Download The CHALLENGE of ISLAM (Part 1): What is Islam?

Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
The PILLARS Of ISLAM
 Shahada- Say “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger”
o Prerequisites for the Declaration of Faith
o Can Christians Call God “Allah”?
 Salah- Pray five times a day
o Rituals & Requirements for Muslim Prayer
 Sawm- Fast during the month of Ramadan
o Who is Dis-qualified from Sawm?
 Zakat- Give to a charity 2.5% leftover salary after bills are paid
o Rules for Zakat
o On-line Calculator
 Hajj- Make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in life
o Hajj information
o Stoning of the devil
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
 Gives Sarah away (Gen. 12:10-20); gives Lot the choice (Gen. 13); heroically
rescues Lot (Gen. 14); is reassured of God’s promise (Gen. 15); Abraham and
Sarah take matters into their own hands: Ishmael is born (Gen. 16); submits to
God’s will: circumcision (Gen. 17:1-14); Isaac’s birth announced (Gen. 17:1518:15); prays for Sodom (Gen. 18:22-33); Sodom is destroyed (Gen. 19:1-29);
Gives Sarah away- again (Gen. 20); Isaac born (Gen. 21:1-7); Sends Ishmael
away (Gen. 21:8-21); Sacrifices Isaac (Gen. 22); Buries Sarah in Promised Land
(Gen. 23); Provides Wife for Isaac (Gen. 24); remarries, has other children,
then dies (Gen. 25:1-10)
 Muslim view of Abraham’s place in Islam, Judaism and Christianity
WHY DO MUSLIMS REJECT THE TRINITY?
 Islamic viewpoint (uses reason to deny the Trinity)
 Christian viewpoint (Christian Articles defending the Trinity to Muslims)
LESSON 2- Angels, Jinn, and the Qur’an
ANGELS, JINN, AND GENIES
 Muslim viewpoint: Jinn and Angels
 Sam Shamoun: Are Jinn a group among the Angels?
MUSLIM CLAIMS
 Why God revealed His message in the form of Scriptures, and a brief
description of the two Scriptures of God: the Bible, and the Qur’an: click here.
LESSON 3- Islamic Teachings About Jesus
IS MUHAMMAD THE GREATEST PROPHET?
The Qur’an compares Jesus with Muhammad
 Consider these Qur’anic passages, which indicate Muhammad did not perform
miracles: Click here.
WHAT DO MUSLIMS THINK OF MARY?
 Mary in Islam
 Mary in the Qur’an
LESSON 4- Islamic Teachings About Muhammad
(No links in this lesson)
Lesson 5- Muhammad, 70 Virgins and Paradise,
Predestination and the Pillars of Islam
MUSLIM CLAIMS:
 Biblical prophecies that Muslim’s claim predict Muhammad’s coming.
QADAR or TAQDIR “Divine Decree”
 Qadar
FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Sam Shamoun’s Articles
How Muslim Christians speak to Muslims
How you can talk to an ordinary “folk” Muslim.
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
The PILLARS Of ISLAM
Shahada- Say “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His
messenger”
Prerequisites for the Declaration of Faith
http://islamworld.net/docs/wala.html#II
AL WALA' WAL BARA' ACCORDING TO
THE AQEEDAH OF THE SALAF
By Muhammad Saeed al-Qahtani / Translated by Omar Johnstone
Table of Contents
1. THE DECLARATION OF FAITH
2. THE PREREQUISITES OF THE DECLARATION OF FAITH
3. AL-WALA' WAL-BARA' AND THE DECLARATION OF FAITH
4. THE DECLARATION OF FAITH: ON THE TONGUE AND IN THE HEART
5. THE EFFECTS OF THE DECLARATION OF FAITH ON THE HEART
6. WHAT NEGATES THE DECLARATION OF FAITH
Chapter 1
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH
What the Declaration of Faith Confirms and What it Denies
The meaning of the first part of the declaration of faith, 'There is no god but Allah', is that
nothing other than Allah is worthy of worship. This denies the attribution of divinity to all other
things, and affirms it as a quality which belongs to Allah alone. (Shaykh Abdar-Rahman ibn
Hassan, Fath al-Majid, p.36)
Ibn Taimiyah said: "The heart will not find complete happiness except by loving Allah and by
striving towards what is dear to Him. It is not possible to achieve this love except by rejecting all
things that compete with it. This is what the words, 'There is no god but Allah' mean; this is the
spirit of the deen of Ibrahim and of that of every other prophet." (Ibn Taimiya, Majmu' alFatawa, vol 28, p.32, Riyadh)
When someone says, 'There is no god but Allah', he has denied one thing and affirmed another.
With these words the believer first denies all those who reject faith, worship created things, obey
the tyrant, rule by injustice or remain content under oppression; and then he affirms his
allegiance to Allah, to His deen, to His Book, to His righteous servants, and to the Sunnah of His
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace : "Whoever rejects false deities and believes
in Allah has grasped a firm handhold which will never break." [2:256]
As for the second part of the declaration, 'Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah', this means that
we do what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has told us to do, and stop
doing what he has told us not to do. According to Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, "No one truly
believes until he rejects the forces of disbelief." This is supported by ayah 2 :256 just cited. The
declaration of faith is a declaration of complete loyalty to the Shari'ah : "Follow that which is
sent down to you from your Lord, and follow no protecting friends beside Him. Little do you
recollect!" [7:3]; and : "So set your purpose (O Muhammad) for the deen as a man by nature
upright - the natural way of Allah, in which He has created man." [30:30]
You must also denounce the rule of Ignorance: "Is it the judgement of the time of ignorance that
they seek? And who is better than Allah for judgment for a people who have certainty (in their
belief)?" [5:50] Indeed you must deny all other religions: "And whoever seeks a religion other
than Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and he will be one of the losers in the Hereafter."
[3:85]
The declaration of faith is thus a denial and an affirmation. In fact, it denies four things and
affirms four others. It denies false deities, the tyrant, intermediaries, and ordained authorities,
who are bogus. If you think a thing can help you or protect you from harm then you have taken it
as a god. A tyrant demands that you worship and adore him. An intermediary, whether family,
community or property, distracts you from faith: "And from among mankind are some who take
for themselves (objects of worship as) rivals to Allah loving them as they should only love
Allah." [2:156]
Bogus authority advises you to act against truth and to disobey Allah: "They have taken as lords
beside Allah their rabbis and their monks." [9:31]
It also affirms four things: that the object of your worship is Allah; that glorification and love are
for Allah alone; that hope and fear are due only to Allah; and that you are aware of Allah's power
and might, this awareness is taqwa. The single and unique goal of the believer is to worship
Allah and none other than Him. Thus, the believer's love is for Allah alone: "And those who
believe are stronger in their love for Allah." [2:156] Hope, too, is exclusively in Allah and one
fears nothing but Him: "If Allah afflicts you with some hurt, there is no one who can remove it
except Him; and if He desires good for you, there is no one who can repel His bounty. He strikes
with it whom He wishes of his servants. He is the Forgiving, the Compassionate." [10:107]
Lastly, the believer is conscious of Allah and aware of the danger of His displeasure and of His
wrath. It is taqwa that causes a person abandon disbelief and disobedience, to devote himself
entirely to Allah and to obey His law and His command. Ibn Mas'ud said: "When you act in
obedience to Allah, in the light of Allah, you hope for Allah's reward. When you abandon
disobedience of Allah, in the light of Allah, you fear Allah's punishment." (Majumu'at ar-Rasa'il
wal-Masa'il al-Najdiyya, Muhammad Rashid Rida, eds. vol4, p.99)
Whoever recognises these things must sever all links to anything other than Allah and free his
heart from falsehood. Thus Allah tells us that Ibrahim, as well as our own Prophet, may the
blessings and peace of Allah be on them, smashed the idols that their people tood as gods and
rejected all who worshipped them: "There is a good example for you in Ibrahim and those with
him, when they told their people: Surely we disassociate ourselves from you and all that you
worship beside Allah. We have done with you. And there has arisen between us and you enmity
and hate forever until you believe in Allah only." [60:4]
>From beginning to end the Qur'an is a clarification of the meaning of the words, 'There is no
god but Allah'. This statement is both a denial of shirk and of those who commit it, and an
approval of sincerity and of those who strive for it. Every word and every deed that is dear to
Allah is in some way connected to this declaration. It is the source of all noble action, its
definition and its guide. This is why Allah has called it the 'declaration of fear'.
The Prophet's Companions and the Declaration of Faith
The following account illustrates the Companions' understanding and experience of the Kalima.
In 170 AH someone asked Imam Sufiyan ibn Uyaynah al-Hillali * about faith. He said:
"It is in both speech and action." "But does it increase of decrease?" asked the man. "It increases
as Allah wishes, and it decreases as He wishes until no more of it than this remains," and held
out his hand. The man said,"So what should be our attitude towards those among us who assert
that is is speech and not action?"
"This is what people used to say before the nature and limits of faith had been made clear. Of
course Allah, Glorious and Mighty is He, sent his Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, to all of humanity to tell them that there is no god but Allah and that he is the Messenger
of Allah. Once they had accepted this, the security of their money and their lives was assured and
they became accountable to Allah alone."
"When Allah was satisfied with their sincerity, He commanded His Prophet to order them to
pray. He ordered them to do this and they did it. By Allah, had they not done this their first act
would not have helped them."
"When Allah was satisfied with the sincerity of their prayers, He told His Prophet to order them
to migrate to Madinah. By Allah, had they not done this neither their first act nor their prayers
would have helped them."
"When Allah was satisfied with the sincerity of their hearts in this, He commanded them to
return to Makkah to fight their fathers and their brothers until these said the Word which they
had said, established the same prayer and joined the same migration. He commanded them to do
this and they did it. One of them even came with the head of his father and said,'O Messenger of
Allah, here is the head of a leader of the disbelievers.' By Allah, had they not done this their first
act, their prayers and their migration would not have helped them."
"When Allah was satisfied with the sincerity of their hearts in this, He told His Messenger to
order them to complete the rite of tawaf and to shave their heads in humility, which they did. By
Allah, had they not done this their first act, their prayers, their migration and their combat with
their fathers would not have helped them."
"When Allah was satisfied with the sincerity of their hearts in this He told the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, to take a part of their money by which to purify
themselves. He commanded them to do this and they did, giving much and giving little. By
Allah, had they not done this their first act, their prayers, their migration, their combat with their
fathers and their tawaf would not have helped them."
"When Allah was satisfied withe the sincerity of their hearts which were now in harmony with
the nature and limits of faith, He said to them: "This day I have perfected your deen for you and
have completed My blessings to you, and have chosen for you as your deen al-Islam [5:3]."
Imam Sufiyan continued: "Whoever abandons any part of faith is a disbeliever as far as wer are
concerned. If this from neglect we would correct him, but he would be lacking in our eyes. This
is the Sunnah. Relate it on my behalf to whoever may ask about it." (Al-Shar'a, Abu Bakr
Muhammad ibn al-Hussain al-Ajari, p.104)
* Imam Sufiyan ibn Uyaynah al-Hillali (107-198 AH): Imam Shafi'i said of him: "Were it not for
Imams Malik and ibn Uyaynah, the learning of the Hijaz would have been lost." Imam Ahmad
said, "I have not seen anyone more knowledgeable in the Sunnah than ibn Uyaynah."
Chapter II
THE PREREQUISITES OF THE
DECLARATION OF FAITH
The importance of the declaration of faith has nothing to do with the number of its words, nor
indeed with its memorisation. How many people have acknowledged it and lived according to it
yet still could not tell you how many words it contains? How many people have learned these
words by heart to rattle them off as quick as lightning, but still fall into many thins that
contradict them? Success is only by the hand of Allah.(1)
In the first century of the Hijra someone asked Wahab ibn Munabbah whether the words, 'There
is no god but Allah', were the key to success.' "Certainly", he said, "but of course every key has
teeth, so if you come with one that has teeth, the door will open, but if you don't, it won't." (2)
The teeth of this key are the prerequisites of the declaration of faith.
The ulama' consider that the declaration of faith depends on seven conditions:
The first of these prerequisites is knowledge of what the declaration of faith negates and of what
it confirms. It negates ingnorance. Allah says: "So you know (O Muhammad) that there is no god
but Allah." [47:19] and also: "Except whoever bears witness to the truth knowingly." [43:86];
this witnessed truth is Tawheed, or Divine Unity, which pervades the heart as you declare the
klima; and lastly: "Allah (Himself) is Witness that there is no god but Him - and (so are) the
angels and the people of knowledge - Who sustains His creation with justice; there is no god but
Him, the Almighty, the Wise." [3:18] In Sahih Bukhari, as in Sahih Muslim, there is a hadith
reported by Uthman, that says, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, 'Whoever dies in the knowledge that there is no god but Allah, shall surely enter
Paradise'." (3)
The second prerequisite is the complete denial of uncertainty. This means that whoever
pronounces the declaration of faith must be completely and utterly sure that it is the truth. Faith
must be based upon certainty and not upne doubt. (4) Allah says: "Surely the (true) believers are
only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and then do not doubt, but struggle with their
wealth and their selves in the way of Allah. These are the sincere." [49:15]
Abu Hurayrah has reported, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
said, 'I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that I am the Messenger of Allah. No one
will come to Allah with these words, never doubting any of it, without entering paradise'." (5)
Another report says, "None will come to Allah with these words, never doubting any of it, and
not see paradise." In another hadith, also reported by Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, says,'Whoever you find beyond this room, who bears witness
with firmness in his heart that there is no god but Allah, give him glad tidings of paradise'." (6)
According to al-Qurtubi, simply pronouncing the declaration of faith is not enough; you must
also be certain of it in your heart. This contradicts the doctrine of the extremist Murji'a sect who
say that by simply saying these words you have established an adequate foundation for faith.
Their own arguments contradict one another. In fact, this position is known to destroy whoever
supports it, because it requires him to condone hypocrisy and to ascribe true faith to hypocritesm,
and this is a negation of faith. (7)
The third prerequisite is to accept inwardly, and to declare openly, whatever the declaration of
faith requires. Allah tell us that some of those who came before accepted it and knew success,
while others rejected it and invited His wrath: "And even so We sent not a warner before you (O
Muhammad) into any township but that its luxurious ones said: 'Surely we found our fathers
following a religion, and we are following in their footsteps.' (And the warner) said: 'What! Even
though I bring you better guidance than what you found your fathers following?' They answered:
'Surely we are disbelievers in what you bring.' So we requited them. Then see the nature of the
consequence of the rejecters!" [43:23-25]
And He says: "Then shall We save Our Messengers and those who believe in the same way (as
before). It is incumbent upon Us to save the believers." [10:103] and also: "For when it was said
to them, 'There is no god but Allah', they were scornful, and said: 'Shall we forsake our gods for
a mad poet?" [37:35-36]
The fourth prerequisite is to abandon oneself to what the declaration of faith implies, namely,
complete surrender to Allah: "Turn to your Lord repentant, and surrender to Him." [39:54]; and :
"Who is better in religion than he who surrenders his purpose to Allah while doing good?"
[4:125]; and: "Whoever surrenders his purpose to Allah while doing good, he has truly grasped
the firm hand-hold." [31:22] The 'firm hand-hold' means to completely understand and accept the
declaration of faith. In the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
"None of you has believed until his desires are in accordance with what I have come to you
with." (8) This refers to the perfection of your obedience and of your desire to obey.
Furhtermore, Allah says: "But no, by your Lord, they will not believe (truly) until they make you
the judge of what is in dispute between them, and find within themselves no dislike of what you
decide, and submit with full submission." [4:65]
Ibn Kathir points out that in this ayah Allah makes an oath upon Himself and swears that no one
has believed until he accepts the authority of the Prophet in all matters. This is the truth that the
believer must apply to himself both in public and in private. This is why He says in the ayah:
"and find within themselves no dislike of what you decide, and submit with full submission";
that is, "they accept your judgement in their hearts and find do difficulty in themselves in
following what you have decided." Thus they submit to it completely, with no pressure or
coercion, and without argument. This point was made again when the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, said, "by He in Whose hand is my soul, none of you has believed until
his desires are in accord with what I have come to you with." (9)
The fifth prerequisite is to denounce falsehood sincerely, doing this with heartfelt conviction, so
that the tongue follows the heart. Allah says: "Alif. Lam. Mim. Do people imagine that they will
be left (at ease) because they say, 'we believe', and will not be tested with affliction? Surely We
tested those who were before you. Thus Allah certainly knows those who are sincere, and He
certainly knows those who lie." [29: 1-3]
In a sahih hadith, Muaadh ibn Jabal reports that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "No one will say, 'There is no god but Allah Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah',
sincerely from his heart without Allah forbidding him the Fire." (10) Ibn al-Qayim remarks that
sincerity with regard to the words, 'There is no god but Allah', must depend on your compliance
with, and acceptance of, the obligations which this statement places upon you. These obligations
are represented by the Shari'ah, which itself is an elaboration of the declaration of faith. It means
that you believe in whatever Allah has revealed, that you follow His commandments and avoid
what He has forbidden. One who is truly sincere in this belief will abide by it completely. The
complete protection of the Shari'ah is only assured by complete compliance with it. Likewise,
complete security from punishment only comes from complete obedience to it. (11)
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "My intercession is for whoever
witness that there is no god but Allah sincerely, whose heart believes his tongue, and whos
tongue believes his heart." (12) Ibn Rajab adds, "As for those who give lip service to the words,
'there is no god but Allah', but then follow Satan in disobedience and contentiousness, their
actions have made clear the emptiness of their words and the weakness of their belief: "And who
goes farther astray than he who follows his desires without guidance from Allah?" [28:50]; and:
"Do not follow desire so that it lures you away from the way of Allah." [28:26] " (13)
The sixth prerequisite is singularity of devotion. This means that you should purify your deeds
by cleansing your intentions of all traces of reverence towards any created thing: "Surely pure
religion is for Allah only." [39:3]; and also: "And they are not ordered to anything else other than
to worship Allah, keeping the deen pure for Him, as men by nature upright." [98:5] Abu
Hurayrah reports that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah raises
up by my intercession whoever says,'There is no god but Allah', from the depths of his heart with
complete purity of devotion." (14) The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is
reportd by Utban ibn Malik in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim as saying, "Certainly Allah has
forbidden the Fire for anyone who says 'There is no god but Allah', and who seeks by these
words only the pleasure of Allah." (15)
Two of the Prophet's companions report that he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
"Whenever someone says from his heart in singular devotion, his tongue pure in belief: 'there is
no god but Allah alone; He has no partner; His is the dominion; His is the praise; and He has
power over all things', Allah opens a path for this in the heavens and smiles (16) upon whomever
from among the people of the earth has said it, and it is the right of the servant of Allah upon
whom He smiles that his request be granted." (17)
"Though performed in singular devotion to Allah, an act of worship is not accepted if it is
incorrectly done," writes al-Fudhayl ibn Iyadh. "One performed correctly, but not in singular
devotion to Allah is not accepted either. Any act of worship must be performed both in complete
devotion to Allah, and correctly. Complete devotion means that the act is for Allah alone.
Correctly means that it is performed according to the Sunnah." (18)
Allah has given us a clear example of the contrast between absolute and flawed devotion to Him
in this ayah from the Qur'an: "Allah strikes a metaphor: a man who has several owners,
quarrelling; and a man belonging wholly to one man. Are the two equal in comparison?" [39:29]
Commenting on this ayah, Sayid Qutub says: "This example contrasts the servant whose
devotion is to Allah alone with the one whose devotion is shared out among many. The latter is
likened to a slave jointly owned by men who quarrel over him: to each of them he owes a duty
and each of them make demands of him. His situation totally confounds him. He can find no way
and no means to satisfy all of their conflicting and contradictory demands. The former, however,
has but one master. He knows what he wants from him and does his duty to him, so he finds the
road clearly marked before him. Are these two the same? Not at all: the man whose service is to
one master benefits from the comfort and security, peace of mind and certainty that unite his
actions and his goals with the means of achieving them; but the man with quarrelling masters is
shaken by torment. He can find now way out; if he pleases one the others are unhappy. The
reality of the Unity of God is contained in this example, as is the truth about its antithesis,
polytheism. The heart of the believer, rooted in the truth of God's Unity, is a heart through which
guidance from Allah flows - that is, inspired only by Him and dutiful to Him alone." (19)
The significance of this is that it indicates that singularity of devotion is through singularity of
purpose. As Allah says: "Are (many) different lords better, or Allah the One, the Almighty?"
[12:39] (20)
Islam requires submission to Allah alone; whatever else one has submitted to in this way must be
abandoned. This is the true significance of the words 'there is no god but Allah', since whoever
submits to Allah and to something other than Him at the same time, has associated something
with Allah. Allah does not forgive this. Whoever fails to submit to Him has scorned His worship
: "Surely those who scorn worship of Me will enter Hell disgraced." [40:60]
The seventh prerequisite is to love the declaration of faith, to love all that it requires and all it
implies, to love all those who act upon it and who hold to all that it stands for and to feel anger at
whatever contradicts it. Allah says: "And from among mankind are some who take for
themselves (objects of worship as) rivals to Allah. And those who believe are stronger in their
love for Allah." [21:65] And He says: "O you who believe! Whoever of you becomes a rebel
against his deen, (know that in his place) Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who love
Him, humble towards the believers, harsh towards the disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah,
and not fearing the blame of any blamer." [5:54]
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'The sweetness of faith belongs to
whoever may find himself in these three states: that Allah and His Messenger are more dear to
him than any other thing; that he loves someone only for the sake of Allah; and that he despises a
return to disbelief after Allah had saved him from it, as much as he would hate to be thrown into
the fires of Hell." (21)
The signs of love for Allah are to give precedence to this love and to suppress your desires: to
conquer your desire for what angers your Lord and to feel anger towards it; to ally yourself with
Allah, His Messenger, and those who are with them; to oppose whoever opposes Him; and to
follow in the footsteps of His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, accepting
his guidance." (22)
Ibn al-Qayim said in a poem:
The love of the Beloved must be unconditionally returned If you claim love yet oppose the
Beloved, then you love is but a pretence. You love the enemies of your Beloved and still seek
love in return. You fight the beloved of your Beloved. Is this Love or the following of Shaytan?
True devotion is nothing but total submission of body and soul to One Love
_____________________________________________________________________________
Notes
----1-
Ma'aarij al-Qubul, Hafiz al-Hakami, 1/377
2-
He reported hadith from Abu Hurayrah, Abu Sa'id, Ibn Abbas and Ibn
Umar among others. He came from Yemen and died in 110 AH. This
hadith is reported in Bukhari, in an appendix to Kitab al-Jana'iz
with regard to someone whose last words are 'there is no god but
Allah', 3/109
3356789101112-
Ibid. 1/378. See also Al-Jam' al-Fareed, p.356.
Ibid. 1/378
Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, 1/56, (27)
Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, 1/60, (31)
Shaykh Abdar-Rahman ibn Hasan, Fath al-Majid, p.36
This hadith appears in Imam Nawawi's Forty Hadith, number 41
Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, 2/306
Sahih Bukhari and Muslim
Ibn Qayim al-Jawziya, at-Tibyan fi Aqsam al-Quran, p.43
Al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 1/70; he said that the isnad was sahih, and
ad-Dhahabi confirmed him in this.
Imam ibn Rajab, Kalimat al-Ikhlaas, p.28
Sahih Bukhari, Kital al-'Ilm, 1/193, (99)
Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Masajid, 1/456, (263)
The Arabic, hatta yandhuru alayhee, literally means: until He looks
at him.
Imam ibn Rajab reports this in Kalimat al-Ikhlaas; al-Albani remarks
that it appears in al-Jami'a al-Kabir, (2/477) where Ya'qub ibn Asim
says, "Two of the Prophet's companions told me...etc" This Ya'qub is
one of Imam Muslim's authorities. Ibn Hibban confirms this as well.
If this isnad is sahih then the hadith is sound.
cf. Ibn Taimiyah, Iqtida as-Sirat al-Mustaqim, p.451.
Sayid Qutub, Fi Dhilal al-Qur'an, 5/3049.
Muhammad Jamal as-Din al-Qaasimi, Mahaasin at-Ta'weel, 14/5138
Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, 1/60; Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman 1/66
Hafiz al-Hakami, Ma'arij al-Qubul, 1/383
Ibn Qayim al-Jawziya, an-Nuniyya, p.158
1314151617-
181920212223-
Chapter III
AL-WALA' WAL-BARA' AND THE
DECLARATION OF FAITH
Love is the source of wala' and hate is the source of bara'; it is by this that both the heart and the
hand are moved to act. Wala' inspires intimacy, concern and help. Bara' provokes obstruction,
enmity and rejection. Wala' and Bara' are both related to the declaration of faith and constitute
essential elements in it. The evidence of this from the Qur'an and the Sunnah is considerable.
As for the Qur'an, consider the following ayat: "Let not the believers take disbelievers for their
friends in preference to believers. Whoever does this has no connection with Allah unless you
are guarding yourselves against them as a precaution. Allah bids you to beware (only) of
Himself. And to Allah is the journeying." [3:28]
And He says: "Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind), If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love
you and forgive you your wrong actions. Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate. Say, Obey Allah
and the Messenger. And If they turn away, then surely Allah does not love the disbelievers."
[3:31-32]
Speaking of the aims of the enemies of Allah, He says: "They long for you to disbelieve even as
they disbelieve, so that you may be the same (as them). so do not choose friends from among
them until they go out in the way of Allah." [4:89]
And also: "O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are
friends of one another. And whoever of you takes them for friends is (one) of them. Surely Allah
does not guide wrongdoing people." [5:51]
And lastly: "O you who believe! Whoever of you becomes a rebel against his deen, (know that in
his place) Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble towards the
believers, harsh towards the disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah, and not fearing the blame
of any blamer." [5:54]
We will mention only a few of the many hadith and reports of the Companions on this subject.
Imam Ahmad reports from Jarir ibn Abdullah that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, made him swear an oath to 'offer counsel to every Muslim and to steer clear of every
disbeliever.' (1) Ibn Shayba reports that the Prophet said, "The strongest bond of faith is love for
the sake of Allah and enmity for His sake." (2) Ibn Abbas reports that the Prophet said, "The
strongest bond of faith is loyalty for the sake of Allah and opposition for His sake, love for the
sake of Allah and enmity for His sake." (3)
Ibn Abbas is also reported to have said, "Whoever loves for the sake of Allah, and hates for the
sake of Allah, and whoever seals a friendship for His sake, or declares an enmity for His sake,
will receive, because of this, the protection of Allah. No one may taste true faith except by this,
even if his prayers and fasts are many. People have come to build their relationships around the
concerns of the world, but it will not benefit them in any way." (4)
Shaykh Sulaiman ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab explained the words of Ibn
Abbas by saying that the meaning of 'to seal a friendship for the sake of Allah' indicates the
obligation of establishing relationships of love and trust for His sake; this is friendship for the
sake of Allah. It also indicates that simple affection is not enough here; indeed what is meant is a
love based upon alliance. This entails assistance, honour, and respect. It means being with those
whom you love both in word and deed.
As for 'enmity for the sake of Allah', it includes the obligation to declare enmity for His sake:
opposition for the sake of Allah. it is to declare opposition in deed, to take up arms against His
enemies, to shun them, and to stay far from them both in word and deed. This proves that simple
opposition of the spirit is not enough, and that it must be a complete honouring of your
commitment, for Allah says: "There is a good example for you in Ibrahim and those with him,
when they told their people: 'Surely we disassociate ourselves from you and all that you worship
beside Allah. We have done with you. And there has arisen between us and you enmity and hate
for ever until you believe in Allah only'." [60:4] (5)
All this leads us to conclude that loyalty for the sake of Allah really means to love Allah and to
come to the assistance of His deen; it is to love those who are obedient to Him and to come to
their help. Opposition for the sake of Allah is to feel anger at the enemies of Allah and to
struggle against them. Because of this Allah has called the first group the "party of Allah" and
the second the "party of Satan": "Allah is the Protecting Guardian of those who believe. He
brings them out of darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their patrons are false deities.
They bring them out of light into darkness. Such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide
therein." [2:257]
And Allah says: "Those who believe do battle for the cause of Allah; and those who disbelieve
do battle for the cause of idols. So fight the friends of Satan. Surely Satan's strategy is always
weak." [4:76]
It is well known that Allah has never sent a Prophet on His mission without also raising up
opponents against him. Allah says: "Thus have We appointed for every prophet an adversary devils from mankind and the jinn who inspire in one another plausible words that are deceiving."
[6:112] It may be that opponents of Divine Unity possess some learning, a part of Revelation,
and proof. As Allah says: "And when their Messengers brought them clear proofs (of Allah's
Sovereignty), they exulted in the knowledge which they (themselves) possessed. And that which
they had become accustomed to mock befell them." [40:83]
It is the obligation of every Muslim to learn from Allah's deen whatever may serve as a weapon
for him in the struggle against the friends of Satan. In this he should have no fear and no
misgivings, since the devil's strategy is always weak. Allah says: "And surely that Our host
would be the victors." [37:173] To the host of Allah shall be the victory in discussion and in
debate, as in war and strife. In this way an ordinary man from the party of the One God will
overcome a thousand scholars of the disbelievers. (6)
If the aim of the enemies of Islam - whether they are atheists or Jews, or Christians or
modernists, or Zionists or Communists - is the emasulation of the Aqeedah of the Muslims, and
the erosion of their unique character in order to make them 'the ass of the chosen people', (as it is
put in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion), then the urgency of this issue should become clear to
every Muslim.
We should all take heed, for ourselves and for those who are with us, so that we may warn all the
Muslims who are slipping away into the abyss of apostasy, warn them of the treacherous call of
the disbelievers to what they call 'brotherhood and equality', warn them of the false claim that
religion is for Allah but that nationhood is for the masses. We will return to this point in more
detail later.
For the present, the evidence is clear from the Qur'an and the Sunnah that allegiance is demanded
by the declaration of faith since this is an essential part of its meaning. As Ibn Taimiya has said,
"The declaration of faith, there is no god but Allah, requires you to love only for the sake of
Allah, to hate only for the sake of Allah, to ally yourself only for the sake of Allah, to declare
enmity only for the sake of Allah; it requires you to love what Allah loves and to hate what Allah
hates." (7) It also requires you to ally yourself to the Muslims wherever you find them and to
oppose the disbelievers even if they are your closest kin.
NOTES
----1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Imam Ahmad, Musnad, 4/357-8.
Abu Bakr Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Shaybah, (d.235 AH) Kitab
al-Iman. At-Tabarani, al-Kabir, ascribes it to Ibn Mas'ud as
"marfu'", and classed it as "hasan".
At-Tabarani, al-Kabir. It is mentioned by as-Suyuti, al-Jami'
as-Saghir, 1/69. Al-Albani classes it as "hassan".
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Jami' al-Ulum wal Hikam, p.30.
Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, Sharh Kitab at-Tawhid, p.422.
Abridged from Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, Kashaf ash-Shubuhat, 3rd
edition, p.20.
Ibn Taimiya, al-Ihtijaj bil-Qadar, p.62.
Chapter IV
THE DECLARATION OF FAITH: ON THE
TONGUE AND IN THE HEART
According to Ibn al-Qayim, belief in Divine Unity is not simply saying that Allah is the sole
Creator and that He is Lord and Master of all things. This was what the pagans used to say, while
at the same time worshipping many gods. Belief in Divine Unity does not only mean love of
Allah, but also submission to Him, humility before Him, complete obedience to Him, and
devotion to Him in all our words and deeds, in what we hold on to and in what we give, in our
love and in our hate. It can never be confused with the urge to disobey, or to do as you please in
misguided self interest.
Whoever takes this to heart will understand the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, "Certainly Allah has forbidden the Fire from taking whoever says 'There is no
god but Allah', and who says this for the pleasure of Allah.";(1) and in another hadith, "whoever
says 'there is no god but Allah, shall not enter the Fire."
So what do these reports really mean? Many people have misunderstood them, going so far as to
say that these statements were later abrogated, and that they were made before teh completion of
the shari'ah, before we knew what we must and must not do. Others have said that the fire they
refer to is the hell of the disbelievers, while others still interpret the actual entering of the fire to
mean entering it for eternity; thus "..shall not enter the Fire (for eternity)." These are just a few of
their baseless interpretations.
In fact, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not say that this would occur
merely by pronouncing the declaration of faith; this would contradict our entire understanding of
Islam. The hypocrites say these words with their tongues, but they are bound for the deepest pit
of Hell, and will be punished even more severely than those who actively dispute the fact that
there is no other god than He. What is being referred to is, of course, a matter of both the heart
and the tongue.
While the heart must believe, it must also realise the truth: it must realise the meaning of the
words of the declaration of faith, of what they deny and what they affirm; realise that there is no
other divinity than Allah; and realise that the attribution of divinity to anything else is quite
impossible. Thus its meaning must be taken to heart consciously and deliberately, with certainty
and urgency. This is what protects you from the Fire.
This recalls the story of the man who had murdered a hudred men, and though faith arose in his
heart he took no notice of it, pushing it out of his breast; but when he came to death's door it
again entered his heart and so he was one of those who entered Paradise. (2)
And also the account about the prostitute whose heart was moved by the sight of a dog dying of
thirst by the side of a well, eating the dust in desperation. With no higher purpose or hope of
reward, she filled her shoe to the brim and gave it to the dog. Though people usually beat it she
took it by the paw and stilled it until it had drunk, knowing that it could neither reward her nor
even thank her in any way. Her supreme act of love wiped out all her previous sins and this is
how she was forgiven. (3)
Imam Muslim reports a hadith in which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
says, "Whoever says, There is no god but Allah, and denies whatever he used to worship beside
Allah, will find that his life and his property are protected, and his reward is with Allah." (4)
Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab points out that this is the greatest proof we have of the real
meaning of the declaration of faith, since neither life nor property are protected simply by
pronounicng these words; indeed thre is no significance at all in just saying them, nor in
advocating them, nor in calling on Allah alone. Your life and your property are not protected
until you actually deny whatever you used to worship beside Allah; and if you have any doubt or
hesitation about that, then you are still outside Islam. (5)
This should make clear the error of the Murji'a sect (6), who said that faith was equivalent to
knowledge, and disbelief to ignorance, and who in this way severed deeds from belief. Everyone
knows that the pagans of Makkah understood what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, meant by saying, "There is no god but Allah". They understood it and they believed
it, but they arrogantly refused to acknowledge it; so their faith in the One God, the Provider, the
Bringer of Life and Death, did not benefit them at all. When the Prophet told them, "Say there is
no god but Allah", they said: "Does he make the gods One God? Surely that is an astounding
thing." [38:5]
The strange thing is that while the disbelievers know that the declaration of faith is more than
just saying the words, some think that these reports mean that a simple utterance of the words
'there is no god but Allah', with none of their meaning entering the heart, is all that is required.
But wiser people understand that it means that there is no creator other than Allah: no other
provider, giver of life, bringer of death, and no other who holds all things in his hand. However,
there is still no benefit to be gained by knowing what the declaration of faith means if you are
without any belief. This throws new light on the meaning of those reports in which the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mentions the simple repitition of these words, such as,
"I have been ordered to struggle against people until they say 'There is no god but Allah'." (7)
Some people hope to imply by this that whoever recites the declaration of faith is not a
disbeliever, and that we should not oppose him, regardless of whatever else he does. These
people should recall that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fought the Jews
and cursed them even though they said, 'There is no god but Allah'. Not only this, but also the
Companions of the Prophet fought the Bani Hanifa who not only said, "There is no god but Allah
and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah", but also prayed and claimed to be Muslims; this was
the same for the people whom Ali ibn Abi Talib burned alive for saying that he was an
incarnation of Allah.
However, when you ask these people about the case of someone who denies the rising of the
dead, they say that he has disbelieved and that we should fight him, even he says, 'there is no god
but Allah'. They agree that whoever disputes any of the five pillars of Islam has disbelieved and
should be opposed with the pen and the sword, even though he may pronounce the declaration of
faith.
The contradiction here is that none of these denials involve the central tenet of Islam, which is
the affirmation of Divine Unity, and yet these people are prepared to go to war over them; but
when it is a matter of someone who denies the very essence of belief, the Diving Unity of God,
then they provide him with an excuse for its denial, even though it is the very source and
foundation of the deen.
So it becomes clear that these people are the enemies of Allah, and that they have not understood
at all the meaning of what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has said: It is
well known that when a man declares himself to be a Muslim we should act prudently towards
him until he does something that clearly contradicts his claim. Allah says: "O you who believe!
When you go out (to fight) in the way of Allah, be careful, and do not say to one who offers you
peace: 'Your are not a believer', seeking the chance profits of this life (so that you may despoil
him). With Allah are plenteous spoils. You too were like this once, and Allah gave you hope, so
be careful; surely Allah is well aware of what you do." [4:94]
This verse indicates the necessity of restraint until such time as you are sure about the situation,
since Allah says: "be careful". If it becomes clear that someone is at odds with Islam, then fight
him. If this were not the case, then the command to verify the situation before fighting would
meaningless.
Similarly the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said of the Kharijites,
"Wherever you find them fight them, for were I to discover them I would destroy them utterly, as
the people of Ad were destroyed." (8) He said this even though they were meticulously observant
in their dedication and in their worship, so much so that the companions, with whom they
studied, felt humbled before them. Their declaration of faith, however, did not benefit them, and
neither did the fullness of their worship, nor indeed their service to Islam, once they had
abandoned the Shari'ah.(9)
Any intelligence person knows that if this whole matter hinged upon a single word, a mere word,
then it would have been a simple thing for the Quraish to say it. They would have said, 'There is
no god but Allah', saving both themselves a lot of trouble and their gods from ridicule. But they
knew that the declaration of faith also involved a commitment, and it was this commitment that
threatened their power and status in the land.
The point here is that Islam is a force that liberates all people from the unjust slavery of one to
another, and places mankind at the service of the One, the Victorious. The degree of their fear of
Allah became the measure of their worth and excellence among people. Thus the habits and
customs of the jahiliyyah, inherited from parents and grandparents, had no place. Every good
hearted, sincere Muslim must strive towards the full realisation of the declaration of faith, in
order that each and every one of us may worship Allah with insight, knowledge, and certainty.
This is the real challenge of Islam.
Notes
----1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Masajid, 1/356.
See Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Anbia', 6/512, (3470); and Sahih Muslim,
Kitab at-Tawba, 4/2118 (2766)
Ibn al-Qayim, Madarij as-Salikin, 1/330-332.
Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, 1/53, (23).
Ibn Abdul Wahhab, Kitab at-Tawhid, p.115.
The Murji'a sect believed that belief is all that is needed to reach
the Garden
Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, 1/51, (20)
Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Zakat, 2/742, (1064)
Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab, Kashaf ash-Shubuhat, p.40. The Kharijites
believed that committing major wrong actions turns a Muslim into an
unbeliever.
Chapter V
THE EFFECTS OF THE DECLARATION
OF FAITH ON THE HEART
Abu A'la al-Mawdudi mentions in his book, Fundamentals of Islam, nine effects of the
declaration of faith upon the heart.
First, as a believer you are not narrow minded like those who believe in many gods or who
dispute the existence of God altogether.
Second, as a believer you feel a sense of your own worth and dignity, since it is Allah alone who
brings benefit and harm, and He alone who brings life and death. Wisdom, power and authority
are His. Because of this the heart feels no fear of anything other than Him. No head bows to
another, no one is humbled before anyone else. No one may fear another or be intimidated by
human power or majesty, since Allah is the Majestic and the Omnipotent over all things. In
contrast to this we see the subjucation of the disbelievers, the Christians and the Jews, and the
pagans and the atheists, to one another.
Third, as a believer your sense of honour and self esteem are inspired by faith. The Muslim
knows humility without humiliation, and pride without vainglory. Shaytan can not affect his
pride or inspire conceit in him since he is well aware that it is Allah Who has given him all that
he has and Who is capable of stripping him of everything at any time. Yet you see the atheist
bursting with pride whenever some worldly benefit comes his way.
Fourth, as a believer you have the knowledge and the certainty that it is only through purification
of the self and the performance of good works that success may be had. As for the disbelievers
they have only the falso hope that the 'son' of God will wash away the sins of the world, or that
since they are themselves the 'sons' of God and His high priests they will not be punished for
their sins, or that they will benefit from the intervention of the noble and pious, or that their
offerings and sacrifices to their gods will give them licence to do as they please. As for the
atheist who supposes that his existence in this world is without purpose and unguided by any
higher plan, his gods are his own passions and desires. To these things he has dedicated his life.
Fifth, the believer in this Aqeedah will not know hopelessness or despair, because he believes
that Allah is Master of all that the heavens and earth contain. So his heart is reassured in peace
and in hope. Even when weak in himself and defeated, when life closes in around him, he knows
that those whom Allah takes into His protection will not be neglected or abandoned so long as
they depend upon Allah and trust in Him. The disbelievers prefer to depend upon their own
feeble resources, yet how quickly despair overtakes them, plunging them into desperation, and
even driving them to suicide.
Sixth, belief in this Aqeedah develops in the individual great determination, fortitude, patience,
confidence and trust, since you are engaged in the greatest of enterprise, the quest for the
pleasure of Allah. Indeed you feel that what supports you is the power of He Who possesses the
heavens and the earth. In this way the strength and determination of the believer, with his
resolute will inspired by this confidence, becomes like a mountain that no human force may
move. Could there ever be such a strength and confidence as this to inspire a person's disbelief?
Seventh, the believer derives both strength and support from the declaration of faith, since it puts
you out of reach of the two things that can undermine your strength, love of the world and fear of
it. Love of the world is to place love of yourself, your spouse or your money before love of
Allah. Fear of the world is fear of an unknown force, not under the power of God, waiting to
destroy you. The believer knows that there is no god but Allah, and so neither of these things can
gain any power over the heart, because it is reassured by the fact that Allah is the Sole Possessor
of both life and property. Once you dedicate yourself to the pleasure of your Lord regardless of
the cost, you suddenly realise that no one can deprive you of your life, neither man nor beast: the
gun, the swordand the stone do not kill; it is God alone Who brings death.
There is no stronger determination than that of someone who believes in Allah. No man can
intimidate him and no army frighten him, neither flashing swords nor bullets falling like rain.
Whenever a believer presents himself for battle in the path of Allah, his strength is multiplied
tenfold. So where does this leave the Christians and the Jews, the disbelievers and the atheists.
Eighth, by believing in the declaration of faith you can take command over your own life, take
pride in yourself, in your confidence and determination, and in this way purify your heart from
the influence ofavarice, jealousy, cowardice, spite, and all other vices.
Ninth, and by far the most important of these effects on the heart, is the knowledge that the
declaration of faith guides you to understand the law of Allah, and helps you to keep carefully to
it. Thus you are awakened to the fact that Allah is totally aware of every thing, and that He is
nearer to you than your jugular vein; and although you may be able to escape from most kinds of
danger, there is no escaping from Allah. The degree to which faith pervades the human mind
determines in turn the extent of the believer's obedience to the laws of Allah, his keeping to
Allah's limits and not coming near to what Allah has forbidden, and his hastening to do good
works and to fulfill Allah's commands.
The declaration of faith is the first of the five essential pillars of Islam. It is also the most
important of these when it comes to ascertaining the extent of a person's faith. The Muslim is the
obedient servant who keeps near to Allah. We can not do this until we believe from teh depths of
our hearts that there is no god but Allah. The declaration of faith is the source of Islam and the
basis of its strength. Regardless of the details of our belief or the different shades of legal
opinion, everything ultimately rests upon this one statement: the power of Islam relies upon
nothing else. If this should ever be lost, then nothing at all would be left of our deen.(1)
Ibn Rajab, when commenting on the declaration of faith, quotes Sufyian ibn Uyaynah: "Allah did
not bestow upon His servants a greater blessing than the knowledge that there is no god but
Allah. For the people of Paradise these words are the same as fresh water is to a people who live
on the parched Earth. By it the scales of Heaven and Hell are set. Because of it the Messengers
were sent into battle. Whoever declares it to be so, his wealth and his life are protected, but
whoever denies it shall find himself destroyed. It is the key to paradise, and the single call of all
the Messengers." (2)
1)
Abu A'la al-Mawdudi, Mabadi' al-Islam, p.87.
2)
Ibn Rajab, Kalimat al-Ikhlas, p.53
CHAPTER VI
WHAT NEGATES THE DECLARATION
OF FAITH - PART ONE
We have now discussed the meaning of the declaration of faith, the obligations that it places
upon the believer, its essence and its effects upon those who proclaim it. In order to provide a
more complete picture of the precise meaning of the words, 'There is no god but Allah', we will
now turn our attention to what contradicts it.
It is common knowledge that disbelief, shirk, hypocrisy and apostasy all stand in complete
contradiction to Islam. Before discussing this point, however, we should perhaps mention the
necessity of supporting our arguments from both primary as well as secondary sources. It is in
comparing the sources that a cogent reply to the claims of the Murji'a and other sects may be
found. This method will expose both the distortion inherent in the beliefs of such groups as the
Murji'a, and the extremism of the Kharijites, both of whom have departed from teh straight path.
Islam steers a course of moderation between neglect and excess.
This topic has been much discussed, both in the past and in the present, and every opinion has its
partisans. Ibn al-Qayim spoke about it at length. He says, "Disbelief and faith are mutually
exclusive: when one of them disappears the other takes its place."
"Faith is fundamental and consists of many branches, each of which may be known as 'iman': its
branches are the prayer, zakat, haj and fasting, as well as actions of the inners self such as
modesty, reliance upon Allah, fear of Allah and drawing near to Him. The least of its branches is
to remove an obstacle from the road as an act of faith."
"There are branches of iman which are vital to the very existence of belief; one of these is the
declaration of faith. But there are others that are not vital to belief; the removal of an obstacle
from the road is an example of this. Between these two extremes there are branches of iman that
are associated more closely with the declaration of faith, and others that are associated more
closely with the removal of obstacles."
"Disbelief too is fundamental and has its branches. As a branch of iman is related to fatih, so a
branch of disbelief is related to kufr. If modesty is a characteristic of faith, immodesty is one of
disbelief. If honesty comes from faith, dishonesty comes from faithlessness. The prayer, zakat,
hajj and fasting are branches of faith, while abandoning any one of tem is a kind of disbelief. To
rule by what Allah has revealed is a quality of those who have faith, but to rule by another law is
a quality of those who are without belief. All disobedience comes from disbelief and all
obedience is due to belief."
"The branches of faith are of two types: the first is speech, and the other is action. In the same
way, the branches of disbelief take the form of either a word spoken or a deed performed."
"Of the branches of faith connected to speech, there are those whose disappearance results in the
disappearance of faith itself. This is also true of those branches of faith that are connected to
action. When such a deed is left unperformed, the result is an eclipse of iman."
"Likewise, the branches of disbelief are of two types, both speech and action. Thus it follows that
deliberately saying a word of disbelief will in fact, result in disbelief, since this is one of the
branches of kufr. It is the same for the performance of any act of disbelief, like prostrating to a
graven image, or making fun of the Qur'an, since kufr is at its root."
"Therefore, we should realise that faith is a matter of both word and deed. Words include both
the private statement to oneself, which is inner conviction, and the public statement to the world,
which is the declaration of faith. As for deeds, the private act is the inner resolve, sincerity and
intention known to the heart and known to Allah. Public acts are the outward actions of each one
of us in the world. If these four things disappear then faith too, has gone."
"If the heart knows no sincerity, then whatever else you have of faith can not benefit you, since
sincerity must precede belief. Sincerity makes belief worthwhile and without it actions of the
heart are nothing. This is the root of the disagreement between the ahlu-s-sunnah wal-jama'a and
the Murji'a sect. The ahlu-s-sunnah wal-jama'a maintain that faith would destroyed, and that
sincerity would be useless in the absence of the inner action of the heart, that is, love or and
submission to the message. The faith of Iblis (i.e. shaytan) and of Pharaoh and his people, and of
the Jews and the pagan Arabs, and of all others who apparently acknowledged the sincerity and
truth of the Prophet's message, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was destroyed in this
way. Though they agreed with it both inwardly and outwardly, and even protested that they had
not denied it, they neither followed him nor put their trust in him."
"If it is true that faith diminishes as the inner actions of the heart wane, when it is also true that
faith has a direct connection to the most significant of your outward actions. This is especially
true if your actions are liable to inhibit the love in your heart and the desire to follow it; this in
turn undermines any sincere commitment you may have had, as in the examples given above. If
your heart does not know inward obedience, you will not be able to obey outwardly either. But if
your heart had followed and obeyed, then you too would have done the same. Whoever is unable
to obey lacks the sincerity to motivate him to do so; this is the nature of faith."
"Faith is not a matter of simple sincerity of belief, as some have claimed. Rather it is sincere
belief in the necessity of obedience and of following the heart. Guidance, too, does not simply
mean knowing the truth and the arguments which support it. It also means that you realise the
necessity of following it and of acting in accordance with it. Without this realisation, guidance is
neither complete nor is it sufficient, just as simply believing that the message is sincere does not
in itself constitute sincerity of faith."
"Disbelief, too, is of two types: one is disbelief by inner stubbornness and recalcitrance, and the
other is by outer action."
"The first means to stubbornly deny that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
came with knowledge from his Lord, knowledge of His Names and Attributes, knowledge of His
works and knowledge of His Shari'ah. This kind of disbelief contradicts faith totally."
"As for disbelief in deed, it may be divided into a disbelief which contradicts faith, and one
which does not. Some of the acts which contradict faith are the worship of idols, the ridiculing of
the Qur'an, and the killing or slandering of a prophet. Ruling by something other than what Allah
has revealed and abandoning the prayer are also, undoubtedly, acts of disbelief. It is not possible
to say that we should not call someone who does any of these things a disbeliever, since Allah
and His Messenger have both referred to such people in this way. According to what the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has said, whoever rules by other than what Allah has
revealed, or abandons the prayer is a disbeliever."
"A distinction between action and conviction remains, however, and while we can say that,
because of some action, a person is a disbeliever, this is not proof that he does not believe. We
know that Allah does not call someone who does not rule by what He has revealed a disbeliever,
in the absolute sense of disbelief, nor did the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
call anyone who had abandoned the prayer a disbeliever absolutely. (1) In fact, the Prophet
denied this in the case of the fornicator, the thief, the drunkard, and in the case of the man who
troubles his neighbours."
Also, we have the hadith, 'Whoever consults a fortune teller and believes what he says, or
commits sodomy with his wife, is free of what has been revealed to Muhammad'. (2) He, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said, "If a man says to his brother: 'O disbeliever', then
one of them has fallen into it." (3)
"A person may keep the law of Allah, not exceeding the limits nor approaching what has been
forbidden, hastening to good works and te fulfillment of Allah's commands, only according to
the depth of his faith."
"Allah has referred to someone who observes part of the Revelation and leaves part of it aside as
believing in the part that he observes and disbelieving in the part that he does not. He says: "And
when We made a covenant with you not to spill one another's blood, not to drive one another
away from your homes, you agreed and you were witnesses to it. But now you kill one another,
and you drive your own people out of their homes; supporting one another against them, in sin
and enmity. And if some of them came to you as captives you would ransom them; but driving
them out (in the first place) was forbidden to you. Do you believe in part of the Book and
disbelieve in part of it? What is the reward of whoever does this other than dishonour in this
world? And, on the Day of Resurrection they will be returned to an even more terrible
punishment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do." [2:84-85]
"Allah says that they agreed to His covenant, which He also commanded them to keep. Part of it
was that they would not kill each other, or drive each other out of their homes. He then says that
they disobeyed His commands and a party of them then attacked the other and drove them away.
This was how they disbelieved in the Revelation that came to them. Then He ends by saying that
they would ransom some of the defeated party out or respect for their covenant with Allah. So
they believed in the part of it that they observed, and disbelieved in the part of it that they
ignored."
"In action and conviction, faith is the opposite of disbelief. In a well known hadith, the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, makes a distinction between action and conviction
when he tells us, 'to curse a Muslim is corruption, to kill him is disbelief'. (4) The conviction is in
cursing and the action is in killing: he regarded cursing as corruption but not evidence of
disbelief, while killing is, apparently, proof of disbelief. It is well known that what he meant by
this was disbelief in action, not in conviction. This kind of disbelief can not take someone
completely out of the circle of Islam, just as the fornicator, the thief and the drunkard may still be
called Muslims, but not believers."
"This is the understanding of the Prophet's companions, may the blessings and peace of Allah be
on him and on his family and on them, who knew the Book of Allah better than anyone else: they
knew the meaning of submission and the meaning of disbelief and they knew the distinction
between them. We do not accept anyone else's opinion about this."
"Later, some people who failed to understand this split up into two groups: the first group said
that those who commit major wrong actions should be excluded from the Muslim community,
and were thought to be condemned to Hell for ever. The second group said that such people
should still be considered believers. (5) The first group over-exaggerated and the second turned a
blind eye. Of course, the correct position is to follow the Prophet's Sunnah, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, which is to follow the guidance of Allah."
"The lesson of the Sunnah implies that there is a disbelief that is less than disbelief, a hypocrisy
that is less than hypocrisy, a shirk that is less than shirk, a corruption that is less than corruption,
and an oppression that is less than oppression. Ibn Abbas said that the ayah. 'And whoever does
not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are disbelievers' [5:44] refers to an act of disbelief."
"Consider: 'The disbelievers, they are wrong-doers' [2:254], and with reference to the laws of
marriage and divorce: 'And whoever goes beyond the limits of Allah certainly wrongs himself'
[65:1]. Speaking in the Qur'an the Prophet Yunus says: 'There is no god but You, Glory be to
You! Surely, I have been a wrongdoer' [21:87]; and Adam says: 'Our Lord we have wronged
ourselves' [7:23]; and Moses says: 'My Lord, surely I have wronged myself, so forgive me
[28:16]. It is clear that we are dealing with two kinds of wrong doing here."
"In the Qur'an, the disbelievers are called 'corrupt' : 'And He misleads by it only the corrupt;
those who break the covenant of Allah after ratifying it' [2:26-27]; and also: 'Truly We have
revealed to you clear signs, and only the corrupt will disbelieve in them'.[2:99] "
"There are many more such examples; but the believer too is called 'corrupt', as these ayat show:
'O you who believe! If a corrupt person brings you some news then verify it, or else you may
unknowingly cause hardship to people, and then be sorry for what you have done'. [49:6] (This
was revealed with reference to an incident involving al-Hakam ibn al-'As, who was not literally
corrupt) And again: 'And those who accuse honourable women but do not bring four witnesses,
whip them (with) eighty lashes and never (afterward) accept their testimony. - They indeed are
corrupt' [24:4]."
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
The PILLARS Of ISLAM
Shahada- Say “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His
messenger”
Can Christians Call God “Allah”?
http://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/what-does-god-care-what-wecall-him-11552241.html
What Does God Care What We Call Him?
Albert Mohler, President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Thursday, August 23, 2007
A retiring Roman Catholic bishop in the Netherlands has been making headlines around the
world in recent days with his suggestion that Dutch Christians should pray to Allah.
Bishop Tiny Muskens of Breda, a former missionary to Indonesia, suggested that conflict
between Christians and Muslims could be lessened if Dutch Catholics followed the lead of some
Christians in Muslim-dominated lands and adopted Allah as the preferred name for God.
From Catholic News:
Speaking on the Dutch TV programme Network on Monday evening, Bishop Muskens says it
could take another 100 years but eventually the name Allah will be used by Dutch churches.
And that will promote rapprochement between the two religions. Muskens doesn't expect his
idea to be greeted with much enthusiasm. The 71-year-old bishop, who will soon be retiring due
to ill health, says God doesn't mind what he is called. God is above such "discussion and
bickering". Human beings invented this discussion themselves, he believes, in order to argue
about it.
Is there a valid linguistic basis for his argument? It is certainly true that the word Allah is the
Arabic word for deity. Those supporting an argument like that of Bishop Muskens suggest that
the Arabic word can be used as a generic term for deity.
In common English we use the word God as both a proper name and a noun. We differentiate
between the two usages by capitalizing the word when we mean to refer to the specific personal
God of the Bible, and by not capitalizing generic uses of the word. Thus, we might paraphrase
the First Commandment like this: "God commanded His people to have no other gods before
Him." The correct interpretation of this sentence requires the use and understanding of the
habits of capitalization.
Those making the case for a Christian appropriation of Allah must take their argument in one of
two trajectories. The first trajectory is to argue that Allah can be used in a generic way to refer
to any (presumably monotheistic) deity. This case will be very difficult to make. Language,
theology, and worship are so closely intertwined that it is difficult, if not impossible, to argue for
a generic use of Allah. Further evidence against this trajectory is the fact that non-Arabic
speaking Muslims also use Allah when referring to their god.
The second trajectory presents even more of a problem. Those following this line of argument
must make the case that Allah and God refer to the same deity. This represents a huge
problem for both Muslims and Christians. Allah is not a personal deity in the sense that the God
of the Bible is. Furthermore, the Qur'an explicitly denies that Allah has a son, and Islam
considers the notion of a triune God to be blasphemy.
Thus, from its very starting point Islam denies what Christianity takes as its central truth claim -the fact that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father. If Allah has no Son by
definition, Allah is not the God who revealed himself in the Son. How then can the use of Allah
by Christians lead to anything but confusion . . . and worse?
The most dangerous (and theologically dishonest) part of Bishop Muskens' argument is found in
these words:
The 71-year-old bishop, who will soon be retiring due to ill health, says God doesn't mind what
he is called. God is above such "discussion and bickering." Human beings invented this
discussion themselves, he believes, in order to argue about it.
According to The Herald Sun [Melbourne, Australia], Bishop Muskens commented: "Allah is a
very beautiful word for God... What does God care what we call him?" What does God care
what we call him?
Has the bishop read the Bible? God takes his name with great seriousness indeed. Moses
discovered this when heard God speak from the burning bush [Exodus 3:13-22]. God did not
leave himself nameless, nor did He invite Moses to devise a name for him. Jesus used this
name [I AM] to refer to himself.
The Christian faith is essentially and irreducibly Trinitarian. The Bible reveals that the Father is
God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Jesus is not merely a prophet; He is God in
human flesh. This is precisely what Islam rejects. If Allah has no Son, he is not the Father.
This is the most significant theological obstacle in the way of the Christian use of Allah as a
name for God. Jesus taught his disciples to pray to "our Father, who is in heaven" [Matthew 6:9]
-- thus disallowing any confusion concerning God's name. The most important names for God
for Christians are "Father," "Son," and "Holy Spirit." In the four New Testament gospels, Jesus
uses the word "Father" more than sixty times. No Muslim would refer to Allah in this same way.
This is not what will come to mind when a Muslim hears a Christian pray to Allah.
So Bishop Muskens is disingenuous at best when he suggests that God does not care about
His name. This is not a matter of mere "discussion and bickering." If the Bible is the Word of
God, we can be assured that human beings did not invent this discussion.
There is one final and insurmountable problem with Bishop Muskens' proposal. Jesus
commanded his disciples to baptize believers "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit" [Matthew 28:19]. When this command is taken seriously and obeyed, the whole
issue is greatly clarified -- a Christian cannot baptize in the name of Allah.
If Allah has no son, Allah is not the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even if the case is made that
Allah could be used in a generic sense to refer to God ( and I am not persuaded that it can), the
word cannot be used to mean the Father in a Trinitarian affirmation. This is not mere "discussion
and bickering." This is where the Gospel stands or falls.
________________________
ADDENDUM: The particular question raised by Bishop Muskens was the use of the word "Allah"
by Christians in the West as a means of lessening Christian-Muslim tensions. The question of
using "Allah" to refer to god in a clearly missiological setting will raise other issues. If the word is
understood as a generic term for God (and not exclusively as a proper name), the question
would then be how a Christian must make clear that the God of the Bible -- revealed as the
Father of the Lord Jesus Christ -- is not the deity as described in the Qur'an (who explicitly has
no son). The linguisitic root of Allah may well be connected to Elohim (a name for God found in
the Old Testament). This fact may help to clarify the possible use of the word in a missiological
setting. The clarity comes in understanding that, even in the Old Testament, the name Elohim
is, in itself, quickly accompanied by other names and words to make clear that the God of the
Bible is the personal, monotheistic, covenant-making God of Abraham, Moses, and the
prophets. The New Testament makes clear that this God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ - indeed the God who in these latter days has spoken definitively through the Son [Hebrews 1].
In other words, it would seem best to think of Allah in this setting as a place to begin a
conversation about God in a Muslim setting. The challenge from that point onward will be to
make certain that there is no misunderstanding about the fact that the only true and living God is
the Father of Jesus Christ the Savior.
The crucial questions here are these: First, can we assume that the deity central to Islam and
known as Allah is, in fact, the same God worshipped by Christians and revealed in the Bible?
The answer to that question must be negative. In that sense, Allah is certainly not the God of
the Bible.
The second question is whether the word "Allah" can be understood, in Arabic and Muslim
settings, as both a generic noun and a proper noun. Some credible Christian scholars and
missionaries are certain that it can. The issue then becomes how contemporary Christians
remain faithful to the Gospel in this setting even as the Apostle Paul remained faithful in Acts 17
when he visited Athens. Paul, we must remember, had to tell the religious Athenians that they
had misunderstood the very nature and character of the true God. "Therefore what you worship
in ignorance, this I proclaim to you" [Acts 17:23].
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
The PILLARS Of ISLAM
Salah- Pray five times a day
Rituals & Requirements for Muslim Prayer
http://www.muslimgateway.com/community/prayer/articles/f_lib_article_hc_islam.htm
l
Islam, Allah and Prayer
by Helene Ciaravino
A BRIEF HISTORY
To understand the spiritual, social, and political significance of Islam, it is
necessary to first trace the story of Muhammad‘s life. There, the religion of
Islam had its roots, and began to blossom into a faith marked by a
passionate devotion to Allah.
Muhammad’s Early Life
The prophet Muhammad was born in 570 ce, in the city of Mecca, located
in today‘s Saudi Arabia. Although Muhammad was a member of the wealthy tribe called the
Quraysh, his family was quite poor. Both of Muhammad‘s parents died while he was very
young, and so he remained under the protection of an uncle and worked for a wealthy
widow, Khadija. Muhammad led a rather normal early life, marrying Khadija at twenty-five
and having several children—although all of his sons died. However, tradition does note that
even as a child, Muhammad was exceptionally spiritual and even may have had
supernatural experiences.
For many years, Muhammad was faithful to local Arabic religious practices. He would, for
instance, retreat into the desert during Ramadan—the time of the year when fasting would
occur in remembrance of the poor and in honor of the local gods. But in the year 610, his
usual routine was changed forever. According to Muslim history, the Angel Gabriel—who is
also recognized by the Jewish and Christian faiths—appeared to Muhammad and began
revealing the Qur‘an (pronounced kuh-rahn') to him. This work was to become the sacred
word of God for the Muslims.
At first, Muhammad kept the revelations to himself and his immediate family. Within a few
years, however, he began to preach about Allah as the one Creator, and began to warn
listeners about a future judgment day. Thus, the seeds of Islam were first sown.
The Development and Growth of Islam
Muhammad‘s doctrine of one God was contrary to the local religion. Therefore, his teachings
angered many Arab traditionalists. Muhammad talked of equal rights. He taught that the
Arabs now had a mission from Allah to form an ideal community in which all people would
be treated with respect and value—the rich, the poor, male, and female. This enraged those
listeners who were happy with their personal economic progress. Meanwhile, Muhammad‘s
wife and uncle died, and he lost the protection of his immediate relatives. Furthermore, his
enemies grew in number, and eventually, Muhammad and his faithful followers had to
escape from Mecca. Fortunately, a city to the north—then called Yathrib, but later renamed
Medina, meaning ―the city of the Prophet‖—had invited Muhammad to make his home there.
The year of Muhammad‘s escape to Medina and the start of his formal community there is
called the Hijrah or Hegira, and marks the first year of the Islamic calendar. Therefore, it
also signifies the formal beginning of the religion known as Islam.
Muhammad united the warring tribes in the city that welcomed him, and thus gained power
over many aspects of the people‘s lives—religion, politics, economics, and social dynamics.
He continued to fight enemies, such as local Jewish tribes who sided with Mecca, and
threatening opponents in Mecca itself. Although Muhammad‘s followers were, at first, not
large in number, they enjoyed victory in the majority of their battles. Eventually,
Muhammad and his troops gained access to the Ka‘ba (or Kaaba), Mecca‘s ancient temple
dedicated to pagan idols, and turned its former fasting rituals into service toward Allah.
Within just two years after the taking of the temple, the city of Mecca decided to yield to
Muhammad‘s growing influence. As a result, Muhammad formally took Mecca without a
battle. He cleansed the Ka‘ba, and it became the primary site of Muslim pilgrimages—and
remains so to this day. He even traced the original establishment of the Ka‘ba back to
Abraham—the first of the Hebrew patriarchs—whom he considered one of the great
prophets of God. In fact, Muhammad understood himself to be only one of a long line of
prophets, but significantly, the last prophet that God would send.
Why would God send yet another prophet? After all, Moses had given the Torah to God‘s
people, while David gave them the Book of Psalms, and Jesus revealed the Gospels.
According to Muhammad, these were all valid sacred texts originating from the same God.
However, he taught that the authentic message brought by the other prophets had been
distorted over the years—tainted by human interference. The Qur‘an, once and for all,
would offer the true message and record it accurately so that it would be preserved forever.
The Qur‘an would reveal a lifestyle code that would show the Arab people how to please
Allah and how to attain a heavenly afterlife.
The community that Muhammad maintained was known as the umma(h) . Its members
followed Muhammad‘s code of law, called shari’a, which he formed from his revelations.
Muhammad became a leader of the Muslim people in every way. He could rightfully be
called a political and military leader, a warrior, an economic leader, and a social reformer.
He waged war against powerful nonbelievers. He collected taxes from Muslims, and even
offered protection for non-Muslim people who would contribute to his community. He led
raiding expeditions, which were, at that time, a common Arabian practice when a tribe
needed sustenance. And he expressed firm opinions on issues ranging from marriage, to
children, to slavery, to inheritances.
Of course, in addition to being a strong political leader, Muhammad was a holy messenger.
He continued to receive Allah‘s words in dramatic revelations. And in accordance with Allah‘s
words, he created a religion that required very specific behaviors of its followers. These can
be summarized in the Five Pillars of Islam. The first pillar is to proclaim the Shahada,. This
prayer confirms the oneness of Allah and the position of Muhammad as Allah‘s holy prophet.
The second pillar is to perform ritual prayer—salat—five times daily. The next three pillars
involve obligations for giving alms, fasting, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Orthodox
Muslims add a sixth pillar—to spread the faith of Islam worldwide.
Muhammad did not claim divinity, or even supernatural powers. He was simply God‘s
messenger to the Arab people and was, therefore, a servant to Allah. But legends grew
around him, declaring Muhammad holy. Even today, many Muslims believe that the
recitation of Muhammad‘s name has a blessing effect on them. They view Muhammad as a
great saint who can intercede on their behalf. Some legends even report that Muhammad
possessed supernatural powers since childhood, and that he ascended into heaven in a
glorious display.
Islam Today
Muhammad died in 632 ce. His position as the leader of Islam would be passed on, but not
without eventual disagreements concerning legitimate successors. These disagreements led
to splits among the Muslim people. And then there were simply cultural developments that
yielded various sects of popular Islam.
Today, there are many Muslim groups throughout the world, and each has developed its
own form of Islam. Presently, the most well-known Muslim groups are the Sunni, Shi‘ite,
Sufi, Ahmadiyya, and Nation of Islam. Many Americans are aware of the strong presence of
the Nation of Islam in the United States. It is especially popular within the African-American
culture. Each Muslim sect follows a different leader, has its own interpretation of the Qur‘an,
and also has its own version of the legal code. For example, according to orthodox Islam,
Muhammad was the last prophet. Therefore, orthodox communities do not recognize sects
that claim modern-day prophets. The Ahmadiyya and the Nation of Islam are examples of
such sects. However, all of Islam‘s groups share certain common elements. All Muslims
observe the Five Pillars of Islam; share deep reverence for a God who is master over all
creation; recognize the Qur‘an as Allah‘s revealed word; and believe that obedience to Allah
is critical to gaining Paradise.
THE CONCEPT OF GOD
It is important to note that the Arabic word for God—Allah—cannot be assigned gender. In
addition, it is not capable of being pluralized. This confirms that the Muslim God is not
subject to human attributes, and that God is one and absolute. Muhammad, the great
prophet of Islam, did not consider himself to be revealing a new god to the world, but,
instead, revealing the God of monotheism to the Arab people. Muhammad did not stray
much from the teachings of the ancient Jewish prophets, nor from those of Jesus Christ,
when it came to doctrines of the oneness of God, to sin and atonement, and to reward for
righteousness.
Allah is one, eternal, and omnipotent. The Arabic term for this oneness is tawhid. Allah
knows everything, observes everything, and is the creator of everything. The Muslim strives
to be constantly aware of this presence. The very center of Islam is submission to Allah. So
a Muslim‘s goal is to become an abd Allah—a servant or laborer of Allah. In doing so, he will
fulfill his determined role on earth and attain peace.
The Muslim understands Allah to be merciful to those who are obedient to His will, and a
harsh but righteous judge of those who aren‘t. He forgives the sorrowful and submissive; to
them, He is beneficent and generous. But Allah expects those who have received many gifts
to share with others. This is partly why Allah asked Muhammad to reveal the rules for a
better society to the Arabs—because mercantilism had triggered greed, and therefore
extremes of wealth, that hadn't been a problem among Arabs previously. The Qur‘an, in the
thirtieth chapter, verse 38, states, ―Give to kin, to the poor and the traveler what they
need; that is best for those who seek the face of God.‖
Interestingly, in the Qur‘an, Allah refers to Himself using the pronoun ―we.‖ That pronoun
seems to imply that Allah is all-encompassing. But Allah is not to be looked for in nature or
in others. He is removed from His creations.
Although Allah cannot be found in human beings or in other facets of nature, there are
ninety-nine names of Allah that identify His characteristics. However, while these names can
be useful in meditative prayer, the Muslim recognizes that they are simply superficial ways
to grasp something ungraspable. If it helps at the time, that‘s fine. But in the orthodox
understanding of Islam, no human truly develops a personal relationship with Allah. This
God exists far above His creations, judging, but also leading, humankind.
Allah is never called ―Father.‖ In Muslim Devotions: A Study of Prayer-Manuals in Common
Use, Constance E. Padwick states that Islam is ―a religion in which the tenderer couplet
father-child is excluded from worship.‖ Traditional Muslim ways do not assign poetic
descriptions to Allah. However, great emphasis is placed on Allah‘s position as the Creator.
Islam teaches that the world is Allah‘s, and therefore Allah has supreme rule over it. Allah is
the master of the universe; humans are Allah‘s servants. This dynamic is understood quite
literally. Because Allah has given human beings the highest place of all creatures, humans
carry the responsibility of caring for the earth. They are also intelligent enough to be
accountable for their actions. Thus, the Muslim submits by free will, with confidence and
desire. In fact, the term Islam signifies not only submission, but submission borne out of
one‘s own will.
Under the tenets of Islam, humans are not born with inherited sin. However, humans are
weak, and they sin out of that weakness. To make up for their offenses, Muslims should
perform good acts; should proclaim the Shahada, which is the formal profession of faith;
and should otherwise practice the Five Pillars of Islam. Such observances teach the Muslim
to rely on Allah, and therefore gain His forgiveness.
Muslims believe that those who obtain Allah‘s forgiveness will enjoy a most pleasant
afterlife. Allah allows only Muslims to enjoy Paradise in the afterlife, where spiritual and
physical ecstasies are constant. For the grave sinner, hell is a burning, putrid punishment.
Yet most Muslims believe that if a spirit is sent to hell for sin, the banishment is not
permanent. There is only one sin that remains unforgivable, and that is shirk—putting other
gods before or alongside Allah, or worshipping another. Furthermore, every individual is
responsible for his own actions. A person cannot make up for another person‘s sins, as
Christians believe Jesus did for them.
Whereas some schools of Jewish and Christian thought teach that humankind is created in
an image or likeness of God, Islam holds no such doctrine or mode of thinking. Allah is
unfathomable, and certainly doesn‘t hold a physical form that resembles a member of
humanity. Allah is cloaked in mystery. He does not raise humanity to holiness by crafting
humans in His image.
Allah wants the Muslim people to entrust themselves to His care and His plan. As a result,
many Muslims train themselves to find contentment in daily life, believing that everything
which occurs is of the will of Allah. While Allah runs the universe, there is also a strong
belief that humans are responsible for the way they individually respond to Allah‘s plan, and
for the way they worship their God. The result of these beliefs is a delicate balance between
predestination and human free will.
THE CONCEPT OF PRAYER
Submission and obedience are the only ways to please Allah. Yet the Muslim enjoys serving
Allah, and this means that he enjoys obeying and praising Him through an extensive
tradition of prayer. It is true that the Muslim recites certain prayers out of religious
obligation. But it is also true that he does so with joyous intensity. Also, countless Muslims
perform additional prayer practices out of a personal longing to communicate further with
Allah.
Muslim prayer is built on the fundamental intention to obey and honor Allah. In addition,
prayer holds elements of fear and reverence before Allah. But the Muslim trusts that Allah
will be merciful and generous to those who come to Him with mindful, good intention. With
these perspectives in mind, let‘s further study Muslim prayer traditions.
Where Did the Prayer Traditions Begin?
The obligatory prayer traditions of Islam stem directly from the revelations given to
Muhammad, and can be found in the Qur‘an. Allah issued prayer instructions, and these
changed over the years of revelation. For example, early in the Qur‘an, Allah instructs His
people to perform ritual prayer and accompanying prostrations three times per day. Later,
this requirement increases to five times per day.
In addition to performing the prayers required by Allah, many Muslims have developed
private prayer practices out of a desire to develop more individual relationships with Allah,
to make personal entreaty, and to meditate upon Allah‘s greatness. Many of the personal
prayer traditions stem from Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam. Sufis believe in truly
enjoying the presence of God, not in praying out of fear of hell, nor to gain entrance to
Paradise. They concentrate on feeling or experiencing Allah‘s presence.
While reveling in Allah‘s presence, Sufism still maintains the primary notion of Allah as
master. The difference is that emphasis falls on understanding Allah as a loving, tender
master. In Sufi poetry, the speaker often approaches Allah as an infatuated lover would
approach the object of his desires—with great adoration, passion, and longing. Very
conservative Muslims do not support the concept that the human being can love God as he
loves another person. They claim that the only way to truly love Allah in this world is to love
His law and to serve Him willingly. But Sufi prayers are rich in emotion, and imply a
perception of Allah as a benevolent lover of sorts.
How Important Is Prayer in the Muslim Tradition?
Prayer is so central to Muslim life that it is a religious obligation—a mandatory way to
display submission and obedience to Allah. As mentioned previously, one of the
fundamental principles—or ―pillars‖—of Islam is to perform a specific prayer service five
times a day.
But prayer‘s importance moves beyond the concept of obligation. Prayer helps the
practitioner to purify himself, contributing to the forgiveness of his sins. It also strengthens
his ability to carry out his obligations on earth. Prayer allows the Muslim a time and space to
focus solely on Allah's transcendence, goodness, and mercy. In doing so, he gains
confidence in Allah‘s general plan and faces his daily life with less anxiety.
How Is Prayer Practiced?
Muslim prayer involves a variety of forms and techniques. There is certainly a strong fixed
prayer tradition. Some fixed prayers are said under obligation, while others are chosen at a
person‘s own discretion—perhaps regularly, perhaps in a moment of joy or sorrow. In
addition, personal requests might arise spontaneously and be spoken freely to Allah.
Attentive reading and recitation of sacred texts is yet another practice of prayer in Islam.
The fixed, obligatory prayer repertoires are referred to as salat. As mentioned previously,
they are traditionally conducted five times a day. These prayer rites involve not only reciting
praise and thanks to Allah, but also expressing submission to Him through gestures and
prostrations. Importantly, the salat prayers are always performed in Arabic. Allah
transmitted the Qur‘an to Muhammad in Arabic, so that language is considered especially
sacred, and therefore appropriate for formal prayer.
Since Islam teaches that Allah is all-present—that He sees and knows every occurrence and
thought—the observant Muslim makes efforts to remember His presence throughout the
day. One way to call forth this mindfulness is to practice additional personal prayer, whether
it takes the form of meditative sayings or petitions to Allah composed in the moment.
Therefore, nonobligatory prayer is important for bringing the Muslim into constant
mindfulness of Allah.
Personal nonobligatory fixed prayers of praise and thanksgiving fall under the title of dhikr.
Dhikr involves repetition—aloud or mental—of certain phrases or words. Many of the
traditional dhikr prayers are in Arabic, but it is not considered a transgression for the
worshipper to recite personal prayers in his native tongue.
Prayers of personal request—called du’a’, du’a’, or da’waa’—are also not included in the
formal prayer rite. They are recited whenever an individual desires, in his own language. If
the person who is praying feels moved to implore Allah with his own words, du‘a‘ can be
spontaneous and suited to the moment. Alternatively, the Muslim can turn to a variety of
helpful collections.
A lot of the nonobligatory forms of prayer grew out of Sufi practices. As mentioned earlier,
Sufism is the mystical movement of Islam that aims to go beyond ritual prayer and to
develop a spirituality based more heavily on the experience of God‘s presence. According to
Jacques Jomier in How to Understand Islam, Sufism includes any prayer practice that exists
outside the strict obligatory and formal prayers, covering such prayer activities as dhikr,
du‘a‘, the recitation of poems and other post-Muhammad teachings, and even political
activism to some degree. Sufis are best known for their ecstatic dancing, and for the
composition and recitation of passionate poetry.
As noted previously, praise and thanksgiving are also offered to Allah through the
memorizing and reciting of sacred texts. This text-oriented form of worship allows the
Muslim to both receive Allah‘s words and thankfully return them to their source.
What Are the General Intentions of Prayer?
The greatest intention behind Muslim prayer is to demonstrate obedience to Allah. The
Muslim heeds the instructions that Allah provided in the Qur‘an when he performs salat five
times per day. In addition, the various types of Muslim prayer address four other intentions
toward Allah: praise, thanksgiving, confession, and petition. These objectives are identical
to those of Jewish and Christian prayer.
Praise and thanksgiving are essential to Muslim worship. All prayer is recited with these
intentions. And all prayer contributes to the forgiveness of a worshipper‘s sins; it purifies
him. So every form of prayer can be considered prayer for confession and atonement, as
well.
Quite differently, petition is conducted only through personal prayer. Some Muslim groups
discourage prayers of personal request—they believe in relying solely on Allah‘s plan and
care. But for those who practice prayers of supplication, how effective are they believed to
be? Can such prayers change or sway Allah‘s will?
Muslims ultimately believe that Allah follows no one‘s design, and certainly is not bound by
human prayers or actions. He has established a plan, and no person‘s pleas will be powerful
enough to change that plan. However, Allah does appoint human beings as caretakers of
the earth and allows them certain decisions. For this, He has equipped them with free will.
In addition, He wants the human being to earn Paradise by demonstrating obedience and
submission. That, too, should be a result of the person‘s free will. So Allah does leave
certain choices up to the individual. Within this space, humans might request Allah‘s
guidance and mercy. That‘s where the intention of personal request comes in. The
worshipper asks Allah to actively manifest in his life, providing mercy and aid. Some Muslim
theologians propose that the decisions that humans make have already been anticipated by
Allah and are worked into the large scheme of things.
So, because Allah‘s overarching plan has already been put into place and cannot be
changed, Muslims do not suggest that they can alter Allah‘s will through prayer. In fact,
Muslims are often taught to be content with what they have, not to pray for more or for
something different. If they do conduct prayers of personal request, the hope is not to sway
Allah. The intention is to please Him—to display submission, reliance, and trust so that Allah
will continue to permit certain beneficial occurrences to take place. In keeping with this
attitude, prayer is first an act of loving obedience; then an act of praise and thankfulness;
next a way of attaining pardon for sin; and last, petition. Such an approach avoids
egocentrism and the offense of seeking to impose one‘s will upon Allah.
Does Muslim Prayer Involve Saints and Angels?
Those who practice popular Islam, as opposed to orthodox Islam, tend to admire and
meditate on the lives of especially holy and learned Muslims of the past. For example, a
group may form around the memory and teachings of a certain inspiring figure. The person
whom the group remembers and emulates is a saint to them. It is not uncommon for these
admirers to pray to the saint for intercession on their behalf. They might visit the gravesite
and even dedicate a shrine to that Muslim saint. Some might toss money at depictions of
the saint at the tomb. In some locations, devout Muslims can even pay a shrine staff
member to write a prayer of intercession to that saint. These practices are not rare or
limited to small numbers of Muslims. For example, the Shi‘ites—one of the largest and most
recognized sects of Muslims—are known for their practice of venerating saints.
It shouldn‘t come as any surprise, then, that many Muslims also pray to Muhammad, who is
considered God‘s beloved--habibullah. Countless Muslims view Muhammad as a high saint
who can intercede for his people. Therefore, to gain both favor and blessings, they might
repeat Muhammad‘s name in an act of praise and petition. Great celebrations on
Muhammad‘s birth date are common, as well. There are even specific prayer techniques
developed around devotion to Muhammad. Consider the techniques of naat and darud.
According to editor Azim Nanji in The Muslim Almanac, naat is ―the a cappela melodic
recitation of devotional verse about the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic and vernacular
languages.‖ The practice of darud involves performing fixed Arabic blessings to Muhammad
in order to obtain certain benefits, such as a vision of him in a dream. It is believed that
Muhammad personally hears his adorers‘ prayers, as his spiritual presence is as active
today as it was hundreds of years ago. Some Muslim folk groups even claim that
Muhammad was divine.
Furthermore, members of Muhammad‘s family and successors to his leadership are
venerated as saints. This devotion is particularly important in Sufism. The Sufis refer to the
spiritual descendents of Muhammad—his passed-on family members, his successors, and
the greatest of the Sufi spiritualists—as awliya. In service to Allah, these spiritual presences
are aware of all the goings-on of the people under their dominion, and report these events
to Allah. Humans can pray to the awliya for intercession, and the awliya can directly affect
humans‘ lives.
While only popular Islam recognizes saints, all forms of Islam recognize invisible beings.
After all, the Qur‘an discusses angels, as well as another group of beings called jinns, or
genies. The jinns are spirit-like and are gathered into communities. Some are Muslim and
some are not. They can cause great problems among humans, or they can be completely
benign. The bad ones are non-Muslim, and work against Muslim ideals.
Angel life has played an important role in Islam from its start. You may remember that the
Angel Gabriel brought the revelations from Allah to Muhammad. It is also believed that each
person has two guardian angels, and that these angels stand to his right and left, observing
every action. Angels serve as Allah‘s servants, carrying out Allah‘s orders throughout
heaven, earth, and hell. But importantly, Allah has ranked humans higher than angels;
humans are at the top of the spiritual chain, under Allah. Therefore, guardian angels are not
to be worshipped. Remaining in good community with them by wishing them peace at
prayer time and by maintaining a life of good will is a constructive endeavor. But simply
stated, since angels and jinns are less powerful than humans, venerating them would serve
no purpose.
Satan figures into Islam as an angel who refused to bow to Adam—the first man—once he
was created. Satan also was the force behind Adam‘s sin of eating the fruit that Allah
forbade him to ingest. Some Muslims consider Satan a bad angel, while others consider him
a bad jinn. Either way, Satan and his allies are believed to actively work to defile humans.
Those who live in obedience to Allah are under Allah‘s kind protection, but must avoid falling
to the corruption of bad forces.
PRAYER TECHNIQUES
It is important to mention that some orthodox Muslim groups take issue with performing
prayer practices outside of the prescribed rites. This is taken so seriously in some regions,
that prayer outside of the daily rites is illegal. But many Muslims, including the majority of
American Muslims, see additional prayer practices as a confirmation of their continual
allegiance and submission to Allah.
Both obligatory and nonobligatory prayer practices are covered in this section on prayer
techniques, as are spiritual readings. In addition, we will first look at a traditional method of
preparing for prayer. However, it should be noted that the following discussion is by no
means designed to recommend a change in the set prayer life of any Muslim individual who
has decided to strictly observe the salat only.
Preparing for Prayer
Muslims must observe a specific way of preparing for prayer—or, at least, of preparing for
the five obligatory daily prayers referred to as the salat prayer. Traditional Muslims follow a
rather extensive protocol that prepares them for prayer. These rituals are intended to
cleanse the Muslim for communication with Allah, and to encourage a focused, reverent
state of mind.
First, the Muslim conducts ablution, or cleansing, in order to come to Allah in a purified
state. It is felt that the cleansing of the body is an outward sign of the intention to cleanse
oneself of internal impurities. In addition, by coming before Allah with a clean body, the
worshipper shows respect to his God.
Cleansing rituals vary widely among Muslim groups. In general, though, it is believed that
minor sins or wrongs can be washed away with a quick, rather easy ablution or bath, called
wudu. A simple rinse with water on the feet, forearms, hands, head, face, mouth, nose, and
so on, can be accomplished without removing too much clothing or taking too much time.
Larger sins, such as those having to do with sexuality, require a full body wash, called
ghusl.
Next, the Muslim must select an appropriate place to pray. He may, of course, pray in a
mosque—a house of Muslim worship. However this is optional, except for the Friday
afternoon service, which men are required to attend. Although the environment of the
mosque is conducive to uninterrupted, focused prayer, it is not believed that the mosque
holds an enhanced presence of Allah. If the Muslim cannot or does not pray at a mosque, he
must select clean ground space for his prayer rite. In addition, shoes should be removed
before entering the selected space, unless the shoes are very clean.
It is common for Muslims to use a personal prayer carpet. These carpets are small and easy
to carry; spread out, they are only a few feet long. The carpets come in handy because it
can be difficult to find a clean space during work, a social function, and the like. Thus, the
carpet allows the Muslim the opportunity to establish an appropriate prayer space at
virtually any location.
Next, the Muslim must turn and face the direction in which the city of Mecca lies or, if in the
city of Mecca, must face the Ka’ba, the ancient temple. Once the Muslim orients himself
accordingly, he forms his ―intention‖ –that is, he mentally recalls what he is about to do
before Allah, and why he is doing it. Once all of these steps have been accomplished, the
Muslim can begin his prayer rite.
Obligatory Prayer
The prayers discussed in this section are said prior to or during the obligatory prayer rite
known as salat, but also during many individuals‘ personally designed private worship
practices. When it is time for a salat rite to be performed, a ―call to prayer‖ is issued from a
highpoint at the local mosque, or, in predominantly Muslim countries, over the radio. That‘s
when certain fixed prayers start to be recited. The rite continues with a number of traditions
that are carried out with precision and heartfelt devotion.
Allahu Akbar
Allahu akbar is translated as ―God is greater.‖ Another translation is, ―God alone is great,
the greatest.‖ This one-line prayer is used at every call to prayer. But Allahu akbar is also
repeated during salat, and is said repeatedly in private prayer and during group gatherings.
It is an essential prayer of the Muslim‘s life.
Unfortunately, the Allahu akbar has become associated with battle, as some Muslims use it
while entering into combat. But its original, beautiful intention was to declare the
supremacy of God over all other things, and possibly also to declare that other gods and
demons—meaning pagan spirits that were formerly worshipped or feared—are by no means
on the same level as Allah.
The Shahada
The Shahada is the basic creed, also called the confession, of the Muslim. It sums up the
foundational beliefs of Islam: ―La Ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah,‖ translated as
―There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.‖ Under Islam, there are no
sacraments necessary to obtain God‘s grace. There is no baptism into the faith. The sole
requirement is that two witnesses observe the recitation of the Shahada. Then the person
who recited this creed is considered to be in Allah‘s service. While the Shahada is a formal
profession of faith, it is also a common daily prayer. Muslims say it both during prayer
rituals and during their personal prayer practices.
Salat
Salat traditionally refers to the five daily prayer sessions that are obligatory for Muslims,
and carried out every day of the week. The prayers of salat call out to Allah and praise his
transcendence. According to Muslim belief, the performance of salat can also counteract the
prayer practitioner‘s weaknesses and bad actions, purifying him and reinforcing his spiritual
strength. Salat is so central to Muslim worship that the prayers and accompanying gestures
are the first elements of Islam that the Muslim child learns. The gestures are critical
because by physically demonstrating submission to Allah, the mental or spiritual submission
is reinforced and enhanced.
The prayer practitioner must meet certain requirements to be permitted to perform salat.
He must be Muslim; he must be clean in mind, body, and clothing; he must say the prayers
in a pure place; he must appropriately cover the body (for women, this means that only the
face, hands, and feet can be visible); and he must pray with his face in the direction of
Mecca or, if in Mecca, the Ka‘ba—the ancient temple that is now the seat of Muslim worship.
As previously mentioned, there are five set times to perform the ritual prayers, and each
session consists of elements—rakats—that are repeated two, three, or four times. The first
ritual of the day is al-fajr, which is recited at dawn. Its elements are repeated two times.
The second service, called al-zuhr, is said at noon. Its elements are repeated four times.
Next is the afternoon prayer, al-‘sr, which is performed in the middle of the afternoon. Its
elements are repeated four times as well. Then comes the evening prayer, al-maghrib, said
immediately after the sun sets, with elements repeated three times. Finally, a night prayer,
or al-‘isha, is recited at approximately ninety minutes after sunset. The elements of this
prayer service are repeated four times. There is some variation among traditions.
The time for salat is signified by a call to prayer, as mentioned earlier. Whether broadcast
over loudspeakers or the radio, the call can be either a live chant or a recording, and is
always spoken in Arabic. The words are fixed. In response, the worshipper begins salat by
facing Mecca and repeating his own personal call to prayer. Next, the Muslim states his
intention in prayer. For this, he stands with raised and open hands. Palms should be turned
forward and held at ear level, with the thumbs placed behind the earlobes. An example of
stating intention would be to say, ―I intend to offer ____ rakats of the ____ prayer, and
face the Ka‘ba for the sake of Allah and Allah alone.‖ The first blank would be filled in with
the number of elements required during the particular prayer session, and the second would
be filled in with the name of that session: al-fajr, al-zuhr, al-‗sr, al-maghrib, or al-‗isha.
The worshipper may then recite the Allahu akbar. According to Jacques Jomier in How to
Understand Islam, when recited in salat rituals, it is referred to as the Allahu akbar of
sacralization, because it brings the person into a holy mindset. Once all of this is completed,
the worshipper brings his hands to his sides or crosses (folds) his arms, and salat prayer
formally begins.
Standing, the worshipper recites the first chapter of the Qur‘an, titled the Fatiha.
Afterwards, many Muslims follow a practice during which, still standing, they recite a few
passages of their own choice from the Qur‘an. This occurs at least during the first and
second rakats. Sometimes, but not often, a Muslim group recommends fixed verses during
this part of the ritual.
A Muslim next performs a full bow, bending from the waist, with palms on the knees. He
may recite the Allahu akbar again during the bow. Upon straightening, some sources
translate that the person declares, ―Lord, to You be the praise.‖ Others explain that the
Muslim says, ―God has mercy on those who praise him,‖ or a variety of other similar
phrases. Additional bows and declarations of Allahu akbar are common at this point.
After the bows, a formal prostration is performed, but not before declaring ―Al-hamdu lillah‖
once. Translated as ―Praise be to God,‖ this is a phrase of thanks to Allah. Then the
traditional Muslim gets down on his knees and, with his hands palm-down below his
shoulders, places his forehead on the ground, saying a prayer—in Arabic—such as, ―Glory to
my Lord, the Most High. God is great.‖ Another example of a prostration phrase is, ―Glorify
the name of God most high.‖ Next, the person sits back on his heels and, maintaining a
kneeling position, says Allahu akbar. Once again, the head is placed to the ground and the
prostration is repeated, along with the accompanying phrase. There is a return to kneeling,
and another Allahu akbar. Then the Muslim returns to standing position. The whole process
is repeated for a designated number of times, starting again at the Fatiha. Some traditions
hold that before concluding each set, the head is turned to the left and right.
After the second and the last rakat, the worshipper recites the Tashahud. These ritual words
are meant to call forth God‘s help. At the conclusion, while still on his knees and sitting back
on his heels, the worshipper recites the Salawat. He then greets any other prayer
practitioners to the right and left, wishing peace upon them: ―As-salamu alaykum wa
rahmatu-Llah,‖ or ―Peace be with you and God‘s mercy.‖ This is called the taslim. At a
mosque, handshakes are also exchanged as a sign of brotherhood. If the worshipper is not
at a mosque service, but rather is praying privately, he will greet his two guardian angels.
Ultimately, the salat involves praise, thanksgiving, proclamation of Allah‘s lordship,
remembrance that there will be a day of judgment, and requests for Allah‘s guidance. The
whole sequence often takes five to ten minutes.
Friday afternoon salat services, which are obligatory for men, include not only the usual
salat prayer rituals, but also a lengthy reading from the Qur‘an and a sermon. At each
service throughout the week, an imam, or prayer leader, heads the communal prayer. An
imam is not a member of the clergy. Rather, he is a person who is very well studied in the
Qur‘an. Any such man can serve an imam at a mosque service.
It is important to note that Muslim law does not allow a Muslim to perform a salat ritual
before its designated time. However, the prayer ritual can be performed late if there is good
reason for the delay. Men and women share the same prayer obligations, except that only
men must attend the Friday service. In addition, there are certain times when women are
exempt from their prayer responsibilities, such as during menstruation.
Nonobligatory Prayer
After an obligatory prayer ritual, many Muslims perform further prayers. In addition, many
Muslims carry out personally designed prayer sessions—be they regular or spontaneous—
over the course of the day. These personal prayers may be repeated phrases endeavoring
to praise Allah, or may be prayers of petition.
Dhikr
When not engaged in obligatory prayer, a Muslim may choose an effective phrase or prayer
litany and recite it repeatedly to enhance his mindfulness of Allah. In fact, many Muslim
brotherhoods—or social/prayer groups—prescribe litanies of prayers to be said on prayer
beads to create constant awareness of Allah‘s presence. This meditative chanting of fixed
phrases is commonly known as dhikr. The Arabic root of the word dhikr refers to
remembrance and mindfulness.
The prayer-bead loop used to count dhikr contains ninety-nine beads, which coincide with
the Ninety-Nine Holy Names of Allah. So a Muslim may meditate upon the various
characteristics of Allah by chanting each one of His ninety-nine names—one for each bead.
One tradition quotes Muhammad as saying that anyone who repeats all of Allah‘s names by
memory will be sure to gain entrance to Paradise in the afterlife. According to Braswell‘s
Islam: Its Prophet, Peoples, Politics, and Power, these names yield ―power and God
consciousness‖ to the worshipper. Braswell reports that the characteristics highlighted by
the holy names include majesty, generosity, beauty, essence, action, power, wisdom, fearprovoking, and goodness.
Another dhikr technique is to repeat three fixed phrases, saying each one thirty-three times,
so as to complete count on the prayer-bead string. In English translation, the three phrases
are: ―Praise be to God! Every thanks is due to God! God is greater!‖ After these
meditations, a person‘s own requests can be made.
Dhikr is traditionally performed in group, but the technique can be extended to personal
prayer devotions. Also, the repetitive recitations can be accompanied by breathing
techniques and designated movements. Dhikr might be done in any position—standing,
sitting, dancing—according to a worshipper‘s traditions. The result is that the person who
prays in this manner actually puts himself in a type of trance, removing himself from
distractions and forming a highly focused state of awareness.
The Sufis perform great dances during their dhikr. Those who follow the practices of Jalal
ad-Din ar-Rumi, a great Sufi master and poet, throw off their black cloaks in order to
symbolize the shedding of burden and darkness. They then whirl around in white garments
to symbolize life in Paradise. They may turn about individually, or form a ring and dance in
an open circle, as though revolving around Allah. This type of mystic practice is gaining in
popularity in Western culture.
Du’a’
Du’a’ has come to signify the personal, extraliturgical prayers that a Muslim performs
outside of salat obligations. This type of prayer is also referred to as prayer of supplication
or petition. Dhikr, discussed above, can be considered a type of du‘a‘, or personal prayer
practice. Du‘a‘ and dhikr are not truly distinct from each other. A possible way of
distinguishing the two is to consider dhikr as simple, focused praise and mindfulness of
Allah, whereas du‘a‘ involves personal request. Prayers of intercession—that is, prayers said
on behalf of another person—are included in du‘a‘, and are called sdla’ li’ajli in Arabic.
Whereas the fixed prayer rituals are to be recited in Arabic, du‘a‘ can be spoken in each
Muslim‘s native language. This form of Muslim prayer can be spontaneous and informal—
more along the lines of a conversation with Allah. But while the nature of du‘a‘ is the
individual‘s articulation of needs, we all know that sometimes words don‘t come fluently in
prayer. For such situations, the Muslim can refer to texts that print du‘a‘ prayers of an
admired saint, poet, or spiritualist. An example of such a text is The Complete Book of the
One Who Constantly Prostrates Himself in Prayer, translated from the Arabic, As-Sahifat alkamilat as-sajjadiyya. This book contains the prayer collection of Zayn al-‗Abidin, a famous
Shi‘ite prayer leader, or imam, who lived during the seventh to eighth centuries.
Spiritual Reading
Certain texts are given great significance in the practice of Islam. Among these is, first and
foremost, the Qur‘an, which Muslims believe to contain the actual words of Allah. Second to
the Qur‘an in textual importance is the Hadith. When discussed in full, the Hadith is a multivolume collection of stories, legends, and lessons about Muhammad‘s life. Reading from the
Qur‘an and the Hadith, and meditating or dwelling upon the messages found therein, is
considered prayerful activity. These two sources of Muslim tradition are further discussed
below.
The Qur’an
Islam considers its sacred book, the Qur‘an—also commonly spelled Quran and Koran—so
holy that someone in ritual impurity should not touch it, nor should anything be placed on
top of it. The passages are literally taken as the word of Allah, articulated through the Angel
Gabriel to Muhammad, and thus sent out to the people. Qur’an is actually an Arabic word
that means ―reading‖ or ―recitation.‖ Reading and reciting the passages of the Qur‘an
signifies the accepting of, and then the thankful returning of, Allah‘s words. Certain verses
can call forth blessings and protection.
The Qur‘an was revealed to Muhammad over a period of twenty-two years—from 610 to 632
ce, the last year being that of Muhammad‘s death. It was fully compiled about twenty years
after the Prophet‘s death. The text explains that life on earth is a time to prove oneself; it is
a temporary exam that will assess whether or not a person is worthy of an enjoyable
afterlife. Therefore, upon death in this world, each person will experience either reward or
punishment. The Qur‘an supports a definite belief in life after death, in a final judgment day,
in resurrection, and in every person’s responsibility for his own actions. It addresses the
problem of human weakness by constantly reminding the human consciousness of its
necessary submission to Allah. All laws for Muslim living can be found in its pages.
The Qur‘an is made up of chapters, each chapter being a surah. There are times when the
Qur‘an seems to correct itself, or further develop. According to the revelation, this isn‘t
because Allah‘s words are sometimes wrongly communicated, but because Allah knows that
the human being cannot handle all of the truth at one time. The entire concept of Islam
unfolds over the course of the book. It has been said that some of Muhammad‘s earliest
followers were drawn to Islam by the strikingly beautiful, poetic verses of the Qur‘an.
The Hadith
There are thousands of hadiths—stories about Muhammad, his words, his actions, and the
events of his life. At one point, these stories were oral tales passed down through the
generations. Each story is attributed to an eyewitness to Muhammad. The whole collection
of these stories is formally called the Hadith, and makes up fifty or sixty large volumes. The
hadiths discuss a large variety of topics, from Muslim obligations, to Allah‘s generosity, even
to the devil. Because of the traceable authenticity of the hadiths, they are considered
second only to the Qur‘an in importance.
One body of these stories is known as the Prophetic Hadith. These tales are specifically
attributed to Muhammad himself. It is not uncommon for Muslim communities to claim that
the Prophetic Hadith is inspired by Allah but is in the Prophet‘s own words, rather than
direct reiteration of Allah‘s message. Then there is the Sacred Hadith, which is considered
by some to be directly communicated to humanity by Allah. These are rather emotional
tracts, expressing God’s intense love for humanity and His presence in all things. Because of
the emotional content, many conservative Muslims find these passages offensive. They
believe such hadiths diminish the transcendence of Allah. However, the beauty and
sweetness of these hadiths have made them valued texts among those who allow
themselves an emotional perspective. Reading such passages on the love and benevolence
of Allah reinforces the prayer lives of such Muslims.
ENHANCING THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER
Muslim prayers are always performed with the notions of submission and obedience in mind.
Yet they are also enjoyable experiences, allowing Allah‘s servants to bask in His presence
and focus their attention on their God. Even if the prayer practitioner no longer observes all
of the strict obligations required of orthodox Islam, he can choose a number of traditional
ways to enhance his spiritual practices, making his prayer time more effective. This can
involve keeping certain attitudes in mind, and using helpful prayer postures and aids.
Adopting the Right State of Mind
By adopting the proper attitude when approaching prayer, the practitioner can increase his
mindfulness of Allah, as well as the joy he experiences by acting in service to Allah. The
following approaches have proven effective for many Muslims, and may also be helpful for
any prayer practitioner, regardless of his religion, who wishes to enjoy all the benefits that
prayer has to offer.
Form Niyyat
In Arabic, niyyat or niyah refers to right intention. The Muslim is supposed to form niyyat in
his mind before reciting prayer. During this gathering of intention, he reminds himself that
his prayers are said solely to Allah. He then declares the number of prayer elements he will
perform, and which specific service he will conduct.
For an act of prayer, or any act, to be beneficial, the right intention must be behind it. Each
prayer service—obligatory or optional—should be performed willingly and decisively, not
simply by rote. Niyyat puts the person in a reverent and clarified state of mind, locking out
distractions and organizing thoughts around service to God.
Have Gratitude
A non-Muslim might wrongly assume that Muslims pray largely out of fear and submission.
But the truth is that the Muslim delights in his God. Gratitude, not fear, is very likely the
fuel that drives worshippers. Expressing thankfulness to Allah in prayer makes a person
more aware of the everyday gifts from Allah—of how precious the world around us is—
bringing a happiness and sincerity to prayer. That is why salat, the daily prayer rite,
includes thanksgiving.
Emphasize Obedience
Islam teaches that every prayer should be said with the intention to obey Allah. This is
comparable to the ―Thy will be done‖ approach found in Judaism and Christianity. Muslims
continually focus on their obedience to Allah, and also the joy that they experience in
obeying their God. They trust that if they remain obedient to His commands and practice
devout praise and thanksgiving, Allah will be merciful and generous to them. This emphasis
on obedience helps put the prayer practitioner in a good state of mind by diminishing the
egocentrism, or self-centeredness, that is so prevalent in human life.
Prayer Postures and Gestures
To enhance the experience of prayer and also to further display submission to Allah, the
Muslim practices certain postures and gestures. It is evident that the body is very much
considered a tool of worship in Islam. Prayer postures and gestures prevent prayer from
lodging solely in the mind; the dynamism of prayer is further manifested through the body.
The prayer prostrations that became obligatory for the Muslim were not meant to degrade
humanity. In Islam: A Short History, author Karen Armstrong explains, “The prostrations
were designed to counter the hard arrogance and self-sufficiency that was growing apace in
Mecca. The postures of their bodies would re-educate the Muslims, teaching them to lay
aside their pride and selfishness, and recall that before God they were nothing.‖ Therefore,
Muslim prayer is rooted in the desire to wipe away egocentric attitudes and to become
mindful of the true center, Allah.
The term rakat, also written as rak’a or rakah, refers to the entire repertoire of prayer
gestures and words that are repeated during Muslim prayer. Qiyam is ―the standing,‖ during
which the worshipper faces Mecca, recalls Allah‘s supremacy, and turns to Allah for
protection from evil. Ruku’ is the term, translated as ―kneeling,‖ for the kneeling/bowing
gestures. Sujud, or sajda, is a prostration. These postures performed before Allah are acts
of adoration and service. They outwardly express the submission that is taking place on a
spiritual level.
Hand gestures are also a part of Muslim prayer. The du‘a‘ are often performed with open
hands turned so that palms face upwards. Some prayer practitioners cup the hands, as well,
to symbolize that the Muslim is set to receive the blessings which Allah will send in response
to his prayers. It is also traditional to wipe the hands over the face once prayers are
completed to spread the received blessings onto the body.
Prayer Accessories
As in other religious systems, certain Muslim prayer aids can contribute to the practice of
prayer. Not all Muslims use the accessories discussed below, but many find that one or
more of these aids can make the experience of prayer even more significant.
Prayer Beads
The Muslim prayer beads, contain ninety-nine beads in a loop. This prayer aid is used to
keep track of the worshipper‘s declarations of the Ninety-Nine Holy Names of Allah, and/or
to keep count of phrase repetitions of any sort.
Prayer Carpets
As mentioned earlier in the chapter, many Muslims who perform the salat carry a prayer
carpet with them throughout the day. This carpet, upon which prostration is performed, is
called a sajjada. It can be used in the mosque, on the street, on the grass—anywhere.
Often, a sajjada contains inscriptions of Qur‘an passages to enhance the prayer
practitioner‘s awareness of Allah. Some carpets are highly decorative, displaying intricate
symbolic artwork.
Artistic Writing
Visual triggers for prayer, through artwork, are also a part of Muslim prayer life. This
artwork can be found on buildings, books, prayer carpets, and many other articles that
Muslims see and use both in prayer and in other daily activities.
Epigraphy is the inscription of sacred writing on mosques, buildings, tombs, and even
smaller articles like prayer carpets and lamps. The complex inscriptions, usually spelling out
Qur‘an passages, are sometimes so highly artistic that they become coded, capable of being
read only by a very trained eye. The selected texts often address the largest of issues—
death, judgment, resurrection, and Allah‘s mercy through forgiveness. The Shahada, is a
popular phrase for epigraphy, as well. These inscriptions are meant to trigger mindfulness of
Allah, and also to provide the worshipper with beauty. Therefore, for example, when a
Muslim simply glances down at the prayer carpet as he is about to kneel, he will see the
epigraphy on that carpet and be further reminded of the purpose and beauty of his prayers.
Calligraphy is very popular in the Muslim culture; beautiful types of lettering have been
designed throughout the history of Islam. Calligraphy is used in epigraphy, yet in a stricter
sense, calligraphy refers to artistic writing done by hand, with pen or paints. It is considered
one of the highest prayerful activities to write out passages from the Qur‘an or the hadiths
in calligraphy.
Finally, a technique referred to as illumination is often used to embellish works of epigraphy
and calligraphy. This art entails carving or penning geometric and floral designs around the
sacred passages to enhance visual appearance. The artwork created through epigraphy,
calligraphy, and illumination affects the prayer lives of worshippers by bringing the presence
of visual beauty and artistic adoration of Allah into their prayers.
Wazifa
In some Muslim communities, individuals sometimes turn to an imam—a community
spiritual leader—or an inspirational spiritualist to guide them on their personal prayer
journeys. A spiritual guide can organize a daily prayer ritual specifically around a person‘s
needs and wishes. Designed to be performed during prayer practice outside of salat, such a
ritual is referred to as wazifa or ratib. A fixed prayer plan, it eventually becomes a natural
routine.
CONCLUSION
Above all, the Muslim performs prayer out of the desire to submit to and please Allah. The
obligations of salat are met with joy of service, and additional personal prayers are recited
with zeal to further communicate with Allah. Clearly, Muslim prayer life is rich with
numerous traditions. Islam appreciates the aural and oral aspects of prayer—listening to
Allah‘s word, and reciting that word back to Allah, along with other prayers. Gestures and
postures are also a significant part of Muslim worship, making prayer a total effort, not just
one of the mind. And prayer can even be found in sacred text and artistic writing. Religion
permeates every part of the Muslim‘s life: political, economic, and social. And a highly
developed practice of prayer is essential to the Muslim religion.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
The PILLARS Of ISLAM
Sawm- Fast during the month of Ramadan
Who is Dis-qualified from Sawm?
http://looklex.com/e.o/sawm.htm
Sawm
Arabic: 'as-sawm
Fast in Islam, lasting one month, during the
whole of the month of Ramadan, and one of
Islam's Five Pillars. Ramadan is frequently
used as name of the fast itself, both by
Muslims and almost exclusively by nonMuslims.
Sawm is decreed for all Muslims above 13
(girls) and 14 (boys), and in good health.
The fast lasts from break of day until the
sun disappears under the horizon. The night is
a period of eating, joy, sleep, but also religious
duties.
Sawm is mentioned four places in the
Koran, but central is sura 2:
Koran sura 2: The Cow
179
Those among you believing, it is decreed
that you fast, as it has been decreed for those
living before you — so that you will guard
yourselves against evil —
180
for a certain number of days. If any of you are sick, or on a journey, then a
number of other days. For the one who cannot sustain the fast, there is a ransom:
give food to one poor man. But the best is doing a good deed without thinking of
it. Fasting is the best for you, if you but knew it.
181
The month of Ramadan, when the Koran came down to earth, to guide
mankind, to teach what is right and what is wrong, those present in this month,
shall fast... God wants to make this easy for you, not difficult, so that you can
make full the number of days.
Sawm was established in 624 CE (2 H), from which year the above passage is
taken. Until then no fasting seems to have been practiced neither by the first
Muslims, or among the pagans of Mecca, except the Jewish inspired Ashura, which
had been established only two years earlier.
Sawm is one of the pillars of Islam, and practiced by a majority of the people
even in the most secular Muslim countries. Muslims shall abstain from:








food, beverages, tobacco, spittle, perfume;
deliberate vomiting;
sexual intercourse;
seminal emissions;
menstruation (women menstruating will compensate with days of fasting
after Sawm, equivalent to the number of days lost);
bleeding in child bed (compensation after the same rules as for
menstruation);
bad thoughts;
intoxication.
If a Muslim breaks one of these rules, it has to be deliberate to count as a
break of the fast. If the fast is destroyed, it only destroys the one day, which can
be compensated for after Sawm. Muslims are well aware for all these obligations,
and often follow them strictly.
When the night comes, people wait for a signal marking the end of Sawm for
that specific day. This is marked by a gunshot, shelling over the town; calling from
the mosques; and in modern times, through TV and radio. The first thing all
Muslims do is drink some water, then a traditional meal called iftar is eaten, where
eating together with other people is considered very important. During the iftar,
streets are totally empty, and all families are gathered in the houses.
After the iftar, people relax a couple of hours, and then prepare themselves for
visiting social spots, friends or families. The social activities can often extend deep
into the night, as many shopkeepers work in the night (and sleep through the
day). Women and girls enjoy much freedom during the Sawm, and are allowed to
stay up long in the evenings. Important in the evenings are shows in the streets,
shopping, and simply meet and see other people. TV is taking over a major part of
the joy in the evenings of Ramadan, with sending hours after hours of the most
popular sort of TV-programs, soap operas and films.
By Tore Kjeilen
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
The PILLARS Of ISLAM
Zakat- Give to a charity 2.5% leftover salary after bills are paid
Rules for Zakat
http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/zakat.htm
Zakat (Alms)
Ramadan is the month of giving and benevolence, the Messenger was more benevolent than a falling
rain. Muslims are encouraged to emulate the Messenger of Allah (saws), to assess and pay their Zakat
during the month of Ramadan, thus combining the two pillars of Islam at the same time.
Zakat (alms) is the name of what a believer returns out of his or her wealth to the neediest of Muslims for
the sake of the Almighty Allah. It is called Zakat because the word Zakat is from Zakaa which means, to
increase, purify and bless.
Who Should Give Zakat
The obligation of Zakat is mandatory on every Muslim who possesses the minimum Nisaab, whether the
person is man, woman, young, old sane or insane. Because the proof of Zakat in Al-Qur'an and Sunnah
is general and does not exclude young or insane. Allah (SWT) stated that: "Of their goods take alms so
that thou mightiest purify and sanctify them..." (Al-Qur'an, 9: 103)
Imam Ibn Hazim said that every Muslim young or old sane or insane needs to cleanse his or her wealth
with Zakat because of generality of the evidence. Anas bin Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah
(saws) said: "Trade with the money of the orphan, lest it is eaten up by Zakat." (At-Tabraani) In another
Hadith `Amru bin Shuaib related from his grandfather that the Messenger of Allah said:
"Whoever is entrusted with money of an orphan should trade with it and should not leave it sitting to be
used up by charity." (Tirmidhi)
The point of reference in these reports is that the Messenger (saws) urged the trustee on the estate of
people who due to age or other reasons cannot manage their own financial affairs, to invest it in a
business that will yield a return and make it grow until they are in a position to do so themselves. For, if
proper investment is not made with an ophan's inheritance, it will be depleted by charity, thus leaving the
orphan with little or nothing.
The Nisaab
The Lawgiver, Allah has prescribed the minimum amount that is obligatory for Zakat in different ranges of
properties, and that minimum amount is known as nisaab. The reason for nisaab is to ensure that no one
is forced to give Zakat out of what he or she does not have, and that no wealth goes without Zakat.
Nisaab is also an insurance against the tyranny of the state to tax the poor and or the neediest as is the
case in many countries. Nisaab is a reference point for the average Muslim who is not sure whether he
possesses the minimum wealth on which Zakat is obligatory. The wealthy need not worry about the
Nisaab. Zakat is obligatory on their entire wealth and must be paid out at the end of financial year that
they set for their Zakat.
The Nisaab will not be valid unless it fulfills two conditions:
1) The amount that has reached Nisaab must be the excess or surplus known as "faadil" from one's
essential needs such as food, clothing, housing, vehicles, tools and machinery that is used in business.
The essentials for living are exempted from Zakat.
Although what constitutes nisaab may change from one country to another, the amount that is needed for
the basic needs of living in different countries is very similar, because the market place determines the
prices, whether it is an official market or a non-official market. In the poorest countries people do without
or live below the poverty standard, and that is why many go hungry or without basic essentials.
However, we must realize that Zakat is an act of worship (ebadah) like Salaat. The element of intention
(niyyah) is necessary, and we should not overly rely on state agencies to determine for us the
requirements of our religious duty. The so called the "consumption basket" (that is poverty level as
determined the social security administration which are updated every fiscal year) may not be the same
as what Islam considers minimum Nisaab.
In the industrialized countries, the consumption basket may include items that are not necessarily
essential, such as entertainment, extra clothing, variety of food, eating in restaurant or eating at home,
owning more than one car as opposed to having three cars in the driveway, drinking water as opposed to
juices, eating regular food or special "health" food. This is why I believe it is essential that we do not lose
site of the fact that Zakat is ebadah of wealth, like salaat and fasting. Non Muslims may consider all the
things mentioned above as essentials while Muslims will not. Indeed, no Muslims in good standing will
attempt to hide behind the label of consumption basket so as to evade Zakat.
Nisaab eliminates the possibility of injustice or unfair treatment of the Zakat payer. To suggest that if we
do not follow the rules of International Monetary Fund or the arbitrary figures of social security
administration or department of agriculture we will be doing injustice to the Zakat payer is ludicrous.
2) Nisaab must mature, that is the money is not liable for Zakat unless it has remained a full year in the
possession of a person. This is the understanding of the majority of the scholars. Imam Abu Hanifah (raa)
said: "What should be considered is the existence of nisaab at the beginning and the end of the Zakat
year set by the payer". It does not matter if the nisaab money increases or decreases during the calendar
year, as we will explain later.
This condition does not include farm produce, for it is due on the day it is harvested. Allah (SWT) stated:
"... But render the dues that are proper on the day that the harvest is gathered..." (Al-Qur'an, 6: 141)
According to Imam Al-`Abadi, (raa) Zakat money is of two kinds: one that by its nature can not be
invested and Zakat of this category is due on the day of harvest. This includes all the farm produce that is
liable for Zakat. The other is wealth that can be invested in the hope of a good return, like cash, gold or
silver, because the opportunity is there that cash in one's hand can be invested for a good return. This
includes currency investment, merchandise and livestock. Their Zakat is not due until they have matured
in one full year.
The proof of this condition is the Hadith related by Ibn `Umar that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "He
who acquires property is not liable for Zakat on it till a year passes." According to Ibn Rushd (raa) this is
the understanding of the majority of scholars, including the four rightly guided Khalifahs.
Zakat Of Salaries
The condition of yearly term maturity applies to the commodities on which the Lawgiver said Zakat is due,
and this includes silver, gold, modern paper currency and livestock. Paper currency is analogous to silver,
therefore, it takes the case of silver. There is no Zakat on salary, earned income from wage earners or
professionals or independent contractors until such money matures in a full year. There is no such thing
as paying your Zakat on the day you receive your pay check. What the wage earner must know is that he
or she can purify that money with charity (sadaqah) anytime they cash the pay check. Allah (SWT) states:
"And in their wealth and possessions (was remembered) the right of the needy, he who asks and he who
(for some reason) was prevented (from asking)." (Al-Qur'an, 51: 19).
We can deduce from the concept of "yearly maturity" of wealth on which Zakat is due as encouraging,
among other things, saving on the part of the Zakat payer, and enhances the chances for eradicating
poverty, because if the poor receives his rightful share of Zakat there will be the possibility that he can
take Zakat money and invest it and become a Zakat payer instead of recipient. This possibility will be lost
if he receives few Zakat dollars every month. To say that the wage earner just brings his check home and
spends everything on necessities and lives from check to check with nothing left over means the person
is eligible for Zakat.
Using farm produce as analogous to salary for Zakat is wrong analogy. As Imam Al-`Abadi said, these are
two different categories of money. $2, 500.00 cash can be invested by the person and expect a good
return whereas it will be difficult to invest a bushel of corn. It can be traded as a commodity, which is what
it is. This why we must know that analogy has rules that must be followed before it is applied. Certainly
the jurists are unanimous that earned income, known as almal al-mustafadah, should either be added to
existing money and wait until that amount reaches maturity and then give their Zakat; or if there is no
money on hand the time one possesses this money, he or she should wait one full year before assessing
it for Zakat.
Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam and a vital element in the religion of Islam. It is the twin sister of
Salaat. In Al-Qur'an, Allah (SWT) stated: "So establish regular Prayer and give regular Alms; and obey
the Messenger; that you may receive mercy." (Al-Qur'an, 24: 56) Also, "...Establish regular Prayer and
give regular Alms, and loan to Allah a beautiful loan...." (Al-Qur`an, 73: 20) "And they have been
commanded no more than this: to worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to
establish regular Prayer and to practice regular charity; and that is the religion right and straight." (AlQur`an, 98: 5)
In a famous Hadith reported by `Umar Bin Khattab (raa), the Messenger of Allah (saws) responded to
Jibreel (as) and said: "... Islam is to testify that there is no deity but Allah and Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah, to perform the prayer, to pay Zakat, to observe fasting in Ramadan, and to make
pilgrimage to the house of Allah if you are able to do os...." (Bukhari, Muslim)
There is consensus among Muslim scholars that it is mandatory on every believer who is financially able.
Whoever knowingly denies this obligation, while he possesses the minimum amount, would be
considered a disbeliever and a renegade from Islam. Whoever is stingy, or tries to cheat, is considered
among the wrongdoers. Zakat is mandatory on four categories of items.
1. Farm produce of seeds and fruits, such as wheat, barley, rice, dates, raisins, cocoa, pistachios,
coffee, cashews. Allah (SWT) stated: "O you who believe, give of the good things which you have
(honourably) earned, and of the fruits of the earth which We have produced for you..." (Al-Qur'an, 2: 267)
Also: "... But render the dues that are proper on the day that the harvest is gathered..." (Al-Qur'an, 6: 141)
Thus, these two verses and many others indicate that Zakat is due on farm products that reached the
minimum amount (nisaab). No farm product is liable for Zakat unless it is a product that is considered as
food and can be stocked or saved naturally without refrigeration. If the produce is perishable fruit, such as
grapes, there is no Zakat. But if one sells them they will pay their Zakat on the profit earned when it
matures.
The nisaab is 612 kilos, which equals 1,346.40 lb. There is no Zakat on produce that is less than this
amount. If the farm produce or crops grow dependant on rainwater, or without any man's labour or
irrigation, Zakat due is one-tenth of the total. If it is grown by irrigation, then the Zakat due is half of onetenth of the total produce. There is no Zakat on fruits like apples or oranges or vegetables which are
perishable and need refrigeration for long storage, but they should be considered as any income if the
profit earned from their sale reaches the amount of Zakat, then Zakat should be given.
2. Cattle, including camels, cows, sheep and goats, that are freely graze and are raised for trade and
production. For Zakat to be obligatory, the number must reach the nisaab. The nisaab of camels is five, of
cows 30, of sheep and goats, 40. By freely grazing is meant the animal goes out to feed without the
owner buying or bringing it feed or hay. If it is not a grazing animal, there is no Zakat in the stock by itself.
The stock will, however, be considered as articles of trade, then will be assessed for Zakat as articles of
trade when the profit earned from their sale reaches the amount by itself or in combination with other
articles of the trade.
3. Merchandise and goods of trade and commerce. This includes anything that is obtained for the
business of buying and selling: land, animals, food provisions, fabric, cars, spare parts, etc. This inventory
is evaluated annually and assessed for Zakat, whether the value is the same as the amount spent on it,
more, or less. The owners of grocery stores, like any other business, must evaluate every item and give
their Zakat. Simple bookkeeping of inventory, orders, cash on hand, and credits, that is non-delinquent
loans, will give one a good picture of the Zakatable assets. But if one is unable to account for everything
in the store or shop, he should assess it according to his ability until he is sure that his conscience is
clear.
There is no Zakat on what is within one's dwelling or property which includes food, drinks, furniture,
houses, animals, cars, clothes and shoes. The only exception is gold and silver. There is no Zakat on
assets from rentals or lease, whether they are apartment units, taxi cabs, etc. That is, there is no Zakat on
the apartment units, buses or cars for rental like yellow cabs company or trucks for rental or equipments.
But there is Zakat on the proceeds or incomes from these rental assets if these assets reach the
executable amount, either by themselves or in combination with other assets.
Business Activities
Many scholars are of the opinion that any business activity that brings any return to the entrepreneur or
investor should be assessed for Zakat. If the activity has a prescribed nisaab, such as gold, silver or
paper currency, that nisaab is applied for Zakat. But if the business has no declared nisaab, its nisaab is
the nisaab of commerce, one reason being that most business activities are considered as commerce
and because, in actual fact, it is not factitious business name, such as GM, Apple or GE that is taxed for
Zakat, it is the individual investor. We do not tax cooperations such IBM, Apple, GM or Rajihy Bank but
the individual investors, share holders and owners of these corporations.
Indeed, there are enough rules in Zakat books to cover all types of business activity, be it cash or risk
investment. If the business activity is analogous to commerce, it should be assessed the same rate as
commerce. To subject the business to a different Zakat rate of 10%, which is the rate of farm products
instead of its correct rate of 2.5%, the rate of commerce, is unfair and unjustified. Besides, there is no
proof, even a weak one, to justify this unfair arbitrary taxation. The difference between 2.5% and 10% is
high. The Zakat system is not like a state revenue collection, but Allah's `ebadah. However, if a business
person decides to give more than 2.5% after deducting all the expenses including depreciation, Allah
(SWT) will accept it from him.
4. Gold and silver, whether used for commerce or jewellery. Allah (SWT) states: "...And there are those
who bury gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah: announce unto them a most grievous
penalty. On the day when heat will be produced out of that (wealth) in the fire of hell, and with it will be
branded their foreheads, their flanks and their backs. This is the (treasure) which you buried for
yourselves: taste you, then, the (treasures) you buried." (Al-Qur'an, 9: 34-35). By hoarding is meant
refusal to give it in the path of Allah, which includes Zakat.
In a hadith reported by Abu Hurairah (raa), the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "For the owner or
possessor of gold and silver who does not fulfil its obligation, on the Day of Resurrection it will be cast
into sheets of fire and be branded on his forehead, side and back. Whenever it cools it is to be repeated
for him in a day whose length is the length of fifty thousand years, until the judgement is rendered among
the people." (Muslim). By its obligation is meant assessing it for Zakat. In another version: "No possessor
of a treasure who does not give its Zakat."
Zakat is mandatory in gold and silver, irrespective of its form: in coins, raw or nugget, or jewelry for
wearing, or for rent, because of the generality of evidence of Zakat without any detail. In a report by
Abdullah bin `Amr bin `Aas (raa), he related that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah with her
daughter. On the daughter's wrist were two heavy gold bracelets. The Messenger asked her, "Do you pay
Zakat on this?" She replied, "No." The Messenger said: "Would it please you that Allah will encircle you
with two bracelets of fire?" The reporter commented that she took them off and threw them down in front
of the Messenger, and said: "They are for Allah and his Messenger." (Ahmed, Tirmidhi).
The Messenger's wife reported that: "The Messenger entered into my house and saw in my hand a huge
ring made of silver, so he asked, `What is this?' I replied, `I made them to beautify myself for you, O
Messenger of Allah.' He inquired, `Do you give their Zakat?' I said, `No,' or `Allah willing.' He said: `It will
suffice you in the hellfire.'" (Abu Dawuud).
Zakat is due on gold when it reaches the amount of (nisaab), which is 20 Dinaar. According to a hadith,
the Messenger said: "No Zakat on you is due until it reaches 20 dinaar." (Abu Dawud) The Islamic dinaar
(currency) is one mithqal, a unit of weight which weighs four and one quarter of a gram. Thus, the nisaab
is 85 grams. This is equal to $30.00 US dollars.
Similarly, there is no Zakat on silver until it reaches five oqiyah, because the Messenger said: "There is
no Zakat on less then five oqiyah." (Muslim/Bukhari) Oqiyah is equal to forty Islamic dirhams. The nisaab
is 200 dirhams. One dirham is equivalent to 595 grams. The Zakatable amount in both the gold and silver
is a quarter of a tenth only.
Paper Currency
There is Zakat on modern paper currency because it is equivalent to silver. During the early days of
Islam, silver and gold were the currency of exchange minted into dirham for silver and dinaar for gold.
Silver, not gold, had a larger circulation. Thus many scholars are of opinion that silver should be the
standard for the paper currencies of today because that is more advantageous to the Zakat payer, as it
raises the minimum nisaab whereas gold lowers it. Although both metals are no longer circulated, they
are still considered as a security against ever fluctuating paper money.
Silver should be used as a standard to assess Zakat annually, not paper currency, even if the currency is
hard currency like the US dollar, Yen and Deutch Mark or Pound Sterling. Because these currencies are
backed by political decisions that may not have anything to do with the economy, the value and strength
of this paper money depends largely on all haram usury system of interest rates.
Thus, the Zakat payer should look up in the local newspaper's financial or business section for the price
of silver which is currently about $3.82. per ounce. The nisaab, then, is 596 x .04=28.80 ounce multiplied
by$3.82= 90.91. therefore. The nisaab is about $100.00, as of December 17, 1991.
The nisaab should be based on the market value of the currency. If the money is hard currency, there will
be no problem, but if the money is a non-marketable currency, like most currencies in the third world
countries, the nisaab should be based on the black market, which realistically reflects the value of the
currency on the money market. In any case, the silver rate should be used to assess the Zakat.
If the nisaab is determined, the Zakatable amount is 2.5%, or .025 multiplied by the amount. For instance,
if the Zakatable amount is $56,000.00 it will be 56,000. x .025 = $1,400.00.
Zakat is due on gold, silver, and or paper currency, whether it is cash in hand or credit in the hands of
borrowers. Zakat is due on debts or cost of merchandize or rental money. If the borrower is a wealthy
person that you know will pay back the debt, the lender (that is Halaal lending free of usury) should
include that money in the assessment and give its Zakat. However, one can delay Zakat on a loan until
he receives payment, then return its Zakat for the past years that he was unable to assess for Zakat. If
the borrower is poor or is refusing to pay the debt, there will be no Zakat on the money until the lender
receives the money. Then he will assess it for Zakat of one past due year, but there will be no Zakat in
the years before that.
There is no Zakat on precious stones such as diamonds, or metals such uranium, regardless of their
value. Gold and silver, of course are assessed for Zakat. However, if a person possesses any of these
stones or metals, he should give their Zakat like any other articles of trade. If a person possesses
diamonds or any other precious stones as an edge against inflation or for ornaments, there will no Zakat
on these.
How To Give Zakat
Zakat may be assessed and returned in two ways:
a) Make a record of all money earned, either daily or monthly, which has reached the nisaab and remains
in the treasury. The Zakat of that money would be due one year later on the same day the money was
earned and reached nisaab. This means every month's income must be set aside and assessed for Zakat
and so will be the case for the rest of the months. For instance, the income of January, 1991 will be
assessed for Zakat in January, 1992, and the income of February, 1991 will be assessed for Zakat in
February 1992, etc. This method of assessing Zakat is very difficult because it entails complete
bookkeeping of daily or monthly earnings.
b) The best way is to set a day or a month, preferably Ramadan, for your annual Zakat return calendar,
say Ramadan 1st, 1412. One year later on the same day Ramadan, 1413, your Zakat is due and payable.
Whatever is in the savings is due for Zakat, regardless of whether all the amount in the savings reaches a
year or not. For instance: if you have $20,000.00 in the savings account on the 1st of Ramadan, 1412
and one year later by the 1st of Ramadan, 1413 there is $50, 000.00, your Zakat will be assessed for
$50,000.00, that is: $50.000.00 x .025= $1,250.00. If, on the other hand, by the 1st of Ramadan, 1413 the
amount in the savings is $15,000.00, your Zakat will be for the amount in the savings, that is $15,000.00 x
.025= $375.00. This method is the best because it is easy to assess, meets one's obligation and relieve
one's conscience.
The Recipient Of Zakat
Knowing who qualifies as recipient of Zakat is an important aspect of Zakat collection in Islam.
Fortunately, Allah (SWT) has been merciful to us in that He Himself spelled out the people eligible to
receive Zakat. In Surah Tawbah He stated:
"Alms are for the poor and the needy; and those employed to administer (the funds); for those whose
hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to truth); for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah;
and for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom." (Al-Qur'an,
9: 60) In this verse Allah enumerated the people who deserve this divine welfare, and they are as follows:
The poor and the needy. These are individuals, and those under their care, to live on. By the poor and
needy is meant the people whose income or salaries, or whatever material goods they have, fall short of
the cost of living in a given environment and economy. The poor and the needy should be given what will
suffice them and their families for one full year. The needy who want to get married and have no means
should be given enough for this purpose, and so, too, the student who needs money for tuition, rent, food,
and books. The working poor should be given supplementary Zakat. But the wealthy, or any person with
enough income to live on should not be given Zakat, even if they asked for it. Instead, they should be
warned and admonished for asking for what does not belong to them.
In a hadith reported by Abdullah bin `Umar, the Messenger of Allah (saws) stated: "A man keeps on
asking others for something till he comes on the day of Resurrection without any piece of flesh on his
face." (Bukhari/Muslim). This hadith indicates a humiliating appearance before Allah (SWT) that awaits a
person who asks illegally.
Some said: this hadith implies Allah will punish a person with the very limb, the face, that he used to
impress on others to give him their money unlawfully.
In another hadith reported by Abu Hurairah, the Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever asks people for their
money so as to get rich, he is asking for flames of fire. It is up to him to ask for more or less (he should
beware)." (Muslim) This hadith indicates the severity of the punishment, the more one asks the more
punishment, the less one asks the less the punishment.
In another hadith, reported by Hakeem bin Hizaam said: I begged the Messenger of Allah and he gave
me. I begged again, and he gave me. I begged again and he gave me. He then said: "This money is
green and sweet; he who receives it from people with a cheerful heart, Allah will bless him in it; he who
receives it, with an avaricious mind would not be blessed in it. He will be like the person who eats without
being satisfied; and the upper hand is better than the lower hand" (Muslim)
This hadith gave an analogy between money and green, ripened fruit that people love to eat. Thus, it
indicates that both are greatly loved but easily finished. For money that is easy come easy go, one must
be careful about the punishment that awaits the illegal eater. If a person asks for Zakat and there are no
signs of wealth, and he does not know that he should not ask, or a person who is well and able, who can
work, but does not; if these people do not know that it is not permissible for them to ask, it may be given
anyway.
In a hadith reported by Ahmed, Abu Dawud, and Nasa'e, two men came to the Messenger of Allah (saws)
and asked for Zakat. He looked at them closely and found them strong and able, he said, "If you want I
will give you. But you should know that the wealthy or an able person who can work has no share in
Zakat" (Ahmad)
Those who administer the Zakat department, assigning people for collecting, bookkeeping, making
lists of people eligible for Zakat, and a financial calendar. These people will receive Zakat as
compensation for their work, even if they are wealthy. This does not include a person who works as an
agent for one or two wealthy people to take Zakat for himself. They should donate their time for Zakat
disbursement and do it with honesty and truthfulness. If they can not, they should be paid or rewarded for
their time. In a hadith related by Abu Musa Al-Ashi`ari (raa), the Messenger of Allah said: "A trustworthy
Muslim executor is the one who executes completely what has been entrusted to him of Zakat money in
good faith." (Bukhari)
That is, he will give the Zakat money to any of the eligible recipients of Zakat. He should carry on the duty
voluntarily, but if he can not distribute the money without being paid, the Zakat payer should pay him for
his work. The payment for the service of distributing Zakat should not come out of Zakat money.
The new converts to Islam whose hearts we want to harmonize into the fold of Islam, either because
their faith is weak or we are afraid of their being harmed, should be given Zakat to strengthen their Iman
or until we no longer fear their harm.
The bonds person who has contracted with his master to buy himself out of bondage deserve Zakat and
should be given enough to pay off their debt to the master and be freed themselves; similarly, Muslim
prisoners of war if their freedom is tied to monetary payment, deserve Zakat sufficient enough to secure
their release.
On the other hand, if a person accidentally killed someone and have no means to pay off the blood
money, he should be helped from Zakat funds.
The people in debt are of two kinds:
(A) The guarantor, who takes the responsibility of someone else's debt so as to reconcile the two warring
parties, to extinguish the fire of fitnah between them. If the person requests Zakat money to pay off this
debt he should be given it, which will encourage him to continue in this noble cause.
In a hadith reported by Qubaysah Al-Hilaaly (raa), he said I was under debt (hamaalah) and I came to the
Messenger (saws) and begged him to help me pay it off. The Messenger told him: "Wait until we receive
charity, so we will command that it be given to you." However, the Messenger stated: "O Qubaysah,
begging is not permitted except for one of three categories of people:
A man who has incurred debt (as guarantor to reconcile blood wit) for him begging is permissible till he
pays that off, after which he must stop it; a man whose property has been destroyed by calamity which
has smitten him; for him begging is permissible till he gets what will support life or will provide him
reasonable subsistence; and a man who has been smitten by poverty, the genuineness of which should
be confirmed by three knowledgeable members of his people; for him begging is permissible till he gets
what will support him, or will provide him subsistence. Besides these three, Qubaysah, begging is
forbidden for every other persons, and one who engages in such consumes that which is forbidden."
(Muslim)
(B) Whoever incurs debt and has no money to pay it back will be given from Zakat to help pay his debt,
whether the amount is large or small; or his creditor should be paid directly on his behalf, so long as it is
paid off.
Zakat can be given in the path of Allah. By this is meant to finance a Jihad effort in the path of Allah,
not for Jihad for other reasons. The fighter (mujahid) will be given as salary what will be enough for him. If
he needs to buy arms or some other supplies related to the war effort, Zakat money should be used
provided the effort is to raise the banner of Islam.
The wayfarer. This is the traveller who in a strange land runs out of money. He or she deserves Zakat,
enough money to take him back to his country, even if he is wealthy and can find someone to loan him
the money. On his part, he should take with him on his trip sufficient money, if he is wealthy, so that he
will not need Zakat. Zakat money can not be used to pay off other obligations, such as giving Zakat
money to people you are obligated to take care of by law; or Zakat money can not be used to pay for
hotel and food expenses.
It is, however, permissible to give Zakat to a wife or family member, provided it is not part of their daily
living expense money, but is needed to pay off a debt for one's wife if she can not pay it. So is the case
for one's parents if they can not pay their debt.
Zakat money may be given to members of the family for their expenses if one is not obligated to take care
of them financially. The wife can pay off a debt of her husband with Zakat money, because he may be
among the eight eligible recipients and she is not obligated to spend on him as he is on her.
The eight eligible recipients of Zakat can be denied their right to Zakat without proof from Al-Qur`an or
Sunnah. In a hadith reported by Ibn Mas`ud, his wife Zaynab heard the Messenger of Allah order women
to give Zakat, so she asked the Messenger (saws): " O Messenger of Allah, you commanded us to give
Zakat, and I have jewellery that I wanted to assess for Zakat, but my husband Abdullah bin Mas`ud
claimed that his son deserves it more than anyone." The Messenger replied: Your husband Ibn Mas`ud is
right. Your son deserves your charity more than anyone." In another hadith reported by Salman bin
`Aamir, he said the Messenger of Allah said: " Charity to the poor is only charity, but charity to the rest of
kind is charity and maintenance of relations (sillah)." (Nisaee)
No loan should be written off as Zakat because Zakat is taken and given. Allah (SWT) said: "Of their
goods take alms...." (Al-Qur'an, 9: 103) And in a Hadith the Messenger has been reported as saying:
"Allah has mandated on you Zakat to be taken from the wealthy and to be given to the poor." Thus,
writing off debt is not taken. For instance, If you loan a person money, you can not write off that loan as a
Zakat. However, it could be written off as sadaqah charity. Furthermore, loan, delinquent or not, is
considered an absent money, therefore, it should not be transacted in Zakat. for Zakat is assessed only in
cash in hand. Besides, debt money is valued less than cash in the hand, and using that money for alms is
like exchanging good money for bad.
The assessor of alms should try to give his Zakat to an eligible person, but if he makes a mistake and
gives it to an ineligible person it is accepted. In a hadith related by Abu Hurairah, he said the Messenger
said:
"A man expressed his intention to give charity, so he came with his charity and placed it in the hand of an
adulteress. In the morning the people were talking and saying charity was given to an adulteress last
night. The donor said: O Allah, to thee be the Praise - charity to an adulteress! He then again expressed
his intention to give charity, so he went out with it and placed it in the hand of a rich person. In the
morning the people were talking and saying charity was given to a rich person. The donor said, O Allah to
You be the praise - charity to a rich man! He then expressed his intention to give charity, so he went out
with his charity and placed it in the hand of a thief. In the morning the people were talking and saying
charity to the thief. So the man said, O Allah to You be the praise (what a misfortune that charity has
been given) to the adulteress, the rich and the thief! Then someone came to him and told him your charity
has been accepted. As for the adulteress the charity might become the means whereby she might
restrain from fornication. The rich man might perhaps learn a lesson and spend from what Allah has given
him, and the thief might thereby restrain from committing theft. (Muslim/ Bukhari)
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
The PILLARS Of ISLAM
Zakat- Give to a charity 2.5% leftover salary after bills are paid
On-line Calculator
http://www.central-mosque.com/fiqh/zcalc.htm
Online Zakaat Calculator from I.T.A
Publications
STOP BEFORE PROCEEDING READ DETAILS ABOUT
ZAKAT FIRST BY
CLICKING HERE
This calculator will show the ZAKAAT that is due on you. It should work with any currency i.e.
Dollars, Pounds, Rupees etc. But please be consistent and use the same currency throughout!
You Need to know the current Market price of Gold and/or Silver. Since these prices change often
therefore we are unable to provide them for you. Please contact your local Jeweller. To obtain the
value of your Gold or Silver Assets simply multiply the cash value by the weight.
You can also check the Gold and Silver Prices from Kitco in the table below:
You can also convert the USD rates into your local currency by using the calculator below:
Please note that GOLD and SILVER prices are given in OUNCES and not GRAMS, to convert the
prices into GRAMS simply divide the PRICE/OUNCE by 28.35! Check FIRST and then enter the
price per gram
NOTE: You will be shown how the Calculations are done so you can do it Yourself
(if you like)
WARNING: You Must Follow the Procedure in the same manner as presented, don't skip steps! If
you have no value to enter then leave the default "0.00".
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
The PILLARS Of ISLAM
Hajj- Make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in life
Hajj information
http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/hajj/?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
The PILLARS Of ISLAM
Hajj- Make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in life
Stoning of the devil
http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Islam/2004/02/What-Is-Stoning-TheDevil.aspx#comments
What Is Stoning the Devil?
Some facts about the Hajj ritual.
BY: Hesham A. Hassaballa
The stoning of the Devil is one of the most important rituals of the Hajj. After standing on the plain of
Arafat, pilgrims spend the night on a plain called Muzdalifah. There, they gather 70 stones with which to
pelt three stone pillars representing the Devil. The next day, the day of Eid-ul-Adha, pilgrims stone the
largest of the three pillars with seven stones. Then, for the next three days, pilgrims pelt each of the three
stone pillars with seven stones. This, along with a final circumambulation of the Ka'bah, completes the
rituals of the Hajj.
The stoning of the Devil ritual reenacts part of the story of Abraham and his sacrifice of his son. God told
Abraham in a dream to slaughter his only son--Ishmael in Muslim belief--as a sacrifice to God. Abraham
consulted Ishmael about this, and Ishamel told his father to comply immediately. On his way to sacrifice
his son, the Devil appeared three times to Abraham to dissuade him from fulfilling his duty. Abraham
stoned the Devil with seven stones each time he appeared to him.
This ritual also has a spiritual significance. By stoning the pillars, pilgrims openly declare their enmity to
the Devil. This ritual is particularly emotional for many pilgrims. The pillars actually become the Devil for
many pilgrims, and people can be heard screaming, "Because of you, I did..." It can also be particularly
dangerous, as recent news reports have shown, because of the sheer number of pilgrims doing the same
thing at the same time. Last year, when I went on Hajj, twice, my wife and I were almost trampled to
death.
Thus, those who are not strong enough can designate someone else to throw stones on their behalf. In
addition, many scholars have advocated stoning the pillars at different times of the day and night so as not
to crowd other pilgrims. My wife and I, in fact, stoned the pillars in the wee hours of the morning.
Despite its potential dangers, stoning of the pillars are a wonderful part of the Hajj ritual. I would not
hesitate to do it again.
Read more: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Islam/2004/02/What-Is-Stoning-TheDevil.aspx#ixzz1wrJ4ZGX1
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Gives Sarah away (Gen. 12:10-20)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2012:10-20;&version=ESV
Genesis 12:10-20
English Standard Version (ESV)
Abram and Sarai in Egypt
10
Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to
Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
11
When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, ―I
know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the
Egyptians see you, they will say, ‗This is his wife.‘ Then they will
kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it
may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared
for your sake.‖ 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw
that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of
Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was
taken into Pharaoh's house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with
Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants,
female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
17
But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues
because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and
said, ―What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me
that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‗She is my sister,‘ so
that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her,
and go.‖ 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they
sent him away with his wife and all that he had.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Gives Lot the choice (Gen. 13)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2013;&version=ESV
Genesis 13
English Standard Version (ESV)
Abram and Lot Separate
13 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he
had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
2
Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place
where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
4
to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there
Abram called upon the name of the LORD. 5 And Lot, who went with
Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could
not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions
were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was
strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen
of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites
were dwelling in the land.
3
Then Abram said to Lot, ―Let there be no strife between you and
me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are
8
kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from
me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you
take the right hand, then I will go to the left.‖ 10 And Lot lifted up
his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered
everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in
the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom
and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley,
and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.
12
Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the
cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the
men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.
The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ―Lift
up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and
southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you
see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make
your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the
dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk
through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to
you.‖ 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks
of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the
LORD.
14
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Heroically rescues Lot (Gen. 14)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2014;&version=31
Genesis 14
English Standard Version (ESV)
Abram Rescues Lot
14 In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar,
Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 2 these kings
made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah,
Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of
Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 And all these joined forces in the Valley of
Siddim ( that is, the Salt Sea). 4 Twelve years they had served
Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 In the
fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him
came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in
Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their hill
country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness.
7
Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh)
and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the
Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.
8
Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of
Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar)
went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 with
Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of
Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. 10 Now
the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of
Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to
the hill country. 11 So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom
and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They
also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in
Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.
13
Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew,
who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of
Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. 14 When Abram
heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his
trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as
far as Dan. 15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he
and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah,
north of Damascus. 16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and
also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the
women and the people.
Abram Blessed by Melchizedek
17
After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings
who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the
Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Melchizedek
king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God
Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,
―Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!‖
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of
Sodom said to Abram, ―Give me the persons, but take the goods for
yourself.‖ 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, ―I have lifted my
hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,
23
that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is
yours, lest you should say, ‗I have made Abram rich.‘ 24 I will take
nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the
men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their
share.‖
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Is reassured of God’s promise (Gen. 15)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2015;&version=ESV
Genesis 15
English Standard Version (ESV)
God's Covenant with Abram
15 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a
vision: ―Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be
very great.‖ 2 But Abram said, ―O Lord GOD, what will you give me,
for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of
Damascus?‖ 3 And Abram said, ―Behold, you have given me no
offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.‖ 4 And
behold, the word of the LORD came to him: ―This man shall not be
your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.‖ 5 And he brought
him outside and said, ―Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if
you are able to number them.‖ Then he said to him, ―So shall your
offspring be.‖ 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him
as righteousness.
And he said to him, ―I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur
of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.‖ 8 But he said, ―O
7
Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?‖ 9 He said to
him, ―Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years
old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.‖ 10 And
he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over
against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when
birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And
behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the LORD
said to Abram, ―Know for certain that your offspring will be
sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and
they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring
judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall
come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your
fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they
shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the
Amorites is not yet complete.‖
17
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking
fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that
day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, ―To your
offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river,
the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the
Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the
Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Abraham and Sarah take matters into their own hands: Ishmael is born
(Gen. 16)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2016;&version=ESV
Genesis 16
English Standard Version (ESV)
Sarai and Hagar
16 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a
female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to
Abram, ―Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing
children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children
by her.‖ And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram
had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took
Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband
as a wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when
she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her
mistress. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, ―May the wrong done to me be
on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that
she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD
judge between you and me!‖ 6 But Abram said to Sarai, ―Behold,
your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.‖ Then Sarai
dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.
7
The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the
wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, ―Hagar,
servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you
going?‖ She said, ―I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.‖ 9 The angel
of the LORD said to her, ―Return to your mistress and submit to her.‖
10
The angel of the LORD also said to her, ―I will surely multiply
your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.‖
11
And the angel of the LORD said to her,
―Behold, you are pregnant
and shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
because the LORD has listened to your affliction.
12
He shall be a wild donkey of a man,
his hand against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.‖
So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, ―You are a
God of seeing,‖ for she said, ―Truly here I have seen him who looks
after me.‖ 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies
between Kadesh and Bered.
13
15
And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his
son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old
when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Submits to God’s will: circumcision (Gen. 17:1-14)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2017:1-14;&version=ESV
Genesis 17:1-14
English Standard Version (ESV)
Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to
Abram and said to him, ―I am God Almighty; walk before me, and
be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you,
and may multiply you greatly.‖ 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And
God said to him, 4 ―Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall
be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name
be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made
you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you
exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings
shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between
me and you and your offspring after you throughout their
generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to
your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your
offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of
Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.‖
And God said to Abraham, ―As for you, you shall keep my
covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their
generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between
me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you
shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your
foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.
12
He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every
male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or
bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your
offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought
with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant
be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male
who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off
from his people; he has broken my covenant.‖
9
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Isaac’s birth announced (Gen. 17:15-18:15)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2017:15-18:15;&version=ESV
Genesis 17:15-18:15
English Standard Version (ESV)
Isaac's Birth Promised
And God said to Abraham, ―As for Sarai your wife, you shall not
call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her,
and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she
shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.‖
17
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself,
―Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall
Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?‖ 18 And Abraham said
to God, ―Oh that Ishmael might live before you!‖ 19 God said, ―No,
but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name
Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting
covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard
you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and
multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make
him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with
Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.‖
15
22
When he had finished talking with him, God went up from
Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born
in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men
of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins
that very day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine
years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25
And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was
circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very day Abraham
and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his
house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a
foreigner, were circumcised with him.
18 And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat
at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes
and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him.
When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and
bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, ―O Lord, if I have found favor
in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be
brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree,
5
while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves,
and after that you may pass on— since you have come to your
servant.‖ So they said, ―Do as you have said.‖ 6 And Abraham went
quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, ―Quick! Three seahs of fine
flour! Knead it, and make cakes.‖ 7 And Abraham ran to the herd
and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who
prepared it quickly. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that
he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under
the tree while they ate.
They said to him, ―Where is Sarah your wife?‖ And he said, ―She
is in the tent.‖ 10 The LORD said, ―I will surely return to you about
this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.‖ And
Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham
9
and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had
ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying,
―After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?‖
13
The LORD said to Abraham, ―Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‗Shall
I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?‘ 14 Is anything too hard for
the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time
next year, and Sarah shall have a son.‖ 15 But Sarah denied it,
saying, ―I did not laugh,‖ for she was afraid. He said, ―No, but you
did laugh.‖
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Prays for Sodom (Gen. 18:22-33)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2018:22-33;&version=ESV
Genesis 18:22-33
English Standard Version (ESV)
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
22
So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but
Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham drew near
and said, ―Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the
wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you
then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous
who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the
righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the
wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
what is just?‖ 26 And the LORD said, ―If I find at Sodom fifty
righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.‖
Abraham answered and said, ―Behold, I have undertaken to speak
to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty
righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of
five?‖ And he said, ―I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.‖
29
Again he spoke to him and said, ―Suppose forty are found there.‖
27
He answered, ―For the sake of forty I will not do it.‖ 30 Then he said,
―Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are
found there.‖ He answered, ―I will not do it, if I find thirty there.‖
31
He said, ―Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose
twenty are found there.‖ He answered, ―For the sake of twenty I will
not destroy it.‖ 32 Then he said, ―Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I
will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.‖ He
answered, ―For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.‖ 33 And the
LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham,
and Abraham returned to his place.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Sodom is destroyed (Gen. 19:1-29)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2019:1-29;&version=ESV
Genesis 19:1-29
English Standard Version (ESV)
God Rescues Lot
19 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was
sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet
them and bowed himself with his face to the earth 2 and said, ―My
lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night
and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your
way.‖ They said, ―No; we will spend the night in the town square.‖
3
But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and
entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened
bread, and they ate.
4
But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom,
both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the
house. 5 And they called to Lot, ―Where are the men who came to
you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.‖ 6 Lot
went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, 7 and
said, ―I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Behold, I
have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring
them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to
these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.‖ 9 But
they said, ―Stand back!‖ And they said, ―This fellow came to
sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with
you than with them.‖ Then they pressed hard against the man Lot,
and drew near to break the door down. 10 But the men reached out
their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the
door. 11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the
entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore
themselves out groping for the door.
Then the men said to Lot, ―Have you anyone else here? Sons-inlaw, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out
of the place. 13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the
outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the
LORD has sent us to destroy it.‖ 14 So Lot went out and said to his
sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, ―Up! Get out of this
place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.‖ But he seemed to
his sons-in-law to be jesting.
12
As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, ―Up! Take
your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept
away in the punishment of the city.‖ 16 But he lingered. So the men
seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the
LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him
outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, ―Escape
for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley.
Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.‖ 18 And Lot said to
them, ―Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in
your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life.
But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I
die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one.
15
Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be
saved!‖ 21 He said to him, ―Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I
will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape
there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.‖ Therefore
the name of the city was called Zoar.
God Destroys Sodom
23
The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the
LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the
LORD out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the
valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the
ground. 26 But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became
a pillar of salt.
27
And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had
stood before the LORD. 28 And he looked down toward Sodom and
Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and,
behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.
29
So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God
remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the
overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Gives Sarah away- again (Gen. 20)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2020;&version=ESV
Genesis 20
English Standard Version (ESV)
Abraham and Abimelech
20 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb
and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar.
2
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, ―She is my sister.‖ And
Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to
Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, ―Behold, you are a
dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a
man's wife.‖ 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said,
―Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to
me, ‗She is my sister‘? And she herself said, ‗He is my brother.‘ In
the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done
this.‖ 6 Then God said to him in the dream, ―Yes, I know that you
have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept
you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.
7
Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will
pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know
that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.‖
8
So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants
and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid.
9
Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, ―What have you
done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have
brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me
things that ought not to be done.‖ 10 And Abimelech said to
Abraham, ―What did you see, that you did this thing?‖ 11 Abraham
said, ―I did it because I thought, ‗There is no fear of God at all in
this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.‘ 12 Besides, she
is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the
daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And when God
caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her, ‗This is
the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say
of me, ―He is my brother.‖‘‖
14
Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and
female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his
wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, ―Behold, my land is before you;
dwell where it pleases you.‖ 16 To Sarah he said, ―Behold, I have
given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your
innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone
you are vindicated.‖ 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God
healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so
that they bore children. 18 For the LORD had closed all the wombs of
the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Isaac born (Gen. 21:1-7)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2021:1-7;&version=ESV
Genesis 21:1-7
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Birth of Isaac
21 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to
Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham
a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.
3
Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom
Sarah bore him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac
when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5
Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to
him. 6 And Sarah said, ―God has made laughter for me; everyone
who hears will laugh over me.‖ 7 And she said, ―Who would have
said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne
him a son in his old age.‖
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Sends Ishmael away (Gen. 21:8-21)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2021:8-21;&version=ESV
Genesis 21:8-21
English Standard Version (ESV)
God Protects Hagar and Ishmael
8
And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great
feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of
Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.
10
So she said to Abraham, ―Cast out this slave woman with her son,
for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.‖
11
And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his
son. 12 But God said to Abraham, ―Be not displeased because of the
boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you,
do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.
13
And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also,
because he is your offspring.‖ 14 So Abraham rose early in the
morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar,
putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away.
And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15
When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one
of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good
way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, ―Let me not
look on the death of the child.‖ And as she sat opposite him, she
lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy,
and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her,
―What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of
the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with
your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.‖ 19 Then God
opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and
filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was
with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and
became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of
Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Sacrifices Isaac (Gen. 22)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2022;&version=ESV
Genesis 22
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Sacrifice of Isaac
22 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him,
―Abraham!‖ And he said, ―Here I am.‖ 2 He said, ―Take your son,
your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah,
and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of
which I shall tell you.‖ 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning,
saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and
his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose
and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day
Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then
Abraham said to his young men, ―Stay here with the donkey; I and
the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.‖
6
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on
Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they
went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham,
―My father!‖ And he said, ―Here I am, my son.‖ He said, ―Behold,
the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?‖
Abraham said, ―God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt
offering, my son.‖ So they went both of them together.
8
9
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham
built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his
son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham
reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But
the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said,
―Abraham, Abraham!‖ And he said, ―Here I am.‖ 12 He said, ―Do
not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know
that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only
son, from me.‖ 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and
behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And
Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering
instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, ―The
LORD will provide‖; as it is said to this day, ―On the mount of the
LORD it shall be provided.‖
15
And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from
heaven 16 and said, ―By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD,
because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your
only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your
offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the
seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
18
and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,
because you have obeyed my voice.‖ 19 So Abraham returned to his
young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And
Abraham lived at Beersheba.
Now after these things it was told to Abraham, ―Behold, Milcah
also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn,
Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo,
Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.‖ 23 ( Bethuel fathered Rebekah.)
These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. 24 Moreover,
20
his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham,
Tahash, and Maacah.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Buries Sarah in Promised Land (Gen. 23)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2023;&version=ESV
Genesis 23
English Standard Version (ESV)
Sarah's Death and Burial
23 Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2
And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of
Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for
her. 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the
Hittites, 4 ―I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me
property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead
out of my sight.‖ 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 ―Hear us, my
lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the
choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb
to hinder you from burying your dead.‖ 7 Abraham rose and bowed
to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 And he said to them, ―If you
are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and
entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may give me the
cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For
the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a
burying place.‖
10
Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the
Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who
went in at the gate of his city, 11 ―No, my lord, hear me: I give you
the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons
of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.‖ 12 Then Abraham
bowed down before the people of the land. 13 And he said to Ephron
in the hearing of the people of the land, ―But if you will, hear me: I
give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my
dead there.‖ 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 ―My lord, listen to me:
a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that
between you and me? Bury your dead.‖ 16 Abraham listened to
Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had
named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver,
according to the weights current among the merchants.
17
So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of
Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that
were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over 18 to
Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all
who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried
Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre
(that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave that
is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place
by the Hittites
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Provides Wife for Isaac (Gen. 24)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2024;&version=ESV
Genesis 24
English Standard Version (ESV)
Isaac and Rebekah
24 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the LORD
had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his
servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he
had, ―Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by
the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not
take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among
whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and
take a wife for my son Isaac.‖ 5 The servant said to him, ―Perhaps
the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then
take your son back to the land from which you came?‖ 6 Abraham
said to him, ―See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The
LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and
from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me,
‗To your offspring I will give this land,‘ he will send his angel
before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if
the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from
this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.‖ 9 So
the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and
swore to him concerning this matter.
10
Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed,
taking all sorts of choice gifts from his master; and he arose and
went to Mesopotamia to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made the
camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time
of evening, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 And he
said, ―O LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me
success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.
13
Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of
the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Let the young
woman to whom I shall say, ‗Please let down your jar that I may
drink,‘ and who shall say, ‗Drink, and I will water your camels‘—let
her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By
this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.‖
15
Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born
to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother,
came out with her water jar on her shoulder. 16 The young woman
was very attractive in appearance, a maiden whom no man had
known. She went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up.
17
Then the servant ran to meet her and said, ―Please give me a little
water to drink from your jar.‖ 18 She said, ―Drink, my lord.‖ And she
quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink.
19
When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, ―I will draw
water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.‖ 20 So
she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well
to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. 21 The man gazed at
her in silence to learn whether the LORD had prospered his journey
or not.
22
When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring
weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten
gold shekels, 23 and said, ―Please tell me whose daughter you are. Is
there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?‖ 24 She
said to him, ―I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom
she bore to Nahor.‖ 25 She added, ―We have plenty of both straw and
fodder, and room to spend the night.‖ 26 The man bowed his head
and worshiped the LORD 27 and said, ―Blessed be the LORD, the God
of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and
his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me
in the way to the house of my master's kinsmen.‖ 28 Then the young
woman ran and told her mother's household about these things.
29
Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out
toward the man, to the spring. 30 As soon as he saw the ring and the
bracelets on his sister's arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his
sister, ―Thus the man spoke to me,‖ he went to the man. And
behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 31 He said,
―Come in, O blessed of the LORD. Why do you stand outside? For I
have prepared the house and a place for the camels.‖ 32 So the man
came to the house and unharnessed the camels, and gave straw and
fodder to the camels, and there was water to wash his feet and the
feet of the men who were with him. 33 Then food was set before him
to eat. But he said, ―I will not eat until I have said what I have to
say.‖ He said, ―Speak on.‖
So he said, ―I am Abraham's servant. 35 The LORD has greatly
blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him
flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants,
camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to
my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he
has. 37 My master made me swear, saying, ‗You shall not take a
wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land
34
I dwell, 38 but you shall go to my father's house and to my clan and
take a wife for my son.‘ 39 I said to my master, ‗Perhaps the woman
will not follow me.‘ 40 But he said to me, ‗The LORD, before whom I
have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way.
You shall take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father's
house. 41 Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my
clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my
oath.‘
―I came today to the spring and said, ‗O LORD, the God of my
master Abraham, if now you are prospering the way that I go,
43
behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let the virgin who
comes out to draw water, to whom I shall say, ―Please give me a
little water from your jar to drink,‖ 44 and who will say to me,
―Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,‖ let her be the woman
whom the LORD has appointed for my master's son.‘
42
―Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah
came out with her water jar on her shoulder, and she went down to
the spring and drew water. I said to her, ‗Please let me drink.‘ 46 She
quickly let down her jar from her shoulder and said, ‗Drink, and I
will give your camels drink also.‘ So I drank, and she gave the
camels drink also. 47 Then I asked her, ‗Whose daughter are you?‘
She said, ‗The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore
to him.‘ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms.
48
Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD and blessed the
LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right
way to take the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son. 49 Now
then, if you are going to show steadfast love and faithfulness to my
master, tell me; and if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand
or to the left.‖
45
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, ―The thing has come
from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Behold,
50
Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of
your master's son, as the LORD has spoken.‖
52
When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself to
the earth before the LORD. 53 And the servant brought out jewelry of
silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also
gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 54 And he
and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the
night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, ―Send me
away to my master.‖ 55 Her brother and her mother said, ―Let the
young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that
she may go.‖ 56 But he said to them, ―Do not delay me, since the
LORD has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my
master.‖ 57 They said, ―Let us call the young woman and ask her.‖
58
And they called Rebekah and said to her, ―Will you go with this
man?‖ She said, ―I will go.‖ 59 So they sent away Rebekah their
sister and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they
blessed Rebekah and said to her,
―Our sister, may you become
thousands of ten thousands,
and may your offspring possess
the gate of those who hate him!‖
61
Then Rebekah and her young women arose and rode on the
camels and followed the man. Thus the servant took Rebekah and
went his way.
62
Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in
the Negeb. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward
evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there were
camels coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she
saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel 65 and said to the servant,
―Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?‖ The servant
said, ―It is my master.‖ So she took her veil and covered herself.
66
And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then
Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took
Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was
comforted after his mother's death.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Remarries, has other children, then dies (Gen. 25:1-10)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2025:1-10;&version=ESV
Genesis 25:1-10
English Standard Version (ESV)
Abraham's Death and His Descendants
25 Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She
bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3
Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were
Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 The sons of Midian were
Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the
children of Keturah. 5 Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. 6 But to the
sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still
living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east
country.
7
These are the days of the years of Abraham's life, 175 years.
Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man
and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9 Isaac and Ishmael
his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron
the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, 10 the field that Abraham
8
purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah
his wife.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
SEARCH The WORD: ABRAHAM
Muslim view of Abraham’s place in Islam, Judaism and Christianity
http://www.soundvision.com/info/hajj/abraham.asp
The Place of Prophet Ibrahim in Islam, Christianity and
Judaism
Faith, sacrifice, commitment and patience.
These are just some of the qualities that characterize Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham as
he is called in English (peace be upon him).
So it should come as no surprise that he is revered not just in Islam, but in Christianity
and Judaism as well. Prophet Ibrahim is also a great personality to discuss in dialogues
between Muslims, Jews and Christians. Here is some basic information about him from
the three perspectives:
1. ISLAM
"Salam (peace) be upon Abraham!" God says in the Quran (37:109).
In Islam, Prophet Ibrahim is the friend of God and the father of Prophets (Ismail or
Ishmael in English and Ishaq or Isaac and the grandfather of Prophet Yaqub or Jacob).
He is also one of the ancestors of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him).
Anyone who rejects Prophet Ibrahim is not a true believer in Islam. Prophet Ibrahim
plays a key role in this regard.
In terms of beliefs, a Muslim must believe in all of the Prophets. This includes not just
Prophet Ibrahim, but his sons Ismail, Ishaq, his grandson Yaqub and of course his
descendant Prophet Muhammad.
When it comes to the five pillars of Islam, the importance of Prophet Ibrahim
becomes even more evident.
The second pillar of Islam is Salah, the obligatory five daily prayers. Every Muslim who
has reached the age of puberty is accountable for their prayers, be he male or be she
female, whether they live in the desert of northern Arabia, a village of northern
Pakistan or an urban center of North America.
During one part of each of these five prayers, Muslims must ask God to send His
blessings upon Prophet Ibrahim. Now calculate this: you've got more than a few
million Muslims, every day, five times a day, in virtually every time zone on this
planet asking God to send His blessings on Prophet Ibrahim in the course of his/her
prayer.
More importantly, the direction in which every Muslim must face when praying is
towards a structure Prophet Ibrahim built with his son Ismail: the Kaba, in Makkah,
Saudi Arabia.
With regards to the Kaba, God says this about it: "The first House (of worship)
appointed for men was that at Bakka (another name for Makkah); full of blessings and
guidance for all kinds of beings: in it are signs manifest, the station of Abrahamwhoever enters it attains security; pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to God-those
who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, God stands not in need of any of
His creatures"(Quran 3:96-97).
This leads to the second way in which this Prophet, described as the intimate friend
of God (Quran 4:125), is revered: Hajj.
Hajj is the pilgrimage every Muslim must make to Makkah at least once in his/her
lifetime. Hajj is also an obligation no Muslim is allowed to reject or ignore. It is in this
rite that Prophet Ibrahim's importance becomes even more prominent.
In general, Prophet Ibrahim's centrality to this fifth pillar of Islam is indicated by the
Prophet Mohammed's statement, You must adhere to the traditions and rituals (of
Hajj), for these have come down to you from (your forefather) Ibrahim in heritage
(Tirmidhi).
First, the Kaba is the central structure around which the Hajj takes place. No Hajj is
valid without going around this structure built by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail in
counterclockwise fashion seven times.
Second, Muslims who perform the Hajj or Umra must run in the middle portion of the
distance between Safa and Marwa (two hills close to the Kaba) seven times. This is a
commemoration of the sacrifice of the wife of Abraham, Hajira (may God be pleased
with her) for her son Prophet Ismail
Prophet Ibrahim had settled his wife and son in the valley of Makkah by God's order to
pioneers a civilization. It was from this civilization that the Prophet Mohammed was
born.
Finally, Prophet's Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his beloved son Ismail for the sake
of God exemplifies not only his sincere devotion to God. The commemoration of this
sacrifice is practiced with the sacrifice of an animal during Hajj and one of the two
Islamic holy days: Eid-ul-Adha.
Both father and son willingly submitted to God's command. God substituted a ram in
Ismail's place at the last moment. God talks about this incident in Quran 37:100-107.
The sacrifice that is offered by Muslims all over the world every year (at Eid-ul-Adha)
is in commemoration of the supreme act and spirit of sacrifice offered by Prophet
Abraham in lieu of his son Ismail.
2. JUDAISM
According to A Concise Encyclopedia of Judaism by Dan Cohn-Sherbok (Oneworld
Publications 1998), Prophet Abraham is the father of Jewish people.
According to Scripture, he was the son of Terah and the father of Isaac, who was born
to Sarah, and he is also the father of Ishmael, who was born to Hagar.
After leaving Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham traveled to Canaan, visited Egypt and
returned to Hebron. God appeared to him in a vision. He promised Abraham that his
descendants would inherit the land. God tested Abraham's faith by asking him to
sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen. 11:26-25:10).
When the mother of Isaac, Sarah, died, Abraham bought the cave of Macpelah as a
burial place. Abraham died at the age of 175.
According to the Oxford Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion by Louis Jacobs
(Oxford University press 1999), the story of Abraham is narrated in the book of
Genesis (11:27-25:18). Here is an excerpt from that section (from Genesis 22:2-13)
which focuses on the Abraham's sacrifice of his son Isaac, according to Jewish
tradition:
And He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the
land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of
which I shall tell you".
So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his
young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering,
and arose and went to the place which God had told him.
Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.And
Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go
yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.'
So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he
took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.
But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am,
my son." And he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt
offering?'
And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt
offering." And the two of them went together.
Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an alter
there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the
alter, upon the wood.
And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel
of the LORD called to him from heaven and said "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said,
"Here I am."
And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know
that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a
thicket by its horn. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt
offering instead of his son.
A majority of contemporary scholars think that he lived in approximately the
eighteenth-century before the Christian Era.
In the Jewish tradition, he is the father of the Jews and Judaism.
God's covenant with Abraham is expressed in the rite of circumcision (Genesis 17) and
male Jewish children, to this day are, for the most part circumcised.
This act is called 'entry into the covenant of Abraham our father', and the name of the
rite itself is the 'berit'; the 'covenant'.
Abraham is also considered the spiritual father of anyone who converts to Judaism. At
a Jewish conversion ceremony, a convert is given a Hebrew name and is called a 'child
of Abraham our father'.
3. CHRISTIANITY
It is through the central figure of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) that Prophet
Abraham is given prominence in the Christian tradition.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia Volume 1 (1999, Kevin Knight, online version),
in the New Testament, the generation of Jesus Christ is traced back to Abraham by St.
Matthew.
Similarly, as the New Testament traces Prophet Jesus' descent of Jesus to Prophet
Abraham, it does the same of all Jews in terms of "carnal" descent.
However, in the New Testament, it is not this carnal descent from Abraham to which
importance is attached but importance is placed on practicing the virtues attributed
to Abraham in Genesis. Thus in John, 8, the Jews say (33): "We are the seed of
Abraham", and Jesus replies (39): "If ye be the children of Abraham, do the works of
Abraham".
The Catholic Encyclopedia also notes that Prophet Abraham may considered the
source of Old Testament religion. From the days of Prophet Abraham, men were
accustomed to speaking of God as the God of Abraham, while Prophet Abraham is not
found referring in a similar way to anyone preceding him.
According to the A Concise Encyclopedia of Christianity by Geoffrey Parrinder
(Oneworld Publications 1998), Abraham is a great Hebrew patriarch and is considered
the common spiritual father of the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and
Islam.
Paul wrote of all those who have faith being children of Abraham (Gal. 3:7). Prophet
Abraham's faith and example is cited by many Christian authors.
According to Luke 16:22, Jesus spoke of Abraham's bosom as a symbol of Paradise
(Luke 16:22).
Christians believe God first gave Abraham a son through a bond woman named Hagar.
This son was named Ishmael. God gave him a second son from his barren wife Sarah.
He was named Isaac.
According to Christian tradition, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac "to
prove that he was 'worthy of becoming the father of a mighty nation, which would be
as numerous as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore'" (from A
History of God, the 4,000-year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen
Armstrong published by Alfred A. Knopf, 1993).
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
WHY DO MUSLIMS REJECT THE TRINITY?
Islamic viewpoint (uses reason to deny the Trinity)
http://www.answering-christianity.com/jesus.htm
ISLAM AND THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST
The major most difference between Islam and Christianity revolves around the divinity of Christ.
Whereas the Koran states that Jesus was no more than a prophet of God, a human being,
Christian doctrine insists that he was in some way divine, a son of God. The doctrine of God
incarnate, whereby it is implied that that "word" that was divine became flesh states the same
thing. The concept of the Trinity, popular among the majority of Christian churches embodies
within itself the notion that three distinct co-equals are God.
The Koran states unequivocally, that God is just one (indivisible) and that no one can be held
equal to God.
This forms the very heart and the basis of the system called Islam. The Christian articles of GodIncarnate, Son of God, Holy Trinity, clearly violate the oneness of God that Islam teaches.
In any logical/scientific study of religion, it is necessary to consider the facts and then go to the
origin of the dis-equilibrium, as opposed to just dealing with the subjective claims of the
followers of the various systems.
The standard for Islam is the Koran, that for Christianity is the Bible particularly the New
Testament. Let us go to the sources and examine them.
As this document is being written by a Muslim, it is understood that the majority of people
belonging to the "other camp," will be skeptical as to the intentions and purpose of this research.
For this reason, I request that the style of the document be considered, which will according to
my purpose show that value judgments have been avoided and that the arguments and quotations
are stated clearly and truthfully. If however it is still believed that I have falsified some
information or misquoted from the source book, it is requested that
corrections be sent to the author for comments and consideration and possible change of stand on
issues.
THE TRINITY:
The Athnasian Creed states the concept of the Holy Trinity in its standard form. Its wording runs
as follows:
"There is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the
Godhead of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all one, the glory equal, the
majesty co-eternal....The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Ghost is God, and yet there are
not three Gods but one God."
GOD INCARNATE:
This concept in its summary states that God became a man, and that that man was Jesus. It is
claimed that Jesus shared the nature of God in every way and that he was in every way a God,
and a man. He was the only "begotten" son of God and hence a "son of God" in a unique fashion.
From the standpoint of mathematics and the English language, when we say that this is a person,
that is another person and that that one is yet another, it is understood that there are three people
involved and not just one. One plus one plus one will always be three and not one. Therefore, the
concept of Trinity is itself faulty in its
wording. If the three are separately and distinctly God then there are three distinct Gods,
according to the language. If there is only One God, then each, Father, Son and Holy Ghost , on
their own cannot be God.
From the standpoint of the human mind's comprehension, when the preacher says, "In the Name
of the Father," a certain distinct mental image or idea emerges. When he continues, "And the
Son, "the idea or image that one gets now is different. The same is the case when the words Holy
Ghost are uttered by the preacher. No matter
how hard you try, you can never super-impose these three distinct pictures as one. Three persons
can never be one person. One person can have parts to his/her personality. Together those parts
form the person. However, the concept of the Trinity states it completely different. It is claimed
that Jesus is not a part of God but 100%
God on his own, so also the Holy Ghost and the Father. But then it is conluced that they are not
three but One God. The premise of the statement does not support its conclusion about there
being One God. It makes the assertion about the trinity impossible to prove logically and reduces
it to just words which can not have any meaning.
Jesus, according to the source of Christianity, in the records that we have of his sayings, never
made a claim to be divine. In an answer to a question on what the first commandment was, he
replied, "The First is, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One (Mark 12:29)."
The word translated "one" in the above verse is the Hebrew IKHAD. This word is the same as
the Arabic AHAD. It means one whole, indivisible. It doesn't and cannot in anyway represent the
Trinity but rather it disqualifies it. It is well documented and understood by scholars of the
history of Christianity, universally, that the Trinity was a later invention, and was never preached
by Jesus. Jesus preached about the one God and His kingdom.
When the believers in the divinity of Christ are asked on whether Jesus himself ever made a
claim to be God, in the sources that they have, a handful of basically similar references across
the board are offered to the questioner. However, all of these references when studied in their
context and in the context of other explicit statements made by Jesus, fail to prove that Jesus was
claiming to be God in any way. There are three main problems with the claims that are
presented. They are either i)insufficient on their own to prove the divinity of
any person, ii) or it is impossible, on the basis of the verse alone to prove the divinity of any
person, or iii) They are ambiguous; in that they are open to alternative interpretation which is
more valid than what is asserted.
THE CLAIMS:
Claim 1>. Jesus says, " I and the Father are One (John 10:30)."
It is claimed on the basis of this quotation (which is almost always presented without its context)
that Jesus was claiming equality with God. The problem with this assertion is that the context has
been taken out, either deliberately or out of ignorance. My experience with people presenting this
claim is that often enough they are even unaware of where the quotation came from in the
Gospel of John.
Beginning at verse 23 of the Gospel of John, chapter 10 we read (in the context of 10:30) about
Jesus talking to the Jews. In verse 28, talking about his followers as his sheep, he states:
"...Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. 29)My Father who gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck
them out of my Father's hand. 30) I and the Father are One."
The above verses prove only that Jesus and the Father are one in that no man can pluck the sheep
out of either's hand. It does not at all state that Jesus is God's equal in everything. In fact the
words of Jesus, " My Father, who
gave them me is Greater than ALL...," completely negates this claim, otherwise we are left with
a contradiction just a sentence apart. All includes everyone even Jesus.
In the 17th chapter of John, verses 20-22, the same word ONE used in the above verses, the
Greek, HEN is used, not only to describe Jesus and the Father but to describe Jesus, the Father
and eleven of the twelve disciples of Jesus. So here if that implies equality, we have a unique
case of 13 Gods.
"That the ALL may be made ONE. Like thou Father art in me, I in thee, that they may be ONE in
us. I in
them, they in me, that they may be perfect in ONE (John 17:20-22)."
Of the verse in question, "I and the Father are One(John 10:30)," we also need to take note of
the verses following the 30th verse in the text. In those verses, the Jews accuse Jesus falsely of
claiming to be God by these words. He however replies, proving their accusation wrong by their
own text:" The Jews answered him saying,'For a good work we stone thee not, but for
blasphemy, and because that thou being a man, makest thyself a God '(John 10:33)."
Jesus replies to this accusation saying: "Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your Law, "I
said ye are gods.
"If He can call them gods, unto whom the word of God came, say ye of him whom the Father
hath sanctified and sent into the world, "Thou blasphemeth," because I said I am the son of God?'
(John 10:34-36)."
In the language of the Bible, in Psalms 82 from which Jesus quotes above, the word "gods" is
used by God to describe the prophets ("to whom the word of God came"). Jesus argues with
them that if God can call the prophets gods, then his saying that he is the "son of God," is no
claim to divinity, just as the other prophets were not God just because they were referred to as
gods by God himself.
The point that Jesus makes to the Jews is further proven by the use of the term "son of God," in
both the Old and the New Testament. Metaphorically speaking, God is the cherisher and
sustainer and hence the "Father" of everybody. This doesn't mean that the person so described as
a "son of God" is physically begotten by God or of the same nature as God. Otherwise the term
"son of God" would not make any sense. God by definition
signifies one who received his existence from nobody, whereas son signifies someone who
received his existence from somebody else. God and son are mutually exclusive terms, they
cannot go together. The use of the term by Jesus and in other places in the Bible is metaphoric
and not literal.
The many Sons of God in the Bible:
1. Luke 3:38 "...Adam which was the Son of God."
2. Genesis 6:2 &4 "That the sons of God saw the daughters of men...and when the sons of God
came in unto
the daughters of men..."
3. Exodus 4:22 "Israel is my son even my first born."
4. Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the spirit of God are called sons of God,"
5. Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peace-makers for they shall be called sons of God."
By the above quotations from the Bible it should be clear that the term "son of God," signifies
only a righteous person. It does not mean that the person so titled is divine, or we would have
hundreds of Gods according to the Bible. Jesus is described as the "son of man," 83 times in the
New Testament whereas he's described only 13 times as the son of God. What we also see is that
Jesus used the terms, "Your Father," "Thy Father," describing God's relationship with people 13
times before the first time he ever said, "My Father," about God. All these show that he was in
no way implying that God physically begot him.
It is claimed that in John 3:16 (the favorite verse of the evangelists) that Jesus is referred to as
the only son of God. A careful reading of the verse compared to Hebrews 11:17 shows that Isaac
is described as the only son of Abraham, whereas literally speaking Isaac was never the only son
of Abraham as Ishmael was born before him. The use of the word is metaphoric, Jesus was
special among the sons of God.
Peter in the Book of Acts testifies about Jesus: "O you men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of
Nazareth, a MAN approved of God among you...(Acts 2:22)." Jesus thus even to his disciples, as
to early Christians, not poisoned by Pauline doctrine, was a man, not a God.
Claim 2> Another claim that is often times made is concerning Isaiah 7:14. In the Book of Isaiah
in the Old Testament of the Bible it states: "Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign,
behold a
will conceive and bear a child and shall call his name Immanu-el."
It is claimed that the above was a prophecy about the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary. It is
further claimed that since the word Immanuel means "God with us," the person being talked
about, i.e Jesus was God.
The above quotation is from the King James Version of the Bible. The word translated as
"virgin" is the wrong translation of the Hebrew word ALMAH. The word ALMAH in Hebrew
means "young woman." The correct Hebrew word for virgin is BETHULAH. Since many young
women begot children since those words were penned, it is not at all necessary that those words
should apply to Jesus.
Another fact that is often ignored is that Jesus was never named Immanuel, nor did anyone ever
address him as Immanuel when he lived. On the contrary, the Messiah was named Jesus (Luke
2:21) by the angel according to the gospels. Also, even if a person is named Immanuel, it doesn't
mean that the person so named is God.
Consider for example all the people named ELI in the Old Testament. ELI means God in the
Hebrew. It is also narrated that Jesus while talking to God referred to Him as ELI (Mark 15:34 &
Matthew 27:46). We cannot however on this basis of just name accept all the people named ELI
in the Old Testament as Gods. Similarly, we cannot accept a person named Immanuel (God with
us) as God. Jesus was never named Immanuel anyway,
so both ways the argument and claim are false.
Claim 3> Another common claim is John 1:1 which reads: "In the beginning was the word,
and the word was with God, and the word was God." This is often presented from the
Gospel of John to prove that Jesus was God. There are however several problems with this
claim:
By the above verse it is assumed that Jesus was the "word" and since the word was God and
became flesh, Jesus is God. The statement that John reproduced in his gospel however was
uttered not by John but by a certain Philo of Alexandria, years before Jesus or John were born. It
is therefore completely unlikely that Philo was even remotely referring to Jesus.
There is also another reason, considering the Greek of the above verse which disproves the
assertion that Jesus is referred to as God in the verse. In the verse above, the first time the word
God is used, the Greek is HOTHEOS, which means The God. The second time the word God is
used,"....and the word was God," the word for God is TONTHEOS, which means A God.
Europeans have evolved a system of capital and small letters non-existent in Greek. The God,
HOTHEOS is translated as God with a capital G, whereas Tontheos, which means A or ANY
God is translated with a small g, god. In this case however, we see the unlawful translators trying
to prove Jesus being God by putting capital G for both whereas it doesn't belong in the case of
the "word".
Check out Exodus 7:1 (God said to Moses)"See I have made you a god (in the Greek it would be
Tontheos, doesn't mean God almighty but just a god.) to Pharaoh and Aaron thy brother will be
thy prophet."
2 Corinthians 4:4 Paul states that the Devil is the God (should be Hotheos in Greek but the
translators translate it with a small g instead of capital) of the world.
The word "god" in the Bible is used for every other person including the prophets. It does not
mean the person is God almighty. As examples consider the above quote from Exodus where
Moses is referred to as God and also Psalms 82:6 where God allegedly refers to the prophets as
gods: "I said, Ye are all gods and all of you are the children of the Most High."
4. Another common claim presented from the Bible to "prove" the divinity of Christ is presented
surprisingly from the first chapter of the book of Genesis. God in there says :"Let US create."
The word us is plural and has been used by God for himself in Genesis. Christians assert that this
plural proves the Trinity, otherwise God would have used the singular.
This claim is ill founded. An ignorance of eastern languages including Hebrew and Arabic
prompts such a claims. In most eastern languages, there are two types of plurals: plural of
numbers and plural of respect. In the Koran, God speaks of Himself as "us" and "we" too. Yet in
those verses no Muslim will ever doubt that God is referring to Himself alone. Even in old
English, the King or the Queen would use such plurals for themselves
alone. An objective inquiry from Jewish scholars, whose book the Old Testament is, will reveal
the same. Also, modern translators recognize this and therefore translate the word ELOHIM in
the Old Testament as God and not Gods even though it is a plural. I have never seen a Bible with
the word ELOHIM translated as "Gods". It is a plural of respect, it doesn't signify the Trinity.
5. Another common claim that is presented is Philip's statement in John 14:9 where Philip asks to
be shown God, and Jesus replies, " If you have seen me you have seen the Father."
By this statement the Christian claims that what Jesus is really saying is that "I am the Father."
However, Jesus is not saying this. We need to read the context of the verse in question.
Beginning from verse 4, we see that the disciples are misunderstanding Jesus from the beginning.
Verse 4) Jesus is talking about a spiritual journey,
going to God whereas Thomas takes it to be a physical journey. In verse 7, Jesus makes clear that
to know him would be to know God since Jesus was conveying knowledge about God. Philip
then asks Jesus to show them the Father to which the response in 14:9 comes. Since God cannot
be seen according to the law of the Jews (which says that No one can see God and live), the only
way that He can be known is through His signs and
messengers. Jesus' response "If you have seen me you have seen the Father," is consistent with
this. He is not claiming to be God.
However, to further prove that Jesus was not claiming to be God, consider what Jesus says in
John 5:32 "You have not heard him (God) at any time NEITHER seen His shape or form." Now
the Jews and the disciples were seeing Jesus. If Jesus was God then this statement by him is a
gross error and a contradiction compared to John
14:9. No, Jesus was not claiming to be God in any way.
On the contrary Jesus says:
i) "The Father is greater than I." John 14:28
ii)"y Father is greater than ALL." (John 10:29)
iii)" I can of mine own self do NOTHING.....I seek not my own will but the will of Him who
sent me (John 5:30)."
iv) Jesus was sent according to the verse above by his own admission. In this verse he himself
says that the one who is sent:"..... the one who is sent is not greater than the one who sent (John
13:16)."
God according to Judaism, Christianity and Islam has knowledge of everything. Jesus according
to the Gospels had limited knowledge and therefore can never be God:
"For of that hour (of Judgment) knows no man, no not the angels, NEITHER THE SON, but the
Father in heaven (John 10:32)."
A similar idea is reflected in Mark 11: 12-13 where Jesus appears ignorant of the
season of fruiting of the fig tree.
6. In trying to prove the divinity of Jesus, Christians assert that Jesus gave life to the dead,
something which only God can do and hence he was God. The major problem with this assertion
is the continual denial on the part of Jesus that he was doing the miracles on his own. In John
5:30 above, for example, we read that Jesus disclaims having the power to do anything. In
Matthew 28:18 it is further asserted that all power to do everything was GIVEN to Jesus. In this
context read John 12:49. Hence Jesus is the receiver (recipient) and
not the originator of that power. Therefore he was not God. A reading of John 11:40-43, which
tells the story of the bringing back of Lazarus to life, clearly reveals that it was God who brought
Lazarus back to life, using Jesus:
"Then he took away the stone from the place the dead was laid; and Jesus lifted up his eyes and
said: 'Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me, and I know that you hear me always....' (John
11:40-43)
God heard Jesus, and Jesus knew that God would work the miracle through him.
7. The Koran and the New Testament both suggest that Jesus was born without a father and only
had a mother.
This is sometimes presented by Christians to prove that God was the father of Jesus in a physical
sense and hence Jesus was God the son or the son of God.
The Koran clarifies this misconception by comparing the creation of Jesus to the creation of
Adam (Koran 3:59) God, who created the first humans could create a man without a father. It is
no big deal for God. The New Testament points to another man also, greater than Jesus in his
credentials, yet this man is ignored by main line Christianity:
"For this Melchizedec, King of Salem, priest of the Most High God....without father, without
mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days or end of life...." (Hebrews 7:1-3)
Can anyone match that?
Therefore it is insufficient on the basis of the above alone to prove that a person was God just
because he had no father. According to the Christian assumptions about God, He has no shape or
sex (see John 4:24), but Jesus had a human form and was of the male gender (Luke 2:21).
Therefore, Jesus cannot be God. God has no beginning or end. Jesus had a beginning (Luke 2:6)
and according to Christianity, a violent death on the cross.
Therefore he cannot be God.
8. It is often claimed that since Thomas referred to Jesus as "My God, my Lord (John 20:28),"
that Jesus was God. An ignorance of the context of the verse and of Christian doctrine prompts
this claim.
The context of the verse talks about an unbelieving Thomas being surprised when Jesus offers
him evidence.
The exclamation, "My God," on his part was just astonishment. We use such exclamations
everyday while talking to people. This doesn't mean that the person we are talking to is God. For
example, I see John cutting his wrist with a Rambo knife. I say: "My God, John what are you
doing?" Do I mean that John is God? Of course not. Similar is the use of the expression by
Thomas. If you go into Jewish or Muslim societies even today, you'll hear people exclaim "My
God, my Lord," at every situation which surprises them or causes them anguish or is astonishing.
In the verse above Thomas says: "My God, my Lord." He was not claiming that Jesus was his i)
God and ii) Lord. If he did then the church and the disciples should have stamped him as a
heretic right there and then.
Because claiming that Jesus is Lord and God is a violation of Christian doctrine, which asserts
that there is One God, the Father and One Lord, Jesus. Jesus can't be God and Lord.
"...yet for us there is but one God, the Father...and one Lord, Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 8: )
Believing the above (i.e Jesus is Lord and God) would leave a person with unorthodox doctrine
branded by the church as Sabellianism, Patripassianism, Monarchianism.
9. It is claimed that Jesus used the words, "I am", and since these same words were used by God
to describe Himself to the people in the Old Testament, Jesus was claiming to be God. John 8:58,
is presented to back this
claim. In the verse, Jesus says:" Before Abraham was I am."
Now, if Jesus existed before Abraham did, that might be a remarkable thing, but does that prove
that he was God? How many people existed before Abraham? The Bible presents Jeremiah as
being a prophet before he was conceived in his mother's womb (Jeremiah 1:5), yet no one says
that his pre-human existence qualifies him for deity.
In Exodus chapter 3, God allegedly says: "I am what I am." Long before the time of Jesus, there
existed a Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. The key word, "I am," in
Exodus which is used by Christians to prove the deity of Jesus is translated as "HO ON."
However, when Jesus uses the word in John 8:58 the Greek of the "I am," is EGO EIMI. If Jesus
wanted to tell the Jews that he was claiming to be God he
should have at least remained consistent in the use of words or the whole point is lost. How
many people in that age would have said "I am," in answer to questions in everyday life.
Billions. Are they all gods? If you ask me :"Are you Mohammed," and I say "I am," am I
claiming to be God just because God happened to use the words
"I am?"
10. It is sometimes claimed that the use of the Hebrew word for father, ABBA, by Jesus for God,
signifies a special relationship of a physical type. This however is unwarranted since every
Christian is supposed to use the same word ABBA for God (see Romans 8:14, and Galatians 4:6)
Sometimes, certain other terms used by Jesus for himself are presented to prove that he was
claiming divinity. Terms like "Messiah," and "Savior," are not only applied to Jesus in the
gospels but have been applied to others in the Bible. Yet in their case, no one says that they
prove divinity. If these claims were to be presented
truthfully then we would have not one but many candidates for divinity.
As examples, Cyrus the Persian, who was a pagan is called Messiah in the Bible (Isaiah 45:1). It
is however covered up by the translators who translate the word as anointed. The Hebrew and the
Arabic word Messiah comes from the root Masaaha, which means to rub, message or anoint.
Ancient kings and priests were "anointed" or appointed, into office. It does not mean that the
person so named and termed is God at all. The
title of "savior," or "saviors" is used for other people in the Bible (2 Kings 13:5 and Obadiah 21
and Nehemiah 9:27). Translators are well aware of this so they substitute the word savior for
deliverer to throw off readers.
Jesus had a servant-master relationship with God. He never claimed to be equal to God, or to be
of the same nature as God. Attributing divinity to Christ, a man goes completely against his
teachings as found in the New Testament of the Bible.
"...and go and tell my brethren that I ascend to My Father and Your Father, to MY GOD and
your God (John 20:17)."
Anyone who claims to have a God, cannot be God.
"Indeed they reject the truth, those that say "God is Christ, the son of Mary." For indeed, Christ
said, worship God, who is MY GOD and your God (Koran 5:75)."
Acknowledgments:
The writing above is mostly based on the work of
1. Ahmed Deedat. South Africa
2. Gary Miller. Canada.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
WHY DO MUSLIMS REJECT THE TRINITY?
Christian viewpoint (Christian Articles defending the Trinity to Muslims)
http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Schlorff/trinity.htm
The Trinity and You
By Sam Schlorff
Question: I am a Muslim. I would like to know more about the Christian religion. I have heard
about the concept of Trinity, but I don't really understand it. Thank you.
Answer: I will begin with a brief overview of the Christian faith and life and explain the concept
of the Trinity in that context. Keep in mind that even though on the outside Christians and
Muslims may look much the same and their beliefs and practices appear similar, in reality they
are quite different because they are motivated by very different worldviews.
The faith and life of Christians is based on the Bible, which is centered on God and on what
He has done for us in the person of Jesus Christ (al-Masih) – His life, His teachings, His death
and His resurrection from among the dead. The word "Christian" comes from "Christ" which
means "anointed one" and is the Greek equivalent of "Masih" in Arabic ("Messiah" in the Old
Testament). He is called al-Masih because he was anointed by God and sent down to earth to
obtain our salvation (Luke 4:18-21). The key concept in the Christian worldview that gives unity
to everything is the word "grace" (ni`mah); it refers to the favor or help that God gives those
who do not deserve a thing in order that they might be saved from eternal death in Hell. God‘s
Word says: "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ"
(John 1:17); and again: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9); and
again: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ
died for us" (Romans 5:8).
God has revealed Himself in the Bible to be One God in three Persons – Father, Son (Jesus
al-Masih himself), and Holy Spirit. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in essence, in will, and
in their plan for mankind. This is the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, about which you asked.
Unfortunately, many people have a lot of false ideas about this doctrine, so let us begin by
examining them. Many think, for example, that "Trinity" means that, despite all that we say,
Christians really believe in three Gods ("Say not three"), and what is worse, that these are a
father god, a mother god (sahiba) and a son. I can assure you that no Christian, whatever his
church, could think such a thing; the very idea is blasphemous and abhorrent to us. People
continue to repeat such objections, however, and to make false assumptions like these despite
everything we say. You may be asking, but is not the doctrine a contradiction in terms, however?
That is a fair question. But the answer is still no; we are not speaking of three gods, each with a
different being and will, but of one essence with three persons and three persons in one essence.
How then does one explain the "Trinity"? The problem here is not in the doctrine itself, but in
the finiteness of our minds; God‘s nature surpasses the capacity of our minds to fully grasp. Does
not the Bible declare: "Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the
Almighty? They are higher than the heavens – what can you do? They are deeper than the depths
of the grave – what can you know?" (Job 11:7-9). And does not the Qur‘an itself declare, "laisa
ka-mithli-hi shai‘un" ("There is nothing like unto Him" - Surah 42:11). The Trinity is "bi-la kaif
wa-bi-la tashbih" (without asking how and without anthropomorphism). It can neither be proved
or disproved by reason; to argue that it is against "reason" is simply to make oneself the judge of
what God can or cannot be, which is blasphemy. Quite simply, we will never be able fully to
understand God‘s nature because it lies outside our experience and knowledge.
The fact is, quite simply, that God did not reveal to us the Truth about the Trinity so that we
might fully understand His nature, or to satisfy our intellectual curiosity. He did it because we
need to know what each one – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – has done and is doing for our
salvation. And we need to accept the ministry of each in our lives before we will be able to
experience their work of grace on our behalf. The Bible teaches the following:
The Father‟s Plan: ever since the first man and woman were expelled from the Garden, we –
that is, all mankind – have been "dead in our transgressions and sins" (Eph. 2:1) because we have
been "separated from the life of God" (Eph 4:18). It says moreover that "all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). But it also says that God the Father was not content that
we remain in that condition. He had a plan whereby we who were far from God would be
"brought near through the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:13). Here is what each Person of the Trinity
has done, does, and will do on our behalf:
The Son‟s Part: because we are not able to save ourselves from suffering eternal death because
of our sin, He was not content to just "send down" laws and information about Himself while he
remained aloof and unknown. He "came down" in the person of Jesus Christ, the Savior, in order
to save mankind. Jesus said of himself,
"I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me" (John
6:38)
‗‗For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but
whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of
God‘s one and only Son." (John 3:16-18)
The Holy Spirit‟s Part: when you acknowledge your sin and ask God to save you because Jesus
died in your place, the Holy Spirit of God, also called the Counselor, comes to live in you and
help you live for God.
"I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit
of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know
him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17)
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all
things, and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)
"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives
in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." (Rom.
8:9)
The Father‟s Part: when you have confessed to God that you are a sinner, and have asked Jesus
to be your Savior, the Holy Spirit comes into your life and helps you to live for God, AND the
Father makes you one of His children.
"To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband‘s
will, but born of God." (John 1:12-13)
"You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of
sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we
are God‘s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with
Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Rom
8:15-17)
Think about what I have written and ask God to give you understanding. You too can become a
child of God.
Adapted from AWM’s Update No. 4 for 1997 and republished here with permission of AWM.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
ANGELS, JINN, AND GENIES
Muslim viewpoint: Jinn and Angels
http://islamfactor.org/index.php?showtopic=262
Angels, Mankind And Jinn
Posted 29 March 2008 - 12:39 PM
Here is an Islamic perspective on Mankind and the unseen Angels and Jinn.
Angels are beings made of light and are programmed to do Gods work without question. They dont have
free will. Angels were created before mankind. Their nature is to serve God, thats it. They do not die nor
can they fall into evil.
Mankind are beings made of dust and have free will to choose good and evil, etc. We all know. Our
nature is to create and build through our intellect and faculties. We live, procreate and die with a limited
life span.
Jinn are beings made of smokeless fire and they were created with free will like humans to do good or
evil. The Jinn were created before mankind. They live in a "parallel" universe among humans and their
nature is to be mischievous. They are not as intelligent as humans and have no desire to create like
humans. They live among dirty and dark places. Some of them are good and some choose evil, like
humans. Like humans they too have a life span. They live, procreate and die. Some are Muslims, Jews,
Christians, Pagans, etc.
Of the Jinn there is a 'select' group. This is the group that rebelled against God at the creation of Adam,
led by 'Iblis' or Satan. He rebelled because God told him to bow and serve Adam while he is on earth.
Satan got annoyed and said that he will not bow and serve Adam because Adam was inferior to him. He
said, 'I am made of fire and fire can destroy clay'. So, 1/3 of the Jinn followed satan in this belief and
rebellion of jealousy and arrogance. God was about to throw in into hell when Satan asked him to give
him a chance to prove that he is correct and that mankind will also rebel against God. God then granted
his wish and gave him until the End of Time to tempt and test mankind. That means that this 'select' group
cannot die like the other jinn. They live until the day of judgment.
A general (not comprehensive) list of verses of Qur'an.
"And I (Allaah) created not the jinns and humans, except they should worship Me (Alone)."• [alDhaariyaat 51:56].
"assembly of jinns and mankind! Did there not come to you Messengers from amongst you, reciting unto
you My Verses" [al-An'aam 6:130]
"Verily he [Satan] and his qabeeluhu [his soldiers from the jinn or his tribe] see you from where you
cannot see them" [al-A'raaf 7:27]
"And the jinn, We created aforetime from the smokeless flame o fire." [al-Hijr 15:27]
Narrated by Aa'ishah, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels were
created from light, the jinn were created from fire, and Aadam was created from that which has been
described to you." (Reported by Muslim, 5314).
Ibn Mas'ood said: “The Messenger of Allaah (pbuh) said, "There is not one of you who does not have
a jinn appointed to be his constant companion." They said, "And you too, O Messenger of Allaah?" He
said, "Me too, but Allaah has helped me and he has submitted, so that he only helps me to do good."
(Reported by Muslim, 2814).
An'ifreet (strong one) from the jinns said: "I will bring it [her throne] to you before you rise from your place
(council). And verily, I am indeed strong, and trustworthy for such work." One with whom was knowledge
of the Scripture said: "I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!" "then when (King) Solomon saw
it placed before him, he said, ‘This is by the Grace of my Lord" [al-Naml 27:39-40].
“[Some jinn said:] "There are among us some that are righteous, and some the contrary; we are
groups, each having a different way (religious sects, etc.)" [al-Jinn 72:11]
"but the jinns know well that they have indeed to appear (before Him) (i.e., they will be brought to
account)" [al-Saffaat 37:158]: "They will be brought to judgement." Saheeh al-Bukhaari
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
ANGELS, JINN, AND GENIES
Sam Shamoun: Are Jinn a group among the Angels?
http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/jinn_messengers.html
Qur'an Contradiction:
Messengers Amongst the Jinns and Angels?
The Quran claims that Allah sent messengers from among the Jinn and men:
"O ye assembly of JINNS and men! came there not UNTO you messengers FROM
AMONGST YOU, setting forth unto you My Signs, and warning you of the meeting of
this Day of yours?" They will say: "We bear witness against ourselves." It was the life of
this world that deceived them. So against themselves will they bear witness that they
rejected Faith. S. 6:130
This passage poses a rhetorical question to both the Jinn and men, telling them to recall the fact
that Allah sent messengers from amongst them to warn them of the Day of Judgment. The
question that naturally arises is what could it possibly mean that Allah sent messengers from the
Jinn to warn them about Allah's judgment? Does Allah actually call on immaterial entities to
preach amongst their own kind? The following verses say yes:
"Allah chooses messengers from angels and from men, for Allah is He Who hears and
sees (all things)." S. 22:75
All praise is due to Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, the Maker of the
angels, apostles flying on wings, two, and three, and four; He increases in creation
what He pleases; surely Allah has power over all things. S. 35:1 Shakir
It should be noted that certain Muslims were of the opinion that the Jinn are a class of angelic
creatures. The following traditions are taken from The History of al-Tabari: General
Introduction and From the Creation to the Flood, volume 1, translated by Franz Rosenthal and
published, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1989. All bold emphasis ours:
According to al-Qasim b. al-Hasan- al-Husayn b. Dawud- Hajjaj- Ibn Jurayj- Ibn
`Abbas: Iblis was one of the most noblest angels and belonged to the most honored
tribe among them. He was a keeper of Paradise. He had authority to rule over the lower
heaven as well as earth.
According to al-Qasim- al-Husayn- Hajjaj- Ibn Jurayj- Salih, the mawla of al-Taw'amah
and Sharik b. Abir Namir, either one or both of them- Ibn `Abbas: There was an angelic
tribe of jinn, and Iblis belonged to it. He governed all in between the heaven and the
earth.
According to Musa b. Harun al-Hamdani- `Amr b. Hammad- Asbat- al-Suddi- Abu Malik
and Abu Salih- Ibn `Abbas. Also (al-Suddi)- Murrah al-Hamdani- Ibn Mas'ud and
some (other) companions of the Prophet: Iblis was ruler over the lower heaven. He
belonged to a tribe of angels called jinn. They were called jinn because they were
keepers of Paradise (al-jannah). In addition to being ruler, Iblis was a keeper (of
Paradise).
According to `Abdan al-Marwazi- al-Husayn b. al-Faraj- Dahhak b. Muzahim,
commenting on God's word: "They prostrated themselves, except Iblis. He was one of the
jinn": Ibn `Abbas used to say: Iblis was one of the noblest angels and belonged to
their most honored tribe. He was a keeper of Paradise, and his was the rule over the
lower heaven as well as the earth.
According to Ibn Humayd- Salamah- Abu al-Azhar al-Mubarak b. Mujahid- Sharik b.
`Abdallah b. Abi Namir- Salih, the mawla of al-Taw'amah- Ibn `Abbas: There is an
angelic tribe called jinn. Iblis belonged to them. He used to rule all in between heaven
and earth. Then he became disobedient, and God therefore transformed him into a stoned
Satan.
According to al-Qasim- al-Husayn- Hajjaj- Ibn Jurayj, commenting on: "And whoever
among them says: I am a god besides Him": Whichever angel says: "I am a god besides
Him" calls to worship of himself, and only Iblis said that. Thus, this verse was revealed
with reference to Iblis. (Ibid., pp. 250-251)
One of the events that took place during the rule of the enemy of God while he was (still)
obedient to God is what was mentioned to us on the authority of Ibn `Abbas in a report
told us by Abu Kurayb- `Uthman b. Sa'id- Bishr b. `Umarah- Abu Rawq- al-Dahhak- Ibn
`Abbas: Iblis belonged to a tribal group of angels called jinn. Among the angels it
was they who were created from the fire of simoom. He continued. His name was alHarith. He continued. He was one of the keepers of Paradise. He continued. All the
angels except this tribal group were created from light. He continued. The jinn
mentioned in the Qur'an were created "from a bright flame (marij) of fire"- (marij being)
a tongue of fire blazing on its side(s and top). He continued. And He created man from
clay. The first to dwell on earth were the jinn. They caused corruption on it and
shed blood and killed each other. He continued. God sent Iblis to them with an army
of angels. They were that tribal group called jinn. Iblis and those with him caused a
bloodbath among them and eventually banished them to the islands in the oceans and the
mountainsides. His success went to his head, and he said: I have done something nobody
has ever done before. He continued. God was aware of how Iblis felt, but the angels who
were with him were not. (Ibid., pp. 252-253)
Ibn Humayd gave us about the same account again, reporting from Salamah- Ibn IshaqKhallad b. `Ata'- Tawus or Abu sl-Hajjaj Mujahid- Ibn `Abbas, and others. However, he
said: (Iblis) was an angel named Azazil. He was one of the dwellers and cultivators on
earth. The dwellers on earth from among the angel used to be called jinn." (Ibid., p.
254)
Ibn Kathir also cites traditions which support the idea of Jinn being angels:
"There were many traditions about Iblis at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Ibn Mas‘ud, Ibn ‗Abbas, and a group of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) said that Iblis had been the head of the angels in the worldly heavens. Ibn
‗Abbas said in one narration that his name was ‗Azazil, and in another narration he said it
had been Al-Harith. Ibn ‗Abbas also said that Iblis was a jinn and that they had once
been the keepers of Paradise, with Iblis the most honorable, the most learned and the
most pious of them. Another tradition says that he had been one of the famous four
possessors of wings (i.e., angels), before Allah transformed him into the accursed
Satan." (Stories of the Prophets by Ibn Kathir, translated by Sheikh Muhammad Mustafa
Geme'ah, Office of the Grand Imam, Sheikh Al-Ahzar, edited by Aelfwine Acelas
Mischler [El-Nour For Publishing and Distribution and Translation Est.; 38 Al-Madina
Al-Monawara St., Toryl Al-Gadida], p. 13; bold emphasis ours)
And:
... Here are some of the descriptions of Satan prior to his disobedience: he was from the
community of the angels called Jinn, and was their master. He was a keeper of the
Gardens and had power in the sky and on earth... (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Part 1, Surah AlFatiah Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 1 to 141, abridged by Sheikh Muhammad Nasib ArRafa‘i [Al-Firdous Ltd., London, 1998: second edition], pp. 101-102; bold emphasis
ours)
If this is the case then the statement that Allah chose messengers from among the angels may be
referring to spirit beings like Gabriel and Michael as well as individual Jinn.
The following comments are taken from Moiz Amjad in response to a question relating to this
very issue:
Just as no Jinn could be sent as a prophet towards the human race, no human being
could be sent as a prophet towards the race of the Jinn. One of the basic reasons for
this general rule is that a prophet of God is not merely a deliverer of God's messages to
that race, but he is also meant to be an example for them to follow. Thus, just as an
angel or a jinn could not be an example for the human race, similarly, a human
being could not be an example for the Jinn or the angels to emulate. Thus, when the
rejecters objected to believing in a human being as a messenger and representative of
God, saying that were God to send a messenger, He should have sent an angel as His
messenger, the Qur'an responded:
Had the earth been inhabited by angels, We would then indeed have sent an angel
from the heavens as a messenger towards them. (Al-Israa 17: 94)
In the light of the foregoing explanation, it should be clear that the prophets from
among Jinn are from among themselves, not from among humans ...)
If Mr. Amjad's claim is taken seriously this would imply that those angels that Allah chose as his
messengers could have only been sent to other angels, which would also include Jinn (that is, of
course, assuming that the Jinn are indeed angelic beings). Yet Mr. Amjad's claim contradicts the
following passage:
And follow that which the devils falsely related against the kingdom of Solomon.
Solomon disbelieved not; but the devils disbelieved, teaching mankind magic and that
which was revealed to the two ANGELS in Babel, Harut and Marut (alal-malakayni
bi-Baabila Haaruuta wa Maaruut). Nor did they (the two angels) teach it to anyone till
they had said: We are only a temptation, therefore disbelieve not (in the guidance of
Allah). And from these two (angels) people learn that by which they cause division
between man and wife; but they injure thereby no-one save by Allah's leave. And
they learn that which harmeth them and profiteth them not. And surely they do know
that he who trafficketh therein will have no (happy) portion in the Hereafter; and surely
evil is the price for which they sell their souls, if they but knew. S. 2:102 Pickthall
The Dictionary of Islam states:
"HARUT WA MARUT ... Two angels mentioned in the Qur'an. They are said to be
two angels who, in consequence of their compassion of the frailties of mankind, were
sent down to earth to be tempted. They both sinned, and being permitted to choose
whether they would be punished now or hereafter, chose the former, and are still
suspended by the feet at Babel in a rocky pit, where they are great teachers of magic."
(T. P. Hughes, Dictionary of Islam [Kazi Publications, Chicago IL. 1994], pp. 167-168;
bold emphasis ours)
Yusuf Ali comments:
"This verse has been interpreted variously. Who were Harut and Marut? What did they
teach? Why did they teach? The view which commends itself to me is that of the Tafsir
Haqqani, following Baidhawi and the Tafsir Kabir. The word 'angels' as applied to Harut
and Marut is figurative. It means 'good men, of knowledge, science (or wisdom), and
power'. In modern languages the word 'angel' is applied to a good and beautiful woman.
The earlier tradition made angels masculine, and applied to them the attributes which I
have mentioned, along with the attribute of beauty, which was implied in goodness,
knowledge, wisdom and power... Among the Jewish traditions in the Midrash (Jewish
Tafsirs) was a story of two angels who asked God's permission to come down to
earth but succumbed to temptation and were hung by their feet at Babylon for
punishment. Such stories about sinning angels who were cast down to punishment were
believed by the early Christians also ... There may be an allusion about sinning angels
here, but much spiritualized and we are expressly warned against dabbling in magic or
believing that anything can hurt us except by God's will, and God is just and righteous."
(Ali, Holy Quran, f. 104, p. 45)
The major problem with Ali's assertion is that the Quran never uses the term "angels" for human
beings. The closest the Quran ever comes to calling a human being an angel is in S. 12:31, and
even then it is in a metaphorical sense:
And when she heard of their sly talk, she sent to them and prepared for them a cushioned
couch (to lie on at the feast) and gave to every one of them a knife and said (to Joseph):
Come out unto them! And when they saw him they exalted him and cut their hands,
exclaiming: Allah Blameless! This is not a human being. This is not other than some
gracious angel. Pickthall (cf. 7:20)
In fact, angels are called messengers but humans are never called angels. (Cf. 11:69, 77, 81;
15:57; 22:75; 35:1)
One may argue that S. 2:102 is the exception to this norm, and that Harut and Marut were in fact
human beings. Yet the burden of proof is upon the one making such a claim to show that this is
the case. Claiming it isn't the same as proving it.
Muslim Scholar Mahmoud Ayoub comments on S. 2:102:
"Commentators likewise have disagreed with regard to the meaning of the phrase 'and
that which was sent down to the two angels in Babel, Harut and Marut.' Tabari relates on
the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, 'The word ma means "not" [instead of its alternate meaning,
"that which"]; that is to say, magic was not sent down [ma unzila] to the two angels. Thus
the exegesis of the verse would be, "And they followed the magic which the satans
recited concerning the reign of Solomon; yet neither did Solomon reject faith, nor did
God send down magic to the two angels. Rather, satans rejected faith in that they taught
people magic in Babel, that is, Harut and Marut."' (This tradition assumes that Harut and
Marut were the people who learned magic from the satans in Babel; thus they were not
angels. The two angels are taken to be Gabriel and Michael.) 'This is because magicians
among Jews used to claim that God sent down magic to Solomon by the tongues of
Gabriel and Michael. Thus God revealed their false claim, for Gabriel and Michael never
brought down magic. Harut and Marut were therefore two men who learned magic from
the satans' (Tabari, II, pp. 419-420). Tabari also cites Qatadah, who said, ' "Ma" means
"that which," or "what." Thus Harut and Marut were two of the angels. They taught
men magic, but were charged not to teach anyone until they said, "We are surely a
temptation; do not, therefore, reject faith.' Magic here is of two kinds: one which the
satans taught, and another which was taught by the two angels' (Tabari, II, p. 420).
"Most early commentators have agreed, however, that Harut and Marut were two
angels. Their story appears very early in the history of tafsir on the authority of the
first masters of science among the Companions and their Successors. The story, as
related by Tabari on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud and Ibn 'Abbas, is as follows: 'When
the children of Adam had increased in the earth and committed acts of disobedience, the
angels, heavens, earth and mountains invoked God against them, saying, "Our Lord,
would You not destroy them?" God revealed to the angels, "Were I to put lust in your
hearts and give Satan authority over you, and were you to descend to earth, you would
do the same." The angels thought in their hearts that if they were sent down, they would
not sin. God, then revealed to them, "Choose two of the best angels among you," and
they chose Harut and Marut. They were thus sent down to earth, and Venus was sent
down as a beautiful Persian woman. They fell into sin [by lusting after her]. They
were therefore given the choice between the punishment of this world or that of the world
to come, but they chose the punishment of this world' (Tabari, II, pp. 428).
"This tradition presents the basic elements of the story, accepted by most classical
commentators. Some traditions, however, related the story of the two angels to God's
saying, 'Behold I am about to place a vicegerent in the earth' (see above, Q. 2:30).
According to this view, God sent down Harut and Marut to demonstrate to the prostrating
angels man's uniqueness as a creature endowed with special faculties which even angels
could not possess without also falling into sin and disobedience (see Nisaburi, I, p. 391,
who relates the story on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas). Razi, on the other hand, for
reasons which are discussed below, asserts that the two angels were sent down at the time
of the prophet Enoch (Idris) (Razi, III, p. 220)." (Mahmoud M. Ayoub, The Qur'an and
its Interpreters [State University of New York Press, Albany 1984], pp. 130-131; bold
emphasis ours)
Ayoub cites al-Qurtubi as denying that Harut and Marut were angels, believing that they were
satans instead. The only problem with this view is that Harut and Marut are specifically called
angels. This implies that if Qurtubi is correct then these satans were at one time angels that
disobeyed. Furthermore, even if they were satans this still wouldn't resolve Mr. Amjad's
contradiction since this still would leave us with spirit entities being sent to teach mankind.
Finally, Ibn Kathir:
There is a difference of opinion regarding this story. It was said that this Ayah denies
that anything was sent down to the two angels, as al-Qurtubi stated and then referred to
the Ayah ...
<Sulayman did disbelieve> saying, "The negation applies in both cases. Allah then said
...
<But the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came
down at Babylon to the two angels>.
The Jews claimed that Gabriel and Michael brought magic down to the two angels, but
Allah refuted this false claim."
Also, Ibn Jarir reported, that Al-‗Awfi said that Ibn ‗Abbas said about Allah‘s statement
...
<And such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels>
"Allah did not send magic."
Also, Ibn Jarir narrated that Ar-Rabi‗ bin Anas said about ...
<And such things that came down to the two angels>, "Allah did not send magic down to
the [sic] them." Ibn Jarir, "This is the correct explanation for this Ayah ...
<They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely) in the lifetime of
Sulayman.>
meaning, magic. However, neither did Solomon disbelieve nor did Allah send magic with
the two angels. The devils, on the other hand, disbelieved and taught magic to the people
of the Babylon of Harut and Marut."
Ibn Jarir continued; "If someone asks about explaining this Ayah in this manner, we say
that ...
<They followed what Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely) in the lifetime of Sulayman.>
means, magic. Solomon neither disbelieved nor did Allah send magic with the two
angels. However, the devils disbelieved and taught magic to the people in the Babylon of
Harut and Marut, meaning of Gabriel and Michael, for Jewish sorcerers claimed that
Allah sent magic by the words of Gabriel and Michael to Solomon, son of David. Allah
denied this false claim and stated to His Prophet Muhammad that Gabriel and Michael
were not sent with magic. Allah also exonerated Solomon from practicing magic, which
the devils taught to the people of Babylon by the hands of two men, Harut and Marut.
Hence, Harut and Marut were two ordinary men (not angels or Gabriel and Michael)."
These are the words of At-Tabari, and this explanation is not plausible.
Many among the Salaf, said that Harut and Marut were angels who came down from
heaven to earth and did what they did as the Ayah stated. To conform this opinion with
the fact that angels are immune from error, we say that Allah had eternal knowledge what
these angels would do, just as He had eternal knowledge that Iblis would do as he did,
while Allah refered [sic] to him as being among the angels ...
and so forth. However, what Harut and Marut did was less offensive than what Iblis, may
Allah curse him, did. Al-Qurtubi reported this opinion from ‗Ali, Ibn Mas‗ud, Ibn
‗Abbas, Ibn ‗Umar, Ka‗b Al-Ahbar, As-Suddi and Al-Kalbi.
… Al-Hasan Al-Basri said that this Ayah means, "The angels were sent with magic, so
that the people whom Allah willed would be tried and tested. Allah made them promise
that they would not teach anyone until first proclaiming, ‗We are a test for you, do not
fall into disbelief‘" ... (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 1, Parts 1 and 2 (Surat AlFatihah to Verse 252 of Surat Al-Baqarah), abridged by a group of scholars under the
supervision of Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri [Darussalam Publishers &
Distributors, Riyadh, Houston, New York, London, Lahore; First Edition: January 2000],
pp. 314-317; bold emphasis ours)
Interestingly, other passages state that Allah sent spirit messengers appearing as men to certain
individuals:
Behold! the angels said: ‗O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee- chosen thee
above the women of all nations. O Mary! worship thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself,
and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down.‘ This is part of the tidings of the
things unseen, which We reveal unto thee (O Messenger.) by inspiration: Thou wast not
with them when they cast lots with pens (or arrows), as to which of them should be
charged with the care of Mary: Nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point).
Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him:
his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the
Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah. He shall speak to the people in
childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of the company) of the righteous." She said:
"O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" He said: "Even so;
Allah createth what He willeth: When He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, ‗Be,‘ and
it is!" S. 3:42-47
Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in
the East. She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her Our
Spirit, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. She said: "I seek refuge
from thee to (Allah) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah." He said:
"Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a pure son."
She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not
unchaste?" He said: "So (it will be): thy Lord saith, ‗That is easy for Me: and (We wish)
to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us‘. It is a matter (so) decreed." S.
19:16-21
There came Our Messengers to Abraham with glad tidings. They said, "Peace!" He
answered, "Peace!" and hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf. But when he saw
their hands not reaching towards the (meal), he felt some mistrust of them, and conceived
a fear of them. They said: "Fear not: We have been sent against the people of Lüt."
And his wife was standing (there), and she laughed: But We gave her glad tidings of
Isaac, and after him, of Jacob. She said: "Alas for me! shall I bear a child, seeing I am an
old woman, and my husband here is an old man? That would indeed be a wonderful
thing!" They said: "Dost thou wonder at Allah's decree? The grace of Allah and His
blessings on you, o ye people of the house! for He is indeed worthy of all praise, full of
all glory!" When fear had passed from (the mind of) Abraham and the glad tidings had
reached him, he began to plead with Us for Lüt's people. For Abraham was, without
doubt, forbearing (of faults), compassionate, and given to penitence. O Abraham! Seek
not this. The decree of thy Lord hath gone forth: for them there cometh a chastisement
that cannot be turned back! When Our Messengers came to Lüt, he was grieved on
their account and felt himself powerless (to protect) them. He said: This is a
distressful day." And his people came rushing towards him, and they had been long
in the habit of practicing abominations. He said: "O my People! Here are my
daughters: they are purer for you (if ye marry)! Now fear Allah, and cover me not
with disgrace about my guests! Is there not among you a single right-minded man?"
They said: "Well dost thou know we have no need of thy daughters: indeed thou knowest
quite well what we want!" He said: "Would that I had power to suppress you or that I
could betake myself to some powerful support." (The Messengers) said: "O Lüt! We are
Messengers from thy Lord! By no means shall they reach thee! now travel with thy
family while yet a part of the night remains, and let not any of you look back: but thy
wife (will remain behind): To her will happen what happens to the people. Morning is
their time appointed: Is not the morning nigh?" When Our Decree issued, We turned (the
cities) upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay, spread,
layer on layer,- Marked as from thy Lord: Nor are they ever far from those who do
wrong! S. 11:69-83
Tell them about the guests of Abraham. When they entered his presence and said,
"Peace!" He said, "We feel afraid of you!" They said: "Fear not! We give thee glad
tidings of a son endowed with knowledge." He said: "Do ye give me glad tidings even
though old age has seized me? Of what, then, is your good news?" They said: "We give
thee glad tidings in truth: be not then in despair!" He said: "And who despairs of the
mercy of his Lord, but such as go astray?" Abraham said: "What then is the business on
which ye (have come), O ye messengers (of Allah)?" They said: "We have been sent to a
people (deep) in sin, Excepting the adherents of Lüt: them We are certainly (charged) to
save (from harm),- All - Except his wife, who, We have ascertained, will be among those
who will lag behind." At length when the messengers arrived among the adherents of Lüt,
He said: "Ye appear to be uncommon folk." They said: "Yea, we have come to thee to
accomplish that of which they doubt. We have come to thee with the truth, and assuredly
we tell the truth. Then travel by night with thy household, when a portion of the night
(yet remains), and do thou go behind them: let no one amongst you look back, but pass
on whither ye are ordered." And We made known this decree to him, that the last
remnants of those (sinners) should be cut off by the morning. The inhabitants of the City
came in (mad) joy (at news of the young men). Lüt said: "These are my guests: disgrace
me not: But fear Allah, and shame me not." They said: "Did we not forbid thee (to speak)
for all and sundry?" He said: "There are my daughters (to marry), if ye must act (so)."
Verily, by thy life (O Prophet), in their wild intoxication, they wander in distraction, to
and fro. But the (mighty) Blast overtook them at sunrise, And We turned (the cities)
upside down, and rained down on them brimstones hard as baked clay. S. 15:51-74
Someone may interject here and claim that the spirit entities were not sent to people in general,
but rather to God's appointed messengers. The only problem with this interpretation is that the
angels didn't just appear to Abraham and Lot, but also to Mary, Sarah and to the people of
Sodom and Gomorrah. These individuals were not messengers or prophets. In fact, the hadith
claims that Gabriel actually appeared to Muhammad in the presence of others:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
One day while the Prophet was sitting in the company of some people, (The angel)
Gabriel came and asked, "What is faith?"... Then that man (Gabriel) left and the
Prophet asked his companions to call him back, but they could not see him. Then the
Prophet said, "That was Gabriel who came to teach the people their religion." Abu
'Abdullah said: He (the Prophet) considered all that as a part of faith. (Sahih Al-Bukhari,
Volume 1, Book 2, Number 47)
Narrated Abu Uthman:
I got the news that Gabriel came to the Prophet while Um Salama was present.
Gabriel started talking to the Prophet and then left. The Prophet said to Um Salama, "(Do
you know) who it was?" (or a similar question). She said, "It was Dihya (a handsome
person amongst the companions of the Prophet )." Later on Um Salama said, "By Allah! I
thought he was none but Dihya, till I heard the Prophet talking about Gabriel in his
sermon." (The Sub-narrator asked Abu 'Uthman, "From where have you heard this
narration?" He replied, "From Usama bin Zaid.") (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56,
Number 827)
"... Umar ibn al-Khattab, told me: One day we were sitting in the company of Allah's
Apostle (peace be upon him) when there appeared before us a man dressed in pure
white clothes, his hair extraordinarily black. There were no signs of travel on him.
None amongst us recognized him. At last he sat with the Apostle (peace be upon
him) He knelt before him placed his palms on his thighs and said: Muhammad,
inform me about al-Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Al-Islam
implies that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the
messenger of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan,
and perform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough (to bear the expense of)
the journey. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He (Umar ibn al-Khattab)
said: It amazed us that he would put the question and then he would himself verify
the truth ... He (the narrator, Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: Then he (the inquirer) went on
his way but I stayed with him (the Holy Prophet) for a long while. He then, said to me:
Umar, do you know who this inquirer was? I replied: Allah and His Apostle knows best.
He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: He was Gabriel (the angel). He came to you in order
to instruct you in matters of religion." (Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0001)
This indicates that much like Harut and Marut, God had in fact sent spirit creatures to other
human beings.
Yet the problem gets even worse. According to other passages, Allah chose only human
messengers to convey the message:
"Nor did We send before thee messengers ANY BUT MEN, whom We did inspire,(men) from the people of the towns. Do they not travel through the earth, and see what
was the end of those before them? But the home of the Hereafter is best, for those who do
right. Will ye not then understand?" S. 12:109
"Before thee, also, the messengers We sent were BUT MEN, to whom We granted
inspiration: If ye know this not, ask of those who possess the Message. Nor did We give
them bodies that ate no food, nor were they immortals." S. 21:7-8
And the messengers whom We sent before thee were ALL (MEN) who ate food and
walked through the markets. We have made some of you as a trial for others: will ye
have patience? For Allah is One Who sees (all things). Those who do not hope to meet
Us (for Judgment) say: "Why are not the angels sent down to us, or (why) do we not
see our Lord?" Indeed they have an arrogant conceit of themselves, and mighty is the
insolence of their impiety! S. 25:20-21
Behold, the messengers came to them, from before them and behind them, (preaching):
"Serve none but Allah." They said, "If our Lord had so pleased, He would certainly have
sent down angels. So we disbelieve in the message you were sent with." S. 41:14
These verses clearly contradict the passages that state that Allah sent Messengers from both
angels and Jinn. Ibn Kathir notes in relation to 12:109:
All of the Prophets are Humans and Men
Allah states that He only sent Prophets and Messengers from among men AND NOT
FROM AMONG WOMEN, as this Ayah clearly states. Allah did not reveal religious
and legislative laws to any woman from among the daughters of Adam. This is the
belief of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama‟ah. Shaykh Abu Al-Hasan, ‗Ali bin Isma‘il. Al-Ash‗ari
mentioned that it is the view of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah, that there was no female
Prophets, but there were truthful believers from among women. Allah mentions the
MOST honorable of the truthful female believers, Maryam, the daughter of „Imran,
when He said ...
<The Messiah [„Isa], son of Maryam [Mary], was no more than a Messenger; many
were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a Siddiqah [truthful
believer]. They both used to eat food.> [5:75]
Therefore, the best description Allah gave her is Siddiqah. Had she been a Prophet, Allah
would have mentioned this fact when He was praising her qualities and honor. Therefore,
Mary was a truthful believer according to the words of the Qur‘an.
All Prophets were Humans not Angels
Ad-Dahhak reported that Ibn ‗Abbas commented on Allah‘s statement ...
<And We sent not before (s Messengers) any but men>
"They were not from among the residents of the heaven (angels), as you claimed." This
statement of Ibn ‗Abbas is supported by Allah's statement ... (Tafsir Ibn Kathir
(Abridged), Volume 5, Surah Hud to Surat Al-Isra‟, Verse 38 [Darussalam Publishers &
Distributors, Riyadh, Houston, New York, Lahore; First Edition: July 2000], pp. 221222; bold and capital emphasis ours)
As a side note, the Holy Bible disagrees with both the Quran and Islam regarding women not
functioning in the role of a prophet or messenger since several are mentioned by name. They are
Moses' sister Miriam (Exodus 15:20; Micah 6:4), Deborah (Judges 4-5), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14;
2 Chronicles 34:22), an unnamed prophetess (Isaiah 8:3), Anna (Luke 2:36), and the four
daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:9).
Returning to Ibn Kathir, here are his comments on 21:7-8:
The Messengers are no more than Human Beings
Here Allah refutes those who denied that human Messengers could be sent ...
<And We sent not before you but men to who We revealed.>
meaning, all the Messengers who came before you were men, human beings. There were
NO ANGELS AMONG THEM ...
<So ask the people of the Reminder if you do not know.>
meaning, ask the people of knowledge among the nations such as the Jews and Christians
and other groups: ‗were the Messengers who came to you human beings?‘ Indeed there
were human beings. This is a part of the perfect blessing of Allah towards His creation:
He sent to them Messengers from among themselves so that they could receive the
Message from them and learn from them. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 6, Surat
Al-Isra‟, Verse 39 To the end of Surat Al-Mu‟minun, First Edition: July 2000, p. 427;
bold and capital emphasis ours)
Furthermore, other passages indicate that the Jinn converted to Islam due to the preaching of
human messengers such as Muhammad:
Behold, We turned towards thee a company of Jinns (quietly) listening to the Qurán:
when they stood in the presence thereof, they said, "Listen in silence!" When the
(reading) was finished, they returned to their people, to warn them. They said, "O our
people! We have heard a Book revealed after Moses, confirming what came before
it: it guides (men) to the Truth and to a Straight Path. O our people, HEARKEN
TO THE ONE WHO INVITES (YOU) TO ALLAH, and believe in him: He will
forgive you your faults, and deliver you from a Chastisement Grievous. If any does not
hearken to the one who invites (us) to Allah, he cannot escape in the earth, and no
protectors can he have besides Allah: such men (are) in manifest error." S. 46:29-32
Say: It has been revealed to me that a company of Jinns listened (to the Qurán). They
said, "We have really heard a wonderful Recital! It gives guidance to the Right, and we
have believed therein: we shall not join (in worship) any (gods) with our Lord. And
Exalted is the Majesty of our Lord: He has taken neither a wife nor a son. There were
some foolish ones among us, who used to utter extravagant lies against Allah. But we do
think that no man or Jinn should say aught that untrue against Allah. True, there were
persons among mankind who took shelter with persons among the Jinns, but they
increased them into father error. And they (came to) think as ye thought, that Allah would
not raise up any one (to Judgment). And we pried into the secrets of heaven; but we
found it filled with stern guards and flaming fires. We used, indeed, to sit there in
(hidden) stations, to (steal) a hearing; but any who listen now will find a flaming fire
watching him in ambush. And we understand not whether ill is intended to those on earth,
or whether their Lord (really) intends to guide them to right conduct. There are among
us some that are righteous, and some the contrary: we follow divergent paths. But
we think that we can by no means frustrate Allah throughout the earth, nor can we escape
Him by flight. And as for us, SINCE WE HAVE LISTENED TO THE GUIDANCE,
WE HAVE ACCEPTED IT: and any who believes in his Lord has no fear, either of a
short (account) or of any injustice. Amongst us are some that submit their wills (to
Allah), and some that swerve from justice. Now those who submit their wills - they have
sought out (the path) of right conduct: But those who swerve,- they are (but) fuel for
Hell-fire-" S. 72:1-15
This implies that Allah used men such as Muhammad, and not Jinn, to convert the Jinn to Islam.
Interestingly, the Quran states that Muhammad is a mercy to all creatures, which naturally
includes the Jinn:
And We have sent you (O Muhammad SAW) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamîn
(mankind, jinns and all that exists). S. 21:107 Hilali-Khan
This supports our view that Allah used men such as Muhammad to preach to Jinns. The
following are Ibn Kathir's comments on S. 6:130 which relates to this specific point:
We should note here that the Messengers are from among mankind only, not vice versa,
as Mujahid, Ibn Jurayj and others from the Imams of the Salaf and later generations have
stated ...
Thus sending the prophethood and the Book exclusively through the offspring of the
Prophet Ibrahim. No one has claimed that there were Prophets from among the Jinns
before the time of Ibrahim, but not after that ...
Therefore, concerning prophethood, the Jinns follow mankind in this regard and this is
why Allah said ...
<And (remember), when We sent towards you a group of the Jinn, listening to the Qurán.
When they stood in the presence thereof, they said: "Listen in silence!" And when it was
finished, they returned to their people, as warners. They said: "O our people! Verily, we
have heard a Book sent down after Musa, confirming what came before it: it guides to the
truth and to the straight way. O our people! Respond to Allah‟s caller, and believe in
him: He (Allah) will forgive you your sins, and will save you from a painful torment (i.e.
Hell-fire). And whosoever does not respond to Allah‟s caller, he cannot escape on earth,
and there will be no helpers for him besides Allah. Those are in manifest error.> [46:2932] (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 3, Parts 6, 7 & 8 (Surat An-Nisa, Verse 148 to
the end of Surat Al-An‟am), First Edition: January 2000, pp. 470-471; bold emphasis
ours)
Furthermore, Ibn Kathir has this comment on S. 3:26 regarding Muhammad's mission to the Jinn.
"... Allah transfered the prophethood from the Children of Israel to the Arab, Qurashi,
Makkan, unlettered Prophet, the Final and Last of all prophets and the Messenger of
Allah to all mankind and jinn ..." (Volume 2, Parts 3, 4, & 5 (Surat Al-Baqarah, Verse
253, to Surat An-Nisa, Verse 147), p. 139; bold emphasis ours)
And on S. 3:32 he writes:
"... Indeed, Allah does not like whoever does this, even if he claims that he loves Allah
and seeks a means of approach to Him, unless, and until, he follows the unlettered
Prophet, the Final Messenger from Allah TO THE TWO CREATIONS: mankind
and the Jinn ..." (ibid., p. 146; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Finally, regarding S. 7:158 we read:
Allah says His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad...
<Say>, O Muhammad ...
<O mankind!> this is directed to mankind red and black, and the Arabs and non-Arabs
alike... <I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah,>
This Ayah mentions the Prophet's honor and greatness, for he is the Final Prophet who
was sent to all mankind [and the Jinns] ...
There are many other Ayat and more Hadiths than can be counted on this subject. It is
also well-known in our religion that the Messenger of Allah was sent to all mankind [and
the Jinns]... (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 4, Surat Al-A'raf to the end of Surah
Yunus, pp. 182-183)
If the Quran is correct that Allah only chose men to be his messengers, then Ibn Kathir's
comments that Allah sent the prophets and messengers to the Jinn must be correct. Otherwise,
this would contradict the following Quranic verses:
"O ye assembly of Jinns and men! came there not unto you messengers from amongst
you, setting forth unto you My Signs, and warning you of the meeting of this Day of
yours?" They will say: "We bear witness against ourselves." It was the life of this world
that deceived them. So against themselves will they bear witness that they rejected Faith.
(The messengers were sent) thus, for thy Lord would not destroy the towns unjustly
whilst their occupants were unwarned. S. 6:130-131
For We assuredly sent amongst every People (Ummah- Community) a Messenger,
(with the Command), "Serve Allah, and eschew Evil": of the People were some whom
Allah guided, and some on whom error became inevitably (established). So travel
through the earth, and see what was the end of those who denied (the Truth). S. 16:36
Who receiveth guidance, receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his
own loss. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We punish
until We had sent a messenger (to give warning). S. 17:15
Verily We have sent thee in truth, as a bearer of glad tidings, and as a warner: and there
never was a people, without a warner having lived among them (in the past). S. 35:24
Compare:
Who is more unjust than one who invents a lie against Allah or rejects His Signs? For
such, their portion appointed must reach them from the Book (of Decrees): until, when
Our messengers (of death) arrive and take their souls, they say: "Where are the things that
ye used to invoke besides Allah." They will reply, "They have left us in the lurch," And
they will bear witness against themselves, that they had rejected Allah. He will say:
"Enter ye in the company of the Peoples who passed away before you - men and Jinns, into the Fire." Every time a new People enters, it curses its sister-People (that went
before), until they follow each other, all into the Fire. Saith the last about the first: "Our
Lord! it is these that misled us: so give them a double punishment in the Fire." He will
say: "Doubled for all": but this ye do not know. S. 7:37-38
"Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell." S. 7:179
"In truth thy Lord destroyed not the townships tyrannously while their folk were doing
right. And if thy Lord had willed, He verily would have made mankind one nation, yet
they cease not differing, Save him on whom thy Lord hath mercy; and for that He did
create them. And the Word of thy Lord hath been fulfilled: Verily I shall fill hell with the
jinn and mankind together." S. 11:117-119
Therefore flee unto Allah: I am from Him a Warner to you, clear and open! And make
not another an object of worship with Allah: I am from Him a Warner to you, clear and
open! Similarly, no messenger came to the Peoples before them, but they said (of him) in
like manner, "A sorcerer, or one possessed"! Is this the legacy they have transmitted, one
to another? Nay, they are themselves a people transgressing beyond bounds! So turn
away from them: not thine is the blame. But remind; for reminding benefits the Believers.
I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me. S. 51:50-56
These verses teach that Allah does not punish anyone without first sending them a warner. Since
the Quran teaches that some of the Jinn will be thrown into hell, this means that Allah sent
human messengers to warn the Jinn. This means that Amjad's claim that Allah would only send
Jinn to preach to other Jinn, is wrong since the Quran denies that Jinn were sent as messengers of
Allah.
Yet, this still leaves us with the problem with Allah sending angels as messengers when
elsewhere Allah claimed that all the messengers were human beings. Such conflicting passages
led Islamicist F.E. Peters to write:
"None of the pronouns is identified in these verses, though there is little doubt that the
recipient of the vision was Muhammad. Who was seen is less clear, and if Muhammad's
being referred to as his 'servant' in verse 10 suggests that is God Himself, the Muslim
tradition preferred to understand that it was Gabriel in all the other instances, chiefly
because later in his own career Muhammad, as we shall see, had unmistakably come to
the same conclusion. But there is no other mention of Gabriel in the Meccan suras,
and it appears far more likely that God Himself first appeared to Muhammad 'on the high
horizon' and then on a second occasion by the lotus tree near the 'garden of the dwelling'
to show him 'the signs of his Lord.' Muhammad was clearly earthbound when he had his
first experience, but where the latter vision took place, whether in a known locality in
Mecca or, as is often thought, in some heavenly venue, is not further indicated. Neither is
there anything to suggest that it was on either of these occasions that Muhammad
received the words of the Quran.
If Sura 53:1-18 seems to say that Muhammad believed that on two distinct occasions he
had a vision of God, who thereby prompted him and showed to him His signs, the second
vision is referred to only in briefing in passing. (Quran 81:19-27)
Although verse 10 appears to refer back to the same vision 'on the high horizon'
mentioned in 53:7-9, the Muslim commentators saw in the first three verses of this
passage from Sura 81 an unmistakable reference to Gabriel. But there is abundant
evidence that Muhammad not only did not identify Gabriel as the agent of
revelation until his Medina days, but that while at Mecca he was criticized for the
fact that God had not sent an angelic messenger: 'They said: "If your Lord had so
pleased, He would certainly have sent down angels; as it is, we disbelieve your mission".'
(Quran 41:14)
Muhammad's earliest response did not encourage them to think that there was in
fact an angel in God's revelation to him:
They say: 'You to whom the Reminder is being sent down, truly you are jinn-possessed!
Why do you not bring angels to us if you are one of those who posses truth? We do
not send down the angels except when required, and if they came, there would be not
respite.' (Ibid., 15:6-8)
'And before you as well the Messengers we sent down were but men, to whom We
granted inspiration. And if you do not understand that, ask the people who possess the
Reminder.' (Ibid., 16:43)" (Peters, Muhammad and the Origins of Islam [State of
University Press New York, Albany 1994], pp. 142-143; bold emphasis ours)
Ibn Kathir attempts to reconcile the obvious contradictions between these conflicting passages:
<... that they may obtain understanding, in religion and warn their people when they
return to them, so that they might be cautious (of evil).> (9:122)
This Ayah has been used as evidence that the Jinns have warners from among
themselves, but no Messengers. There is no doubt that Allah did not send
Messengers from among the Jinns, because He says ...
<And We did not send before you as Messengers any but men, to whom We revealed from
among the people of cities.> (12:109)
And Allah says ...
<And We never sent before you any of the Messengers but verily they ate food and
walked in the markets.> (25:20)
And He says about Ibrahim Al-Khalil, upon him be peace ...
<And We placed in his descendants prophethood and Scripture.> (29:27)
Thus, every Prophet whom Allah sent after Ibrahim was from his offspring and progeny.
As for Allah‘s saying in Surat Al-An‟am ...
<O company of Jinns and human beings! Did there not come to you Messengers from
among you> (6:130)
It only applies to the two kinds collectively, but specifically pertains to just one of them,
which is the human. This is like Allah‘s saying ...
<From both of them (salty and fresh waters) emerge pearl and Marjan.> (55:22)
Although He said "both of them" this applies to only one of the two types of water (salty
water). Allah then explains how the Jinns warned the people ... (Tafsir Ibn Kathir
(Abridged), Volume 9, Surat Al-Jathiyah to the end of Surat Al-Munafiqun, First Edition:
September 2000, pp. 76-77; bold emphasis ours)
Ibn Kathir's attempt of harmonization will not work since it still fails to resolve the problem of
Allah sending angels such as Harut and Marut as messengers to Babylon.
In light of the stated insurmountable problems, we leave it to the Muslims to reconcile these
glaring contradictions.
In the service of the eternal Son of the Most High, Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and eternal King
forever. Amen. Come Lord Jesus. We love you Lord of eternal glory.
Sam Shamoun
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
MUSLIM CLAIMS
Why God revealed His message in the form of Scriptures,
and a brief description of the two Scriptures of God: the
Bible, and the Qur’an:
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/36/
Belief in Scriptures
Belief in the scriptures revealed by God is
the third article of Islamic faith.
We can identify four main reasons for the
revelation of scriptures:
(1) The scripture revealed to a prophet is a
point of reference to learn the religion and
obligations towards God and fellow human
beings. God reveals Himself and explains
the purpose of human creation through
revealed scriptures.
(2) By referring to it, 'disputes and differences between its followers in matter of
religious belief and practice or in matters of social practice could be settled.
(3) The scriptures are meant to keep the religion safe from corruption and deterioration,
at least for some time after the death of the prophet. At the present time, the Quran
revealed to our Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon
him, is the only scripture to remain safe from corruption.
(4) It is God‘s proof against human beings. They are not allowed to oppose or overstep
it.
A Muslim firmly believes that divinely revealed books were actually revealed by the
Compassionate God to His prophets to guide mankind. The Quran is not the only spoken
Word of God, but God also spoke to prophets before Prophet Muhammad.
“…and to Moses God spoke directly.” (Quran 4:164)
God describes true believers are those who:
“…believe in what has been sent down to you (Muhammad) and
what has been sent down before you…” (Quran 2:4)
The most important and central message of all scriptures was to worship God and
God alone.
“And we sent never a prophet before you except that we revealed to
him, saying, „there is no God but I, so worship Me.‟” (Quran 21:25)
Islam is more inclusive in the holy revelations it affirms than any other heavenly
religion in its present form.
Muslims uphold and respect the following scriptures:
(i) The Quran itself, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
(ii) The Torah (Tawrah in Arabic) revealed to the Prophet Moses (different from the Old
Testament read today).
(iii) The Gospel (Injeel in Arabic) revealed to Prophet Jesus (different from the New
Testament read in churches today).
(iv) The Psalms (Zaboor in Arabic) of David.
(v) The Scrolls (Suhuf in Arabic) of Moses and Abraham.
Third, Muslims believe whatever is true in them and has neither been altered or
deliberately misconstrued.
Fourth, Islam affirms that God revealed the Quran as a witness over the previous
scriptures and confirmation of them, because He says therein:
“And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad) the Book (the
Quran) in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it and
trustworthy in highness and a witness over it (the collection of old
scriptures)…” (Quran 5:48)
Meaning the Quran confirms whatever is true in previous scriptures and rejects
whatever alterations and changes human hands have made to them.
Original Scriptures and the Bible
We must distinguish between two matters: the original Torah, Gospel, and Psalms
and the present day Bible. The originals were God‘s revelation, but the present day
Bible does not have the exact original scripture.
No divine scripture exists today in the original language it was revealed in, except the
Quran. The Bible was not revealed in English. Different books of today‘s Bible are at
best tertiary translations and different versions exist. These multiple translations were
done by people whose knowledge, skill, or honesty is not known. As a result, some
bibles are larger than others and have contradictions and internal inconsistencies! No
originals exist. The Quran, on the other hand, is the only scripture in existence today in
its original language and words. Not one letter of the Quran has been changed since its
revelation. It is internally consistent with no contradictions. It is today as it was revealed
1400 years ago, transmitted by a rock-solid tradition of memorization and writing.
Unlike other sacred texts, the entire Quran has been memorized by almost every Islamic
scholar and hundreds of thousands of ordinary Muslims, generation after generation!
The previous scriptures essentially consist of:
(i) Stories of man‘s creation and earlier nations, prophesies of what was to come like
signs before the Judgment Day, appearance of new prophets, and other news.
The stories, prophecies, and news in the Bible read in churches and synagogues
today are partly true and partly false. These books consist of some translated
fragments of the original scripture revealed by God, words of some prophets, mixed
with explanations of scholars, errors of scribes, and outright malicious insertions and
deletions. Quran, the final and trustworthy scripture, helps us sort out fact from
fiction. For a Muslim, it is the criterion to judge the truth from the falsehood in these
stories. For example, the Bible still contains some clear passages pointing to God‘s
unity.[1] Also, some prophecies regarding the Prophet Muhammad are found in the
Bible as well.[2] Yet, there are passages, even whole books, almost entirely
recognized to be forgeries and the handiwork of men.[3]
(ii) Law and rulings, the allowed and prohibited, like the Law of Moses.
If we were to assume the law, that is the lawful and the prohibited, contained in the
previous books did not suffer corruption, the Quran still abrogates those rulings, it
cancels the old law which was suitable for its time and is no longer applicable today.
For example, the old laws pertaining to diet, ritual prayer, fasting, inheritance,
marriage and divorce have been cancelled (or, in many cases, reaffirmed) by the
Islamic Law.
The Holy Quran
The Quran is different from other scriptures in the following respects:
(1) The Quran is miraculous and inimitable. Nothing similar to it can be produced by
human beings.
(2) After the Quran, no more scriptures will be revealed by God. Just as the Prophet
Muhammad is the last prophet, the Quran is the last scripture.
(3) God has taken it upon Himself to protect the Quran from alteration, to safeguard it
from corruption, and to preserve it from distortion. On the other hand, previous
scriptures suffered alteration and distortion and do not remain in their originally
revealed form.
(4) The Quran, for one, confirms early scriptures and, for another, is a trustworthy
witness over them.
(5) The Quran abrogates them, meaning it cancels the rulings of the previous scriptures
and renders them inapplicable. The Law of the old scriptures is no longer applicable;
the previous rulings have been abrogated with the new Law of Islam.
Footnotes:
For example the declaration of Moses: ―Hear, O Israel The Lord our God is one Lord‖ (Deuteronomy
6:4) and the announcement of Jesus: ―...The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our
God is one Lord.‖ (Mark 12:29).
[1]
Refer to (Deuteronomy 18:18), (Deuteronomy 33:1-2), (Isaiah 28:11), (Isaiah 42:1-13), (Habakkuk
3:3), (John 16:13), (John 1:19-21), (Matthew 21:42-43), and more.
[2]
[3]
For example, refer to books of the Apocrypha.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
IS MUHAMMAD THE GREATEST PROPHET?
Qur’anic passages which indicate Muhammad did not
perform miracles:
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Azmy/mhd_miracles.htm
Muhammad and Miracles
Analyzing Muslim Arguments for Muhammad‟s Supernatural Feats
Sam Shamoun
It is the rather explicit teaching of the Quran that Muhammad performed no supernatural,
verifiable miracles apart from the inspiration that he received. The Quran in several places
emphatically negates the idea of Muhammad performing physical feats such as raising the dead,
healing the sick, opening physically blind eyes etc. We present those citations here in order for
our readers to see for themselves the Quran‘s outright denial that Muhammad was able to
perform the miraculous. All quotations taken from A.J. Arberry, unless noted otherwise:
And they that know not say, 'Why does God not speak to us? Why does a sign (ayatun) not come
to us?' So spoke those before them as these men say; their hearts are much alike. Yet We have
made clear the signs (bayyanna al-ayati) unto a people who are sure. S. 2:118
Yet if thou shouldst bring to those that have been given the Book every sign (ayatun), they will
not follow thy direction; thou art not a follower of their direction, neither are they followers of
one another's direction. If thou followest their caprices, after the knowledge that has come to
thee, then thou wilt surely be among the evildoers. S. 2:145
They also say, 'Why has no sign (ayatun) been sent down upon him from his Lord?' Say: 'Surely
God is able to send down a sign (ayatan), but most of them know not.' S. 6:37
They have sworn by God the most earnest oaths if a sign (ayatun) comes to them they will
believe in it. Say: 'Signs (al-ayatu) are only with God.' What will make you realize that, when it
comes, they will not believe? S. 6:109
They say, 'Why has a sign (ayatun) not been sent down upon him from his Lord?' Say: 'The
Unseen belongs only to God. Then watch and wait; I shall be with you watching and waiting.' S.
10:20
The unbelievers say, 'Why has a sign (ayatun) not been sent down upon him from his Lord?'
Thou art ONLY a warner, and a guide to every people. S. 13:7
The foregoing text presupposes that Muhammad‘s only function was to warn people, not to
perform miracles. After all, the statement "Thou art ONLY a warner" would make no sense if a
warner could in fact perform wonders. In other words, being a warner wouldn‘t preclude
Muhammad from doing any signs unless, of course, the point being made by the Quran is that
such individuals who assumed this role were not empowered to do miracles.
The next text further illustrates this point:
Then, it may be that you will give up part of what is revealed to you and your breast will become
straightened by it because they say: Why has not a treasure been sent down upon him or an angel
come with him? You are ONLY a warner; and Allah is custodian over all things. S. 11:12 Shakir
I.e., "since you are only a warner it is not your job to perform miracles since you haven‘t been
given that ability. Rather, your job is to simply exhort and admonish people."
The unbelievers say, 'Why has a sign (ayatun) not been sent down upon him from his Lord?' Say:
'God leads astray whomsoever He will, and He guides to Him all who are penitent.' S. 13:27
Naught prevented Us from sending the signs (bial-ayati) but that the ancients cried lies to them;
and We brought Thamood the She-camel visible, but they did her wrong. And We do not send
the signs, except to frighten. S. 17:59
This last passage is one of the clearest proofs that Muhammad did absolutely no miracles
whatsoever. The text says that Allah refrained from providing miracles, which would make no
sense at all if Muhammad did indeed perform signs and wonders. Regarding this verse, the late
Sunni scholar Muhammad Asad candidly admitted:
This highly elliptic sentence has a fundamental bearing on the purport of the Qur'an as a whole.
In many places the Qur'an stresses the fact that the Prophet Muhammad, despite his being the last
and greatest of God's apostles, WAS NOT EMPOWERED TO PERFORM MIRACLES similar
to those with which the earlier prophets are said to have reinforced their verbal messages. His
ONLY miracle was and is the Qur'an itself - a message perfect in its lucidity and ethical
comprehensiveness, destined for all times and all stages of human development, addressed not
merely to the feelings but also to the minds of men, open to everyone, whatever his race or social
environment, and bound to remain unchanged forever… (Asad, Message of the Qur'an [Dar Al-
Andalus Limited 3 Library Ramp, Gibraltar rpt. 1993], p. 427, fn. 71; online edition; capital and
underline emphasis ours)
There is more from the Quran:
They say, 'We will not believe thee till thou makest a spring to gush forth from the earth for us,
or till thou possessest a garden of plants and vines, and thou makest rivers to gush forth
abundantly all amongst it, or till thou makest heaven to fall, as thou assertest, on us in fragments,
or thou bringest God and the angels as a surety, or till thou possessest a house of gold ornament,
or till thou goest up into heaven; and we will not believe thy going up till thou bringest down on
us a book that we may read. Say: 'Glory be to my Lord. Am I aught BUT A MORTAL, a
Messenger?' S. 17:90-93
Yet when the truth came to them from Ourselves, they said, 'Why has he not been given the like
of that Moses was given?' But they, did they not disbelieve also in what Moses was given
aforetime? They said, 'A pair of sorceries mutually supporting each other.' They said, 'We
disbelieve both.' S. 28:48
One Muslim writer claims:
Miracles of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are mentioned in both the Qur‘an and
Hadith. The Holy Qur‘an collectively mentions them in many places; … (Source)
The author proceeds to present a series of quotes referring to signs given to Muhammad and then
states:
The Arabic word "Al-Bayyinat" often comes in the Qur'an to mean miracles as in 2:87, 2:253,
4:153, 5:110, 7:101, 10:13, 10:74, 16:44, 20:72, 40:28, 57:25, 64:6 and others.
There are a couple of problems with the author‘s claim. First, none of the citations he lists
mention what the sign supposedly was, i.e. whether healing the sick, raising the dead etc. They
do not specify the kind of sign performed by Muhammad. Second, there are places in the Quran
where the specific Arabic words used for sign(s), i.e. ayat and bayyinat, do not necessarily refer
to miracles such as raising the dead etc. These words are also used to refer to either the signs in
creation, i.e. the design of the cosmos, the traversing of the sun, moon stars etc., or in connection
with Books that God revealed. As even Muhammad Asad noted in his comments on surah 6:109:
Lit., "Miracles are only with God." It is to be noted that the Qur'anic term ayah denotes not only
a "miracle" (in the sense of a happening that goes beyond the usual - that is, commonly
observable - course of nature), but also a "sign" or "message": and the last-mentioned
significance is the one which is by far the most frequently met with in the Qur'an. Thus, what is
commonly described as a "miracle" constitutes, in fact, an unusual message from God, indicating
sometimes in a symbolic manner - a spiritual truth which would otherwise have remained hidden
from man's intellect. But even such extraordinary, "miraculous" messages cannot be regarded as
"supernatural": for the so-called "laws of nature" are only a perceptible manifestation of "God's
way" (sunnat Allah) in respect of His creation - and, consequently, everything that exists and
happens, or could conceivably exist or happen, is "natural" in the innermost sense of this word,
irrespective of whether it conforms to the ordinary course of events or goes beyond it. Now since
the extraordinary messages referred to manifest themselves, as a rule, through the instrumentality
of those specially gifted and divinely elected personalities known as "prophets", these are
sometimes spoken of as "performing miracles" - a misconception which the Qur'an removes by
the words, "Miracles are in the power of God alone". (See also 17:59 and the corresponding note.
(Ibid., pp. 188-189, fn. 94; online edition; underline emphasis ours)
The author himself realizes that the word al-bayyinat doesn‘t always refer to miracles since he
qualifies his statement by saying "often," meaning not always.
The following examples illustrate the point that these words are used in relation to things other
than physical miracles, indicating that the use of these very words in relation to Muhammad do
not conclusively prove that he actually performed miracles:
Say: 'Have you considered your associates on whom you call, apart from God? Show me what
they have created in the earth; or have they a partnership in the heavens?' Or have We given
them a Book, so that they are upon a clear sign (bayyinatin) from it? Nay, but the evildoers
promise one another naught but delusion. S. 35:40
In the above passage the clear sign refers to instructions in a Book, that the unbelievers had no
written command from God that they should worship others besides him.
In another place the clear sign refers to the prophecies, or the revelation, found in the previous
Scriptures:
They say, 'Why does he not bring us a sign (ayatin) from his Lord?' Has there not come to them
the clear sign (bayyinatu) of what is in the former scrolls? S. 20:133
Other times ayat and bayyinat are used in reference to the Quran, that the Quran is a sign, a clear
sign from God:
The Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and Lord of the easts. Surely
We have adorned the nearest heaven with an adornment, the stars, And (there is) a safeguard
against every rebellious Shaitan. They cannot listen to the exalted assembly and they are thrown
at from every side, Being driven off, and for them is a perpetual chastisement, Except him who
snatches off but once, then there follows him a brightly shining flame. Then ask them whether
they are stronger in creation or those (others) whom We have created. Surely We created them of
firm clay. Nay! you wonder while they mock, And when they are reminded, they mind not,
And when they see a sign (ayatan) they incite one another to scoff, And they say: This is
nothing but clear magic: What! when we are dead and have become dust and bones, shall we
then certainly be raised, Or our fathers of yore? Say: Aye! and you shall be abject. So it shall
only be a single cry, when lo! they shall see. And they shall say: O woe to us! this is the day of
requital. This is the day of the judgment which you called a lie. S. 37:6-21 Shakir
The context demonstrates that the sign being referred to in the above is the claim of the Quran
that the dead will rise.
Those who conceal the clear signs (al-bayyinati) and the guidance that We have sent down,
after We have shown them clearly in the Book -- they shall be cursed by God and the cursers,
S. 2:159
The clear signs here are those mentioned in the Quran, which seems to refer to the arguments
that the Quran sets forth in support of its supposed divine origin.
the month of Ramadan, wherein the Koran was sent down to be a guidance to the people, and
as clear signs (wa bayyinatin) of the Guidance and the Salvation. So let those of you, who are
present at the month, fast it; and if any of you be sick, or if he be on a journey, then a number of
other days; God desires ease for you, and desires not hardship for you; and that you fulfil the
number, and magnify God that He has guided you, and haply you will be thankful. S. 2:185
How can you disbelieve, seeing you have God's signs (ayatu) RECITED to you, and His
Messenger among you? Whosoever holds fast to God, he is guided to a straight path. S. 3:101
And when Our signs (ayatuna) are RECITED to them, clear signs (bayyinatin), those who
look not to encounter Us say, 'Bring a Koran other than this, or alter it.' Say: 'It is not for me
to alter it of my own accord. I follow nothing, except what is revealed to me. Truly I fear, if I
should rebel against my Lord, the chastisement of a dreadful day.' S. 10:15
And what of him who stands upon a clear sign (bayyinatin) from his Lord, and a witness from
Him RECITES it, and before him is the Book of Moses for an ensample and a mercy? Those
believe in it; but whosoever disbelieves in it, being one of the partisans, his promised land is the
Fire. So be thou not in doubt of it; it is the truth from thy Lord, but most men do not believe. S.
11:17
A sura that We have sent down and appointed; and We have sent down IN IT signs, clear
signs (ayatin bayyinatin), that haply you will remember. S. 24:1
And when Our signs (ayatuna) are RECITED to them, clear signs (bayyinatin), they say,
'This is naught but a man who desires to bar you from that your fathers served'; and they say,
'This is nothing but a forged calumny.' And the unbelievers say to the truth, when it has come
to them, 'This is nothing but manifest sorcery. S. 34:43
And when Our signs (ayatuna) are RECITED to them, clear signs (bayyinatin), the
unbelievers say to the truth when it has come to them, 'This is manifest sorcery.' S. 46:7
The unbelievers of the People of the Book and the idolaters would never leave off; till the Clear
Sign (al-bayyinatu) came to them, a Messenger from God, RECITING pages purified,
therein true Books. And they scattered not, those that were given the Book, excepting after the
Clear Sign (al-bayyinatu) came to them. S. 98:1-4
Finally:
Not before this didst thou recite any Book, or inscribe it with thy right hand, for then those who
follow falsehood would have doubted. Nay; rather it is signs, clear signs (ayatun bayyinatun)
IN THE BREASTS of those who have been given knowledge; and none denies Our signs but
the evildoers. They say, 'Why have signs (ayatun) not been sent down upon him from his
Lord?' Say: 'The signs (al-ayatu) are only with God, and I am only a plain warner.' What, is
it not SUFFICIENT for them that We have sent down upon thee the Book that is recited to
them? Surely in that is a mercy, and a reminder to a people who believe. S. 29:48-51
This last one sounds the death knell for any Muslim who claims that Muhammad performed
miracles. Muhammad presents the Quran as his only miracle, the one miracle he had which was
sufficient to prove his prophethood. Lest any Muslim accuse Arberry of mistranslation note how
others have translated 29:51:
Is it not ENOUGH for them that We have sent down unto thee the Scripture which is read unto
them? Pickthall
And is it not ENOUGH for them that we have sent down to thee the Book which is rehearsed to
them? Y. Ali
Is it not SUFFICIENT for them that We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur'ân) which is
recited to them? Hilali-Khan
Does it not SUFFICE with them that We have sent down to you the Book to be recited to them?
Daryabadi
Why - is it not ENOUGH for them that We have bestowed this divine writ on thee from on high,
to be conveyed [by thee] to them? Asad
Asad writes:
I.e., "are the contents of this revelation not enough for them to make them grasp its intrinsic truth
without the help of ‗miraculous proofs‘ of its divine origin?" (Cf. note 60 on the last sentence of
7: 75.) (Ibid., p. 614, fn. 50; online edition; underline emphasis ours)
Some more translations:
Is it not SUFFICIENT for them that We have sent you down the Book to be recited to them?
T.B. Irving
Is it not ENOUGH for them that We have revealed to you the Book which is recited to them?
Shakir
Is it not ENOUGH FOR A SIGN for them that WE have sent down to thee the perfect Book
which is recited to them? Sher Ali
Is it not ENOUGH for them that We have revealed the Book to you to be recited to them
Muhammad Sarwar
And is it not SUFFICIENT for them that We revealed to you the Book [i.e. the Qur‘an] which is
recited to them? Saheeh International
Well, is this (sign of mercy) not ENOUGH for them that We have revealed to you this perfect
Book which is recited to them. Amatul Rahman & ‗Abdul Mannan ‗Omar
Is it not ENOUGH OF A MIRACLE that we sent down to you this book, Khalifa
Is it not ENOUGH for them that We have sent down to you the Scripture, being recited to them?
The Message (online source)
Is it not ENOUGH for them that We have revealed to thee the Book which is recited to them? ...
M. M. Ali
Maulana Ali notes:
51a. This is another reply to those who demanded signs. The Qur'an is a mercy, if they would
only accept it. They could see how the believers had benefited by it; how a wonderful
transformation had been wrought in their lives. Was it not a SUFFICIENT sign for them?
Indeed, this was direct evidence of the truth of the Holy Word, for to effect a pure transformation
in the lives of those who would follow it was its avowed object, while the overthrow of its
enemies was only an indirect testimony. (Source; capital and underline emphasis ours)
A final set of translations:
Is it not ENOUGH for them that We have revealed to you the Book for their instruction? N.J.
Dawood
Is it not ENOUGH for them that we have sent down to thee the Book which thou dost recite to
them? ... Palmer
Is it not ENOUGH for them that we have sent down to thee the Book to be recited to them? ...
Rodwell
Is it not SUFFICIENT for them that we have sent down unto thee the book [of the Koran], to be
read unto them? ... Sale
Thus, if Muhammad did perform miracles then this falsifies the sufficiency of the Quran.
Now a Muslim may contest this by referring to the following citation to prove that the Quran
mentions one specific miracle of Muhammad:
The Hour has drawn nigh: the moon is split. Yet if they see a sign they turn away, and they say
'A continuous sorcery!' S. 54:1-2
Many Muslims claim that this refers to the moon being split in the presence of the unbelievers
during the time of Muhammad. This alleged miracle is reported in several hadiths:
Narrated Anas:
That the Meccan people requested Allah's Apostle to show them a miracle, and so he showed
them the splitting of the moon. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 831)
There are several problems in appealing to the above citation. First, this contradicts surah 29:4851 which says that the Quran is sufficient as a sign, or miracle, from God. If Muhammad needed
to provide a miracle in addition to the Quran then this only serves to falsify his own statement
regarding the Quran‘s sufficiency. Second, the Quranic text doesn‘t give us any data whereby to
connect this with the story found in the hadith that the moon was split during Muhammad‘s time.
It is vague and can refer to any incident, whether before, during or after Muhammad‘s time.
After all, even Muslims admit that the text may in fact be referring to a future incident, a sign to
occur during the Day of Judgment:
AS RAZI points out, the first verse of this surah appears almost like a continuation of the last
verses of the preceding one, especially 53: 57 - "that [Last Hour] which is so near draws ever
nearer" -: and so we may assume that both were revealed at approximately the same time, i.e.,
towards the end of the early part (perhaps the fourth year) of Muhammad‘s prophethood …
Most of the commentators see in this verse a reference to a phenomenon said to have been
witnessed by several of the Prophet‘s contemporaries. As described in a number of reports going
back to some Companions, the moon appeared one night as if split into two distinct parts. While
there is no reason to doubt the subjective veracity of these reports, it is possible that what
actually happened was an unusual kind of partial lunar eclipse, which produced an equally
unusual optical illusion. But whatever the nature of that phenomenon, it is practically certain that
the above Quran-verse DOES NOT REFER TO IT but, rather, TO A FUTURE EVENT: namely,
to what will happen when the Last Hour approaches. (The Quran frequently employs the past
tense to denote the future, and particularly so in passages which speak of the coming of the Last
Hour and of Resurrection Day; this use of the past tense is meant to stress the certainty of the
happening to which the verb relates.) Thus, Raghib regards it as fully justifiable to interpret the
phrase inshaqqa l-qamar ("the moon is split asunder") as bearing on the cosmic cataclysm - the
end of the world as we know it - that will occur before the coming of Resurrection Day (see art.
shaqq in the Mufradat). As mentioned by Zamakhshari, this interpretation has the support of
some of the earlier commentators; and it is, to my mind, particularly convincing in view of the
juxtaposition, in the above Quran-verse, of the moon‘s "splitting asunder" and the approach of
the Last Hour. (In this connection we must bear in mind the fact that none of the Quranic
allusions to the "nearness" of the Last Hour and the Day of Resurrection is based on the human
concept of "time".) (Ibid., p. 818, fn. 1; online edition; capital and underline emphasis ours)
Third, it is just as likely that the story found in the hadith was fabricated around this passage, as
opposed to the verses referring to a story which the hadiths later record. In other words, Muslims
decided to fabricate a story in which Muhammad caused the moon to split as a sign to the
unbelievers so as to connect it with this Quranic passage.
In conclusion, the Quran explicitly says that Muhammad performed no miracles apart from the
alleged inspiration he received. His only miracle was supposedly the Quran. The claim that the
word al-bayyinat implies that Muhammad did perform miracles is not substantiated by the data
since the term is used in reference to Muhammad receiving or reciting the Quran. In other words,
Muhammad‘s clear signs, his al-bayyinat, were nothing more than the Quran itself.
Addendum
Miracles and the Bible
Hesham Azmy, in attempting to critique the Christian approach to the issue of Muhammad and
miracles, tries to show what happens when this same approach is applied to the Holy Bible. He
has a section within one of his articles which reads:
According to polemicists‘ methodology,
Jesus (peace be upon him) did not produce miracles
He then concludes:
All the above examples prove that Jesus and the disciples neither performed miracles when they
were asked, nor referred to previous miracles. So, if we used these verses to make the claim that
Jesus (peace be upon him) and the disciples were unable to perform miracles, Christian
missionaries would accuse us of bigotry, superficiality and lack of comprehension. However,
they find no problem in applying this devious methodology on the Holy Qur‘an to make their
claims. This is why we -Muslims- refuse the Christian argument against the miracles of Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him), why not?! especially his miracles are declared in the Holy
Qur‘an and authentic traditions!
As anyone reading the Holy Bible can see, Mr. Azmy is comparing apples and oranges. He is
guilty of committing a false analogy since the Holy Bible, unlike the Quran, presents many
examples of Jesus and the Apostles performing physical miracles. We will look at the immediate
contexts of some of the specific examples provided by Mr. Azmy to show how his appeal to the
Bible does not support his premise that the Quran does not deny that Muhammad performed
miracles.
"In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his
disciples to him and said to them, ‗I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with
me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they
will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.‘ And his disciples answered
him, ‗How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?‘ And he asked them,
‗How many loaves do you have?‘ They said, „Seven.‟ And he directed the crowd to sit down on
the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave
them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. And they had
a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.
And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets
full. And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away." Mark 8:1-9
"And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to
touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he
had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, ‗Do you see anything?‘ And he
looked up and said, ‗I see men, but they look like trees, walking.‘ Then Jesus laid his hands on
his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
And he sent him to his home, saying, ‗Do not even enter the village.‘" Mark 8:22-26
"After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.
And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the
feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was
coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, ‗Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may
eat?‘ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, ‗Two
hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.‘ One of his
disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, ‗There is a boy here who has five barley
loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?‘ Jesus said, ‗Have the people sit down.‘
Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.
Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were
seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his
disciples, ‗Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.‘ So they gathered them
up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who
had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, „This is indeed the
Prophet who is to come into the world!‘ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take
him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. When evening
came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to
Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough
because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw
Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to
them, ‗It is I; do not be afraid.‘ Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately
the boat was at the land to which they were going." John 6:1-21
"And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God
with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and
him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech
and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in DEMONSTRATION of the
Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of
God." 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Here are a few more citations which further establish this point:
"Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the
apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but
the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord,
multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid
them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted
with unclean spirits, and they were all healed." Acts 5:12-16
"For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to
bring the Gentiles to obedience--by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the
power of the Spirit of God--so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have
fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; Romans 15:18-19
"The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and
wonders and mighty works." 2 Corinthians 12:12
"Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the
law, or by hearing with faith—" Galatians 3:5
"how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord,
and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and
wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."
Hebrews 2:3-4
The foregoing makes it rather obvious that none of the passages cited by the author insinuate that
Christ and the Apostles didn‘t perform any miracles. The context of the citations shows that the
meaning is either that they didn‘t acquiesce to the demands of the unbelievers to perform the
specific signs they asked for, since they were given plenty of proofs already; or that no matter
how many signs they received the unbelievers weren‘t satisfied and demanded that more be
given.
Now we are aware that the Muslim author wasn‘t trying to disprove that Christ and his followers
performed miracles, but was trying to show that the Christian approach could be used to prove
that they didn‘t perform any signs or wonders, despite the fact that the Scriptures clearly say they
did. Mr. Azmy desired to show by this that a person shouldn‘t take only one set of passages
while ignoring the other citations that do speak of miracles being performed by the specific
individuals in question.
The only way for the Bible to be relevant to the point that Mr. Azmy is making is if the Quran
mentioned specific miracles which Muhammad performed. If it did, then one could legitimately
conclude that the verses that say Muhammad didn‘t perform a sign actually mean, within their
intended context, that Muhammad didn‘t acquiesce to the demands of the pagans to perform the
specific signs that they asked for, since they were shown plenty of miracles already. Or, it could
mean that Muhammad was not the source of the miracles so as to perform them whenever he so
chose, but could only perform them at Allah‘s discretion. But the Quran doesn‘t mention any
specific miracle of Muhammad, and actually claims that the Quran is sufficient as a sign from
God.
What makes this even more astonishing is that the Quran mentions the miracles performed by
Moses, Jesus, and a host of others, but doesn‘t even list one supernatural feat performed by
Muhammad. The silence is quite deafening. As one convert to Islam put it in regards to the
miracles found in the Islamic tradition:
(2) The authenticated traditions contain numerous reports of the Prophet performing miracles with God's permission, of course. Many of these are similar to ones attributed to Jesus in the
New Testament, such as transforming small quantities of food into enough to feed a whole host
of hungry followers and curing blindness with his saliva. Although the Qur'an recalls miracles of
past prophets in its narratives, it identifies itself - and perhaps one other supernatural
phenomenon - as the only observable miracle(s) granted to the Prophet. Moreover, the Qur'an
states that the Prophet's opposition frequently complained that he produced no other miraculous
signs. Yet if the Prophet indeed performed most of the miracles recorded in the Hadith literature,
then it is a wonder that his opponents consistently complained of a lack of supernatural signs or
that the Qur'an did not at least cite more of them in response to pagan objections. (Jeffrey Lang,
Losing My Religion: A Call For Help [Amana Publications, 2004], pp. 249-250)
To conclude, the Holy Bible provides absolutely no substantiation for Mr. Azmy‘s claim that
Muhammad did perform miracles despite the clear references that say he never did.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
WHAT DO MUSLIMS THINK OF MARY?
Mary in Islam
http://www.remnantofgod.org/mry-a75.htm
Virgin Mary Seen as a Model for All Muslims
Interview with Islamic Theologian Sherazade Hushmand
ROME, DEC. 10, 2001 (Zenit.org).- Muslims venerate Mary, the Pope reminded the faithful
Sunday during his Angelus address. Iranian Muslim theologian Sherazade Hushmand affirms
that view.
There are verses in the Koran that include a significant prayer to God by Mary's mother,
Hushmand explained in this interview with Vatican Radio.
--Q: Of what significance is the figure of Mary to Muslims?
--Hushmand: She is very present in the Koran, which presents her, specifically, as Mary
Immaculate. In the third sura, beginning with verse 34 and subsequent ones, the Koran speaks
about this aspect of Mary, about her total purity.
Speaking of Mary, one of the verses talks about freedom. The woman of Hemram, who is
Mary's mother, prays to God saying: "God, I dedicate to you the one I have in the womb, and I
dedicate her so that she will be free, absolutely free."
This word is used only once in the Koran, and only for Mary. This freedom is an absolute
freedom from all what might be seen as sin, evil, failure, weakness. Mary is pure of all this. Then
comes God's affirmation: "I accept her."
--Q: Do all followers of Islam believe this?
--Hushmand: In Chapter 66, the last verse, 12, the Koran says: "Do you want me to give you a
faithful example to follow, valid for all the world's believers?" Mary is proposed there as the
example. This is very strong -- because not only is Mary an example and a symbol for
Christians to follow, but also in the Koran, Mary becomes a symbol and model for all believers,
also for Muslims themselves.
--Q: And what does this mean in everyday life?
--Hushmand: To have hope, to have a model to follow, to have such a pure woman to look up to
and to go forward, a woman who had complete confidence in God. She is the example of
confidence, total confidence in the Absolute, in the God who is Supreme Perfection and Beauty.
This is how we follow her, always having confidence, even in difficulties and in face of things we
cannot understand.
Like her, who was asked to have a Son -- the Koran says -- without a material father, a physical
father, and she trusted and went ahead. So, like her, we take her as model and trust God totally,
including in difficult and hard moments of life.
ZE01121003
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
WHAT DO MUSLIMS THINK OF MARY?
Mary in the Qur’an
http://www.islamfortoday.com/galvan03.htm
Jesus and The Virgin Mary in Islam
By Juan Galvan
Many people may be surprised that Muslims love Mary, the mother of Jesus. In the Quran,
no woman is given more attention than Mary. Mary receives the most attention of any
woman mentioned in the Quran even though all the Prophets with the exception of Adam
had mothers. Of the Quran's 114 chapters, she is among the eight people who have a
chapter named after them. The nineteenth chapter of the Quran is named after her,
Mariam. Mariam means Mary in Arabic. The third chapter in the Quran is named after her
father, Imran. Chapters Mariam and Imran are among the most beautiful chapters in the
Quran. Mary (peace be upon her) is the only woman specifically named in the Quran. An
authentic Haddith states that the Prophet said, "The superiority of 'Aisha to other ladies is
like the superiority of Tharid (i.e. meat and bread dish) to other meals. Many men reached
the level of perfection, but no woman reached such a level except Mary, the daughter of
Imran and Asia, the wife of Pharaoh." (Bukhari 4.643). Indeed, both Mary and Pharoah's
wife are an example (Quran 66:11-12). The Virgin Mary plays a very significant role in
Islam. She is an example and a sign for all people.
In the Quran, Mary's story begins while she is still in her mother's womb. The mother of
Mary, said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate into Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service:
So accept this of me: For Thou hearest and knowest all things." (Quran 3:35).
She wanted the baby in her womb to serve only the Creator. When Mary was delivered, she
said: "O my Lord! Behold! I am delivered of a female child!" (Quran 3:36). She had
expected her baby to be a male child who would grow up to be a scholar or religious leader.
However, God had a better plan. God is the best of planners. Quran 3:36 continues "…and
God knew best what she brought forth- 'And no wise is the male like the female. I have
named her Mariam, and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from Satan, the
Rejected.'" Mariam literally means "maidservant of God."
In Quran 3:37, God states that He accepted Mary as her mother had asked. He made Mary
grow in purity and beauty. She was assigned to the care of a priest named Zacharias. This
is interesting considering few women were given this opportunity.
"Every time that he entered (her) chamber to see her, he found her supplied with
sustenance. He said: 'O Mary! Whence (comes) this to you?' She said: 'From God. for God
provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measure.'" (Quran 3:37). Upon hearing
Mary's answer, "There did Zakariya pray to his Lord, saying: 'O my Lord! Grant unto me
from Thee a progeny that is pure: for Thou art He that heareth prayer!'" (Quran 3:38).
Although his wife was barren and he was very old, God blesses Zacharias and his wife
Elizabeth with John. John is known as "John the Baptist" in the Bible. Zacharias was
skeptical after the angels announced John's birth. The response to his skepticism was "Doth
God accomplish what He willeth" (Quran 3:40). John would become a noble and chaste
Prophet as the angels had stated (Quran 3:39).
The Quran discusses Mary's miraculous conception as well. "Relate in the Book (the story
of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East. She placed a screen (to
screen herself) from them; then We sent her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a
man in all respects." (Quran 19:16-17). After seeing the angel, she said: "I seek refuge
from thee to (God) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear God." (Quran 19:18).
The angel Gabriel responded: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to
thee the gift of a pure son." (Quran 19:19). Her next response is expected. She asked:
"How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"
(Quran 19:20). The Angel Gabriel said: "So (it will be): thy Lord saith, 'That is easy for Me:
and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us.' It is a matter (so)
decreed." (Quran 19:21). Mary then becomes pregnant.
Jesus is a Prophet and a Messenger. A Messenger is a Prophet who is given revelation from
God. Whereas the Torah was revealed to Moses, the Gospel was revealed to Jesus.
Messengers are a mercy, guidance, and sign from God. "And God will teach him (Jesus) the
Book and Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel, and (appoint him) as a messenger to the
Children of Israel, (with this message):
'I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it
were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God's leave. And I
heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I bring the dead into life, by God's leave; and I
declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for
you if ye did believe. (I have come to you) to attest the Torah which was before me. And to
make lawful to you part of what was (before) forbidden to you. I have come to you with a
Sign from your Lord. So fear God, and obey me. It is God Who is my Lord and your Lord;
then worship Him. This is a Way that is straight.'" (Quran 3:48-51).
God appointed messengers to help us answer questions such as: What happens after I die?
What's right and wrong? Does a supernatural world exist? What's the purpose of my
creation? Jesus was calling people to the worship of only God. Only by God's leave was
Jesus able to perform miracles.
"When Jesus found unbelief on their (the disciples) part he said: 'Who will be my helpers to
(the work of) God?" Said the disciples: "We are God's helpers: We believe in God, and do
thou bear witness that we are Muslims.'" (Quran 3:52).
After conceiving Jesus, Mary went away with the baby to a distant place (Quran 19:22).
"And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree. She cried (in her
anguish): 'Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten!'"
(Quran 19:23). "But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): 'Grieve not! for
thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee; And shake towards thyself the trunk of the
palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye.
And if thou dost see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to (God) Most Gracious, and this
day will I enter into no talk with any human being.'" (Quran 19:24-26).
Joseph, the magi, and manger are not mentioned in the Quran. God was Mary's only
Provider. Muslims do not accept the virgin birth of Jesus as evidence of Jesus' divinity. "The
similitude of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to
him: 'Be.' And he was." (Quran 3:59). Adam's creation was even more miraculous because
he was born without father and mother. When she brings the baby to her people, they said:
"O Mary! truly a strange thing has thou brought! O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a
man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!" (Quran 19:27-8). Mary then points to the
baby. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?" (Quran 19:29). Then
a miracle occurs that is not mentioned in the Bible. In defense of his mother, Jesus said: "I
am indeed a servant of God. He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet; And He
hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as
long as I live; (He hath made me) kind to my mother, and not overbearing or unblest; So
peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up
to life (again)!" (Quran 19:30-33).
The virgin birth of Jesus was a sign. "And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We
breathed into her of Our spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples." (Quran
21:91). All previous Prophets confirmed the oneness of God, Tawheed. Whereas the Holy
Trinity is the fundamental concept of God in Christianity, Tawheed is the fundamental
concept of God in Islam. God exists independent of religion. Muslims do not believe in the
concept of Holy Trinity (Quran 5:73). God is not Jesus (Quran 5:72). On the Day of
Judgment, when Jesus is asked if he had called people to worship him and his mother as
two gods, Jesus will say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had
I said such a thing, Thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart,
Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden." (Quran
5:116).
People should not worship any of God's creation, including Jesus and Mary. We must not
assign any of God's creation His divine attributes and characteristics. "He is God the
Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the Names Most Beautiful. All that is in the
heavens and the earth magnifies Him; He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise." (Qur'an 59:24).
Although God can do all things, He only does things that are consistent with His
fundamental nature. Begetting a son is not consistent with God's magnificent nature (Quran
19:92, Quran 19:35). Consistent with His fundamental nature is forgiveness. Although
Adam and Eve could no longer live in the Paradise, God forgave Adam and Eve for their sin
after they sincerely repented (Quran 2:35-37). We are responsible for our own deeds and
will not be punished for the deeds of another person (Quran 53:38-42). Therefore, Muslims
reject the doctrine of original sin. Although Adam and Eve were punished, God would still be
merciful by sending Guidance to mankind. "We said: 'Get down all of you from this place
(the Paradise), then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows
My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve.'" (Quran 2:38).
When people hear the term Islam, they naturally tend to think of the organized religion of
Islam which started in the 7th century CE with prophet Mohammed. However, in Arabic the
word Islam comes from the root "salema" which means peace, purity, submission, and
obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means peace and purity achieved by submitting to
the will of God and obedience to His law. Muslims are those who submit. Muslims believe
that all those who submitted to the will of God in line with divine revelation received before
the advent of formal Islam with prophet Mohammed, were themselves also Muslim. So
coming from this understanding, Muslims believe that we are part of one continuing faith
community with Jesus and Mary. Mary, Jesus, and the disciples were all "Muslims" because
they submitted to God.
"Behold! the angels said: 'O Mary! God hath chosen thee and purified thee - chosen thee
above the women of all nations. O Mary! worship thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and
bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down.'" (Quran 3:42-43).
Another Prophet with a message similar to Jesus' would later be born in Arabia in the sixth
century. He also called people to the worship of only God. Although unable to read and
write, Muhammad (peace be upon him) would recite beautiful verses of the Quran as they
were revealed to him. The Quran is a beautiful miracle, a sign, a mercy, a warner, and a
guidance for all people. Muhammad is the last Prophet from a line of Prophets that included
Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them). All Prophets were models for
righteous living. Muhammad's sunnah, his sayings, example, and traditions, is also
considered revelation. His sunnah is expressed in various books of Haddith.
"Indeed in the Messenger of God you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for
(the Meeting with) God and the Last Day, and remembers God much." (Quran 33:21).
God created all people to worship Him and to live life based on His teachings and guidance.
"And hold fast, all together, by the Rope which God (stretches out for you), and be not
divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude God's favor on you; for ye were
enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and
ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth God make His
Signs clear to you that ye may be guided." (Quran 3:103).
"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to God), never will it be accepted
of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of those who have lost." (Quran 3:85).
We accomplish this by bearing witness to God's oneness and accepting His final revelation in
our daily lives. "O ye who believe! Fear God as He should be feared, and die not except in a
state of Islam." (Quran 3:102).
There is none worthy of worship but God, and Muhammad is His messenger.

End Note: While writing about the Virgin Mary, I wanted to avoid as much confusion
as possible among non-Muslims. My article was written with a non-Muslim audience
in mind. Consequently, I used English terms and figures familiar to Christians rather
than those in Arabic. For example, "Isa" means Jesus in Arabic, and "Yahya" means
John in Arabic. I also avoided using terms of respectability commonly used among
Muslims such as SWT, PBUH, SAWS, RA, and AS. I apologize if I have offended
anyone.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
MUSLIM CLAIMS:
Biblical prophecies that Muslim’s claim predict Muhammad’s
coming.
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/200/
Bible Prophecies of Muhammad (part 1 of 4):
Witnesses of Scholars
Preliminary Issues
The Bible is the sacred scripture of Judaism and
Christianity. The Christian Bible consists of the Old
Testament and the New Testament, with the Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions of the Old
Testament being slightly larger because of their
acceptance of certain books not accepted as scripture
by Protestants. The Jewish Bible includes only the
books known to Christians as the Old Testament.
Furthermore, the arrangements of the Jewish and
Christian canons differ considerably.[1] Prophet
Muhammad has been prophesized in both the Old
Testament and the New Testament.
Jesus and the Apostles are believed to have
spoken Aramaic. Aramaic continued in wide use
until about AD 650, when it was supplanted by
Arabic.[2] The present day Bible is not, however,
based on the Aramaic manuscripts, but on Greek and
Latin versions.
Quoting the Bible prophecies does not entail that Muslims accept the present day Bible in
its entirety as God‘s revelation.
It is not a pre-condition of acceptance that a prophet be foretold by an earlier prophet.
Moses was a prophet to Pharaoh even though he was not prophesized by anyone before him.
Abraham was God‘s prophet to Nimrod, yet no one prophesized his coming. Noah, Lot, and
others were true prophets of God, yet they were not foretold. The evidence of a prophet‘s truth
is not limited to old prophecies, but it includes the actual message brought by him, miracles
and more.
Discussing prophecies is a delicate matter. It requires sifting through Bible versions and
translations, recently discovered manuscripts and searching out Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic
words and investigating them. The task becomes especially difficult when: ―prior to the
printing press (15th century), all copies of Bibles show textual variations.‖[3] This is not an
easy subject for lay people. For this reason, the best testimony comes from ancient and
modern experts in the area who acknowledged the prophecies.
We have records of early Jews and Christians, both monks and rabbis, who witnessed that
Muhammad was the fulfillment of specific Bible prophecies. The following are some examples of
these people.
The Awaited Prophet
Pre-Islam Jews and Christians of Arabia were awaiting a prophet. Before the appearance
of 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. This is why God revealed:
“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)
The first witness was Buhaira, the Christian monk, who recognized Muhammad‘s
prophethood when he was still young and told his uncle:
“…a great fortune lies before your nephew, so take him home quickly.”[4]
The second witness was Waraqah bin Nawfal, a Christian scholar who died soon after a
solitary meeting with Muhammad. Waraqah attested Muhammad was the Prophet of his time
and received revelation exactly like Moses and Jesus.[5]
The Jews of Medina were anxiously awaiting the arrival of a prophet. The third and fourth
witnesses were their two famous Jewish rabbis, Abdullah bin Salam and Mukhayriq.[6]
The sixth and seventh witnesses were also Yemeni Jewish rabbis, Wahb ibn Munabbih,
and Ka‘b al-Ahbar (d. 656 CE). Ka‘b found long passages of praise and the description of the
Prophet prophesized by Moses in the Bible.[7]
The Quran states:
“Is it not a sign to them that the learned men of the Children of Israel
knew it (as true)?” (Quran 26:197)
Footnotes:
―Bible.‖ Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.
(http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9079096)
[1]
―Aramaic language.‖ Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.
(http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9009190)
[2]
―biblical literature.‖ Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.
(http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-73396)
[3]
‗Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources‘ by Martin Lings, p. 29. ‗Sirat Rasul Allah‘ by Ibn
Ishaq translated by A. Guillame, p. 79-81. ‗The Quran And The Gospels: A Comparative Study,‘ p. 46 by Dr.
Muhammad Abu Laylah of Azhar University.
[4]
[5]
‗Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources‘ by Martin Lings, p. 35.
‗The Quran And The Gospels: A Comparative Study,‘ p. 47 by Dr. Muhammad Abu Laylah of Azhar
University.
[6]
‗The Quran And The Gospels: A Comparative Study,‘ p. 47-48 by Dr. Muhammad Abu Laylah of Azhar
University.
[7]
Bible Prophecies of Muhammad (part 2 of 4):
Old Testament Prophecies of Muhammad
Deuteronomy 18:18 “I (God) will raise them up a Prophet from among their
brethren, like unto thee (Moses), and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall
speak unto them all that I shall command him.”
Many Christians believe this prophecy foretold by Moses to be in regards to Jesus.
Indeed Jesus was foretold in the Old Testament, but as will be clear, this prophecy does
not befit him, but rather is more deserving of Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings
of God be upon him. Moses foretold the following:
1.
The Prophet Will Be Like Moses
.
Areas of
Comparison
Moses
Jesus
Muhammad
Birth
normal birth
miraculous, virgin normal birth
birth
Mission
prophet only
said to be Son of
God
prophet only
Parents
father & mother
mother only
father & mother
Family Life
married with
children
never married
married with
children
Acceptance by
own people
Jews accepted
him
Jews rejected
him[1]
Arabs accepted
him
Political
Authority
Moses had it
(Num 15:36)
Jesus refused it[2]
Muhammad had it
Victory Over
Opponents
Pharaoh drowned
said to be
crucified
Meccans defeated
Death
natural death
claimed to be
crucified
natural death
Burial
buried in grave
empty tomb
buried in grave
Divinity
not divine
divine to
Christians
not divine
Began Mission at
age
40
30
40
Resurrection on
Earth
not resurrected
resurrection
claimed
not resurrected
2.
The Awaited Prophet will be from the Brethren of the Jews
The verse in discussion is explicit in saying that the prophet will come amongst the
Brethren of the Jews. Abraham had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. The Jews are the
descendants of Isaac‘s son, Jacob. The Arabs are the children of Ishmael. Thus, the
Arabs are the brethren of the Jewish nation.[3] The Bible affirms:
„And he (Ishmael) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.‟ (Genesis 16:12)
„And he (Ishmael) died in the presence of all his brethren.‟ (Genesis 25:18)
The children of Isaac are the brethren of the Ishmaelites. Likewise, Muhammad is
from among the brethren of the Israelites, because he was a descendant of Ishmael the
son of Abraham.
3.
God Will Put His Words in the Mouth of the Awaited Prophet
The Quran says of Muhammad:
“Neither does he speak out of his own desire: that [which he conveys
to you] is but [a divine] inspiration with which he is being inspired.”
(Quran 53:3-4)
This is quite similar to the verse in Deuteronomy 18:15:
“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will
put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command
him” (Deuteronomy 18:18)
The Prophet Muhammad came with a message to the whole world, and from them,
the Jews. All, including the Jews, must accept his prophethood, and this is supported by
the following words:
“The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy
brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” (Deuteronomy 18:15)
4.
A Warning to Rejecters
The prophecy continues:
Deuteronomy 18:19 “And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever will not hearken
unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require [it] of him.” (in some
translations: “I will be the Revenger”).
Interestingly, Muslims begin every chapter of the Quran in the name of God by
saying:
Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem
―‗In the Name of God, the Most-Merciful, the Dispenser of Grace.‖
The following is the account of some scholars who believed this prophecy to fit
Muhammad.
The First Witness
Abdul-Ahad Dawud, the former Rev. David Benjamin Keldani, BD, a Roman
Catholic priest of the Uniate-Chaldean sect. After accepting Islam, he wrote the book,
‗Muhammad in the Bible.‘ He writes about this prophecy:
―If these words do not apply to Muhammad, they still remain unfulfilled. Jesus
himself never claimed to be the prophet alluded to. Even his disciples were of the same
opinion: they looked to the second coming of Jesus for the fulfillment of the prophecy
(Acts 3: 17-24). So far it is undisputed that the first coming of Jesus was not the advent
of the Prophet like unto thee and his second advent can hardly fulfill the words. Jesus, as
is believed by his Church, will appear as a Judge and not as a law-giver; but the promised
one has to come with a ―fiery law‖ in his right hand.‖[4]
The Second Witness
Muhammad Asad was born Leopold Weiss in July 1900 in the city of Lvov (German
Lemberg), now in Poland, then part of the Austrian Empire. He was the descendant of a
long line of rabbis, a line broken by his father, who became a barrister. Asad himself
received a thorough religious education that would qualify him to keep alive the family‘s
rabbinical tradition. He had become proficient in Hebrew at an early age and was also
familiar with Aramaic. He had studied the Old Testament in the original as well as the
text and commentaries of the Talmud, the Mishna and Gemara, and he had delved into
the intricacies of Biblical exegesis, the Targum.[5]
Commenting on the verse of the Quran:
“and do not overlay the truth with falsehood, and do not knowingly
suppress the truth” (Quran 2:42)
Muhammad Asad writes:
―By ‗overlaying the truth with falsehood‟ is meant the corrupting of the biblical text,
of which the Quran frequently accuses the Jews (and which has since been established by
objective textual criticism), while the ‗suppression of the truth‟ refers to their disregard or
deliberately false interpretation of the words of Moses in the biblical passage, ‗The Lord
thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto
me; unto him ye shall hearken‘ (Deuteronomy 18:15), and the words attributed to God
himself, ‗I will raise them up a prophet from among thy brethren, like unto thee, and will
put my words in his mouth‘ (Deuteronomy 18:18). The ‗brethren‘ of the children of
Israel are obviously the Arabs, and particularly the musta‘ribah (‗Arabianized‘) group
among them, which traces its descent to Ishmael and Abraham: and since it is this group
that the Arabian Prophet‘s own tribe, the Quraish, belonged, the above biblical passages
must be taken as referring to his advent.‖[6]
Footnotes:
[1]
―He (Jesus) came unto his own, but his own received him not‖ (John 1:11)
[2]
John 18:36.
[3]
‗Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources‘ by Martin Lings, p. 1-7.
[4]
Ibid, p. 156
‗Berlin to Makkah: Muhammad Asad‘s Journey into Islam‘ by Ismail Ibrahim Nawwab in the
January/February 2002 issue of Saudi Aramco Magazine.
[5]
[6]
Muhammad Asad, ‗The Message of The Quran‘ (Gibraltar: Dar al-Andalus, 1984), p. 10-11.
Bible Prophecies of Muhammad (part 3 of 4):
New Testament Prophecies of Muhammad
John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,
that he may abide with you for ever.” (American Standard Version)
In this verse, Jesus promises that another ―Comforter‖ will appear, and thus, we must
discuss some issues concerning this ―Comforter.‖
The Greek word paravklhtoß, ho parakletos, has been translated as ‗Comforter.‘
Parakletos more precisely means ‗one who pleads another‘s cause, an intercessor.‘[1]
The ho parakletos is a person in the Greek language, not an incorporeal entity. In the
Greek language, every noun possesses gender; that is, it is masculine, feminine or
neutral. In the Gospel of John, Chapters 14, 15 and 16 the ho parakletos is actually a
person. All pronouns in Greek must agree in gender with the word to which they refer
and the pronoun ―he‖ is used when referring to the parakletos. The NT uses the word
pneuma, which means ―breath‖ or ―spirit,‖ the Greek equivalent of ruah, the Hebrew
word for ―spirit‖ used in the OT. Pneuma is a grammatically neutral word and is always
represented by the pronoun ―it.‖
All present day Bibles are compiled from ―ancient manuscripts,‖ the oldest dating
back the fourth century C.E. No two ancient manuscripts are identical.[2] All Bibles
today are produced by combining manuscripts with no single definitive reference. The
Bible translators attempt to ―choose‖ the correct version. In other words, since they do
not know which ―ancient manuscript‖ is the correct one, they decide for us which
―version‖ for a given verse to accept. Take John 14:26 as an example. John 14:26 is the
only verse of the Bible which associates the Parakletos with the Holy Spirit. But the
―ancient manuscripts‖ are not in agreement that the ―Parakletos‖ is the ‗Holy Spirit.‘ For
instance, the famous Codex Syriacus, written around the fifth century C.E., and
discovered in 1812 on Mount Sinai, the text of 14:26 reads; ―Paraclete, the Spirit‖; and
not ―Paraclete, the Holy Spirit.‖
Why is it important? It is significant because in biblical language a ―spirit,‖ simply
means ―a prophet.‖
―Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because
many false prophets are gone out into the world.‖[3]
It is instructive to know that several biblical scholars considered parakletos to be an
‗independent salvific (having the power to save) figure,‘ not the Holy Ghost.[4]
The question, then, is: was Jesus‘ parakletos, Comforter, a ‗Holy Ghost‘ or a person a prophet - to come after him? To answer the question, we must understand the
description of ho parakletos and see if it fits a ghost or a human being.
When we continue reading beyond chapter 14:16 and chapter 16:7, we find that Jesus
predicts the specific details of the arrival and identity of the parakletos. Therefore,
according to the context of John 14 & 16 we discover the following facts.
1.
Jesus said the parakletos is a human being:
John 16:13 “He will speak.”
John 16:7 “…for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.”
It is impossible that the Comforter be the ―Holy Ghost‖ because the Holy Ghost was
present long before Jesus and during his ministry.[5]
John 16:13 Jesus referred to the paraclete as ‗he‘ and not ‗it‘ seven times, no other
verse in the Bible contains seven masculine pronouns. Therefore, paraclete is a person,
not a ghost.
2.
Jesus is called a parakletos:
“And if any man sin, we have an advocate (parakletos) with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous.” (1 John 2:1)
Here we see that parakletos is a physical and human intercessor.
3.
The Divinity of Jesus a later innovation
Jesus was not accepted as divine until the Council of Nicea, 325 CE, but everyone,
except Jews, agree he was a prophet of God, as indicated by the Bible:
Matthew 21:11 “...This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”
Luke 24:19 “...Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people.”
4.
Jesus prayed to God for another parakletos:
John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another parakletos.”
Footnotes:
[1]
Vine‘s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
―Besides the larger discrepancies, such as these, there is scarcely a verse in which there is not some
variation of phrase in some copies [of the ancient manuscripts from which the Bible has been collected].
No one can say that these additions or omissions or alterations are matters of mere indifference.‖ ‗Our
Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts,‘ by Dr. Frederic Kenyon, Eyre and Spottiswoode, p. 3.
[2]
[3]
1 John 4: 1-3
‗...Christian tradition has identified this figure (Paraclete) as the Holy Spirit, but scholars like Spitta,
Delafosse, Windisch, Sasse, Bultmann, and Betz have doubted whether this identification is true to the
original picture and have suggested that the Paraclete was once an independent salvific figure, later
confused with the Holy Spirit.‖ ‗the Anchor Bible, Doubleday & Company, Inc, Garden City, N.Y. 1970,
Volume 29A, p. 1135.
[4]
[5] Genesis 1:
2, 1 Samuel 10: 10, 1 Samuel 11: 6, Isaiah 63: 11, Luke 1: 15, Luke 1: 35, Luke 1: 41, Luke
1: 67, Luke 2: 25, Luke 2: 26, Luke 3:22, John 20: 21-22.
Bible Prophecies of Muhammad (part 4 of 4):
More New Testament Prophecies of
Muhammad
5.
Jesus describes the function of the other Parakletos:
John 16:13 “He will guide you into all the truth.”
God says in the Quran of Muhammad:
“O mankind! The Messenger has now come unto you with the truth
from your Lord: believe, then, for your own good!...” (Quran 4:170)
John 16:14 “He will glorify Me.”
The Quran brought by Muhammad glorifies Jesus:
“…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)
Muhammad also glorified Jesus:
“Whoever testifies that none deserves worship except God, who has no partner, and
that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, and that Jesus is the servant of God,
His Messenger, and His Word which He bestowed in Mary, and a spirit created
from Him, and that Paradise is true, and that Hell is true, God will admit him into
Paradise, according to his deeds.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)
John 16:8 “he will convince the world of its sin, and of God‟s righteousness, and of
the coming judgment.”
The Quran announces:
“Indeed, they have disbelieved who say, „God is the Christ, son of
Mary‟ - seeing that the Christ [himself] said, „O Children of Israel!
Worship God [alone], who is my Lord as well as your Lord.‟
„Indeed, whoever ascribes divinity to any being beside God, unto him
will God deny paradise, and his goal shall be the fire: and there are
not for the wrongdoers any helpers!‟” (Quran 5:72)
John 16:13 “he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall
he speak.”
The Quran says of Muhammad:
“Neither does he speak out of his own desire: that [which he conveys
to you] is but [a divine] inspiration with which he is being inspired.”
(Quran 53:3-4)
John 14:26 “and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto
you.”
The words of the Quran:
“…while the Messiah had said, „O Children of Israel, worship God,
my Lord and your Lord.‟” (Quran 5:72)
…reminds people of the first and greatest command of Jesus they have forgotten:
“The first of all the commandments is, „Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one
Lord.‟” (Mark 12:29)
John 16:13 “and He will disclose to you what is to come.”
The Quran states:
“That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal, [O
Muhammad], to you…” (Quran 12:102)
Hudhaifa, a disciple of Prophet Muhammad, tells us:
“The Prophet once delivered a speech in front of us wherein he left nothing but
mentioned everything that would happen till the Hour (of Judgment).” (Saheeh AlBukhari)
John 14:16 “that he may abide with you for ever.”
…meaning his original teachings will remain forever. Muhammad was God‘s last
prophet to humanity.[1] His teachings are perfectly preserved. He lives in the hearts and
minds of his adoring followers who worship God in his exact imitation. No man,
including Jesus or Muhammad, has an eternal life on earth. Parakletos is not an
exception either. This cannot be an allusion to the Holy Ghost, for present day creed of
the Holy Ghost did not exist until the Council of Chalcedon, in 451 CE, four and half
centuries after Jesus.
John 14:17 “he will be the spirit of truth”
…meaning he will a true prophet, see 1 John 4: 1-3.
John 14:17 “the world neither sees him...”
Many people in the world today do not know Muhammad.
John 14:17 “...nor knows him”
Fewer people recognize the real Muhammad, God‘s Prophet of Mercy.
John 14:26 “the Advocate (parakletos)”
Muhammad will be the advocate of humanity at large and of sinful believers on
Judgment Day:
People will look for those who can intercede on their behalf to God to reduce the
distress and suffering on Day of Judgment. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus
will excuse themselves.
Then they will come to our Prophet and he will say, ―I am the one who is able.‖ So
he will intercede for the people in the Great Plain of Gathering, so judgment may be
passed. This is the ‗Station of Praise‘ God promises Him in the Quran:
“…It may be that your Lord will raise you to Station of Praise (the
honor of intercession on the Day of Resurrection)” (Quran 17:79)[2]
Prophet Muhammad said:
“My intercession will be for those of my nation who committed major sins.” (AlTirmidhi)
“I shall be the first intercessor in Paradise.” (Saheeh Muslim)
Some Muslim scholars suggest what Jesus actually said in Aramaic represents more
closely the Greek word periklytos which means the ‗admired one.‘ In Arabic the word
‗Muhammad‘ means the ‗praiseworthy, admired one.‘ In other words, periklytos is
―Muhammad‖ in Greek. We have two strong reasons in its support. First, due to several
documented cases of similar word substitution in the Bible, it is quite possible that both
words were contained in the original text but were dropped by a copyist because of the
ancient custom of writing words closely packed, with no spaces in between. In such a
case the original reading would have been, ―and He will give you another comforter
(parakletos), the admirable one (periklytos).‖ Second, we have the reliable testimony of
at least four Muslim authorities from different eras who ascribed ‗admired, praised one‘
as a possible meaning of the Greek or Syriac word to Christians scholars.[3]
The following are some who attest that the Paraclete is indeed an allusion to
Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him:
The First Witness
Anselm Turmeda (1352/55-1425 CE), a priest and Christian scholar, was a witness to
the prophecy. After accepting Islam he wrote a book, “Tuhfat al-arib fi al-radd „ala Ahl
al-Salib.”
The Second Witness
Abdul-Ahad Dawud, the former Rev. David Abdu Benjamin Keldani, BD, a Roman
Catholic priest of the Uniate-Chaldean sect.[4] After accepting Islam, he wrote the book,
‗Muhammad in the Bible.‘ He writes in this book:
―There is not the slightest doubt that by ―Periqlyte,‖ Prophet Muhammad, i.e. Ahmad,
is intended.‖
The Third Witness
A synopsis of the life of Muhammad Asad has already been given above.
Commenting on the verse:
“…an apostle who shall come after me, whose name shall be
Ahmad” (Quran 61:6)
…where Jesus predicts the coming of Muhammad, Asad explains that the word
Parakletos:
―…is almost certainly a corruption of Periklytos (‗the Much-Praised‘), an exact Greek
translation of the Aramaic term or name Mawhamana. (It is to be borne in mind that
Aramaic was the language used in Palestine at the time of, and for some centuries after,
Jesus and was thus undoubtedly the language in which the original - now lost - texts of
the Gospels were composed.) In view of the phonetic closeness of Periklytos and
Parakletos it is easy to understand how the translator - or, more probably, a later scribe confused these two expressions. It is significant that both the Aramaic Mawhamana and
the Greek Periklytos have the same meaning as the two names of the Last Prophet,
Muhammad and Ahmad, both of which are derived from the Hebrew verb hamida (‗he
praised‘) and the Hebrew noun hamd (‗praise‘).‖
Footnotes:
[1]
Quran 33:40.
[2]
See also Saheeh Al-Bukhari
‗Sirat Rasul Allah,‘ by Ibn Ishaq (85-151 CE)p, 103. ‗Bayn al-Islam wal-Masihiyya: Kitab ‗Abi
Ubaida al-Khazraji ,‘ p. 220-221 by Abu Ubaida al-Khazraji (1146-1187 CE) p. 220-221. ‗Hidaya tulHayara,‘ by Ibn ul-Qayyim, p. 119. ‗al-Riyadh al-Aniqa,‘ by al-Suyuti, p. 129.
[3]
[4]
Read his biography here: (http://www.muhammad.net/biblelp/bio_keldani.html.)
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
QADAR or TAQDIR “Divine Decree”
http://muttaqun.com/qadar.html
Qadar
(Divine Decree/Preordainment)
According to Quran and Sunnah
WWW.MUTTAQUN.COM
"No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves
but is inscribed in the Book of Decrees -- (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz),
before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah"
The Noble Qur'an Al-Hadid 57:22
The Noble Qur'an - At-Tauba 9:51
Say: "Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our
Maula (Lord, Helper and Protector)." And in Allah let the believers put their trust.
The Noble Qur'an - Al-Qamar 54:53
And everything, small and big is written (in Al-Lauh Al-Mahfûz already beforehand i.e.
before it befalls, or is done by its doer).
The Noble Qur'an - At-Takwir 81:28-29
To whomsoever among you who wills to walk straight, And you will not, unless (it be)
that Allâh wills, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists).
Hadith - Sahih Bukhari 4:621, Narrated Abu Huraira
Allah's Apostle
said, "Adam and Moses argued with each other. Moses said to Adam,
'You are Adam whose mistake expelled you from Paradise.' Adam said to him, 'You are Moses whom
Allah selected as His Messenger and as the one to whom He spoke directly; yet you blame me for a thing
which had already been written in my fate before my creation?' " Allah's Apostle
twice, "So, Adam overpowered Moses."
said
Hadith - Sahih Bukhari 6:469, Narrated 'Ali
We were in the company of the Prophet
in a funeral procession at Baqi Al-Gharqad. He
said, "There is none of you but has his place written for him in Paradise or in the HellFire." They said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we depend (on this fact and give up work)?" He
said, "Carry on doing (good deeds), for everybody will find it easy to do (what will lead
him to his destined place)." Then he recited "As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah,
and believes in the Best reward from Allah (i.e. Allah will compensate him for what he will spend in Allah's
way). So, We will make smooth for him the path of ease. But he who is a greedy miser...for him, the path
for evil." (92.5-10)
Hadith - Bukhari, Narrated Anas bin Malik
The Prophet
said, "Allah has appointed an angel in the womb, and the
angel says, 'O Lord! A drop of discharge (i.e. of semen), O Lord! a clot, O Lord! a piece
of flesh.' And then, if Allah wishes to complete the child's creation, the angel will say. 'O
Lord! A male or a female? O Lord! wretched or blessed (in religion)? What will his
livelihood be? What will his age be?' The angel writes all this while the child is in the
womb of its mother."
Hadith - Tirmidhi and Ahmad, Narrated Matar ibn Ukamis
Allah's Messenger
said: When Allah decrees that a person is to die in a
certain land, He creates a need for him to go there.
Hadith - Tirmidhi and Ahmad, Narrated AbudDarda'
Allah's Messenger
said: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has ordained for
every servant amongst His creation five things: his death, his action, his abode, the
places of his moving about and his means of sustenance.
Hadith - Al-Tirmidhi #5758, Narrated AbuHurayrah
When Allah's Messenger
was asked when the office of Prophet had been
established for him, he replied, "When Adam had not yet had his spirit joined to his
body.
[Tirmidhi transmitted it]
Only Speak with Sure Knowledge
Hadith - Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, Narrated 'Aisha
I heard Allah's Messenger
saying: He who discusses about the Divine
Decree (al-Qadr) will be answerable for it on the Day of Resurrection and he who
observes silence about it, will not be answerable for it.
The Noble Qur'an - Ya-Sin 36:67
And if it had been Our Will, We could have transformed them (into animals or lifeless
objects) in their places. Then they should have been unable to go forward (move about)
nor they could have turned back.
Hadith - Al-Tirmidhi, Narrated Thawban [Transmitted by Ibn Majah.]
Allah's Messenger
said: "Only supplication averts the decree, only
kindness prolongs life, and a man is deprived of provision for a fault he commits."
Hadith - Al-Muwatta 46.4
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ziyad ibn Sad from Amr ibn Muslim that Tawus alYamani said, "I found some of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, saying 'Everything is by decree.' " Tawus added, "I
heard Abdullah ibn Umar say that The Messenger of Allah
said,
'Everything is by decree - even incapacity and ability,' (or 'ability and incapacity')."
Happiness Depends on Contentment with Qadar
Hadith - al-Tirmidhi # 2151. [Classed as saheeh by al-Haakim, 1/699, and al-Dhahabi agreed with
him. It was classed as hasan by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 11/184]
The happiness of the son of Adam depends on his being content with what Allah has
decreed for him, and the misery of the son of Adam results from his failure to pray
istikhaarah, and the misery of the son of Adam results from in his discontent with what
Allah has decreed for him.
Basics of Belief
A Muslim believes in Allah's predestination of all things and events (Qadhaa), His decree
(Qadar), His wisdom in His actions, and His will. Nothing in the universe can occur, even the
voluntary actions of His slaves, except after Allah's knowledge, and His decree of that event. A
Muslim further believes that Allah is Just in His predestination and His decree, Wise in all of His
actions. His wisdom follows His will: Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not will is
not. There is no power nor any movement except by Allah. This is substantiated by the textual
and logical proofs which follow:
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
1. Allah (glory and praise to Allah) informed us of this in the Qur'an:
o Verily, We have created all things with Qadar (Divine Preordainments of all
things before their creation, as written in the Book of Decrees Al-Lauh AlMahfûz). [Qur'an 54/49]
o And there is not a thing, but with Us are the stores thereof. And We send it not
down except in a known measure. [Qur'an 15/21]
o No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but is inscribed in the Book of
Decrees (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfûz), before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is
easy for Allâh. [Qur'an 57/22]
o No calamity befalls, but with the Leave [i.e. decision and Qadar (Divine
Preordainments)] of Allâh, and whosoever believes in Allâh, He guides his heart
[to the true Faith with certainty, i.e. what has befallen him was already written for
him by Allâh from the Qadar (Divine Preordainments)], and Allâh is the AllKnower of everything. [Qur'an 64/11]
o And with Him are the keys of the Ghaib (all that is hidden), none knows them but
He. And He knows whatever there is in (or on) the earth and in the sea; not a leaf
falls, but he knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor
anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record. [Qur'an 6/59]
o
Evidence also in: Quran 9/51, 7/43, 21/101, 18/39, 81/27-29
2. The Prophet (saws) has informed us about the reality of Allah's predestination and decree
in many hadith:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
"Verily, each one of you is formed in his mother's womb forty days as a drop, then he is
something suspended for a similar period, then he is a piece of flesh like a chewed piece of meat
for another period of forty days, then the angel is sent to insert the soul. This angel is ordered to
record four things: the sustenance which he will receive during his lifetime, the length of his life,
all actions that he will do, and whether he will end up miserable (in hell) or joyous (in paradise). I
swear by the One other than whom there is no deity, one of you may do the works of the people of
paradise right up until there is only an arm's length between him and paradise, but his destiny
overtakes him, so he does the actions of the poeple of the fire and enters it. And, verily, one of you
may do the works of the people of hell until there is nothing between them and hell except for one
arm's length, but his destiny overtakes him, and so he does the works of the people of paradise,
and enters it." [Muslim]
"Young man, I will teach you some words: Preserve (your obligations toward) Allah and He will
preserve you. Guard (your obligations toward) Allah, and you will find Him on your side. When
you ask, ask Allah. When you seek aid and succour, seek it from Allah. And know, that if the
entire nation got together to benefit you in some way, they could never benefit you at all except
for that which Allah had already decreed for you. And, if they all got together to harm you in some
way, they could do you no harm except for that which Allah had already decreed for you. The
pens have been lifted, and the tablets have dried." [At-Tirmidhi, and he rated it Sahih]
"The first thing which Allah created was the pen. Then, He said to it: Write. It asked: My Lord,
what should I write? He said: Write the proportions of all things up until the Hour." [Ahmad, AtTirmidhi, and it is hassan]
"Adam disputed with Musa. Musa said to Adam: "O, Adam, you are the father of the human race,
Allah created you with His hand, and blew into you of His spirit, and made His angels prostrate to
you, why did you expel yourself and us from the garden?" Adam said to him: "You are Musa
whom Allah favored with His speech, and wrote for you the Taurah with His hand, so (tell me) by
how many years before my creation did you find it written about me: [... then Adam disobeyed his
Lord and got lost.] (Qur'an 20:121)? Musa said: "By forty years." Then, Adam said: "So how do
you blame me for something which Allah had decreed for me before my creation by forty years?"
The Prophet said: "And so, Adam defeated Musa in the dispute."
"Act, for each of you will find easy that for which he was created." (Muslim)
"O, Abdullah ibn Qais, should I not teach you a word which is one of the treasures of paradise? (It
is to say): There is no movement nor any power except from Allah."
"Someone said: That which Allah wants and you want. To which the Prophet (saws) replied: That
which Allah alone wants." [An-Nasaa'i, and he rated it sahih]
EVIDENCE OF REASON
1. Reason does not reject the idea of predestination and decree and of Allah's wisdom and
His will. Just the opposite, reason demands that this is the case without doubt because of
the clear evidences of it in the universe around us.
2. Belief in Allah and in his perfect might and power demands the belief in His
predestination and His decree, His wisdom and His will.
Action Items for the

uttaqun:
Fear Allah, azza wa-jall (may Allah be hollowed and glorified) and know that
it is Allah, subhana watala, who decides your fate.
 Do not question what is already written, for it was written by Allah to
happen.
o


Example: Saying, "That shouldn't have happened!" is a statement against the
Qadar.
Do not use the Qadar as an excuse for your actions. You do not know the
future, even though it was already written. So you are responsible for your
action or inaction.
o Hadith Narrated by Jabir Ibn Jarir recorded from Jabir bin `Abdullah that he said,
"O Messenger of Allah! Are we performing deeds for something that has already
been predetermined or is the matter based upon what we are just doing (now)''
The Prophet replied, (It is a matter that has been predetermined.) Then Suraqah
said, "Then what is the purpose of deeds'' The Messenger of Allah then said,
(Everyone who does deeds will have his deeds made easy for him.) Muslim
also recorded this Hadith.
Call upon Allah, subhana watala, for your strength, support and
sustenance.
Remember... Allah, subhana watala, sees everything we do!
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
Sam Shamoun’s Articles
http://www.answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun.html
Articles by Sam Shamoun
Off-site video links





Paltalk lectures posted on YouTube
ABN Broadcasting series "Jesus or Muhammad?"
The Islamic Dilemma Series
Refutation of Yusuf Estes’ article “Jesus Test”: Part 1, Part 2
Does Acts 2:22 Refute Jesus’ Deity?
Answers to Common Questions and Claims by Muslims







Is The Holy Spirit Jesus' God As Well?
Did Christ's Sacrifice Appease the Father or the entire Godhead? [Part A]
Did Christ's Sacrifice Appease the Father or the entire Godhead? [Part B]
Did Christ's Sacrifice Appease the Father or the entire Godhead? [Part C]
Does the fact that the Bible distinguishes Jesus from God disprove his Deity?
Jesus' Rule and the Father's Authority
Jesus Forgiving Sins And The Lord's Prayer
Christological Issues




Jesus – The Shema’s One Lord [Part 1]
Jesus – The Shema’s One Lord [Part 2]
Jesus – The Shema’s One Lord [Addendum]
Jesus Superior To The Heavenly Host [Part 1]
















































Jesus Superior To The Heavenly Host [Part 2]
Jesus Superior To The Heavenly Host [Appendix A]
Jesus Superior To The Heavenly Host [Appendix B]
The Use of Exclusive Language and the Deity of Christ [Part 1]
The Use of Exclusive Language and the Deity of Christ [Part 2]
Jesus' Claims to being the Messiah are claims to Deity
The OT On The Messiah Rising On The Third Day [Part 1]
The OT On The Messiah Rising On The Third Day [Part 2]
The OT On The Messiah Rising On The Third Day [Part 3]
The OT On The Messiah Rising On The Third Day [Part 4]
Jesus as the First Creature and the Irrationality of Arianism
Jesus Meets the Criteria for Deity
Jesus Meets the Criteria for Deity -- Addendum
Jesus' Deity in light of the Psalms
Appearances of Christ in Daniel
Daniel's Son of Man as the Messiah
The Christology of Luke
Carmen Christi: Worshiping Christ as God
Revisiting the Deity of Christ in Light of the Carmen Christi Pt. 1
Revisiting the Deity of Christ in Light of the Carmen Christi Pt. 2
Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Status and Equality with God the Father
Jesus who is over all, God blessed forever! (Romans 9:5) [Part 1]
Jesus who is over all, God blessed forever! (Romans 9:5) [Part 2]
More Proof That Paul Thought That Jesus Is God
What did the Apostle Peter really believe about Jesus?
The First Christians As The Slaves of Jesus
Examining John 1:1 In Light of Jehovah Witness Doctrine
Jesus as the Great I AM
Jesus as the Great I AM Excursus
Jesus and Yahweh's Name
More on Jesus as the Bearer of the Divine Name
Yahweh Becomes Jesus
Yahweh Our Kinsman-Redeemer Has Come
Jesus as the Glory of Yahweh
The Lord Jesus Christ – The Divine Recipient of Worship
The Incomprehensible Nature of God and his Son
The incomprehensible Son of God and sovereign Lord of all creation
Is Jesus Christ the Archangel Michael?
The Inter-Testamental Jewish Literature and the Deity of the Lord Jesus
The Inter-Testamental Jewish Literature and the Deity of the Lord Jesus [Part 2]
The Inter-Testamental Jewish Literature and the Deity of the Lord Jesus [Part 3]
The Messiah in Jewish Traditions [Part 1]
The Messiah in Jewish Traditions [Part 2]
The Messiah in Jewish Traditions [Part 3]
The Messiah in Jewish Traditions [Part 3 Appendix]
The God who reigns forever: More prophetic hints to the Deity of the Messiah
Jesus – The Faithful Witness in the Skies [Part 1]
Jesus – The Faithful Witness in the Skies [Part 2]










Examining the Deity of Christ in light of his absolute moral perfection
Jesus' Divine Claims in light of Islamic Monotheism
Islam Agrees – Jesus Has No Beginning!
More on Islamic theology and Jesus' Divine Claims
The Deity of Christ and the Challenge of the Quran
Jesus - An Essential Pillar of Islamic Monotheism
Islam Testifies That Jesus Is Better Than Muhammad Pt. 1
Islam Testifies That Jesus Is Better Than Muhammad Pt. 2
Jesus Trumps Muhammad Again! [Part 1]
Jesus Trumps Muhammad Again! [Part 2]
Theological Issues


































Biblical Monotheism Examined
Does God Command Men To Avoid Women In Order To Be Saved?
Allah of the Arabic Bible versus the Ilah of Islam
The Identity of the pre-Islamic Allah [Part 1]
The Identity of the pre-Islamic Allah at Mecca [Part 2]
The Identity of the pre-Islamic Allah at Mecca [Part 3]
The Identity of the pre-Islamic Allah at Mecca [Addendum]
Responding to a Muslim Apologist's Critique of the Trinity, Divine Love, and God as the
Greatest Conceivable Being
The Old Testament on Vicarious Sacrifices
The Old Testament on God Becoming a Man
The Gods of Israel have come down to save!
The Trinity in Isaiah [Part 1]
The Trinity in Isaiah [Part 2]
The OT Prophets Testify that the Messiah is Equal to God the Father! Pt. 1
The OT Prophets Testify that the Messiah
Binitarianism in the Book of Isaiah
The Binitarian Nature of the Shema [Part 1]
The Binitarian Nature of the Shema [Part 2]
The Binitarian Nature of the Shema [Part 3]
The Binitarian Nature of the Shema [Part 4]
The Binitarian Nature of the Shema [Part 5]
The Binitarian Nature of the Shema [Part 6]
The Binitarian Nature of the Shema [Part 7]
The Binitarian Nature of the Shema [Appendix A]
The Christianization of the OT Shema
The Early Church on Genesis 19:24
The Early Church on the Trinity and Deity of Christ
Early Jewish Monotheism and Divine Plurality [Part 1]
Early Jewish Monotheism and Divine Plurality [Part 2]
Is the Father God?
Revisiting the Quran's Gross Error on Christian Doctrine
Examining Islam's Teaching that Allah Prays and Worships
Satan on Allah's throne
Allah – the creator of all things?














The Issue of Inheritance and Allah's Aseity
The Problems with the Islamic Shahadah
The Quran As A Divine Conscious Being
Kabah - Islam's Great Idol [Part 1]
Kabah - Islam's Great Idol [Part 2]
Allah - The All Guessing and Hopeful One
Allah - The Not So Sufficient One
Muhammad’s Inspiration and Eloquence versus the Aseity of Allah Pt. 1
Muhammad’s Inspiration and Eloquence versus the Aseity of Allah Pt. 2
Allah As The Best Mushrik Of Them All [Part 1]
Allah As The Best Mushrik Of Them All [Part 2]
More of Muhammad's Violation of Islamic Monotheism
At the Service of Allah and his Associate
The Angel Gabriel – Allah’s Other Divine Partner
Quranic Issues






















Does the Quran really deny that a person can bear the sins of another? Pt. 1
Does the Quran really deny that a person can bear the sins of another? Pt. 2
How the Quran Fails the Muslim "Falsification Test"
The incorruptibility of Allah’s words and the charge of Biblical corruption
A Christian Scholar Chimes In On The Islamic View Of Biblical Corruption
The Compilation and Textual Veracity of the Quran
Challenge to the Muslims Concerning the Quran [Part 1]
Challenge to the Muslims Concerning the Quran [Part 2]
Challenge to the Muslims Concerning the Quran [Part 3]
Challenge to the Muslims Concerning the Quran [Excursus]
The Irreparable Loss of Much of the Quran
The Quran Testifies To Its Own Textual Corruption
"Kill those who Associate Partners (Mushrikun) Wherever You Find Them!" (Q. 9:5,29)
Tauhid versus I’jaz al-Quran
Quran Inconsistency: Does Allah sanction and permit lust or not?
Quran Difficulty: Is Allah the only ruler?
Quran Contradiction: Does Allah Forgive All Sins Or Not?
Quran on Fearing Allah and the Wombs
Quran on Moses as the Most High
How Many Lords Do Muslims Really Have?
Pharaoh - Another Lord and King Besides Allah
The Quran on the Preservation of Pharaoh’s Body
Analysis of Muhammad






Islam’s Other god – The Muslim Deification of Muhammad
Part 2: Analyzing the Quran’s Implicit Deification of Muhammad
Part 3: Analyzing the Deification of Muhammad Within Muslim Tradition
Part 4: Analyzing the Deification of Muhammad Within Muslim Tradition (cont.)
Allah & Mo., Inc. – Islam’s Foundational Partnership
Muhammad on the Setting Place of the Sun















Is Muhammad a true Prophet of God?
Muhammad’s False Prediction Regarding Christ’s Return
Muhammad Fails A Test Of Prophethood
Muhammad's Silly and Ridiculous Teachings Pt. 1
Muhammad's Silly and Ridiculous Teachings Pt. 2
Was Muhammad certain of his Salvation?
Praying for the Salvation of Muhammad
None Can Feel Safe From Allah’s Schemes
Another Clear Example of Muhammad’s Inconsistency
Muhammad Cursed and Abused His Followers
Muhammad - The Visible Image of Allah
Invoking Muhammad In Worship [Part 1]
Invoking Muhammad In Worship [Part 2]
Invoking Muhammad In Worship [Part 3]
How Allah killed his prophet
Responses to Muslim authors, speakers and debaters











Rebuttals to Jalal Abualrub
Rebuttals to Shabir Ally
Rebuttals to Dr. Jamal Badawi
Rebuttals to Dr. Jerald F. Dirks
Rebuttals to Ibn Anwar
Rebuttals to Abdullah Kunde
Rebuttals to Dr. Zakir Naik
Rebuttals to “Question Mark”
Rebuttals to Paul Bilal Williams
Rebuttals to Sami Zaatari
Rebuttals to Bassam Zawadi
Contact Sam Shamoun.
We are now using a database system. This is the location for Sam Shamoun's newer articles.
Most of his earlier articles on the Christian faith and Islam are available through his former
index page.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
How Muslim Christians speak to Muslims
http://www.ijfm.org/PDFs_IJFM/17_1_PDFs/Followers_of_Isa.pdf
Messianic Muslim Followers of Isa
A Closer Look at C5 Believers and Congregations
Our team has prayed for and patiently shared with many Muslim friends about Isa al-Masih
(Jesus the Messiah). Some have become Messianic Muslims who reject or modify unbiblical
Islamic teachings, yet they still see their lives woven together by the social fabric of Islam. They
strive to form groups with other like-minded Muslim followers of Jesus to study the Bible, pray
for each other, and fellowship in Christ. Yet they do not view or call themselves “Christians.”
by John Travis
F or the majority of the world‘s one billion Muslims, ―changing religions‖ is never seriously contemplated. Even nominal
Muslims tend to see Islam as a single fabric weaving together tradition, culture, and customs related to dress, diet, family
life, morality, worship, and in some contexts, even economics and politics. Having lived in the heart of a Muslim
community for the past thirteen years, my family and I have had the privilege of praying for and patiently sharing with
many Muslim friends about Isa al-Masih (Jesus the Messiah). I am convinced that many Muslims are drawn to the person
of Jesus, and some long to accept him as Savior, though ―changing religions‖ is for them unthinkable.
I personally know many Muslims who have put their faith in Jesus. Some have formally converted to Christianity and
worship at local (often Westernized) denominational churches, or in small home fellowships with other Muslim
background believers (MBBs). Fearing persecution, others worship underground. Still others, often called ―Messianic
Muslims,‖ follow Christ but remain within the Muslim community. These Messianic Muslims reject or modify unbiblical
Islamic teachings (e.g., they insist Jesus did die on the cross), yet still see most aspects of their lives woven together by the
social fabric of Islam. They are not silent about their faith in Jesus, though they are discerning about when and where to
share. They strive to form groups with other like-minded Muslim followers of Jesus to study the Bible, pray for each other,
and fellowship in Christ. Yet they do not view or call themselves ―Christians.‖
I designed a simple chart called The C1-C6 Spectrum to graphically portray these different expressions of faith by MBBs
Travis 1998; see chart on page 5 in this edition). It must be noted that each ―C‖ on the spectrum represents a particular
type of ―Christ-centered community‖ or follower of Christ, differentiated by language, culture and religious identity.
While this spectrum helps us distinguish several different kinds of MBBs, it also raises many questions, particularly about
the C5 ―Messianic Muslim‖ expression of faith. The purpose of this article is to take a closer look at C5 by examining its
background and several present-day case studies. However, three points must be emphasized at the onset.
First, most of these case studies chronicle the very first penetrations for the Kingdom of God among a particular Muslim
people group. Consequently, these newly emerging bodies are very much in process (see Gilliland 1990 concerning
―process‖). Hiebert (1994), in his theory of ―bounded and centered sets,‖ also reminds us that the direction in which a
believer or group of believers is headed is extremely crucial. For any group of Christ-followers, it needs to be asked
whether or not they are becoming more or less Christ-like and Biblical over time.
Second, there are inherent limitations in how much non-Muslim outsiders like ourselves can dictate what happens in C5
fellowships. We proclaim the Gospel, lead Muslims into relationship with Jesus, and invite them to immerse themselves
into the Word of God with us. How they view Islam is not prescribed by us, but left to them as they are guided by the
Word and the indwelling Spirit.
Finally, Muslims are coming to faith in many different contexts worldwide all along the C1-C6 spectrum. C5 is neither the
greatest nor the only thing God is doing in the Muslim world, but it is something about which we must know, rejoice and
pray.
What is Meant by the Word “Christian”?
The term ―Christian,‖ when coined two thousand years ago in Antioch, originally meant ―those belonging to Christ‖
(Barker 1995). Today however, the word means different things to different groups. To American evangelicals,
―Christian‖ is a positive word meaning one who knows or is committed to Christ. More than mere religious affiliation, this
term describes one‘s heart-faith and relationship with God. Therefore, it is not uncommon for evangelicals to say, ―I went
to church regularly as a child, but became a Christian in high school.‖ Here ―becoming Christian‖ refers to the time he
experienced salvation and lifechanging faith in Christ. Using this understanding of the word ―Christian,‖ some
evangelicals might say the United States is not a Christian country, since the majority of the population has not
experienced this lifechanging faith in Christ.
Nevertheless, Johnstone indicates that over 86% of those residing in the United States consider themselves ―Christian‖
(1993:563). In contrast to evangelical use of the term, many within this 86% define ―Christian‖ in terms of tradition,
nominal religious affiliation, ethnic heritage, or, most of all, by not belonging to another religion (e.g., Judaism, Islam,
Hinduism, or Buddhism). To those holding this definition, it sounds peculiar for one raised in the church to proclaim later
in life, ―I have become a Christian.‖
In the Muslim context, the word ―Christian‖ is now largely devoid of its original spiritual meaning in Acts. It now
connotes Western culture, war (the Crusades), colonialism and imperialism. While some Muslims may associate
Christianity with the love and selfless living of Mother Teresa and relief organizations, most tend to focus on negative
aspects of present day Western culture like immodest dress, sexual promiscuity, disrespect of elders, indulgence in
alcohol, Hollywood violence, narcotics and pornography. With such negative perceptions of the Church rooted in negative
stereotypes of the West, it is little wonder that ―joining Christianity‖ is often seen by Muslims as betraying one‘s family
and community to join the heretical camp of their enemies.
Consider, therefore, how different listeners will perceive the news, ―Achmad (a Muslim) became a Christian.‖
Evangelicals hear a spiritual message of supernatural encounter with the living God: ―Achmad is now a born-again
follower of Christ!‖ Nominal church members hear a religious or administrative message: ―Achmad has become a member
of a church.‖ Muslims, however, hear a message of betrayal and apostasy: ―Achmad has forsaken the faith of his
forefathers and joined with immoral infidels.‖
Because of the above semantic misunderstandings, we never speak of Muslims ―becoming Christians‖ in our ministry.
Instead, we speak of those who have ―experienced life-changing faith as followers of Isa.‖ Still, is the problem only one of
semantics, easily corrected with a change of terminology? Could the problem of old and new religious community run
much deeper? In these days, for the sake of the lost, might the Holy Spirit be moving the hearts of some Muslim
background believers to live out their new faith in Christ while remaining in the Muslim community?
C5 Believers and Congregations
C5 believers are Muslims who have been drawn to faith in Christ by the Spirit of God, often through reading the Bible on
their own, hearing a radio broadcast, receiving a dream or vision, experiencing a miraculous healing in the name of Isa, or
seeing the loving, patient, incarnational witness of a believing friend. C5 believers understand that good works and
religious observance cannot remove sin; that the sacrifice of the Word made flesh, the Messiah, is God‘s only provision
for salvation; that the Torah, Zabur and Injil (the Old Testament, Psalms and New Testament) are the Word of God; and
that obedience to Christ was God‘s original plan for true ―Islam‖ (Arabic for ―submission to God‖). Heart attitudes, family
relationships and communication with God change radically, as the indwelling Holy Spirit produces his fruit in their lives.
Just as early Jewish followers of the Way enjoyed fellowship in homes and in the temple with the larger Jewish
community, so many C5 believers gather in small home fellowships and in the mosque with the larger Islamic community.
Just as early Jewish followers of Jesus changed few of their outward Jewish religious forms, so too C5 believers change
little in their outward Muslim religious forms— most of which, incidentally, are derived from ancient Jewish and Christian
traditions (Woodberry 1989 and 1996).
Objections and Responses
Phil Parshall, respected missiologist and pioneer in contextualization, expressed objections related to C5 (1998). Massey
(1999), Gilliland (1998), Travis (1998) and Winter (1999) responded briefly to some of Dr. Parshall‘s concerns, three of
which are as follows:
1) Deception in Christians posing as Muslims to reach Muslims (i.e., “C5 missionaries”).
2) Danger in ongoing mosque attendance past a transitional period for new believers since
“the mosque is pregnant with Islamic theology” (Parshall 1998:409) and exalts Muhammad
as a prophet.
3) Affirming the prophethood of Muhammad by recitation of the Muslim creed (shahada):
“There is no god but God and Muhammad is his prophet.”
On Parshall‘s first concern, I agree. C5 was never intended to be a ―missionary approach,‖ but rather to describe how some
MBBs live out their faith in Christ. I personally cannot endorse Christians claiming to be Muslims for outreach. However,
I want to add a word of caution. Missionaries to Muslims are also ―in process.‖ Although there have been some very noble
and fruitful attempts at Muslim outreach in previous centuries, on the whole the Church worldwide has only recently
begun a concerted effort to bring the light of the Gospel to the Muslim world. With so few Muslims responding to the
Gospel, it is premature for anyone to conclude that they have arrived at the correct way to reach the Muslim world. If a
believer truly feels called of God to somehow enter a certain sect or local expression of Islam, and if he can with integrity
share the identity of those Muslims and maintain his witness for Christ, then I will not condemn him. Theoretically, I
suppose it is possible that some types of folk or Sufi Muslim groups, or other localized forms of Islam, may be conducive
to such an approach, but officially converting from Christianity to any variety of orthodox Islam involves so many
complex theological and cultural hurdles that it is most unwise for the typical young, aspiring missionary who is
eager to contextualize.
On point two concerning mosque attendance, I have known some C5 believers who attend prayers in the mosque, some
who only attend occasionally and some who never go at all. In much of the Muslim world, there are many nominal
Muslims who seldom attend the mosque anyway. Returning again to Gilliland and Hiebert‘s emphasis on process and
direction, mosque attendance may only be a transitional part of some C5 believers‘ spiritual journey. For others, they may
attend with the mindset of Naaman in 2 Ki. 5:18, where he asked Elijah‘s permission to still enter the temple of Rimmon
in his home country. Still other C5 believers may attend the mosque like evangelical Catholics who attend mass but no
longer pray to saints or exalt Mary. On the other hand, it is not unusual for some C5 believers to avoid mosque attendance
all together, especially if they did not attend prior to following Christ.
As followers of Jesus, C5 believers understand that they must never disown or deny Christ as Lord, no matter the
circumstance (Mt. 10:32-33). They must also never stray from the core components of the Gospel (e.g., the atoning death
of Christ, his resurrection, salvation through Jesus only, his divinity, and the Old and New Testaments as the Word of
God). How much of orthodox Islam they can affirm is determined as they study the Word of God together and are guided
by the Holy Spirit. What various C5 communities affirm in Islam will vary in different contexts. Irrespective of mosque
attendance, however, most C5 believers remain acceptable members of the Muslim community by continuing to give alms,
keep the fast, pray daily, wear local dress, and use their customary religious vocabulary and worship style. Affirmation of
these acceptable Islamic forms not only allow MBBs to keep their place in the Muslim community, but they also build
bridges for effective witness to their family and community.
Regarding Parshall‘s third concern, being C5 does not insinuate that the creed (shahada) is recited. Some C5 believers
I know change the creed when performing their prayers to exalt Isa rather than Muhammad, proclaiming ―there is no god
but God, and Isa is the Straight Path‖ (see case studies below). Others whisper prayers in the name of Jesus or remain
silent when the shahada is recited in public worship. I have heard of some C5 MBBs who say the creed because they feel
it is an important sign of solidarity with their community, and they consider Muhammad to be a sort of ―prophet‖ or
religious leader, at least inasmuch as it was his words about Jesus in the Qur‘an that first stimulated them to find a Bible to
learn more about Christ in the Gospels.
Some C5 believers adopt Samuel Zwemer‘s approach toward Muhammad by affirming all the truth Muhammad brought
and never speaking disrespectfully of him. They emphasize that Muhammad was a great statesman and religious reformer,
bringing Arabs from pagan polytheism to Abrahamic monotheism. They are quick to add that Muhammad spoke of Isa the
Messiah (his virgin birth, miracles and sinlessness) and acknowledged that the Torah, Zabur and Injil are God‘s Word and
must be obeyed. When it becomes clear that the Muslim listener is ready for more, they, like Zwemer, share Jesus as Lord
and Savior. My observation is that over time, without dictating how new MBBs should view Muhammad, he becomes less
and less important to them as they grow in their love and obedience to Jesus. The interaction of C5 believers with outside
Christians and theologians is very limited. They rely heavily on the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. We must pray for
these groups and trust the Holy Spirit will give them supernatural wisdom to respond to the inherent religious and social
tensions which arise in their families and communities.
The following four case studies will attempt to illustrate the principles discussed above. I have been personally involved in
the first three case studies, while the final one comes from my colleague, Andrew Workman.
Case Study 1: Taufik
Taufik comes from one of the most fanatic Muslim areas of the country. Now in his early 50s, Taufik was led to Christ
over ten years ago by a foreign Christian coworker. We first met soon after his profession of faith and have fellowshipped
together many times since. His family, most of whom don‘t yet believe, have stayed in my home. To my knowledge, he
has only attended one church service, and that was while he worked abroad. He faithfully keeps the fast of Ramadan, and
in his clothing, diet, and vocabulary seems outwardly like any other Muslim in the community. However, he reads God‘s
Word daily, especially the Zabur (Psalms) and the Injil (New Testament). For several years the desire to succeed
financially—not Islam—drew him away from his walk with Christ. But in recent months he has been faithfully meeting
weekly for Bible study with a foreign believer, our coworker.
Taufik enfolded another Muslim man into this small Bible study group, who in turn occasionally brings his adult son. The
verses Taufik shares from the Zabur and Injil with Muslims in his community are well received as a blessing from a fellow
Muslim. Taufik faithfully carries out his daily prayers, experiencing the presence of the Lord as he uses a small booklet
with verses from the Torah, Zabur and Injil to accompany the motions of his Muslim prayer ritual. To date neither his wife
nor his two teenage children have come to faith in Christ, but Taufik continues to share his faith with them regularly. He
never thinks of himself as being a ―Christian,‖ but reads many Christian devotional books. He sees himself as being a
good Muslim, called to share salvation in the Messiah with fellow Muslims.
Case Study 2: Achmad
Achmad lives several miles from my home. Unlike Taufik, who is an upper-middle class university graduate, Achmad is
poor and the father of eight children. He came to Christ in 1996 through several dreams and the witness of another foreign
coworker. He is now being discipled by a national MBB on our team. Achmad and most of his family were baptized with
several other MBBs in 1997. Before coming to the Lord he made a living as an Islamic shaman. His economic situation
has worsened since coming to faith, having left his practice of sorcery and divination. He faithfully attends a weekly
C4/C5 MBB fellowship and may soon be appointed one of its first elders. Achmad frequently brings Muslim friends and
relatives to the fellowship. He perceives himself as a Muslim who knows Isa, and faithfully shares Christ with fellow
Muslims. Before coming to faith he rarely attended the mosque, and has not changed this pattern since his decision to
follow the Messiah.
Case Study 3: Abdul
On a recent taxi ride through town, my colleague and I enjoyed a brief conversation with the driver, Abdul. Having
mentioned early on that he was a Muslim, Abdul astonished us both when he asked, ―Did you know that Isa can forgive
sin? Look at the hair on my arms,‖ he said, ―every time I say the name of Isa, the hairs stand up! Jesus is the King of
kings!‖ We asked how he knew so much about Jesus, then Abdul described his search for freedom from his sins. After
someone gave him a New Testament years ago, he began reading it frequently.
He now regularly shares what he reads with fellow Muslim taxi drivers, and plans to become a Christian, along with his
two daughters, in five years‘ time. Abdul wondered out loud, ―What if I die in my sins before I become a Christian?‖ We
asked why he wanted to wait. He explained that his two daughters, when older, could stand up against the persecution they
may receive from their mother and other relatives. I responded, ―Abdul, if you really believe the Injil (Gospel), and the
promises of God for salvation in Christ, then you can be saved this very day.‖ He started weeping— while we were
driving! As we neared our destination, we pulled over, stopped the car, and prayed together in the taxi. He confessed his
sins and received Christ.
An MBB coworker and I visited Abdul several times since then. God is using Abdul to draw a whole group of fellow taxi
drivers to Christ. One of these, a haji (a respected Muslim who has performed the pilgrimage to Mecca), was moved to
tears when he read portions of the Torah, Zabur and Injil (the Bible).
Abdul‘s wife recently heard from an acquaintance that Abdul must be thinking about changing religions. She suddenly
began opposing Abdul‘s faith with great vehemence. At this time, she does not seem open to the Gospel at all. What kind
of fellowship would be best for Abdul? A congregation of C5 drivers?
Case Study 4: Soleh,
(by Andrew Workman)
Soleh is a respected member of a remote village community. In order to provide income and employment for his extended
family, he works as the foreman of a construction crew from his village, buys goods from local farmers to resell in the
city, and raises chickens. Soleh also teaches religion at the local mosque, mostly by helping children learn the Arabic
alphabet so they can eventually recite the Qur‘an.
Soleh received an opportunity to construct a dormitory at a small Christian boarding school in the city. He had worked
for this school before and was confident they would be good employers. So he took the contract, gathered his crew, and
left the village for a few months to do this work.
During construction, Soleh and his crew interacted with the school‘s students and staff. The students, mostly from poor
villages, spent break times with Soleh and his crew, trading stories about village life. They brought tea to the crew, shared
what little food they had, and even spent personal money to buy them cigarettes. The students also shared their
testimonies, especially about answered prayer. On several occasions the students prayed in front of the crew for their
families and situations. The crew felt cared for and began to bond relationally to the students. Soleh once saw how the
students prayed for God to supply their need when they had no food. Miraculously, food was donated to the school. Soleh
had neither experienced such faith, nor ever seen God answer prayer so dramatically. He was deeply moved. Soleh also
wanted this sort of relationship with God, but kept quiet.
One day Ali, a student, sat down to talk with Soleh, unaware Soleh had been desiring such a relationship with God.
Having recently studied contextualized ways to share his testimony with Muslims, Ali began asking questions and
listening. Soon Soleh opened his heart and asked how he could join the students, learning to pray in faith like them. Soleh
was ready to become a traditional Christian (C1). This would have almost certainly resulted in social ostracism from his
village and great difficulties with his family. Soleh was willing to undergo these trials to obtain the kind of relationship
with God he saw these students had. Ali explained that Soleh could have this same relationship with God by praying for
forgiveness through Isa al-Masih (Jesus the Messiah). Soleh accepted this invitation and prayed with Ali.
Ali then explained that if Soleh wished to reach his family and crew for Christ, he might consider becoming a ―follower of
Isa‖ (C5) instead of a ―traditional Christian‖ (C1), because staying in his community as a Messianic Muslim would likely
increase his ability to share his faith with them. Soleh agreed. He would remain in his Muslim community, instead of
joining the C1 Christian community. The two agreed to keep this matter private until Soleh could study more about
following Isa. This all took place in December, 1996.
Within a few weeks Soleh shared his new faith with his son, who worked in the same city. His son wanted to read the
Gospel but was too afraid to enter the Christian bookstore to buy a Bible, since a Muslim acquaintance might see him and
cause trouble. Ali arranged to get him a Bible, and now he is reading it.
Since Soleh became a follower of Jesus, he has read the Bible, met with Ali for prayer and study, and witnessed to many
coworkers on his crew. In fact, many crew members and heads of households in his village have also prayed for salvation
through Isa al-Masih! Of those who attend prayers at the mosque, many have changed their creed. They now proclaim,
―God is great. God is great. There is no god but God and Isa is the Straight Path.‖ No one suggested that Soleh change the
creed; he did so on his own and tells his friends. He is convinced that true prayer is only through Isa, and that before
putting his faith in Christ, he had no connection to God.
Soleh and his wife recently had a baby boy, whom they named after Isa. His in-laws asked if this meant Soleh was a
Christian. He denied it, but later felt uncomfortable that he had not explained things more fully. Soleh therefore invited all
heads of households in his village, including elected community and religious leaders, to attend the customary ceremony
for his infant son. This ceremony of thanksgiving and prayer for God‘s protection on the newborn is usually officiated by
the head of the mosque or a Muslim shaman. However, on this day Soleh officiated himself. And in the presence of all the
leaders, Soleh announced that he was a Muslim who now followed Isa. Not only did nobody seem upset, but many people
were very interested, including the village chief who also became a follower of Isa soon thereafter!
As of June 1999, twenty male heads of households have become followers of Isa. It is unknown how many women and
children also believe. Recently they asked for advice regarding a village tradition of visiting ancestral graves. Their
conscience was bothering them not only about ancestor worship, but also about certain animistic aspects of marriage and
burial ceremonies. Like many Muslims around the world, their folk Islam condoned the continuance of many ancient rites
to appease the spirit world. Now, however, many have turned to Isa to protect them from the spirit world. Furthermore, the
village heads have asked the Christian students to come and pray against the plague of rats that has destroyed their crops
for many years. A team gifted with faith and experience in this kind of ministry went to the village to pray. While we wait
on God‘s answer to these prayers, the village is growing in faith as they pray in the name of Isa al-Masih.
Concluding Observations
Some Muslims who receive Christ as Savior deliberately choose a C5 expression of faith, not for their own sake (e.g.,
Soleh was prepared to join a church), but for the sake of the lost who would be far less likely to receive truth from
outsiders (i.e., ―Christians‖). Others, like Taufik and Achmad, love Jesus, but simply see staying in the Muslim
community as something natural.
There are surely points at which C5 believers must reject the theology of non-Messianic Muslims. Clearly, one can‘t
affirm two completely opposite statements as true (e.g., ―Jesus died on a cross,‖ and ―Jesus didn‘t die on a cross‖).
Therefore, C5 believers will be found to have ―aberrant‖ beliefs. However, when confronted by family and friends with
their deviance from Islamic orthodoxy, we have seen the Holy Spirit empower C5 believers to reply with amazing answers
(Col. 4:6; Mt. 10:19,20). They often present reinterpretations of particular Qur‘anic verses, bringing much glory to Jesus.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the ―aberrance‖ of C5 Messianic theology almost pales in comparison to the
―aberrance‖ of numerous folk beliefs and shamanistic Muslim practices that saturate popular Islam in our context.
Therefore, the way in which C5 believers are received by the larger Muslim community will depend on a variety of factors
such as tolerated Islamic heterodoxy, country, ethnicity, local politics, size of the local mosque, and so on. C5 may be
appropriate in certain milieus, but not in others. Again, we need to affirm the diversity found throughout the C1-C6
spectrum.
It is possible that C5 may only be a temporary option. Few case C5 studies have been documented, and none go back far
enough to watch C5 dynamics across several generations of time. C5 may prove to only be a transitional stage, ending
when believers choose, or are forced by the Muslim community, to leave Islam, thereby moving to another point on the
C1-C6 spectrum. The first century Jews gathered regularly in the temple with non-Messianic Jews, and in homes with
fellow Messianic Jews (Acts 2:46-47). However, in time Jewish authorities began expelling any Jew who believed Jesus
was the Messiah. It is noteworthy that this separation of the two communities was not initiated by Jewish believers. Still,
many Jews and Jewish leaders came to faith in the intermittent years. The same sequence of events could eventually
happen to today‘s Messianic Muslims. Meanwhile, MBBs like Soleh who stay in their community may be used of God to
usher millions of Muslims into His Kingdom.
While we must be careful to guard against syncretism, we must also be mindful that ascent to perfect theological
propositions is not the apex of the coming Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed. All our work must be judged according to
Scripture. So let us pray for these infant, emerging C5 congregations. In particular, please join us in praying for Taufik,
Achmad, Abdul, Soleh and all the people whom their witness touches.
References
Barker, Kenneth (Ed.). 1995 The NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. Study Notes: ―Acts
11:26,‖ p. 1670.
Gilliland, Dean S. 1998 ―Context is Critical in Islampur Case.‖ Evangelical Missions Quarterly 34(4):415-417.
Hiebert, Paul. 1994 ―The Category ‗Christian‘ in the Missionary Task by Paul.‖ Anthropological Insights on Missiological
Issues. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. Pp. 107-136.
Johnstone, Patrick. 1993 Operation World. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Massey, Joshua. 1999 ―His Ways Are Not Our Ways: God‘s Amazing Unpredictability in Drawing Muslims to Jesus.‖
Evangelical Missions Quarterly 35(2):188–197.
Parshall, Phil. 1998 ―Danger! New Directions in Contextualization.‖ Evangelical Missions Quarterly 34 (4):404-406, 409410.
Travis, John. 1998. ―Must all Muslims leave Islam to follow Jesus.‖ Evangelical Missions Quarterly 34(4):411-415.
Winter, Ralph. 1999 ―Going Far Enough: Taking Some Tips From the Historical Record.‖ Perspectives on the World
Christian Movement. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. Pp. 666–667.
Woodberry, J. Dudley. 1989 ―Contextualization Among Muslims: Reusing Common Pillars.‖ In The Word Among Us:
Contextualizing Theology for Mission Today, Dean S. Gilliland (ed.). Dallas, TX: Word Publishing. Pp. 282- 312.
Also reprinted in IJFM, vol. 13:4, 1996.
John Travis and Andrew Workman minister among Muslims in Asia.
return to menu
Digging Deeper Links from the Discussion Guide for
The CHALLENGE of ISLAM
(Part 1): What is Islam?
How You can talk to an ordinary “folk” Muslim.
http://www.ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/salisburyjinnsamulets.pdf
1
Jinn, Amulets, and a Prophet Named Isa:
Sharing the Gospel with Ordinary Muslims
by Thayer Salisbury
What do you expect when a Christian and a Muslim try to discuss their faith? Debate?
Misunderstanding? Anger? Frustration?
This paper is a brief and simple attempt to help ordinary Christians understand and
converse with ordinary Muslims, especially Muslims whose faith may be described as ―folk
Islam‖ rather than classical Islam. In it we will examine some differences between the beliefs of
many ordinary Muslims and that of the classical Islam that one might read about in a textbook.
We will also note what the Qur‟an actually says about Jesus, things of which most Christians
and many Muslims are unaware. Finally, we will consider how we can talk in ways that will be
intelligible and that will lead to the central issue of the Muslim/Christian divide.
Sources
Textbooks generally describe other religions in terms of the written sources available
from those religions whenever such sources are available. Inevitably, this leads to a
concentration on the form of the religion held by literate followers rather than by average
believers who have learned their beliefs orally. While in the realm of Christendom it is certainly
of value to study the writings of Thomas Aquinas, such study does not give insight into the faith
of the average European peasant of the thirteenth century.
Certainly, it is important that Christians working with Muslims study the Qur‟an and
other written sources. But it cannot be assumed that such study brings Christians into touch with
the mind of the ordinary Muslim. We must especially avoid the assumption that the writings of
modern Muslim theologians will be helpful in understanding ordinary Muslims. It could be that
Muslim theologians are as out of touch with average Muslims as some Christian theologians are
out of touch with ordinary Christians. Or, to illustrate the point with another analogy, the study
of classical music is of little value in understanding bluegrass, and the study of classical Islam is
of little value in understanding folk Islam.
Folk ways are rarely written down by people themselves. Therefore, the description of
folk Islam given in this paper is not based on primary written sources, but on the description
given by others who have observed folk Islam in its various manifestations. The description is
general, and is intended only as an introduction to the subject. Christians attempting to work with
Muslims will have to find out for themselves how this general overview applies in any specific
case. While no attempt is made to explain how to know one kind of Muslim from another, it is
believed that the perceptive reader will be able to do so just by being aware of the different
worldviews involved.
The Worldview of Folk Islam
While classical Islam may have a two-layered view of the universe, not all that different
from the view of orthodox Western Christianity, folk Islam has a three-layered universe,
borrowed from animism or tribal religions. In this respect it is not very different from folk
Christianity1 as it existed in the middle ages and as it exists today in Latin America and Africa.2
A great deal of attention has been given to the distinction between Sunni and Shi'a in
Islam. This distinction, while important, should not distract us from a consideration of the
fundamental worldview issue. Whether a person is a Sunni or a Shi'a he is still likely to hold a
three layered view of reality, and this worldview difference will be more important in
understanding them and communicating with them than the Sunni/ Shi'a distinction.
Bill Musk, in his book The Unseen Face of Islam, charts the difference between the view
of folk Islam and that of Western believers (176). The Western believer views reality as
consisting of two realms: the natural and the supernatural, or, as Musk labels them, the empirical
and the trans-empirical. God, angels, and devils are in the trans-empirical; humans and animals
are in the empirical. Contact between the two may be viewed as frequent or rare. It is sometimes
believed to be overt and obvious, sometimes subtle and unseen, depending on one‘s theological
position in regard to miracles. But all Christians profess some idea of direct contact between the
realm of God and the realm of humans.
The view of most tribal religions, folk Islam, and Christo-Paganism are significantly
different. They live in a three-layered universe. There is 1.) the empirical world of humans,
animals, rocks and trees; there is 2.) the distant trans-empirical world of God; and there is also
3.) an intervening trans-empirical world of ancestors, jinn, and other spiritual forces. This
intervening world is in more direct contact with the empirical world than with the distant God,
and therefore is of great concern on a daily basis. In fact, this intervening layer of reality may be
seen as being in constant operation in certain animals as well as in certain places, rocks and trees.
While the high God (Allah, in the case of the Muslims) may be the only being that must be
pleased in order for humans to achieve eternal bliss, other beings must be dealt with in order to
live a happy, healthy life on earth. In situations where daily survival is a struggle, there may be
more emphasis placed on the relationship with the intervening layer of forces than with the high
God.
The realm of the high God (and possibly high angels)
___________________________ _____ _________________________
The realm of spirits, ghosts, saints, ancestors, jinn,
angels and various other powers.
== == == == == == == == == == == == ==== == == == == == ==
The realm in which humans live
In the figure above, the double line is the supernatural or non-empirical domain. Single line
dividers represent divisions within a general domain (natural/empirical or
supernatural/nonempirical). The porosity of a line attempts to represent how much one layer is
thought to influence the one below.
Evaluating the Three Layered Universe
Certain passages within the Qur‟an may give support to the belief that the supernatural
domain is layered, and that human dealings with the supernatural will be mostly with beings
other than God. The Qur‟an speaks of the heavens as being divided into several stories (67:3,
78:12). Angels are mentioned in the Qur‟an as dealing with humans. Two angels are appointed
to each human, they record the actions of every person (50:16-22). One difficult Quranic passage
may indicate that the means of magic were taught to humans by the angels Harut and Marut
(2:102). ―Jinn‖ (a kind of spirit power distinct from angels and generally thought to be
mischievous or wicked) is also mentioned frequently in the Qur‟an (6:100; 11:119; 15:27; 34:4041; 72:1-19).
Yet it may not be because of any specific Quranic passages that Islam, of the
monotheistic religions, is especially susceptible to this multi-layered view of supernatural reality.
The desire to avoid ―shirk,‖ the sin of associating any other being with God, has led to a
distancing of God from all other beings. The view of God as remote, and as attending to humans
only through intermediaries, is easily accommodated. In fact, such a view is necessary for the
ordinary person. For if God is distant from our ordinary daily concerns, we must have some way
of dealing with those concerns (cf. Musk, 238).
Many Christians also have been guilty of teaching a remote God. The abstract description
of God in the categories of systematic theology can contribute to this impression on the part of
many believers. Prior to the enlightenment, many Christians were deeply concerned about the
intermediate realm of saints, angels, and demons. Since the enlightenment, science and western
medicine have served this role for Westernized believers (both Christian and Muslim).
The realm of the high and distant God
The realm of the high and distant God
____________ ___ ____________
=================
The realm of spirits, ghosts, saints,
ancestors, jinn, angels and various
other powers
Government, science,
Western medicine, financial security
== == === == == == == == == =
- - -- - - - - - - - - - - -
The realm in which humans live
In the same (empirical) realmwith the humans
While it is tempting to dismiss the worldview of folk religion lightly, the above figure
illustrates that such a dismissal is hardly fair. In this figure, the view of folk religion is on the
left. Many Western believers hold a similar view, that depicted on the right. But for these
Westerners the means of dealing with life‘s daily problems has been moved into the empirical
domain.
Wherever a distant God is taught, something must be moved into the middle realm to deal
with life‘s everyday concerns. Western Christians sometimes think that they have greater faith
than folk believers, when in truth they have substituted faith in money, insurance, and the ―skill‖
of their doctors for faith in charms and amulets. The proper response to the realm of ancestors
and jinn is not to replace it with doctors and insurance agents, but to present the intimate,
incarnate God of the Bible.
Finding Common Ground
There is a large amount of common ground between the Christian and the average
Muslim. Both believe in one God, although the Muslim will think that the Christian believes in
three. Both believe that God spoke to Abraham, Moses, and many of the biblical prophets. Both
believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, although the Muslim will call him Isa. Both claim to believe
in equality before God. Both believe that everything we have is a gift from God and that we must
thankfully submit to God‘s will.
It is perhaps this last point that the Christian would need to emphasize when attempting
to build a relationship with a Muslim. The other points of common ground are either already
well-known to the Muslim, or perhaps they are sources of confusion and misunderstanding that
should not be addressed too early. But Muslims often do not perceive Christians as thankful or
willing to submit to God. Submission is central to Islam. The Muslim is one who submits to God
(sura 2:128). The Christian wanting to assure a Muslim that they have much in common should
consider using passages like 1 Peter 5:3-7. But more important than quoting such passages will
be the living of a life that is truly and thankfully submitted to God.
The folk Muslim is aware of the supernatural in every aspect of life. Nearly every act will
be prefaced with an appeal to God, a spirit, an ancestor, or some other supernatural force.
Christians in the past customarily referred their plans to God‘s will (James 4:13-16). But today
many Christians have the tendency to undertake even major projects and journeys without prayer
or reference to God‘s will. In doing so we have lost a common ground with the Muslim, in
addition to having violated a clear command of Scripture. If we want to work with Muslims, we
need to recover the sense of the spiritual in our own daily lives.
Something must also be said in regard to the Quranic teaching about Jesus. The Qur‟an
says more about Jesus than many realize. It would be good if Christians who intend to work with
Muslims would be aware of some of these passages.
Jesus is called ―Masih‖ (Messiah or Christ) several times in the Quran
(3:45;4:157;5:17,72;9:30,31), but it must not be assumed that the Muslim will understand this
term in the same way a Christian understands it. Jesus is also called ―‗abd,‖ or servant, of God
(4:172, 19:30; 43:58), and a sign of the coming judgment (4:61). Jesus is often listed among the
prophets in the Qur‟an, and in one passage he is quoted as speaking (while still a babe in the
cradle) and saying, ―I am indeed a servant of Allah: he hath given me a revelation and made me a
prophet‖ (19:30).3 Jesus is also called ―a word from Allah‖ (3:39).
All of these passages about Jesus will be understood differently by Muslims and
Christians. It is impractical for Christians to try to speak with Muslims about Jesus so long as
they are unaware of what the Qur‟an says about Him. The study of these Quranic passages, and
others that mention Jesus, is therefore recommended.
Areas of Difficulty
The areas of difficulty between Christians and Muslims are as great or greater than the
areas they hold in common. This is partly because of the different understandings of the things
they hold in common, and partly a result of the tendency, on both sides, of making unequal
comparisons. Unequal comparisons are drawn between the ideals of one faith and the reality of
another. Many who call themselves Christians make no attempt to live by Christ‘s standards. If
Christians do not want to be baited by a Muslim on this point, then they must not accuse Islam of
being the cause of all the violence that springs from people like Saddam Hussein. The Qur‟an
mentions that some Christian leaders are corrupt (9:34). The New Testament acknowledges the
same (Phil. 1:15-17, for example). The falsehood of some that claim to be Christians does not
disprove true Christianity, nor does the falsehood of some who claim to be Muslims disprove
Islam.
The Heart of the Matter
Muslims have trouble with certain Christian affirmations, such as the triune nature of
God and the teaching of original sin. They have problems with Christians consuming of
forbidden meat and alcohol. They are also confused by some worship practices, such as the use
of musical instruments. Folk Muslims have additional practical concerns with the influence of
spiritual forces other than God. All of these need some attention, but the critical difficulty for
most Muslims is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Two Quranic passages are of special
concern here. Sura 4:156-158 speaks of the Jews and says,
That they rejected Faith; that they uttered against Mary a grave
false charge4; that they said, ―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 knowledge but
only a conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not
-- nay Allah raised him unto himself; and Allah is exulted in
power, wise.
Some Muslims teach that Jesus was crucified, but not killed, and that he recovered in the
tomb. This would seem to contradict the plain statement of the Qur‟an. The more common
Muslim belief is that Jesus was ―raised up‖ to God before the crucifixion and that someone else
was mistakenly crucified in his place. Thus ―it was made to appear‖ to the Jews that they had
killed him.
Parrinder and others have argued that the Quranic passage does not say that Jesus was not
crucified, only that the Jews did not crucify him. Indeed John 19:11 is pointed out as a New
Testament passage that implies the same idea (Parrinder, 119). But such an interpretation of the
Qur‟an is not likely to appeal to many Muslims. On the surface, the passage seems to deny that
Jesus died. Most Muslims will accept this as fact.
It should be noted that the problem most Muslims have with the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus is not the same as that of most secularists. Secularists deny the Gospel
because they cannot accept the miracle of the resurrection. Muslims have little objection to the
miraculous. They deny not so much the resurrection but the crucifixion. Their sense of God‘s
honor does not allow them to believe that a divine messenger might have been treated in this way
(cf. Huffard).
The other Quranic passage that refers to the death of Jesus is Sura 19:33.5. Here Jesus is
quoted as saying, ―So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I
shall be raised up to life again.‖ Here Christians see a clear reference to the Gospel story, much
as it is recorded in the New Testament. Muslim scholars have employed considerable toil over
this passage. Those who claim that he was snatched up without seeing death generally explain
that he will come again some day and then will die. On the surface, this hardly fits.
How a discussion of these passages would proceed between Muslims and Christians is
hard to predict. The fact is we rarely get to this critical discussion. Long before reaching this
point one side offends the other and the discussion is broken off. Until Christians and Muslims
have grappled with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus they have not really touched on
the heart of the matter at all (1 Cor. 2:2; 15:1-3). But we have trouble getting there, and trouble
communicating once there.
Getting to the Heart
How do we get to the heart of the matter with the ordinary Muslim, and converse
intelligibly once there?
If the ordinary Muslim sees his Christian neighbor as someone either unaware of or
unconcerned with the (spiritual) forces that are concern him greatly, there will be no motive for
serious discussion. Christians ought to be aware of the spiritual dimension in daily life. They
ought not to make plans without reference to God (James 4:13-16), they ought to be constant in
prayer (1 Thess. 5:17). Prayer and other signs of trust in God ought to characterize the lives of
Christians, whether they have Muslim friends or not. Materialism and other signs of trust in this
world ought not to characterize us. A greater awareness of God in daily life is the first
prerequisite for study with a Muslim, especially a folk Muslim. The fear of the unseen
intermediate realm is their greatest felt need. If our God is distant and remote, there will be no
point in learning about him.
No Muslim will feel comfortable with Christians who have dogs around the house, or
serve pork at a meal. A willingness to adapt in these, and similar matters, is the second
prerequisite for study with a Muslim.
Once a discussion has begun there will be no substitute for a practical understanding of
the atonement, and an ability to explain it plainly. We must never deny that it is in some ways
beyond our comprehension. After all, why serve a God we can fully comprehend with our finite
minds? But we must not be satisfied with childish answers regarding the matters of eternity. The
careful study of passages like Romans 3, 1 Corinthians 15, Philippians 2, as well as some
knowledge of the relevant Quranic passages, is a third prerequisite.6
Many Muslims tend to expect rejection, misrepresentation, and misunderstanding when
they speak with Christians. Study, and thoughtful consideration of their world view can help us
to overcome this.
NOTES
1Often
called Christo-Paganism.
2This
view may be returning in America. Note the recent interest in angels in American
Christianity.
3―God‖
in Yusuf Ali‘s original edition.
4Accusing
her of conceiving through immorality.
5There
are a few others that refer to it without using the word death. Those interested in such
passages may see Parrinder, 106ff.
6John
Stott‘s The Cross of Christ will point the reader to many other relevant New Testament
passages, and give some helpful illustrations.
return to menu