Islam: The Way, The Truth, and The Light?
By David Wood
“Fight those that believe not” (Sura 9:29)
The Qur’an“Fight and slay The Pagans [Christians and Jews] wherever ye find them” (Sura 9:5) The Qur’an
“When ye meet The Unbelievers (in fight) Smite at their necks” (Sura 47:4) The Qur’an
Due to the recent terrorists attacks on America, many Christians as well as non-Christians have been asking what the Muslim belief entails. Books on Islam have been flying off the shelves as people search for answers as to what Islam teaches as well as why Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Although this article will not be an in-depth treatment of the Muslim faith, I will attempt to provide answers to some of the questions now in the minds of Christians. We will investigate what Islam means, it’s core beliefs, the Qur’an, their prophet Muhammad, and how a Muslim views the Bible and Christianity.
Terminology
Islam: Submission
Muslim: Submitted one
Allah: God
Qur’an: Holy Scriptures; inspired Word of God
Hadith: Book of Islamic traditions; not inspired of God
Salat: A prayer prayed five times daily
Sawn: A once a year fast during Ramadan
Shahadah: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger”
Ahad: The denial that God has partners
Sakat: Alms; giving one fortieth of income
Shirk: The largest sin of assigning partners to God
Wahid: There is one God for all peoples
Beliefs
The word Islam means submission, and every follower of Islam is called a Muslim. To become a Muslim one must confess that “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.” Muslims must also pray five times daily and if possible make at least one trip to Mecca in their lifetime. Muslims believe the Qur’an is the true and final inspired Word of God given to their founder and prophet Muhammad and that Muhammad was the greatest and final prophet of God.
Although there are vast differences between Islam and Christianity, there are a few similarities. For example, Muslims believe in one God that created the universe out of nothing and sustains it with His power, hence they deny evolution. They also believe in a literal heaven for the saved; a literal hell for the lost; angels; and a final resurrection of every person. However, these similarities are far outweighed by the vast differences in beliefs.
To the Muslim, their Qur’an is the true and infallible Word of God above and beyond the Bible. Islam teaches that the Jewish Scriptures, the Psalms, and the Gospels were indeed given by God, but only in their original state. In other words, our Bibles today are meaningless because they have been re-written and corrupted by man. To the Muslim, our Bibles today have turned Jesus from a prophet into a God, with the view that the belief in the Trinity is nothing but blasphemy. Muslims view the Trinity as a manmade doctrine that assigns partners to God, therefore the worship of three separate Gods. Islam also denies the Christian belief and historical evidence of the death of Jesus on the cross as well as the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Furthermore, Islam teaches that God is unknowable, so Muslims don’t even attempt to know God. Muslims see no point in trying to know a God that is unknowable, so every Muslim strives to only obey God.
The Qur’an also states that a man can have up to four wives if he can provide for them, and man can divorce his wives if needed. As for women, the Qur’an says a woman can have only one husband and cannot initiate a divorce from her husband. Furthermore, the Qur’an talks about how men should be in total charge of women and if the woman rebels, the man has the right to beat the woman. (Sura 4:34) ”Men are in charge of women because Allah hath made one to excel the other...As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them.” Muslim women must also stand behind their husbands, kneel behind them when praying, and wear a veil.
Muslims believe the Qur’an (Holy Scriptures) is a true miracle given to Muhammad. One of their main arguments for divine authorship is based on the eloquent literary style of the Qur’an. Supposedly because the Qur’an is considered by Muslims as a literary masterpiece, this proves that it must have been a miracle given directly by God. The problem with this view is there exists no logical connection between divine authorship and eloquent writings. There are numerous eloquent writings in the world, as well as eloquent musical writings, but none of these writings are considered to be God’s Word. The only thing that eloquent literary works prove is that the writer wrote something eloquently.
Muslims also claim the Qur’an is God’s Word based on it’s passages concerning scientific issues, meaning, Muslims claim the Qur’an is scientifically accurate in every way. But once again, this is using flawed reasoning to conclude that something is a miracle and the Word of God. Even if the Qur’an were scientifically accurate, all this would prove was the Qur’an was a book that was scientifically accurate. The problem is, the Qur’an is not accurate in all of it’s passages concerning science.
For example, (Surah 23:14) says that “human beings are formed from a blood clot“, and (Sura 18:86) talks about someone finding the “sun setting in a muddy spring in the west“. Muslim scholars attempt to explain away these two flawed passages, but the problem still exists. The Qur’an is not accurate in all of it’s scientific passages.
Another claim for the divine origin of the Qur’an concerns it’s supposed predictive prophecies. Muslims believe the Qur’an is the Word of God based on these prophecies. The problem with this belief is the Qur’an has no true prophecies in the entire book. There are only a few passages that could even come close to being called predictive prophecies, but even these are lacking in evidence.
One supposed prophecy is found in (Sura 30:2-4) where it talks about the Romans having a victory at Issus over the Persian army. Muslims see this as proof that the Qur’an is the Word of God, but even this passage in Sura was not fulfilled as expected. The passage says the victory will come “within a few years”, but the Roman victory did not come within this time frame. There are Muslim scholars that believe the “within a few years” means between 3-9 years, but the Roman victory did not come until 14 years after the prophecy was given.
There just are not prophecies in the Qur’an. Almost all the predictive prophecies that Muslims cite as proof of God’s Word are really nothing more than a military leader telling his troops to fight on and they will have the victory in battle. In other words, these “prophecies” are only Muhammad promising his troops victory in battle. What military leader wouldn’t tell his troops that the victory would be theirs? And, it’s not a surprise that Muhammad’s troops were often victorious considering the fact that every warrior was promised Paradise and numerous virgins for victory or for giving their life for Allah. Furthermore, based on (Sura 4:3b), Muslim soldiers could take all the concubines they wanted from their defeated foes.
The Muslim view of the Bible
The Islamic view of the Bible can best be described as contradictory. In the Qur’an, (Sura 5:46, 69, 71) says the New Testament (NT) is a true revelation from God. And (Sura 4:171) says the words of Jesus should be believed. On one hand, Muslims say the Bible is God’s Word but say that the Bible has been changed. But Islam also teaches that God’s Word cannot be altered or changed, so there exists a serious contradiction on the Islamic view of the Bible. In any event, Muslims deny much of the (NT), especially concerning Jesus.
Its is a seriously flawed claim for Islam to teach that our NT we use today has been altered or forged. We have manuscripts for the entire NT that pre-dates the birth of Muhammad by hundreds of years (The John Ryland Fragment; the Chester Beatty Papyri; the Bodmer Papyri; the Vaticanus Manuscripts). These ancient manuscripts are almost identical to the text in our Bibles today, with no major doctrinal changes whatsoever. This means that the same Bible that Muhammad had is the same Bible that we have today. Christians during Muhammad’s day were told to accept and believe the NT. Hence, for Islam to attempt to ignore or change who Jesus is, they must falsely claim the NT has been corrupted.
There exists a passage in the Qur’an that Muslim scholars like to ignore because it talks about the reliability of the Bible. In fact, in (Sura 10) Muhammad is told, “If thou wert in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book [Bible] from before thee; the truth hath indeed come to thee from they Lord; so be in no wise of those in doubt.” Here we have a verse in the Qur’an where Muslims are told that if they have any doubts about anything, they should ask those who had the “Book” (Bible) before Muhammad.
Was Muhammad a Prophet of God?
Islam teaches that Muhammad was the last prophet of God and that every prophet of God was sinless, including Jesus. But the Qur’an clearly states that Muhammad was not sinless because he was told by God to ask for forgiveness. In (Sura 41:19), Muhammad is told by God to “Know, therefore, that There is no god but God, and ask Forgiveness for thy fault, and for the men And women who believe.” And in (Sura 40:55) God tells Muhammad to “Patiently, then, persevere: For the Promise of God Is true; and ask God forgiveness For thy fault.”
Muslims view Muhammad as the true fulfillment of the Bible prophecies about a Savior. This means that it wasn’t Jesus that was foretold in the Old Testament (OT), it was Muhammad. This is another contradictory view of the Bible by Islam. Muslims believe the Bible has been changed and corrupted by man, yet they will pick certain passages from the Bible to attempt to show that Muhammad is really the Savior of the world. In other words, Islam picks and chooses what parts of the Bible were supposedly changed, and what part hasn’t been altered. But as we will see, even the passages in the Bible that Islam believes points to Muhammad cannot be defended. There is not one single verse in the entire Bible that predicts the coming of Muhammad.
In (John 14:16) Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” Islam believes the “Helper” in this verse clearly points to Muhammad because he came after Jesus. There is absolutely no basis for Islam to make such an absurd claim.
First, Jesus later on in verse 26 says this “Helper” is the “Counselor” and the “Holy Spirit” and the “Helper” would come “in Jesus name”. Muhammad was not the “Holy Spirit” nor was he ever called such. Muhammad also did not come “in Jesus name” because Muhammad and Islam claim that Muhammad was greater than Jesus.
Second, verse 17 says the disciples knew the “Helper” and this “Helper” would be “in” the disciples. The disciples did not know Muhammad and Muhammad was not “in” the disciples because Muhammad wasn’t even born until hundreds of years later.
Third, (John 16:14) says the Helper would also “glorify” Jesus. But Muhammad didn’t “glorify” Jesus because he claimed he was a greater prophet than Jesus. And (Acts 1:5) says the Helper would come in “not many days”, but Muhammad was born hundreds of years later. It is clear that John 14:16 has nothing to do with Muhammad and everything to do with the real “Helper”, the Holy Spirit.
Muslims also cite (Habakkuk 3:3) which says that “God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran [Arabia]. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth.” Islam believes this is a prophecy about the coming Muhammad, but once again there is no reason for such a stance.
This verse clearly says that it was “God” who came from Teman, not Muhammad. Muhammad denied he was God, and no Muslim would ever state that Muhammad was God. Furthermore, the verse says this “Holy One” came from “Paran“, but Muhammad came from Mecca and Mecca is hundreds of miles from Paran.
(Deuteronomy 18:15-18) has God promising to Moses, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” Muslims view this prophecy as surely pointing to their prophet Muhammad, but once again there is no basis for believing this verse has anything to do with Muhammad.
First, when God said I will raise up for “them”, the “them” clearly refers to Israel. And when God used the word “brothers” He is referring to Israelites, not Arabs. Muhammad was an Arab and Arabs were and still are the enemies of Israel. For Muslims to believe this verse is a prophecy about Muhammad, they must believe that God raised up a prophet from the enemies of Israel!
Second, Muslims believe the Arabic text of the Qur’an is preserved perfectly and without error, and even their own Qur’an admits that this coming prophet could not be Muhammad. (Sura 29:27) says, “And We bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob, and We established the Prophethood and the Scripture among his seed.” This verse in the Qur’an clearly states the prophetic line came from Isaac, not Ishmael. Muslims freely admit that Muhammad came from Ishmael, so it is impossible that this verse refers to Muhammad.
Third, God said He would make His covenant with Isaac, not Ishmael. God also said it would be through Isaac that the offspring would come, not Ishmael. And this coming prophet would perform signs and wonders, but Muhammad admitted he did not perform signs and wonders.
Although the above examples are only a few that Muslims cite as proof that Muhammad was the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies, it is clear that Islam must twist Bible verses completely out of there intended context to make such a claim. The prophecies in the Bible that foretold of a coming prophet and Savior point to only one person, and that person is Jesus, not Muhammad.
Islam also teaches that Muhammad was a true prophet of God because he performed miracles. In fact, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets of God did indeed confirm that they were God’s prophets based on the miracles they performed. But, Muhammad did not perform miracles. There a few passages in the Qur’an that some Muslims believe are miracles performed by Muhammad, such as the story of the moon splitting, but even that passage makes no mention of Muhammad. In fact, almost all the miracle claims for Muhammad do not appear in the Qur’an. They appear in the Hadith, Islam’s Book of Traditions.
Keep in mind that only the Qur’an is considered by Muslims to be divinely inspired by God. In other words, the Hadith is not considered God’s inspired Word. But it is the Hadith that includes almost all of Muhammad’s miracle claims. There are hundreds of supposed miracles in the Hadith, for example, the Hadith includes miracle claims for Muhammad such as: trees speaking to Muhammad; Muhammad turning a tree branch into a steel sword; mountains saluting Muhammad; wolves saluting Muhammad; and trees saluting Muhammad. These miracle claims in the Hadith have no authenticity, were recorded at least one hundred years after Muhammad, and many Muslim scholars admit that these claims lean more toward myth and away from truth.
Although I have only “skimmed the surface” on the Islam faith, hopefully the above points will help us all understand Muslims a little better. One question that is often asked by Christians but ignored by Muslims is: Where did the Qur’an come from? First, it’s very possible it is strictly from human origins with no supernatural input whatsoever. But, it is also possible that Muhammad was literally deceived by satanic sources.
Muhammad received his revelations from what he thought was an angel of God, and yet Muhammad at first thought that these revelations were being given to him from Satan. Muhammad Husayn Haykal, a respected Muslim biographer, tells how Muhammad felt this consuming fear of demon possession. Haykal says that when Muhammad was visited by the angel, Muhammad was severely concerned that maybe he had been visited by a demon until one of his wives convinced him otherwise. Furthermore, Haykal talks about how Muhammad would call upon the dead and many times felt suicidal after these revelations from this angel.
In conclusion, Muhammad himself should have took his own advice from (Sura 10) in the Qur’an where it tells him and all Muslims that if they have any questions, they should ask those who had the Book [Bible] first. They would see what 2 Corinthians 11:14 and Galatians 1:8 says: (2 Corinthians 11:14) “For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” (Galatians 1:8) “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.”
(All Scripture emphasis is mine)
