evil doers. One way in which He executes His judgement on them is through the state. Insome emergency situations, when no policeman is present, it may be right for a Christian tointervene in a fight, protect an innocent person against assault or arrest a burglar. Then hewould become temporarily an arm of the law. Members of the ruling authorities who becamefollowers of God were not encouraged to leave their positions (Luk 3:14, Act 10) Those who

became Christians in the early Church were discouraged to join the army mainly because of its involvement in the Roman camp cult religion, called Mithraism. The statement rulershold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong, is describing the proper,ideal function of rulers. It does not mean that this will always be the case. When civil rulersoverstep their proper function, followers of Jesus are to obey God rather than man (Acts 4:18-19; 5:29-32).

Violence will always be the last resort. When evil comes in its starkest forms which will notlisten to the voice of reason, which refuse to negotiate, and which trample down the innocentand defenceless, then there may be cause for self defence. This view known as the 'Just War'

argument is held by a majority of Christians today. It asserts that war is only ever justifiedwhen four conditions are met. The cause must be just; war must be absolutely the lastresort, when all other avenues to avoid conflict have failed; conflict must not involvenon-combatants (Prov 6:16-17); war should be limited in its scope, avoidingunnecessary loss of life and destruction. It is a large question whether these last twoconditions can ever be met in modern, especially nuclear warfare.

But the Christian's primary commitment is, of course, to peace, and it should be their earnestdesire to play a full part in God's battle against the visible and invisible forces which tear this

planet apart. Christians are called to be the light of the world (Mat 5:14). If they do not shine by doing good deeds it is no wonder that the darkness of terrorism prevails. As well as asking

for forgiveness they urgently need to stand up for the oppressed! The good news is that God


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is going to have the last word. Sin, death and evil will ultimately be defeated through JesusChrist and God's reign of peace in all its fullness will one day be a reality. (Isa 2:1-4)

Questions regarding the Quranic view of holy war

1. The Quran seems to contain numerous verses that promote violence, such as: "Fight thosewho believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath beenforbidden by God and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if theyare) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feelthemselves subdued." (Surah 9:29, transl. Yusuf Ali) Why do moderate Muslims saythese are not to be taken also as physical fighting in the light of Islamic history?Reliable, early Muslim sources state that the prophet of Islam commanded his followers tokill Kab ibn Ashraf and Abu Rafi with pretence and deceit because they did not accept hisclaim to be a prophet. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol.4, p. 168, Vol.5, pp 253-254) He alsoattacked his opponent in the battle of Badr and the settlement of Taif which had rejectedhis message too.

2. Some Muslims say that the Quran only allows for a defensive war. According to theabove examples is it correct to say that those who verbally disagree with Islamalready provide a reason to be fought against physically? This view seems to beconfirmed by the fact that Islams initial fight for Europe was only halted at the battle of Tours, France, in 732 AD? Surely, in those days Europe did not pose a threat to theIslamic world against which Muslims had to defend themselves.

3. The Dictionary of Islam states that those unwilling to pay Jizya, a poll tax imposed oncitizens who refuse to become Muslims in a conquered nation, are killed. (T.P. Hughes,1988, "Jihad", see also Surah 9:29 quoted above) Does that not contradict the Quranicverse, Let there be no compulsion in religion...(Surah 2:256) or has that passagebeen replaced by later commands from Allah?

I. BELIEF IN JESUS

The Injeel, (New Testament) which according to its own statements and that of the Quran isa guidance for all people (Mat 28:18-20, Surah, 3:4), gives a detailed account of who Jesusis. One description of him (Heb 1-2) consists of several quotations from the Torah (OldTestament) and the Zabur (Psalms). All three of Gods revelations agree on his nature andwork described below:

Jesus, the Word of God

To people from the middle east into which the Holy Bible was revealed, a name stood for thefull character of a person in all he was and did. The Greek name Jesus is a derivation of theHebrew Jeshua. It means God saves!

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matt 1:21)

Like the Quran, the Bible calls him also an apostle and a prophet (Heb 3:1, Mat 11:7-9,12:41-42). Yet he is more then that. According to the Injeel (Joh 1) Jesus is the proper name given to the word of God after he became a man and dwelt on this earth. The Quran

calls him uniquely in that way by addressing him as Kalimatullah (3:39). He is Godseternal Word who has taken the form of a servant to speak and demonstrate Gods ways to


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men. Profoundly, the eternal and the temporal, intersect in him. It has to be emphaticallystated that Jesus is not another god besides God. As the word of God he can not be separatedfrom God. Similarly, Muslims believe that God gave expression to his eternal and divineword through the pages of the Quran within this finite world. Here too, the created and theuncreated meet. Why then should it not be possible for God to give expression to His eternal

Word through Jesus?

Messiah

The Quran too calls Jesus al Masih, the Messiah (Surah 3:45). However, it does notexplain the meaning of the term. Neither does it provide the reason why the title wasexclusively given to him. In contrast to that obscurity, the Messiah fulfils a central role in theBiblical revelations. The Hebrew word means 'anointed one', translated into Greek as'Christ.' The term has been used on different occasions mapping out the work of the one tocome, foreshadowing the ultimate Messiah. He is chosen by God, saves his people, judgesGod's enemies, and will rule the nations. In all his work God is the one who acts through theMessiah (Isa 41-47). The ultimate Messiah to come is described as a godlike figure, who

became a man. He will rule the whole world in justice and righteousness for eternity. (Isa 9:6-7, Dan 7:13-14) During all periods of Hebrew history, numerous Biblical verses in the Torahand the Zabur mention prophetic promises of a coming Messiah. Those passages are dividedinto two parts. At his first coming the Messiah is described as performing numerous miraclesand as teaching about God. Both, the Bible and the Quran confirm that Jesus fulfilled those

prophecies (Luk 4:18-21, Surah 5:110). Moreover, it was foretold that the Messiah would besuffering, dying and raising from the dead (Isa 53). These prophecies too had been fulfilled

by Jesus. (Luk 23-24) Once he came, the ceremonial law (e.g. sacrifice, food, etc.) whichhad granted exclusive access to God for the Jewish nation only, was fulfilled in him. As for the moral aspect of the law (e.g. 10 commandments), the Messiah explained the full meaningof it. (Matt 5-7) These perfect commandments are still valid but can only truly be observedthrough the help and forgiveness of him who ultimately fulfilled every aspect of them (Seealso Surah 3:50). From the time of his first coming the way to God was granted to all nations

by faith in the work of the Messiah. (Isa 2:1-3) At the Second Coming he will appear as Kingwho will defeat and judge Satan and his followers. Jesus fulfilled the former and soon willmake the latter prophecies come true too.

Son of God

Christians do not believe that Jesus is the son of God in a physical sense. God forbid that he

should take a wife! That would be blasphemy. However, they do believe that Jesus is the Sonof God in a figurative sense. Arabs, for example, are commonly known as sons of thedesert. They know the desert in and out; they are one with it, that is why they are called insuch a figurative way. The Arabic word ibn is sometimes used in a figurative sense (Surah2:177) as opposed to walad which is always used in a physical way. The latter word is usedwhen a protest is brought about 'Allah having taken unto himself a son' (Surah 2:116). Itshows clearly that the Islamic denial is directed only against a physical, not a figurativesonship of Jesus. Let us now investigate the true Christian doctrine in more detail:

1. Jesus is called the Son of God because He is one with Him in essence. Jesus calls himself Son of God (Luk 22:70) because he knows Him in a profound way. Jesus is the Eternal

Word who has always been One with God. (Joh 1:1-18; Phil 2:5-11) Just as a person isforever one with his words, so God and Jesus Christ are eternally One. (Joh 14:8-10)


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2. Jesus is called the Son of God because He is like God. Jesus has God's holy and sinlesscharacter and his mighty attributes. The Quran calls Jesus a holy son. (19:19; 3:46). While itspeaks of the other prophets' need of forgiveness (38:24; 48:1), it never attributes a single sinto Jesus. Also, it uniquely ascribes to Jesus supernatural powers that God alone possesses.(3:45-51; 5:110-112) Like Father, like Son. (Heb 1:1-9; Mat 17:5) In ancient Jewish customs,

the firstborn son also represented the father and was regarded as being equal to him. Anytime Jesus used this term publicly for himself in the Gospels, the Jews were absolutely certainthat he claimed to be God. In his official trial by the Sanhedrin, this was the very charge

brought up against him: Blasphemy. He claimed to be Gods Son and in that made himself God. (Joh 5:18, 19:7)

3. Jesus is called the Son of God because He came from God. (Isa 7:14; Luk 1:34,35)Similarly, the Quran teaches that Jesus came directly from God, that He was born of a virgin,that He had no earthly father. (3:47; 19:20). Unlike Adam, who was formed from dust

because prior to him the human species did not exist, the Messiah came from heaven. In theQuran Jesus too is set apart from all other prophets by calling Him the Messiah which meansthe Anointed One. (4:157) Because God is so much greater than man, He chooses to expressHimself in human terms so that we can understand Him. When Surah 22:61 says that Allahsees and hears, it does not mean He has ears and eyes. Rather He is expressing a truth in away we can understand He is All-knowing. Similarly, behind the title Son of God is a

profound truth expressed in human terms. The Bible calls a number of people sons of God but Jesus is addressed as such in a particular way:

'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in himshall not perish but have eternal life.' (Joh 3:16)

The Greek word for one and only son, mono-genes, means literally, one in kind, uniqueand has sometimes been incorrectly translated into English as only begotten. This renderingis wrong because mono-genes is also used in Hebrews 11:17 to describe Isaac as Abraham'sone and only son, namely the one who was promised by God to Abraham and his wifeSarah. (Gen 15) Since Ishmael too was Abraham's son, but through his servant Hagar (Gen16), the term one and only distinguishes Isaac as being unique in his kind but not as theonly begotten. Furthermore, the Hebrew word used to describe Isaac in the Old Testamentstory as only son in Genesis 22:2 is completely different from the word begotten used, for example, in Psalm 2:7:

I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, You are my Son; today I have

begotten you.

In the ancient Near East the relationship between a great king and one of his subject kings,who ruled by his authority and owed him allegiance, was expressed....also by father andson. (N.I.V. Study Bible, Zondervan Bible Publishers, USA, 1985, footnote) Psalm 2:7 isapplied to the relationship between God and Jesus in a filial not in a carnal sense in Acts13:33 as having been a fulfilled prophecy through his resurrection. Just as other people arecalled one and only sons in the Bible because of their uniqueness in some ways, Jesus too iscalled exclusively one and only son of God. On a number of occasions he made statementsto prove this fact (Luk 10:22, Joh 5:22-23, Luk 20:9-19). Jesus, the Son of God, has come toshow us what God is like. (Joh 1:18)

God


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Indeed, they are disbelievers who say, 'Surely, Allah is none but the Messiah, the son of Mary,....' (Surah 5:73)

The Quran is right to speak out against this false teaching which Christians also condemn.The view described in that verse was held by a heretical group called the 'Patripassionists'

during the early days of Christianity. They identified God with Jesus to the extent that theyspoke of the sufferings of the Father at the cross. Whereas Christians say the Messiah is Godthey do not say that God is the Messiah. The difference will become clear through thefollowing illustration: It is all right to say that all Shias are Muslims but not all Muslims areShias. God and Jesus are essentially the same. However their roles are different as expressedin the doctrine of the Trinity. Therefore, the question raised, 'How is it possible for God to dieon the cross like Jesus did?' is answered accordingly: The essence of God resides in all threeaspects of the Trinity. When Jesus died on the cross, the essence of God did not cease to existor operate during the time between his death and his resurrection. Furthermore, the spiritualnature of God is such that it does not become less by assuming a human nature in Jesus. Intheir doctrine of unity, Muslims tend to conceive of unity as a mathematical unity. Accordingto such thinking one orange plus one orange equals two oranges, etc. That is the order of mathematical and material unity. However, the order of spiritual unity is different. God's lovedoes not become less because it is given to people. His essence is not reduced or dividedwhen it abides in the Son and in the Holy Spirit along with the Father. When reading Quranicverses as quoted before, one easily gets the false impression that a mere man has been madeinto God. However, the Biblical teaching speaks about the very opposite.

The belief that God appeared in flesh is not illogical. To prove the point let us think about anillustration. Nobody has ever seen a square circle. Since both belong to the same world of shapes it is logical that they are mutually exclusive. One can only have either a circle or asquare but not a combination of both. However, it is perfectly reasonable to believe that agreen circle exists since the combination is made up of a part belonging to the world of colours and of a part belonging to a completely different world of shapes. Similarly God andman come from different worlds and therefore it is not against logic to say that Jesus is bothGod and man. The Creator can become part of his creation and yet still be above it sincenothing is impossible to him. Therefore, according to Philippians 2:6-8 it is true to say thatChrist was 100% God and 100% man at the same time. 'How can this be? Is that not acontradiction?' The following illustration may help: A lively small boy loves to wrestle withhis father. It is quite a fun game. In order not to hurt him the father deliberately does not usethe 100% strength he has as an adult. He puts himself on his sons level by taking on the100% strength of a little boy his age. He chooses not to use his capacities for his little boys

sake. After all, he loves him and that is the only way he can show it to him in thesecircumstances. Similarly God too has become a man in Jesus because he loves us. Jesus became a man like other men and was dependent upon the same resources as other people.

Some may object by saying it is impossible for God to enter into humanity. But what aboutthe belief that God made himself known through the Quran, his allegedly eternal, uncreatedword? Or think about the Prophets of old. To some of them God spoke directly in an audiblevoice. Surah 20:11-13 confirm that Moses heard God speak to him, from within the fire. Thisconversation took most probably place in his own Hebrew language because God wanted hismessage to be understood. Truly, nothing is impossible to the Creator. If he has limitedhimself inside a voice in the past he surely can embody a human being in order to

communicate more directly and fully with his creation. That is exactly what he has done inJesus.


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Sacrifice for sins

According to Jesus own words he came to die for our sins (Mat 20:28). Why is such asacrifice necessary? Could God not just forgive us? Jesus told a story to clarify the matter:

'There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me myshare of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth inwild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country,and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, whosent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigswere eating, but no-one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, 'How manyof my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out andgo back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. Iam no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he gotup and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and wasfilled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robeand put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf andkill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; hewas lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. Meanwhile, the older son was in the field.When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servantsand asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father haskilled the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' The older brother becameangry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered hisfather, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yetyou never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this sonof yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill thefattened calf for him!' 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything Ihave is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was deadand is alive again; he was lost and is found.' (Luke 15:11-32)

In this mysterious but marvellous story the father stands for God, the elder brother for thePharisees, the religious people in Jesus' day, and the younger son represents obvious sinners.From a middle eastern perspective into which it was spoken, some very strange thingshappened indeed. The male head of a family would not disgrace himself by the undignified

action of running towards his rebellious son. Nor would he have disrupted his son's words before a full display of repentance. It is unthinkable for him to command such a luxuriousoutpouring of affection for a son who shamed him in full view of the community. The father's

behaviour illustrates God's amazing patience, forgiveness and love for his ungratefulchildren. The robe, ring, shoes, and fatted calf which await the son's return all highlight theextent of his restoration. But it came at the expense of his father's honour. The shame broughtupon the family through the sinful son, was profoundly carried by his father. Why would hedo such an outrageous thing? The Torah tells an equally intriguing story of how God createdAdam and Eve and later the Israelites to be his people. We learn how he loved them like afather loves his children. Time and time again, however, we read with great sadness how hischosen ones break his commandments, how they become guilty of lawlessness. Even more

disturbing is the fact that their rebellion is only a fruit of a conscious rejection of theAlmighty God. His own people spat in his face and brought shame upon him before the very


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nations they were supposed to be witnessing of his honour and glory. They were not evenashamed of themselves (Jer 3:3-5).

The people of old did as they pleased because they had lost a sense of shame. While their mechanical, outward ritual acts may still have been in place they were not concerned about

God's honour at all. Repentance, the turning round from one's evil ways, was later expressedin terms of recognition of shame and disgrace. (Jer 31:19) Likewise, our disloyalty to God,our resistance against his work among us is known and is exceedingly shameful. We toodeserve to be punished ever so severely by having to spend eternity in hell. Since God is

pure, completely removed from all evil, man's sin has cut off, effectively killed, therelationship between the two. The warning given to Adam and Eve that they and their descendants would die if they ate the forbidden fruit became a frightening reality (Gen 2:16-17, Rom 6:23).

Only through death God's honour will be restored. Consequently God introduced an elaboratesacrificial system to the Israelites through Moses. Shame could be removed by gettingforgiveness for sins, but only if an animal would die in their place.

'...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.' (Heb 9:22)

This all important truth is also reflected in 'Qisas' the Islamic law of retaliation (Surah 2:178-179). It consists in doing to the person who has committed a crime the very same thing theyhave done. The life of someone who is wilfully killed demands the murderer's life inretaliation. However, the next of kin can accept a financial compensation instead. Accordingto Surah 5:45, retaliation for inflicted wounds is also necessary. A nose for a nose and so on.If a member of the body which is to be cut off in revenge is defective, a compensation will beaccepted.

From God's perfect perspective animal- and all other sacrifices are defective. They can nottake away sins but were only serving as a cover and a shadow of Jesus, the Messiah, the

perfect sacrifice to come (Heb 10:1-18). He took our shame upon himself through his deathon the cross. Through the crucifixion Jesus, our perfect, sinless mediator, restored the honour of God in a most profound and just way. (Joh 5:22-24)

According to the Bible and the Quran (Mat 5, Surah 57:27) the followers of Jesus were askedto practice compassion and mercy. One can only live in such a way when one hasexperienced it beforehand. Mercy is defined as an undeserved favour. It is the greatest

difference between Christianity and all other religions! God offers free, undeservedforgiveness of sin to all who believe in the work of Jesus at the cross. To show their gratitudethey are to turn around from their evil ways by becoming compassionate and merciful too. Itis one of the greatest tragedies of all when these characteristics are not present in the lives of those who call themselves Christians!

Questions regarding the Quranic view of Jesus

1. Everything God does has purpose and meaning (Surah 30:8). Christians believe that theuniqueness of the virgin birth of Jesus points to the uniqueness of his status. Why did Godwill this special birth for Jesus alone?

2. According to Surah 3:47, Mary, the mother of Jesus, speaks to Allah about the birth of her son. Why does Surah 19:20, say she spoke to an angel on that same occasion?


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3. Muslims believe that the content of the Quran is originally from heaven and not found inany other book on earth. Why are some accounts in it regarding the childhood of Jesusfound in apocryphal writings, which were not accepted by the early church? (e.g. Marynourished from a palm tree at the command of baby Jesus. Compare Surah 19:23-26 withHistory of the Nativity of Mary, etc. for more details see Sources of Islam by W. St.

Clair- Tisdall)4. Jesus performed many miracles to give evidence of his status. Why are no miracles

attested to Muhammad in the Quran?5. The Quran rightly condemns the physical concept of Jesus sonship (2:116), that Jesus and

Mary were two gods besides God (5:117) and that Allah is none but the Messiah, son of Mary (5:73). Does that not keep Muslim from understanding the true Christian teachingssince Biblical Christianity never supported those false beliefs?

6. Injeel, Torah (Isa 53) Zabur (Psa 22) and non-Christian evidence all agree that theMessiah died. Why should we believe the Quran which denies it?

7. Most Muslims believe that God made someone to look like Jesus and consequently becrucified instead of him. Is that not unjust and deceiving?

8. If God allegedly saved Jesus from the Jews why did he allow them to kill other prophetsaccording to Surahs 2:91 and 4:155?

9. Surah 4:157 presents the Jews as saying, we slew the Messiah Jesus... Which Jew wouldadmit that Jesus is the Messiah they were all waiting for? They might have said we slewJesus whom others called the Messiah. (Joh 19:21) But this the Quran does not say.

10. Christianity is the only religion that gives absolute assurance of forgiveness andeternal life in heaven because God himself dealt with our sins. (Joh 3:36, 1 Joh 5:13) If Muhammad, the messenger of Islam, himself was uncertain whether he would go toheaven (Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir) why should we believe in his message?

3. CONCLUSION

Besides having numerous things in common, Islam differs from Christianity in all of theabove mentioned major beliefs. The logical argumentation used in evaluating the differencesupholds the Biblical concept quite clearly. Now the reader is in a good position to make achoice. The author prays it will echo the one of Joshua who proclaimed:

'So now, go in fear of the Lord, (lit. Yahweh) and be his servants with true hearts: put awaythe gods worshipped by your fathers across the River and in Egypt, and be servants of the

Lord. And if it seems evil to you to be the servants of the Lord, make the decision this daywhose servants you will be: of the gods whose servants your fathers were across the River,

or of the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living: but I and my house will be the servants of the Lord.' (Joshua 24:14-15)

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Bibliography: 'The Moslem Doctrine of God', S. Zwemer, American Tract Society, USA,1905

'Islamic Beliefs and Teachings', G. Sarwar, Muslim Educ. Trust, London 1984

a christian response to muslim beliefs

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