But that's contestable

Kay 17:

But that's contestable

Well, if you want to contest it you will have to provide historical proof. There is enough to show that Ismail and his mum settled in mecca even from other sources like the Biblical sources.

If they settled there, then building a house there for God is very likely.

Abraham and Isaac are considered to be mythical figures as Oduduwa and Zeus.

Muslim women have informed me that they cover themselves so as to appear modest and to avoid attracting lustful attention. I thus wonder about Muslim men. What precautions do the brethren’s take to make sure that they are also not objects of lust?

^Your question has a wide answer. However, let me say that Allah prescribes that men and women 'lower their gaze.' That means that you don't go looking at women as a man and you don't go looking at men as a woman. That is why in countries where Sharia is practised their is no free-mixing of men and women. A woman may interact with her close male relatives like father, brother, uncle, nephew and a few others but outside this group. She is prevented from inter-mingling with men with additional exceptions after marriage being her husband, her children and a few others.

I am sure tbaba will do a better job. I am just butting-in on mobile and I am also sleepy #Joking.

However, I have stated the basic principle.

@tbaba,
You are doing a great job.
May God continue to increase us all in knowledge.

emöfine2: Muslim women have informed me that they cover themselves so as to appear modest and to avoid attracting lustful attention. I thus wonder about Muslim men. What precautions do the brethren’s take to make sure that they are also not objects of lust?

Sorry for the delay, I have been really busy plus i just saw this:

The Quran states:

Surah 24:30-31

30: Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed,God is Acquainted with what they do

i. Believing men are told to keep their eyes away from things that are considered unlawful by lowering their gaze

ii. They are also told to guard their private parts by staying from unlawful acts.

31. And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornmen except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment [i.e., beauty] except to their husbands etc....... And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to God in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.

i. Believing women are also told to lower their gaze.
N
ii. Guard their private parts

iii. An additional requirement to cover up their adornments except to their family and fellow women.

SO why the additional requirement for women?

The Quran states:

O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is God Forgiving and Merciful. (Surah 33:59)

so the Quran presents two reasons

i. That they will be Known::

ii. They are protected from abuse (could be from the gazes of men or otherwise)

So it serves as a statement of identity as well as a protection......

So what restrictions do men have to their dressing?

Just like women cover up, Men have a number of restrictions to their dressing

i. Muslim males are not permitted to wear gold or silk: Only Women wear gold or silk.
The prophet (SAW) said:“These two [gold and silk] are forbidden for the males of my ummah and permissible for the females.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 3640;

ii. It is not permissible to wear thin or see-through clothing that does not conceal the ‘awrah. (The male awrah is from the navel to the knee)

As much as possible the clothing must be kept modest.

@tbaba,
Am sure u don't know what u have done to me. You have been able to brilliantly address some burning
issues on islam bothering my mind. Of particular interest is your convincing explanation on the
quranic verse describing the creation of man from fluid emitted proceeding between the rib and the backbone.
Eversince I came across the verse and the ensuing debate about it on nairaland, my curiousity was agitated
and I set looking for a perfect explanation if truly the quran is the God's word. Am happy your explanation
on the issue was quite logical. God bless you.

shuddyy: @tbaba,
Am sure u don't know what u have done to me. You have been able to brilliantly address some burning
issues on islam bothering my mind. Of particular interest is your convincing explanation on the
quranic verse describing the creation of man from fluid emitted proceeding between the rib and the backbone.
Eversince I came across the verse and the ensuing debate about it on nairaland, my curiousity was agitated
and I set looking for a perfect explanation if truly the quran is the God's word. Am happy your explanation
on the issue was quite logical. God bless you.

@tbaba,
You are doing a great job.
May God continue to increase us all in knowledge.

JazakAllahu Khairan Brothers!!

Whatever is good and correct here is from Allah, whatever is inaccurate is from myself. All thanks and praise be to Allah, the lord of all that exists.

Islamic Thought Series #1: Today we will discuss science and revelation, and we will start with the topic of scientism. Scientism claims that science alone can render truth about the world and reality. It is important to note that Islamic scholarship does not adhere to the view that science is the only method to discover truths about man, life and the universe. In fact, Islamic scholarship views science as a useful method of study which has a limited scope, and should not be solely relied upon when assessing the truth of our existence. This philosophical position is based on various arguments, for example:

1. Science, or more specifically scientism, which is the view that we should believe only what can be proven scientifically, is self-defeating. Scientism claims that a proposition is not true if it cannot be scientifically proven. However, the above claim itself cannot be scientifically proven. Therefore, according to this claim, the claim itself is not true, hence scientism self-defeating.

2. Scientism cannot prove necessary truths like mathematics and logic. For example, "if p implies q, and p, then q" and "3 + 3 = 6" are necessary truths and not merely empirical generalisations. In fact, scientism requires these necessary truths, but it cannot prove them, and any attempt to do so would be tantamount to arguing in a circle.

3. Scientism has a limited scope as it cannot provide a basis for moral truths. For instance, biology or evolution cannot provide rational explanations for the meaningfulness of good and bad. This is because evolution implies that we are just by products of a lengthy biological process, our morals have developed like our ears or teeth. Since evolutionary changes are inventible, moral truths will also change. From this perspective morality has no meaning, as the philosopher of science Michael Ruse aptly states:

"The position of the modern evolutionist . . . is that humans have an awareness of morality . . . because such an awareness is of biological worth. Morality is a biological adaptation no less than are hands and feet and teeth . . . . Considered as a rationally justifiable set of claims about an objective something, ethics is illusory. I appreciate that when somebody says 'Love they neighbor as thyself,' they think they are referring above and beyond themselves . . . . Nevertheless, . . . such reference is truly without foundation. Morality is just an aid to survival and reproduction, . . . and any deeper meaning is illusory . . ." [Michael Ruse. Evolutionary Theory and Christian Ethics in The Darwinian Paradigm. Routledge. 1989, pages 262, 268 - 9.]

Hamza Andreas Tzortzis

tbaba1234: @ frosbel:

Would you please kindly respect my request to stay off this thread? You and I would have a proper discussion at a later time.

Thanks

I would personally love to see a reply to frosbls questions.

Islamic Thought Series #3: Here is an example of the Qur'an not negating established realities.

The Qur’an describes a stage of the developing human embryo with the word ᶜalaqah. This word carries various meanings including: to hang, to be suspended, to be dangled, to stick, to cling, to cleave and to adhere. It can also mean to catch, to get caught, to be affixed or subjoined. [Hans Wehr, page 634.] Other connotations of the word ᶜalaqah include a leech-like substance, having the resemblance of a worm; or being of a ‘creeping’ disposition inclined to the sucking of blood. [An Arabic-English Lexicon. Librairie Du Liban. 1968. Vol. 5, page 2134.]

** Hanging/Suspended: The Connecting Stalk Suspending the Embryo **

Embryologists Barry Mitchell and Ram Sharma explain the ‘hanging’ or ‘suspended’ aspects of the ᶜalaqah stage. They describe the embryo as being:

"connected to the cytotrophoblast by a connecting stalk of extra-embryonic mesoderm (primitive connective tissue). The stalk is the forerunner of the umbilical cord." [Barry Mitchell and Ram Sharma. Embryology: An Illustrated Colour Text. 2nd Edition. Churchill Livingstone. 2009, page 2.]

Interestingly John Allan and Beverley Kramer use the word "suspend" to describe the role of the connecting stalk:

"Caviation of the extra-embryonic mesoderm does not occur at the connecting stalk which remains intact to suspend the developing embryo in the extra-embryonic coelom." [The Fundamentals of Human Embryology. 2nd Edition. Wits University Press. 2010, page 27.]

** Leech/Worm Like Substance: Neurulation & the Folding of the Embryo **

The ᶜalaqah stage suggests the process of neurulation and the initial stages of the folding of the embryo. Neurulation comprises of the formation of the brain and the spinal cord from days 19 to 25 (approx.); and the folding of the embryo involves the head and the tail being brought closer together. The combination of these two physiological changes causes the embryo to resemble a leech-like substance.

- Neurulation

At the end of neurulation the cranial and caudal ends of the neural tube close. The embryo, at this point, becomes leech-like in appearance [For a useful illustration see this animation online: http://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/Movies/larsen/neurul.mov retrieved 15 September 2011, 8:42AM.]

Barry Micthell and Ram Sharma explain the process of neurulation:

"At about 19 days, at the cranial end of the primitive streak, the underlying mesoderm and notochord induce the ectoderm to form the neural plate, which rounds up to form the neural folds. The neural plate enlarges initially at the cranial end. At 20 days, the neural plate in the mid-region of the embryo remains narrowed, but it expands at the caudal end. The plate deepens to form the neural groove from which the neural tube forms. The cranial and caudal ends of the tube are open and are known as the anterior and posterior neuropores; these eventually close." [Embryology: An Illustrated Colour Text. 2nd Edition. Churchill Livingstone. 2009, page 5.]

- Folding of the Embryo

The folding of the embryo is also responsible for forming a leech-like shape, or as embryologists have described; a cylindric or tube-like structure. Embryologists Keith Moore and T. V. N. Persaud suggest that a:

"significant event in the establishment of body form is the folding of the flat trilaminar embryonic disc into a somewhat cylindric embryo. Folding results from the rapid growth of the embryo, particularly the brain and the spinal cord." [Keith L. Moore and T. V. N. Persaud. Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology and Birth Defects. 7th Edition. Saunders. 2008, page 50.]

The tube-like or leech-like structure, as explained by Barry Mitchell and Ram Sharma, is due to:

"longitudinal folding, which occurs between days 21 and 24, result[ing] in … the embryo [bending] so that the head and tail are brought closer together...[to] form a tube-like structure." [Embryology: An Illustrated Colour Text. 2nd Edition. Churchill Livingstone. 2009, page 7.]

- Confirmation from Scientists and Embryologists

Supporting the above view that the embryo resembles a worm or leech-like substance, scientists and embryologists have confirmed this depiction of the embryo by describing it as a "leech" and a "worm". For instance, Dale Layman in Anatomy Demystified describes the embryo as worm-like in appearance:

"Another membrane becomes the yolk sac, which provides nourishment for the early embryo. By 24 days, a connecting stalk appears in the middle of the now worm-like body." [Dale Layman. Anatomy Demystified.2004, page 366.]

Keith Moore concludes:

"The human embryo is truly leech like." [Professor Keith Moore concluded that the embryo looks like a leech. A video of his statement can be found on YouTube at 9 minutes and 16 seconds here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k_EOnv8ZR0. Retrieved 19 January 2012, 10:22.]

Even the outspoken atheist Professor P Z Myers comments:

"it looks more like a worm" [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/04/sunday_sacrilege_an_embryo_is.php]

For more information please see the interesting essay here:

http://islampapers.files./2012/02/embryology_in_the_qur_an-the_e28098alaqah_stage.pdf.

Islamic Thought Series #4: Today let us discuss skepticism as a philosophy, and see whether it is coherent. From an Islamic perspective, truth is objective and knowable. For instance, in the Islamic tradition God is The-Truth (al-Haq in Arabic), and the religion of Islam has been described as "The Religion of Truth" (deen al-Haq in Arabic). The Qur'an also highlights that truth does exist and can be known:

"And those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord." 2:26
"And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know it." 2:42
"The truth is from your Lord, so never be among the doubters." 2:147
"But your people have denied it while it is the truth." 6:66
"He brings forth the living from the dead, and it is He Who brings forth the dead from the living. Such is Allah, then how are you deluded away from the truth?" 6:95

The question of truth has perplexed the mind of nearly every human being that has lived on this planet. What is truth? How do we get to know truth? Is there such a thing as truth? This type of thinking dates back to the ancient Greek Philosopher Socrates, as a young man he endlessly questioned and sought after the truth.

However, in our day and age we do not really think about concepts such as truth. We may have argued, “tell me the truth!” if we suspect our friends of betrayal, or we “swear to tell the truth” in a court of law, but when it comes to our existence, and questioning what it means to be a human being, we forget about truth and adopt skepticism as a philosophy. Skepticism answers in the negative the following question: can we know anything? It essentially implies the belief that the truth about life and the universe will never be known.

Founded by Pyrrho of Elis, Skepticism was advocated and put into writing by the Greek Philosopher Sextus Empiricus who was the first to detail and codify the doctrine. This school of philosophy is common in today’s society, however, its approach regarding truth is unwarranted because we can discover it, and one of the ways to do so is by endless, insistent questioning.

Socrates was great at questioning and by doing so he would bring his opponents to realise the truth, and this is because he believed the truth was already within us. For example, there are many universal principles that we can never deny, and to deny them would deny knowledge itself. For instance, we know that half of something is less than its whole, and we know the truth of the fact that all fathers are men, also logical truths are necessary such as "if p implies q, and p, then q" or "1 + 3 = 4". These innate ideas and concepts are known in epistemology as 'a priori', which means knowledge or independent from experience or truths that are available independent of empirical justification.

From a practical perspective the skeptic’s position is untenable, because we know the truth of the laws of physics that enable bridges to withstand heavy loads, including the laws that keep boats afloat. If a skeptical position was assumed when building our houses, would we agree to implement the architect’s design?

The Polish Philosopher Leszek Kolakowski writes “We might say: well, since we know nothing, what is the point of constructing theories that have no foundation? But if philosophers and scholars had seriously attempted to achieve such self-satisfied serenity, would they have been able to build our civilization? Would modern physics have been invented…?” So there are some universal truths that we can feel secure in accepting, and the way to find out further truths is to use these universal truths as a starting point, which is called epistemic foundationalism in the language of philosophy.

The importance of truth has been emphasized by many thinkers past and present. Plato the ancient Philosopher said “And isn't it a bad thing to be deceived about the truth, and a good thing to know what the truth is? For I assume that by knowing the truth you mean knowing things as they really are.” So why is the search for truth important? The significance of truth is not only intuitive; it is something that gives us a sense of reality, that things are real. In absence of truth life on occasions can seem unreal and illusory in a certain sense. Additionally, many psychologists have acknowledged that human beings want to be right and seek to learn from social norms when they are unsure about things, this psychological process is known as ‘Normative and Informational Social Influence’, in this view the search for truth is very important as it has the possibility of shaping who we are or the person we want to be.

Another way of looking at this is that not searching for truth is tantamount to lying to ourselves, or even accepting a lie, because anything other than truth will be accepting it’s opposite. So the search for truth would be a means of trying to be more sincere with our own existence, as we would be seeking to establish the truth of who we are and the life we are living. Finally, holding on to the skeptical view that there is no truth is self-defeating, because the claim that there is no truth is actually a truth claim, so how can anyone claim that skepticism is true but everything else is not? This is the inconsistency of the skeptical view; a skeptic would claim the truth of skepticism but would deny all other truths!

Islamic Thought Series #5: Today let us discuss "The Problem of Evil". Before we discuss the main premises of the argument I want to highlight that this argument is probabilistic. What this means is that "The Problem of Evil" is an argument that weighs up all the evil and gratuitous suffering in the world and concludes that since there is a lot of evil and unnecessary suffering, it is highly unlikely that a good all-Powerful God exists. The philosophical irony of this argument is that if the one who advocates this contention does so based upon the unlikelihood of a good all-Powerful God existing - due to the amount of evil and unnecessary suffering in the world - then they should except the existence of a cosmic designer! This is due to the fact that the design argument is based on the same reasoning: probability [see "Additional Notes" at end of this post].

The problem of evil presents its premises as follows:

1. A good God that is omnipotent exist
2. Evil exists
3. Therefore a good God that is omnipotent doesn’t exist

H. J. McCloskey in his article ‘God and Evil’ summarises the problem well,
“Evil is a problem for the theist in that a contradiction is involved in the fact of evil, on the one hand, and the belief in the omnipotence and perfection of God on the other.”[3]

The first point that needs to be made is that statements (1) and (2) are not logically inconsistent as there is no apparent contradiction. For the atheist to jump to the conclusion that a good all-Powerful God doesn’t exist is an unwarranted, unless he has assumed, in some hidden premises.

These hidden premises seem to be the following:

4. If God is all-Powerful, then he can create any world he wants
5. If God is good, then he should prefer a world without evil

Statement (4) suggests that since God can create and do anything, then he can create free human beings who always decide to do the right thing and do not fall into evil or suffering. Statement (5) suggests that God is so good that if he could create a world without evil and suffering he would. Otherwise he would himself be evil to prefer that humans experience evil and suffering.

However, these hidden premises make some brave assumptions; firstly it assumes God is just good and all-Powerful. Secondly it assumes that God doesn’t have any reasons to permit evil and suffering in the world.

In response to the first assumption, Islamic theology does not maintain that God is just good and all-Powerful. Muslims believe that part of God’s names and attributes include ‘the Just’, ‘the Severe in Punishment’, ‘the Wise’, ‘the Loving' and ‘the Compassionate’, amongst many others. So statements (1, 4 and 5) are inaccurate as the Muslim does not reduce God to parts, rather God is seen as one and unique in context of all his names and attributes. So if God was just good and all-Powerful, then there may be problem in reconciling suffering and evil in the world. However if you include attributes such as ‘the Wise’, these problems would not exist. Because perceived evil and suffering in the world can be due to, God’s wisdom, as there may be divine wisdom in permitting evil and suffering. Even if we can’t evaluate what the wisdom is, it doesn’t mean it is not there. To argue such a thing would be a logical fallacy, known as the argument from ignorance. The story of Khidr which can be found in the 18th chapter of Qur’an from verses 65 to 82 is an eloquent account of how God’s wisdom, whether understood or not, has positive results and benefits for humanity.

In addition to this the Muslim can argue that the problem of evil is logically posterior to the existence of God. You need to establish that God exists first before attempting to reconcile who God is with our perception of reality, in this case, evil and suffering.

A sufficient response to the second assumption would be to provide a strong argument that God has reasons to permit suffering and evil in the world. The intellectual richness of Islamic Theology provides us with many reasons, some of which include:

1. The primary purpose of the human being is not happiness rather it is to know and worship God (which provides true inner happiness and contentment). This fulfilment of the divine purpose will result in everlasting bliss and happiness. So if this is our primary purpose other aspects of human experience our secondary. The Qur’an, the book of the Muslims states: “I did not create either jinn or man except to worship Me.” [5]

2. God also created us for a test, and part of this test is to be tested with suffering and evil. The Qur’an mentions “The One Who created death and life, so that He may put you to test, to find out which of you is best in deeds: He is the all-Almighty, the all-Forgiving” [6]

3. Having hardship and suffering enables us to realise and know God’s attributes such as ‘the Victorious’ and ‘the Healer’. For example without the pain and suffering of illness we would not appreciate the attribute of God being ‘the Healer’. Knowing God is a greater good, and worth the experience of suffering or pain as it will mean the fulfilment of our primary purpose.

4. Suffering allows 2nd order good. 1st order good is physical pleasure and happiness and 1st order evil is physical pain and sadness. 2nd order goodness is elevated goodness such as courage and can only happen if a 1st order evil, such as cowardice, exists. [7]

5. People can also suffer from past, present or future sins. God has knowledge of everything which is not contingent on time. Please refer to the story of Khidr in the Qur’an where it mentions Khidr’s reply to Prophet Moses “All this was done as a mercy from your Lord. What I did was not done by my own will. That is the interpretation of those actions which you could not bear to watch with patience.”[8]

6. God has given us free will, and free will includes choosing evil acts. [9] In absence of free will morality or even doing good would not make any sense. Imagine someone putting a gun to your head and tells you to give charity. Would your charity have any true value or meaning?

Islamic theology however provides the conceptual ‘tools’ necessary for the Muslim to overcome this problem to. Islamic theology is derived from two main sources, the Qur’an and the hadith literature. The Qur’an is a divine book that Muslims believes to be the word of God, and the hadith are divinely inspired statements attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The following verses from the Qur’an and sayings from hadith provide all the necessary comfort for the Muslim.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“Amazing is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affair is good and this is not for no one except the believer. If something of good/happiness befalls him he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him he is patient and that is good for him.” [10]

“Anyone who dies of the plague is a martyr. Anyone who dies of a stomach illness is a martyr. Anyone who drowns is a martyr.” [11]

“There are seven classes of martyrs except the one who is killed while fighting in the cause of God: one who dies in plague is a martyr; one who dies due to drowning is a martyr; one who is killed of Zat al-Janb disease (a disease that attacks ribs and causes inner ulcerations) is a martyr; one who dies of diseases of stomach is a martyr; one who is killed by fire is a martyr; one who is crushed under a wall is a martyr; and a woman who dies while delivery (or pregnancy) is a martyr.” [12]

“No calamity befalls a Muslim but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the prick he receives from a thorn.” [13]

The Qur’an says,

“Do you think that you will enter paradise without any trials while you have known the examples of those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with suffering and adversity and were so violently shaken up that even the Prophet and the believers with him cried out: ‘When will God’s help come?’ Be aware, God’s help is close.” [14]

“Surely with every difficulty there is relief. Surely with every difficulty there is relief.” [15]

“Let there rise from among you a band of people who should invite to righteousness, enjoin good and forbid evil: such are the one, who shall be successful.” [16]

Since the Muslim is intellectually convinced that these statements are from God, then it follows they are truth claims that not only comfort the Muslim, but fills his heart with tranquillity.

I am sure there are many other great arguments so please discuss and share them with me.

References

[1] Avin Plantinga. God, Freedom and Evil. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1977, p 7.
[2] David Hume. Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, part 10.
[3] “God and Evil” Philosophical Quarterly, X (1960), p 97.
[4] J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. IVP Academic, p 538.
[5] Qur’an 51:56-57
[6] Qur’an 67: 2
[7] Although this is contended by some philosophers such as John Mackie, philosopher Avin Plantinga provides an interesting response in his book God, Freedom and Evil.
[8] Qur’an 18:82
[9] This requires an in-depth discussion which will be discussed in another article
[10] Saheeh Muslim
[11] Ibid.
[12] Narrated Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah
[13] Saheeh Bukhari
[14] Qur’an 2:214
[15] Qur’an 94:5-6
[16] Qur’an 3:104

Additional Notes

The existence of a universe that permits human life is due to conditions and constants that must have been fined-tuned to a degree that is beyond comprehension. In light of this, there are only three possible explanations for this fine tuning: physical necessity, chance or design.

The first option is irrational. There is just no reason why these constants and quantities should have the values that they do. As P. C. W. Davies explains:
“Even if the laws of physics were unique, it doesn’t follow that the physical universe itself is unique…the laws of physics must be augmented by cosmic initial conditions…there is nothing in present ideas about ‘laws of initial conditions’ remotely to suggest that their consistency with the laws of physics would imply uniqueness. Far from it…it seems, then, that the physical universe does not have to be the way it is: it could have been otherwise.”

Additionally if anyone was to take the view that the fine-tuning of the universe to permit human life is due to physical necessity, it would imply that it would be impossible to have a universe not fit for life! However physicists maintain that the universe in which we live didn’t have to be the way that it is, and there could have been many other universes that did not permit human life.

Concerning chance, some people who do not understand the impossibility of the universe coming into being by chance exclaim, “It could have happened by chance!” However would they say chance explains how an elephant was sleeping in their garage overnight? Or how a helicopter ended up parked in their garden? Even after these responses, they still hold on to the theory that the universe can exist due to chance. In response to this I would argue that it is not just about chance but something the theorists such as William Dembski call “specified probability.”

Specified probability is a probability that also conforms to an independent pattern. To illustrate this, imagine you have a monkey in a room for twenty-four hours, typing a way on your laptop. In the morning you enter the room and you see, “To be or not to be!” The monkey has miraculously written out a part of a Shakespearian play! What you may have expected is random words such as “house,” “car,” and “apple.” However, in this case not only have you seen the improbability of typing English words – but they also conform to the independent pattern of English grammar! To accept this is just the result of blind chance would be irrational and counter discourse, as anyone can claim anything from this perspective. To put this in to context, British mathematicians have calculated that if a monkey did type on a laptop at every possible moment, it would take 28 Billion years (!!!) to produce “To be or not to be”. In conclusion, accepting the chance hypothesis is tantamount to rejecting the existence of our own universe!

In light of the above it is far more reasonable to maintain that supernatural design is the best explanation for the fine-tuning of the universe to permit human life.

tbaba1234: I look through the religion section of Nairaland, and all i see are attacks against islam

I am creating this thread for non-muslims and muslims; who have genuine questions about Islam. I will do my best to provide logical answers Insha Allah.

Frosbel and Aloy-emeka should please avoid this thread.

I hope this helps create a better understanding,

Salam Aleikum

I am new on NL but i have questions to ask.I don't know if there is/are anybody muslim brother who can help me solve my questions? These are my questions.

1 Why did muslims always face sun or kahaba when they wanted to slaughter ram,goat or chicken?
2 Did Muhammed ever worship idol that his father and grandfather worshiped?
3 What is the name of idol that Muhammed's father worshiped?
4 What is the reason behind God commandment concerning stonny of adultrers in sharia?
5 If a woman or man committed adultery and was stoned to death, which place is the man stoned is going between hell and paradise?
6 Did God have pleasure in the death of wickeds?
7Why is it that Muslims did not follow the commandment (torah) God gave to Isrealite through Moses (Musa)?
8 What is arabic name for sun?

@frosbel(m): 1 month & 24 days
Jesus As The Way, The Truth, And The Life:

Who was the way to the Ship that God saved and salvation to the people who didn't perish in the flood at the time of Noah [the man who is actually the second Adam [as], if there is anyone we can call that]? You will agree with me that those who were not in that ship got perished and did not enter neither the christian or jewish heaven nor muslim paradise because they disobeyed Noah's instructions to them. Or can you say that they entered your heaven, if you are sincere; did Jesus play any role in either the peril of these people or the salvation of Noah and the people in the ship with him? Please give us facts from your Bible because there is none in the Quran that Jesus did anything. I can safely say that we will not find anything in the Taurah of the jews about the role of Jesus in the time of Noah.

An Examination of John 14:6 In Light Of Muslim Claims by Sam Shamoun

If this role is exclusively that of Jesus, shouldn't this same verse be mentioned by each of the 4 gospel versions? Are they not all telling us the best of Jesus qualities, yet its 1 of 4 that tell us about this while all of them mentioned his killing/slaughter. Which is more important or a bigger factor to all of us; his killing by his enemies or that he is the way for all to success? I am asking because the value is not really expressed and one wonders why, except that it may just be a fabrication. I am going to say it is a fabrication until I am proven wrong, by someone telling me how is Jesus the way to the forgiven Adam, Eve, the sinless John, his father, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, etc, ELijah, Elisha, Ezra? Why was Jesus not the way to the killer Cain or did he lead him to heaven after killing his brother? Or did he lead Ishmael to hell even though he did not commit any crime?

It is not uncommon to find Muslims explaining John 14:6 in light of Islamic theology. The reason being is that to allow John 14:6 to speak for itself would refute the Muslim claims that there are no explicit references made by Jesus in the New Testament where he claims to be God. The passage itself reads:
"Jesus said to him, `I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"

Through me shows that he was not the end, but God is The End. But was not Moses the way, the truth and the life, between the perished Pharaoh who refused to follow him, instead pursued him instead, and the saved children of Israel who crossed the sea as they followed the leadership of Moses? Or are you saying these people were not humans or Moses was Jesus or what role did Jesus play in this matter? We are allowing the verse to speak for itself, since it is alone here. John needs to explain himself, while we will not bother Mark, Matthew and Luke because none of them made this outrageous claim.

Muslims assert that there is nothing explicit in Jesus' statement. For instance, Muslims claim that all prophets were the way, the truth and the life since they conveyed the only true religion from God to men. Hence, they were the only way to God since any other message that contradicted theirs would be false. Typical of such a view is Dr. Jamal Badawi. In one of his programs, Badawi claims:

In fact this was an answer given by Jesus to Thomas when he asked him the way. This statement has nothing to do with the divinity of Jesus, if we refer to John 14:7, if you had known me you would have known my father also. In the context of this statement, we can understand what Jesus meant when he said that he was the way, the truth, and the light. Whoever knows, obeys, and follows me knows and obeys God because it is He who sent me. This statement attributed to Jesus applies to every Prophet and messenger because the Prophet is not following his own whim or ideas, he is following the revelation of God. (Source)

In light of Badawi's claims we will examine John 14:6 and ask the following questions. Is it true that Jesus' statement simply meant that he conveyed God's truth to man like the other true prophets of God? Does any other prophet apply these specific titles to describe himself the way Jesus did? Did Muhammad believe or claim to be an infallible guide like Jesus, and hence it can be said that he also was the way, the truth and the life?

Sam or Frosbel should tell us if the truth conveyed by each prophet to the audience he spoke to is less Truth or it has any deficiency compared to the truth conveyed by Jesus to his audience? Did Jesus say the messages of the prophets before him are now irrelevant to his followers, even though he lived under the same messages and the laws of these past prophets? Are we to say that Jesus warning to all his listeners and those who will come after them that no one shall abrogate or encourages even a jot of those laws and the prophets be abrogated not enough pointer to you; jews and the "followers" of Jesus through the disciples must also be christlike as regarding the laws and the prophets? Where therefore is your listening to Jesus when you now abrogate/abolish the laws and prophets rendering them useless because you now say both are nailed to the cross with the "accursed"? Every monotheistic religion, including christianity says it is Abrahamic.


It also says that Abraham is Friend of God. Further the jews and christians say that God spoke to Moses directly, even face to face, and even see some part of God if not the Whole. Jews and Christians also believe that Jacob wrestled with God and declared him a winner, overcoming God as well as man in the event. If I stop here to ask Frosbel if he truly can tell me which is the true Abrahamic religion of the 3 and why? Further are the other prophets, even Jesus not Friend of God, considering the fact that you claim Jesus is God; should he not be a friend of himself? Didn't God talk to Jesus face to face, even to the 12 disciples, the woman at the water well, etc, including many jews in Jerusalem, Galille, Nazareth, even Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Margalline, even the governor of Israel, since you say Jesus was the Christian God? I know the Bible have Gods; all the children of Israel are Gods, the Bible declares.


We will have to say that the Bible is alluding to Jacob as father of God here. Definitely, the Bible is saying the Children of Israel are Gods. You can not dispute this. Jesus even made this statement to the jews, unless you wanna disagree with him? So now, is Jesus the only way to God, when he also said that all the children of Israel are Gods? Reality is different from fantasy; who is correct; you or Jesus? When is Jesus correct; You are Gods or I am the only way to God [you oh children of Israel]? Are we to assume that one of them is correct hence Jesus lied or that both of them are incorrect because they were made up by somebody who heaped them on the lips of Jesus? And as to Muhammad [as], the Quran declared him as the "messenger" of God. This is not to say there is no other messengers before him. That was his title of honor, however as Jesus was called Massiah [anointed/wiped over] because all prophets of God were anointed. Even the anti-christ is anointed/wiped over in not a good way. Muhammad [as] however is declared by the Quran as the "seal" cap/flap/cover, etc of prophets.


So there is no prophet and definitely messenger after him. This goes to show that the one expected to come after Jesus, who Jesus described as the comforter who will hear and say what he hears from God is Muhammad [as]. If you have any explanation to disprove me, please bring it forward while you explain how the other entity heard from God and say what he heard, including all the functions he was to performed at the time he will appear to listeners, followers and communities. Jesus said he will return immediately before he left. You are still expecting him in the light of the "immediately", we have to say Muhammad [as] came at the expected him because he was able to correct mistakes, led to all truth, provide more information as Jesus had left some information without given all to the people of little faith he dealt with. Jesus said the hour is near; that was over 2000 years ago and Alhamdulillah the hour had not came when Muhammad [as] arrived to correct mistakes and fulfilled the functions of the another comforter.


Finally Quran declared that the religion under Muhammad [as] is perfect and a favor on man and if any chooses any other religion/way it will rejected and shall not be accepted. This is to be indicating that from that point on, Muhammad [as], is the way, the life the truth and no one goes to God upon knowing this about Muhammad, except such a person does by following Muhammad [as]. This is pretty straight forward. What do you say, frosbel?

First, it must be stated that Jesus' words do not simply mean that he pointed the way to heaven and conveyed God's true religion to man. Jesus was making claims that only God could make and which no other prophet would dare claim. For instance, Jesus claimed to be the Life, a quality which is predicated to God alone throughout the Holy Bible:

God would not say "No one comes to the father, but through me"! And about life; Quran declares that believers should hurry to Muhammad [as] when he calls them as that in itself as they listen and obey him will give them life.

"That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." Deuteronomy 30:20 KJV

In the New Testament, we read "Jesus Your Servant who You sent". This simply tells us the position of Jesus. Jesus said "Your Lord and my Lord, your God and my God".

"And Joshua said, "Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Per'izzites, the Gir'gashites, the Amorites, and the Jeb'usites." Joshua 3:10

Was Jesus among them, then? He wasn't. Prove me wrong.

"For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light do we see light." Psalm 36:9

"The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death." Proverbs 14:27

Frosbel, where is Jesus here? These were conversation about God, not about Jesus, His Servant who He sent much much later.

"But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. Jeremiah 10:10

The bold tells us Jesus is not God because according to sam, Jesus died and he also did not have a reign over any nation. Please provide proofs that I am wrong. Further, you believe that Jesus meek, not angry. So how does he have any "WRATH"? Earth quakes because of the wrath of the one that has no wrath, loving sinners and sinless/believers the same way?

According to the scriptures, Yahweh is the only source of life and is the only true God. Yet, both Jesus and his followers claimed that Christ is the source of life and that he is the true God:

[/quote]This is so untrue, as the one created can not be the source of life more than my father and mother being the source of life of their children? Are they really the source of my life, but God is, Ultimately? Imagine Jesus being the source of the life of Mary, his virgin mother, whose source of life was her parents? Imagine who is the source of life of Adam the father of all mankind; Jesus, son of Joseph, Jesus son of David, Jesus son of Abraham, Jesus son of God [4 different fathers] or God Almighty the Creator?

"In him was life, and the life was the light of men." John 1:4

Before Jesus there was life; All of in spiritual life and Adam and Eve in physical life. How honest is John?

"Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself, Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment." John 5:25-26, 28-29

The bold says hour; over 2000 years now and the hour has not arrived. Imagine how many minute was 610 years after the counting to the hour? It was just minutes. No wonder Muhammad [as] came to correct all the lies heaped on Jesus [as]. But is it possible for God to be granted life by Another God? Are there more than 1 God that you can have another, unless someone who is no God is tagged as God? Yes. The story of Jesus is a tag; a servant. Yes. The God. No.

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:23-26

Moses brought a stick to become snake; completely 2 different things. The snake of Moses then ate all the other "snakes" and then Moses returned it to its former state; stick. Which is a greater miracle; merely raising a dead man to life or making a dry stick to an active live snake that ate all other snakes and then returned to stick?

But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Author of life, [b]whom God raised from the dead. [/b]To this we are witnesses." Acts 3:14-15

The bold proves that Jesus was not the Author of life, but God Who "Raised him" is, for there is no death for the Author of life. Yet those raised were dead before the Author of life raised them.

"When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:4

All the writers are already dead, though they were expecting Jesus to appear to rapture them. What is ironic about all of these is that Jesus himself never said any of them for he does not know even the hour, neither do the Angels, but God Almighty Alone knows.

"The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners; but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Timothy 1:15-17

The writer of Timothy never met him; had no direct authority from Jesus or God Who sent Jesus His slave. Jesus took instructions from God. Who did the writer of the above verse take instruction from, except writing his own desire, the reason for corruption which proves that it is not 100% word of God and another comforter like previous comforters must come to steer people to truth for the last time. Or was the writer of Timothy the another comforter, if you know what he corrected, please tell us? I know what another comforter corrected; Trinity is wrong. God is One without Jesus or Holy Spirit being God.

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life- the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:1-3

The writer of John is not a disciple, so how was he sure it was from the beginnig when he was not there prior to or at the beginning? How was he able to hear, be an eyewitness, looked and touched? If John was correct there would not have been many different "according to" gospels and definitely John will not be different from the other 3 Gospels. In fact it should have been 11 Gospels or 12; each a carbon copy of the other, since Jesus "Gospel" would have been the blue print/original or master Gospel, making all the 12 or 13 exactly alike. Further the Trinity is destroyed by the last 8 words of the verse.

"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." 1 John 5:20

Son whose mother is not the wife of the father has a name in my language; so there is a title for such parents. How many sons or begotten sons had the father? Is somebody not making up this idea? Can there be a proof otherwise?

Hence, Jesus does not simply point one to life, but he is the very eternal life itself that came from heaven to become man for our salvation. It is only through him that one inherits this life.

Life source does not die, the reason God does not die. Jesus died according to the Christian Bibles to show that he is not God. But death is not the only thing that makes God Unique; God does not pray or beg or depend on any. Jesus did each of these to show that he was not God. The Christian says Jesus came from heaven as if he jumped down [remember that the christians alsways say Quran was thrown, even though they know thing that honorable came from heaven does not have to be on earth in dishonorably way [Quran was brought by Jibril [as] as revelation spanning 23 years till the end of the life of the receiver, Muhammad [as]], forgetting that I accept that he came from heaven like all prophets among the children of Adam came from heaven, while their father and his wife Eve came down, descending after they have been expelled from paradise. Jesus was a fetus [like every fetus in the womb of mother] in the womb of Virgin Mary. He was delivered through birth canal; with all the blood, etc afterbirth. Suckled, learned to eat solid food, etc until he was able to go through life stages like every one of us. Is this God the Author of life? Absolutely not. Even Adam came out as fully matured. So was lady Eve, ready to be parents. And at long last their progeny gave birth to Abraham the father of Jesus. Gave birth to David the father of Jesus. Gave birth to Joseph the father of Jesus. Did God give birth to Abraham or David or Joseph, each being the father of Jesus? If Jesus is son of God, what is Abraham or David or Joseph, each being the father of Jesus? Are Abraham or David or Joseph and "Jesus" brothers David also the grandfather of Jesus since he is also the father of Joseph? Is God the son of David if God is the father of Jesus? We see very clearly that a wrong statement brings about many possibilities to disprove it.

Furthermore, not only is God the source of life but he himself is the truth according to the Bible:

Is there a dispute about this? No. The dispute comes when you claim that Jesus is source of life or Jesus is God when we read that he is a servant sent as a prophet or claiming that Jesus is son of God when you can't claim that Mary is wife of God. But you know that a child born by a woman out of wedlock is a bastard. God has no reason to have a child but it is His Right to create, creating in any fashion He pleases; with or without father or with or without resources.

"Then they said to Jeremiah, `May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us." Jeremiah 42:5

So was Jesus the True and Faithful Witness in this verse? But God sees all. Nothing is hidden from Him. He knows all. Yet Jesus did not know or saw everything.

", they cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?" Revelation 6:10

Were they addressing Jesus the meek and gentle as a dove here or God Almighty Who destroyed the evil people with the flood in the time of Noah, Destroyed Pharaoh by another flood. Destroyed many nations; Hittattites, The Jebusites, even people and animals and crops of the city of Jericho and individual warlord like Goliath. Jesus is not this God. Jesus is meek so much that he was destroyed by evil people. They can't do that to God Who destroys evil people.

Interestingly, this is precisely how Jesus describes himself in the revelation the Apostle John received from Christ:

Unless these people were the "another comforter[s]", we have to believe that what Jesus said about himself while he was physical with them was correct. There is no way John who had little faith when he was with Jesus can now be changing what Jesus said to him and others by what he is now receiving alone. But even Jesus himself in the physical received from God. Why is John not receiving from God directly now? Why all of a sudden Jesus became God, except that people have made him into an idol writing all kinds of things to support this silly idea?

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name’" Revelation 3:7-8

See what has developed by the bold; making Angels out of ordinary man? No surprise prophet based on the miracles performed through his hands by God, he has been made God!

"And to the angel of the church in La-odice'a write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation." Revelation 3:14

Does this make any sense?

We are told that early in Islamic history, one Sufi named Al-Hallaj (858-922 A.D.) made similar claims by saying, "I am the Truth." In 922 A.D. Muslims crucified and branded him a heretic for this claim. The reason that motivated the killing was based on the fact that one of Allah's 99 names is Al-Haqq (The Truth), with another being Al-Hayy (The Living):

And the faces shall be humbled before the Living, the Self-subsistent God, and he who bears iniquity is indeed a failure, Supremely exalted is therefore Allah, the King, the Truth, and do not make haste with the Quran before its revelation is made complete to you and say: O my Lord! increase me in knowledge. S. 20:110, 114 Shakir

Muslims realized that Al-Hallaj's claim of being the Truth was the same as claiming to be God. Hence, for Jesus to claim to be both the Truth and the Life is equivalent to saying that he is God.

Allah is Mumin. Believer is mumin, too. Muhammad [as] is raufun and rahim. Allah is Gafur and Rahim. All Muslims understand the above but disagree with giving the Honor of God to mere mortals; including Jesus, Muhammad [as to both] or anyone, including Melchizedek who had no family, no beginning or end [I guess he is still somewhere here according to the bibles].

Furthermore, in the hadith we discover that Muhammad consistently applied these titles to God alone. One never finds these titles applied to Muhammad:

Quran; Chapter 9 verse 128 says Muhammad [as] is raufun rahim. Allah is Rauf. Rahim. However what Allah is are at least in 99 ways, Uniquely different and Absolute from each of us, including Jesus.

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
The Prophet used to invoke Allah at night, saying, "O Allah: All the Praises are for You: You are the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth. All the Praises are for You; You are the Maintainer of the Heaven and the Earth and whatever is in them. All the Praises are for You; You are the Light of the Heavens and the Earth. Your Word is the Truth, and Your Promise is the Truth, and the Meeting with You is the Truth, and Paradise is the Truth, and the (Hell) Fire is the Truth, and the Hour is the Truth. O Allah! I surrender myself to You, and I believe in You and I depend upon You, and I repent to You and with You (Your evidences) I stand against my opponents, and to you I leave the judgment (for those who refuse my message). O Allah! Forgive me my sins that I did in the past or will do in the future, and also the sins I did in secret or in public. You are my only God (Whom I worship) and there is no other God for me (i.e. I worship none but You)." (Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 482)

The first bold disqualifies Jesus who has not fulfilled his only return to the earth and definitely to the disciples. The second bold applies to Jesus in the Lord's Prayer which he prayed with his disciples in the "Forgive us our sins . . .". Jesus is also applied the third bold to himself as he prayed and worshiped God in his night prayer at Gethsemane.

Narrated Sufyan:

(regarding the above narration) that the Prophet added, "You are the Truth, and Your Word is the Truth." (Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 483)

Muhammad claims that God and his Word are the truth. Furthermore, Muhammad affirms that God is both the Sustainer of the universe and the One who can forgive sins, especially Muhammad's sins. In stark contrast to Muhammad, Jesus never asked for forgiveness but claimed that he is the One that forgives sinners as well as the One who holds the entire universe together. That Jesus was clearly aware that he was sinless becomes apparent from the following passages:

The bold is a wishful thinking of the christians because they conveniently forget that Jesus said the Lord's prayer which includes "seeking forgiveness". Allah says seek forgiveness. Jesus said "forgive us". Who is God between the two and who is servant who must obey all commands and even pray for forgiveness? I don't feel like over doing it, I could have analyze each false statement about Jesus coming from the Christians. Are we not grateful to God for sending to us the prophet, the another comforter who heard and repeated and demonstrated what God said and commanded?

"He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood." John 7:18

Is this not disputing Jesus the one sent as the Sender?

"And he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him, Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?" John 8:29, 46

We see that the Sender is different from the one sent.

Since Jesus is the only one without sin, he alone is qualified to be the Savior from sin:

How do you come to this conclusion?

", she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

Saving people from sin makes the one saving sinless? Muhammad [as] saved his people from the greatest sin of all; idolatry into belief of God The Almighty. Is Muhammad [as] not sinless by your Biblical standard, above?

And when he returned to Caper'na-um after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit [/b]that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk'? [b]But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"- he said to the paralytic- "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!" Mark 2:1-12

No one including Jesus noticed the destruction of the roof, it seems, going to the fact that Jesus didn't know everything. Muhammad [as] confirmed at 10 of his followers to be people of Paradise in their lifetime. He also confirmed some people to be people who will never enter Paradise among the people of Madina. Does any of these make Muhammad [as] The God he worshiped, even though he heard from God and spoke what he heard to man? No. If both can't make him God, can Jesus be God by simply forgiving the sin then, not the sin of the future and definitely not guarantying entry to Paradise. You will therefore notice that both are each in their restrictive roles. Yet neither is God, even if you say the sin of a man is forgiven or greater he enter paradise.

The scribes rightly surmised that only God could forgive sins. If Jesus was not God, he was obligated to clarify his meaning and correct them for misunderstanding his point. Instead, he reinforces their claim by healing the paralytic, something that clearly affirmed his authority to forgive sins.

This is not true because Jesus said he has a God. His disciples said he has a God. There is no way that God will say there is another God apart from Him and those who truly believe in God will say that their God has another God. If either condition occurs, then we have a non God, If both conditions occur we definitely have a non God, too.

They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." John 4:42

How is he the savior of the world? I hope I can have a chance to analyze your "truth".

"If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world." John 12:47

The world here is the children of Israel he was sent by his own statement to shepherd her lost sheep. How was he sent to the igbos, the ebiras, the ibibios, the wolofs, etc?

"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world." 1 John 4:14

When it is impossible to accept, Jesus is not God but son. Yet no one can say Mary is wife of God or that Adam who did not have a mother in addition not having a father is son of God. Adam is a degree higher than Jesus in fatherless and or fatherless creation of human beings. I think the christians forget conveniently the Absolute Ability and Power of God. Including His Absolute Right to create in any way that pleases Him; with or without father. Even with or without mother and father. Even from a small part of a male or female.

"And Jesus came and said to them, `All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.'" Matthew 28:18, 20

Yet satan the accursed was able to tell Jesus the same exact thing about power and or ownership of the earth, when he told Jesus to bow to him. It was bow satan said and Jesus considered it worship. Imagine when Jesus bowed to God all night, yet the christian said Jesus did not worship God.

The fact that all authority in heaven and earth belongs to Christ implies that Jesus sovereignly controls the entire universe:

Satan said to Jesus that he satan was the authority on earth, even over Jesus. Jesus didn't say to him he was the one with the authority, but said God is the Owner of Authority. Who is the liar; the writers telling us Jesus is the owner of authority or Jesus who said God Who is not on earth is? Who is on the side of the accursed satan the liar; the writers who are saying Jesus is the authority or Jesus who said God is the Authority?

", for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities-all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17

The bold is a complete lie. Jesus was even created through virgin Mary his mother, just like I was created through my mother. Did Jesus create anything? If Moses did not create the snake, how did Jesus create anything? If anything was created through Jesus, was the snake not created Moses? Was Jesus better in any significant degree over any prophet? No.

"He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, " Hebrews 1:3

And the Majesty on High is at the left hand of Jesus? See how ridiculous the proposition that someone is putting forth in the Bibles in effort to make Jesus look good, but disrespecting God his Master. Many of you found Jesus but lost God in the process, whereby we in Islam [Alhamdulillah] found God and thereby understand the honored place of Jesus.

Muhammad also denied being the way since he himself prayed to God to constantly guide him on the true path:

How did Muhammad [as] denied being the way just because he prayed to God for guidance on the true path? Didn't Jesus pray the same prayer, at least once that we know about, if not constantly? We must not forget that the followers of Jesus are people of little faith in Jesus and even so in God if we take the word of the Bible for it. Muhammad [as] was surrounded by people who took notes of even minute details of his life knowing fully well that there will never in human history a prophet like him who is the comforter to all. If Jesus prayed once, believe me, it should be accepted that he prayed all the time. Remember the Lord's Prayer? Remember the night vigil at the Gethsemane? These 2 were ways of prophets; praying to God constantly and asking Him for Mercy, Guidance. If only the disciples really had faith based on the Bibles we would have read about the constant night prayers of Jesus. I was talking to friends the other day; I asked how did the slumbering disciples know what Jesus said in his night vigil at Gethsemane, so much so that they were able to note that in that blackness of night his sweat and or tears were like BLOOD? No one answered. Does God Almighty sweat or weep? Impossible and now it is fantastic tale.

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment, Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help. Show us the straight path (Ihdinas Siraatal Mustaqiim), The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray. Pickthall

This is a prayer that is superior and more complete than any other. This is a prayer that comes from sincere servants; those who obey Him. And Allah answers by the whole of Quran; from Baqarah to Naas. All gives the full road map from start to finish of how to reach victory with Him. He provides what to avoid and the benefit of the avoidance by given us the result of those who didn't be fore us.

Muhammad, as do all Muslims, always began his prayer with this chapter, Surat ul-Faitha. The phrase, "Show us the straight path" has been translated differently by various Islamicists:

"Show us the straight way, " Yusuf Ali
"Guide us to the straight path , " N.J. Dawood

"Guide us the straight way , " Muhammad Asad

"Guide us to the Straight Way." Hillali-Khan

"Guide Thou us on the straight path , " J.M. Rodwell

"Guide us along the Straight Road , " T.B. Irving

"Keep us on the right path." Shakir

No matter which of the above translations one accepts, the thing that stands out is that Muhammad could not be the way if he himself needed to be guided on the path. If one accepts the translation of Ali, Dawood, Hillali-Khan and Pickthall, then this implies that Muhammad was uncertain of the path and needed God to constantly guide him on the way. If we accept the translations of Asad, Irving, Rodwell, and Shakir then Muhammad was uncertain of his salvation and feared the possibility that he would fall from the favor of God. This fact is brought out in both the Quran and the hadith:

And surely they had purposed to turn you away from that which We have revealed to you, that you should forge against Us other than that, and then they would certainly have taken you for a friend. And had it not been that We had already established you, you would certainly have been near to incline to them a little; In that case We would certainly have made you to taste a double (punishment) in this life and a double (punishment) after death, then you would not have found any helper against Us. 17:73-75 Shakir

The bold undermines anything the christians could say about the situation of Muhammad [as] about straight path or not. God says He has already established Muhammad [as]. Those who doubt the position of Muhammad [as] therefore doubt God. Muhammad [as] in all intent and purposes is obeying God; then living the perfect example for those who are his followers in the matters of obeying God. A very interesting thing happened in the life of Muhammad that we in Islam use even today; He led asr prayers. He made 2 rakat instead of 4. A man asked if this is the new way to make asr, instead of 4 rakat. Muhammad [as] reentered the salah to make 2 more and then from sitting position made 2 additional prostration [Sajdah sawm; prostration of forgetting]. After he came out of the salah, he told the community that Allah made him forget so that Allah can teach the ummah how to correct their prayers. Muhammad is definitely the perfect end to prophetic office. Hardly anything Jesus did do the christians do today; even what he ate or what he wore or his prophetic way, including keeping the beard, circumcision or the shaving clean of the pubic hairs. We in Islam do these things because before Jesus did it; Abraham, Moses, etc [as] did them and Muhammad [as] stayed on these qualities and told us to do them, too. Is Jesus the way to follow? Not now, but in his time he was. Muhammad [as] is today the way, the light, the truth, the guidance bringer from God. I swear that no one alive today can get to God on the day of Judgment, if he heard about Islam of Muhammad, Quran given to Muhammad and definitely Muhammad ibn Abdallah [as] yet rejecting him for any prophet before Muhammad. Such a person has unknowingly in full ignorance rejected the prophet he thinks he is following. Jesus will reject such a person on the day of Judgment since he already said he will reject some who come to him.

These are very harsh words and seem to assert that Muhammad was uncertain about his role at times.

Just the same way the Bibles make Jesus to be unsure who he was or what his role is; a prophet sent to his tribal people by God or God Who created all? A son of his mother or the Creator who made his mother get pregnant? Muhammad [as] knew who he was and no muslim has a different opinion and still remain a muslim. The christians have groups who say Jesus was only a son and not God. Yet others argue differently. But all are wrong because there is no messenger/prophet with revelation who will claim other than what he was told. And we see that Jesus never claimed he is God, but people claimed it for him; I believe he will deny these people before God.

That Muhammad was uncertain about his destiny, having doubts about his own calling, is further highlighted by the following verses:

I am certain about his destination. Many muslims are certain about their destination. A friend on mine lost his father this past wednesday. The father told his children that if they obey Allah in belief and worship and deeds, they will InshaAllah see him in Paradise. Muhammad [as] told at least 10 of his followers that they will enter paradise. God said that all those who fought along Muhammad [as] in Badr have received forgiveness; they could even do what they want. Yet none of them waiver from obedience because Allah made their hearts firm in obedience.

(It is) a Scripture that is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) - SO LET THERE BE NO HEAVINESS IN THY HEART THEREFROM - that thou mayst warn thereby, and (it is) a Reminder unto believers. S. 7:2 Pickthall

Remember that Allah loves believers. Believers are different from disbelievers only on belief.

And if thou (Muhammad) ART IN DOUBT concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. And be not thou of those who deny the revelations of Allah, FOR THEN WERT THOU OF THE LOSERS. S. 10:94-95 Pickthall

Read the verse, again and note that it is the ending of a story of the trial of the children of Israel and the destruction of Pharaoh. Allah telling Muhammad [as] to ask the people of the Books [previous revelations; Taurah, Sabur and Injil of Moses, David and Jesus [as]] and not the "bibles" of the christians or the books of the jews who have bastardized these revealed texts, to know that this great event took place and perchance. You will see that this "asking" the people of the books actually answers the lies of the Jews and Christians who say Muhammad copied their books or Muhammad was told by people. I bet the story, especially when the Quran says Pharaoh was turning to a believer in the face of death is definitely different from the narratives of the jews and the christians. When the Quran says the body of Pharaoh was saved for future generations to see that is definitely different from what the jews and the christians stand on. Yet it is the facts in the Quran that is 100% about the death and definitely present day discovery of the body of that very Pharaoh in human history.

Say: "I am no bringer of new-fangled doctrine among the messengers, NOR DO I KNOW WHAT WILL BE DONE WITH ME OR WITH YOU. I follow but that which is revealed to me by inspiration; I am but a Warner open and clear." S. 46:9

God told him. He merely repeated it. Remember the another comforter to hear and repeat? That is Muhammad [as].

Muhammmad couldn't guarantee his own salvation, let alone the salvation of others, a point reiterated in the following hadiths:

If Muhammad [as] does not enter Paradise first, Jesus can never enter it. No one that ever walked this earth and or ate ever will lead Muhammad [as] in the matters of Paradise. They will follow him, without any doubt, by Allah.

Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The good deeds of any person will not make him enter Paradise." (i.e., None can enter Paradise through his good deeds.) They (the Prophet's companions) said, 'Not even you, O Allah's Apostle?' He said, "Not even myself, unless Allah bestows His favor and mercy on me." So be moderate in your religious deeds and do the deeds that are within your ability: and none of you should wish for death, for if he is a good doer, he may increase his good deeds, and if he is an evil doer, he may repent to Allah." (Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 70, Number 577)

And Allah has bestowed His FAVOR and MERCY on Muhammad [as]. Muhammad was described as the best example to take. Allah says Muhammad [as] shall succeed. Allah says Muhammad is kindness and forgiveness for believers. Where are these disbelievers going with their insincerity?

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, "The deeds of anyone of you will not save you (from the (Hell) Fire)." They said, "Even you (will not be saved by your deeds), O Allah's Apostle?" He said, "No, even I (will not be saved) unless and until Allah bestows His Mercy on me. Therefore, do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and worship Allah in the forenoon and in the afternoon and during a part of the night, and always adopt a middle, moderate, regular course whereby you will reach your target (Paradise)." (Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 470)

Did Allah bestow His Mercy on Muhammad [as]? Of course. This is different than killing a human being and yet not everyone can escape the wrath of Yahweh.

Narrated 'Um al-'Ala:

An Ansari woman who gave the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet that the Ansar drew lots concerning the dwelling of the Emigrants. 'Uthman bin Maz'un was decided to dwell with them (i.e. Um al-'Ala's family), 'Uthman fell ill and I nursed him till he died, and we covered him with his clothes. Then the Prophet came to us and I (addressing the dead body) said, "O Abu As-Sa'ib, may Allah's Mercy be on you! I bear witness that Allah has honored you." On that the Prophet said, "How do you know that Allah has honored him?" I replied, "I do not know. May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Apostle! But who else is worthy of it (if not 'Uthman)?" He said, "As to him, by Allah, death has overtaken him, and I hope the best for him. By Allah, though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me," By Allah, I will never assert the piety of anyone after him. That made me sad, and when I slept I saw in a dream a flowing stream for 'Uthman bin Maz'un. I went to Allah's Apostle and told him of it. He remarked, "That symbolizes his (good) deeds." (Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 266)

Has ALlah not affirmed success on Muhammad [as] righteous Muslims? Or who the christians; Sam and Frosbel think Paradise in Quran is meant for? Allah's messenger [as] cautioned believers for not following in arrogance and confirm the near future because it has not come. So confirming the result of the day of Judgment is something that only God has control over. Jesus for example wished death for himself according to the Bibles. He designated Judas Iscariot to betray him, instead of just marching forward and safe the guy from betraying him, since this is what the Christians say that Jesus came to do. Yet can anyone of you christians tell me that Judas Iscariot is in Paradise for obeying Jesus to the letter by betraying him? Did Jesus confirm to you that Judas is in Christian heaven, already?

And Muhammad is no more than an apostle; the apostles have already passed away before him; if then he dies or is killed will you turn back upon your heels? And whoever turns back upon his heels, he will by no means do harm to Allah in the least and Allah will reward the grateful. S. 3:144 Shakir

The bold shows that following Muhammad [as] is the only profitable thing to do. Read what follows; Allah will reward the grateful [those who are steadfast in Islam, following Muhammad [as]].

Say: If I err, I err only against my own soul, and if I follow a right direction, it's because of what my Lord reveals to me; surely He is Hearing, Nigh. S. 34:50 Shakir

Is the right direction in the Quran? Yes and Muhammad [as] followed it and lived it so much clear to all who followed his leadership that they recorded and told us everything, as they all agree with right direction in the Quran. We also the greatest of wrong direction which he shunned. Its called shirk.

Interestingly, the Quran provides examples of Muhammad erring and having to repent as a result of it:

Lo! We reveal unto thee the Scripture with the truth, that thou mayst judge between mankind by that which Allah showeth thee. And be not thou a pleader for the treacherous; And seek forgiveness of Allah. Lo! Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. [quote]And plead not on behalf of (people) who deceive themselves. Lo! Allah loveth not one who is treacherous and sinful.

S. 4:105-107 Pickthall

See how kind and merciful Muhammad [as] was even to those he pleaded to God on their behalf? These were the people who clearly deceived themselves. Did any prophet pleaded to God on behalf of anyone who deceived himself? Jesus did not plead to God against anyone of such quality in the Bibles. If you know any who deceived himself that Jesus pleaded to God on his behalf, let us know.

Allah forgive thee (O Muhammad)! Wherefor didst thou grant them leave ere those who told the truth were manifest to thee and thou didst know the liars? S. 9:43 Pickthall

This is a great honor from God. He forgave him for pleading for liars, as Allah is the Only One Who knows liars from those who are telling the truth. Muhammad [as] couldn't truly read mind, just like Jesus didn't know the future.

Then have patience (O Muhammad). Lo! the promise of Allah is true. And ask forgiveness of thy sin, and hymn the praise of thy Lord at fall of night and in the early hours. S. 40:55 Pickthall

Was the above, pleading for those who deceived themselves the sins of Muhammad [as] or you have other sins to share, oh sam and frosbel?

So know (O Muhammad) that there is no Allah save Allah, and ask forgiveness FOR THY SIN

and for believing men and believing women

. Allah knoweth (both) your place of turmoil and your place of rest. S. 47:19 Pickthall

I bet Allah honored Muhammad [as] by the bold, certainly granting his request since He is the One that commanded it. Did Jesus asked forgiveness for christians or did he call the christians "believing men and believing women" even though we all agree that he did not start christianity and never heard the word christians before God lifted him to Himself?

Lo! We have given thee (O Muhammad) a signal victory, That Allah may forgive thee of thy sin that which is past and that which is to come, [/b]and may [b]perfect His favour unto thee, and may guide thee on a right path, S. 48:1-2 Pickthall

Anyone who is told of his future like this is at least equal if not better than the best before this announcement from God. He is given a signal victory or signal for victory. He has receive favor, a perfect favor and has been promised to be made firm on the right path. Is there anyone better than this very person God has spoken this much about? By Allah, there is no man better than him.

It is little wonder that Muhammad specifically stated that he could save no one from God's punishment:

God promises many times in the Quran that Paradise is the place He will lodge believing Muslims; males and females. The absolute duty of Muhammad [as], like that of Jesus is as servant sent to deliver messages. The Master is the Only One Who knows the conditions of the hearers of the messages delivered by messengers. The Messengers of God were guaranteed forgiveness, success on the day of Judgment; Adam [as] is guaranteed paradise because God had forgiven him. Moses who Yahweh was planning to kill until his wife exposed her hair to save her husband was also forgiven by Allah. So was Jonah who was not going to deliver his message. Allah is Most Forgiven, Most Merciful. If you think Muhammad [as] is not assured of Paradise, who do you think Jannah will house; christians and jews and others and not Muslims, including those who were muslims with the previous prophets, including the muslim helpers of Jesus [Surah Maidah]?

Narrated Abu Huraira:
When Allah revealed the Verse: "Warn your nearest kinsmen," Allah's Apostle got up and said, "O people of Quraish (or said similar words)! Buy (i.e. save) yourselves (from the Hellfire) as I cannot save you from Allah's Punishment; O Bani Abd Manaf! I cannot save you from Allah's Punishment, O Safiya, the Aunt of Allah's Apostle! I cannot save you from Allah's Punishment; O Fatima bint Muhammad! Ask me anything from my wealth, but I cannot save you from Allah's Punishment." (Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 51, Number 16)

Can anyone save anyone if Allah wishes to punish him? Absolutely not. All you have to do is to look at the condition of Biblical Jesus; Yahweh according to the Bible wanted him slaughtered. Jesus begged as hard as he can. Yet Yahweh got him killed.

Muhammad was simply an ordinary sinful mortal like the rest of us:

No. By Allah you and I are not like Muhammad [as] in the exact same way we are not like Jesus. You may say Jesus was not sinful if you look at the Bibles. However from the Bibles Jesus was so sinful it is sickening; From his own mouth; don't call anyone a fool because you will go to hell for it. Jesus later called a man, a people fool[s]. How about calling people dogs? How about calling people vipers? How about cursing a tree? Imagine if it was Muhammad [as] that did any or all of them? Imagine that.

Say: I do not control any benefit or harm for my own soul except as Allah please; and had I known the unseen I would have had much of good and no evil would have touched me; I am nothing but a warner and the giver of good news to a people who believe. 7:188 Shakir

Was Jesus better? Absolutely not since evil touched him by the hands of the jews. I am sure no one of you will say that Jesus will say about his hanging that that was a nice way to die? Or do you find crucifixion a good way to die over dying on your bed?

Muhammad cannot benefit himself nor does he have knowledge of the unseen. In fact, Muhammad constantly prayed for his own salvation, and the Quran commands Muslims to pray for his salvation and well-being:

Jesus was not able to benefit himself and did not know the unseen [future]. Sometimes, the christians in their haste to score points will shoot themselves down. I am certain when Jesus was begging Yahweh, it was an indication that he was interested in dying. I wonder who owned the final decision; Jesus who didn't want to die or Yahweh Who wanted him dead by hanging?

Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Allah's Prophet used to say, "O Allah! I seek refuge with You from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and geriatric old age, and seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave, and I seek refuge with You from the afflictions of life and death." (Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 75, Number 37cool

a great prayer. This shows reverence to God. Pure submission to His Will. Those who are full of arrogance will not understand it. But I bet they can realize that if Jesus had been granted his prayers at Gethsemane, he would have lived beyond 33, even to say 60 years? 60 years to some is old age and to me here and now is still middle age if not young age, still.

Narrated 'Aisha:
The Prophet used to say, "O Allah! I seek refuge with You from laziness from geriatric old age, from being in debt, and from committing sins. O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the Fire, the afflictions of the grave, the punishment in the grave, and the evil of the affliction of poverty and from the evil of the affliction caused by Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal. O Allah! Wash away my sins with the water of snow and hail, and cleanse my heart from the sins as a white garment is cleansed of filth, and let there be a far away distance between me and my sins as You have set far away the East and the West from each other." (Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 75, Number 386)

These are noble requests. Muhammad [as] has long passed and Massiha aldajjal is not here yet. We also know from his hadith that he will not be here when Jesus and massiha aldajjal both are here [I pray i am not here, even though I will want to live till 120 years old. Amin]. What i gather from these are that Muhammad [as] laid down example of good and complete believe and trust in God for all those who shall follow him. May Allah count me and all muslims alive today among this group. Amin. And our family and loved ones. Amin.

"Lo! Allah and his angels pray (Arabic- yasalluuna) for the Prophet. O ye that believe! Pray for him (salluu alayhi) and salute him with all respect (sallimuu tasliimaa)." S. 33:56

The prayer of Allah on Muhammad [as] is not like the prayer of humans on Muhammad [as]. Who is all prayers about Muhammad [as] directed to but Allah Himself. The Prayers of Allah on Muhammad [as] is to Himself as He Allah the Almighty confers goodness from Himself on Muhammad [as]. He Allah is Enough as a Witness and a Guarantor of the success of Muhammad [as]. Allah commands the Angels to pray for Muhammad [as] supplicating good from Allah for him. In my own humble opinion, it is similar to honor that Adam [as] received when Allah commanded the Angels to prostrate to Adam. The prayer and salutation that are commanded on believers are primarily benefiting the muslims; it is obedience to Allah and therefore he reaps benefit from it, allowing himself to show love to Muhammad [as]. Is there a messenger [as] more beloved? The christians even say that the person they follow is cursed. What kind of good that can possibly come from such an evil statement?

We must ask how can Muhammad possibly benefit believers in the way Jesus does seeing that he constantly needs the prayers of his followers? Christians do not pray for Jesus, but pray to Jesus:

Better question is how can any benefit come from curse?

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." John 14:13-14

How many a people or persons asking in Jesus name and are not granted? How many a people or persons not even asking and are granted? How have not heard of atheists who are billionaires; Ted Turner the founder of CNN on a junk bond, or Bill Gates the chairman of Microsoft? Have you not heard of Muslim billionaires who will never ask in the name of Jesus? Or have you not heard of jews who are successful and they hate Jesus?

The Quran goes on to say:

And they say: We will by no means believe in you until you cause a fountain to gush forth from the earth for us. Or you should have a garden of palms and grapes in the midst of which you should cause rivers to flow forth, gushing out. Or you should cause the heaven to come down upon us in pieces as you think, or bring Allah and the angels face to face (with us). Or you should have a house of gold, or you should ascend into heaven, and we will not believe in your ascending until you bring down to us a book which we may read. Say: Glory be to my Lord; am I aught but a mortal apostle? 17:90-93 Shakir

The arabs were more stiff necked than the jews in the time of Jesus; or was Jesus not a mere mortal, since Immortal does not die?

Say: I am only a mortal like you; it is revealed to me that your god is one God, therefore whoever hopes to meet his Lord, he should do good deeds, and not join any one in the service of his Lord. 18:110 Shakir

And they say: Why are not signs sent down upon him from his Lord? Say: The signs are only with Allah, and I am only a plain warner. Is it not enough for them that We have revealed to you the Book which is recited to them? Most surely there is mercy in this and a reminder for a people who believe. 29:50-51 Shakir

See that Muhammad [as] like Jesus and previous prophets [as] is commanded to say God is One? Sign or sings are by Allah and no one has right over it; Jesus tried with sign similar to Jonah in the belly of the whale and he was unable to make the 3 nights and 3 days.

Since he was simply human, he eventually had to die like all men. In fact, Muhammad's death caused much shock and trauma to those who loved him:

i bet the death of Jesus didn't cause shock or trauma to those who say they loved him? They were not there because they took to the hills, saving their own skins!

Narrated 'Aisha:
(the wife of the Prophet) Allah's Apostle died while Abu Bakr was at a place called As-Sunah (Al-'Aliya) 'Umar stood up and said, "By Allah! Allah's Apostle is not dead!" 'Umar (later on) said, "By Allah! Nothing occurred to my mind except that." He said, "Verily! Allah will resurrect him and he will cut the hands and legs of some men." Then Abu Bakr came and uncovered the face of Allah's Apostle, kissed him and said, "Let my mother and father be sacrificed for you, (O Allah's Apostle), you are good in life and in death. By Allah in Whose Hands my life is, Allah will never make you taste death twice." Then he went out and said, "O oath-taker! Don't be hasty." When Abu Bakr spoke, 'Umar sat down. Abu Bakr praised and glorified Allah and said, No doubt! Whoever worshiped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshiped Allah, then Allah is Alive and shall never die." Then he recited Allah's Statement.:-- "(O Muhammad) Verily you will die, and they also will die." (39.30) He also recited:-- "Muhammad is no more than an Apostle; and indeed many Apostles have passed away, before him, If he dies Or is killed, will you then Turn back on your heels? And he who turns back On his heels, not the least Harm will he do to Allah And Allah will give reward to those Who are grateful." (3.144), Then Abu Bakr led the people to True Guidance and acquainted them with the right path they were to follow so that they went out reciting:- "Muhammad is no more than an Apostle and indeed many Apostles have passed away before him." (3.144) (Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 57, Number 19)




Again, we see a major difference between Jesus and Muhammad. Since Muhammad is dead, he cannot benefit anyone. Yet, as Abu Bakr rightly concluded, only the Living One is worthy of worship. According to the NT, Jesus is the Living One:

By Allah, the NT lied because it says Jesus died on the cross, while it forgets that The One Who is the Living One is the One that never dies. From the Quran we know that God never dies. We also know that Jesus will return and will disagree with the NT and all the christians and aligning with the muslims of Muhammad [as] in everything, including things about himself.

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, `Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the Living One; I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.'" Revelation 1:17-18

Pure hallucination. What Jesus didn't have the authority to say in blood, bones and flesh are being said for him when he is not available to tell them that they are liars and on their own in deceit. How is Jesus the first and last when he was only a word, like the rest of us who existed by Allah merely commanding it? How is he last even human authority from God when another comforter is clearly after Jesus was lifted up? This story here about Jesus is similar to those "muslims" who became disbelievers because some jinn appeared to them and they immediately say; oh its Jesus.

Since Muhammad clearly denied that he could benefit anyone and also denied being the door for believers to enter through, he cannot be the way and the truth and the life. This honor belongs to Christ alone:

Jesus also fall in the first bold by saying "of my own power, I can do nothing. . . ", proving that he is not God since God is the Only One Who can absolutely so all things by His Own Power. And to the second bold, as it is Quran that is the Book that believers [Muminu, Muslimu males and females follow], we know that the one who it is revealed to is worthy of the door as God has made him the door. Is Jesus the one Quran is revealed to or it is Muhammad [as] between 610 and 633? Allah says Jesus was a muslim. 2 functions of Jesus [as] to confirm the torah as valid document upon the the children of Israel who were supposed to carry true faith to others, until Allah shall raise from mankind the another comforter for the final revelation and to announce the final prophet's coming who he called Ahmad [as]. Only disbelievers can say Muhammad [as] is not a benefit to believers of the Quran.

"So Jesus again said to them, `Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.'" John 10:7-10

Adam [as] the first man to be forgiven, Enoch, Noah [as] who mankind was destroyed and reconstituted upon, Abraham [as] the Friend of God and father of faith, Moses [as] who decimated Pharaoh, David [as] who killed Goliath, Solomon [as] the wise, Elijah [as] who was taken up without dying, the bone of the dead Elisha [as] raise up a dead man, John [as] never sinned. Are these men the thieves and robbers? Alhamdullah Muhammad [as] came after Jesus and Jesus prophesied that an another comforter will come after him. You can claim that it is the holy ghost that is the another comforter. But you must pay attention to the qualification of the another comforter while the holy ghost has been around before anyone including before Jesus among mankind. How is the christian holy ghost who is also God in the Trinity concept is now going to be just hear from God, a member of the Trinity to talk to humans, like a mere "Prophet"? How soon the disciples forgot that they needed the holy ghost to be the another comforter to correct them? How many holy ghosts were there in the Bibles?

Jesus is both the door to salvation and the source of abundant life. [b]In relation to the OT prophets none of them claimed to be the source of life or the door of salvation. [/b]In fact, the OT prophets all died in the expectation that the One who was to bring salvation to all flesh would shortly come into the world for all to see. This was the One in whom they awaited and were trusting in for their salvation:

Maybe you can show us who was saved before Jesus and how, if Moses was not a salvation source, then we can expect to see him, Aaron, Joshua in the same place that we hope Pharaoh will end up is what you are saying? Funny. Ironically, the disciples of Jesus died expecting his return! I guess he was not the Decider, after all.

"But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." Matthew 13:16-17

After all of these, the disciples were people of little faith; can you trust people of little faith, bad student of great teacher or do you dispute with Jesus about their faith? Allah elevated Muhammad [as] so much so that Jesus [as] was sent to announce that he will be coming in the future. Was Jesus sent to announce the coming of anyone else but Muhammad [as] who was recorded from the lips of Jesus of the Bibles as "another comforter"?

"You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." John 5:39-40

How does a powerless man gives life? We know he can't. Only God in heaven gives life.

"grino not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; it is Moses who accuses you, on whom you set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me." John 5:45-46

Muhammad [as] could easily say the bold because in Surah As Saffat, verse 6, Jesus was heralding the coming of Ahmad [as].

"Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad." John 8:56

One may ask where was the bold? But I do know that Allah says in Surah Isra that Muhammad [as] arrived in Jerusalem at night on the way to heavens. Jesus and all the past prophets [as] and Angel Gabriel all prayed behind him. This is reality instead of fantasy.

"The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation; they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were[b] serving not themselves but you[/b], in the things which have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look." 1 Peter 1:10-12

Interesting that Angels live in heaven, hear the Voice of God, yet the opposite is what the above verse is telling us. Further, there are 2 spirits above; Jesus spirit and holy spirit. But can anyone put all the bold together as see if they fit? Who were the prophets in the first bold serving the followers of Jesus?

A Muslim might claim that Muhammad's requests to be guided on the right path or to be spared from wrath does not prove that he was uncertain of salvation. Rather, it simply points to his humbleness. The problem with this claim is that other prophets who were more humble than him never prayed to be guided on the right path since they knew that they were already on it. [/b]Furthermore, the fact that he would request to be guided aright implies that he did not trust God enough to know that the latter had called him to be his prophet and therefore assured his salvation. [b]This is not humbleness, but blasphemy!

Incidentally, 'guide to the straight path" is in the Quran surah Fatiha which Allah commands to be recited, and it is the foundation of every rakah of salaah. Was Jesus a believer in God when he said "why has Thou forsaken me"? Was Jesus not sure of his Lord when he said forgive us, deliver us from temptations [Alas! Jesus was led into temptations in the hands of satan the accursed]. How on earth do these people not know that the muslims have answer to every point raised because Allah open our hearts to faith, not like the disciples who have little faith?

In summary, we discovered that Jesus' statement that he is the way and the truth and the life does not simply mean that he points men to God's truth like the other prophets before him. We also discovered that no prophet ever applied the titles that Christ applied to himself, since had they done so this would have implied that they were claiming to be God. Finally, we saw that Muhammad's own words affirm that he could not have been the way, the truth and the life but was in need of the One who is the Life of all flesh. He, like the rest of us, needed the Savior whose name is Jesus Christ the Lord.

Please frosbel, tell sam not to forget that Jesus applied the title of powerless to himself, too, since we on speaking the truth. Jesus [as] announced the coming of Muhammad [as]. Did Jesus need as hi own savior the prophet [as] who announced his coming?

Finally, I have to thank Allah Who allowed me to respond to this piece. I have a joke that I will tell only at the right time for a good laugh.

Ayomivic:
I am new on NL but i have questions to ask.I don't know if there is/are anybody muslim brother who can help me solve my questions? These are my questions.

1 Why did muslims always face sun or kahaba when they wanted to slaughter ram,goat or chicken?
2 Did Muhammed ever worship idol that his father and grandfather worshiped?
3 What is the name of idol that Muhammed's father worshiped?
4 What is the reason behind God commandment concerning stonny of adultrers in sharia?
5 If a woman or man committed adultery and was stoned to death, which place is the man stoned is going between hell and paradise?
6 Did God have pleasure in the death of wickeds?
7Why is it that Muslims did not follow the commandment (torah) God gave to Isrealite through Moses (Musa)?
8 What is arabic name for sun?

In the name of Allah, the entirely merciful, the especially merciful

Thanks for your Questions: I hope i can help you answer your Questions:

I would like to give a brief definition of what Islam means first:

Islam means surrender and submission to God: The One God; The master and sustainer of all that exists: Worship is for the creator alone and to none of his creation.

Muslims means those who submit:

1. First of all, muslims do not face the sun while slaughtering animals. It is recommended to face the qibla (kaaba) but it is not obligatory.

One just has to slaughter the animal: "in the name of God, the greatest" wherever you face the animal is not important.

2. No, He never worshiped any Idol throughout this time:: The prophet was an orphan: His father died before he was born: His mother died when he was still very young.

He was looked after by his grandfather, then his uncle...

3. There were about 360 idols in mecca at that point: The prophet's father and mother were idol worshippers but there is no information on the name of their idol or idols.

The ancient arabs believed in a supreme creator, God but they took idols as mediators between themselves and God.

In Islam, worship is for God alone. No mediators, No intermediaries


4. The punishments in the sharia serve as deterrents : They serve the purpose of discouraging people from engaging in acts...

The burden of proof has to be established before punishment is meted out to anyone:

In the case of adultery, There has to be 4 witnesses of the act who are of proven integrity. The chances of getting people that meet this criterion is impossible because if you witness that kind of act, your integrity is compromised.....

5. Judgement is for God alone...

6. The pleasure of God is obtained by believing and working righteous deeds:

“And it is not your wealth, not your children that bring you nearer to Us, but only he who believes and does righteous deeds; as for such there will be twofold reward for what they did and they will reside in the high dwellings (Paradise) in peace and security.”(Saba 34: 37)

7. We believe that prophets were sent to their nations: Musa was sent to the people of israel and he came with the law for his people. Noah was sent to his people, Abraham to his people, Jesus was sent to his people.

The prophet Muhammad on the other hand was sent to the whole of mankind and he came with a law for the whole of humanity. (May the peace and blessing of God be on them all)

8. al shams

tbaba1234:

In the name of Allah, the entirely merciful, the especially merciful

Thanks for your Questions: I hope i can help you answer your Questions:

I would like to give a brief definition of what Islam means first:

Islam means surrender and submission to God: The One God; The master and sustainer of all that exists: Worship is for the creator alone and to none of his creation.

Muslims means those who submit:

1. First of all, muslims do not face the sun while slaughtering animals. It is recommended to face the qibla (kaaba) but it is not obligatory.

One just has to slaughter the animal: "in the name of God, the greatest" wherever you face the animal is not important.

2. No, He never worshiped any Idol throughout this time:: The prophet was an orphan: His father died before he was born: His mother died when he was still very young.

He was looked after by his grandfather, then his uncle...

3. There were about 360 idols in mecca at that point: The prophet's father and mother were idol worshippers but there is no information on the name of their idol or idols.

The ancient arabs believed in a supreme creator, God but they took idols as mediators between themselves and God.

In Islam, worship is for God alone. No mediators, No intermediaries


4. The punishments in the sharia serve as deterrents : They serve the purpose of discouraging people from engaging in acts...

The burden of proof has to be established before punishment is meted out to anyone:

In the case of adultery, There has to be 4 witnesses of the act who are of proven integrity. The chances of getting people that meet this criterion is impossible because if you witness that kind of act, your integrity is compromised.....

5. Judgement is for God alone...

6. The pleasure of God is obtained by believing and working righteous deeds:

“And it is not your wealth, not your children that bring you nearer to Us, but only he who believes and does righteous deeds; as for such there will be twofold reward for what they did and they will reside in the high dwellings (Paradise) in peace and security.”(Saba 34: 37)

7. We believe that prophets were sent to their nations: Musa was sent to the people of israel and he came with the law for his people. Noah was sent to his people, Abraham to his people, Jesus was sent to his people.

The prophet Muhammad on the other hand was sent to the whole of mankind and he came with a law for the whole of humanity. (May the peace and blessing of God be on them all)

8. al shams

muslims always say allah is the greatest, but the greatest what ?

If mohamed was sent to the entire world then how come he never left saudi arabia ?
sharia is too barbaric: stoning people to death ? are we apes ?
democratic laws are better, mohamed was living in the seventh century and he was constantly at war, that is why his book (the quran) is full of horrific commands. Allah does not esxist.
Mohamed copied some parts of the bible and made up the rest. The kaaba has nothing to do with the God of Moses, it is a complete arabian affair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvMjxhpT5to

[qI am zulu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5qdREUUm5Q

@Patriot2: Where the "Bibles" [The New Testament] spoke about Muhammad [as] was from what Jesus son of Mary [as] said from himself; "Another Comforter" shall come after I leave.

Read the duties of another comforter. you will see that holy spirit can never fulfill them because ghost/spirit that you say is the 3rd in your trinitarian Godhead can't talk, it is voiceless and finally, there is no need for it to listen to hear what Yahweh says [being the spirit of Yahweh, the Bibles say], then talk to human by audibly repeating what it heard.

The listening is for a servant to do with God Who is talking. Then talking what he heard without adding or subtracting to it, that is what you expect a true servant of God to do. You can help me by proving that Holy Spirit is the servant of God by destroying trinity. I will then ask you what did Holy Spirit being the listening servant of God say that God said?

The sequences of events about another comforter were: Jesus is lifted up, then another comforter comes, as a new thing to perform his duties.
He can perform the duties upon listening to what God whats him to say and do. He repeats the the things he hears from God and act in the manner God commands. It must be documented for future generations to adhere to because there will never be another comforter but this last one to man.

So show me what holy spirit said that God told him to say to man. Where was it documented?

Muhammad [as] was given the Quran taking 23 years to receive it from the first saying to the last saying of God to Muhammad [as] 13 years in Makka and 10 years in Madina.

I am zulu

[I am zulu

[I am zulu

Islamic Thought Series #5: Today let us discuss "The Problem of Evil". Before we discuss the main premises of the argument I want to highlight that this argument is probabilistic. What this means is that "The Problem of Evil" is an argument that weighs up all the evil and gratuitous suffering in the world and concludes that since there is a lot of evil and unnecessary suffering, it is highly unlikely that a good all-Powerful God exists. The philosophical irony of this argument is that if the one who advocates this contention does so based upon the unlikelihood of a good all-Powerful God existing - due to the amount of evil and unnecessary suffering in the world - then they should except the existence of a cosmic designer! This is due to the fact that the design argument is based on the same reasoning: probability [see "Additional Notes" at end of this post].

The problem of evil presents its premises as follows:

1. A good God that is omnipotent exist
2. Evil exists
3. Therefore a good God that is omnipotent doesn’t exist

H. J. McCloskey in his article ‘God and Evil’ summarises the problem well,
“Evil is a problem for the theist in that a contradiction is involved in the fact of evil, on the one hand, and the belief in the omnipotence and perfection of God on the other.”[3]

The first point that needs to be made is that statements (1) and (2) are not logically inconsistent as there is no apparent contradiction. For the atheist to jump to the conclusion that a good all-Powerful God doesn’t exist is an unwarranted, unless he has assumed, in some hidden premises.

These hidden premises seem to be the following:

4. If God is all-Powerful, then he can create any world he wants
5. If God is good, then he should prefer a world without evil

Statement (4) suggests that since God can create and do anything, then he can create free human beings who always decide to do the right thing and do not fall into evil or suffering. Statement (5) suggests that God is so good that if he could create a world without evil and suffering he would. Otherwise he would himself be evil to prefer that humans experience evil and suffering.

However, these hidden premises make some brave assumptions; firstly it assumes God is just good and all-Powerful. Secondly it assumes that God doesn’t have any reasons to permit evil and suffering in the world.

In response to the first assumption, Islamic theology does not maintain that God is just good and all-Powerful. Muslims believe that part of God’s names and attributes include ‘the Just’, ‘the Severe in Punishment’, ‘the Wise’, ‘the Loving' and ‘the Compassionate’, amongst many others. So statements (1, 4 and 5) are inaccurate as the Muslim does not reduce God to parts, rather God is seen as one and unique in context of all his names and attributes. So if God was just good and all-Powerful, then there may be problem in reconciling suffering and evil in the world. However if you include attributes such as ‘the Wise’, these problems would not exist. Because perceived evil and suffering in the world can be due to, God’s wisdom, as there may be divine wisdom in permitting evil and suffering. Even if we can’t evaluate what the wisdom is, it doesn’t mean it is not there. To argue such a thing would be a logical fallacy, known as the argument from ignorance. The story of Khidr which can be found in the 18th chapter of Qur’an from verses 65 to 82 is an eloquent account of how God’s wisdom, whether understood or not, has positive results and benefits for humanity.

In addition to this the Muslim can argue that the problem of evil is logically posterior to the existence of God. You need to establish that God exists first before attempting to reconcile who God is with our perception of reality, in this case, evil and suffering.

A sufficient response to the second assumption would be to provide a strong argument that God has reasons to permit suffering and evil in the world. The intellectual richness of Islamic Theology provides us with many reasons, some of which include:

1. The primary purpose of the human being is not happiness rather it is to know and worship God (which provides true inner happiness and contentment). This fulfilment of the divine purpose will result in everlasting bliss and happiness. So if this is our primary purpose other aspects of human experience our secondary. The Qur’an, the book of the Muslims states: “I did not create either jinn or man except to worship Me.” [5]

2. God also created us for a test, and part of this test is to be tested with suffering and evil. The Qur’an mentions “The One Who created death and life, so that He may put you to test, to find out which of you is best in deeds: He is the all-Almighty, the all-Forgiving” [6]

3. Having hardship and suffering enables us to realise and know God’s attributes such as ‘the Victorious’ and ‘the Healer’. For example without the pain and suffering of illness we would not appreciate the attribute of God being ‘the Healer’. Knowing God is a greater good, and worth the experience of suffering or pain as it will mean the fulfilment of our primary purpose.

4. Suffering allows 2nd order good. 1st order good is physical pleasure and happiness and 1st order evil is physical pain and sadness. 2nd order goodness is elevated goodness such as courage and can only happen if a 1st order evil, such as cowardice, exists. [7]

5. People can also suffer from past, present or future sins. God has knowledge of everything which is not contingent on time. Please refer to the story of Khidr in the Qur’an where it mentions Khidr’s reply to Prophet Moses “All this was done as a mercy from your Lord. What I did was not done by my own will. That is the interpretation of those actions which you could not bear to watch with patience.”[8]

6. God has given us free will, and free will includes choosing evil acts. [9] In absence of free will morality or even doing good would not make any sense. Imagine someone putting a gun to your head and tells you to give charity. Would your charity have any true value or meaning?

Islamic theology however provides the conceptual ‘tools’ necessary for the Muslim to overcome this problem to. Islamic theology is derived from two main sources, the Qur’an and the hadith literature. The Qur’an is a divine book that Muslims believes to be the word of God, and the hadith are divinely inspired statements attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The following verses from the Qur’an and sayings from hadith provide all the necessary comfort for the Muslim.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“Amazing is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affair is good and this is not for no one except the believer. If something of good/happiness befalls him he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him he is patient and that is good for him.” [10]

“Anyone who dies of the plague is a martyr. Anyone who dies of a stomach illness is a martyr. Anyone who drowns is a martyr.” [11]

“There are seven classes of martyrs except the one who is killed while fighting in the cause of God: one who dies in plague is a martyr; one who dies due to drowning is a martyr; one who is killed of Zat al-Janb disease (a disease that attacks ribs and causes inner ulcerations) is a martyr; one who dies of diseases of stomach is a martyr; one who is killed by fire is a martyr; one who is crushed under a wall is a martyr; and a woman who dies while delivery (or pregnancy) is a martyr.” [12]

“No calamity befalls a Muslim but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the prick he receives from a thorn.” [13]

The Qur’an says,

“Do you think that you will enter paradise without any trials while you have known the examples of those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with suffering and adversity and were so violently shaken up that even the Prophet and the believers with him cried out: ‘When will God’s help come?’ Be aware, God’s help is close.” [14]

“Surely with every difficulty there is relief. Surely with every difficulty there is relief.” [15]

“Let there rise from among you a band of people who should invite to righteousness, enjoin good and forbid evil: such are the one, who shall be successful.” [16]

Since the Muslim is intellectually convinced that these statements are from God, then it follows they are truth claims that not only comfort the Muslim, but fills his heart with tranquillity.

I am sure there are many other great arguments so please discuss and share them with me.

References

[1] Avin Plantinga. God, Freedom and Evil. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1977, p 7.
[2] David Hume. Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, part 10.
[3] “God and Evil” Philosophical Quarterly, X (1960), p 97.
[4] J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. IVP Academic, p 538.
[5] Qur’an 51:56-57
[6] Qur’an 67: 2
[7] Although this is contended by some philosophers such as John Mackie, philosopher Avin Plantinga provides an interesting response in his book God, Freedom and Evil.
[8] Qur’an 18:82
[9] This requires an in-depth discussion which will be discussed in another article
[10] Saheeh Muslim
[11] Ibid.
[12] Narrated Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah
[13] Saheeh Bukhari
[14] Qur’an 2:214
[15] Qur’an 94:5-6
[16] Qur’an 3:104

Additional Notes

The existence of a universe that permits human life is due to conditions and constants that must have been fined-tuned to a degree that is beyond comprehension. In light of this, there are only three possible explanations for this fine tuning: physical necessity, chance or design.

The first option is irrational. There is just no reason why these constants and quantities should have the values that they do. As P. C. W. Davies explains:
“Even if the laws of physics were unique, it doesn’t follow that the physical universe itself is unique…the laws of physics must be augmented by cosmic initial conditions…there is nothing in present ideas about ‘laws of initial conditions’ remotely to suggest that their consistency with the laws of physics would imply uniqueness. Far from it…it seems, then, that the physical universe does not have to be the way it is: it could have been otherwise.”

Additionally if anyone was to take the view that the fine-tuning of the universe to permit human life is due to physical necessity, it would imply that it would be impossible to have a universe not fit for life! However physicists maintain that the universe in which we live didn’t have to be the way that it is, and there could have been many other universes that did not permit human life.

Concerning chance, some people who do not understand the impossibility of the universe coming into being by chance exclaim, “It could have happened by chance!” However would they say chance explains how an elephant was sleeping in their garage overnight? Or how a helicopter ended up parked in their garden? Even after these responses, they still hold on to the theory that the universe can exist due to chance. In response to this I would argue that it is not just about chance but something the theorists such as William Dembski call “specified probability.”

Specified probability is a probability that also conforms to an independent pattern. To illustrate this, imagine you have a monkey in a room for twenty-four hours, typing a way on your laptop. In the morning you enter the room and you see, “To be or not to be!” The monkey has miraculously written out a part of a Shakespearian play! What you may have expected is random words such as “house,” “car,” and “apple.” However, in this case not only have you seen the improbability of typing English words – but they also conform to the independent pattern of English grammar! To accept this is just the result of blind chance would be irrational and counter discourse, as anyone can claim anything from this perspective. To put this in to context, British mathematicians have calculated that if a monkey did type on a laptop at every possible moment, it would take 28 Billion years (!!!) to produce “To be or not to be”. In conclusion, accepting the chance hypothesis is tantamount to rejecting the existence of our own universe!

In light of the above it is far more reasonable to maintain that supernatural design is the best explanation for the fine-tuning of the universe to permit human life.

Islamic Thought Series #6 - Part 1: Let us discuss the unique literary form of the Qur'an. In part 1, we will try and understand the literary forms of Arabic, which will provide an essential insight into the Qur'an's miraculous nature (which we will discuss in part 2 and 3).

Arabic literary forms

Classical scholars such as al-Baqillani and al-Rummani view the Qur’an as having its own unique literary form.[1] This view is also supported by western scholarship which can be found in the writings of famous orientalists such as Arthur J. Arberry, Professor Bruce Lawrence and D.J. Stewart.[2] Every expression of the Arabic language falls into the literary forms of prose and poetry. There are other ‘sub’ forms that fall into the above categories such as kahin; a sub-form of rhymed prose. However, all literary forms can be categorised as either prose or poetry. According to Muslim and Non-Muslim scholarship, however, the Qur’an cannot be described as any one of these known forms of Arabic speech.

1. What is Arabic poetry?

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning. Poetry may be written independently, as discrete poems or may occur in conjunction with other arts; as in poetic drama, hymns, lyrics or prose poetry. Poetry often uses particular forms and conventions to suggest alternative meanings in the words, or to evoke emotional or sensual responses. Devices such as assonance (repetition of vowel sounds), alliteration (repetition of consonants), onomatopoeia (is a word that imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes) and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve musical or incantatory effects. The use of ambiguity, symbolism, irony and other stylistic elements of poetic diction often leaves a poem open to multiple interpretations. Similarly, metaphor, simile and metonymy create a resonance between otherwise disparate images.

In Arabic, poetry (ash-shi`r ul-arabiya) is a form of metrical speech[3] with a rhyme. The rhyme (qafiyah) in Arabic poetry is achieved by every line of the poem ending upon a specific letter. The metrical aspect of Arabic poetry is due to its rhythmical pattern (arud). Arabic poetry has sixteen rhythmical patterns called ‘al-bihar’, literally meaning ‘The Seas’ in Arabic. This term has been used to describe the rhythmical divisions as a result of the way the poem moves according to its rhythm, just like the waves in the sea.

The following is a list of the rhythmical patterns, which all Arabic poetry adheres to, or is loosely based upon; at-tawil; al-bassit; al-wafir; al-kamil; ar-rajs; al-khafif; al-hazaj; al-muttakarib; al-munsarih; al-muktatab; al-mutadarak; al-madid; al-mujtath; al-ramel; al-khabab; as-saria’.

Each one of the al-bihar has a unique rhythmical pattern. The al-bihar were first codified in the 8th century by al-Khalil ibn Ahmad and have changed little since. The al-bihar are based on the length of syllables. A literary analysis of any Arabic poem will conclude that it adheres to, or is based upon, these rhythmical patterns. This is supported by Louis Cheikho who collected pre-Islamic and post-Islamic poetry and concluded that all of the poems conformed and were based upon the al-bihar.[4] An example of Arabic poetry is the ancient Arabian poem called ‘Abu-l-‘Ata of Sind’:
“Of thee did I dream, while spears between us were quivering and sooth of our blood full drop had drunken the tawny shafts I know not, by heaven I swear and true is the word I say this pang is it love sickness or a spell from thee if it be a spell, then grant me grace of my love-longing if the other the sickness be then none is the guilt of thine.”[5]

2. What is Arabic prose?

Prose is the ordinary form of written language and every-day speech. The word ‘prose’ is derived from the Latin prosa, which literally means ‘straightforward’. Prose is therefore, adopted for the discussion of facts, topical reading, as it is often articulated in free form writing style. Thus, it may be used for books, newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias and so on. Prose lacks the formal structure of meter (the basic rhythmic structure of a verse) which is typical of poetry; instead it is composed of full sentences, usually divided into paragraphs and then smaller segments known as meta-paragraphs. Some works of prose can contain traces of metrical structure, so a blend of the two forms of literature is known as a ‘prose poem’.

In Arabic, prose can be described as non-metrical speech; which means that it does not have a consistent rhythmical pattern like poetry. Arabic prose can be divided into two categories; saj’ which is rhymed prose and mursal which is straight prose or ‘normal speech’.

Saj’

In his book, Ulum al-Qur’an (An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur’an), Von Denffer, provides the following description of saj’:

“A literary form with some emphasis on rhythm and rhyme, but distinct from poetry. Saj’ is not really as sophisticated as poetry, but has been employed by Arab poets, and is the best known of the pre-Islamic Arab prosodies. It is distinct from poetry in its lack of meter, i.e. it does not have a consistent rhythmical pattern and it shares with poetry the element of rhyme, though in many cases somewhat irregularly employed.”[6]

Although saj’ differs from poetry in that it lacks a consistent rhythmical pattern, there is some form of pattern based upon the accent in each division of saj’. Accent based rhythmical patterns are based upon stresses rather than the number of syllables. Additionally saj’ is distinct from poetry and other forms of Arabic speech due to its concentrated use of rhetorical features.[7] Rhetorical features are literary and linguistic devices intended to please or persuade, that differ from normal speech. Examples of rhetorical features include sound, rhythm, ellipsis and grammatical shift (iltifaat).[8]

In summary the definition of saj’ is that it has a:

i) Accent based (or stress-timed) rhythmical pattern
ii) End rhyme
iii) Concentrated use of rhetorical features

Mursal

Mursal can be defined as a literary form that goes on, but is continued straight throughout without any divisions, either of rhyme or of anything else. Mursal is meant as a way of expression that closely resembles everyday spoken language. Examples can be seen in speeches and prayers intended to encourage or motivate the masses.

In summary the definition of mursal is that it has:

i) No rhythmical pattern
ii) No rhyme
iii) A resemblance to straight forward speech

In part 2 and 3, we will discuss why the Qur'an's literary form cannot be categorised as poetry, prose or rhymed prose, including a discussion why it is a linguistic and literary miracle. Please forward and share (including the other posts in the series).

[1] ‘Abd al-Jabbar, I’jaz al-Qur’an, Cairo, 1960, p. 224; Ali Ibn Isa al-Rummani, Thalath Rasa’il Ijaz al-Qur’an, Ed. M. Khalaf Allah & M. Sallam, Cairo, 1956, p. 97; Hamd Ibn Muhammad al-Khatibi, al-Bayan fi I’jaz al-Qur’an, Ed. Dr ‘Abd al-Alim, Muslim University, Aligarh, India, 1953, p. 36; Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Tayyib Baqillani, al-I’jaz al-Qur’an. Ed. A. Saqr, Dar al-Ma’arif, Eqypt, pp. 86-89; A’isha ‘Abd ar-Rahman, at-Tafsir al-Bayani li-Qur’an al-Karim, 3rd ed, Cairo, 1968.

[2] Arthur J. Arberry, The Koran, Oxford University Press, 1998. p. x; Bruce Lawrence, Journal of Qur’anic Studies, Vol VII, Issue I, 2005. Approximating Saj’ in English Renditions of the Qur’an: A Close Reading of Suran 93 (al-Duha) and the basmala p. 64; Devin J. Stewart, Saj’ in the Qur’an: Prosody and Structure, in The Koran: Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies, Edited by Colin Turner, Vol. II.

[3] Metrical speech is a form of speech that employs a strict rhythmical pattern, that is, it follows a type of poetic metre.

[4] Louis Cheikho, Shu’ara’ ‘al-Nasraniyah, 1890-1891, Beirut.

[5] Sir Charles J. Lyall, Translations of Ancient Arabian Poetry, p. xlv-lii and William Wright, 1955 (1898).

[6] Von Denffer, ‘Ulum al-Qur’an: An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur’an, The Islamic Foundation, 2003 (Revised Ed. 1994), p. 75.

[7] Devin J. Stewart, Rhymed Prose. Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an. General Editor: Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Georgetown University, Washington DC. Brill, 2008.

[8] Angelika Neuwrith, Rhetoric and the Qur’an. Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an. General Editor: Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Georgetown University, Washington DC. Brill, 2008.

Hello tbaba. 1st and foremost im not a xtain so all studies we make shouldnt be baised. Please lets make precise and straight to the point answers...Also i will be qouting from the sura and hadith and the quran permits me to do so. I will be quoting from the bible too because we are told to confirm. I know you will tell me the tawraat you believe is not the torah in the present bible then ok how do you explain Sura 5:48 and Exodus 21:23-25,Sura 21:105 and Psalm 37:29,Sura 7:40 (ali) and Luke 18:25,Mark 10:25. Remember sura 2:130 on the commandment to believe in all scriptures before the quran.Also Sura 5:71 clearly authenticates the bible,law,gospel and relevation. Now that we have established facts, now kindly explain Sura 5:101? Also do you think a competent allah will Abrogate in Sura 2:106

mkmyers45: Hello tbaba. 1st and foremost im not a xtain so all studies we make shouldnt be baised. Please lets make precise and straight to the point answers...Also i will be qouting from the sura and hadith and the quran permits me to do so. I will be quoting from the bible too because we are told to confirm. I know you will tell me the tawraat you believe is not the torah in the present bible then ok how do you explain Sura 5:48 and Exodus 21:23-25,Sura 21:105 and Psalm 37:29,Sura 7:40 (ali) and Luke 18:25,Mark 10:25. Remember sura 2:130 on the commandment to believe in all scriptures before the quran.Also Sura 5:71 clearly authenticates the bible,law,gospel and relevation. Now that we have established facts, now kindly explain Sura 5:101? Also do you think a competent allah will Abrogate in Sura 2:106

Hi Mkmyers,

Thanks for your questions even though i do feel it is not totally about Islam:

I would request an open audience that seeks to understand the Islamic position: Because you have made assertions you consider "facts" without a thorough understanding of the Islamic position.

When the Quran talks about torah and the gospel,it talks about the original messages to Moses (A.S) and Jesus (A.S) respectively. You do not have to be a genius to know that in its original form, those messages do not exist. We do not say that the words of God do not exist somewhere within the Torah or the bible. We say, it is not a reliable source because it also contains the word of man, historian and a host off other people. We can explore a little bit about that.

The books that represent the torah are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy talks about the death of Moses; so unless Moses could write from the dead, he couldn't possibly write about his death and what happened after. Obviously, these parts could not have been written by Moses. Also, the history of the Torah shows that there have been a need to rewrite the story of Moses after the freedom from Babylon (5 BC), because verses of the torah had been lost. those were still available were incorporated into your current torah. These are facts. Scholars of the Jewish texts recognize this.

Surah 5:45 (i suspect this is what you mean not 5:48)

We ordained therein for them: "Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal." But if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity, it is an act of atonement for himself. And if any fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) wrong-doers.

Exodus 21:23-25

23And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,

24Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

I see no problem with this, we acknowledge the words of God that might exist in the present torah, But we maintain that these books have been largely corrupted by the hands of Man...

The Quran states repeatedly that it confirms what was revealed, it never states that it confirms that which was added into the Bible by the scribes.

So the truth of what was revealed in the scriptures are confirmed in the Quran; So you need the Quran to confirm what is truth in the older scriptures not the other way round

The Quran talks about this corruption in the older scriptures:

But because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard; they change the words from their (right) places and forget a good part of the message that was sent them, nor wilt thou cease to find them- barring a few - ever bent on (new) deceits: but forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds): for Allah loveth those who are kind. – [Quran 5:13]

From those, too, who call themselves Christians, We did take a covenant, but they forgot a good part of the message that was sent them: so we estranged them, with enmity and hatred between the one and the other, to the Day of Judgment. And soon will Allah show them what it is they have done. – [Quran 5:14]

The first verse talks about the Jews, the second about the christians

The first verse refers to the Jews as seen from the preceding verse in the Quran. Two points are being stressed in the above verse as can be seen by any layman. First is that the Jews broke the covenant for which they were punished by Allah (swt). Second is that they changed the words of their Scriptures. This is clear evidence that the words of the Torah were changed by the people.

The Quran also clearly mentions people who call themselves “Christians” (i.e. followers of Christ) broke their covenant and abandoned the true message that was sent to them.

Our position is that these books lack reliability and the Quran confirms the truth in them. Belief in scriptures before the Quran only talks about belief in what was originally revealed.

The Quran confirms the truth of revelation.

you quoted 5:71 but i think you refer to 5:69

5:71 says:

They thought there would be no trial (or punishment); so they became blind and deaf: yet Allah (in mercy) turned to them: yet again many of them became blind and deaf. But Allah sees well all that they do.

5;69 says

Surely, those who believe, and those who are the Jews and the Sabians and the Christians, whosoever believed in Allah and the Last Day, and worked righteousness, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

I can safely assume you are talking about 5:69, even though it says nothing about their scriptures: If you follow the context of the conversation, it talks about the Jews and the Christians and the sabians before the coming of the final messenger but it has nothing to do with their scriptures. Those who believed in God and hereafter before Muhammad have nothing to fear or grieve.

I would assume you got the reference 5:101 right

O ye who believe! Ask not of things which, if they were made known unto you, would trouble you; but if ye ask of them when the Qur'an is being revealed, they will be made known unto you. Allah pardoneth this, for Allah is Forgiving, Clement.

Basically, this verse talks about asking useless questions that do not benefit you or your practice of your religion. Questions that might bring about new rulings that might cause us difficulty. It was revealed when we had muslims who would ask the prophet useless questions like who is my father? or where is my camel? so even though the prophet answered these questions they have no ultimate value.

Chapter 5 verse 101 of Quran;

O you who have believed, do not ask about things which, if they are shown to you, will distress you. But if you ask about them while the Qur'an is being revealed, they will be shown to you. Allah has pardoned that which is past; and Allah is Forgiving and Forbearing.

This is self explanatory; Allah wanted believers around the Messenger [as] as the revelations were still coming down to answer questions and set up their lives; secular on day to day affairs as well as spirituality that they should not ask questions about subject matters just because they need to know. Rather let Allah set up the pattern of life for them, because if they ask what they wished to know the answer, the answer given will distress them, making life difficult for them, restricting them, because Allah had wished to give them in Islam enough freedom, instead they would be using their questioning to create less freedom and much demands and restrictions for themselves.
read it. Allah says He has pardoned them of wrong doings of the past. Allah is Forgiving/as the Only True Forgiver, Allah is Forbearing/ as the Only True One Who can Forbear as to overlook.