1. The Voice of New Muslims: Easter, salvation and Islam.
Contributed By Sister Nasirah Cavaney, Victoria.
Easter is at the core of Christianity, it is what sets it apart from Judaism and Islam. It is the event that gives people their salvation according to Christianity.
According to Christian belief Jesus (peace be upon him) is God incarnate. On the eve of Passover he was crucified and then miraculously resurrected on the third day. With his death he took on himself the sins of the world and that anyone who takes Jesus as their personal savour will be saved on the day of Judgement (resurrection).
As a convert to Islam who was raised in the Christian faith, Easter creates the biggest discord between my family and me.
According to Christians, the need of Jesus (pbuh) to die for the sins of the world is because of the original sin of Adam (pbuh) and Eve.
However, Islam REJECTS the doctrine of ORGINAL SIN.
According to the Qur’an in Chapter 2 verses 35-38
“And We said: "O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will, but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Zâlimûn (wrong-doers)."
Then the Shaitân (Satan) made them slip therefrom (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: "Get you down, all, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time."
Then Adam received from his Lord Words. And his Lord pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily, He is the One Who forgives (accepts repentance), the Most Merciful.
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.”
In fact Judaism also rejects the doctrine of original sin.
Also, the concept of Original Sin is foreign to Judaism. Humans are born not with a stain, but "nishmat headam tehora he (the soul of a human is pure)" - "the soul came pure from God" says the Siddur. In Judaism, humans have the capacity to choose between right and wrong, and through those acts of choice, tilt themselves to the good or the bad. That badness or goodness though, is not predetermined because of Original Sin. (Source Rabbi Gerald L. Zelizer)
Adam's action affected all of humankind; if he hadn't sinned, he and all his descendants would have remained in the Garden of Eden. But a child isn't punished for a parent's sins if the child is righteous; Adam's descendants are born innocent, and their rewards and punishments depend on their own deeds. Both Adam and Eve were punished for sinning, but Judaism doesn't regard either men or women as cursed (Source Rabbi Yaakov Menken)
Jesus could not die for anyone’s sins, whether they were committed intentionally or accidentally. To begin with, the Jewish people were strictly prohibited from offering human sacrifices under any circumstances. There is not one place throughout the entire corpus of the Jewish scriptures where human sacrifices are condoned. In fact, over and over again the Bible warns the Jewish people that it is a grave sin to bring a human being as a sacrifice.
(Source Rabbi Tovia Singer)
Salvation According to Scripture
Many believe that in Judaism it is necessary to do an animal sacrifice to gain God’s forgiveness. Even in Biblical times when sacrifices were made, Jews saw repentance as the most important and sacrifice as the least important way to gain forgiveness from God. Few sins required animal sacrifice. According to the Torah, forgiveness for an intentional sin could only be atoned for through repentance, not through an animal sacrifice (Psalms 32:5, 51:16-19)
Animal sacrifices were only prescribed for unintentional sins.
(Source www.judaism.about.com )
Animal sacrifices, on the Day of Atonement and other occasions, were an important means of atoning for sin when the Temple existed. But the principal method of atonement for sin, whether or not the Temple exists, is repentance. This is clearly stated in the Bible; good sources for it are 1 Samuel 15:22, Hosea 14:2 and Psalms 32:5. (Source Rabbi Yaakov Menken www.torah.org )
Also in Ezekiel it reads:
18:27 Again, when the evil-doer, turning away from the evil he has done, does what is ordered and right, he will have life for his soul.18:28 Because he had fear and was turned away from all the wrong which he had done, life will certainly be his, death will not be his fate
In Qur’an it reads
But those who do wrong but repent thereafter and (truly) believe,- verily thy Lord is thereafter Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Chapter 7:153)
"But ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn unto Him (in repentance): For my Lord is indeed full of mercy and loving-kindness." (Chapter 11:90)
Prayer is a central part of Jewish life. Observant Jews pray three times daily and say blessings over just about every day-to-day activity.
(Source www.jewfaq.org )
Prayer is also vital in Islam. Muslims pray five times daily. In the Qur’an it states:
But those of them who are firm in knowledge and the believers believe in that which is revealed unto thee, and that which was revealed before thee, especially the diligent in prayer and those who pay the poor-due, the believers in Allah and the Last Day. Upon these We shall bestow immense reward. (Chapter 5:162)
Islam is, according to Jewish sources, the closest religion to Judaism. You worship the same God that we do. So as long as you take upon yourself to observe the seven laws of Noah because God gave them to Noah, and reminded us in the Torah, then that would classify you as a Righteous Gentile, and "the Righteous of all nations have a share in the World to Come. We don't have a doctrine of "salvation," that's a Christian belief...there is a World to Come, however, and we earn our place there through our acts. Yours, Rabbi Yaakov Menken (via email)
Judaism teaches that God gave seven laws (or more accurately, seven categories of legal obligations) which are incumbent upon all humanity:
1) Not to eat a limb or meat that was severed from a live animal
2) Not to curse the name of God
3) Not to steal or rob
4) Not to worship idols
5) Not to commit adultery or have other forbidden sexual relationships
6) Not to murder a fellow man
7) To establish courts of justice, to pronounce and mete out decisions for all mankind, and to ensure observance of the previous laws.
As you can read both in Judaism and Islam, belief in the one and only God, repentance, prayer and good deeds are the keys to paradise.
The Crucifixion of Jesus (pbuh)
Jesus (pbuh) according to Islam is a beloved prophet of Allah and is respected by all Muslims.
And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him in the Torah, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah - a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil). (Chapter 5:56)
However we firmly believe that the Qur’an is the word of Allah and it plainly states in Qur’an that Jesus (pbuh) was not killed by crucifixion, in fact, Jesus (pbuh) was actually ascended to God himself.
And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger - they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain. (Chapter 4:157)
(And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ. (Chapter 3:55)
Therefore according to Islam, Jesus’ (pbuh) death and resurrection are not needed for salvation and Easter is not a festival we acknowledge in Islam.
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2. WHY ISLAM FORBIDS PORK?
Contributed by Wassim Dannawi, New South Wales.
Food and drink have direct effect on our health. That is why Islam has prescribed regulations about our food and drink. It lays great emphasis on our physical as well as moral health, because both of these are equally important for a healthy society. The abstention from eating pork is one of the steps taken by Islam to practise hygiene and to attain purity of soul.
Islam, for the cultivation of inner faculties, insists upon the cleanliness of body and the purification of soul through Salaat (prayers) Zikr (remembrance of Allah) and other devotional duties. Islam teaches us how to attain the virtues and how to give up bad habits because both good and bad grow in the man according to his upbringing, education and environment.
A human being has natural desires: food, sleep and sex being the three primary ones. He has also natural emotions: sorrow, happiness, love, fear, disgust and avarice etc. Islam doesn't recommend the complete abrogation of these impulses but offers a method of controlling them through religious education and discipline.
The prohibition of eating pork in Islam is relevant in this context. There is a saying in English that "a man becomes what he eats." According to physicians and medical experts, pork is a harmful diet. Consumption of swine-flesh creates lowliness in character and destroys moral and spiritual faculties in a man.
Body and Soul
The life of a man is a compound of body and soul. Anything, which is harmful for the body, hurts the soul as well. Consumption of swine-flesh reduces the feeling of shame and as such the standard of modesty. Those nations, which consume pork habitually, have a low standard of morality with the result that virginity, chastity and bashfulness are becoming a thing of the past.
The Holy Qur'an has prohibited the swine-flesh, hence the Muslims would not dare touch it. The Bible has also forbidden swine-flesh, but Christians disregarded this order and started consuming it. The Europeans proclaim that pork is a very powerful diet, rich in protein. Some of them further argue that since there is a great scarcity of food-stuffs in the world and swines are available in abundant quantity, they should be consumed in diet to overcome the food shortage. If this argument is true, why don't nations use dog's meat, as dogs too, are available in plenty? These nations perhaps hate the mention of dog's meat in the same way as the Muslims shun pork.
Another wrong notion about swine-flesh is that its consumption lengthens life-span, although this is a pure myth and absurdity. On the contrary, people, who abstain from pork and liquor, have a longer span of life. The Muslims in Central Asia bear a testimony to this truth.
However, in the consumption of flesh Muslims are required to be selective and distinguish between Halaal (Lawful) and Haraam (Unlawful). This step leads automatically to the deeper understanding of the need for the cultivation of a pure human nature. As blood is virtually our life-stream and whatever we consume ultimately affects the blood system, it is, therefore, necessary to exercise choice in the selection of our food and drink as per the requirements of the Shariah.
There are certain foods and drinks specified by Allah, and His Messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as forbidden. The prohibition of these foods and drinks is not by any means an arbitrary action or an unwarranted decree of Allah. It is the first and foremost a divine intervention in the best interest of man and for his own benefit.
Reliable medical doctors and social scientists are able to realize how those foods and drinks forbidden by Islam are harmful and destructive to the human spirit and morality as well as to the physique and moral fibre of man and to verify the benefits of Islamic legislations on the subjects.
The prohibition is based on the aim of the purification of one's nature, because food, when consumed, doesn't merely enter the stomach and intestines and become excreta. It is absorbed and metabolized into the system and circulated to all parts of the human body, including the brain, and this in no small way affects man's nature.
The pig is naturally lazy and indulgent in sex, it is dirty, greedy and gluttonous. It dislikes sunlight and lacks the spirit and will to "fight." It eats almost anything, be it human excreta or anything foul and unwholesome. Amongst all animal flesh, pork is the favoured cradle of harmful germs. Pork also serves as a carrier of diseases to mankind. It is for this reason that its flesh is not suitable for consumption.
Some people have argued that the "modern pig" reared in farms is given only clean foods, therefore, its flesh should be consumable. The answer is that you may feed the pig on clean, wholesome food, but you can't change its nature. It is still a pig. A pig is not a plant and you cannot change it by bud-grafting.
Medical Reports
Dr. E. Kazim. M.D. in his article "Medical aspects of forbidden foods in Islam" (July 1981 issue of Muslim Journal has described diseases carried or caused by the flesh of the swine. He writes:
The pig is a scavenger. It is an omnivorous animal. It eats everything. There are many disease carried from swine to man, particularly parasite infestations. Lately extensive research has been focused on senility-old age is characterized by hardening of inner lining of the blood vessels of the heart, brain etc. a process called atherosclerosis. When a clot forms, it results in coronary thrombosis or a heart attack, cerebral thrombosis or stroke.
Different dietary factors are responsible for atherosclerosis. Gross atheroma may be produced in rabbit by feeding it with cholesterol, but when you add lard (derived from hog fat) to the cholesterol, the incidence of atheroma is increased and thus you would produce coronary thrombosis, and myocardial infraction.
Besides, lard contains 2800 units of vitamin D per 100 grams and no vitamin A at all. Lately vitamin D has been held responsible for atheroma, by causing increased absorption of calcium in the blood vessels. In human beings, serum cholesterol is not dependent on the intake of cholesterol in the diet, but depends upon the proportion of animal fats in the diet, which elevate the beta-lipo protein level in the blood. Animal fats contain saturated fatty acids and these saturated fatty acids have been found to be as one of the causes of atheroma in man. Medium fat bacon contains 25% proteins and 55% fat."
According to medical research, the fat content in pork is more than any other meat (beef, mutton etc.) and it takes longer to digest. Dr. M Jaffer in an article in the Islamic Review (London) of January 1997 issue has listed 16 kinds of harmful germs, which have been discovered in pork in modern researches and the diseases, which could be caused by them. The number of patients suffering from tapeworm disease is the highest in the world among pork eating nations. Other diseases attributed to pigs are caused by tri-chinelia spirates and intestinal worms occupy first place among such nations too.
Dr. Glen Shepherd wrote the following on the dangers of eating pork in Washington Post (31 May 1952).
"One in six people in USA and Canada have germs in their muscles - trichinosis 8 from eating pork infected with trichina worms. Many people so infected have no symptoms. Most of those, who do have, recover slowly. Some die; some are reduced to permanent invalids. All were careless pork caters".
He continued "No one is immune from the disease and there is no cure. Neither antibiotics nor drugs or vaccines affect these tiny deadly worms. Preventing infection is the real answer."
After reading the statement of Dr. Shepherd, one can realize that there is no real guarantee of safety when eating pork that one would not be affected by trichina worm. That is why modern doctors advise three prohibitions during illness: no liquor, no pork and no smoking.
Muslims follow the divine law which is much higher than the medical advice. The Glorious Qur'an says,
"So eat of the lawful and good food which Allah has provided for you, and thank the bounty of your Lord if it is Him you serve. He has forbidden for you only carrion and blood and swine-flesh and that which has been immolated in the name of any other than Allah; but he who is driven thereto, neither craving nor transgressing, Lo! then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (Chapter 16:114-115)
The above is the order from the Creator of the universe and Supreme Law-Giver. All Muslims are under the obligation to obey it. This is a plain and straightforward answer to those, who usually ask why Muslims abstain from eating pork. Nevertheless, there is no sin, if a Muslims is forced by famine or starvation to eat pork in order to save his life.
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3. Woman's Reflection on Leading Prayer
by Yasmin Mogahed
(Friday 25 March 2005)
"Given my privilege as a woman, I only degrade myself by trying to be something I'm not--and in all honesty--don't want to be: a man. As women, we will never reach true liberation until we stop trying to mimic men, and value the beauty in our own God-given distinctiveness."
On March 18, 2005 Amina Wadud led the first female-led Jumuah (Friday) prayer. On that day women took a huge step towards being more like men. But, did we come closer to actualizing our God-given liberation?
I don't think so.
What we so often forget is that God has honored the woman by giving her value in relation to God-not in relation to men. But as western feminism erases God from the scene, there is no standard left-but men. As a result the western feminist is forced to find her value in relation to a man. And in so doing she has accepted a faulty assumption. She has accepted that man is the standard, and thus a woman can never be a full human being until she becomes just like a man-the standard.
When a man cut his hair short, she wanted to cut her hair short. When a man joined the army, she wanted to join the army. She wanted these things for no other reason than because the "standard" had it.
What she didn't recognize was that God dignifies both men and women in their distinctiveness--not their sameness. And on March 18, Muslim women made the very same mistake.
For 1400 years there has been a consensus of the scholars that men are to lead prayer. As a Muslim woman, why does this matter? The one who leads prayer is not spiritually superior in any way. Something is not better just because a man does it. And leading prayer is not better, just because it's leading. Had it been the role of women or had it been more divine, why wouldn't the Prophet have asked Ayesha or Khadija, or Fatima-the greatest women of all time-to lead? These women were promised heaven-and yet they never lead prayer.
But now for the first time in 1400 years, we look at a man leading prayer and we think, "That's not fair." We think so although God has given no special privilege to the one who leads. The imam is no higher in the eyes of God than the one who prays behind.
On the other hand, only a woman can be a mother. And God has given special privilege to a mother. The Prophet taught us that heaven lies at the feet of mothers. But no matter what a man does he can never be a mother. So why is that not unfair?
When asked who is most deserving of our kind treatment? The Prophet replied 'your mother' three times before saying 'your father' only once. Isn't that sexist? No matter what a man does he will never be able to have the status of a mother.
And yet even when God honors us with something uniquely feminine, we are too busy trying to find our worth in reference to men, to value it-or even notice. We too have accepted men as the standard; so anything uniquely feminine is, by definition, inferior. Being sensitive is an insult, becoming a mother-a degradation. In the battle between stoic rationality (considered masculine) and self-less compassion (considered feminine), rationality reigns supreme.
As soon as we accept that everything a man has and does is better, all that follows is just a knee jerk reaction: if men have it-we want it too. If men pray in the front rows, we assume this is better, so we want to pray in the front rows too. If men lead prayer, we assume the imam is closer to God, so we want to lead prayer too. Somewhere along the line we've accepted the notion that having a position of worldly leadership is some indication of one's position with God.
A Muslim woman does not need to degrade herself in this way. She has God as a standard. She has God to give her value; she doesn't need a man.
In fact, in our crusade to follow men, we, as women, never even stopped to examine the possibility that what we have is better for us. In some cases we even gave up what was higher only to be like men.
Fifty years ago, society told us that men were superior because they left the home to work in factories. We were mothers. And yet, we were told that it was women's liberation to abandon the raising of another human being in order to work on a machine. We accepted that working in a factory was superior to raising the foundation of society-just because a man did it.
Then after working, we were expected to be superhuman-the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect homemaker-and have the perfect career. And while there is nothing wrong, by definition, with a woman having a career, we soon came to realize what we had sacrificed by blindly mimicking men. We watched as our children became strangers and soon recognized the privilege we'd given up.
And so only now-given the choice-women in the West are choosing to stay home to raise their children. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, only 31 percent of mothers with babies, and 18 percent of mothers with two or more children, are working full-time. And of those working mothers, a survey conducted by Parenting Magazine in 2000, found that 93% of them say they would rather be home with their kids, but are compelled to work due to 'financial obligations'. These 'obligations' are imposed on women by the gender sameness of the modern West, and removed from women by the gender distinctiveness of Islam.
It took women in the West almost a century of experimentation to realize a privilege given to Muslim women 1400 years ago.
Given my privilege as a woman, I only degrade myself by trying to be something I'm not--and in all honesty--don't want to be: a man. As women, we will never reach true liberation until we stop trying to mimic men, and value the beauty in our own God-given distinctiveness.
If given a choice between stoic justice and compassion, I choose compassion. And if given a choice between worldly leadership and heaven at my feet-I choose heaven.
Contributed by Sister Janine Cadd, Western Australia
To answer this question we must examine the evidence to prove or disprove each title. Muslims venerate Jesus as a true and sincere Prophet of God. Is it apparent from the Bible, without any doubt, that Jesus himself would lay claim to the title “Son of God’?
Firstly the title ‘Son of God’ is bestowed on a variety of believers and Prophets in the Bible. For example:
Exodus 4:22: “And you shall say to Pharaoh, thus says the Lord, Israel is my first born son.”
1 Chron 22:10: “He said to me, “It is Solomon your son, who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his Father.”
Jeremiah 31:9: “For I am a Father to Israel and Ephraim is My first born.”
Furthermore, it is clear from the Psalms that David had this title long before Jesus.
Psalms 2 verse 7: “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day I have begotten thee.”
Indeed this title ‘Son of God’, present in the Bible, indicates Gods acceptance of and love for these pious men. As recorded in the Gospel, Jesus himself said that every righteous and merciful man was a ‘Son of God’. For example:
Matthew 5:44-45: “Love your enemies that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven.”
Also Adam the first man received this title as follows:
Luke 3:38: “The son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”
These passages from the Bible prove that there is no reason why Jesus should be regarded as ‘The Son of God’ in any literal or unique sense.
The Nicene Creed (the adoption of Paul’s concept of Trinity) states:
“I believe in…one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God…true God of true
God…being of one substance with the Father.”
This dogma is not supported (by any stretch of the imagination) by the words of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospels. The truth is that Jesus strongly disclaimed Godhood or Divinity. Exemplified by the following quotes from the Bible:
Chronicles 1 16:34: “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good: for His steadfast love endures forever.”
The Gospel of Mark states that Jesus declined to accept the compliment of ‘good’ as this attribute belongs to God alone.
Mark 10:18: ‘And Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good, but God alone.’
It is evident from this declaration that Jesus is not claiming to ‘be God’ or ‘the Son of God’ (sharing Gods attributes) and vehemently objects to being associated with such a claim, to the pint, where he does not accept that he should even be called ‘good’, let alone ‘God’. Jesus stated that the attributes of being ‘good’ belonged to God alone.
Let us compare some of the attributes and acts of God with the attributes and acts of Jesus Christ.
1.God does not pray. God hears and answers the prayers of mankind.
Proverbs 15:29: ‘The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.’
In comparison we know that Jesus prayed to God.
Luke 22:44: ‘And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly.’
Matthew 26:36: ‘Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go yonder and pray.’
Hebrew 5:7: ‘In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears to Him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear.’
If Jesus was ‘the Lord’, ‘The Son of God’ and the ‘true God of true God’ then he would not have the attribute of praying to Almighty God for fulfillment of his needs.
2.God is Almighty, Omnipotent.
Corinthians 2,6:18: ‘…and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and Daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’
Jesus did not claim to be Almighty or Omnipotent, when he said:
John 5:30: ‘I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of Him who sent me!’
3. God is All-Knowing and nothing escapes His Knowledge.
Kings 1, 8:39: ‘He has the knowledge of earth and heaven and all that is created.’
Jesus as stated in the Gospel is not all-knowing.
Mark 13:32: ‘But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father.’
4. God is Omnipotent and Fears no one and nothing. Jesus was not omnipotent and he was afraid and troubled by his impending fate.
Matthew 16:20: ‘Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.’
John 12:27: ‘Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say, “Father save me from this hour?”
5. God cannot be tempted by evil.
James 1:13: ‘Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil and He himself tempts no one.’
Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty consecutive days as stated in the Gospel of Luke in 4:1-13: ‘And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil…..And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.’
6. God commits no sins and does not need to repent. Jesus however was baptized by John
The Baptist. Baptism was for repentance; leading to forgiveness of sins. Marik1:4 “John the baptizer emerged in the wilderness, announcing a baptism, which was a sign of the repentance which leads to the forgiveness of sins’.
Mark 1:9 ‘It was then that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan’.
These verses imply that Jesus had sinned and had repented. The above comparisons between Almighty God and Jesus, (may the peace and blessings of Allah be with him and all the prophets) strongly indicate that Jesus was not Divine, but was a messenger from God who was afflicted by trial and tribulation in keeping with the station of prophethoodl
We have established that (according to the Bible statements aforementioned), the claim that Jesus Christ was ‘God’ of the ‘son of God’ is refuted by the sayings and actions of Jesus (pbuh) himself.
It is well known that there are many discrepancies and contradictions in both the Old and New testaments. For example: In the Old Testament. II Samuel 24: The numbering. ‘And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say ‘Go number Israel and Judah’. I Chronicles 21 The numbering. ‘And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel.”
II Samuel states that Prophet David acted on God’s instructions however 1st Chronicles contradicts this and states that he acted on Satan’s orders.
An example from the New Testament: The Fate of Judas. Matthew 27: 3-6 ‘When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver… and throwing down the pieces he departed; and he went and hanged himself. Acts 1: 18 ‘Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.’ In Matthew Judas repented and hung himself, in Acts he bought a field, fell in it and burst open.
As opposed to the Old and New Testament (the Judaic and Christian texts) we find that the Qur’an is consistent in thought and presentation and it has within it scientific proof that the author of the Qur’an is none other than Almighty God who has taken an oath to protect it from any changes until the Day of Judgment. In the Qur’an 15:9 Allah says ‘Verily We; It is We who have sent down the Qur’an and surely, We will guard it (from corruption). (Allah uses the royal ‘we’).
In testimony to this fact Dr. Maurice Bucaille an Embryologist has stated that ‘there is no human work in existence that contains statements as far beyond the level of knowledge of its time as the Qur’an’ (which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) over 23 years beginning in the year 610AD.) Scientific opinions comparable to those in the Qur’an are the result of modern knowledge; that is to say Allah who is the All Knowing stated many scientific facts that have only been recently ratified by present day scientist. There are many examples, including the orbit of the moon, the existence of the atom, the stages of embryo development and numerous others.
In the Qur’an Allah commands the believers to accept the divine word revealed to Prophet Moses in the Torah, Prophet David in the Psalms and to Jesus in the original Bible (Injeel). However these previous scriptures have been forged by men and are no longer the unadulterated word and law of Allah. Men exchanged Allah’s words for their own to suit their own ambitions and theories.
Allah says in the Qur’an 2:70 ‘Woe to those who write the scripture with their own hands and then say; ‘this is from Allah’ to purchase with it worldly gain at a cheap price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they have earned by doing it!’ in the Old Testament, God is quoted in Jeremiah 8:8 as saying: ‘How can you say,’ We are wise and the law is with us?’ But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie.’
Throughout the Qur’an Jesus is identified fundamentally as a messenger and prophet of God.
Qur’an 61:6 God quotes Jesus as follows: ‘And remember when Jesus son of Mary said ‘ Oh Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah sent to you confirming the Torah (which came) before me.’ The message that Jesus conveyed to those around him was to obey God and submit to His Will.
In Arabic, submission to God’s Will, is expressed by the word Islam. God says in the Qur’an 3:19 ‘Truly the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam (submission)’
Jesus is quoted as saying ‘Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom or heaven, but he who does the will of my Father (figurative) in heaven.’ Jesus statement makes it clear that belief in Jesus is not the way to salvation but must be in association with submission to Allah’s Laws and His Will. Again in John 5:30 it is narrated that Jesus said ‘ I can do nothing on my own authority……I seek not my own will but the Will of Him who sent me.’
The Will of God is contained in the divinely revealed laws which the prophets taught their followers. Hence, obedience to divine law is the foundation of worship.
The Qur’an affirms the need for obedience to God’s revealed laws in Chapter 5: 44 ‘Indeed I did reveal the Torah in which was guidance and light, by which the prophets who submitted to God’s Will, judged and whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed is a disbeliever.
Divine law is the supreme guidance for humankind. It teaches us right from wrong and represents a complete system governing all affairs. Almighty God the Creator of the Heavens and earth and all that is between them knows what is beneficial or harmful to His creation. Hence His Laws order and prohibit various acts and substances to protect man from harm. In order for mankind to fulfill their potential by living righteous lives, they must worship God by obeying His Commandments.
Jesus was reported, according to Matthew 19:16-17 to have made obedience to the divine laws the key to paradise as follows:
‘Now behold, one came and said to him ‘ Good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ so he said to him ‘ why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’
And Jesus preached that worship is for God alone and it is He that should be served. In Luke 3:8 ‘And Jesus answered him’ It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’
It is clear from the above that Jesus denied any claim that he was God and that he ordered people to obey God’s commandments and worship God exclusively.
Allah narrates in the Qur’an 19:29-30 ‘When she (Mary) pointed to him…..he, (Jesus) said ‘Indeed I am a servant of Allah. He gave me the scripture and made me a prophet.”
This is the description that Jesus gave of himself in the Book of Allah revealed over 14 centuries ago. It remains unchanged now and for ever by the promise of Allah.
I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. That was the message and the mission of our Prophet Jesus Christ, the servant of Allah.
References
The Noble Qur’an in the English Language, 1993; Maktba Dar-us Salam, Saudi Arabia
Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version,1989; Zondervan, USA
Phillips B; The True Message of Jesus Christ, 1996, Dar Al Fatah, UAE
Ajijola A D; The Myth of the Cross,1994, Adam Publishers, Delhi
