Questions
& Criticism
Question:-
I would like to ask four questions about Islam
that puzzle me. Perhaps you will be knowledgeable and kind enough to answer
these:-
(1) Muslims claim that the belief in Islam is justified
by the Quran because it is a revelation of Truth from Allah. This leads us to the question: What justifies the
belief that the Quran is a revelation from God? What do they mean by God, Revelation, Truth
and Quran?
(2) There appear to be several versions of
Islam - We have the legalistic version based on the Shariah that appears to be
favoured by Mullahs and is rigid and often leads to extremism. Then we have the
Sufi version that is mystical. And we have the intellectual version of the
scholars. These seem to be mutually exclusive. Which of these is the right one?
(3) Islam is claimed to be Religion of Truth.
But there is a contradiction between Creation as described in the Quran (and
other religions that Islam also supports) based on revelation and the theory of
Evolution in science which is based on research and reason. How is this to be
reconciled?
(4) Some Muslim women claim to be Muslim
Femininist. Is this not a contradiction in terms?
Answer:-
(1) These
questions have been answered many times before but obviously do not satisfy
those who wish to use some other criteria for proof.
Allah is the fundamental Reality, the source of all
other things. His word which is His creative power is Truth. Knowledge is
consciousness of Truth. Revelation means coming into consciousness. The Quran
is also a Word of God that contains information about Reality.
Truth is not the same thing as Reality, but is a
medium for the transmission of Reality. Truth cannot be invented. It must be
discovered. Knowledge is not the same thing as Truth but it must correspond to
it to be a medium of transmission of truth. Description is not the same thing
as Knowledge but can be a medium of transmission of knowledge.
There is a difference between (a) verbal, descriptive
or unorganized bits of information, and (b) understanding and (c) awareness or
realization that is connected with and changes the state of being. The problem
for modern man in developed cultures is that there is an overwhelming amount of
information that is unprocessed or inadequately processed and unassimilated,
but relatively little experience or understanding and even less awareness. A
large proportion of the population does not even bother to acquire a fraction
of the available information or to think about it and generally restricts
itself to a small set of experiences. There is, therefore, an increasing gap
between (a) ignorant reactions, (b) various degrees of considered opinions,
motives and actions, (c) systems of thoughts of various degrees of
comprehensiveness and (d) true wisdom that comes from the realization of truth
and a state of transformed being.
Whereas Reality is One in which all things are
connected, there are many different items of truth. It is possible to select
different sets of it for attention. Truth can be described in many different
ways. A scientific description is only one way of describing certain truths. Philosophers,
Artists, Engineers and Politicians have their own way of describing it. A
novel, though it is fiction, can also be said to be true to life. Much depends
on attitude, purpose and values. But people who are mentally conditioned in one
system of description may not understand the others or confuse one with the
other. Religions have their own way of selecting and describing Truth. But to
understand it may require a change in mental set or orientation, and change in the level of consciousness.
Man is connected with Allah by the Spirit.
Consciousness, conscience and will (that refer to the human capacity for
purposive perception, motives and action) are aspects of the Spirit in man. It
is the medium for the transmission of Truth, the Word of God. This gives man
the capacity for receiving revelation.
It is pointed out
by some scientists that the materials and energy that we are composed of come
from the sun and stars so that it can be said that we originate in the heavens.
In fact our origin can be traced even further back to the Big Bang from which
all things derive even the laws of the Universe. And even further back to the
fundamental reality that is the origin of the Big Bang and even space and time.
But that Reality does not lie only in the remote past but exists always and
everywhere beyond space and time in the Eternal Now. Consciousness appears to
be connected with that Reality as space and time are notions within it.
Justification, like explanation means that
something that is to be justified or explained has to be related ultimately to
something else that is already assumed and requires no explanation. What
justifies the belief in the existence of Reality and the things that are real?
It is not formal verbal proof, but interaction with Reality and the degree of
consciousness. The ultimate proof of something is whether it facilitates the
enhancement of adjustment to Reality. Each person has to determine this for
himself. It cannot matter to any person whether or not others have any
particular belief or faith. The question is, therefore, irrelevant.
When we see the computer before us and its
monitor and click onto the Internet and conduct various kinds of transactions
through it what kind of proof do we need for our belief that the computer
exists and that the invisible intelligences beyond it exist? If we read a text
book on mathematics and we understand that the calculations made in it make
perfect sense do we need some other proof that the book is true and comes from
an intelligence? Do we deny that intelligence exists? Does it matter whether
others affirm or deny that it does?
In the end the proof of anything is
perception and that depends on the capacity for perception and the
self-consistency of the system into which it fits. Many people recognise
religious literature when they see it because it is distinct from others and
deals with the relationship between people and Reality. The Quran is a
revelation in the hearts of those who have discernment (29:49 etc.) The things
of God are recognised by those who are from God, that is, those in whom the
Spirit of God (their consciousness, conscience and will) has not entirely
atrophied and died, those whose inherent essence has not been entirely trapped
in a persona (or mask) created by extraneous cultural conditioning.
We are perfectly aware that there are people
who do not believe or have other beliefs and that there are all kinds of
partial knowledge and awareness, scepticism, denials, deliberate suppression,
self-deception, hypocrisies, rationalisations, fantasies, addictions and
superstitions. But are we to allow ourselves to be misled and conditioned by
these? Or are we to seek and follow what we perceive as the quickening creative
truth?
(2) There is no contradiction between the
various versions of Islam unless, of course, they contradict the Quran.
There is a
distinction between three aspects of man, namely the spiritual, the mental and
the physical. Corresponding to this, we have, broadly speaking, three types of
people depending on which of these they place most emphasis and various
combination of these. This is reflected in their religion. Even at the mental
level we can distinguish between the religion of the intellectual, the religion
of emotion and feeling and the religion of action and different combinations of
these. Originally, Islam was a balance between all these aspects. But this
split up into the various types owing to increasing complexification and the
erosion into partial knowledge, understanding and awareness. These differences also
produced three interdependent tendencies – entrenched conflicts of
opinion, exaggeration of differences and rationalisations, especially to fill
in gaps that partial knowledge produces.
The religion brought by the Prophet Muhammad
known as Islam (Surrender to Allah) consists of three aspects known as islam
(surrender in action), iman (surrender in faith which refers to motives) and
ihsan (righteousness which refers to a state of being - to be in a state of
Surrender to God.). This corresponds to the distinction between Shariat (the
religious discipline or Law), Tariqat (the Method or Way) and Haqiqat (the
Reality).
It is the being (the nature) of a person that
determines his motives and these determine his actions. Action must be based on
faith and that must be sincerely based on the being of the person. Conversely,
it is action that leads to the experiences that produce faith and this
transforms the being of a person. Thus the Shariat which provides a framework
for the disciplined action and prevents erosion leads or should lead to Tariqat
and that should lead to Haqiqat.
Islam is a Straight Way (1:5), a way to
spiritual evolution (91:7-10). Success is defined in Islam as making progress
on this Way. All kinds of people come to Islam and they are at different points
on the Way. All are required to advance. But many have stagnated and fallen
into self-made grooves.
It is necessary to understand that the way
from little knowledge and understanding to greater knowledge and understanding
goes through several levels of partial knowledge. When people have partial
knowledge then different people have different parts and these may be mutually
exclusive or overlap to different degrees. This causes conflict only for those
who are stuck in a groove and not for those who seek the goal and continue to
advance.
The Quran exists as a permanent fact for
Muslims and Hadith provide a guidance to its interpretation, explanation and
application. However, the interpretation, explanation and application of the Quran
should be distinguished from the Quran itself. These formulations differ
according to the condition of the times, the place and the people. The various
Sufi explanations were suitable for certain people in certain times and places
and can still have value for some people. But we live in times and places that
have been altered to various degrees by the advance of science, technology and
organisation and the culture, the experiences and ways of thought have changed.
This requires other kinds of formulations.
(3) The above remarks also apply to the
Sciences. Science is not merely a discovery and description of the facts of
created nature, but also an interpretation and organisation of them. This
depends on purpose, and the purpose of science differs from the purpose of
Religion. It is not a question of a conflict between reason and faith as is
erroneously thought. Both are required in either case because life depends on
both knowledge and action and these are interdependent and mediated by motives.
But there is a difference in emphasis. The purpose of science is the
accumulation of impersonal facts and technology whereas that of religion is to
provide values for the conduct of life and adjustment to reality and this
requires personal involvement. From this point of view Science is just a subset
of life and cannot speak for conscious purposive life. This is particularly the
case when science depends on rigid, man made formal procedures and thought
processes. Knowledge can be defined as consciousness of truth rather than
verbal or mathematical formulations. There are several possible levels of
consciousness. Logic can be seen as a subset of reason and that as a subset of
intelligence which is itself a subset of all Natural Processes. And these can
be regarded as a Subset of Fundamental Possibilities. It is not difficult to
determine that at the level of fundamental particles, at the Quantum level, the
rules of logic and ordinary reason do not apply.
Apart from this, even in ordinary
consciousness, we know that all things are inter-related and affect each other
directly or indirectly forming a single over all system. This would be so even
apart from the supposed Big Bang from which all things originate and for which
no secular explanation can be found. In so far as we have the divine spirit in
us, i.e. we are conscious, we ought to have some awareness of the underlying
unity. Life is part of existence and so is our consciousness. There is no
knowledge apart from our consciousness. And Knowledge is consciousness of
Truth. Truth is, therefore, established by the consistency of an idea within a
Unified whole which alone can justify it. When this is absent then we have a
contradiction, a conflict, and this constitutes a problem. A problem creates a
stimulus to activity, the purpose of which is to remove the contradiction by
finding a reconciling factor or explanation that constitutes a solution. The
conflict remains producing suffering until resolved.
We, therefore, reject the idea that Evolution
through random events is a reasonable theory.
(4) If Muslim Femininism means a campaign to
establish the rights, duties and privileges of women as taught by the Quran
then the phrase contains no contradictions. But if it refers to values that
contradict Islam and come from non-Muslim sources that are often extremist and
advocate inter-sexual conflicts rather than co-operation then the phrase is
certainly self-contradictory.
But the question appears to be based on
certain assumptions about Islam. To get a fair assessment we need to take into
consideration several facts:-
(a) There is a difference between the ideals
of what a religion teaches and the practices of people, who may not know,
understand or practice their religion.
(b) The circumstances in different countries
or those in which different people exist may offer different opportunities or
exert different kinds of pressures on people leading to different kinds of
behaviour. Poverty, financial difficulties, social problems, stresses owing to
conflict of personalities or cultures, inadequate education, and different
ambitions, values and expectations will affect behaviour. Much domestic
violence takes place because men and women have no idea about the nature and
needs of the other sex and even about their own inherent needs but have
expectations created by fantasy or cultural conditioning.
(c) It is true that women are treated badly
in some communities. But this is happens worldwide in all nations East, Middle
East and the West. The violence against women and even trafficking in women for
sexual purposes is quite wide-spread in the West. It is not something that can
be asserted as a characteristic of Muslims but of human beings.
(d) The fault may lie not so much in the
facts but in the judgement of the observer as to what is good or bad. He may
obtain his values from cultural conditioning or self-interest etc rather than
objective knowledge.
Islam recognises the equality of the sexes
but denies that they are similar. Justice requires that all things should be
treated in proportion to their similarities and dissimilarities. To treat
dissimilar people similarly is injustice which also produces a great number of
contradictions, conflicts and problems.
Women differ from men by the fact that they
are physically and psychologically equipped to bear and rear children, the next
generation of human beings. Paradise is, therefore, seen being at the feet of
the mother. Where a human being, as in Islam, is seen as an agent of God and
the purpose of life is seen as spiritual evolution, there life and its source
is regarded as sacred and much more highly valued than where it is regarded as
purposeless and accidental so that illusory self-indulgence is the primary aim.
Islam is not concerned with temporary worldly success but with the human cosmic
role and spiritual development. It is true, however, that differences have been
exaggerated by people owing to the conditions of life in the past where women
had fewer opportunities. Both sexes are human, possess intelligence and
adaptability and have the same characteristics and faculties to various
degrees.
It is not, therefore, true that Islam
suppresses women as Western values wish to suppose. On the contrary it is the
values in the West that devalue women requiring them to deprecate and deny
their inherent values and adopt male ones. This is, of course, a result of
unconscious and unintelligent drifting due to the change in economic
circumstances and culture, and not of conscious decision based on objective
principles as Islam requires. This observation is not to be interpreted as an
advocation of compulsion or persecution. It is a question of education and
change in culture and social organisation. Every one, men and women, have the right for
self-fulfilment and development of their potentialities. A community or nation
needs attention and enhancement of its emotional, domestic and social aspect as
much as its intellectual and physical one. It is women who are particularly
suited to provide this function and ought to develop it with appropriate education,
organisation and techniques.
A Christian Priest
wrote:-
Open Letter to Muslims
Dear Muslims:
Christians are justifiably distrusting of you because the
Quran explicitly instructs you to harm them.
Comment:-
Where in the Quran does it say to harm Christians? It simply
says to fight against those who attack Muslims Please Read Quran 2:190-193. The
Quran tells us:-
"You will surely
find that the strongest in enmity against those who believe are the Jews and the
idolaters (Pagans); and you will find the nearest in love to those who believe
to be those who say: We are Christians. That is because there are amongst them
men devoted to learning (or priests) and men who have renounced the world (or
monks), and because they are not proud." 5:82
"Say: O you
people of the Book, come to an agreement between us and you, that we will not
serve other than Allah, nor associate aught with him, nor take others for Lords
rather than Allah. But if they turn away then say: Bear witness that we are
they who have surrendered. O people of the Book, why do you dispute about
Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? What!
Do you not understand?." 3:64-65
"O people of the
Book! Why do you clothe the truth with falsehood and knowingly hide the
truth?" 3:71
"Verily, whether
it be of those who believe, or those who are Jews or Christians or Sabaeans,
whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and acts aright, they have their
reward with their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they
grieve." 2:62
"And unto you
(Muhammad) have We revealed the Book in truth, verifying what was before it,
and preserving it. Judge then between them by what Allah has revealed, and
follow not their lusts (prejudices, fantasies), turning away from what is given
to you of the truth. For each of you have We appointed a Law and a traced out
Path. Had Allah pleased He would have made you one nation, but that He may try
you by that which He has given you. Therefore, vie with one another in virtue.
Unto Allah will you all return, and He will then inform you concerning that
wherein you dispute." 5:48
Christian Priest:-
The Quran is perhaps the easiest book in the world to
misunderstand and misinterpret.
This is because the Quran is not ordered chronologically, and unlike the
Bible, the Quran does not record the end of the Holy War. This should not be
so. The Quran repeatedly explains that it is easy to understand:-
"And We have
indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive
admonition?" 5:17
Comment:-
What is there to misunderstand in the above verses? The fact
is that people read selectively according to their prejudices, ignoring verses
that do not suit them and exaggerating the others or taking them out of
context. What the Quran requires is that it should be studied properly and
applied.
Christian Priest:-
However, after Mohammed's death, the Islamic religious leaders
disordered the Quran to make it very difficult to understand. They have mixed
the chapters instructing the Holy War with those that instruct social justice; therefore, the
reader is very easily misled.
Comment:-
This is sheer speculation. The Quran was revealed over a long
period in small parts according to circumstances which were memorised and
recorded by many people. But they form a self-consistent whole. These were
later gathered into a book. There was no great protest that something was added
or left out of the book. As there are repetitions, then even if some revealed
verses were lost that makes no difference, particularly when the whole forms a
discernable pattern.
It is necessary to study the whole of it as each part has
multiple connections with other parts just as happens in nature. It is not
something to be read in a disintegrated, linear or analytical manner. The Quran
is a revelation and a recitation and that is also how it is to be understood -
i.e. it must be a revelation in human consciousness and this is effected by the
recitation.
"Those unto whom
We have given the Scripture, who read it with a right reading, those believe in
it. And whoso disbelieves in it, those are the losers." 2:121
“Nay, but it (the Quran) is a clear revelation in the
hearts of those who are endowed with knowledge, and none deny Our revelations
save the wrongdoers (or unjust).” 29:24
As the Quran itself affirms that it is preserved then the
Quran is exactly as it should be. Some people use the fact that the fragments
had to be collected after the death of Muhammad (saw) to create the Quran as an
excuse to justify disbelief. But it is this prior attitude of reluctance to
accept and apply that has led to the inability to comprehend the nature of the
Quran and its contents.
Christian Priest:-
I believe that there are two ways of resolving this
problem. First, the chronological
reading of the Quran should be promoted in order to provide a proper context
for its teachings. Let me suggest
the order provided in the following link.
http://www.wikiislam.com/wiki/Chronological_Order_of_the_Quran
Secondly, all Islamic Sheikhs should declare that the Holy
War has ended a long time ago;
therefore, Muslims should not take it upon
themselves to engage in subversive activities in non-Islamic countries.
Comment:-
The Quranic verses were certainly revealed in connection with
particular events and circumstances and knowing this context is certainly
helpful. This does not require any chronology. But it is also true that the
particular is an example of something more general (the Quran is constantly
pointing out that its verses refer to similitudes). Therefore, a deeper
understanding than merely at the superficial level is necessary.
However, it is not often realised that the Quran, apart from
being a recitation which is not a narrative, prose or poetry, does have an
order:- The first chapter contains the gist or essence. The second chapter is
an elaboration of the first. Other chapters deal with various themes contained
in the second. The last few attend to some particular points in the previous
sections. This arrangement also has to cater for the fact that the Quran is not
just a teaching about the facts of existence, but also about values and
meaning, and it is meant for prayer and meditation and to facilitate awareness,
motivation and action.
The fact is that people tend to flit over the verses
superficially and even that selectively - it is modern disease resulting from
the speed of life and the congestion of distractions and of information that
the limited mind cannot cope with. Patience and tranquillity are required.
Islam requires that each person be responsible for his own
study and understanding and application. You cannot tell Muslim Sheikhs what
they should do as you are certainly no expert on Islam. It seems to be a bad
habit in the West
"Say: O mankind!
There has come to you the Truth from your Lord, and he who is guided by it, his
guidance is only for his own soul; and he who errs, errs only against it; and I
am not a warder over you." Quran 10:109.
You are also quite mistaken about "Holy War" by
which presumably you mean Jihad. This word means "Striving" and
refers to striving on behalf of God, for what is good and against what is evil.
In particular it refers to spiritual striving within oneself, though it also
applies in the social and political sphere. As already indicated, Muslims are
required to retaliate but not to be aggressive.
Did you not come across the following verse?:-
"Fight in the
Cause of Allah with those who fight you, but transgress not the limits (or
begin not hostilities); verily, Allah loves not those who transgress (or the
aggressors)." 2:190
"But if they
desist, then, verily, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. But fight them until
there be no more oppression (persecution or sedition) and that the Din
(religion, faith, justice, the attitude and way of life) may be Allah's; but,
if they desist, then let there be no hostility save against the unjust
oppressors." 2:192-193
Are these verses difficult to understand?
There is nothing in the Quran that justifies subversion. But
if foreign nations persecute Muslims or invade them then they must expect
retaliation. However, it is
part of human nature that people have used religion (or any other ideology)
deliberately or subconsciously to justify or promote whatever personal
ambitions and motives they have. And this happens no matter what religion or
system they happen to belong to.
Christian Priest:-
Thank you for your response. Please note that Chapters 4, 9 and many
others give instructions about the Holy War, not an internal struggle to do
right. 9:29 for instance is clearly
directed at Christians to do them harm.
Comment:-
This verse reads:-
"Fight those from
amongst those to whom the Book has been brought, but who believe not in Allah
and in the Last Day, and who forbid not what Allah and His Messenger have
forbidden, and who do not practice the Religion of Truth, until they are
brought low and pay the Jizya (tribute, compensation, tax) readily. " 9:29
Are you saying that Christians do not believe in God and the
Day of Judgement?
Apart from this the verse refers to those who are not Muslim
but live under Muslim rule and do not observe the Islamic law and do not pay
the tax. They are undermining
Islam. It clearly states "those from among those to whom the Book has been
brought", not all of them. Also please read all the verses that mention
“striving” (Jihad)
Christian 2:-
Did you overlook "and who forbid not what Allah and His
Messenger have forbidden, and do not practice the Religion of Truth"?
Comment:-
Are you saying that that Christians practice swindling,
stealing, murder, adultery etc. i.e. the moral law taught by the Prophets and
confirmed by Muhammad (saw). The verse tells you such people AND
those who do not practice the Religion of Truth. That is Islam. All religions
as originally sent by God through genuine prophets are also Islam.
Critic:-
Are you not able to perceive that you have here done
precisely what you denounce? You have selected verses that make your point,
ignoring others that contradict it. Try this:
"What is the
matter with you, then, that you have become two parties about the hypocrites,
while Allah has made them return (to unbelief) for what they have earned? Do
you wish to guide him whom Allah has caused to err? And whomsoever Allah causes
to err, you shall by no means find a way for him. They desire that you should
disbelieve as they have disbelieved, so that you might be (all) alike;
therefore take not from among them friends until they fly (their homes) in
Allah's way; but if they turn back,
then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and take not from among
them a friend or a helper." 4:88-89
Comment:-
You consider this an attack on Christians? In that case you
must suppose that they are hypocrites.
Is this an attack or self-defence? You can hardly be aware
that there have been Christian campaigns (military and propaganda) against
Islam from the very beginning and this continues to this day - The Churches and
Governments spend billions of dollars to attack, undermine or brainwash
Muslims. But you do not want Muslims to defend themselves? And you have failed
to continue reading:-
"Save those who
join (or take refuge among) a people betwixt whom and you is an alliance, or
those who come to you because their heart forbid them from fighting you or
fighting their own people. But had Allah pleased He could have given them power
over you, and they would surely have fought you. So if they withdraw from you
and do not fight you, and offer you peace, then Allah allows you no way against
them." 4:90
And you have failed to consider that the Quran is a whole and
the following verses I have already quoted are also relevant:- 2:19-193,
2:216-217, 8:39-40
Christian 2:-
The Quran says:-
"O you who
believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other;
and whoever amongst you takes them
for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people." 5:51
Comment:-
You have failed to quote:-
"Allah does not
forbid you respecting those who have not made war against you on account of
your religion, and have not driven you forth from your homes, that you show
them kindness and deal with them justly; surely Allah loves the doers of
justice. Allah only forbids you
respecting those who made war upon you on account of your religion, and drove
you forth from your homes and backed up others in your expulsion, that you make
friends with them, and whoever makes friends with them, these are the
unjust." 60:8-9
"They are not all
alike. Of the people of the Book there is an upright community, reciting the
revelations of Allah throughout the night, falling prostrate (in Surrender).
They believe in Allah, and in the last day, and bid intelligent (or right)
conduct, and forbid what is stupid (or wrong), and vie with one another in good
works; these are among the righteous." 3:113-114
Christian 2:-
A book written by an omnipotent, good being would NEVER allow
the slightest chance that His word could be interpreted as being evil. In His omnipotence, He would find a way to
say things that left no doubt as to
the meaning. The incredible ambiguity of the Quran (and all other scripture) is
proof that the authors were human. Of course, you will see one place black and one place
white, and explain for 17 pages how
black isn't really black, but just a way of saying "white".
Comment:-
I see you wish to judge God and tell Him what He ought to do!
You wish Him to conform to your values. The fact is that the Quran leaves it to
people to make the effort or not to understand it. It is only personal efforts
that lead to personal development. But people like you who read superficially
and do not wish to understand it but read it to find flaws cannot be helped.
"Those unto whom
We have given the Scripture, who read it with a right reading, those believe in
it. And whoso disbelieves in it, those are the losers." 2:121
"And We reveal in
the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy for believers though it increases
the evil doers in naught but ruin." 17:82
Quran 2:6-14 explains.
Christian Priest:-
Please read the verses that follow (9:30-31). The context is
clearly Christians and they are mentioned by name.
Comment:-
You cannot take the verses out of the context of the rest of
the Quran.
The verses you mention tell us the Truth, namely that
Christians think that Jesus is the son of God literally and both Jews and
Christians do deny the mission of Muhammad though his teachings are the same as
the other Prophets. Can you deny that several Crusades were mounted by
Christians against Islam? Or that the Christian Churches spend millions of
dollars to attack Islam and Muslims and try to seduce them away from Islam? Or
that there are several web-sites devoted to attacking Islam and Muslims?
Can you deny that the Prophets, including Jesus taught us to
worship only Allah and that the Churches have added teachings not found in the
teachings of Jesus?
Did not Jesus "attack" the Jews (Pharisees etc.)
for corrupting the teachings of Moses ? Did he not come to restore the true
religion? Was that seen as an attack on Hebrewism? Should Muhammad not have
rectified likewise the corruptions introduced into Christianity and restored
the true religion?
Can you show me where in the teachings of Jesus do you find
the doctrines of the Divinity of Jesus, that God is a Trinity and Vicarious
Atonement?
Did Jesus not say:-
"Not every one that says unto me Lord, Lord shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven, but He THAT DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHICH IS IN
HEAVEN. Many will say to me in that Day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many
wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART
FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY."
Matthew 7:21-23
"Now we know that God hears not sinners; but if any man
be a worshipper of God and does His will, him He hears." John 9:31
"And this is Eternal Life that they might know THEE THE
ONLY TRUE GOD and Jesus Christ whom Thou has
sent." John 17:3
"While I was with them in the world I kept them in THY
NAME..." John 17:12
"And Jesus answered him: The first of all the
commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; And thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." Mark 12:29-30
Even Paul did not believe in Trinity:-
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus" 1 Tim 2:5
"There is actually to us one God the Father,...and there
is one Lord, Jesus Christ" 1 Cor 8:6
"One God and Father of all, who is over all and through
all and in all" Eph 4:6
"And ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's" 1 Cor. 3:23
Thus John 1:1 should be "...Word was God's" [Theos
= God, Theou = God's]
Christian Priest:-
A new 30-year study of the Bible and the Quran has revealed
harmony between the principal teachings of both books. Even the
contentious teaching of Jesus
crucifixion was found to be consistent with the Bible and the historical record. I hope
that someone is willing to critically examine the books claims, because they
are convincing. The study is titled =93Brothers Kept Apart. and is introduced
in
http://brotherskeptapart.com/2009/02/20/introduction/
Comment:-
It is good that some Christians actually read the Quran with
an open mind rather than follow prejudices created by perverse propaganda. Were
this not the case Christians in the past and even today would not have
converted to Islam.
But there still remain many misunderstandings.
There is certainly compatibility between the teachings of the
Quran and those of Jesus. This must be so if both came from God and the Quran
asserts that it confirms past revelations and that it rectifies corruptions due
to misunderstandings and adulterations. But there are differences between the
Quran and what the Christian Churches teach. There is no doctrine of the
Divinity of Jesus, Trinity and Vicarious atonement in the Quran or in the
teachings of Jesus.
The Quran does not acknowledge that Jesus was killed by
Crucifixion or that the Crucifixion has any relevance for Islam. Read 4:157-178
and 4:171 and 3:59. This is because everyone is rewarded or punished according
to his own deeds, which of course includes repentance and praying for
forgiveness from God.
Muslims are not required to believe the Bible as you see it.
They are required to believe the Torah, Zabur and the Injil (Gospel) These
refer to the revelations received by the Prophets. The Injil refers to the
teachings of Jesus and not to those of Paul etc. Even the disciples were told
that they could not bear the teachings of Jesus but that another like him would
follow with truth.
It is true of course that misunderstandings and
misrepresentations on both sides owing to perverse motives or limitations of
the mind have caused a widening rift between Christianity and Islam. But this
can be dispelled.
It is, for instance, possible to see that the Trinity refers
to Religion (not God) - i,e.
Religion is presented to us by God, The Messenger and the Spirit which informs
both the Messenger and his followers. It is possible to see Jesus or any
Messenger, including Moses and Muhammad, as representing God on earth, and as
they have the divine spirit in them, that could be regarded as God having
manifested Himself on earth, through the Messenger. It is also true to say that
the Messengers devoted (or sacrificed) their life to the service of God and
man, bearing the persecution of people (the results of their sin and not that
of the Messenger) in order to bring the Word of God to man and facilitate their
transformation and salvation.
This view, I think, can be accepted by both sides if
enlightenment prevails. But it is the naive literal minded that will not be
able to do so.
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