The Original Sin
According to the explanation of this dogma, Adam
sinned when he disobeyed Allah by eating from the
forbidden tree (the tree of knowing good from evil as in
Genesis 2: 1i). As a result, and according to Christian
theology, all descendants of Adam inherit the sin of Adam,
which means that all human beings are born with this
original sin. And according to Christianity, for God's
to be satisfied, a price must be paid for every sin
that has been committed.
In other words, God will not let any sin go unrequited
and cannot even forgive a simple sin! Accordingly, the
only thing that can wipe out sins is the shedding of blood.
According to Paul, the shedding of blood
there is no remission." Hebrews 9:22)? But this blood
must be perfect, sinless, and incorruptible. Therefore,
Jesus, alleged to be the son of God, shed his sinless blood,
suffered indescribable agony and died to for the sins of men. Because he was the God, alone could pay the infinite price of sin. Therefore, no one
can be saved unless he accepts Jesus savior3
. Moreover, everyone is condemned to suffer
eternally in Hellfire because of his or her sinful
] It is therefore fitting to ask: How will he for if he did 2 This very same text is with other Biblical texts which
state that atonement could be through offering Leviticus 5: 11, money as in Exodus 30: "of jewels of gold,
chains, and bracelets, 31 50.
3 Isaiah 43: 11 reads, 001, 1, am the beside me This verse clearly states that God the only savior
I tt Great Love For Jesus Led Me To lslAm
parls: (1)
(2) justice requires
that.paid (3)
price men
for
thosew ho believei n vicariouss acrifice.'
nart, De Groot
CatholicT eaching,p . 1a0) Scripturet eachesu s
(our lady
"Therefore, as
to
just." (Romans 19)." These
sin.
the
'InheritedS in' suppofti n wordso f Jesuso r of
every
accountablefo r c hildrenw ould
punishedfo r oftheir parents.
humanb eingi s J esush imselfr egarded
childrena s innocenta nd n ot lt is clear
"Suffer children
Lrnto me. is the
whosoever
child,
(Mark l0:14-15).
t bclief thc crucifixiono f Jesusis thc rvayt o salvationf or
those rvho bclieve what
case lbr sinners r.r'ho died bcfbre and had the
chanceto knorvh im or believei n crucifixion?
~ My Islam
nature unless he or she accepts atonement for his or her
sins made by Jesus with his blood.
This dogma can be divided into three distinct parts: the original sin, the belief that God's that the penalty for sin must be for by blood, and the belief that Jesus has paid the for the sins of by his death on the cross and that salvation is only those who believe in his vicarious sacrifice. I
Regarding the first part, the Reverend (Catholic Teaching, p. 140) writes: "Scripture teaches us
that Adam's sin passed unto all men Blessed exempted). For in the words of St. Paul: by the offence of one (Adam) all men were taken condemnation; so also by the Justice of one (Christ)
many shall be made 5: 18-19)." words make it plain that all men inherited Adam's Like many other Christian beliefs, the doctrine of 'Inherited Sin' finds no support in the words of Jesus or the prophets who came before him. They taught that man was accountable for his own actions; children would
not be punished for the sin of their No human being is born sinful. Jesus himself regarded
children as innocent and pure, not born with sin. It from his reported saying: not the little to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such Kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little he shall not enter therein." Mark 10: 14-15).
1 If the belief in the crucifixion of Jesus is the only way to salvation for
those living in his time and those who believe in him afterwards, is the case for the sinners who died before Jesus and never chance to know him or believe in the crucifixion?
MyG reaLt oveF orJ esusL edM eT ol slamQ P
committedt housandso f yearsa go S in
transgressiono f hearted consecratedg roundsi n b ecause
wereb elievedt o haved iedi n 'originals in.'
Isldm condemns b ut somethingth at acquiresb y nart justice price If were
punishment, would justice, (Zfte
Atonementp, .5) connection":l t shouldb e as
cannot break His own
without first giving him an
appropriatep unishmentF. or did so, who rvould call
'Just' view shows complete
justice. is not a mere judge or
Qur'iin Him: Most
Most Merciful. Master of the Day of
He is not only 'Just' but also Merciful and
My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To Islam ~
Rationally considered, it would be the height of
injustice to condemn the entire human race for the sin
committed thousands of years ago by our first parents. Sin
is a willful transgression of the Law of God or the Law of
right and wrong, hence the responsibility or blame for it
must lie only on the person committing it, and not on his
children. It is a grave injustice to consider man sinful at
birth. How unreasonable and hard-hearted a man can
become by believing in the dogma of the inherited sin as
shown by the theological dictum of Saint Augustine that
all unbaptized infants are doomed to burn eternally in the
Fire of Hell?! Until recently, the unbaptized infants were
not buried in consecrated grounds in Christendom, because
they were believed to have died in 'original sin.'
Islam condemns the dogma of Original Sin and
regards children as pure and sinless at birth. Sin, it says, is
not inherited, but is something that one acquires by doing
what he or she should not do and by failing to do what he
or she should do.
The second part of the Christian doctrine of
atonement is that God's requires that a be
paid for the original and all other sins of man. God to pardon a sinner without it be a
denial of His justice. The Reverend W. Goldsack The
Atonement, p.5) writes in this connection: "It should be clear as daylight to anyone that God law: He cannot forgive a sinner appropriate punishment. For if He would Him 'Just' and Equitable." This ignorance of God's God judge king. He is as the Qur 'an describes "The Gracious, the Recompense." 'Just'
I mV Great Love For Jesus Led Me To lslAm
*...Allah (Qur'dn 92).If A fter justice. person someonee lse c annotb e consideredf orgivenessb y
prescribesa demandso bediencei,t b ut benefito f A nd punishesa faultsa nds ins,i t satisfactiono r compensationa, s b ut G od
sinsa ndr eformedt hemselvews ithoutp unishing
justice.
Allah "...Your himsetf - Qur'dn 54)
part dogrna atonementi s Jesusp aid penaltyf or salvationc annotb e obtainedw ithout F. (Catholic
Teachingp, . w rites:" SinceC hrist,G od Incarnateh, as
~ My Islam
Forgiving, " ...Allah will forgive you; and He is the most
merciful of the merciful." Qur'an 12:92). If God knows
that man is sincerely repentant, having a real urge to
conquer the evil within himself, then Almighty God can
forgive his failings and sins altogether. After all, the only
proper motive for punishment is to check evil and reform
the offender. To punish a person for his past sins, even
after he had repented and reformed himself is a sign of
vengeance, not Also, forgiving a after
punishing him or her, or after inflicting punishment on
someone else instead, cannot be considered forgiveness by
any stretch of imagination.
The God we worship is a God of mercy. If He
prescribes a law and demands obedience, it is not for His
own benefit, but for the benefit of humankind. And if He
punishes a man for his faults and sins, it is not for His own
satisfaction or compensation, as the Christian dogma
proclaims, but it is to curb evil and purify the sinner. God
forgives the faults and sins of those who have turned away
from their sins and reformed themselves without punishing
them or any other person on their behalf and this is not
contrary to God's Thus, A/liih says: " ...Your Lord has decreed upon
Himself mercy: that any of you who does wrong out of
ignorance and then repents after that and corrects
himself indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful."
(Qur'an 6:54)
The third of the Christian dogma of the
atonement is that Jesus paid the penalty for the original
and other sins of men by his death on the cross of Calvary,
and that salvation cannot be obtained without belief in the
saving power of his blood. J.F. De Groot Teaching, p. 162) writes: "Since Christ, God Incarnate, has
lslam @
satisfactionto demandf or jr,rsticeH, e mediatorb etweenG od andm an."T his dogmai s justice.'
fonner rvilling rnanyr efutationsw hich confinn atonemenat nd cruciflxionT. he ale fbr.vfi orn amongt hem:
dogrnao f crucifixiono 1'.ef susC hristt o atonef or
cornrpt fbundation any,thingb uilt corruptf bundationis itselfc orrupt.T he
nas pessecol r.rt o his conlratlicttsh ev crsesin thc
-['orah
ri'hich.a ccordingto .lesrrsc arrren ot 1o rlestrorb ut firlllll. Also, in
Deuterortottr3l -1l,( r u'c rcacl:" '[-hc firthcrs shall not ftrr cltiltlren, neither shall the
childrcn bc to death fbr the' fathers: every man
fbr his o*rt sin." Irr Ezekiel l8:20
llncl: "'l'hc sorrl sinncth, it shall die. The
not bear the irticlLrit-or'f the f'ather, neither
the father bear thc iniquit,v of the son." Jesus
himselfs aid.a ccordinsto Matlheu'1 6;27". then he shall
I point nruslb c askcd:\ \'asA dartt'sr clnofsca nd repcntancteo
God. his deyralting1 r'ontI 'aradisc.t hc flooding ancl the numerous
sacriliccsn raclct u (iocl not a pricc crtoLrghlb r his salration?l)W hat
thc rttorc horrcnclousth att '\dattt's'l ,\ttd horr could this
m) 'ster )o f sal rat iontc nt i t i ru. tn kt tonttto al l thc propl tclos nl l ' to bc latcr
discovcrccblv thc church?
My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To Islam \W
taken upon Himself our sins in order to atone for them by
giving satisfaction to God's demand for justice, He is the
mediator between God and man." This dogma is not only a
denial of the mercy of God but also of His justice. [
To demand the price of blood in order to forgive the
sins of men is to show a complete lack of mercy, and to
punish a man who is not guilty for the sins of others,
whether the fanner is willing or not, is the height of
injustice.
There are many refutations which confirm the falsity
of the belief in atonement and crucifixion. The following
are only a few from 21l10ng them:
First, the dogma of crucifixion of Jesus Christ to atone for
the original sin is based on a corrupt foundation and
anything built on a corrupt foundation is itself corrupt. The
idea that Adam's sin was passed on to offspring
contradicts the verses in the Torah which. according to the
Bible. Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfill. Deuteronomy 24: 16 we read: "The fathers be
put to death for the children, nei ther children be put to for the shall be put to death for own In 18:we also find: "The soul that sinneth, son shall hear iniquity of father, shall the iniquity himself said, according to Manhew 16:27, "then I At this it must he asked: Was Adam's remorse and repentance to
God, departing from Paradise. the tlooding and sacrilices made [0 God price enough ttlr salvation'?') What
about the sins more horrendous than Adam's') And hOlv mystery of salvation remain unkl101\11 to all the prophets only be later
diseOVCl'ed by the church')
I
"t
Great Love For Led Me To lslim
agreementw ith Qur'dn states" That [good] 38-
40)
5, T his provest he falsehoodo f Genesis2 :"...for becauseit 21-22
wicked' he live,
hath
mentioned him: in
was not inherited. thus. there was no reason
Jesush ad sinso f anyone. T his is in total
agreemenwt ith the Qur'iin,w hich states:'o ...And Adam
his Lord erred. Then his Lord chose him
him and guided [himl."
(20:121-122).
Third: It is not correcta ccordingt o the Bible to say that
Jesush ad come to willinely and deliberatelyf or the
' is case with ''u'icked". what would be rvhen the sinner
happened to be a righteous person like Adam? Surely, he would be
grantedf orgivenessa s he soughtr epentance.
~ My Jesus Islam
reward every man according to his works." This is in
agreement with the Qur'an as it states "That no bearer of
burdens will bear the burden of another. And that
there is not for man except that [good] for which he
strives. And that his effort is going to be seen." (53:3840)
Second, according to Genesis 5:5, our father, Adam, lived
with his wife after they had eaten from the forbidden tree
for 930 years. This proves the falsehood of Genesis 2: 17,
which states " ...in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die" because it did not occur. This also
indicates that Adam repented from his sin and sought
forgiveness and God pardoned him. Ezekiel 18:21-22
states: "But if the wickedl will turn from all his sins
that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and
do that which is lawful and right, shall surely he shall not die. All his transgressions that he committed, they shall not be unto his righteousness that he hath done he shall live." So,
as Adam and his wife "lived", they must have "turned
from all the sins they have committed." This means that
the sin inherited, and thus, that Jesus had to die for the sins of This agreement with Qur'an, which states: " ...And disobeyed and and turned to in forgiveness [him]."
121-122).
correct according to Jesus had die willingly deliberately for I If this the the "wicked", when granted forgiveness as sought repentance.
Myc reatL oveF orJ esusL edM eT ol slamQ 2
We read "soul (Mark l4:"Abba, not will. (Mark 36).H e askedh is disciplest o (Luke 36) protect
15:34 person
"cried w hich interpreteda s, 66My
desperatec ries - acceptf or sakeo f argumentt hat
- prove person was imporlantly passage
containsc leare videnceth at personc rucifiedc ould not
JesusC hrist, desperatec ries
prophet one who
50, was witnessedb y anyoneo f discipleso f Jesusa s "... they
fled."r witnessedth e in rvords,
therew ere crediblee ye-witnesseTs.h us,t he sourceso f
the
' rve disciplcso f Jesus\ \'e aret o conclude
oftrvo e ithert his anothcri nterpolationa nd rvasn ot
o1'thco riginalt ext. (if t he disciplesd id leavea s
not.lcsus Either *'a1'.
same.
My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To Islam ~
sins of men. in the Bible that he did not wish to
die on the cross. For when he learnt that his enemies were
plotting against his life, he declared that his "soul was
exceedingly sorrowful unto death." 14:34). After
that he prayed to God, saying, Father, all things
are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from me;
nevertheless what I will, but what Thou wilt."
14:36). He also asked his disciples to buy swords
22:36) and keep watch over him at night to him from his enemies.
Fourth: The Bible tells us in Mark 15 :34 that the crucified with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabachthani?" which is being interpreted as, "My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Such
desperate cries - if we accept for the sake of argument that
they did occur - that the crucified not
willing to die on the cross. More importantly the contains clear evidence that the person crucified could possibly have been Jesus Christ, as such desperate cries
and panic do not befit a of God, let alone is claimed to be God.
Fifth: According to Mark 14:50, the crucifixion not
witnessed by anyone of the disciples of Jesus as " ... all forsook him, and fled."] Also, none of the Gospel and
Epistle writers witnessed the crucifixion; other words,
there were no credible eye-witnesses. Thus, the sources of
the story are doubtful especially considering that 1 As we are to think good of the disciples of Jesus \ve are to one of two things: either this text is another interpolation and was not
part of the original text, or it was correct) the disciples did leave as
they realized that the crucified one was not Jesus himself. way,
the result is the same,
I tt creat Love For Jesus Led Me To lsldm
CanonicalG ospelst hemselveds iff'era rnongt hemselvesa s
to the exact fiom The idea sheddingo f blood is necessaryto
appeaseth e wrath carnei nto Christianityf rom primitive imageo f asa n porverfudl ernon.T herei s
no logicalc onnectionb etweens in W hat sins blood, rcrnorse.s incerer epentance.
persistentr esistancetc l inclirrationsa nd strugglet o carr1,o' ut the rvill o1'Cod as rer,ealedto us prophets. F urlhermorer, vhenJ esusr vas askeda bout
way to etemal reply rvas not belief hirn saviort hrought he sheddingo f his blood. I nsteadi,t
".... rvilt entcr life, commandrnents." (Mattherv | 9 : 1 7).
The Christians cherneo f salvationi s and unsound.b ut also contradictst he
Jesusr .vhoc amet o rescuel nen li'om sin by his
teachingsa nd exampleo f his godll' lifc rathert han by
deliberatelyd ying crossl br therrt.a nclo ffering his
for H is rnissiorut 'asa lsct'lo call sitrnersto
repenta s wast he cascr vitha ll tlrc prophctsb elbreh irn.H e
fbr thc atonemenot f human sin.
ernphasizeidn Mattherv4 : 17.a s \\e aret old Jesus": From Jesusb egant o preach, a nd to
R epent:f or kingdorno f heavcni s at hand." I t is
reallyi ncornprehensibthlea tt he Bibleg ocst o the extreme
anda buses.lesLbrys'r nakinglr inra cursc.I )aLrsla ys": Christ
hath redeemed fi'orn the curse of thc larv, being
fbr f<rr it is rvritten, is
everyoneth at hangctho n t ree, "( Galat ian3s: 13)
'fhe
dogmao f atonemerrlti.k c thc pt'cviousC hristian
originatccl lionr uttcicnl pagiur ~ My Great Islam
Canonical Gospels themselves differ among themselves as
details of the crucifixion from beginning to
end.
Sixth: that shedding of necessary to
appease the of God came into Christianity from the
image of God as an all-powerful demon. There is
logical connection between sin and blood. What wipes
away is not blood. but remorse. sincere repentance,
persistent resistance to evil inclinations and constant
struggle to carry out wi II of God revealed to by
the Furthermore, when Jesus was asked about
the eternal life, his was in him as
the savior through the shedding of Instead, it
was, ...... but if thou wilt enter into keep the
commandments." Matthew 19: 17).
Christian scheme of salvation is not only
morally rationally unsound, but contradicts the
words of Jesus who came to rescue men from teachings and the example of godly life rather than deliberately dying on the cross for them, and offering blood their sins. His mission was also to sinners to
repent as was the case with all the prophets before him. He
never said that he came for the atonement of This is emphasized in Matthew 4: 17, as we are told about
Jesus: "that time Jesus began to and say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is It really incomprehensible that the Bible goes to and abuses Jesus by making him a curse. Paul says: "us from the law, made a curse for us: for written, Cursed everyone that hangeth on a tree," (Galatians 3: 13)
The dogma of atonement. Iike the previous Christian
dogmas, originated fi'om ancient pagan religions.
MyG reaLt oveF orJ esusL edM ef o lslam@
their salvation Egyptian t-tot rationalt hinking,b ut motivatesp eoplet o thell, the
claimed:
justified by
(Romans 3:28). He
b), his deeds
2). only
attainableb y Christ'sc rucifixion.W hat would be
people in this
was made by Jesus
himseli "\\rhosoever shall break one of
teach men so,
least in the kingdom of heaven:
teach them, the same
kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5;19).
Islant rejectst he dogrnao f atonemetrt.I t declarest hat
the fbrgivenesso f sinsc annotb e obtainedb y the suftering
and sacrificeo f any otherp erson,b ttt only by the graceo f
God and a person'so wn sincerer epentanclev ith persistent
effbrlst o avoide viland do goodd eeds.F utlhermorei,f tl .-'
sinsc ommittedi nvolvei njusticeto people'sr ights.t ho:'c
My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To Islam \U)
According to Arthur Findley (Rock of Truth, p. 45), 16
names were believed by their peoples to have come for
their salvation and atonement. Some of them were: the
Egyptian Osiris (1700 BC), the Babylonian Baal (1200
BC), the Hindu Krishna (1000 BC), the Tibetan Andra
(725 BC), the Chinese Buddha (560 BC), and the Persian
Mithra (400 BC).
The dogma of atonement is not only an insult to
rational thinking, but it also motivates people to abandon
good deeds and commit evils like murder, theft, rape and
adultery. Paul underestimated the importance of commandments preached by Jesus, and "Therefore we conclude that a man is faith without the deeds of the law." even stated that Abraham was not helped by (Romans 4:2). It was thus Paul who made salvation attainable by belief in Christ's crucifixion. What the state of mankind if were to believe concept?
The answer to Paul's claim himself, "Whosoever therefore these least commandments, and shall he shall be called the but whosoever shall do and shall be called great in the (Matthew 5: 19).
Islam rejects the dogma of atonement. It declares that
the forgiveness of sins cannot be obtained by suffering
and sacrifice of other person, but grace of
God and a person's own sincere repentance with efforts to avoid evil and do good deeds. FUlihermore, iftl.'
sins committed involve injustice to people's rights, tho:,c
I
"t
Great Love For Jesus Led Me To lsl6m
rights have to given one hast o seekt heir forgivenessw heneverp ossible.
The Qur'dn promises believe in the ,.Yes
[on the contrary], Isliim Allah while good with his Lord. them, nor will grieve." (2:112). the Qur'dn, "'Whoever his Lord let the worship ( 1 8: 1 I 2: 14 and and commandments, "What brethren, though a not works? faith faith. hath not works, ~ My Great Love Islam
be back to their rightful owners and
has to seek their forgiveness whenever possible.
Qur'dn salvation to all those who
oneness of God and do good deeds: "Yes
[on whoever submits himself in Islam to
being a doer of will have his reward
And no fear will there be concerning
they 112). Allah also says in
Qur'dn, "Whoever would hope for the meeting with
him do righteous work and not associate in
of his Lord anyone." 18: 11 0)
James and 17 complies with both Islam and the
it reads, doth it profit, my
man say he hath faith, and have
Can save him...? Even so faith, if it
is dead, being alone."
Myc reatL oveF orJ esusL edM eT ot stamQ 2
Isldmz The Monotheistic Alt An unbiaseda nalysiso f aforementionedC hristian
doctrines can lead to only one are
both irrational ofJesus. is
sufficient following Jesus' ascendancei nto followers consideredh im propheto f doctrines mentioned previously years later, of the Christian deviation from the other prophets before him.
Believing in the onenesso f worshippingn o
one elseb ut Him is the rule. A ssociatingo thersi n with God came at humankind. For humankind, A dam, humanb eingsw orshippedn o God (AllAQ. It was only prior to that idol worshipb egant o practicedI.t wast he resulto f
people'se xcessivee ndeavorsin reverings ome individuals among them who had passed then sent by God to guide his people and call them back to the worship of Allah that He sent one prophet after another to various preacht he sameb asicm essaget:h at there is god of worship butAllah.
The primary mission of all prophets was not peoplet o believei n the existenceo f God as the Supreme
Being and acknowledgingH im as the Creator, P rovider
and Sustainero f the worlds for event he polyheistsk nerv
by nature that God existed and never doubted that such
My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To Islam ~
Islam: The Monotheistic Religion of All the Prophets
An unbiased analysis of the aforementioned Christian
doctrines can lead to only one conclusion; that they are
both irrational and contrary to the teachings of Jesus. It is
sufficient to know that during the years immediately
following Jesus' ascendance into heaven, none of his
followers considered him other than a prophet of God. The
were conceived many
which is a clear indication that the foundation
Church was based on a considerable
original message of Jesus and all the
oneness of God and worshipping no
else but Associating others in worship
a later stage in the history of
ten centuries after the father of
Adam, human beings worshipped no one but
Allah). the era of Prophet Noah
worship began to be practiced. It was the result of
people's excessive endeavors in revering some righteous
away. Noah was
back to the right path
alone. After
nations to
preach the same basic message: that no worthy
but Allah.
to call
people to believe in existence of acknowledging Him Provider
Sustainer of even the polytheists knew
I tt Great Love For Jesus Led Me To lslAm
wast he case'.O nly a few of themp retendedto denyG od's
existence. those who worshipped God by
doing devoted prayers to Him in
difficult they did so
through intercessorsT. he prophets called
them to turn without
mediators and
hardship.A nd becausem onotheismi s foremosta nd
most impofiant fbundation which makes
deedsv alid acceptablew, e all the prophets
began "Worship
Allah; IIim." (Qur'dn
7:65). Qtr'dn (1636): We
certainly messenger' [sayingl'
'Worship Atllh Taghiit (false deities)."'And
25 states:" And sent not before you
any revealed to him that
there Me." Therefore,
that Isldm submissiont o Allah) hasa lways been
prophetsa nd messengeros f God,
frorn I slam was indeedt he religion
of Noalr.A braham,M osesa nd JesusA. ccordingt o Islam,
I Atheism onll'started to spreado n a large scale in Clhristians ocieties
during the eighteenth and nineteenth centurics. Among the reasons for
that were the injustices cornmittcd by the Church manifested in the
cnslavcmenth, umiliationa nd abuseo f peoplei n the name of "God'"
Christianity also conflicted r.vith rcason ancl hunlan nceds. The Church
fought scientillca dvancemenat nd pcrsecutcds cicntistsr.e sultingi n a
dichotomyb etrveenm an and laith. Conscquentllp',e opleb ccamem ore
concernecwl ith the materialr vorld and gave in to their naturalt endcncy
to pursuc rvorldly te mptations. With the absencc of rcason and
compatibility.f nith disintegratcda nd religion's role in lif'e becamc
nonexlstcnL
\If My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To Islam
was the case1
• Only a few ofthem pretended to deny God's
existence. There were those who worshipped God by
doing good deeds; they also devoted prayers to Him in
difficult times. However, during times of ease, they did so
through mediators and intercessors. The called
them to tum to God and supplicate to Him alone mediators or intercessors in times of both ease hardship. And because monotheism is the foremost and
most important obligation and the foundation deeds valid and acceptable, we find that began by calling their peoples and saying: "Worship
Allah; you have no deity other than Him." 7:65). Allah also states in the Qur'dn 16:36): "And certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying],
'Worship Allah and avoid Taghut deities).'" in Verse 21:25 it states: "And We any messenger except that We there is no deity except Me, so worship it is clear that Islam (submission to has always the religion of all the prophets and messengers of from Adam to Muhammad. Islam indeed the of Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, According to 1 Atheism only started to spread on Christian societies
during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. the reasons for
that were the injustices committed by the Church manifested in the
enslavement, humiliation and abuse of people in the name of "God."
Christianity also conflicted with reason and human needs. The Church
fought scientific advancement and persecuted scientists, resulting in a
dichotomy between man and faith. Consequently, people became more
concerned with the material world and gave in to their natural tendency
to pursue worldly temptations. With the absence of reason and
compatibility, f~lith disintegrated and religion's role in life became
nonexistent.
, Myc reatL oveF orJ esusL edM eT ol slam9
all prophets are brothers and no distinction between them. As for those people guidanceo f the propheto f time and worshippedG od
as He should be worshipped, they are Muslims, a nd Paradisew ill Islam restored to its status message that God revealed to all His prophets. continuationo f that messagew, hich is essenceo, ne.
Althouglr Allclh had originally addressedit tribe, people or nation prophet, passageo f tirne it was rnisinterpreteda nd superstitionsf,a lse beliefs rituals inventedb y This caused a degenerationo f the superstitionasn dm eaninglesrsit uals.
Islam, as revealedto ProphetM uhamrnadi,s a revival
ofthe concepto fmonotheismt aughtb y Jesusa nd tlre precedingp rophetso f Islclmi s rnessageto of humanity until the end and particular
group, a sw ast he casew ith previousp rophets.
Islam rejectsa ll blasphemoutsh eologicalb eliefs reinstatesth e true concepto l'God; that is Creator, t he Providera nd Controllero f every.thingin universea nd to whom alonep erfbctioni s T his
necessitates that He alone is to be worshipped.
Furlhermore,H e must be worshippedi n u,ay that ordained and not through invented ritr.ralsa nd acts worship. I'{e is the only whon prayers addressedA.n d just as confirmingt he onenesso f God the greatesta nd rnosti rrrportanvt irtue,a ssociatingo thers
rvith l'lirl is the gravest all. is only sirr
unfbrgivableb y God unlesso ne repentst o Him before
dcatl-rH. e hass aidi n the Qur'dn:" Indeed, Alllh doesn ot
forgivc association rvith Him, He what My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To Islam ~
should be made
who followed the
guidance of prophet of their worshipped God
all considered
and Paradise will be theirs.
restored original the same eternal
Islam is a
continuation of message, which in essence, one.
Although Allah addressed it to a specific
through their with the
passage of time misinterpreted and mixed with
superstitions, false and invented by man.
degeneration of true religion into
superstitions and meaningless rituals.
revealed to Prophet Muhammad, is of the concept of monotheism taught by Jesus and by all of
the preceding prophets of Allah. hlam is a message to all
of time not to a as was the case with previous prophets.
rejects all blasphemous theological beliefs and
reinstates the concept of God; He alone the
the Provider and Controller of everything in the
universe and alone perfection is attributed. This
Furthermore, He worshipped in the way He
rituals and of
He one to whom should be
addressed. And just confirming the oneness of is
greatest and most impOliant virtue, associating others
with Him sin of It the sin
unforgivable by unless one repents to death. He has said in Qur'cin: "Indeed, Allah does not
forgive with but forgives is
I *t To lslim
less than whom a sin Hellfire. Qur'dn
"Indeed, Alleh -
Atllh Qur'dn
"But Allnh,
then 88)
t he all depend, Merciful, the
Dr.
Vaglierir, to Islam,
The concept
practices of religion and social
monstrosities
minds were made
realized its dignity and
Lord and Master of
"The spirit was liberated
from free from the ties which
or other so-called hidden
guardians of mysteries, brokers of
salvation and all pretended to be mediators
| "Apologia dell' Islamismo" translated into English as "lnterpretation
of Islam" by Dr. Caselli,p p. 33 34.
W My Great Love For Jesus Led Me Islam
less than that for whom He wills." (4:48). Moreover, it is
a sin that deprives one of Paradise and consequently
relegates the person who commits it to eternity in the
Hellfire. This was stated by Jesus as quoted in the Qur'an
(5:72): "Indeed, he who associates others with Allah Allah
has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the
Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any
helpers." Directing any act of worship to other than God
is the one sin that nullifies all good deeds. The Qur'an
confirms: "But if they had associated others with Allah,
then worthless for them would be whatever they were
doing." (6:88)
God is indeed the one to whom all needs are sought
without intercessors, the one upon whom creatures
depend, the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe,
the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful, the Almighty, Omniscient.
Citing the words of the famous Italian orientalist, Laura Veccia Vaglieri \ she writes: "Thanks paganism in its various forms was defeated. of the universe, the customs were each liberated from all the which had degraded them, and human free of prejudices. Mankind finally humbled itself before the Creator, the all mankind." She continues, from prejudice, man's will was set had kept him bound to other men called powers. Priests, false salvation and all those who I "Apologia dell' Islamismo" translated into English "Interpretation
ofIslam" by Dr. Caselli, pp. 33 34.
MyG reaLt oveF orJ esusL edM eT ol stam @
betweenG od and man and consequentlyb elievedt hat they
had authority over the will of other people fell from their
pedestals. Man became the servant of alone and
towards other men he had only the obligations of one free
man towards another free men had
suffered from the injustice of social ,Islarz
proclaimed equality among Muslim
was distinguished of
birth or any other his
personality, but by his greater his morals and intellectual her
book, "It was, of
arrns nor through the pressure that caused the great and but
above all, through the fact presentedb y the
Muslims to the vanquishedw, ith accepti t or
reject it, was the Book the
greatesmt iracleM ohammadc ould showt o thosei n and to thosew ho remaineds tubborn."S hec ontinues,., The
strengtho f this messagew as its crystalc lear marvelouse asinessf,o r Islam reachedo ut people without having recourset o explanationso r
involved sermons."
And as one of the foremost historians, Toynbee, o bsenres": Indeed, I invite the adoptt he
Islamic principle of brotherhood doctrineo f God's onenessb roughtb y Islam wonderful examples of how to unify continuationo f Islamg ivesh opet o the whole r
I Civilization onT rial.N ervY ork,O xtbrdU niversitpyr ess1, 948
My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To Islam \ij)
between God and man and consequently believed that they
had authority over the will of other people fell from their
pedestals. Man became the servant of Allah alone and
towards other men he had only the obligations of one free
man towards another free man. While previously men had
suffered from the injustice of social differences, Islam
proclaimed equality among human beings. Each Muslim
was distinguished from other Muslims not by reason of
birth or any factor not connected with his
fear of God, his good deeds,
qualities." She also states in her
therefore, neither by means of violence of
arms of obtrusive missionaries
rapid diffusion of Islam, but
that this Book presented by the
vanquished, with the liberty to accept it or
of God, the Word of Truth, the
greatest miracle Mohammad could show to those in doubt
those who remained stubborn." She continues, "The
strength ofthis message was crystal clear simplicity and
marvelous easiness, for reached out to the soul of the
recourse to long explanations or
Arnold J.
observes: "world to adopt the
and equality. The
doctrine of oneness brought by is of the most
the world. The
continuation of Islam gives hope to world."l
I Civilization on Trial, New York, Oxford University Press, 1948
\Z tty Jesus Led Me To lslAm
VIII. My Isltim: Influence Of
Jesus On Conversion Islfim
in the
to
Islam to which
Christianity real
teachings decisive path that the
church "talisman" was always
with srnall package I
always and a
supposedir nagea nd statueo f JesusI. felt if I everp ut
it aside r.ne. For this
reasonI neverm isplacedit ; wasa lwaysi n rny pocket.
reviewingt he literaturet hat had
rne I readt wo statementsth at
joy happiness.
'fears started
"My God, this is the
t his answert hatI couldn everf indl"
adrnit the leader that up to that
tirne rcad rl'te Qur
'cirr' I had not
seeno r toucheda in any langtragea,r rdt he nalle
Qur'dn parl lny vocabulary. l n a categorical,
precisc lrlatlner. I read in the study
euide lnosque: T'hey said 6oast], 'We Jesus, the son of Mary, the
Messenger All[h.' killed him not, nor did
they crucify (Qtrr'tin 4: 157)
Here, I pausedin reading. I repeateds everatl imes,
"...lhey killed him tlot, dicl the.1ctr Ltcifi'h im'" At rhe
precisem omentI rvasr eadingt hoses tatetrentsI' I'eltt hat
bod was answeringth e questiontl tatm adeI nc ltaved oubts
about His power due to the lack o1' a logical and
convincinagn swer .
It was not easy to flnd this anslver. I had to cotnpete
with rnany other studentst o eartta scholarshipI. had to
~ My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To Islam
VIII. My Final Step Toward Islam: The Influence Of
Jesus On My Conversion To Islam
Even a portion of the information contained the
previous chapters is sufficient for a seeker of truth to
perceive the authenticity of lshim and the extent Christianity has deviated from and contradicted the teachings of Prophet Jesus. Yet I still could not take any
decisive step to distance myself from the church had outlined for me. My with me wherever I went. Inside this small always carried were seven small silver crosses supposed image and statue of Jesus. I that ever put
it aside something bad would happen to me. reason I never misplaced it; it was always in my One day, when I was reviewing the literature that been given to me in the mosque, read two statements that
filled my heart with great and Tears to flow from my eyes and I said: truth; this is the answer that I could never find!"
At this point, I must admit to reader time I had never touched or read the QUI' ·cin. seen or touched a copy of it language, and the name
QUI' 'an was not part of my In emphatic, clear and precise manner, guide I had received in the mosque: "They [in
boast], 'We killed Christ Messenger of Allah.' But they they crucify him..." Qur 'an Here, I paused in the repeated several times,
" ... they killed him not, nor did {hey crucify him. " the
precise moment I was reading those statements, I felt that
God was answering the question that made me have doubts
about His power due to the lack of convincing answer.
It was not easy to find this answer. I had to compete
with many other students to earn a scholarship. I had to
My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To tstim
@
travel thousands of miles to the state of Washinston in the
westernmost part of the USA. I had to Iearn to*speak and
read English, and being from Latin America, I had to have
a charactert hat was acceptableto the rest of the Muslims
in Seattle in order to find statements. probabilities that this information of a Venezuelan in 1978 been decreedby AllAh must while I was still rejoicing great God and asked Him for this newst o Venezuelaa nd give rest of the world.
It was happeningju st hero, the good guy in Jesus of Nazareth, to whom I pray smalla ltari n my house, h adn ot beenc rucified!
To me it seemed as allegedlyc arriedb y JesLrtso Calvaryv anisheda nd
disintegratedin the sarner nannert hat greatb uildingsa nd
firm mountainsc rumbler vhend emolishedb y What followedt his discoveryw as lesss ignificant.reasoneda, nd said:" lf this trr.rtht,h ent his religioni s
the right one." For twenty years, had been killed. I had been journey alternate routes. Now, with a more logical answer, a nd nou, thingsr .vereg etting
clearer and the last piece "Dnzzle" This wast he lasti n thes equencoef miraclesth atJ esush ad
perfonned by the power Atlah. of God, hadr eturneds ightt o r vhoh adw alkedo n
lvater, healed a leper, nlade lame rnultiplied
breada nd fish to feed thousandso f peoplea nd given life back to the dead.u ndoubtedlyc ould been crucified! Once again wantedt o belongt o thisr eligion;rvantedto bea Muslirn!
My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To Islam ~
travel thousands of miles to the state of Washington in the
westernmost part of the USA. I had to learn to speak and
read English, and being from Latin America, I had to have
a character that was acceptable to the rest of the Muslims
Seattle these two statements. The
would reach the hands
1978 were remote. However, what has
decreed by Allah be fulfilled. In those moments
over this news, I spoke to
forgiveness. I wanted to fly with
news to Venezuela and it to my family and to the
happening just like in the movies. My great
the movie, my beloved prophet,
used to twice a day in a
small altar in had not been crucified!
though the weight of the cross
allegedly carried by Jesus to Mount Calvary vanished and
disintegrated in same manner that great buildings and
mountains crumble when demolished by dynamite.
followed this discovery was no less significant. I
reasoned, and said: "If is the truth, then this religion is
I had been told that Jesus
taken on a without any
another avenue had been opened
and now things were getting
of the puzzle" was available.
was the last in the sequence of miracles that Jesus had
performed of Allah. A man who, by the will
had returned sight to the blind, who had walked on
water, made the walk, multiplied
bread and thousands of people and who had
dead, undoubtedly could not have
I reasoned and resolved; I
wanted to belong to this religion; I wanted to be a Muslim!
9 ftfy lsl6m
disintegrated, Holy Churches the 'Holy
Days' logical was theseb aselesstr aditionsb uilt
upon even
though could no
course
Oklahoma illuminated the
called
1979 I
same imam who had
lslamic embracedI slam officially
(the Shahadah)'
tne: you
I "Yes." Then he
it will be written in your
I said: "Even so." Then
you want, then repeat
testifu right to be worshipped
except AllAh, that Muhammad rs the
of Allah. " testirnony in English and
then it afler the imam, thereby
taking to Islam.
~ My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To Islam
In the same manner that the weight of the cross
disintegrated, the resurrection of Jesus on Sunday, the
Holy Week (Easter), Good Friday, the visit to the Seven
Churches (Stations of the Cross), the fasting on Fridays,
the eating of fish instead of meat on those alleged 'Holy
Days' also disintegrated all at once and I realized that they
were all lies. The power of the talisman vanished. The
logical mind of a young man studying to be an engineer
was now free to reject all of these baseless traditions built
upon the irrational concept of God becoming a man and
dying for the sins of men. As a young man who had been a
professional fireman saving lives and property and who
had not acquired the vices of smoking and drinking though these were among the norms of society, I longer accept these impositions.
During the summer of 1979 I took an optional at Oklahoma State University that further new path I had started to walk. The course was "Islamic Culture." At the end of the summer of went back to Seattle, and before the given me the Islamic literature, I embraced Islam by pronouncing the testimony of faith Shahiidah).
I can still remember the imam asking me: "Are sure you want to embrace Islam?" said, insisted: "Even if it means that passport that you are a Muslim?" he said, "If you are sure that is what after me: I testify that none has the except Allah, and I testify is Messenger ojAllah. " I made the testimony then in Arabic by repeating after taking my final step
My Great Love For Jesus Led Me To lslam @
Isldm Undoubtedlyc, hangesin volvec ertaina djustmentas nd
my casew as no exceptionO. nce I had embracedIs lam, I
prornised that I rvould do whatever I could to learn
as as possiblea boutt his religion. W hile I was still
young having just completed my first year at
State University, I married a young Muslim
girl. In O klahornat,h e IslarnicC entera ssigned
me first Islamic teacher. Brother Faiz from Palestine
(may him and reward him for rvhat he taught
me) dedicateda lot of his tirnet o teacht nc the prayer, t he
pillars Islam, pillars of f-aith,a bout life after
t he Day of Resurrectiona nd many other topics. I
remember the great in"rpact caused by the
life During my life as a
n o one ever taughtr re any'things irnilara nd in
suchd etail.D eathr vasa lu'aysa m,v"stetroy tne.
not know what rvould happen to me once my
buried the grottnd.l n Islc1rnI, found
detaileda nswersW. hen a persond ies.h e or shem ust be
the itrstrlrctiotrs of Prophet
T he the personi s rvasltedc ornpletely
T hen is rvrappedit t ttvo pieceso f r.vhite
andt he body is buriedi n tlte grotttrdr vithotrta coffin
andf acingM akkah.T he dcadp ersonu 'ill heart he stepso f
rvalk arval frorrr thc grare attd rvill be
awaret hath e sltei s beingl cft alone. Shortlyt hereafter,
trvo angelsc ome into gravea nd ask tlte cleceasetdh e
follorving three questiorts:
( l) is your Lord'?
(2) is voul religion?
3) is your prophet?
Islam \ij/
