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Submitted by Salman Saeed (United Arab Emirates), Jul 9, 2006 at 08:26
BISMILLAH
Salaam,
I'm a muslim who was born and raised in a Muslim Family. For over six years I have been hugely involved in comparative religion. I need some sincere answers to the following questions, since I feel in Islam there are some things that don't entirely seem rational. I have also been meeting with lots of apostates of Islam whose works I have been reading and can't seem to cogently refute. I've attached them at the end of question 8. Please provide me with your DETAILED feedback.
I had the following questions.
1) Do any authentic Hadith's exist that say Jesus was not the Messiah (The annointed one)?
Please provide authentic Hadith.
2) Do any authentic Hadith's exist that say Jesus was not the promised lamb of God ?
Please provide authentic Hadith.
3) Do any authentic Hadith's exist that say Jesus was not the promised redeemer of Sin ?
Please provide authentic Hadith.
4) Do any authentic Hadith's exist that say Jesus (Ruh-Allah) was not the person God was going to sacrifice as Abraham was going to sacrifice his son?
5) Muslims claim that Jesus was only sent for the lost sheep of Israel whereas Imam Mehdi is going to be the saviour of the WHOLE WORLD. If this is true then what is the purpose of Jesus coming down with Imam Mehdi to begin with?
6) Before Jesus came to the Jews, they already use to follow the Torah. Also they already believed in one God. Between Moses and Jesus lots of Prophets came to the Jews such as Aaron, Ezekiel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Zecharias & John. Hence before Jesus arrived, the Jews already believed in one God. The God of Abraham. What was so different that Jesus said because of which he was sentenced to crucifixion ?
7) Muslims claim that the son Abraham was going to sacrifice was Ishmael and not Isaac. If this is so, then why were all the Prophets after Abraham until Jesus descendants of Isaac ?
8) In Islam, is the punishment of Apostacy "death"?
Please provide authentic evidence.
As a result of my intensive research, I found some attributes of Christ that even Christians did not deal with in their books. For example:
1) The ability to create:
The Qur'an says,
"That is Allah, your Lord! There is no god but He, the Creator of all things" (Surah 6:102)
"For verily it is thy Lord who is the All-Creator, knowing all things" (Surah 15:86)
"Those on whom, besides Allah, ye call, cannot create (even) a fly, if they all met together for the purpose" (Surah 22:73)
"Those whom they invoke besides Allah create nothing and are themselves created" (Surah 16:20)
"Is then he who creates like one that creates not?" (Surah 16:17)
These are but some of the verses that restrict the ability to create to God only. When God wanted to distinguish Himself from other gods, He highlighted this attribute of His that surpassed all other gods. Meanwhile, the Qur'an clearly admits that Christ created things:
"I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah's leave" (Surah 3:49)
"Thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by my leave, and thou breathest into it, and it becometh a bird by my leave" (Surah 5:110)
When I read these verses, I thought in my heart: it was God who gave Christ this ability; it was not part of His essence even though, Christ was the only One on whom God bestowed one of His divine attributes. Why Christ and not Mohammed? God said to Mohammed,
"Canst thou cause the deaf to hear the call?" (Surah 27:80),
which is a lot easier than creation. God did not give Mohammed, the best of His people and the Seal of the Prophets, the ability to make the deaf hear. He challenged people to create a fly ,but gave Christ the ability to create birds. Birds are small creatures, but it is not a matter of size, but of principle. He who creates a small creature can create a big one. This cannot be of man, but of God.
2) Knowing what is hidden:
God spoke of Himself in the Qur'an,
"Say: none in the heaven or on earth, except Allah, knows what is hidden" (Surah 27:65),
"With Him are the keys to the unseen, the treasures that none knoweth but He" (Surah 6:59).
In the first verse, the Qur'an emphasizes beyond any doubt that knowing what is hidden belongs only to God and nobody else. The second verse underlines the fact that only God knows the unseen and the future.
Meanwhile, the Qur'an teaches about Mohammed that he used to rebuke anyone who attributed to him the ability to know what was hidden,
"Say: I tell you not that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor do I know what is hidden" (Surah 6:50).
One time Moaz said to Mohammed, "… if Allah wills and you will", and Mohammed interrupted him saying, "How could you make me equivalent to Allah? No one in heaven or on earth knows what is hidden but Allah."
As for Christ, we find all limitations removed. He knows and does what every other person cannot. The Qur'an says,
"And I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses" (Surah 3:49).
It is very unusual that in these verses Christ speaks in the first person; it must be God himself speaking . On the other hand, Mohammed was always told what to 'say'. Christ was unique because He spoke of himself, which means that His abilities were His and not acquired.
In Beginning and End by Ibn Kathir, part 2 and page 86, I read a story that made me ashamed. It was a proof beyond any doubt that Christ possessed supernatural powers to know what was hidden. (It is a long story; those interested may refer to the book by Ibn Kathir).
3) Healing the sick:
The Qur'an mentions Abraham's words that God is the only healer,
"And when I am ill, it is He who cures me" (Surah 26:80).
Mohammed said in an authentic Hadith, "Oh, Allah, there is no healing but yours." Meanwhile, in the Qur'an we find Christ saying about Himself,
"I heal those born blind, and the lepers" (Surah 3:49)
4) Giving life and death:
God is the only One who holds life and death in His hand; no one else can give life or death. The Qur'an says,
"And verily, it is We Who give life and Who give death;: it is We Who remain inheritors (after all else passes away)" (Surah 15:23),
"Verily, We shall give life to the dead, and We record that which they leave behind" (Surah 36:12),
"Verily it is We Who give Life and Death; and to Us is the Final Return" (Surah 50:43).
As for Christ, the Qur'an mentions that He said about Himself,
"And I bring the dead into life by Allah's leave." (Surah 3:49)
In his book Beginning and End, Ibn Kathir tells a verified story that proves Christ had the authority to give death as well as life. It is told that Christ saw a woman crying over her daughter, who had died long ago. He asked her, "What makes you cry, woman?" She said, "My daughter died and I have no more children." Christ asked her, "Would you like Me to raise her from the dead?" She said, "Yes, O Spirit of God!" So, Christ stood by the grave and called the girl three times. On the third time, the little girl came out and talked with her mother. Then the girl asked Christ to let her return. He told her, "Go back!" The grave closed and she was dead. (Beginning and End by Ibn Kathir, part 2, page 84)
5) Giving sustenance:
The Qur'an says,
"For Allah is He Who gives (all) sustenance, Lord of Power, Steadfast (for ever)" (Surah 51:58).
It is clearly stated that God is the only one who can give sustenance. God rebuked anyone who claimed the ability to give sustenance to people. As for Christ, Ibn Kathir mentioned that He had a special ability to give sustenance to whomever He wished. The best example was feeding the five thousand people with little bread and a couple of fish.
6) Matchlessness:
The Qur'an says about God,
"There is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees" (Surah 42:11).
As for Christ, it goes without saying that He is matchless. He was born from a virgin without a man. He was the only One described as 'God's Word and a Spirit from Him'. He was the only One over whom Satan did not have any authority. He was the only One who had divine characteristics.
Also out of all the people who have had a miraculous entry into this world, he was the only one to have a miraculous exit.
7) Commanding authority:
The Qur'an mentions this attribute of God,
"For anything which We have willed, We but say 'Be', and it is" (Surah 16:40),
"When He decreeth a matter, He saith to it: 'Be,' and it is" (Surah 2:117).
This is a unique attribute of God, being able to call something into existence. According to Ibn Kathir, Christ manifested this attribute when He changed the water into wine (Beginning and End by Ibn Kathir, part 1, page 85).
8) His throne over the waters:
The Qur'an says about God's throne,
"And His throne was over the waters that He might try you, which of you is best in conduct" (Surah 11:7).
Kortobi and El-Hadathi said that this verse also applied to Christ, whose throne was made by God on the water in order to test people's faith. Christ walked on the Sea of Tiberias towards His disciples in order to test their faith. He later said to them, "You of little faith." (Matt. 8: 26)
9) Judge and Ruler:
The Qur'an says about God,
"The Command rests with none but Allah: He declares the Truth, and He is the best of judges" (Surah 6:57),
"Hold yourselves in patience until Allah doth decide between us: for He is the best to decide" (Surah 7:87).
El-Bokhary explained that he heard from Ibn Abbas, who had heard the Prophet Mohammed saying about Christ, "The Last Day will not come until the son of Mary comes back as a fair Judge to administer justice and wipe out injustice."
10) A grasp over all visions:
The Qur'an says about God,
"No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision; He is subtle well-aware." (Surah 6:103)
This is another attribute of God that Christ manifested. Ibn Kathir and Kortobi told a story that Christ was one day on a mountain and the Romans wanted to arrest Him . He went right through them and they could not see Him, but He saw them all. (Sects and Denominations by Sheheristani, page 27)
11) Most Gracious and Most Merciful:
The Qur'an says,
"And your God is one God: there is no god but He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful" (Surah 2:163),
"Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to the Most Gracious as a servant." (Surah 19:93)
In their books Sects and Denominations and Proofs of Prophet-hood, Sheheristani and Azraki mentioned that Christ was after the image of God. He was compassionate. He raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead and healed many sick people . He created eyes to the born blind by putting mud on the man's eyes because that's how God created in the beginning.
12) Speaks in Parables:
The Qur'an states that only God can speak in Parables.
"Allah doth set forth Parables for men: and Allah doth know all things" (Surah 24:35)
"So Allah sets forth Parables for men, in order that they may receive admonition" (Surah 14:25)
In 'El-Kashaf', Ibn Kathir, Kortobi and Zamakhshary say that God used parables to bring people closer to Him, and so did Christ. The New Testament is full of parables that no other prophet told.
13) Sends messengers and gives them power:
The Qur'an says,
"Set forth to them, by way of a parable, the (story of) the Companions of the City. Behold, there came messengers to it. When We (first) sent to them two messengers, they rejected them, but We strengthened them with a third" (Surah 36:13)
Ibn Kathir and all interpreters agreed that the mentioned city was Antioch, and the men were messengers of Christ. They had authority from Christ. What other Man has such authority?
14) To be worshipped:
The Qur'an says,
"The Jews call Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the Son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the Unbelievers of old used to say… they take their priests and anchorites to be their lords beside Allah, and Christ the son of Mary" (Surah 9:30)
Ibn Kotaiba sees this as a problematic verse, because it puts worshipping God and Christ as a commandment. So, Ibn Kotaiba thought in order to avoid this problem ,the phrase 'Christ the son of Mary' should be syntactically interpreted as a 'second object' to the verb 'take' and not an 'annexment' to the word 'Allah'. This way the verse would not support the Christian view of Christ's deity.
15) Comes in clouds:
The Qur'an says,
"Will they wait until Allah comes to them in canopies of clouds?" (Surah 2:210)
Ibn El-Fadl El-Hadathi said that this verse referred to Christ who would come back on the Last Day on clouds. He also interpreted the following verse as referring to Christ too,
"And thy Lord cometh, and His angels, rank upon rank" (Surah 89:22)
16) In the Quran we read many Prophets including Mohammed asking the forgiveness of his faults. However no where does it state that Jesus ever
had to ask for forgiveness of his faults.
17) How could an innocent person die for sinners? "No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another" (Surah 17:15)
I was trying to refute the idea of 'Sacrificial Death' when I came across the following verse in the Qur'an,
"And remember Moses said to his people: 'O my people! Ye have indeed wronged yourselves by your worship of the calf: So turn (in repentance) to your Maker, and slay yourselves (the wrong-doers); that will be better for you in the sight of your Maker." (Surah 2:54)
I read Ibn Kathir's interpretation of this verse. He said that the Israelites wanted to repent of their sin of worshipping the calf, but God did not accept their repentance. When Moses mediated, God told him to tell the Israelites that the only way to get forgiveness was that each man should kill everybody he met. It is said that they put on blindfolds so they would not have mercy on their families but would have the courage to obey God's order . Ibn Kathir said that at least seventy thousands were killed that day, and blood ran like a stream. When God saw it was enough, He told Moses to tell the Israelites to stop. God accepted their repentance through the blood of those who died . If someone did not worship the calf and died as atonement for those who did, why would we reject the idea that the sinless Christ died for sinners, and that He was still alive?
18) Also in the quran verse 157 of sura Nisa'ah can be interpreted in many different ways. It is true...they (the Jews) did not kill him neither crucified him....because the Romans did. Also it was made to appear to them. How do we know that he didn't die and hence wasn't crucifed ? That's because he appeared again on Sunday Morning!!
19) Behold! Allah said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee SUPERIOR to those who reject faith, TO THE DAY OF RESURRECTION: Then shall ye all return unto Me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute." S. 3:55
O ye who believe! Be ye helpers of Allah: as said Jesus the son of Mary to the Disciples, "Who will be my helpers to (the work of) Allah?" Said the Disciples, "We are Allah's helpers!" then a portion of the Children of Israel believed, and a portion disbelieved: But We gave power to those who believed against their enemies, AND THEY BECAME THE ONES THAT PREVAILED. S. 61:14
Noted Muslim commentator Ibn Kathir's statements are most interesting. Commenting on S. 3:55, he writes:
"This is what happened. When Allah raised 'Isa to heaven, his followers divided into sects and groups. Some of them believed in what Allah sent 'Isa as, a servant of Allah, His Messenger, and the son of His female-servant.
However, some of them went to the extreme over 'Isa, believing that he was the son of Allah. Some of them said that 'Isa was Allah Himself, while others said that he was one of a Trinity. Allah mentioned these false creeds in the Qur'an and refuted them. The Christians remained like this until the third century CE, when a Greek king called, Constantine, became a Christian for the purpose of destroying Christianity. Constantine was either a philosopher, or he was just plain ignorant. Constantine changed the religion of 'Isa by adding to it and deleting from it. He established the rituals of Christianity and the so-called Great Trust which is in fact the Great Treachery. He also allowed them to eat the meat of swine, changed the direction of the prayer that 'Isa established to the east, built churches for 'Isa, and added ten days to the fast as compensation for a sin that he committed, as claimed. So the religion of 'Isa became the religion of Constantine, who built more than twelve thousand churches, temples and monasteries for the Christians as well as the city that bears his name, Constantinople (Istanbul). THROUGHOUT THIS TIME, the Christians had the upper hand and dominated the Jews. ALLAH AIDED THEM AGAINST THE JEWS BECAUSE THEY USED TO BE CLOSER TO THE TRUTH THAN THE JEWS, even though both groups were and still are disbelievers, may Allah's curse descend on them." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 2, Parts 3, 4, & 5 (Surat Al-Baqarah, Verse 253, to Surat An-Nisa, Verse 147), abridged by a group of scholars under the supervision of Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors Riyadh, Houston, New York, Lahore; First Edition: March 2000], p. 171; bold and capital emphasis ours; cf. online edition)
Another renowned commentary, Al-Qurtubi, says of Surah 61:14:
It was said that THIS VERSE was revealed about the apostles of Jesus, may peace and blessing be upon him. Ibn Ishaq stated that of the apostles and disciples that Jesus sent (to preach) there were Peter AND PAUL who went to Rome; Andrew and Matthew who went to the land of the cannibals; Thomas who went to Babel in the eastern lands; Philip who went to Africa; John went to Dac-sos which is the tribe to whom the sleepers of the cave belonged; Jacob went to Jerusalem; Bartholomew went to the lands of Arabia, specifically Al-Hijaz; Simon who went to the Barbarians; Judas and Barthas who went to Alexandria and its surrounding regions.
Allah supported them (the apostles) with evidence so that they prevailed (thahirin) meaning they became the party with the upper hand. Just as it is said, "An object appeared on the wall" meaning it is clearly visible (alu-wat) on the wall. Allah, who is glorified and exalted, knows the truth better and to Him is the return and retreat. (Source; translated into English by Dimitrius, bold and capital emphasis ours)
A Muslim may wish to argue that these verses refer to Muhammad and the Muslims as those who truly believe in Christ and dominate till the Resurrection Day. This explanation fails to resolve the issue. The passages do not say that Christ's followers would only prevail from the time of Muhammad's advent, but from the time that Christ was taken to God and unto the Day of Resurrection.
Ma-as Salaam
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