Chapter 1.1.
Issues Muslims Question most
1.
Most Common Issues Muslims have.
In this book we will try to deal with and explain most of
the many questions received so often. I hope this Book can satisfactorily give
an explanation and a clear answer to each question according to Historical and
Bible Facts about what the truth is.
Obviously, any question can only have ONE true answer!
Unfortunately, the BIG problem to start with, is ... what
reference to use.
Muslims easily claim… “We believe…” so and so… and then just repeat what their tradition says, either that it is written in the Quran or refer to in some or other Hadith or Quranic tafsir - Tafsir refers to exegesis, usually of the Quran. A Quranic tafsir attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding and conviction of God's will.
The Bible: It seems that most Muslims know enough of the
Bible so that they like to use certain verses – many times totally out of
context, but that sounded well to defend their viewpoint). But the moment a
Christian use the Bible to explain the correct answer for their issue, they easily
reject it as ... “Your Bible is corrupt – you can’t use this as a reference”.
·
This Book will deal with this
question of the “Corrupt Bible” later.
In the next Chapter of this book, I compiled a list of such
typical most common statements or arguments that Muslims like to repeat very often
in conversations or debates.
May this book give clear answers to all those issues, for
Muslims to understand, and for Christians to use to answer Muslims who have a
problem with those issues.
Yes, it should be possible to get an answer, as it should be
about the TRUTH.
There are after all only ONE TRUTH!
Let’s try together to search for those TRUE ANSWERS.
Following is a list of some of the most common questions or accusations
that Muslims have.
1.1. The Bible is corrupt
and not the Word of God.
1.2. Where did Jesus said,
"I am God, worship me".
1.3. Jesus is not the Son of
God as God can't have a son.
1.4. God is One; Ho can we
say he is three Gods; a TRINITY
1.5. Prophet Muhammad was predicted
in the Bible
1.6. Jesus was a Muslim
prophet and Muslims love him very much
1.7. Muslims pray just like
Jesus with his face to the ground
1.8. Jesus did not mention
Christianity in the Bible
1.9. Paul was the founder of
Christianity
1.10. Islam is a Religion of
Peace
1.11. Islam - the fastest
growing religion etc.
This list can be added much longer if
one would like. There definitely are many more Questions Muslims have about
why and how Christians believe as they do. It’s fine that we deal with this
Questions and conversations between Muslims and Christians, if we respect each
other, and both are willing to listen with an open mind to learn from each other.
The aim of this book is to truly answer those questions from
our viewpoint. We will cover most of the subjects already mentioned above.
At the end of the Book (Chapter 13) we provide several Tools
to help readers in their study of a subject.
There you can find “connection links” (Hashtags) to many
subjects that are available on the Internet, Facebook, or Blogs about a certain
subject.
One Example: On the Debate on… “Who is Jesus” or “Is Jesus
God?”
-
Hashtags: #Who_is_Jesus; #WhoIsJesus; #Jesus_more_than_a_prophet
-
Look to ...Facebook
Post: Page: Christians and Muslims Conversations
-
Blog article: Who is Jesus?
-
Article about... Who is Jesus on
GotQuestions.org
Although this book is not mean to be a Debate Platform, people are welcome to continue conversations about any subject further on our Facebook or WhatsApp channels. (Contact Details will be given at the end of the Book)
2.
How Jay Smith deals with ten of the most common Muslim Questions.
Who is Jay Smith? He is part of © Pfander Centre
for Apologetics - US, 2020 and a well-known Apologist whose Ministry
focuses on explaining the truth of the Gospel (and the many frauds about Islam,
their prophet, and their book). He is well trained and experienced in debating
with Muslims at Speakers Corner in London for many years as well as in many
debates with some of the most learned Muslim scholars.
Jay Smith is also by far one of the best skilled and
experienced researchers about the examining of the newest Historical Research
on Islam and the earliest Quranic Manuscripts. He also networks and work closely
together with many other scholars recognized to be of similar status.
Many of Jay’s debates are available on YouTube channels with
his own channel “PfanderFilms” that has 49K subscribers - “Engaging Islam while loving Muslims”.
In this Video “The
10 Most Common Questions Posed by Muslims and How to Respond” Jay Smith initially
explained the necessary skills of Apology,
but...also the need for the use of Polemics to
deal and confront (with respect and love) Muslims that differ from us, with the
aim of sharing the true Gospel in each situation (look to the Video here)
The accompanied text underneath the video explaining the
contents more:
He said…Muslims are notorious for questioning the validity of the Bible and the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3.
The Main Issues in the Christian-Muslim debate
3.1. Legends, Myths and
Fables in the Qur'an
We already mentioned that all Religions have stories in their traditions -
Legends, Myths, Fables, or stories – Stories that are many times not likely
possible, but when one read this, it should at least make sense.
We previously looked to the Cover Page of this book about the year of the
Elephant. We asked: Is it a Fact or a Myth?
The traditional history about the origin of Islam, prophet Muhammad and the
Quran is full of such stories, what we can call either Legends,
Myths or Fables.
We mentioned that the most important overall question of this book is ...
- How to test when such a story of tradition is false or not?
- What is the Truth? Because only the truth can set us free!
3.2. "Islamic Hajj (pilgrimage) Myths"
|
|
3.3. "Kaba Myths":
|
According to Muslim tradition, God told Abraham to begin the rite of pilgrimage to Becca (now Mecca). In a rite called tawaf, Arab pilgrims from time immemorial circled the stone counterclockwise seven times and ran seven times between the two promontories in memory of Hagar's seven passages. The historicity of this Abrahamic tradition is difficult to confirm; the first verifiable reference to the Arab people occurs in an inscription of Shalmanezer III dated 853 BC. (The Joy of Sects, Peter Occhigrosso, 1996, p394-397) |
3.4. Dr. Jay Smith’s analysis
of the Qira'at Problem.
Dr Jay Smith in this 2-hour video did a complete analysis of
the uncertainties which has shaken the Muslim world during 2020. He also
touched the many questions about some of the Quran’s stories and when we must understand it as Legends, Myths or Fables – When are those stories Facts that
are true, or when to be False?
In this video he unpacks 10 areas which have created a conundrum for
Muslims today due to their complete inability to explain them. One of the main
questions that will be discussed later again in Chapter 3 (Quran) is why there
are more than 30 different Qira'at Quran's, despite their protestations that
there has only ever been 1 Quran.
[Look to the video
from © Pfander Centre for Apologetics - US, 2020 here]
3.5. To come back to the story
of the Elephant:
The cover page shows this remarkably interesting picture about the year of the
Elephant, with the birds and the elephants playing a vital role in the story.
This is important for the Islam tradition as this also seems to be the year
that prophet Muhammad was born in 570 AD, as refer to in Quran Surah 105.
Without giving my own conclusion about this, I will rather refer the readers
to an interesting video from people that do thorough research into this
question.
They strongly refer to the book of Daniel Beck: Maccabees Not Mecca: The
Biblical Subtext of Surat al-Fil. One
can read a summary of it here.
They tried to get an answer and concluded.
No, not Elephants against Mecca in 570 BC, but this event refers to a historical Maccabean revolt much earlier, somewhere during a war 602-628BC
– as mentioned in 2 Maccabees Chapters 11:4; 13:2; 14:12 and 15:20-21. If you
are interested, you can look to the video
here.
Readers must decide for themselves what the final answer to this question
must be: Is this (type of) story a Fact or a Myth? Or was it a miracle?
An interesting website that covered a lot of the issues and debates
between the Islam-Christian differences is www.almuslih.org
3.6. The Quran itself about myths, legends, and fables
Look to the following article that give a lot more examples about this
subject:
Interestingly, the Quran quotes the unbelievers as accusing Muhammad
of incorporating into his alleged revelation myths, legends and fables that
were well known to the people of that time.
This one is particularly interesting:
-
Those who disbelieved said,
"This is a fabrication that he produced, with the help of some other
people." They have uttered a blasphemy and a falsehood.
-
They also said, "Tales
from the past that he wrote down; they were dictated to him day and
night." Say, "This was revealed by the One who knows the Secret in
the heavens and the earth. He is Forgiving, Most Merciful." S. 25:4-6 Rashad
Khalifa
It is rather amazing that instead of denying the charge that the Quran
contains ancient myths, the author simply says that Allah was the one who sent
down these tales!
Furthermore, the unbelievers weren’t the only ones making this accusation. There
are even some Muslims who readily admit that the Quran narrates myths
and fables. For instance, the late renowned Muslim scholar and translator
Muhammad Asad states throughout his Quranic translation and commentary that the
Quran includes legends and stories of mythical characters.
One example is regarding the Quranic story of Solomon and the talking ants
and birds (S. 27:18-19) Asad stated:
-
In this instance, Solomon
evidently refers to his own understanding and admiration of nature (cf.
38:31-33 and the corresponding notes) as well as to his loving compassion for
the humblest of God's creatures, as a great divine blessing: and this is the
Qur’anic moral of the LEGENDARY story of the ant. (Asad, The Message of the Qur'an;
Dar Al-Andalus Limited 3 Library Ramp, Gibraltar rpt. 1993], p. 578, fn. 17;
online source; bold emphasis ours)
Another Quranic legend is the Story of the Sleepers in the Cave
found in S. 18:9-23,25-26. According to this tale, several youths and their dog
fled to a cave where according to one version of the story they slept for 309
years. Asad says regarding this story:
-
We may, therefore, safely
assume that the LEGEND of the Men of the Cave- stripped of its Christian garb
and the superimposed Christian background- is of Jewish origin…
But whatever the source of this LEGEND, and irrespective of whether it is of
Jewish or Christian origin, the fact remains that it is used in the Qur'an IN A
PURELY PARABOLIC SENSE: namely, as an illustration of God’s power to bring
about death (or "sleep") and resurrection (or "awakening");
and, secondly, as an ALLEGORY of the piety that induces men to abandon a wicked
or frivolous world in order to keep their faith unsullied, and of God's
recognition of that faith by His bestowal of a spiritual awakening which
transcends time and death. (Ibid., p. 439, fn. 7; online source; bold and
capital emphasis ours)
Asad points out many other the Quranic tales, legends, myths etc., some of
which include the following:
-
Asad on Sura 2:102 At any rate,
it is certain that from very ancient times Babylon was reputed to be the home
of magic arts, symbolized un the LEGENDARY persons - perhaps kings- Harut and
Marut; and it is to this LEGEND that the Qur'an refers with a view to
condemning every attempt at magic and sorcery, as well as all preoccupation
with occult sciences in general. (Ibid., p. 22, fn. 83; online source; bold and
capital emphasis ours)
-
Asad on Sura 2:259 … The story
told in this verse is obviously a PARABLE meant to illustrate God’s power to
bring the dead back to life… The speculation of some of the earlier
commentators as to the "identity" of the man and the town mentioned
in this story are without any substance and may have been influenced by
TALMUDIC LEGENDS. (Ibid., p. 58, fn. 253; online source; bold and capital
emphasis ours)
-
Asad on Sura 18:50… This short
reference to the oft-repeated ALLEGORY of God’s commands to the angels to
"prostrate themselves before adam" is meant, in the above context, to
stress man's inborn faculty of conceptual thinking… (Ibid., p. 446, fn. 52;
bold and capital emphasis ours)
-
And: … As regards Satan's
SYMBOLIC "rebellion" against God, see notes 26 on 2:34 and note 31 on
15:41. (Ibid., p. 447, fn. 55; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Asad’s notes on Sura 2:34-35 regarding the story of adam, Eve and the
Garden are also amusing: Lit., "the garden". There is a considerable
difference of opinion among the commentators as to what is meant here by
"garden"; a garden in the earthly sense, or the paradise that awaits
the righteous in the life to come, or some special garden in the heavenly
region? According to some of the earliest commentators (see Manar I, 277), an
earthly abode is here alluded to - namely, an environment of perfect ease, happiness,
and innocence. In any case, this story of Adam is OBVIOUSLY one of the
ALLEGORIES referred to in 3:7." (Ibid., p. 9, fn. 27; online source; bold
and capital emphasis ours)
Asad wasn’t the only one to admit that the Quran contains legends and
stories about fictitious persons:
3.7. Some Legendary Figures:
While developing its teachings, the Qur'an frequently cites the example not
of prophets and sages of ancient times, but also of some LEGENDARY, MYTHICAL,
or even FICTITIOUS persons. Chief among these is Khidr, the Evergreen who,
though not mentioned by name, is recognized as the mysterious person (the
possessor of divinely inspired knowledge of the secret sources of life) whom
Moses met on his ALLEGORICAL journey…
Another LEGEND prominently described in the Qur’an is that of the
"seven sleepers" or the "Companions of the Cave" also
mentioned in another section of this book. In this connection mention is made
of the angels Harut and Marut who taught magic at Babylon but warned the people
that the teaching was imparted to them only to try them. In the commentaries of
the Qur'an Harut and Marut have been identified with the two fallen angels of
Jewish tradition who, having sinned on earth, were hung by their feet over a
well for punishment.
There is more documentation on this website about some of these many fables
and myths that are in the Quran, as well as highlighting some of the many
legends that are found throughout the hadith literature.
-
The Story of the Talking Ant
-
The
She-Camel that was Birthed from a Rock
-
The
Stone That Took Off Running
-
The
Devil on Solomon's Throne
-
Muhammad
and the ‘90 feet tall’ adam
o
Misrepresenting
Muhammad's Teachings on adam
-
The
Stoning of the She-Monkey
-
The
Earth on the Back of a Whale
4. The Main Issues between Christians and Muslims
On both sides it is about the BOOK and the MAN.
Most conversations end up about the differences and the
importance of…
-
The Bible vs the Quran
-
and/or Jesus vs Muhammad.
4.1. Bible vs Quran
Let’s first start with some generally agreed facts about
both Books:
The Bible was completed in its final form during the
first century ad (after Christ). Since then, the Bible has been probed and
scrutinized by each generation's scholars, both religious and secular, and
withstood all their challenges.
In fact, more of the Bible's details have been and
continue to be proven true as archaeology, astronomy, biochemistry, history, physics,
and other bodies of human knowledge advance (see Is
the Bible at odds with science?).
By contrast, the Quran (according to the tradition),
was originated about 550 years after the completion of the Bible and has not
undergone such scrutiny. While Christians welcome everyone to read, challenge
and probe the Bible and its Author for themselves, Islam prohibits anyone from
even questioning the Quran and its author.
4.2. The crucial point in
the debate between the Bible and the Quran:
Does the Bible contain Tahrif (corruption) that the Quran
corrects, or does the Quran attempt to corrupt God's words in the Bible?
The most important question is: Which one is fake?
During many conversations with Muslims about the Bible the
response is always...
❌No,
the Bible is corrupt… bla bla bla...❌
Muslims, why not ask your Imam who told you that Myth about the Corrupt Bible?
When, Where and Who does this "corruption"?
Who change the Bible Texts? When? and Why?
For what reason will Christians or Jews do it?
Some Interesting Fact:
#Dear_Muslim_friend, do you know the Bible? Have you ever read,
study it?
(Not only use the few verses that you learn from Imams when
you do Dawah, to counter Christians; I mean... Read and Study the Bible… as a
whole; in the contexts of every separate book and chapter)
4.3. Do Muslims read the
Bible?
I experience that many Muslims are not reading the Bible;
they are not even reading the Quran in a language other than Arabic (that they
mostly don’t understand?), so most of the Muslims in the world today, like the
220 million Muslims in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, are kept
from reading, let alone probing, the Quran for themselves.
Islam try to limit access to an inquiry of the
Quran and its origin, it’s author and the preservation of the text. Is it to
hide the fact that even though it was dictated by just one man, the Quran is
rife with self-contradictions, scientific, mathematical, and other errors?
The question was: Do Muslims read the Bible? How can they
claim that the Bible text is corrupted if they never read Bible?
Muslim friend, just think for yourself... If anybody would try
to change the Bible during or after the time of Muhammad, all other Christians
all over the world would saw it and complaint. No, the Bible stands the test of
many onslaughts.
Why then believe this false story of the corrupt Bible?
Muslim friend, I challenge you as a serious seeker of the
truth, why not study the Bible with an open heart and consider what the Bible
says about Jesus Christ as the only one who can save us from our sins, that
only He can reconcile us with God (Read 2 Cor 5:19, John 14:6)
Acts 4:12 says... "Salvation
can be found in no one else. Throughout the whole world, no other name has been
given among humans through which we must be saved." (Download
it for yourself... https://bible.com/bible/37/act.4.12.CEB)
4.4. Bible-Project.org
Some particularly good Tools to research and use about the Bible:
👉What is the Bible? -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak06MSETeo4
👉The New Testament – an
overview https://youtu.be/Q0BrP8bqj0c
👉The Letter of
Galatians - https://youtu.be/vmx4UjRFp0M
In the next Chapter
the book will focus on the Bible as a whole.
Welcome to continue
your reading further to learn more about the Bible, the history of where it originates,
how we believe it was Inspired by God, the vast amount of textual criticism of
the Bible texts etc.
We will also investigate the claims that the Bible Text is corrupt or has many mistakes or contradictions.
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