Islam & Christianity FAQ

[Murad]

Here are some FAQ from Christians.
(I will be quoting some of my older posts & websites)
The aim of this post is not to start a debate; but to give the muslim perspective regarding Christendom.


1. How can you prove the Bible is corrupted?
There is confusion not only within non-muslims; but also muslims that think the Quran sees the Bible as a "partial" revelation; and that it was corrupted over time.
[1]It is a misconception that Muslims believe the Bible ‘became’ corrupted. Nor does the Muslim believe the Torah and Gospel are corrupt. These revelations of God that existed prior to any so called inscription were pure. On the contrary, we don’t take the stance that the New Testament eventually was fabricated, even though it is possible and probable that it did deteriorate from its original also, rather, it is more adequate to say that the New Testament upon its very and initial inscription by Luke, by Matthew, by John, and by Paul, etc. was tainted by the hearsay, perceptions, beliefs, opinions, and interpretations of the author. Therefore, erroneous of preservation, the New Testament writings were always fabricated from the very initial inscription. The “Gospels According To� are not the words of God – they are the perceptions of men.

“And We had Jesus, son of Mary, follow them (the Prophets), and We gave to him the Gospel.� (Quran 57:27)

2. Do Muslims believe in the Trinity & the Divine Sonship of Jesus Christ?
No.
Muslims believe in the absolute perfectness and oneness of God. He is a Supreme Being free of human limitations, needs and wants. He has no partners in His Divinity. He is the Creator of everything and is completely separate from His creation.
God directly talks about the Trinity in the Quran:

"People of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and attribute to God nothing except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God, and His command that He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and in His Messengers, and do not say: ‘God is a Trinity.' Give up this assertion; it would be better for you. God is indeed just One God. Far be it from His glory that He should have a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. God is sufficient for a guardian" (Quran 4:171).

3. What do muslims think about Jesus Christ?
Nabi Isa(Jesus) is considered to be a Messenger of God & the one and only 'Messiah' (the anointed one" i.e. by means of blessings) who was sent to guide the People of Israel (bani isra'il) with a new scripture, the Injil or Gospel.[2]
He is seen as one of the greatest Prophets in Islam, and we believe his messege was to reinforce the Laws of Moses & to remind the people to believe in One God. And thus he was given the ability to perform miracles to show his prophethood.
To show how special Islam see's Jesus i will quote a hadith:

“When any human being is born. Satan touches him at both sides of the body with his two fingers, except Jesus, the son of Mary, whom Satan tried to touch but failed, for he touched the placenta-cover instead.�
—Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, 4:54:506

Although there is no such thing as "Original Sin" in Islam & that every baby is born innocent and sinless; this hadith shows the uniqueness of Jesus.


4. Do muslims believe in the Resurrection & Atonement of Jesus Christ?
No.
We all agree that nobody saw the moment he was resurrected. They found the sepulchre where Jesus was laid down, empty and made the conclusion that he was resurrected because the disciples and other witnesses saw him alive after the alleged crucifiction.

When Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign of his true mission he answered:

(Matthew 12:40) "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whales belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Disregard now the time factor, which was also not three days and three nights but one day (Saturday) and two nights (Friday and Saturday)
Was Jonas alive in the belly of the whale?
If Jonas was alive, then Jesus was still alive as he prophesied.

The Quran claims, that he did not die on the cross in the first place:

“That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of God";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:- Nay, God raised him up unto the himself; and God is Exalted in Power, Wise.�[Qur'an 4:157–158]

Similar to Judaism; the doctrine of "Original Sin" does not exist in Islam. It is a Christian man made doctrine; we dont believe the death of one person can atone for every human being; the only way to salvation is "sincere repentance"

"O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of God: for God forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
[Quran- 39:53]

5. Do muslims believe in the Second Comming of Jesus?
Absolutely.

“And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way.�[Qur'an 43:61]

Also in a hadith:
Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 656: Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle(Muhammad) said: "The Hour(of Judgement) will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler.....

6. What does the Quran say about Christians?

"Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians -- whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor shall they grieve" (2:62, 5:69, and many other verses).

"...and nearest among them in love to the believers(muslims) will you find those who say, 'We are Christians,' because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant" (5:82).

"O you who believe! Be helpers of God -- as Jesus the son of Mary said to the Disciples, 'Who will be my helpers in (the work of) God?' Said the disciples, 'We are God's helpers!' Then a portion of the Children of Israel believed, and a portion disbelieved. But We gave power to those who believed, against their enemies, and they became the ones that prevailed" (61:14).

As you can see from 5:8, the Quran sees some Christians to be righteous people dedicated to learning. Contrary to the popular Christian opinion that Islam is from the devil; we dont share that exact opinion about Christianity.
We see most Christians as righteous people but we dont believe Christianity to be the absolute truth & we certainly don't believe in a trinitarian belief:

"The Jews call 'Uzair a son of God, and the Christians call Christ the son of God. That is but a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. God's curse be on them; how they are deluded away from the Truth! They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of God, and (they take as their Lord) Christ the son of Mary. Yet they were commanded to worship but One God: there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him! (Far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him)" (9:30-31).

Sources:
[1]http://defendingislam.com/domuslims.htm
[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_Islam

[fewwillfindit]

Murad, are there portions of the Quran that are to be taken as non-literal, or it is all to be taken as literal? If not all literal, what would be an example of an allegory or a metaphorical passage, other than those that are eschatological in nature, and by what method is it determined which is which?

Disregarding eschatological verses; its really difficult to determine precisely whether certain verses are metaphorical or literal; this is simply because the words usually used are very vivid and thus muslim scholars still debate on certain aspects of the Quran.
Most metaphorical verses are very easy to spot; such as:

As for those who deny Our Signs and are arrogant regarding them, the Gates of Heaven will not be opened for them, and they will not enter the Garden until a camel goes through a needle's eye. That is how We repay the evildoers (Surat al-A'raf, 40)

We will advance on the actions they have done and make them scattered specks of dust. (Surat al-Furqan, 23)

The metaphor of those who reject their Lord is that their actions are like ashes scattered by strong winds on a stormy day. They have no power at all over anything they have earned. That is extreme misguidance. (Surah Ibrahim, 18)

The parable of those who reject Faith is as if one were to shout like a goat-herd, to things that listen to nothing but calls and cries: Deaf, dumb, and blind, they are void of wisdom. (Surat al-Baqara, 171)

The metaphor of those who take protectors besides Allah is that of a spider which builds itself a house; but no house is flimsier than a spider's house, if they only knew. (Surat al-Ankabut, 41)

You who believe! Do not nullify your charity by demands for gratitude or insulting words, like him who spends his wealth, showing off to people and not believing in Allah and the Last Day. His likeness is that of a smooth rock coated with soil, which, when heavy rain falls on it, is left stripped bare. They have no power over anything they have earned. Allah does not guide disbelieving people. (Surat al-Baqara, 264)

It really comes down to interpretation; and even scholars that are in the same sect of Islam usually differ in fatwa(opinion) when it comes down to certain verses.

Thank you for your reply. By the way, I've learned quite a bit that I didn't know before by reading your FAQ. So then, the hermeneutical methodology is nearly identical to what we Christians use in properly interpreting our Bible. Where I'm going with this is, what of the passages in the Quran and the Hadiths that call for violence against the infidel? These appear to be open ended and not a one-time event. Are there different types of Muslims as there are Christians, meaning are some Muslims fundamental literalists (as I am in my faith), and some who are more liberal and tend to allegorize away difficult passages?

[Murad]

Thank you for your reply. By the way, I've learned quite a bit that I didn't know before by reading your FAQ. So then, the hermeneutical methodology is nearly identical to what we Christians use in properly interpreting our Bible. Where I'm going with this is, what of the passages in the Quran and the Hadiths that call for violence against the infidel? These appear to be open ended and not a one-time event. Are there different types of Muslims as there are Christians, meaning are some Muslims fundamental literalists (as I am in my faith), and some who are more liberal and tend to allegorize away difficult passages?

Sorry for the late reply; i've been working overtime lately(I.T)

what of the passages in the Quran and the Hadiths that call for violence against the infidel?
Many of the Quranic verses(regarding war); are historic texts that were revealed to Muhammad during WarFare; and usually if you read one/two verses ahead; it usually says 'not to transgress'. Although there are those that have interpreted certain verses in such a way; that they use it as an excuse to commit corruption.
Such as the taliban etc.....

Hadiths that call for violence against the infidel?
Because hadiths arn't considered 100% authentic in Islam; it would be wrong to give them supreme authority; there is one specific hadith that is quoted notoriously by non-muslims:

"Whoever changes his religion, kill him."
[Bukhari, Hakim, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Tabarani]

This sort of Sharia was originally applied to "High Officials" in an Islamic Empire.
Im sure you know in the Islamic Golden age; the three abrahamic religions co-existed peacefully; and without a doubt there were people who converted back & forth in belief.

* "The preponderance of evidence from both the Qur'an and Sunnah indicates that there is no firm ground for the claim that apostasy is in itself a mandatory fixed punishment (hadd), namely capital punishment." References to early capital punishment for apostasy were not due to apostasy itself, but rather other capital crimes that were coupled with it.

One could say Islam is pretty similar to the teachings of Judaism:

If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which [is] as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; [Namely], of the gods of the people which [are] round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the [one] end of the earth even unto the [other] end of the earth; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
—Deuteronomy 13:6–10

Are there different types of Muslims as there are Christians, meaning are some Muslims fundamental literalists (as I am in my faith), and some who are more liberal and tend to allegorize away difficult passages?

Absolutely; it all comes down to interpretation & recognition of which texts are historical; for example, suicide is one of the worst sins a person can commit in Islam:

"O ye who believe!... [do not] kill yourselves, for truly Allah has been to you Most Merciful. If any do that in rancour and injustice, soon shall We cast him into the Fire..." (Qur'an 4:29-30).

But extremists find a way to interpret the Quran & certain Hadiths for their own corrupted agendas.

[RightKnowledge999]

The Prophet Solomon's Temple - The Temple Of Judaism .
( 1 ) The temple is shaped like a cube ,
( 2 ) The high priest can only enter the Temple once a year on the day of atonement .
( 3 ) The Judahites believe that when you visit the temple your sins are forgiven .
( 4 ) The holiest place in the temple was covered with a veil ( Exodus 26;31-37 ) .
( 5 ) The temple of Judaism houses the Ark of the Covenant & the mercy seat ( Exo 26;33-34
( 6 ) Solomon the son of the Prophet David built the Temple of Judaism ( 2 sAM 7;12-13 , 1Kings 5;5, 8;20-21 ,
( 7 ) The building was built with gold hewn stones and cedar ( Exodus Chapter 26 ) .
( 8 ) The people of Judaism face the Holy Temple in prayer ( 1Kings 8;22 ) .
( 9 ) The Judahites made a pilgrimage to worship at the Temple .
( 10 ) Solomon's temples was destroyed and the rebuilt .
( 11 ) The Temple fell into the hands of Israelis , enemies of Islam today .
( 12 ) The Temple was rebuilt by Herod the Great who sought to buy the Judahites . He started in 19 B.C. and finished 18 years later .
( 13 ) Every day from the temple a chant could be heard .
( 14 ) The Judahites who worshipped at the Temple prostrated in prayer ( Daniel 2;46 )
( 15 ) After Herod built the temple he charged his people a high tax


The Prophet Muhammad's Temple - The Temple Of Islam .
( 1 ) The Ka'ba is shape like a cube
( 2 ) The Saudi Arabian King's family enter the Ka'ba once a year on Hajj for atonement .
( 3 ) Muslims believe that when you go on Hajj which is to visit the Ka'ba your sins are forgiven ( The Qur'an 2;158 )
( 4 ) The Ka'ba is veiled with a black drape called a Kiswa
( 5 ) The Ka'ba house the Black Stone .
( 6 ) The Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael built the Ka'ba ( The Quran 2;125 ) .
( 7 ) The Kiswa is woven and embroidered in gold and silver . It is made of 670 kilogram of pure silk and dyed black . The border is embroidered in gold - plated silver wire and emblazoned - with verse from the Koran .
( 8 ) Muslims face the direction of the Holy Temple where the Ka'ba sits ( The Qur'an 2;125 ).
( 9 ) Muslims go on a pilgrimage to worship at the Ka'ba .
( 10 ) The Ka'ba was destroyed and then rebuilt .
( 11 ) The Ka'ba has fallen into the hands of the Wahhabis , the enemies of true Islam today .
( 12 ) The Wahhabis of Saudi are rebuilding Mecca and buying all Muslims .
( 13 ) Every day from the minaret of the Ka'ba a chant ( The Adhan ) can be heard .
( 14 ) Muslims prostrate in prayer ( The Quran 2;43 ) .
( 15 ) Saudi Arabian Charge pilgrim Hajj ...

[fewwillfindit]

Thank you for your answers Murad. I would have thanked you sooner, but I completely forgot about this thread until it resurfaced.