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M. Also Elisha told Naaman who was a leper to wash in the Jordan river (II Kings 5:14): “Then went he (Naaman) down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God (Elisha): and his flesh came again like unto a flesh of little child, and he was clean.”


C. But Jesus could cause a blind man to see again.


M. Also Elisha did (II Kings 6:17): “And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man: and he saw…” (II Kings 6:20): “And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened the eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.”


Elisha was also told to cause blindness (II Kings 6:18): “And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.”


C. Jesus could raise the dead.


M. Compare with Elijah (I Kings 17:22): “And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah: and the soul of the child came into him again, and revived.” Compare


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also with Elisha (II Kings 4:34): “And he (Elisha) went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.”


Even the dead bones of Elisha could restore a dead body to life by touching only (II Kings 13:21): “And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.”


C. But Jesus walked upon the water.


M. Moses stretched out his arms over the sea (Exodus 14:22): “And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on the right hand, and on their left.”


C. But Jesus could cast out devils.


M. Jesus himself admitted that other people could do it (Matthew 12:27 and Luke 11:19): “An d if by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cat them out? therefore shall they be your judges.”


Also the disciples could cast out devils as Jesus said (Matthew 7:22): “Many will say to me in that


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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?”


Even false prophets would do wonders, as prophesied by Jesus himself (Matthew 24:24): “For there shall arise Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; inasmuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”


C. But Elijah and Elisha did wonders through praying to the Lord.


M. Jesus also did the miracles with the grace of God, as himself said (John 5:30): “I can of mine own self do nothing…” and Luke (11:20): “But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the Kingdom of God is come upon you.” All miracles performed by Jesus had been done by previous prophets, disciples, and even unbelievers. On the other hand, Jesus could do no mighty work where there was unbelief (Mark 6:5-6): “And he could there do no mighty work, save that that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went around about the villages, teaching.”


C. But Jesus was resurrected three days after he died.


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M. We will talk later about his crucifixion because there are so many controversies about it. I’ll only say now briefly that it was a gospel of Paul, who never saw Jesus alive (II Timothy 2:8): “Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel.”


The gospel of resurrection in Mark 16:9-20 has also been removed in many Bibles. If not removed it is printed in small print or between two brackets and with commentary. See Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible and New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Let me ask you one thing: did Jesus ever claim to be God or to say, “Here am I, your God, and worship me”?


C. No, but he is God and man.


M. But did he ever claim that?


C. No.


M. Indeed he had prophesied that people will worship him uselessly and will believe in doctrines not made by God but by men (Matthew 15:9): “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”


All doctrines of modern Christianity are made by men: the Trinity, Divine Sonship of Jesus, Divinity of Jesus Christ, Original Sin and Atonement. From Jesus’ own sayings, recorded in the New Testament,


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it is clear that he never claimed divinity or identity to God: “I do nothing of myself” (John 8:28); “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28); “The Lord our God is one Lord” (Mark 12:29); “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34); “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). Jesus was called prophet, teacher from God, His servant, Messiah, and later was escalated to Son of God, and then God Himself.


Let us now use our reason: how can God be born by a mortal one as any other mortal?


Jesus slept while God never sleeps (Psalm 121:4): “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” God should be powerful but how could people spit on him, crucify him as alleged. How could Jesus be God if he worshipped God as any other mortal (Luke 5:16): “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.”


Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days (Luke 4:1-13) but in


James 1:13 is said: “…for God cannot be tempted with evil…” How can Jesus be God, then? We can rationalize further and further.


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C. Yes, I myself can’t understand it but we have to accept it blindly.


M. Is it not contradicting the Bible itself which says that you have to prove it (I Thessalonians 5:21): “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”


C. It’s really confusing.


M. But I Corinthians 14:33 says: “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”


Doctrines made by men create confusion.


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THE DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINE SONSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST


M. Is Jesus Son of God?


C. Yes. Read in Matthew 3:17, when Jesus was baptized by John: “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”


M. You should not accept the word Son literally, because many Prophets and we people are called in the Bible also, sons and children of God. Read Exodus 4:22.


C. “And thou (Moses) shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn.”


M. Here is Jacob (Israel) His firstborn son. Read now II Samuel 7:13-14 or I Chronicle 22:10.


C. “He (Solomon) shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father


and he shall be my son…”


M. It will be confusing if you read Jeremiah 31:9: “I am a father to Israel and Ephraim is my firstborn.” In Exodus 4:22 just now, Israel was called firstborn, too. Who is now the real firstborn? Israel or


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Ephraim? Common people can be children of God; read Deut. 14:1.


C. “Yes are the children of the Lord your God.”


M. Common people can also be called firstborn; read Romans 8:29.


C. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate be conformed to the image of his Son, the he might be the firstborn of many brethren.”


M. If all are firstborn, what is Jesus then?


C. He is the only begotten son of God.


M. Long before Jesus was born, God said to David (Psalm 2:7): “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me (David), Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” So David is also God’s begotten Son. The meaning of Son of God is not literal but metaphorical. It can be any one who is beloved by God. Jesus also said that God is not only his Father but also your Father (Matthew 5:45,48).


C. “That you may be the children of your Father”; and “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”


M. So you will see in many passages in the Bible “Son of God” which signifies love and affection, nearness to God, no applied to Jesus alone. You will


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see sons and daughters of God (II Corinthians 6:18): “And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” In view of these and other passages in the Bible, there is no reason whatsoever why Jesus should be regard as Son of God in a literal or unique sense.


C. But he has no father; that is why he is Son of God.


M. Why do you consider Adam then not as Son of God. He lacked both father and mother, and is also called Son of God in Luke 3:38: “…Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.” Read Hebrews 7:3.


C. “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.”


M. Who is he? The answer is in Hebrews 7:1: “Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham…” He is more unique than Jesus or Adam. Why is he not preferred to be son of God or God himself?”


C. What do you call Jesus then?


M. We Muslims call him Jesus the son of Mary.


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C. No one will deny this.


M. Yes, it is simple and nobody can deny it. Jesus called himself Son of man and refused to be called Son of God. Read Luke 4:41.


C. “And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered then not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.”


M. Jesus who was the expected Messiah, a Prophet, was escalated from teacher to Son of God, Lord, and finally God Himself. Read John 3:2: “the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God…”; (John 6:14): “Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said This is of a truth that prophet should come into the world.” Jesus is also called prophet in John 7:40, Matthew 21:11, Luke 7:16 and 24:19. (Acts 9:20): “And straightway he (Paul) preached Christ in the synagogues, the he is the Son of God.” (You can conclude from here also that early Christians were still using synagogues, but later when Christianity deviated from the original teaching of Jesus, churches were established. Paul, Barnabas and the gentiles were expelled from the synagogues, as they were accused of blasphemy and pollution. See Acts 13:50, 17:18 and 21:28.) Luke


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2:11: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God.”


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WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?


M. The Holy Qur’an states in Surah 4:157 that Jesus was not crucified: “And their (Jews’) boasting: ‘We killed Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah,’ but they (Jews) kill him not, nor crucified him…” Do you still believe that he died on the cross?


C. Yes, he died and was then resurrected.


M. We all agree that nobody saw the moment he was resurrected. They found the sepulchre where Jesus was laid down, empty and made the conclusion that he was resurrected because the disciples and other witnesses saw him alive after the alleged crucifixion. Could it not be possible, as the Qur’an claims, that he didn’t die on the cross?


C. Where is the proof then?


M. Let us see passages in the Bible supporting the evidence. Do you give more weight to what Jesus said or to hearsay of the disciples, apostle and other witnesses?


C. Of course more to Jesus himself.


M. That is in accordance with what Jesus said (Matt. 10:24): “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.”


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C. But Jesus himself said that he will arise from the dead (Luke 24:46): “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.”


M. Suffering is often exaggerated in the Bible and termed “dead” as Paul said (I Corinthians 15:31): “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ, I die daily.” (i.e. I suffer daily). Here are some of the proofs:


1. On the cross he beseeched God for help (Matthew 27:46): “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And in Luke 22:42: “Saying, Father if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (This cup is the cup of death.)


2. Jesus’ prayer not to die on the cross was accepted by God, according to Luke, Hebrews and James. Then how could he still die on the cross? (Luke 22:43): “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.” It means that an angel assured him that God would not left him helpless. (Hebrews 5:7): “Who in the days of his flesh, when he (Jesus) had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.”


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Jesus’ prayer were here heard, which means answered in a positive way by God. (James 5:16): “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Jesus himself said (Matthew 7:7-10): “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him who knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask fish, will he give him a serpent?” If all Jesus’ prayer were accepted by God, including not to die on the cross, how could he still die on the cross then?


3. His legs were not broken by the Roman soldiers (John 19:32-33): “Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs.” Can you rely on these soldiers for pronouncing the death, or did they want to save Jesus as they found him innocent?


4. If Jesus died on the cross, his blood would clot and no blood would gush out of his body when his side was pierced. But the Gospel states that blood and water came out; (John 19:34): “But one


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of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”


5. When the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign of his true mission he answered (Matt. 12:40): “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Disregard now the time factor, which was also not three days and three nights but one day (Saturday, daytime only) and two nights (Friday night and Saturday night). Was Jonas alive in the belly of the whale?


C. Yes.


M. Was Jonas still alive when he was vomited out of the belly of the whale?


C. Yes.


M. Then Jesus was still alive as he prophesied.


6. Jesus himself stated that he didn’t die on the cross. Early Sunday morning Mary Magdalene went to the sepulchre, which was empty. She saw somebody who looked like a gardener. She recognized him after conversation to be Jesus and wanted to touch him. Jesus said (John 20:17): “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father…” “Touch me not,” perhaps because the


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fresh wound would hurt him. “I am not yet ascended to my Father,” means that he was still alive, not dead yet, because if somebody dies, then he goes back to the Creator. This was the strongest proof admitted by Jesus himself.


7. After the alleged crucifixion the disciples thought that he was not the same Jesus in body but spiritualized, because resurrected bodies are spiritualized.


C. Interruption. How could you be sure that resurrected bodies are spiritualized?


M. That is what Jesus himself said in the Bible: that they are equal to angels.


C. Where in the Bible.


M. In Luke 20:34-36: “And answering said unto them, The children of the world Mary, and are given in marriage. But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and then resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.”


Then Jesus convinced them by letting them touch his hands and feet, that he was the same person. As they could not believe him yet, he asked for meat to


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show them that he still ate like any living individual. Read Luke 24:36-41: “And as they (the disciples) thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and the frightened, and supposed that they had seen a spirit, And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath no flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.”


8. If you still believe that he died on the cross, then he was a false Prophet and accursed of God according to these passages: (Deuteronomy 13:5): “And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, hall be put to death…”; (Deuteronomy 21:22-23): “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of


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God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”


To believe in his death on the cross is to discredit hid prophethood. The Jews maintained to have killed Jesus on the cross and consequently have to accept the accursedness of Jesus, too. this Christian belief opposes the Bible’s teaching in Hosea 6:6: “For I desired mercy and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offering.” It also opposes Jesus’ own teaching (Matthew 9:13): “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice…” Again Jesus said (Matthew 12:7): “But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”


C. Why do people believe in the resurrection then?


M. It was Paul who taught the resurrections (Acts 17:18): “…And some (Jews) said, What will this babbler say? other some, He (Paul) seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.” Paul, who never saw Jesus, also admitted that the resurrection was his gospel (II Timothy 2:8): “Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel.” He was also the first


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who declared Jesus as Son of God (Acts 9:20): “And straightway he (Paul) preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.” So Christianity is not a teaching of Jesus but Paul.


C. But Mark (16:19) mentioned that Jesus was raised up to heaven and sat on the right hand of God: “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”


M. As I told you under the discussion of the Holy Bible that Mark 16, verses 9-20, were expunged in certain Bibles. See remark in the Revised Standard Version, the New American Standard Bible and the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures of the Jehovah’s Witnesses Church. If you still believe that Jesus is divine because he was raised up to heaven, why don’t you accept other Prophets as divine who were also raised up to heaven?


C. Who were they?


M. Elijah (II Kings 2:11-12): “…and Elijah went up by the whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried…And he saw him no more …” Also Enoch was taken by God to heaven (Genesis 5:24): “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him.” This was also repeated in Hebrews 11:15:


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“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God translated him; for before his translations he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”


THE DOCTRINE OF ATONEMENT AND ORIGINAL SIN


C. So redemption of sin through the crucifixion is not Jesus’ teaching?


M. This is the Doctrine of Atonement accepted by the Church three to four centuries after Jesus left the earth. It contradicts the Bible itself as the following passages show: (Deut. 24:16): “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” (Jeremiah 31:30): “But every one shall die for his own iniquity” (Ezekiel 18:20): “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” So Adam and Eve were responsible for their own sin, which had also been forgiven by Allah according to the Islamic version.”


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C. But these are in the Old Testament.


M. Read what Jesus himself said in Matthew 7:1 and 2.


C. “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”


M. Read I Corinthians 3:8.


C. “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.” But we believe in Original Sin!


M. Do you still want me to prove that children are born without sin? Read Matthew 19:14.


C. “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”


M. So everybody is born without sin and all children belong to the kingdom of heaven. Do you know that it was Paul who abolished the Mosaic Law? Read Acts 13:39.


C. “And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”


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M. Let me ask a question. Why do you believe in the resurrection if Paul himself, who never saw Jesus alive, admitted that this was his gospel?


C. Where is it written?


M. Read II Timothy 2:8.


C. “Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel.” But why have we to believe that he was crucified and raised from the dead?


M. Yes, I do not know even. Islam is based on reason and is a pure teaching of all Prophets of Allah not contaminated with paganism and superstition.


C. That is what I am looking for.


M. Why don’t you consider the Shahadah (Witness) or Testimony, first in English, then in Arabic. Let me help you pronounce it.


C. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah Who has no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave servant and messenger, Ash-hadu an-la Ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shareeka lahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluhu. Has Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) then been prophesied in the Bible?


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M. Yes, but it is not necessary for a Muslim to know it from the Bible. As you have studied the Bible I would like to discuss it with you briefly next time.


N. B.: The rest of the discussion will be conducted between two Muslims: M and m.


MUHAMMAD IN THE BIBLE


Both Ishmael and Isaac Were Blessed


M. Why did Ishmael and his mother Hagar leave Sarah?


m. After Isaac was weaned, his mother Sarah saw Ishmael mocking him, and didn’t want Ishmael to be heir with her son Isaac (Genesis 21:8-10): “And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.”


M. Isaac was about two years old when he was weaned. Ishmael was then sixteen years because Abraham was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore


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Ishmael and was a hundred years old when Isaac was born, according to Genesis 16:16: “And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram,” and Genesis 21:5: “And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.” Genesis 21:8-10 is then in contradiction with Genesis 21:14-21 where Ishmael was portrayed as a baby put on the shoulder of his mother, called lad and child, when both left Sarah: “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child,… Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand…” This was the profile of a baby and not of a teenager. So Ishmael and his mother Hagar left Sarah long before Isaac was born. According to the Islamic version, Abraham took Ishmael and Hagar and made a new settlement in Mecca, called Paran in the Bible (Genesis 21:21), because of a divine instruction given to Abraham as part of God’s plan. Hagar ran seven times between two hills, Safa and Marwah, looking for water; this became then an Islamic ritual for the annual pilgrimage in Mecca by millions of Muslims from all over the world. The well of water mentioned in Genesis 21:19 is still present, now called Zamzam. Both Abraham and Ishmael; later built the holy stone Ka‘bah in Mecca. The spot


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where Abraham used to perform prayers near the Ka‘bah is still present, now called Maqam Ibrahim, i.e. the Station of Abraham. During the days of Pilgrimage, Pilgrims in Mecca and Muslims all over the world commemorate the offering of Abraham and Ishmael by slaughtering cattle.


m. But the Bible mentions Isaac to be sacrificed.


M. No, the Islamic version states that covenant between God, Abraham and his only son Ishmael was made and sealed when Ishmael was supposed to be sacrificed. And on the same day were Abraham, Ishmael and all men of the household circumcised while Isaac was not even born yet (Genesis 17:24-27): “And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.”


A year later Isaac was born and circumcised when he was eight days old (Genesis 21:4-5): “And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was


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an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.”


So when the covenant was made and sealed (circumcision and sacrifice) Abraham was ninety-nine and Ishmael thirteen years old. Isaac was born a year later when Abraham was a hundred years old.


The descendants of Ishmael, Prophet Muhammad (PBUT), including all Muslims, remain faithful until today this covenant of circumcision. In their prayers at least five times a day the Muslims include the praise of Abraham and his descendants with the praise of Muhammad (PBUH) and his descendants.


m. But in Genesis 22 it is mentioned that Isaac was to be sacrificed!


M. I know it, but you will see the contradiction there. It is mentioned there “thine only son Isaac.” Should it not have been written “thine only son Ishmael” when Ishmael was thirteen years old and Isaac not born yet? When Isaac was born Abraham had two sons. Because of chauvinism the name Ishmael was changed to Isaac in all of Genesis 22, but God had preserved the word “only” to show us what it should have been.


The words “I will multiply thy seed” in Genesis 22:17 was applied earlier to Ishmael in Genesis 16:10. Was the whole of Genesis 22 not applicable


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to Ishmael then? “I will make him a great nation” had been repeated twice for Ishmael in Genesis 17:20 and Genesis 21:18, and never applied to Isaac at all.


m. The Jews and Christians maintain that Isaac was superior to Ishmael.


M. That is what they say but not what the Bible states (Genesis 15:4): “And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him (Abraham), saying, This (Eliezer of Damascus) shall not be thine heir, but that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.” So Ishmael was also heir.


Genesis 16:10: “And the angel of the Lord said unto her (Hagar), I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.”


Genesis 17:20: “And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will make him a great nation.”


Genesis 21:13: “And also of the son of bondwoman will make a great nation because he is thy seed.”


Genesis 21:18: “Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.”


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Deuteronomy 21:15-17: “If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.” Islam does not deny God’s blessing on Isaac and his descendants, but the son of promise is Ishmael from whom later arose Muhammad (PBUH) as the seal of the Prophets.


m. But Christians and Jews claim that Ishmael was an illegitimate son.


M. That is what they say, but not what the Bible states. How could a great Prophet like Abraham have an illegal wife and a son out of wedlock!


Genesis 16:3: “And Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.” If the marriage was legal, how could their offspring be illegal then! Is a marriage between two foreigners, a Chaldean and an


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Egyptian, not more legal than a marriage between a man with a daughter of his father? Whether it was a lie of Abraham or not, it is stated in Genesis 20:12: “And yet indeed she (Sarah) is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.”


The name Ishmael was also chosen by Allah Himself (Genesis 16:11): “And the Angel of the Lord said unto her (Hagar), Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.” Ishmael means God hears. And where in the Bible is it written that Ishmael was an Illegitimate son?


m. Nowhere in the Bible.


M. Long before both Ishmael and Isaac were born, Allah made a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:18): “…saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the Euphrates.” Was not the greater part of Arabia lying between the Nile and the Euphrates, where later all the descendants of Ishmael were settling?


m. Do you mean that no land was promised to Isaac and his descendants?


M. We Muslims never deny that Isaac was also blessed. See Genesis 17:8: “And I will give unto


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thee, and to thy seed (Isaac) after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”


Do you see also the difference that Abraham was mentioned “a stranger” in Canaan but not in the land between the Nile and the Euphrates. As a Chaldean he was more an Arab than a Jew.


m. But the Covenant was made with Isaac according to Genesis 17:21: “But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this time in the next year.”


M. Does this exclude Ishmael? Where in the Bible does it say that Allah would not make any covenant with Ishmael?


m. Nowhere.


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Criterion of the Prophet Jeremiah


Jeremiah 28:9: “The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him.”


The word Islam also signifies Tranquillity, Peace. Peace between the Creator and his creatures. This prophecy of Jeremiah cannot be applied to Jesus, as he himself stated that he didn’t come for peace (Luke 12:51-53): “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there will five in one house divided, three against two and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” See also Matthew 10:34-36.


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Until Shiloh Come


This was a message of Jacob to his children before he died. (Genesis 49:1): “And Jacob called unto his son, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.”


Genesis 49:10: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”


Shiloh is also the name of a town but its real meaning is peace, tranquillity, rest, i.e., Islam. It could never refer to a town here. If it referred to a person, it could be a corruption of Shaluah [Elohim], i.e. Messenger [of Allah].


So the Israelite prophethood in the lineage of Isaac would stop as soon as Shiloh comes. This corresponds with Surah 2:133: “Were you witness when death came to Jacob? When he said to his sons, “What will you worship after me?” They said, “We shall worship your God (Allah), the God of your fathers Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, One God and to Him we surrender [in Islam].”


The shift of prophethood to another nation was threatened by Jeremiah 31:36: “If those ordinance depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed


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of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever.” Also hinted by Jesus in Matthew 21:43: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”


Baca is Mecca


The Holy Ka‘bah built by Abraham and his son Ishmael is in Mecca. This name Mecca (Makkah) has been mentioned one time in the Holy Qur’an in Surah 48:24. Another name for Mecca is Bakka, depending on the dialect of the tribe. This also has been mentioned one time, in Surah 3:96: “Verily, the first House [of worship] appointed for mankind was that in Bakka (Mecca), full of blessing, and guidance of all people.” Amazing enough, this word Bakka was mentioned by Prophet David (PBUH) in his Psalm 84:6: “Who passing through the valley of Bacca make it a well, the rain also filleth the pools.” The well here is the well-known well of Zamzam, still present now, close to Ka‘bah.


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The House of My Glory


Isaiah, chapter 60:


1. Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” Compare with Surah 74:1-3: “O, you (Muhammad), wrapped up in garments! Arise and warn! And your Lord magnify!”


2. “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.” The advent of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was at a time of darkness when the world forgot the Oneness of God as taught by Abraham and all other Prophets including Jesus.


3. “And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”


4. “Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee:…” Within less than twenty-three years the whole of Arabia was united.


5. “…because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.” Within less than a century Islam spread out of Arabia to other countries.


6. “The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from


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Sheba shall come, they shall bring gold and incense; and all they from Sheba shall come, they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.”


7. “All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.” The tribes of Kedar (Arabia) who were divided were then united. “The house of my glory” referred here to the House of Allah in Mecca and not the Church of Christ as thought by Christian commentators. It is a fact that the village if Kedar (now whole Saudi Arabia at least) are the only country of the world which remains impenetrable to any influence of the Church.


8. “Therefore thy gates shall be open continually: they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be bought.” It is a fact that the mosque surrounding the Holy Ka‘bah in Mecca has remained open day and night since it was cleansed by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from the idols 1400 years ago. Rulers as well as subjects cane for Pilgrimage.


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Chariots of Asses and


Chariot of Camels


The vision of Isaiah of the two riders in Isaiah 21:7: “And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels;…”


Who was the rider upon an ass? Every Sunday School student will know him. That was Jesus (John 12:14): “And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written.”


Who, then, is the promised rider of on a camel? This powerful Prophet has been overlooked by Bible readers. This is Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). If this is not applied to him, then the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. That is why Isaiah mentioned further in the same chapter (21:13): “The burden of Arabia…” which means the responsibility of the Arab Muslims, and of course now of all Muslims, to spread the message of Islam.


Isaiah 21:14: “The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, the prevented with their bread him that fled.” Tema is probably Madinah where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions immigrated to. Each immigrant was brothered by one inhabitant of Madinah and given food and shelter.


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Isaiah 21:15: “For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.” This was when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions were persecuted and left Mecca of Madinah.


Isaiah 21:16: “For thus hath the Lord saith unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail.” Exactly in the second year of Hijrah (immigration) the pagans were defeated in the battle of Badr.


Finally Isaiah 21:17: concludes with “…the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God if Israel hath spoken it.” Kedar is the second son of Ishmael (Genesis 25:13) from whom ultimately Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) arose. In the beginning the children of Kedar were attacking Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions. But as many of them accepted Islam, the number of children of Kedar who resisted, diminished. In some Bible verses Kedar is synonymous with Arab in General, as in Ezekiel 27:21: Arabia, and all the Princes of Kedar…”


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The Prophet Like Unto Moses


God addressed Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18): “I 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.”


1. Brethren of Israelites (descendants of Abraham through Isaac) are Ishmaelites (descendants of Abraham through Ishmael). Jesus is here excluded as he is an Israelite; otherwise it should be written “a Prophet from among yourselves.”


2. Is Muhammad not like unto Moses? If not accepted, this promise has yet to be fulfilled. The table below, taken from Al-Ittihad, January-March 1982, page 41, is self-explanatory.


3. “put my words in his mouth.” So God’s revelation came through Gabriel, and Prophet Muhammad’s own thinking was not involved. But this applied to all Divine revelation. Perhaps here mentioned specifically because compared with the revelation to Moses which came in “written tablets” as believed.


Following is a comparison between a few crucial characteristics of Moses, Muhammad and Jesus


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which may clarify the identity of “that prophet” who was to come after Moses:


Area of Comparison


Moses


Muhammad


Jesus


Birth


Usual


Usual


Unusual


Family Life


Married w/ children


Married w/ children


No Marriage nor


children


Death


Usual


Usual


Unusual


Career


Prophet, Statesman


Prophet, Statesman


Prophet


Forced Emigration


(in adulthood)


To Median


To Medina


None


Encounter with enemies


Hot pursuit


Hot pursuit, Battles


No similar encounter


Results of encounter


Moral, Physical


Victory


Moral, Physical


Victory


Moral Victory


Writing down


of revelation


In his lifetime (Torah)


In his lifetime (the


Qur’an)


After him


Nature of teachings


Spiritual, legal


Spiritual, legal


Mainly spiritual


Acceptance of leadership


(by his people)


Rejected then


accepted


Rejected then


accepted


Rejected (by most


Israelites)


Deuteronomy 18:19: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which I shall speak in My name, I will require of him.”


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In the Qur’an 113 of the 114 Surah (chapters) start with “In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.” Also, in their daily work the Muslims start with this saying. Not in the name of God, but “in my name,” His personal name which is “Allah.” As it is a personal name, it is not subject to gender like God or Goddess, or plurality like God or Gods. Christians start with “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”


It is to be noted that those who will not hear him, or who deny him, will be punished. This corresponds with passages in the Holy Qur’an (Surah 3:19): “Truly the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.” (Surah 3:85): “And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.”


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My Servant, Messenger and Elect


A clearer fulfillment of the prophecy of Muhammad (PBUH) is found in Isaiah 42:


1. “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” Also called “my messenger” in verse 19. No doubt all prophets were indeed servants, messengers and elect of Allah. Yet no Prophet is universally called by these specific titles as Muhammad (PBUH) in Arabic ‘Abduhu wa Rasuluhul Mustafa, i.e. His slave servant and His elected messenger. The testimony of a person accepting Islam is: “I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, Who has no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.” This same formula is repeated five times a day in the Tashahhud during the minimum obligatory prayers, several more times if a Muslim performs additional recommended prayers. The most common title of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is Rasulullah, i.e. the Messenger of Allah.


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2. “He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.” This describes the decency of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).


3. “…he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.”


4. “He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.” This is to compared with Jesus, who did not prevail over his enemies and was disappointed because of the rejection by the Israelites.


5. “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.” “and will keep thee,” i.e. no other Prophet will come after him. In short time many Gentiles were guided into Islam.


6. “To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” “Blind eyes, life of darkness” denotes here the pagan life. “Bring out the prisoners from the prison” denotes the abolishment of slavery for the first time in the history of mankind.


7. “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is unique among all Prophets as he is the “Seal of all


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Prophets” and his teachings remain undistorted until today, compared with Christianity and Judaism.


8. “Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth,…” A new song as it is not in Hebrew or Aramaic, but in Arabic. The praise of God and his messenger Muhammad is chanted five times daily from the minarets of millions of mosques all over the world.


9. “Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.” From Mount Arafat near Mecca the Pilgrims chant every year the following: “Here I come [for your service] O, Allah. Here I come. Here I come. There is no partner with you. Here I come. Verily yours is the praise, the blessing and sovereignty. There is no partner besides You.” Isaiah 42 can never be applied to and Israelite Prophet as Kedar is the second son of Ishmael. See Genesis 25:13.


10.“Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands.” And really Islam spread to the small islands as far as Indonesia and the Caribbean sea.


11.“… he shall prevail against his enemies.” In a short period the Kingdom of God on earth was


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established with the advent of Muhammad (PBUH). This 42nd chapter of Isaiah fits exactly to the character of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).


King David Called Him


“My Lord”


Psalm 110:1: “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”


There were mentioned here two Lords. If the first Lord (the speaker) is God, the second Lord (the one spoken to) could not be God also, as David knew only One God. So it should read: “God said unto my Lord,…” Who was that whom David called “my Lord”? The Church would say David. How could David call him “my Lord” it he was his son, he argued. Jesus said (Luke 20:42-44): “How say they that Christ is David’s son? And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?”


Jesus must have given answer not recorded in the four canonical Gospels, but mentioned explicitly in the Gospel of Barnabas that the promise was made in


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Ishmael, not in Isaac. David’s lord was thus Muhammad (PBUH) whom he saw in spirit. No prophet ever accomplished more than Muhammad (PBUH). Even the work of all other Prophets together is still small compared with what Muhammad (PBUH) did within a short period of 23 years, and which remains unchanged until now.


Art Thou That Prophet?


The Jews sent priests and Levites to John the Baptist to inquire who he really was. (John 1:20-21): “And he (John the Baptist) confessed and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.”


The crucial question here is: Art thou that prophet? Who was then the long-awaited Prophet after the advent of Jesus and John the Baptist? Was he not the one like unto Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18) who is Muhammad (PBUH)?


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Baptizing with the Holy Ghost


and with Fire


Matthew 3:11: “I (John the Baptist) indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.”


If Jesus was alluded to here, John the Baptist would not go back to live in the jungle again, but to cling to him and be one of his disciples, which he did not do. So another powerful Prophet was here allude to, and not Jesus. The one coming after John the Baptist could not be Jesus as both were contemporaries. Here again, was it not Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) allude to by John the Baptist?


The Least in


the Kingdom of Heaven


Jesus was quoted as saying (Matthew 11:11): “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”


Can you believe that John the Baptist is greater than Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and


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many other Prophets? How many pagans had John the Baptist converted and how many followers did he have? But this is not the main point here. The question is: who was the least in the kingdom of heaven, greater than John the Baptist? For sure not Jesus, as at that time the kingdom of heaven was not yet formed, and he never claimed to be the least, i.e. the youngest one. The kingdom of heaven consists of God as the Supreme Being and all the Prophets. The least or youngest one is here Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).


Blessed Are the Peacemakers


In his sermon on the mount Jesus was quoted as saying (Matthew 5:9): “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”


Islam means also Peace: peace between the creator and the worshipper, Jesus could not mean his mission as peacemaker as he did not come for peace. (Matthew 10:34-36): “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” See also Luke 12:49-53.


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Comforter


John 14:16: “And I will pray the Father, and shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.”


We do not know exactly the original Aramaic word used by Jesus Christ for Comforter. Other Bible used Consoler, Advocate, Helper, and in Greek Bibles the word Paraclete. There are different explanations for it: Holy Spirit, the Word, a person, etc.


The Holy Qur’an states in Surah 61:6 that Jesus explicitly mentioned the name Ahmad: “And [remember] when Jesus Son of Mary said: “O children of Israel! I am the Apostle of Allah [sent] to you confirming the Torah [which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of an Apostle to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.” (Ahmad is the second name of Prophet Muhammad, and literally means the one who praises Allah more than others.)


Whatever the explanation is of the Comforter, we conclude that Jesus left an unfinished work and that someone was coming to complete his mission. Let us examine in the light of the Bible if this Comforter fits the character of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).


1. “another Comforter”: So many Comforters had come and another one was to come.


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2. “that he may abide with you forever”: as there was no need for another one to come after him, and he was the Seal of all Prophets. The teaching will abide forever, will remain intact. In fact the Holy Qur’an and all his teachings remain as they were 1400 years ago.


3. “he will reprove the world of sin” (John 16:8): all other Prophets, even Abraham, Moses, David and Solomon chastised their neighbor’s and their people for sin, but not the world as Muhammad (PBUH) did. He not only rooted our idolatry in Arabia within a 23-year period, but also sent envoys to Heraclius, the Sovereigns of the empires of Persia and Rome, to Najashi, the King of Ethiopia and to Muqauqis the Governor of Egypt.


He reprimanded the Christians for dividing the Unity of God into trinity, for having raised Jesus to Son of God and God Himself. It was he who condemned the Jews and Christians for having corrupted their Scriptures, demonstrated the birthright of Ishmael (PBUH), and cleared the Prophets from accusations of adultery, incest, rape and idolatry.


4. “the prince of the world is judged” (John 16:11). This is Satan as explained in John 12:31 and


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14:30. So Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) came to chastise the world on account of judgment.


5. “the spirit of Truth” (John 16:13). Since childhood Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was called al-Ameen, i.e. the Honest or Truthful One, and “he will guide you into all truth:…” (John 16:13).


6. “For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak” (John 16:13).


The Holy Qur’an is God’s word. Not a single word from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or his companions was included. The angel Gabriel read it to him, he memorized it and it was written down by his scribes. His own sayings and teachings were recorded in Hadith or Tradition (plural, Ahadith).


Compare with Deuteronomy 18:18: “…and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.” This correspond with Surah 53:2-4: “Your companion (Muhammad) is neither astray nor being misled. Nor does he speak of [his own] desire. It is only an inspiration that is inspired.”


7. “and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13). All prophecies of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) came to pass.


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8. “He shall glorify me” (John 16:14). Actually the Holy Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) have more reverence for Jesus (PBUH) than the Bible and Christian themselves. The following will clarify:


One.to believe his death on the cross discredits his prophethood according to Deuteronomy 13:5: “And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death…” It also stamps him as accursed (May Allah forbid!) according to Deut. 21:22-23: “…for he that is hanged is accursed of God…”


Two.Matthew 27:46: “…My God, my god, why hast thou forsaken me?” Could this not come from someone at agony as he knew that his death would win him the title of martyr. Was this not an insult to Jesus in not having faith in Allah?


Three.We Muslims cannot believe that Jesus could label the Gentiles as dogs and swine and address his mother with Woman, as the Holy Qur’an states in Surah 19:32: “And dutiful to my Mother (i.e. Mary), and (Allah) made me not unblessed and arrogant.” Matthew 7:6: “Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine …” John 2:4:


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“Jesus saith unto her (Mary), Woman, what have I to do with thee?”


Revelation to Prophet


Muhammad (PBUH)


The first revelation of Allah through the angel Gabriel to Muhammad (PBUH) was the word “Iqra” which means “Read” in Surah 96:1-5. As he was illiterate he replied: “I cannot read.” This first revelation was prophesied in Isaiah 29:12: “And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee and he saith, I am not learned.”


The order of the revelation is not as the order it seen in the Qur’an. In other words the first part revealed is not in the first page and the last part revealed is not in the last page. That these revelations came in installments and inserted in certain order in the Qur’an as ordained by Allah, was also mentioned in Isaiah 28:10-11: “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will speak to his people.” Another tongue means here another language, not Hebrew or Aramaic but Arabic.


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Muslims all over the word are using one language, which is Arabic, in calling their God, in their prayers, pilgrimage and in their greetings to each other. Also this unity of language had been prophesied by in Zephania 3:9: “For then will I turn to people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.” Alas the Truth has come in Arabic, but some still expect Prophet Jesus (PBUH), who might teach mankind to worship Allah in one unique language in his second coming. We Muslims are sure that Prophet Jesus in his second coming will join the Muslims in their mosques as he is like any other Muslims, circumcised, not eating pork, and performing prayers with ablution, standing, bowing and prostration.


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REFERENCES


1. Explanatory English Translation of Holy Qur’an, by Dr. Muhammad Taqui-Din Al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan.


2. The Holy Bible, King James Version, authorized 1611.


3. The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version.


4. New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures: Jehovah’s Witnesses Church.


5. New American Standard Bible.


6. The Myth of the Cross, by A. D. Ajijola.


7. The Cross and the Crescent, by Maulana Muhammad Imran.


8. Davis Dictionary of the Bible, 1980.


9. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.


10. Smith’s Bible Dictionary, 1980.


11. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1980.


12. Muhammad in the Bible, by Prof. Abdu’L-Ahad Dawud.


13. Muhammad in the Bible, by Ahmed Deedat.


14. Jesus, A Prophet of Islam, by Sulaiman Shahid Mufassir.


15. Biblical Studies from Muslim Perspective, by S. Mufassir.


16. Muhammad in the Bible, by Jamal Badawi: Al-Ittihad, January–March, 1982.