THE FIRST CONTACT BETWEEN A CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM  

C.                 Why have there been in the last decade many discussions held between Christians and Muslims about their beliefs?

M.               I think because we both have several things in common. We believe in the One Creator Who had sent many Prophets and in Jesus as the Messiah as well as the Word of God which had been denied by the Jews.

Our Holy Qur’an mentions in Surah 3:45: “[Remember] when the angels said, “O mary! Verily Allah gives you the glad tidings of a Word from Him, his name will be Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and in the hereafter, and of those who are near to Allah……”

Dialogues have been held everywhere in Europe, Canada, the USA and Australia. Even the Vatican is not spared where discussions were held between Vatican theologians and Egyptian Muslim scholars in Rome in 1970 and in Cairo in 1974 and 1978. Also between Vatican theologians and Saudi Arabian Muslim scholars in Rome in 1974. Many times in Colombo, not to mention Muslims invited by many churches to present Islam.

C.                 If Christianity is nearly two thousand years old and Islam more than fourteen hundred years, why were these discussions not held centuries ago?

M.               For the last three to four centuries many Asian and African countries dominated by Muslims were colonized by Britain, France, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal. Many Christian mission colonists tried to convert as many Muslims as they could by whatever means they had, by giving them medical treatment, clothes, food, jobs to the poor, but only a few were converted. A small part of the elite were converted to Christianity because of their prejudice that Christianity brought them to their civilization and progress of knowledge. They had a wrong notion because this progress was attained after the separation of state and church in Europe.

After the Second World War many Muslims from Asian and African countries were immigrating as workers and professionals to the Western Hemisphere, Which brought them more in contact with the Christians. Also students were active in introducing Islam.

C.                 Do you see other reasons why many dialogues were held nowadays even by their respective missions?

M.               I think the gap between both is becoming smaller as each is more tolerant, although both are still competing in getting more converts. I still remember my Christian teacher who used to say, “Muhammad the imposter, the dreamer, the epileptic.” You now find fewer writers depicting Islam in such a manner.

We Muslims feel closer to the Christians than to the Jews and disbeliever’s, as the Qur’an prophesied in Surah 5:82: “Thou wilt find the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe (to be) Jews and the idolaters. And thou wilt find the nearest of them in affection to those who believe (to be) those who say: Lo! We are Christians. This is because there are among them priests and monks (i.e. persons entirely devoted to the service of service of God, as were the Muslims), and because they are not proud.” Some Christian denominations are making tremendous progress now by acknowledging for the first time in history that Muhammad [PBUH] descended from Ishmael through his second son Kedar. The Davis Dictionary of the Bible, 1980, sponsored by the Board of Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church in the USA, writes under the word Kedar: “ … A tribe descended from Ishmael (Gen. 25:13) … The people of Kedar were Pliny’s Cedrai, and from their tribe Mohammed ultimately arose.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia quotes the following from A.S. Fulton: “… of the Ishmaelite tribes, Kedar must have been one of the most important, and thus in later times the name came to be applied to all the wild tribes of the desert. It is through Kedar (Arab, Keidar) that Muslim genealogists trace the descent of Mohammed from Ishmael.”

Also Smith’s Bible Dictionary will not stay behind and prints the following: “Kedar (black). Second son of Ishmael (Gen. 25:13) …. Mohammed traces his lineage to Abraham through the celebrated Koreish tribe, which sprang from Kedar. The Arabs in the Hejaz are called Beni Harb (men of war), and are Ishmaelite as of old, from their beginning. Palgrave says their language is as pure now as when the Koran was written (A.D.610), having remained unchanged more than 1200 years; a fine proof of the permanency of eastern Institutions.”

The biggest asset brought by Muslim immigrants to the Western hemisphere is not their manpower but Islam which is now taking root here. Many mosques and Islamic centers are established and many are reverted into Islam. I prefer the word reverted and not converted, as everybody is born in submission to Allah, i.e. Islam, this is the nature of every child born. The parents or the community convert him to Judaism, Christianity, other faiths, or atheism.

This is also a proof that Islam is not spreading by the sword but simply by propagation by individuals or groups of Muslims. We don’t have special missions organized as in Christian missions.

The world population has increased 136% from 1984, Christianity with 47% and Islam with 235%. See The plain Truth, February 1984, in its 50 year Anniversary issue, quoting from the world Almanac and Book of Facts 1935 and Reader’s Digest Almanac and Year book 1983.

C.                 If all three religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, are claiming to emanate from the One and same Creator, why do they differ?

M.               All Prophets from Adam to Muhammad [PBUT] were sent with the same message: that is, the total submission of mankind to Allah. This submission in Arabic is called Islam, Islam means also peace, peace between the Creator and His creatures. Unlike the names Judaism and Christianity, this name Islam has been given by Allah, the Creator Himself, as mentioned in Surah 5:3: “This day I have perfected your religion for you and completed My favor on you, and have chosen for as the way of life Al-Islam as your religion.” Neither the name Judaism nor Christianity is found in the Bible, not even in a Bible dictionary. No Israelite prophet mentioned the word Judaism. Jesus never claimed to establish Christianity on earth and never called himself a Christian. The word Christian is mentioned only three times in the New Testament and first by pagans and Jews in Antioch about 43 A.D, long after Jesus had left this earth. Read in Acts 11:26: “…And the disciples were calied Christians first in Antioch.”

Later by King Agrippa II to Paul in Acts 26:28: “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuades me to be a Christian.”

So the name Christian was first given by foes rather than friends. And finally by Peter in his letter to comfort the faithful in I Peter 4:16: “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed…”

The first Muslim on earth is not Muhammad but Abraham who submitted totally to Allah. But Islam as a way of life had been revealed to other prophets prior to Abraham like Adam and Noah. Then Islam follows as the way of life for all humanity.

C.                 How could Abraham be a Muslim? He is known as a Jew!

M.               A Jew? Who told you that?

C.                 We are taught that; it must be confirmed by the Bible, too.

M.               Can you show me where in the Bible it says that he is a Jew? If you can’t find it quickly, let me help you. Read Genesis 11:31.

C.                 “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran and dwelt there.”

C.                 So Abraham who was born in Ur of Chaldees could not have been a Jew. First because Ur of Chaldees was in Mesopotamia, which is now a part of Iraq. He was then more an Arab than a Jew. Secondly the name Jew came after the existence of Judah, the great-grandson of Abraham (see chart on page 4). Read further, Genesis 12:4 and 5.

C.                 “…and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran …… and into the land of  Canaan they came.” 

M.       So Abraham emigrated to Canaan at the age of seventy-five and the Bible clearly mentioned that he was there a stranger in Genesis 17:8:  “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." Read now Genesis 14:13.

C.        "And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew;"

M.       How can you call Abraham a Jew if the Bible itself calls him a Hebrew which means a man from the other side of the Euphrates. It also means pertaining to Eber, a descendant of Shem. Read now in Genesis 32:28 what happened to name of Jacob after wrestling with an angel.

C.        "And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with men, and hast prevailed."

M.       So Abraham was a Hebrew. The descendants of Jacob were Israelites consisting of the twelve tribes. Judah was nicknamed "Jew" so that only Judah's descendants were called Jews originally.

            To know who Moses really was, read Exodus 6:16-20.

C.        "And these are the names of the sons of levi according to their generations; Ghershon, and Kohath, and Merari ……… And the sons of Kohath: Amram …. And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses,"

M.       So Moses was not a Jew because he was not descended from Judah but a Levite. Moses was the "law-giver" (Torah is law) to the children of Israel.

C.        How can you explain that?

M.       Because we are using the Holy Qur'an as standard. You can explain the Bible and correct the Jewish and Christian prejudice with the context of the Qur'an. It is the last revealed Book which has never been corrupted or adulterated. Its contents has been guaranteed by Allah in Surah 2:2: "This is the Scripture where of there is no doubt …." And also in Surah 15:9: "No doubt We have sent down the Qur'an and surely We will guard it (from corruption)." This verse is a challenge to mankind. It is a clear fact that more than fourteen hundred years have passed and not a single word of this Qur'an has been changed although disbelievers tried their utmost to change it, but they failed miserably in their efforts. As it is mentioned in this Holy Verse: "We will guard this Book," by Allah, He has guarded it.

                        On the contrary, all the other holy books (Torah, Psalms, Gospels, etc.) have been adulterated in the form of additions, deletions or alterations from the original.

C.        What does the Qur'an say about Abraham Moses that you can deduce it from the Bible?

M.       In Surah 3:69: "O people of the Scripture [Jews and Christians]! Why do you dispute about Abraham, while the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed till after him? Have you then no sense?"

                        And in Surah 3:67: "Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a true Muslim (worshiper of none but Allah alone) and he joined none in worship with Allah."

                        In Surah 2:140: "Or say you that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the twelve sons of Jacob were Jews or Christians? Say (O, Muhammad), "Do you know better or does Allah (know better)? And who is more unjust than he who conceals the testimony he has from Allah? And Allah is not unaware of what you do." Of course they were not Jews or Christians as the name Jews came after Judah and the name Christians came long after Jesus had left.

C.        It feels strange to hear the name Allah. Why don't you say god if you speak English?

M.       Yes, indeed, the name Allah seems to be strange to non-Muslims but this name has been used by all Prophets since Adam until Muhammad [PBUT]. It is a contraction of the two Arabic words Al-llah, i.e. The God. By dropping the letter "I" you will find the word Allah. According to its position in an Arabic sentence it can have the form Allah which is close to the Hebrew name of the Creator, i.e. Eloha. But the Jews are using wrongly the plural form Elohim which denotes more than one God. The word Allah sounds closer to the Aramaic word for God used by Jesus, namely Allah (see Encyclopedia Britannica 1980 under Allah and Elohim). So while the name Allah is strange to non-Muslims, it is not strange to all Prophets from Adam to Muhammad [PBUT], as they propagated in principle the same Islam, i.e. total submission, and the word Allah denotes the personal name of the Supreme Being. It is not subject to plurality or gender, so there is no such thing as Allahs, or male or female Allah, as there is Gods or God and Goddess. It is confusing to use the word God as many English-speaking Christians still consider Jesus as God. Even the word Creator is also confusing, as many Christians still maintain that Jesus had created the world. Not only the name Allah is strange, but also the way Muslims worship Allah with ablution, bowing, kneeling, prostration and fasting is strange to non-Muslims, but not strange to all Prophets. While ablution (washing of face. Arms, feet, and moistening of the hair) prior to worship is abandoned by modern Christians, it is still required by Muslims and previous Prophets, as seen in the following passages of the Bible: Exodus 40:31-32: “and Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat; When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses.” Although Paul made many changes in Jesus’ teaching, he was still faithful in respect to ablution as seen in Acts 21:26: “Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple …” Muslim women perform their prayer with their head covered as in I Corinthians 11:5, 6 and 13: “But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered … Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?” Muslims worship with bowing, kneeling, prostration and without shoes as done by previous Prophets: Psalm 95:6: “O come, let us worship a and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” Joshua 5:14: “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship ……” I kings 18:42: “And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees.” Numbers 20:6 “…… and they [Moses and Aaron] fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared upon them.” Genesis 17:3: “ And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying …..” Exodus 3:5 and Acts 7:33: “And he [God] said [to Moses], Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standees is holy ground.” 

                        A Christian will shiver in hearing that Pilgrimage or Haj as is now done by Muslims by circumambulating around the sacred stone Ka’bah in Mecca, had been performed by many Prophets, even by Israelite Prophets.

C.        I never read Pilgrimage or sacred stone in the Bible.

M.       This has been mentioned clearly several time but overlooked by Bible readers:

1.         Jacob on his way to Padan-aram saw a vision and built the next morning a pillar of stone which he called Beth-El, i.e. the House of the Lord (Genesis 28:18-19).

2.         Year later the same Prophet, Jacob, was ordered by Allah to go to Beth-EI (Genesis 35:4,14,15). Jacob removed all the strange Gods prior to going there. Later also Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] removed all idols around the sacred stone Ka’bah in Mecca.

3.         Another pillar was built by Jacob and his father-in-law Laban (Genesis) 31:45-49: “And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap; and they did eat there upon the heap. And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed ….. And Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee…..”

4.         Jephthah and Ammon had a war against each other. Jephthah swore to the Lord in Mizpeh of Gilead to sacrifice his only daughter if he won. He did win, and burnt his daughter there alive as an offering to the Lord (Judges 11:29-39)

5.         Four hundred thousand swordsmen from the eleven tribes of Israel swore before the Lord in Mizpeh to exterminate the tribes of Benjamin (Judges 20 and 21).

6.         The children of Israel under Samuel swore in Mizpeh to destroy their idols if they won against the Philistines (I Samuel 7).

7.         The whole nation of Israel assembled in Mizpeh when Samuel was appointed king of Israel (I Samuel 10).    

            It is obvious now that there is no Mizpah left in the world except the oldest one in the Holy City of Mecca built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, from whom later Prophet Muhammad arose. Muslims are really the followers of all Prophets. I can tell you other things about Muslims, Islam and Muhammad [PBUH] in the Bible, but why should you know this if you are not looking for the truth?

C.        I am sure of my own belief as a Christian but I am stimulated to know more about both religions. I feel sometimes ridiculed as a Christian after reading books written by Muslims.

M.       Did it affect you in your religious life?

C.        Yes, I am not going to Church as regularly as before. I have been secretly reading books written by Muslims. I have asked several Muslims what was not clear to me, but not to my satisfaction. I am looking for a belief that I can rely on, that can give me peace of mind, scientifically acceptable, and not just believe in it blindly.

M.       It should be like that. I appreciate your attitude. But we are not allowed to allure anyone. We propagate only to those who want to listen to us.

C.        But I am free to choose any belief I like and nobody can stop me.

M.       Yes, there is no compulsion in religion.

C.        Why are Muslims calling other people to accept their belief, then?

M.       As Christians ask the Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah, we Muslims ask the Christians as well as Jews and all mankind to accept Muhammad [PBUH] as the Seal of all Prophets. Our Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] said: “Convey my message even one ayah (verse of the Holy Qur’an).”

                        Also, Isaiah mentioned in chapter 21:13, “The burden upon Arabia.”

            Which means the responsibility of the Muslim Arabs, of course of all Muslims now, to spread the Islam. Isaiah mentioned this after he saw in a vision a chariot of asses and a chariot of camels (21:7): “And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed."

The chariot of asses turned out to be Jesus who entered Jerusalem (John 12:14; Matthew 21:5). Who then was the chariot of camels? It could not be other than Muhammad [PBUH] who came about six hundred years after the advent of the Messiah. If this is not accepted, then this prophecy has not yet been fulfilled.

C.        Your explanation stimulates me to review the Bible more carefully. I would like to get more discussions with you.

M.       Yes, if you are successful in this world, it doesn't mean that you will be successful in the hereafter is much better and more lasting than this life. People are now becoming more materialistic secular. Let us come together several times and discuss the difference frankly and without prejudice. Islam is based of reason, and you should not just accept it. Even your Bible says, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21).

C.        You quoted just now "chariot of camels" from Isaiah and made the conclusion that it is Muhammad. Is he then prophesied in the Bible? 

M.       Sure

C.        In the old or New testament?

M.   In both but you cannot recognize him in the Bible as long as you don't believe in the Oneness of God. I mean as long as you still believe in the trinity, the Divinity of Jesus, the Divine Son ship of Jesus, the Original Sin and the Atonement. All these are doctrines made by men. Jesus had Prophesied (Matthew 15:9) that people will worship him uselessly and believing in doctrines made by men. "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

THE HOLY BIBLE

M.       Are you sure that the Bible is holy?

C.        Yes, I am very sure about it; it is God's word.

M.       Read what Luke said about his recording in 1:2 and 3.

C.        "Even as the delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the world; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus."

M.       If Luke said that he himself was not an eyewitness and the knowledge he gathered was from eyewitnesses and not as words inspired God, do you still believe the Bible is God's word?

C.        Maybe only this part is not God's word.

M        History has shown that the Bible suffered change throughout the ages. The revised Standard version 1952 and 1971, the New American Standard Bible and the new world Translation of the holy scriptures have expunged certain verses compared with the King James Version. Reader's Digest has reduced the Old testament by fifty percent and the New Testament condensed by about twenty-five percent. Some years ago Christian theologians wanted "desex" the Bible. Does "holy" mean that the Bible is free from error?

C.        Yes that is so. But what kind of error do you mean?

M.       Suppose one verse states that a certain person died at the age of fifty years and another verse states that the same person died at the age of sixty years, can both statements be right?

C.        No, both statements can never be right. Only one can be right or both are wrong.

M.       If a holy book contains conflicting verses, do you still conceder it holy?

C.        Of course not, because a Holy Scripture is a revelation from God and it should be impossible to contain mistake or conflicting verses. 

M.       then it's not holy again.

C.        Right; its holiness disappears.

M.       If so, you can not trust it one hundred percent. What could be the causes then?

C.        It could be mistake in the recording; deliberate change by scribes; deletion and addition.

M.       If there are conflicting verses in the Bible, do you still consider it holy?

C.        I don't believe that the Bible is not holy, since I don't see any conflicting verses is it.

M.       There are many conflicting verses in it.

C.        In the old or New testaments?

M.       In both testaments. These are some of them:

Q.        Seven hundred or seven thousand?

Q.        Toi or Tou, Joram or Hadoram, Hadadezer or Hadarezer?

Q.        Seven hundred chariots or seven thousand men? Forty thousand horsemen or footmen? Shobach or Shophach?

Q.        Twenty-two or forty-two years?

Q.                Eighteen years or eight years? Three months or three months or three months and ten days?

Q.                Tachmonite or hachmonite? Eight hundred or three hundred?

Q.                Is the Lord of David then Satan? God forbid!

Q.                Did Michal have Children or not? Note: The name Michal in II Samuel 21:8 is still present in the King James version and the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but is changed to Merab in the New American Standard Bible 1973.

C.        I never saw it before. Are there still many?

M.               Do you want to know more? Is this not enough to deny its holiness? See Genesis 6:3: “And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with  man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be  an hundred and twenty years.”

But how old was Noah when he died? More than a hundred and twenty years. See Genesis 9:29: “And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years when he died.”  Some Christian theologians maintain not that the maximum  age of  man will be a hundred and twenty years but that the flood would come in a hundred and twenty years. Even this doesn’t fit because at the time of the flood Noah should have been six hundred and twenty (500 + 120) years old, but the Bible states six hundred years. Study these verses-Genesis 5:32: “And Noah was five hundred years old…,” Genesis 7:6 : “And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.”

                                    Christianity believes that God created man in his image: white, black or any else, male or female? This is according to Genesis 1:26: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” But this contradicts Isaiah 40:18 and 25: “To whom then will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare unto him?… To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? Saith the Holy One.” See also psalm 89:6: “For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?” And Jeremiah 10:6,7: “Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord… there is none like unto thee.”  

C.                But all these are in the Old Testament.  

M.       Let’s go to the New Testament now.  

                        These are only some of the contradictions in New Testament. You will find more if we discuss together the truth of the doctrines of modern Christianity like the Trinity, Divinity of Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship of Jesus, Original Sin and Atonement, not mention the degrading of many Prophets in the Bible as worshipers of false gods and accusing them of incest, rape and adultery.

 C.        Where do you find that in the Bible? 

 M.                   Noah is shown to have been drunk to the point of becoming naked in the presence of his grown-up sons (Genesis 9:23-24): “And Sham and Japhet took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.”

                        Solomon was accused not only of having harem but also of worshiping their false gods (I Kings 11:9-10): “And the Lord was angry with Solomon … And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Load commanded.”

                         Aaron, as a Prophet who had accompanied his brother Moses to go to pharaoh, was accused of having fashioned the golden calf for the Israelites to worship (Exodus 32:4): “And he [Aaron] received them [golden earrings] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a golden calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”  

You will read of the incest of prophet Lot with his two daughters (Genesis 19:36): “Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.”  

You will read of a Prophet who was married to two sisters at the same time (Genesis 29:28): “And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he [Laban] gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.”  

And another Prophet accused of adultery (II Samuel 11:4-5): “And David sent messengers, and took her [the wife of Uriah]; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness; and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.”  

My question is: How could David then be accepted in the genealogy of Jesus when it stared with a person who committed adultery? Allah forbid it! Is this not in contradiction with what is mentioned in Deuteronomy 23:2: “A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord.”  

Another allegation of incest along with rape by Ammon the son of David on his half-sister Tamar (II Samuel 13:14): Howbeit he [Ammon] would not hearken unto her voice: but being stonger than she [Tamar], forced her, and lay with her.”  

Still another multiple rape, by Absalom on David’s concubines, was told in II Samuel 16:33: “So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house, and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.” (I can’t believe that any body in the world could do this, not even the barbarian.)

Another incest, by Judah and Tamar his daughter-in-law: Judah on his way to Timnath to shear his sheep saw Tamar; he thought her to be a harlot because she had her face covered (Genesis 38:18):.. And he [Judah] gave it [signet, bracelet and staff] her, and came in unto her and she conceived by him.”  

Although Jews and Muslims are archenemies, no Muslim would dare to write a book and stamp any Israelite Prophet like Judah, David, Jesus, act. (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon all of them forever and ever) with rape, adultery, incest or prostitution.  

All Prophets were sent by Allah for the guidance of mankind. Do you think that God had sent the wrong people for guidance?  

C.                 I don’t think so. But don’t you believe in the Bible?  

M.                   We believe in all Divine Scriptures, but in their original form. God sent to each nation a Prophet as a Warner, and some of them with a Scripture as a guidance for that particular nation only. The Suhuf to Abraham, the Torah (Testament) to Moses, the Zabur (Psalms) to David, and the Injeel (New Testament) to Jesus. None of the these Scriptures remain in their original form now. As part of Allah’s original plan, He finally sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the Seal of all Prophets with the Holy Qur’an as a guidance for all mankind, anywhere and anytime.  

                        Jesus himself said that he was sent only to the people of Israel (Matthew 15:24): “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins. “He even said that he came not to make changes but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17-18): “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittles shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” 

C.                    But in Mark 16:15 Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

                        This contradicts what is mentioned above in Matthew 15:24 and Matthew 1:21. Secondly, Mark 16:9-20 has been expunged in many Bibles. The New American Standard Bible put this part in brackets and wrote the following commentary: “Some of the oldest mss. Omit form verse 9 through 20.” The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses admits that certain ancient manuscripts add a long conclusion or a short conclusion after Mark 16:8 but some omit. And the Revised Standard Version prints the following footnote: “Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book to a close at the end of verse 8…… “This means also that the resurrection is not true as this is described in Mark 16:9.  

C.        But Jesus said in Matthew 28:19: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations….”

 M.                   “All nations” must be explained as the twelve tribes of Israel; otherwise it contradicts Matthew 15:24 and Matthew 1:21. In the new American Standard Bible and the New World Translation of Holy Scriptures it is not translated as “all nations” but as “all the nation,” which means the twelve tribes of Israel.

            What do you think of the Bible now? 

C.        My belief in it starts to shake now.

 M.       I am sure you will be convinced of the authenticity of Islam after we have discussed our differences.

 The Doctrine of the Trinity  

M.       Do you still believe in the Trinity? 

C.                    Sure; it is written in the First Epistle of John (5:7 and 8): “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” 

M.               Oh, that is in the King James Version, authorized in 1611, and formed the strongest evidence for the Doctrine of the Trinity. But now this part, “the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one, “has been expunged in the Revised Standard Version of 1952 and 1971 and in many other Bibles, as it was a gloss that had encroached on the Greek text.  

I John 5:7 and 8 in the New American Standard Bible reads as follows: “And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are in agreement.” Also, in the New world Translation of the Holy Scriptures used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, you will find: “For there are three witness bearers, the Spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are in agreement.” I can understand if you don’t know that this important part has been removed, but I wonder why many ministers and preachers are not aware of this. 

                        The Trinity is not Biblical. The word Trinity is not even in the Bible or Bible dictionaries, was never taught by Jesus and was never mentioned by him. There is no basis or proof in the Bible whatsoever to the acceptance of the Trinity. 

C.                    But in Matthew 28:19 we still find: “…… baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” This part is not removed yet; is this not a proof of the Trinity? 

M.               No. If you mention three persons are sitting or eating together, does it mean that they are forming one person? No. The formulation of the Trinity by Athanasius, an Egyptian deacon from Alexandria, was accepted by the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, i.e. more than three centuries after Jesus had left. No doubt Roman paganism had influence in this doctrine, the triune god; Sabbath was shifted to Sunday; December 25, which was the birthday of their sun-god Mithra, was introduced as Jesus’ birthday, although the Bible clearly predicted and forbade the decoration of Christmas trees in Jeremiah 10:2-5: “Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold, they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”

Because Christianity had deviated a long way from the original teachings of Jesus, Allah then sent as part of His original plan His last Prophet, Muhammad, as revivalist to restore all these changes: the Roman Julian calendar introduced as the Christian era; pork not prohibited; circumcision abolished by paul (Galatians 5:2): “Behold, I paul say unto you that it ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.” 

                        The Holy Qur’an warns in Surah 5:73: Surely they are disbeliever’s, those who said: ‘Allah is one of the three in a Trinity.’ But there is none who has the right to be worshiped but one God (i.e. Allah). And if they cease not from what they say, verily a painful torment will befall the disbeliever’s among them.” 

                        Do you still believe in the Trinity which was never taught by Jesus? 

C.        But God and Jesus are one (John 14:11): “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me.” 

M.       Read then John 17:21. 

C.        “That they [the disciples] all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may also be one in us …..” 

M.                   It is clear here that God and Jesus are one, but also that the disciples are one in Jesus and God. If Jesus is God because he is in God, why are the disciples then not God, as they all are like Jesus also in God? If God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost form one unit of Trinity, then with the disciples included they should form a God unit of fifteen. 

C.        But Jesus is God according to John 14:9: “… he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” 

M.                   See to the context now         what is before and after this: (John 14:8): “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.” (John 14:9): “Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not know me, Philip? he that hath seen me hast seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” 

                        So finally Jesus asked Philip how to show the appearance of God to the disciples, which is not possible. You should believe in God by admiring his creation: the sun, the moon, all creation, and Jesus himself who was created by God. He said (John 4:24): “God is a Spirit …….” And (John 5:37): “… ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.” How can you see a spirit then? What they saw was Jesus and not God. Also Paul said (I Timothy 6:16): “ … whom no man that hath seen, nor can see…” So what you can see is never God. 

                        Our Holy Qur’an says (Surah 6:103): “Vision comprehendeth Him not, but He comprehendeth (all) vision. He is the Subtile, the Aware.” 

C.        To be honest, it is difficult to deny what has been taught to us since childhood. 

M.       Maybe the following questions will give you a better understanding of the Trinity: What is the Holy Spirit?  

C.        The Holy Spirit is the Holy Ghost, is also God. We are taught, the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Ghost is God. We are not allowed to say Three Gods, but One God. 

M.       Read Matthew 1:18. 

C.        “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

M.       Compare now with Luke 1:26 and 27. 

C.        “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.” 

M.       So in the miraculous birth of Jesus, Matthew mentioned the Holy Ghost and Luke mentioned the angel Gabriel. What is the Holy Ghost then? 

C.        The Holy Ghost is then the angel Gabriel. 

M.       Do you still believe in the Trinity now? 

C.        Then God is God, the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel, and Jesus is …. 

M.       Let me help you: Jesus is a Prophet, son of Mary. 

C.        How can you solve what we call a mystery? 

M.       We use the Holy Qur’an the standard to correct changes made by men in the previously revealed scriptures, If you can now believe in One God, and Jesus, son of Mary, as a Prophet, why don’t you go one step further and accept Muhammad as the Last Messenger? Read with me she shahadah or Witness (Testimony), first in English, then in Arabic. 

C.        I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, Who has no partner, and Muhammad is His shave servant and messenger. Ash-hadu an-al Ilaha illal-Lahu wahdahu la shareekalahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu.           

            But what about my great-grandparents? I would like to stay with them; they were all Christians. 

M.       Abraham had left his parents and great-grandparents when the Truth, i.e. Islam, was revealed to him. Everyone is responsible for himself. Maybe the Truth hadn’t come to your ancestors as clearly as it comes to you now. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah 17:15: “Whoever goes right, then, he goes right only for his own soul’s benefit. And whoever goes astray, then he goes astray only to his own loss. No laden soul can bear another’s load. And we never punish until we have sent an apostle (to give warnings).”

            So the Truth has come to you now and it is up to you. 

C.        Is it not possible to accept both Islam and Christianity? 

M.       There is no compulsion in religion. You can do whatever you want. But if you combine both faiths, you haven’t surrendered to Allah yet. You are still a disbeliever, as He states in Surah 4:150-152: “Verily those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and wish to make distinction between Allah and His messengers [by believing in Allah and disbelieving in His messengers] saying ‘We believe in some and reject others,’ and wish to take a way in between [this and] that: They are disbelievers in truth. And We have prepared for disbelievers a humiliating torment. To those who believe in Allah and His messengers and make no distinction between any of them [messengers], We shall give them their rewards, and Allah is ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

            You may later agree with me if we discuss further.  

C.        Is it not better that we do not make any Confession or Shahadah, so that we are not committed? 

M.       As soon as you reach adulthood and you are mentally competent, you are then committed whether you make the Shahadah or not. Allah created this world not for nothing. He has supplied you with the organs to differentiate between right and wrong. He has sent many Prophets as warners. We are created to worship Him and that we may compete with each other in good deeds in this world. 

            Surah 3:191: “… Our Lord! You have not created [all] this without purpose, Glory to You! ….” 

            Surah 90:8-10: “Have We not made for him [manking] a pair of eyes? And a tongue and a pair of lips? And Shown him the two ways [good and evil]?” 

            Surah 51:56: “And I created not the Jinns and manking except they should worship Me [alone].” Every deed for the pleasure of Allah is worship. 

            Surah 18:7: “Verily! We have made that which is on earth as an adoration for it [the earth] in order that We have made that which is on earth as an adoration for it [the earth] in order that We may test them [mankind] as to which of them is better in deeds.”

 THE DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST 

M.       Is Jesus God? 

C.        Yes, In the Gospel according to John (1:1): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  

M.       We have agreed that a Holy Scripture should not contain contradictions. If there are two conflicting verses, then only one can be true; both can never be true or both are wrong.  

            Jesus is then God according to John 1:1 Then how many Gods are there? Two at least. This then is in contradiction with many passages in the Bible: (Deuteronomy 4:39): “ … that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else”; (Deuteronomy 6:4): “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord”; (Isaiah 43:10-11): “… that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour”; (Isaiah 44:6): “Thus saith the Lord …… I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God”; (Isaiah 45:18): “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Load; and there is none else.” 

            From Isaiah 45:18 alone we can conclude that god alone was the creator and no one else, not even Jesus, participated in the creation. 

            See further: Deuteronomy 4:35; Exodus 8:10; II Samuel 7:22; I Kings 8:23; I Chronicles 17:20; Psalms 86:8, 89:6 and 113:5; Hosea 13:4; Zechariah 14:9. 

C.        But these are all in the Old Testament. Do you find it in the New Testament?  

M.       Sure. Read in Mark 12:29 what Jesus himself said: “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” 

            (I Corinthians 8:4): “ … we know that an idol is nothing in the word, and that there is none other God but one.” (I Timothy 2:5): “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Look to the expression “the man Christ Jesus.” Now you can either say that John 1:1 is right and all these other verses are wrong, or the reverse. 

C.        Difficult to judge! 

M.       Let us see it from the Qur’anic point of view and this corresponds with what Jesus himself said in the Bible. Jesus is mentioned several times in the Qur’an as a Word from Allah. In Surh 3:39: “Then the angels called to him [Zechariah] while he was standing in prayer in the chamber (saying): Allah gives you glad tidings of John [i.e. the Baptist] believing in a Word from Allah [i.e Jesus, son of Mary], noble, keeping away from sexual relations with women, a prophet, and one of the righteous.” 

&n