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generation of Christian scholars. However, in time, the Greek and Roman tradition of image-making and portraying God in human form eventually won out. The prohibition is to prevent the eventual deterioration of worship of God into the worship of His creation. Once a human being makes a picture in his or her mind of God, the person is, in fact, trying to make God like His creation, because the human mind can only picture the things which it has seen, and God can not be seen in this life.


Christians with a tradition of worshipping through images often question how God can be worshipped without visualizing Him. God should be worshipped based on the knowledge of His attributes


persecution of icon worshippers that reached great severity in the reign of Leo’s successor, Constantine V (741-775 CE).


In 787, however, the empress Irene convoked the seventh ecumenical council at Nicaea, at which Iconoclasm was condemned and the use of images was reestablished. The Iconoclasts regained power in 814 after Leo V’s accession, and the use of icons was again forbidden at a council (815 CE). The second Iconoclast period ended with the death of the emperor Theophilus in 842. In 843 his widow finally restored icon veneration, an event still celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Feast of Orthodoxy. (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol. 6, p. 237)


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which He revealed in authentic scripture. For example, Allaah describes Himself in the Qur’aan as being All-Merciful, so His worshippers should reflect on God’s many mercies and give thanks to God for them. They should also contemplate on the nature of His mercy to them and show mercy to other human beings. Likewise, Allaah refers to Himself as being Oft-Forgiving, so His worshippers should turn to Him in repentance and not give up hope when they commit sins. They should also appreciate God’s forgiveness by being forgiving to other human beings.


Prophesy


Part of Prophet Jesus’ message was to inform his followers of the prophet who would come after him. As John the Baptist heralded the coming of Jesus Christ, Jesus in turn heralded the coming of the last of the prophets of God, Muhammad. In the Qur’aan, Chapter as-Saff, (61):6, God quotes Jesus’ prophesy about Muhammad ().

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“{Remember} when Jesus, son of Mary, said, ‘O Children of Israel, I am the Messenger of Allaah sent to you, confirming the Torah before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger coming after me, whose name will be Ahmad124.”


There are also some references in the Gospels which seem to refer to the coming of Prophet Muhammad— may God’s peace and blessings be on all the prophets. In the Gospel according to John 14:16, Jesus is quoted as saying, “And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor,125 to be with you for ever.”


Christian laymen usually interpret the “Counselor” mentioned in John 14:16 as the Holy Spirit.126 However, the phrase “another Counselor”


124 “Ahmad” like “Muhammad” is a derivative from the Arabic root hamd meaning “praise; thanks”. Prophet Muhammad () was also known by this name.


125 The Greek word paraclete is translated as “Comforter” in the King James Version, and as “Advocate” and “Helper” in other translations. Parakletos means one who pleads the cause of another, one who counsels or advises another from deep concern for the other’s welfare. (Beacon Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 168).


126 See John 14:26, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things ...”


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implies that it will be someone else like Jesus and not the Holy Spirit,127 especially considering John 16:7, in which Jesus is reported to have said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” The term “Counselor” could not be referring to the Holy Spirit here, because—according to the Gospels—the Holy Spirit was already present in the world prior to Jesus’ birth,128 as well as during his ministry.129 This


However, in 1st John 4:1, the term “Spirit” is used to refer to a prophet, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”


127 In English, “another” may mean “one more of the same kind” or “one more of a different kind.” The Greek text of the New Testament uses the word allon, which is the masculine accusative form of allos: “another of the same kind”. The Greek word for “another of a different kind” is heteros, but the New Testament does not use this word in John 14:16. (Jesus, a Prophet of Islam, pp. 15-6).


128 John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit while in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15); Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41); John’s father, Zacharias, was also filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke:1:67).


129 The Holy Spirit was on Simeon (Luke 2:26) and it descended in the shape of a dove on Jesus (Luke 3:22).


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verse implies that the “Counselor” had not already come.


Jesus’ declaration that the prophet-counselor “will be with you forever,” could be interpreted to mean that there would be no need for additional prophets to succeed this Counselor. He would be the last of the Prophets of God, whose message would be preserved until the end of the world.130


Jesus’ foretelling the coming of Muhammad— may God’s peace be upon both of them—confirmed the prophesies about Prophet Muhammad () in the Torah. In Deuteronomy 18:18 & 19, it is written that the Lord said to Moses, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren131; and I will put my words in his mouth132, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19And whoever will not give heed to my words which


130 Jesus, A Prophet of Islam, p. 13.


131 The brethren of the Jews—who are themselves descendants of Abraham’s son Isaac—are the Arabs, descendants of Isaac’s brother Ishmael.


132 The Qur’aan literally means “the recital”. Prophet Muhammad () taught that the Qur’aan was the words of God. His own explanations and instructions are referred to as hadeeth.


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he shall speak in my name133, I myself will require it of him.” In Isaiah 42, Isaiah prophesies about a chosen “Servant of the Lord” whose prophetic mission would be to all mankind, unlike the Hebrew prophets whose missions were limited to Israel. “1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations ...4He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law...11Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits.” This particular servant of the Lord is the only one identified with Kedar, 134 the Arabs.135


133 Each of the 114 chapters of the Qur’aan begins with the prayer: “In the name of Allaah, the Beneficient, the Most Merciful,” except one, chapter 9.


134 Ishmael’s descendants came to be known as Arabs, a term which, in Hebrew, meant those who inhabited the ‘arabah or desert (Dictionary of the Bible, p. 47). The most prominently mentioned of Ishmael’s twelve sons is Qaydar (Kedar in Hebrew). In some Bible verses Qaydar is synonymous with Arabs in general (Jeremiah 2:10; Ezekiel 27:21; Isaiah 60:7; Song of Solomon 1:5).


135 Jesus, A Prophet of Islam, p. 11.


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CHAPTER FOUR: THE WAY


he other aspect of Prophet Jesus’ message was his invitation of people to follow his ‘way’. Prophets brought divine laws or confirmed those brought by previous prophets, and invited people to worship God by obeying the divinely revealed laws. They also practically demonstrated for their followers how one should live by the law. Consequently, they also invited those who believed in them to follow their way as the correct way to come close to God. This principle is enshrined in the Gospel according to John 14:6: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” Although those who worship Jesus commonly quote this verse as part of the evidence for his divinity, Jesus did not invite people to worship himself instead of God, or as God. If these words were actually spoken by Jesus, what they mean is that one cannot worship God except in the way defined by the prophets of God. Jesus emphasized to his disciples that they could only worship God by the way which he had taught them. In the Qur’aan, Chapter Aal ‘Imraan, (3):31, God instructs


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Prophet Muhammad () to instruct mankind to follow him if they truly love God:

“Tell [the people]: If you really love Allaah, then follow me and Allaah will love you and forgive your sins, for Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”


The way of the prophets is the only way to God, because it was prescribed by God Himself and the purpose of the prophets was to convey Allaah’s instructions to mankind. Without prophets, people would not know how to worship Allaah. Consequently, all prophets informed their followers of how to worship God. Conversely, adding anything to the religion brought by the prophets is incorrect.


Any changes made to the religion after the time of the prophets represents deviation inspired by Satan. In this regard, Prophet Muhammad () was reported to have said, “Whoever adds anything new to the religion of Islam, will have it rejected [by God].”136 Furthermore, anyone who worshipped


136 Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 3, p. 535, no. 861, and Sahih Muslim, vol. 3, p. 931, no. 4266.


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Allaah contrary to Jesus’ instructions, would have worshipped in vain.


Jesus’ Way


First and foremost, it must be realized that Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, was the last in the line of Jewish prophets. He lived according to the Torah, the law of Moses, and taught his followers to do likewise. In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus stated: “17 Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the [way of] the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18For, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.” Unfortunately, about five years after the end of Jesus’ ministry, a young rabbi by the name of Saul of Tarsus, who claimed to have seen Jesus in a vision, began to change Jesus’ way. Paul (his Roman name) had considerable respect for Roman philosophy and he spoke proudly of his own Roman citizenship. His conviction was that non-Jews who became Christians should not be burdened with the Torah in any respect. The author of Acts 13:39 quotes Paul as saying, “And by him every one that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the


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law of Moses.” It was primarily through the efforts of Paul that the Church began to take on its non-Jewish character. Paul137 wrote most of the New Testament letters (epistles), which the Church accepts as the official doctrine and inspired Scripture. These letters do not preserve the Gospel of Jesus or even represent it;138 instead, Paul transformed the teachings of Christ into a Hellenic (Greco-Roman) philosophy.


The following are some examples of teachings which Prophet Jesus followed and taught, but which were later abandoned by the Church. However, most of these teachings were revived in the final message of Islaam brought by Prophet Muhammad () and remain a fundamental part of Muslim religious practises until today.


Circumcision


Jesus was circumcised. According to the Old Testament, this tradition began with Prophet Abraham, who was himself neither a Jew nor a Christian. In Genesis 17:10, it is written, “9 And God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you shall keep my


137 He was beheaded in Rome 34 years after the end of Jesus’ ministry.


138 Biblical Studies From a Muslim Perspective, p. 18.


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covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12He that is eight days old among you shall be circumcised; every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house, or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13both he that is born in your house and he that is bought with your money, shall be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.”


In the Gospel according to Luke 2:21: “And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” Consequently, to be circumcised was a part of Jesus’ way. However, today most Christians are not circumcised, because of a rationale introduced by Paul. He claimed that circumcision was the circumcision of theheart. In his letter to the Romans 2:29, he wrote: “He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal.” In his letter to the


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Galatians 5:2, he wrote: “Now I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.”139 This was Paul’s false interpretation. On the other hand, Jesus was not circumcised by the heart nor did he say anything about circumcision of the heart; he kept the “everlasting covenant” and was circumcised in the flesh. Thus, an important part of following the way of Jesus is circumcision.


Prophet Muhammad () was quoted as saying, “There are five practices which constitute the prophetic way140: circumcision, shaving pubic hair and underarm hair, clipping fingernails and toenails; and trimming the moustache.”141


Pork


Jesus did not eat pork. He followed the laws of Moses and he did not eat pork. In Leviticus 11:7-8, “7 And the swine, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to


139 See also Galatians 6:15.


140 The Arabic term used is fitrah, which literally means ‘nature’.


141 Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 7, p. 515, no. 777 and Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, p. 159, no. 495.


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you. 8Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.”142 Jesus’ only dealing with pigs was his permission to the unclean spirits which were possessing a man to enter them. When they entered the herd of pigs, they ran into the water and drowned. However, most people who call themselves Christians today not only eat pork, they love it so much that they have made pigs the subject of nursery rhymes [ e.g. This little piggy went to market ... ] and children’s stories [eg. The Three Little Pigs]. Porky Pig is a very popular cartoon character and recently a full-length feature movie was made about a pig called “Babe”. Thus, it may be said that those who call themselves followers of Christ are not in fact following the way of Christ.


In Islamic law, the prohibition of pork and its products has been strictly maintained from the time of Prophet Muhammad () until today. In the Qur’aan, Chapter al-Baqarah, (2):173, God says:

142 See also, Deuteronomy 14:8.


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“He has only forbidden you animals which die of themselves, blood, swine and animals sacrificed for others besides Allaah. But if one is forced by necessity and not wilful disobedience nor transgression, then there is no sin on him. Truly, Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”143


Blood


Jesus also did not eat anything containing blood, nor did he eat blood. God is recorded as having instructed Prophet Moses in the Torah, Deuteronomy 12:16, “Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it upon the earth like water,” and in Leviticus 19:26, “You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not practise augury or witchcraft.” This prohibition has been preserved in the final revelation in Chapter al-An‘aam (6):145 until today:

“Say (O Muhammad): I do not find in what has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one


143 See also Chapter al-Maa’idah, (5):3.


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who wishes to eat, except for animals which die of themselves, flowing blood and swine flesh, for they are indeed impure.”


Consequently, particular rites of slaughter were prescribed by God for all the nations to whom prophets were sent, in order to ensure that most of the blood was effectively removed from the slaughtered animals and to remind human beings of God’s bounties. The Qur’aan refers to these instructions in chapter al-Hajj (22):34 as follows:

“For every nation I have appointed rites of slaughter in order that they may mention Allaah’s name over the cattle He has provided them.”


Jesus and his early followers observed the proper method of slaughter by mentioning God’s name and cutting the jugular veins of the animals while they were living to allow the heart to pump out the blood. However, Christians today do not attach


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much importance to proper slaughter methods, as prescribed by God.


Alcohol


Jesus consecrated himself to God and therefore abstained from alcoholic drinks according to the instructions recorded in Numbers 6:1-4: “And the Lord said to Moses, 2‘Say to the people of Israel, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of the Nazirite,144 to separate himself to the Lord, 3he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. 4All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.”


In the Qur’aan, Chapter al-Maa’idah (5):90, Allaah prohibits intoxicants irrevocably.

144 That is one separated or one consecrated.


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“O you who believe, intoxicants, gambling, sacrificial altars, and divination are an abomination of Satan’s handiwork, so avoid them in order to be successful.”


As to the ‘miracle of turning water into wine’,145 it is found only in the Gospel of John, which consistently contradicts the other three gospels. As mentioned earlier, the Gospel of John was opposed as heretical in the early Church,146 while the other three Gospels were referred to as the Synoptic Gospels because the texts contained a similar treatment of Jesus’ life.147 Consequently, New Testament scholars have expressed doubt about the authenticity of this incident.


Ablution before Prayer


Prior to making formal prayer, Jesus used to wash his limbs according to the teachings of the Torah. Moses and Aaron are recorded as doing the same in Exodus 40:30-1, “30 And he set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing,


145 John 2:1-11.


146 The Five Gospels, p. 20.


147 The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol. 5, p. 379.


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31with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.... as the Lord commanded Moses.”


In the Qur’aan, Chapter al-Maa’idah, (5):6, ablution for prayer is prescribed as follows:

“O you who believe, when you intend to pray, wash your faces and fore-arms up to the elbows, wipe your heads and wash your feet up to the ankles ...”


Prostration in Prayer


Jesus is described in the Gospels as prostrating during prayer. In Matthew 26:39, the author describes an incident which took place when Jesus went with his disciples to Gethsemane: “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.”


Christians today kneel down, clasping their hands, in a posture which cannot be ascribed to Jesus.


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The method of prostration in prayer followed by Jesus was not of his own making. It was the mode of prayer of the prophets before him. In the Old Testament, Genesis 17:3, Prophet Abraham is recorded to have fallen on his face in prayer; in Numbers 16:22 & 20:6, both Moses and Aaron are recorded to have fallen on their faces in worship; in Joshua 5:14 & 7:6, Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped; in I Kings 18:42, Elijah bowed down on the ground and put his face between his knees. This was the way of the prophets through whom God chose to convey His word to the world; and it is only by this way that those who claim to follow Jesus will gain the salvation which he preached in his Gospel.


Chapter al-Insaan, (76):25-6, is only one of many Qur’aanic examples of God’s instructions to the believers to bow down in worship to Him.

“Remember the Name of your Lord in the morning and evening, and prostrate fo Him and glorify Him for a long time nightly.”


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Veiling


The women around Jesus veiled themselves according to the practice of the women around the earlier prophets. Their garments were loose and covered their bodies completely, and they wore scarves which covered their hair. In Genesis 24:64-5 : “And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel, 65and said to the servant, ‘Who is the man yonder, walking in the field to meet us?’ The servant said, ‘It is my master.’ So she took her veil and covered herself.” Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians, “5 But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonours her head—it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil.” Some may argue that it was the general custom of those times to be completely veiled. However, that is not the case. In both Rome and Greece, whose cultures dominated the region, the popular dress was quite short and revealed the arms, legs and chest. Only religious women in Palestine, following Jewish tradition, covered themselves modestly.


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According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor of Biblical Literature at Yeshiva University), it was customary that Jewish women went out in public with a head-covering which, sometimes, even covered the whole face, leaving only one eye free.148 He further stated that “during the Tannaitic period, the Jewish woman’s failure to cover her head was considered an affront to her modesty. When her head was uncovered she might be fined four hundred zuzim for this offence.”149


The famous early Christian theologian, St. Tertullian (d. 220 CE), in his famous treatise, ‘On The Veiling of Virgins’ wrote, “Young women, you wear your veils out on the streets, so you should wear them in the church; you wear them when you are among strangers, then wear them among your brothers...” Among the Canon laws of the Catholic church until today, there is a law that requires women to cover their heads in church.150 Christian denominations, such as the Amish and the Menonites


148 The Jewish Woman in Rabbinic Literature, p. 239.


149 Ibid., p. 139.


150 Clara M. Henning, “Canon Law and the Battle of the Sexes,” in Religion and Sexism, p. 272.


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for example, keep their women veiled to the present day.


In the Qur’aan, Chapter an-Noor, (24):31, the believing women are instructed to cover their charms and wear veils on their heads and chests.

“Tell the believing women to lower their gaze and protect their private parts and not to expose their adornment, except only what normally shows, and to draw their head-scarves over their bosoms...”


In Chapter al-Ahzaab (33): 59, the reason for veiling is given. Allaah states that it makes the believing women known in the society and provides protection for them from possible social harm.


Greetings


Jesus greeted his followers by saying “Peace be upon you”. In chapter 20:19, the anonymous author of the Gospel according to John wrote the


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following about Jesus after his supposed crucifixion: “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ ” This greeting was according to that of the prophets, as mentioned in the books of the Old Testament. For example, in 1st Samuel 25:6, Prophet David instructed emissaries whom he sent to Nabal: “And thus you shall salute him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.’ ” The Qur’aan instructs all who enter homes to give greetings of peace;151 and those entering paradise will be greeted similarly by the angels.152 In Chapter al-An‘aam, (6):54, God instructs the believers to greet each other with peace:

“When those who believe in my signs come to you, greet them: Peace be upon you.”


Whenever Muslims meet each other, they use this greeting.


151 Chapter an-Noor, (24):27.


152 Chapter al-A‘raaf, (7):46.


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Compulsory Charity


Jesus confirmed the institution of compulsory charity, known as “the tithe (tenth)”, which was required from the annual harvest to be given back to God in celebration. In Deuteronomy 14:22: “You shall tithe all the yield of your seed, which comes forth from the field year by year.”


In the 6th chapter, al-An‘aam, verse 141, God reminds the believers to pay the charity at the time of harvest:

“It is He who produces trellised and un-trellised gardens, date palms and crops of different shapes and tastes, and olives and pomegranates, similar yet different. Eat of their fruit when they bear, but pay the


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due153 at the time of harvest without being extravagant, for, surely He does not like those who are extravagant.”


The system of compulsory charity (in Arabic, zakaah) is well organized, with different rates for cash and precious metals than that for agricultural products and cattle. Also, those who are eligible to receive are clearly defined in the Qur’aan, Chapter at-Tawbah (9):60. It is mainly distributed among various categories of the poor and is not used to provide a comfortable living for priests.


Fasting


According to the Gospels, Jesus fasted for forty days. Matthew 4:2: “And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.”154 This was in accordance with the practice of the earlier prophets. Moses is also recorded in Exodus 34:28, to have fasted: “And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.”


153 One tenth if the field is naturally irrigated and one twentieth if it is artifically irrigated.


154 See also Matthew 6:16 and 17:21.


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In the Qur’aan, Chapter al-Baqarah, (2):183, the believers are instructed to observe regular fasting.

“O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, in order that you may become pious.”


The purpose of fasting is clearly defined as being for the development of God-consciousness. Only God knows who is actually fasting and who is not. Consequently, one who is fasting refrains from eating and drinking based on an awareness of God. Regular fasting heightens that awareness, which subsequently leads to a greater inclination towards righteousness.


The believers are required to fast from dawn until dusk for the whole month of Ramadaan (the ninth month of the lunar calendar). Prophet Muhammad () also said, “The best fast [outside of Ramadaan] is that of my brother [Prophet] David who used to fast every other day.”155


155 Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol.3, pp.113-4, no.200 and Sahih Muslim, vol.2, p.565, no.2595.


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Interest


By upholding the Law, Prophet Jesus also opposed the giving or taking of interest because the texts of the Torah expressly forbade interest. It is recorded in Deuteronomy 23:19 that, “You shall not lend upon interest to your brother, interest on money, interest upon victuals,156 interest on anything that is lent for interest.”157 Interest is also strictly forbidden in Chapter al-Baqarah (2):278 of the Qur’aan:

“O you who believe, fear Allaah and give up what interest remains due to you, if you really are believers.”


In order to fulfill this divine requirement, Muslims developed an alternative system of banking, commonly known as ‘Islamic Banking’, which is interest-free.


156 Food or provisions.


157 However, in the verse following this one, the Jews made lending on interest to non-Jews permissible: “To a foreigner you may lend upon interest, but to your brother you shall not lend upon interest.” (Deuteronomy 23:20)


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Polygamy


There is no record of Prophet Jesus opposing poly-gamy. If he did so, it would have meant that the condemned the practice of the prophets before him. There are a number of examples of polygamous marriages among the prophets recorded in the Torah. Prophet Abraham had two wives, according to Genesis 16:13: “So after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.” So dProphet David, according to the first book of Samuel 27:3, “And David dwelt with Achish at Gat, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahin’o-am of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow.” In 1st Kings 11:3, Solomon is said to have “...had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines.” Solomon’s son, Rehobo’am, also had a number of wives, according to 2nd Chronicles 11:21, “Rehobo’am loved Ma’acah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters).” In fact, the Torah even specified laws regarding the division of inheritance in polygamous


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circumstances. In Deuteronomy 21:15-16, the law states: “15 If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other disliked, and they have borne him children, both the loved and the disliked, and if the first-born son is hers that is disliked, 16then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the first-born in preference to the son of the disliked, who is the first-born.” The only restriction on polygamy was the ban on taking a wife’s sister as a rival wife in Leviticus 18:18, “And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is yet alive.” The Talmud advises a maximum of four wives as was the practise of Prophet Jacob.158


According to Father Eugene Hillman, “No-where in the New Testament is there any explicit commandment that marriage should be monogamous or any explicit commandment forbidding polygamy.”159 He further stressed the fact that the Church in Rome banned polygamy in order to conform to Greco-Roman culture which prescribed


158 Women in Judaism, p. 148.


159 Polygamy Reconsidered, p. 140.


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only one legal wife while tolerating concubinage and prostitution.160


Islaam limited polygamy to a maximum of four wives at one time and stipulated the maintenance of justice as a basic condition for polygamy. In Chapter an-Nisaa (4):3, God states:

“Marry of the women that please you two, three or four. But if you fear that you will not be able to deal justly, then [marry only] one ...”


160 Ibid., p. 17.


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CONCLUSION


here is only One God who created one race of human beings, and communicated to them one message: submission to the will of God—known in Arabic as Islaam. That message was conveyed to the first human beings on this earth, and reaffirmed by all of the prophets of God who came after them, down through the ages. The essence of the message of Islaam was that humans should worship only One God by obeying His commandments, and should avoid worshipping God’s creation in any way, shape or form.


Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, performed miracles and invited the Israelites to the same message of submission (Islaam), as did all of the prophets who preceded him. He was not God, nor was he the ‘Son of God’, but was the Messiah, an illustrious prophet of God. Jesus did not invite people to worship himself; rather, he called them to worship God, and he himself worshipped God. He confirmed the laws of the Torah which Prophet Moses taught; he lived by them, and instructed his disciples to follow them to the finest detail. Before his departure, he informed his followers of the last


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prophet, Muhammad of Arabia (), who would come after him, and instructed them to observe his teachings.


In the generations after Jesus’ departure from this world, his teachings were distorted and he was elevated to the status of God. Six centuries later, with the coming of Prophet Muhammad (), the truth about Jesus Christ was finally retold and preserved eternally in the last book of divine revelation, the Qur’aan. Furthermore, the laws of Moses, which Jesus followed, were revived in their pure and unadulterated form, and implemented in the divinely prescribed way of life known as Islaam.


Consequently, the reality of the prophets, their uniform message, and the way of life which they followed, can only be found preserved in the religion of Islaam, the only religion prescribed by God for man. Furthermore, only Muslims today actually follow Jesus and his true teachings. Their way of life is much more in tune with the way of life of Jesus than any of the modern day “Christians”. Love and respect of Jesus Christ is an article of faith in Islaam. Allaah stressed the importance of belief in Jesus in numerous places in the Qur’aan. For example, in Chapter an-Nisaa (4):159, He said:


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“And all of the people of the scripture must believe in him [Jesus] before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against them,”


Jesus’ Return


Even the expected return of Jesus, which Christians are awaiting, is a part of the Islamic faith. However, he will not return to judge the world as modern Christians believe, because judgement only belongs to God. The Qur’aan teaches that Jesus was not killed by the Jews, but was instead raised up alive by God into the heavens.

“And their (the Jews) saying: ‘We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary,’ but they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, rather it was made to seem that way


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to them. And those who differ about it are full of doubts. They have no knowledge about it, and follow instead conjecture. They certainly did not kill him, [for], Allaah raised him up to Himself. And Allaah is All-Powerful, All-Wise.”


Among the things which Prophet Muhammad () was recorded to have said regarding Prophet Jesus’ return is the following, “There will be no prophet between me and Jesus, and he will return. When he does, you will know him. He will be a well-built man of ruddy complexion and he will descend wearing a two-piece garment. His hair will look wet, though no water touched it. He will fight people to establish Islaam and he will break the cross, kill the pig and cancel the jizyah.161 During his time, Allaah will destroy all religions except Islaam and the False-Christ will be killed. Jesus will remain on earth for forty years, and when he dies, Muslims will pray the funeral prayer for him.”162


Jesus’ return will be one of the signs of the coming of the Day of Judgement


161 The tax taken from Christians and Jews living under Muslim rule in lieu of zakaah (compulsory charity) and military service.


162 Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3, p. 1203, no. 4310 and authenticated in Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood, vol. 3, p. 815-6, no. 3635.


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