I read that the Church quotes some verses of the Qur’aan to prove that ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) is the “son of God.” Their evidence is that when Allaah was alone He said, “Verily, I am Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshipped but I)” [Ta-Ha 20:14 – interpretation of the meaning], in the singular; but when He created ‘Eesa the style used in some verses changed to the plural, as in the verses (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’aan)” [al-Hijr 15:9] and “And certainly We! We it is Who give life, and cause death” [al-Hijr 15:23]. And they say, God is speaking in the plural, i.e., in the sense of “God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit”.

Praise be to Allaah.

The variation in style in the Qur’aan, and the fact that Allaah sometimes speaks of Himself in the singular and sometimes in a plural form used by way of respect, does not prove that ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) is the son of God, or that he is divine. This is for a number of reasons:

-1-

The variation in styles used in the Qur’aan, both singular and plural, occurs with reference to events that took place thousands of years before the creation of ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) and his mother Maryam (Mary), and when they were created and after that. Their existence has no effect on the variation in styles, rather that is due to another reason which may be explained as follows:

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And indeed, We created man from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud.
And the jinn, We created aforetime from the smokeless flame of fire”

[al-Hijr 15:26]

“And (remember) when We said to the angels: ‘Prostrate yourselves unto Adam.’ So they prostrated themselves except Iblees (Satan). He was one of the jinn; he disobeyed the Command of his Lord. Will you then take him (Iblees) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me while they are enemies to you?”

[al-Kahf 18:50]

The style used (singular vs. plural) varied before ‘Eesa and his mother (peace be upon them both) existed. Allaah said:

“Verily, We did send down the Tawraat (Torah) [to Moosa (Moses)], therein was guidance and light, by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves to Allaah’s Will, judged for the Jews. And the rabbis and the priests [too judged for the Jews by the Tawraat (Torah) after those Prophets], for to them was entrusted the protection of Allaah’s Book, and they were witnesses thereto. Therefore fear not men but fear Me (O Jews) and sell not My Verses for a miserable price. And whosoever does not judge by what Allaah has revealed, such are the Kaafiroon (i.e. disbelievers — of a lesser degree as they do not act on Allaah’s Laws).

And We ordained therein for them: Life for life…

And in their footsteps, We sent ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), confirming the Tawraat (Torah) that had come before him, and We gave him the Injeel (Gospel)…

And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad) the Book (this Qur’aan) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and Muhaymin (trustworthy in highness and a witness) over it (old Scriptures)”

[al-Maa'idah 5:44-48]

“Verily, We sent Nooh (Noah) to his people”

[Nooh 71:1]

And Allaah said concerning His Khaleel (Close Friend) Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):

“So when he had turned away from them and from those whom they worshipped besides Allaah, We gave him Ishaaq (Isaac) and Ya’qoob (Jacob), and each one of them We made a Prophet.

And We gave them of Our Mercy (a good provision in plenty), and We granted them honour on the tongues (of all the nations, i.e. everybody remembers them with a good praise)”

[Maryam 19:49-50]

And He said concerning Moosa (peace be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):

“and made him draw near to Us for a talk with him [Moosa (Moses)].

And We granted him his brother Haaroon (Aaron), (also) a Prophet, out of Our Mercy”

[Maryam 19:52-53]

And He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We have sent the Revelation to you (O Muhammad) as We sent the Revelation to Nooh (Noah) and the Prophets after him…”

[al-Nisa’ 4:163]

“And she who guarded her chastity [Virgin Maryam (Mary)], We breathed into (the sleeves of) her (shirt or garment) [through Our Rooh — Jibreel (Gabriel)], and We made her and her son [‘Eesa (Jesus)] a sign for Al-‘Aalameen (the mankind and jinn)”

[al-Anbiya’ 21:91]

“(Remember) when Allaah will say (on the Day of Resurrection). O ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Remember My Favour to you and to your mother”

[al-Maa'idah 5:110]

And there are many other verses in which the style varies between singular and plural, where the verses speak of the creation of ‘Eesa, or Allaah’s words to him, and before he was created. From this it is clear that the style did not change after the creation of ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) as a sign that he is the “son of God” or that he is “divine”, rather it is for another reason as we shall see below.

-2-

Everyone who knows the Arabic language and its styles will know that the pronoun Ana (I) and the first person is used in the singular when speaking of oneself. The first person plural Nahnu (we) is used to refer to two or more. But it may be used by an individual of high standing as a sign of his greatness, and the context and circumstances help the reader or listener to understand what is meant. Whoever disagrees with that is either ignorant and does not know what he is talking about or he is stubborn and wants to twist the meaning of the words, following his whims and desires. But Allaah will establish and make apparent the truth by His Words, however much the sinners hate that [cf. Yoonus 10:82]. This will be explained further below.

-3-

The Qur’aan is a Book the Verses whereof are perfected (in every sphere of knowledge), and then explained in detail from One (Allaah), Who is All-Wise Well-Acquainted (with all things) [cf. Hood 11:1] and Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down by the All‑Wise, Worthy of all praise (Allaah) [cf. Fussilat 41:42]. Parts of it explain and confirm other parts. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And they say: ‘The Most Gracious (Allaah) has begotten a son (or offspring or children) [as the Jews say: ‘Uzayr (Ezra) is the son of Allaah, and the Christians say that He has begotten a son [‘Eesa (Jesus)], and the pagan Arabs say that He has begotten daughters (angels and others)].’

Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing.

Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth is split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins,

That they ascribe a son (or offspring or children) to the Most Gracious (Allaah).

But it is not suitable for (the Majesty of) the Most Gracious (Allaah) that He should beget a son (or offspring or children).

There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Gracious (Allaah) as a slave”

[Maryam 19:88-93]

“Say (O Muhammad): He is Allaah, (the) One.

Allaah‑us‑Samad [Allaah — the Self‑Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, (He neither eats nor drinks)].

He begets not, nor was He begotten.

And there is none co‑equal or comparable unto Him”

[al-Ikhlaas 112:1-4]

“Verily, the likeness of ‘Eesa (Jesus) before Allaah is the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: ‘Be!’ — and he was”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:59]

So whoever believes in Him must study the verses of the Qur’aan in the light of one another, not in isolation, the one who quotes from Qur’aan should be fair in his quotation. He should not quote verses and turn away from others, and he should not confuse truth with falsehood or use some verses against others in order to promote falsehood, as our predecessors the Jews did with the Torah, for which Allaah denounced them when He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allaah is not unaware of what you do”

[al-Baqarah 2:85]

Based on this, those who quote the Qur’aan as evidence should accept its evidence that ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) is not the “son of God” and that he is not divine along with God, and they should affirm the Oneness of God, because of what is mentioned in its verses, and because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Surely, they have disbelieved who say: ‘Allaah is the Messiah [‘Eesa (Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary).’ But the Messiah [‘Eesa (Jesus)] said: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allaah, my Lord and your Lord.’ Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers.

Surely, disbelievers are those who said: ‘Allaah is the third of the three (in a Trinity)’”

[al-Maa'idah 5:17]

And there are many similar verses in the Qur’aan.

Otherwise they should stop playing with the words, because that will only lead them to shame and will make the wise laugh at them in derision.

From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 3/216-218.

http://islamqa.com/en/ref/45470/jinn

Why is it so difficult for the Muslims to believe that Jesus is the only son of God, when it says in the gospel that he is the son of God and he says of God “My Father”?.

Praise be to Allaah.

We have previously explained that the Gospel in which we believe, and no one’s Islam is valid unless he believes in it, is not the gospels that are in the hands of the Christians nowadays. Rather the Gospel in which we believe is that which was brought by ‘Eesa (Jesus – peace be upon him) from Allaah. As for that which is in the hands of the Christians today, it is something else, and they themselves do not claim that Jesus is the one who brought it or wrote it. See question no. 47516.

As that is the case, what the Christians claim about the Gospels stating that Jesus is the son of God and that God is his father –exalted be Allaah above having a son or a wife – does not count as any kind of proof against us, because we believe that that is something that was fabricated by human beings, and it is not part of the religion of Jesus (peace be upon him) or the religion of any other Messenger.

We believe that the Gospels that are in people’s hands today, in which the Christians believe, have been tampered with and changed, and are still being tampered with from time to time, so that there is nothing left in the form in which the Gospel was revealed from Allaah. Here we would point out that the Gospel which speaks most of the belief in the trinity and the divinity of the Messiah (peace be upon him), so that it has become a reference-point for the Christians in their arguments in support of this falsehood, is the Gospel of John. This Gospel is subject to doubts about its authorship even among some Christian scholars themselves, as is not the case with the other Gospels in which they believe. This is an ancient doubt which goes back to the second century CE according to their own history.

Professor Stadlin says:  The entire Gospel of John was written by one of the students of the Alexandrian school. One sect, in the second century, rejected this Gospel and everything that was attributed to John.

In the Encyclopaedia Britannica it says:

As for the gospel of John, it is undoubtedly fabricated. Its author wanted to pitch two of the disciples against one another, namely St. John and St. Matthew.

This writer who appears in the text claimed that he was the disciple who was loved by the Messiah, and the Church took this at face value and affirmed that the writer was the disciple John, and it put his name on the book, even though the author was not John for certain. This book is like the books of the Torah, in that there is no connection between them and the one to whom they are attributed. We feel sorry for those who did their utmost to make the connection, between this philosopher who wrote the book in the second century, and the disciple John the fisherman, for their efforts were to no avail and with no guidance.

Quoted from Muhaaraat fi’l-Nasraaniyyah by Shaykh Muhammad Abu Zahrah.

It is strange indeed that they cast aspersions on the authorship of this Gospel which they affirm was written especially to support this falsehood, the false belief in the divinity of the Messiah, which is ignored in the other gospels, until this gospel was written, at the least. Yoosuf al-Khoori says: John wrote his Gospel at the end of his life, at the request of the bishops of Asia and elsewhere. The reason for that is that there were sects that denied the divinity of the Messiah, so they asked him to prove it, and to highlight that which Matthew, Mark and Luke had neglected in their Gospels.

(op.cit., p. 64)

Regardless of the doubts about the authorship of the Gospels in general, and of the Gospel of John in particular, the phrases that they quote from these Gospels do not support the point they are trying to make, rather it is a spider’s web to which they are clinging, as Allaah says of them and others like them (interpretation of the meaning):

“The likeness of those who take (false deities as) Awliya’ (protectors, helpers) other than Allaah is the likeness of a spider who builds (for itself) a house; but verily, the frailest (weakest) of houses is the spider’s house if they but knew”
[al-‘Ankaboot 29:41]

The Bible in which it says that the Messiah is the son of God is the same Bible in which the lineage of the Messiah ends with Adam (peace be upon him), and he too is described as a son of God.

“Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli … the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God”

[Luke 3:23-38]

This is the same Bible that describes Israel in the same terms:

“Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son”

[Exodus 4:22]

Something similar appears in the Book of Hosea:

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son”

[Hosea 11:1]

The same is said of Soloman (peace be upon him):

“He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father”

[I Chronicles 28:6]

Were Adam, Israel and Soloman all other sons of God, before the Messiah (peace be upon him)? Exalted be Allaah far above what they say!

Indeed, in the Gospel of John itself there is an explanation of what is meant by this being a son; it includes all the righteous servants of God, so there is nothing unique about Jesus or any other Prophet in this regard.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”

[John 1:3]

Something similar appears in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God”

[Matthew 5:8-9]

This usage of the word “son” in the language of the Bible is a metaphor for the righteous servant of God, without it implying anything special or unique about the way in which he is created, or describing him literally as the offspring of God. Hence John says:

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”

[1 John 3:1]

For the same reason Adam is also called a son of God – exalted be Allaah far above that.

There remains the issue of Eesa (peace be upon him) being described as a son of God, and what they fabricated about the Lord of the Worlds, saying that He was the father of the Messiah (peace be upon him). This too is not unique in the language of the Gospels:

“Jesus said, Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

[John 20:17]

In one text he says that God is a father to them too, and that God is the God of them all.

So let them say if they wish that we are all the children and the beloved of God, as God said of their forefathers. In that case there is nothing special about the Messiah so that they should worship him instead of Allaah. Or let them be stubborn and follow something other than true guidance, with no clear Book. This is something that anyone could do.

Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, the Lord of the Worlds, for the blessing of Islam that He has bestowed upon us.

O Allaah, guide us to Your straight path, The way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray.
Islam Q&A

If today there is a jew or a christian who believes in Alaah and that he has no partner. He believes in the prophethood of the Messenger of Allaah . But he does not rule by the Qur’aan even though he accepts it as being from Allaah, but he deems it permissible to rule by the original torah. Is he a muslim. This needs a quick response if you can , for dawah purposes. Jazak Allaahu Khair.

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

We sent this question to our Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Barraak, who replied as follows:

Praise be to Allaah.

Among the basic principles of faith are Belief in all the Books that have been revealed from Allaah, and belief in all the Messengers. These two principles include belief in the noblest of Books, which is the Qur’aan, and the best of the Messengers, namely Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the Seal of the Messengers and the Messenger of Allaah to all of mankind from the time when Allaah sent him until the time when the Hour will begin.
Every person from every nation must believe in him and follow him and rule by his sharee’ah (laws).

Whoever claims to believe in him and in the Qur’aan, but does not rule according to it or follow him in everything that he brought and believe everything he told us, is not a Muslim or a believer. If he dies like this then he will be one of the people of Hell. If he claims to believe in Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate, and in all the Messengers, belief in the Messenger and in the Qur’aan does not only mean believing that they are true, without following them and ruling according to what they say.

Many of the Mushrikeen believed in the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in their hearts, and there were those who believed in him in their hearts and in the words they spoke, but this did not benefit them at all, like his uncle Abu Taalib. This belief did not help them at all when they insisted on not following.

Similarly, the Jews and Christians who knew him  as they knew their sons, and who admitted that they believed in the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but this knowledge and belief did not benefit them at all when they refused to follow him. They were kaafirs and Allaah decreed their blood and their wealth to be permissible for His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so he fought them, and Allaah caused him to prevail over them, and His religion to prevail over all other religions.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) with guidance and the religion of truth (islam), to make it superior over all religions, even though the Mushrikoon (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah) hate (it).” [al-Tawbah 9:33]

So every Jew and Christian has to enter the religion of Islam which Allaah revealed to His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because the Message of Muhammad is the final Message, which abrogates the previous religions.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whoever seeks a religion other than islam, it will never be accepted of him” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85]

According to a saheeh hadeeth: “By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, there is no one among this ummah, Jew or Christian, who hears of me than dies without believing in that with which I have been sent, but he will be one of the people of Hellfire.” (Reported by Muslim, 218).

On this basis, the religion of any Jew or Christian will not be correct unless he believes in the sharee’ah of Islam and adheres to the rulings of the Holy Qur’aan. The Qur’aan is Muhaymin (i.e., it testifies to the truth that is in the previous scriptures and exposes the falsehood that has been added to them), and it abrogates the previous Books. The Tawraat (Torah) and Injeel (Gospel) have been abrogated and have been changed and altered. And Allaah knows best.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Barraak

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/4322

If a man decides after a life of sinfulness to come to God and promise to reform his life, I understand that Islam says that he will be forgiven and therefore inherit the promises etc. My questions though is what has happened to the weight of this man’s sin, as in sinning he has offended God and therefore this sin has to be atoned for, who is going to atone for his sin, if God is just going to forgive him on the promise of his being good and faithful? Surely as we saw with Adam there has to be a consequence for sin…

Answer :
Praise be to Allaah.

Praise be to Allaah Who has guided us to Islam, for we would not have been guided had He not guided us.

First of all, we thank you for your question, and we ask Allaah to bless you with guidance.

Allaah has created us for a great purpose, which is to worship Him Alone with no partner or associate. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)”
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56]

This is the purpose of life: to worship Allaah alone.

So Allaah has not created us to eat and drink… or to relax and play… or to strive and work hard… rather He has created us to worship Him and not to be ungrateful to Him; to remember him and not forget Him.

This is the purpose of life, and what a beautiful purpose it is. When man lives to worship his Lord and Master, to serve His religion and establish His command, with his body on earth and his heart with Allaah and the Hereafter, then he understands the reality of this life and how insignificant this world is, and that what is left of this life should not be wasted in passing pleasures and temporary desires. O Allaah, bless us with Your guidance.

Because worship requires explanation and guidance, Allaah sent His Messengers:

“Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allaah after the (coming of) Messengers”
[al-Nisa’ 4:165]

Whoever submits is guided, and whoever turns away is doomed and lost.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, proofs have come to you from your Lord, so whosoever sees, will do so for (the good of) his ownself, and whosoever blinds himself, will do so to his own harm, and I (Muhammad) am not a watcher over you”
[al-An’aam 6:104]

If a person submits (becomes Muslim), he has chosen happiness for himself:

“And whosoever has embraced Islam (i.e. has become a Muslim by submitting to Allaah), then such have sought the Right Path”

[al-Jinn 72:14 – interpretation of the meaning]

Because man is vulnerable to making mistakes and forgetting, and to falling into sin, Allaah has prescribed repentance for His slaves and has opened the door of repentance until the Hour begins, and He invites His slaves to repent sincerely. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Turn to Allaah with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise)…”

[al-Tahreem 66:8]

“And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful”
[al-Noor 24:31]

See also question no. 14289.

It should be noted that sins are of two types:

1 – Transgressions against the rights of Allaah.

2 – Transgressions against the rights of created beings.

With regard to the first type:

Transgressions against the rights of Allaah – such as adultery, drinking alcohol, neglecting obligatory duties such as prayer, zakaah, etc. These sins are punishable according to sharee’ah, such as adultery and drinking, for which the hadd punishment is to be carried out on the one who does them, and that is an expiation and a purification for him. If the hadd punishment is not carried out on him, but he repents to Allaah, then Allaah will accept his repentance and turn his bad deeds (sayi’aat) into good deeds (hasanaat).

Whoever meets Allaah with these sins, without having repented or had the hadd punishment carried out on him, is subject to the will of Allaah on the Day of Resurrection: if He wills He will punish him and if He wills He will forgive him.

Al-Bukhaari (18 ) and Muslim (1709) narrated from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may Allaah be pleased with him) – who was present at the Battle of Badr and was one of the prominent figures on the night of al-‘Aqabah – that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, when there was a group of his companions around him: “Give me your oath of allegiance (bay’ah), pledging that you will not associate anything with Allaah, you will not steal, you will not commit adultery, you will not kill your children, you will not fabricate lies and you will not disobey with regard to anything that is right and proper. If you fulfil that, your reward will be with Allaah, but whoever commits any of these actions, his punishment will be in this world and it will be an expiation for him. Whoever does any of these things then Allaah conceals him, it will be up to Allaah: if He wills He will forgive him and if He wills He will punish him.” So they gave their oath of allegiance to him on that basis.

According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari (6416): “Whoever does any of these things will be punished in this world and that will be an expiation for him and a purification.”

Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath (1/68): It is understood from this hadeeth that carrying out the hadd punishment is an expiation for sin, even if the person who is punished does not repent. This is the view of the majority of scholars…

Ahmad (1365) narrated that ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever commits a sin in this world and is punished for it, Allaah is too just to punish His slave a second time. Whoever commits a sin in this world then Allaah conceals that and forgives him, Allaah is too generous to go back to something that He has forgiven.”

This hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Arnaa’oot in Tahqeeq al-Musnad, and al-Haafiz classed a similar report from al-Tabaraani as hasan.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;

Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Furqaan 25:68-70]

“Verily, Allaah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills, sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allaah, has indeed strayed far away.”

[al-Nisa’ 4:116]

This verse has to do with the one who does not repent. He is subject to the will of Allaah, unless he commits shirk (the sin of associating other with Allaah), because shirk cannot be forgiven.

With regard to the second type of sins:

Transgressions against the rights of people, such as transgressing against their wealth by stealing it or seizing it by force, etc., or transgressing against their honour by means of gossip and slander, or harming them physically by striking them, etc. Repentance from this type of sin is subject to the condition that the rights be restored to the people, or they agree to forgive the offender.

Whoever does not do that will remain subject to the effects of his sin until the Day of Resurrection, when an amount commensurate with his offence will be taken from his good deeds (hasanaat), as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever has wronged anyone with regard to his honour or anything else, let him settle the matter today before there is no dinar and no dirham, and if he has any righteous deeds, an amount commensurate with his wrongdoing will be taken from him, and if he has no good deeds (to his credit) some of the bad deeds of his companion will be taken and added to his burden.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2317.

From this we know that the view that the sinner must be punished in this world is a view for which there is no evidence, but if a person is punished (in this world) that will be an expiation for him, and if he is not punished then he repents from his sin, Allaah will accept his repentance.

Even more false than this is the view of those who say that the punishment for sin may be borne by someone other than the sinner, as some ignorant people say concerning Adam (peace be upon him), claiming that his progeny – including the Prophets – bore the burden of his sin until God sent down His only son to be crucified and slain to free the world of sin! This is a lie and a fabrication against Allaah and against His Prophets, and is a kind of injustice of which the divinely-revealed laws are free, because Allaah does not punish anyone for the sins of another. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden”
[Faatir 35:18]

Allaah is too merciful and too just to punish the offspring for the sins of their father, especially since he repented and Allaah accepted his repentance.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then the Shaytaan (Satan) made them slip therefrom (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: ‘Get you down, all, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time.’

Then Adam received from his Lord Words. And his Lord pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily, He is the One Who forgives (accepts repentance), the Most Merciful”

[al-Baqarah 2:36-37]

“Then they both ate of the tree, and so their private parts became manifest to them, and they began to cover themselves with the leaves of the Paradise for their covering. Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, so he went astray.

Then his Lord chose him, and turned to him with forgiveness, and gave him guidance”

[Ta-Ha 20:121-122]

So two things apply in the case of Adam: he was punished for his sin, and he repented from it and Allaah accepted his repentance, and He chose him and honoured him.

The point is that whoever lives a life filled with disobedience and sin only has to turn to his Lord, the most Merciful and Most Generous, and seek His forgiveness and repent, in order for Allaah to accept his repentance, as Allaah has promised (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Zumar 39:53]

This is part of the kindness that Allaah has made in this tolerant sharee’ah. It was decreed for the Children of Israel that the innocent among them kill the wrongdoers so that their repentance would be accepted [cf. al-Baqarah 2:54], then Allaah lifted this heavy burden from this nation on whom He has had mercy.

Finally we ask Allaah to bless the questioner and guide him and open his heart to Islam, so that he may become a member of the Muslim ummah (nation) which accepts Allaah as its Lord, Islam as its religion and Muhammad as its Prophet.

And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/41006

Praise be to Allaah.

One of the most important principles of belief in Allaah is to declare that Allaah is above all attributes that imply shortcomings. One of the attributes that imply shortcomings that the Muslim must reject is the notion that Allaah has a son, because that implies need and that there is a being who is like unto Him, and these are matters which Allaah is far above. Allaah says in Soorat al-Ikhlaas, which describes an attribute of the Most Merciful and is regarded as being equal in reward to reciting one-third of the Qur’aan:

“Say (O Muhammad): He is Allaah, (the) One.

And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him”

[al-Ikhlaas 112:1-4 – interpretation of the meaning]

Because the Christians believe that ‘Eesa (Jesus) is the son of God – exalted be Allaah far above what they say – many verses of the Qur’aan deny this claim and refute it, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And the Jews say: ‘Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allaah, and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allaah. That is their saying with their mouths, resembling the saying of those who disbelieved aforetime. Allaah’s Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth!”

[al-Tawbah 9:30]

“O people of the Scripture (Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allaah aught but the truth. The Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allaah and His Word, (‘Be!’ — and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rooh) created by Him; so believe in Allaah and His Messengers. Say not: ‘Three (trinity)!’ Cease! (it is) better for you. For Allaah is (the only) One Ilaah (God), glory is to Him (Far Exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allaah is All-Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs”

[al-Nisa’ 4:171]

“The Messiah [‘Eesa (Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary), was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother [Maryam (Mary)] was a Siddeeqah [i.e. she believed in the Words of Allaah and His Books]. They both used to eat food (as any other human being, while Allaah does not eat). Look how We make the Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) clear to them; yet look how they are deluded away (from the truth)”

[al-Maa’idah 5:75]

“And the Jews say: ‘Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allaah, and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allaah. That is their saying with their mouths, resembling the saying of those who disbelieved aforetime. Allaah’s Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth!”

[al-Tawbah 9:30]

Because this false belief existed among the Christians, it was essential for those among them who entered Islam to give up these false beliefs which contradict Islam, one of which is this belief. It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever bears witness that there is no god except Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger and that ‘Eesa is His slave and Messenger, and His Word which He bestowed upon Maryam and a spirit created by Him, and that Paradise is real and Hell is real, Allaah will admit him to Paradise (and grant him a position therein) according to his deeds.” (al-Bukhaari, 3435; Muslim, 28). Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: From this it may be understood what the Christian must be taught to say when he becomes a Muslim. Fath al-Baari, hadeeth no. 3435.

Based on this, a person can only be regarded as a Muslim if he disavows himself of this false belief, and believes that Allaah is above all shortcomings. Whoever acknowledges the greatness of Allaah will find it easy to give up his old beliefs that are not appropriate with regard to Allaah. We ask Allaah to help us to venerate Him and appreciate how great He is.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

http://islamqa.com/en/ref/26301

Question:
Who do Islams worship?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Before answering, we would like to express our appreciation for your interest, at such a young age, in the religion of Islam. May Allaah open the door for you to find much blessing through your asking this question, and decree for you guidance such as you have never thought of. Allaah [the Arabic name for the One True God – Translator] says in the Qur’aan [the Holy Book of Islam] (interpretation of the meaning):

“This is the Guidance of Allaah with which He guides whomsoever He will of His slaves…” [al-An’aam 6:88]

“And whomsoever Allaah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam…” [al-An’aam 6:125]

With regard to this important question – who do the Muslims worship? – the answer is to be found in the Holy Qur’aan, which is the Scripture of Islam, and in the words of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who received Revelation from his Lord.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“In the name of Allaah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. All praises and thanks be to Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists), the Most Beneficient, the Most Merciful, the Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e., the Day of Resurrection). You (Alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help (for each and every thing).” [al-Faatihah 1:1-5]

“O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allaah), Who has created you and those before you so that you may become al-muttaqoon (the pious).” [al-Baqarah 2:21]

“Such is Allaah, your Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Creator of all things. So worship Him (Alone), and He is the Wakeel (Trustee, Disposer of affairs, Guardian) over all things.”[al-An’aam 6:102]

“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.” [al-Isra’ 17:23]

Muslim worship Allaah [the One True God] whom all the Prophets worshipped. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya’qoob [Jacob]? When he said unto his sons, ‘What will you worship after me?’ They said, ‘We shall worship your God, the God of your fathers, Ibraaheem [Abraham], Ismaa’eel [Ishmael] and Is-haaq [Isaac], One God, and to Him we submit (in Islam).” [al-Baqarah 2:133]

The Muslims worship Allaah and call others who follow different religions to worship Allaah Alone, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say [O Muhammad]: ‘O People of the Scripture [Jews and Christians]: come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allaah, and we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allaah.’ Then, if they turn away, say, ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:64]

It is Allaah Alone Whom Nooh [Noah] (peace be upon him) called his people to worship, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Indeed, We sent Nooh [Noah] to his people and he said: ‘O my people! Worship Allaah! You have no other god but Him. Certainly, I fear for you the torment of a Great Day!.’” [al-A’raaf 7:59]

It is Allaah Alone whom the Messiah [Jesus] (peace be upon him) called people to worship, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Surely they have disbelieved who say: ‘Allaah is the Messiah [Jesus] son of Maryam [Mary].’ But the Messiah said: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allaah, my Lord and your Lord.’ Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the zaalimoon (polytheists and wrong-doers) there are no helpers.” [al-Maa’idah 5:73]

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And (remember) when Allaah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): ‘O ‘Eesa [Jesus], son of Maryam [Mary]! Did you say unto men: ‘Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allaah?’ He will say: ‘Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my inner-self though I do not know what is in Yours. You, only You, are the All-Knower of all that is hidden and unseen.

Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allaah) did command me to say: “Worship Allaah, my Lord and your Lord.” And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all things.’”[al-Maa’idah 5:116-117]

When Allaah spoke to His Prophet Moosa [Moses] (peace be upon him), He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, I am Allaah! None has the right to be worshipped but I, so worship Me, and perform al-Salaah [prayer] for My Remembrance.”

[Ta-Ha 20:14]

Allaah commanded His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as follows (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say [O Muhammad]: ‘O mankind! If you are in doubt as to my religion (Islam), then (know that) I will never worship those whom you worship, besides Allaah. But I worship Allaah Who causes you to die, I am commanded to be one of the believers.” [Yoonus 10:104]

It is Him Alone, with no partner or associate, Whom the angels worship and do not worship anyone or anything besides Him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“To Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens and on earth. And those who are near Him (i.e., the angels) are not too proud to worship Him, nor are they weary (of His worship).”[al-Anbiya’ 21:19]

Everything that is worshipped instead of Allaah can neither bring benefit nor cause harm, it can neither create nor provide. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad, to mankind); ‘How do you worship besides Allaah something which has no power either to harm or to benefit you? But it is Allaah Who is the All-Hearer, All-Knower.’” [al-Maa’idah 5:76]

“You worship besides Allaah only idols, and you only invent falsehood. Verily, those whom you worship besides Allaah have no power to give you provision, so seek your provision from Allaah (Alone), and worship Him (Alone), and be grateful to Him. To Him (Alone) you will be brought back.” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:17]

Having explained this, we must complete the topic by asking: why should we worship Allaah Alone with no partner or associate? The answer is as follows:

Firstly: because there is nothing and nobody else in the universe that deserves to be worshipped, for Allaah is the Creator and Sustainer, Who has created the universe out of nothing and has bestowed so many blessings upon us. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So glorify Allaah, when you come up to the evening [i.e., offer the Maghrib (sunset) and ‘Isha’ (night) prayers], and when you enter the morning [I.e., offer the Fajr (morning) prayers].

And His is all the praise and thanks in the heavens and the earth, and (glorify Him) in the afternoon [i.e., offer ‘Asr (mid-afternoon) prayer] and when you come up to the time when the day begins to decline [i.e., offer the Zuhr (mid-day) prayer].

He brings out the living from the dead, and brings out the dead from the living. And He revives the earth after its death, and thus shall you be brought out (resurrected).

And among His Signs is this, that He created you (Adam) from dust, and then [Hawwa (Eve) from Adam’s rib, then his offspring from the semen, and], – behold you are human beings scattered!

And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.

And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Verily in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge.

And among His Signs is the sleep that you take by night and by day, and your seeking of His Bounty. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who listen.

And among His Signs is that He shows you the lightning, by way of fear and hope, and He sends down water (rain) from the sky, and therewith revives the earth after its death. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who understand.

And among His Signs is that the heaven and the earth stand by His Command, then afterwards when He will call you by single call, behold, you will come out from the earth (ie.e, from your graves, for reckoning and recompense).

To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. All are obedient to Him.

And He it is Who originates the creation, then will repeat it (after it has perished), and this is easier for Him. His is the highest description (i.e., none has the right to be worshipped but He, and there is nothing comparable unto Him) in the heavens and in the earth. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.” [al-Room 30: 17-27]

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Is not He (better than your gods) Who created the heavens and the earth, and sends down for you water (rain) from the sky, whereby We cause to grow wonderful gardens full of beauty and delight? It is not in your ability to cause the growth of their trees. Is there any god with Allaah? Nay, but they are a people who ascribe equals (to Him)!

Is not he (better than you gods) Who has made the earth as a fixed abode, and has placed rivers in its midst, and has placed firm mountains therein, and has set a barrier between the two seas (of salt and sweet water). Is there any god with Allaah? Nay, but most of them know not.

Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when He calls Him, and Who removes the evil, generations after generations. Is there any god with Allaah? Little is it that you remember!

Is not He (better than your gods) Who guides you in the darkness of the land and the sea, and Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings, going before His mercy (rain)? Is there any god with Allaah? High Exalted be Allaah above all that they associate as partners (to Him)!

Is not He (better than your so-called gods) Who originates creation, and shall thereafter repeat it, and Who provides for you from heaven and earth? Is there any god with Allaah? Say: ‘bring forth your proofs, if you are truthful’

Say: ‘None on the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allaah, nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected.’”

[al-Naml 27:60-65]

So is there anyone or anything besides Allaah that deserves to be worshipped?

Secondly: Allaah did not create us except to worship Him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And I (Allaah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone).”[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56]

Thirdly: No one will be saved on the Day of Resurrection except those who used to worship Allaah truly and sincerely. After death Allaah will resurrect His slaves and call them to account, rewarding or punishing them according to their deeds. No one will be saved on that day except for those who used to worship Allaah Alone. The rest will be gathered into a Hell, a terrible fate! The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), was asked by his Companions: “Will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” He told them:

“Do you doubt that you can see the sun and the moon when the sky is clear?” We [his Companions] said, “No.” He said, “Then you should not doubt that you will see your Lord on that Day, you will see Him as you see them (the sun and moon).” Then he said, “A caller will call out, ‘Let every people go to that which they used to worship.’ So the worshippers of the cross will go with their cross, the worshippers of idols will go with their idols and the worshippers of every god will go with their gods, until there will be left those who used to worship Allaah, whether they were righteous or otherwise, and a few of the People of the Book [Jews and Christians]. Then Hell will be brought and shown to them as if it is a mirage. It will be said to the Jews, ‘What did you used to worship?’ They will say, ‘We used to worship ‘Uzayr, the son of God.’ It will be said, ‘You have lied. Allaah does not have a wife or son. What do you want?’ They will say, ‘We want something to drink.’ It will be said to them, ‘Drink!’ and they will fall into Hell. Then it will be said to the Christians, ‘What did you used to worship?’ They will say, ‘We used to worship the Messiah, the son of God.’ It will be said, ‘You have lied. Allaah does not have a wife or son. What do you want?’ They will say, ‘We want something to drink.’ It will be said to them, ‘Drink!’ and they will fall into Hell. Then there will be left those who used to worship Allaah, whether they were righteous or otherwise. It will be said to them, ‘What are you waiting for? All the people have gone.’ They will say, ‘We have separated from them and we need Him more today. We heard a caller saying that every people should follow that which they used to worship, so we are waiting for our Lord.’ He will say, ‘Al-Jabbaar [the Compeller, i.e., Allaah] will come…’ And He will say, ‘I am your Lord.’ They will say, ‘You are our Lord,’ but none will speak to Him except the Prophets… then every believer will prostrate to Him.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 6886). These believers are the people of Paradise on whom shall be no fear neither shall they grieve, and they will dwell therein for ever.

We hope that this matter has now become clear. In conclusion we can say nothing except that which Allaah has said (interpretation of the meaning):

“Whoever goes right, then he goes right only for the benefit of his ownself. And whoever goes stray, then he goes astray to his own loss…” [al-Isra’ 17:15]

Peace be upon him who follows the guidance..

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

http://www.islamqa.com/index.php?ref=736&ln=eng

Christian Missionaries in Indonesia

Qonita – Indonesia

There’s a true story that I heard from my father years ago. A story about an ordinary muslim family in Indramayu West Java Indonesia who had a teenager son. Once a week this young man sked permission from his parents to go for practising badminton somewhere and the parents had no objection to this. Allah willed, this boy did not live long. He was sick and died young. And of course the grieving family then prepared everything for the funeral in the Islamic way.

But… all of sudden there came a group of people, introducing themselves as members of a Christian church. They told the clueless parents that the young boy had converted to Christianity and had become the church member for months.

And they would take the body of the young man to be buried according to their way. At first the family would not believe this claim of course, but it turned out to be true. Unknowingly to the family, their son went to the church every Sunday when he told them he went to play badminton. The shocked and broken-hearted father fainted when they took the body of his son away.

This is not an isolated case in Indonesia. The Sabili magazine published another true story. This happened to a father in Rawamangun Jakarta. The father was active in a masjid, but he too, had to face the shocking reality when he found out that his young daughter had converted to Christianity. According to Sabili, the father said that the Christians sow the seed of doubt in his daughter’s mind about the Qur’an.

Another story happened in another small town in West Java. To this small town came a white man, and he disguised as an English teacher. He did not just teach children and youth English, but he become their friend and he made himself available for them even to hear their problems etc. And slowly he preached them a strange teaching…. It was proved later that this man was indeed a Christian missionaries. Local people found some document mentioning Joshua Project
2000. Apparently they made the Sunda ethnic group in West Java –the ethnic group I belong to– as a main target for their mission. Indeed the Sunda (Sundanese) is among the largest ethnic group in the world that the Christians found it difficult to convert.

My point in writing all this is that muslims should protect their children from becoming prey of Christian missionaries. They will do everything in their mission including using deception. They are targeting muslims who are weak, poor and vulnerable, and that’s including muslim children and youth. My cousin one day was shocked because she found her little daughter singing the Christian song, praising Lord Jesus etc. This little girl told her that it’s a mother of her Christian friend who taught her and other children to sing the song when they played in their house! Of course my cousin then forbid her little daughter to play there again.

Muslims, it is our duty to protect our children from the hellfire.

And see, the danger of apostasy also come from the internet. I have read some testimony of those who leaving islam on some website. As a muslim you can distinguish the real testimonies from the fake ones. I found out that some reason for their leaving Islam come from what they read on the internet. I can mention two anti-islam site, but we can see too, that the Christian missionaries also hijack some Islamic website for their mission to convert muslims. In fact, some islamic discussion forum is more harmful than beneficial to the aqeedah of young muslims. Maybe its just a matter of time before we read another testimony of those who leave Islam because of what they read in an islamic discussion forum! Na’udhu billah
So muslims, beware. Don’t be negligent. Protect young muslims from them.

For further reading about Christian missionaries please read this two links. You see how they are well-trained for the mission and how their goal is “to wipe out Islam.”
The Stealth Crusade

Should Christians Convert Muslims

Wallahul musta’an

As-Salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh.

Indeed all Praise is due to Allaahu Subhaanahu wa Ta’Alaa. May the Peace and Blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad, and his family and his sahaabah and all who follow in their footsteps until the last day.

Many individuals claim that along with Islaam, there are other true religions. They claim that there are other “true believers” aside from Muslims who will also enter Jannah or Paradise. They base these claims on verses from Allaah’s Book; Al-Qur’aan. Yet is this really the case?

Claims can either be proven true or false based on facts. And essentially, something remains a claim until such time that it is proven with facts. In order to truly come to a conclusion on any matter with true justice, then one must present all of the evidence and facts, which pertain to that particular issue.

Those who make the stated claim present their evidence with the following Verses from Allaah’s Book:

[Al-Baqarah 2:62]  “Verily! Those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and do righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”

[Al-Ma'idah 5:69]  “Surely, those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah, in His Messenger Muhammad and all that was revealed to him from Allah), 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.

Let us inshaa Allaah however look at all of the evidence on this matter, and then come to a determination.

We will look first to another verse which contains the same groups as above:

[22:17]  “Those who believe (in Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad), and those who are Jews, and the sabians, and the Christians, and the Magians, and those who worship others besides Allah, truly, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Verily! Allah is Witness over all things.”

Looking at the above verses, Allaah first Refers to “those who believe” and Allaah then separates the Jews, Sabians and Christians from those who believe.

This is the first fundamental aspect of understanding these verses. Allaah is Admonishing those who believe as well as Jews, Christians and Sabians to believe in Allah and the Last Day and do righteous deeds. It is a reminder for the believers to believe and it is an admonishment to those who disbelieve (i.e. Jews, Christians and Sabians) to believe. Why would Allaah Separate “those who believe” from those who are Jews, Christians and Sabians if in fact they are believers?

The earlier nations who followed the Prophets that Allaah Sent and remained on the correct belief and died upon this belief, then absolutely they are believers. The fact is that Allaah does promise Paradise to the true followers of Moses who died upon the true belief (peace and Blessings upon him) up until the time that Jesus was sent (Peace be upon him). Any living followers of Moses who disbelieved in Jesus (Peace be upon them), they were from that point disbelievers because they rejected what Allaah had Sent. The same goes for the living true followers of Jesus (Peace be upon him). If they reject Muhammad (Peace and Blessings upon him), they are disbelievers.

Never the less today there are many who claim to be the true followers of Jesus (Peace and Blessings upon him), divided into different groups. The true followers of Jesus (Peace and Blessings upon him are and always were Muslims (those who submit to Allaah).

[3:52]  “Then when Jesus came to know of their disbelief, he said: ‘Who will be my helpers in Allah’s Cause?’ The disciples said: ‘We are the helpers of Allah; we believe in Allah, and bear witness that we are muslims’.“

There is no god but Allaah, He does not beget, nor is He begotten and Allaah has Created all that exists. Jesus (Peace and Blessings upon him) was a slave and messenger of Allaah, Subhaanahu wa Ta’Alaa. And as for those groups who claim to be his followers;

[4:159]  “And on the Day of Resurrection, he [Jesus] will be a witness against them.”

And the true followers of Moses (Peace and Blessings upon him) were Muslims, and it is only Allaah who Determines who His messengers are. Cursed are those who killed The Prophets of Allaah. Those whom Allaah has Chosen are only those slaves who submit to Him and worship Him Alone.

[10:84]  “And Moses said: ‘O my people! If you have believed in Allah, then put your trust in Him if you are muslims’.”

To add to this, we can look to the Hadeeth of Allaah’s Messsenger (Peace and Blessings upon him) when he saw one of his companions ‘Umar bin Khattaab (May Allaah be Pleased with him) reading the Torah. He said to ‘Umar; “By Allah, were Musa (Moses) to be alive, he would have no choice but to follow me!”

And so one might say that it makes no sense for Allaah to Admonish the believers to believe since we already believe; however Allaah Reminds the believers to believe elsewhere in the Qur’aan as well:

[4:136]  “O you who believe! Believe…”

[2:208]  “O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam…”

[8:24]  “O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life…”

[3:156]  “O you who believe! Be not like those who disbelieve…”

We must then follow this up by looking at what it means to believe, what does belief/faith mean? As with any matter in Islaam, we refer to Allaah’s Qur’aan, Subhaanahu wa Ta’Ala & the Sunnah of His Final Messenger and Prophet Muhammad (Sal-Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam).

Allaahu Tabaarak wa Ta’Alaa Says:

[2:285]  “The Messenger (Muhammad) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, his books, and His Messengers. They say, ‘We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers’ - and they say, ‘We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).’”

Allaah’s Messenger (Sal-Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said in his authentic Hadeeth (the meaning of which is), when he was asked by the Angel Jibreel (Alayhis Salaat w’As-Salaam) what does “Imaan” (faith/belief) mean, he replied; “Faith means to believe in Allaah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and the Divine Decree, both good and bad.”

We see that Allaah in the above Verse Commands us to “hear and obey”, and Allaah Commands us to believe in His Messengers and Prophets, and to disbelieve in them is disbelief in Allaah, because we are not believing in what He Commands us to believe. Therefore those who say “faith in Allaah does not mean believing in men” are clearly in error. Faith in Allaah means to believe in whatsoever Allaah Commands us to believe.

As Allaah Tells us in His Book:

[4:136]  “O you who believe! Believe in Allah, and His Messenger (Muhammad), and the Book (the Qur’an) which He has sent down to His Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent down to those before (him), and whosoever disbelieves in Allah, His Angels, his books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away.“

Allaah Also Says in His Book:

[5:68] “Say: ‘O People of the Scripture! You have nothing (as regards guidance) till you act according to the Torah, the Gospel, and what has (now) been sent down to you from your Lord (the Qur’an).’ Verily, that which has been sent down to you (Muhammad) from your Lord increases in many of them their obstinate rebellion and disbelief. So be not sorrowful over the people who disbelieve.”

[3:100]  “O you who believe! If you obey a group of those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians), they would (indeed) render you disbelievers after you have believed!”

[98:6] “Verily those who disbelieve from among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists will abide in the Fire of Hell. They are the worst of creatures.”

[5:73]  “Surely, disbelievers are those who said: ‘Allah is the third of the three (in a Trinity)’.”

[24:62] “The true believers are only those, who believe in (the Oneness of) Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad)…”

[3:85]  “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.”

[4:150-151]  “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 but reject others,’ and wish to adopt a way in between. They are in truth disbelievers. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating torment.”

Allaah in the Qur’aan also Implies that Jews and Christians are polytheists! So how could they then be believers?

[2:135]  “And they say, ‘Be Jews or Christians, then you will be guided.’ Say, ‘Nay! Only the religion of Abraham Hanifa (is to be followed), and he was not of the polytheists’.”

Can one be a “true believer” yet also be cursed and deluded away from the truth?

[9:30] “…and the jews say: ‘Ezra is the son of Allah,’ and the Christians say: ‘the Messiah is the son of Allah.’ That is a saying from their mouths. They imitate the saying of the disbelievers of old. Allah’s Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth!

Allaah even Mocks how Jews and Christians consider each other to be disbelievers yet proclaim to study the same book!

[2:113] “The Jews said that the Christians follow nothing; and the Christians said that the Jews follow nothing; though they both recite the (same) Scripture?!”

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: “By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which I have been sent and dies in this state (of disbelief), he shall be but one of the denizens of Hell-Fire.”

So we can see in fact the claims people make that along with Islaam, “there are other true religions and other true believers” are indeed nothing but falsehood and lies, and they simply are trying to deceive and twist meanings, hoping that one will take the bait. They wish to abuse the Ayaat of Allaah for their own desires and purposes. Shaytaan has already deceived them however they have much trouble deceiving those who believe because All Praise is due to Allaah who is our Protector.

Alhamdulillaah much has been said on this and all of the clear proofs have been given, there is no dispute on this issue, and this is a principle of basic understanding, yet how many truly have basic understanding?

To conclude however, let us look to how ibn ‘Abbaas (May Allaah be Pleased with him) responded when asked about this.

Someone came to ibn ‘Abbaas (May Allaah be Pleased with him) and asked him about the following Verse from Allaah’s Book:

[2:62] “Verily! Those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and do righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”

The response from ibn ‘Abbaas (May Allaah be Pleased with him) was very simple, he said:

[3:85] “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.”

And I will conclude with the following Verse from Allaah’s Book:

[6:125] “And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam, and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky. Thus Allah puts the wrath on those who believe not.”

So I wonder how it is now then, that those who make those claims can continue to make such claims?

Indeed we call mankind to truly believe in Allaah alone and to believe in all of His messengers (Peace be upon them) including His last messenger Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him), and all of His Books; including His Qur’aan, so that Allaah may Have Mercy on us and Save us from the hell fire, whose fuel will be humans and stones.

Indeed Allaah Knows Best.

Updated : Nov 6, 2007
Posted and discussed on IOL here

The wisdom behind the distortion of the Gospel

Question:

Why did Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, allow the Gospel to be distorted when He was able to preserve it? What are the teachings that the Muslims followed before the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: Allaah delegated the preservation of the Torah and Gospel to their scholars and monks, based on the evidence of the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We did send down the Tawraat (Torah) [to Moosa (Moses)], therein was guidance and light, by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves to Allaah’s Will, judged for the Jews. And the rabbis and the priests [too judged for the Jews by the Tawraat (Torah) after those Prophets], for to them was entrusted the protection of Allaah’s Book, and they were witnesses thereto” [al-Maa'idah 5:44].

Allaah did not guarantee to preserve them as He guaranteed to preserve the Qur’aan. There are a number of reasons for that:

1.Allaah wanted the Qur’aan to remain the eternal Book and the law that would abide until the Day of Resurrection. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad ) the Book (this Qur’aan) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and Muhaymin (trustworthy in highness and a witness) over it (old Scriptures)” [al-Maa'idah 5:48].

There is no need for the previous Books to be preserved, especially since the time of the Qur’aan was close to the time of the Gospel, and there were only six hundred years between them.

2.That was to be a test for those who had been given the Book – would they play their role in preserving the Scripture? Would they believe in what it said? Would they follow the Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they found mentioned in the Torah and Gospel? Or would they persist in their stubbornness and distort, conceal and falsify?

3.This was also a test for all the followers of Christianity until the Day of Resurrection. They can see that their Book in which they believe is not free of distortions, doubts and loss, and they can see that the Book of the Final Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has been preserved and transmitted by so many from so many that no one can doubt its authenticity, so that calls them to believe in the clear Book, the Holy Qur’aan.

Secondly: During the Jaahiliyyah, before the coming of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the people were polytheists (mushrikeen) and idol-worshippers, and most of them had no real religion or decent laws, except a few who followed the way of the Messiah (peace be upon him), such as Waraqah ibn Nawfal, and a few Haneefs who followed the religion of Ibraaheem, who shunned shirk, idols, alcohol and immorality, and prostrated to Allaah alone, the Lord of the Worlds, such as Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl, of whom it is narrated in a saheeh report in al-Bukhaari (3614) that he said: “I will not eat of that which you slaughter on your stone altars, and I will not eat anything but that over which the name of Allaah has been mentioned.” And he also used to say: “O Quraysh, by Allaah, there is no one among you who is following the religion of Ibraaheem except me.” He used to try to stop people burying their daughters alive, and he would say to a man who wanted to kill his daughter: Do not kill her; I will sponsor her. And he would take her and when she grew up he would say to her father: If you wish, I will give her to you, and if you wish, I will sponsor her. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3616).

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A

http://www.islamqa.com/index.php?ref=98280&ln=eng

Question:
Hello , my name is XXXX and I was taking a look at your web page . I am interested in it because I am in a Religious Studies class and I am interested in learning more. I just wanted to know your response to this, if I am correct in saying this… In Islam heaven is thought of as paradise of wine, women and song. It is achieved by living a life in which, ironically, one abstains from the things with which he or she will be rewarded in paradise. In addition to this abstentiion, one must follow the five Pillars of Islam. It seems to me that the Islamic faith is a do-it-yourself proposition. Follow this “way of life”, they say, and you will gain favor with God and eventually achieve salvation. There is NO assurance. I would hate to live like that. I realize that Muslims do not believe in “original sin”, but regardless of wether or not a man is born sinful or not, would you not agree that every man/woman is sinful? How does one pay for his/her sin? I understand repentance. I agree with that…but it seems as though one can NEVER do enough to win favor with God. That is why He sent his Son to die for us. All of our sins past present and future. There is no possibility of assurance in the Islamic faith. I think that would be an awful way to live knowing that I was never gonna make it…not knowing of my salvation until the “day of judgement” whether or not I have done enough “goodworks” or prayed enough…etc. I have asked a couple of Muslims in my class whether or not they were for sure if they were going to “paradise” or “heaven” when they died. I have not yet had one reply in the affirmative. Rather, they referred to the imperfection of their lives as being a barrier to this realization. THERE IS NO ASSURANCE IN ISLAM, BECAUSE THERE IS NO ATONEMENT, AND SALVATION DEPENDS WHOLLY ON THE INDIVIDUAL’S GAINING ENOUGH “MERIT”
Aslo, if I wanted to become a Muslim, I couldn’t. If Muslims think that they are the “chosen people” then why aren’t they spreading their faith. Do you just have to be lucky enough to be born Muslim? If a person wants to become a Christian they can.
ANYONE can become a Christian in a matter of seconds. All they have to do is confess that Jesus Christ is who He said He was and repent and believe…that is all a lot easier said than done. But basically that is it. I wasn’t born Christian…or raised Christians assert that Jesus Chrit is the only way to God because Scritpture says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Jesus Christ said himself “I am the way the truth and the life, NO ONE comes to the Father except through me…” He didn’t say, I am one way or a way or one truth etc….THE WAY!!! I and the Father are ONE! Jn 5:18 I just don’t understand how anyone could be blind to these facts. Unless they are never told. Which was me. I would just like a little feed back.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah. We appreciate your question concerning the ideas that you have about Islam, and we hope to discuss what you have written and correct some of your ideas, so as to arrive at a firm conviction of the truth of the matter.

1. What you have mentioned about the Islamic belief about Paradise, and the enjoyment of wine, women and song therein, falls wide of the mark. The pleasures of Paradise are not merely physical in nature, they also include the joy of feeling safe and secure, and of being content with God and being close to Him. The greatest joy of all in Paradise will be seeing God, may He be glorified and exalted.

When the people of Paradise see the Holy Face of God, they will forget all other kinds of pleasures that they have enjoying. There is in Paradise everything that will delight the heart and eye; no dirty or evil talk is heard there, nor sinful speech.

“No person know what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do.” [al-Sajdah 32:17 – interpretation of the meaning].

What I am trying to say is that the delights of Paradise are not limited to the kind you refer to in your question. They are far greater than that.

2. You mention the idea that entrance to Paradise will only be granted to those who heed certain prohibitions, which things they will enjoy in Paradise in the Hereafter as a reward for avoiding it in this life. This generalization is not correct at all. Islam is a religion which commands action, not just abstinence. Salvation can only be attained through fulfilling commands, not just by avoiding things that are forbidden. Moreover, not every luxury in Paradise will consist of something that was forbidden in this world and is now being given as a reward. Some of the delights of Paradise will be things that were allowed in this world, such as marriage, good fruits like pomegranate and figs, etc., drinks like milk and honey, and so on. All of these are permitted in this world, and will be delights to be enjoyed in Paradise. The bad qualities of things that are forbidden in this world will not be present in their heavenly forms. For example, the wine of Paradise, as Allaah tells us, causes neither ghoul (any kind of hurt, abdominal pain, headache, sin, etc.) nor intoxication (see al-Saffaat 37:47). It does not rob a person of his mental faculties, or cause headaches and stomachaches. It is quite different from its earthly counterpart. The point I am making is that the delights of Paradise do not consist only of allowing things that were forbidden in this world. It is also worth pointing out that there are cases where abstention from prohibited things will not be rewarded by being given their equivalent in the Hereafter, whether those prohibited things are food, drinks, deeds or words. Poison, for example, will not be given as a luxury in Paradise, although it is forbidden in this world. The same applies to sodomy, incest and other things which will not be allowed in the Hereafter although they are forbidden in this world. This matter is quite clear, praise be to Allaah.

3. The idea of being guaranteed Paradise, and that a person’s life will be as horrible and unbearable as you describe if he has no such guarantee, is a misconception which itself leads to the results you mention. If you were to say that every person has a guarantee of Paradise, this would be utterly disastrous, because then everyone would commit all kinds of forbidden acts, feeling safe because of this guarantee. Many of the crimes committed by Jews and Christians have been done on the basis of this guarantee, with documents of forgiveness from their priests.

Allaah has told us about such people (interpretation of the meaning):
“And they say, ‘None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.’ Say, ‘Produce your proof if you are truthful.’” [al-Baqarah 2:111]

For us Muslims, Paradise is not the matter of our own desires or the desires of anyone else, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“It will not be in accordance with your desires (Muslims), nor those of the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians); whoever works evil will have the recompense thereof, and he will not find any protector or helper besides Allaah.” [al-Nisa’ 4:123]

There follows a brief summary of the Islamic view regarding a guarantee of one’s destiny. Islam offers a guarantee to every sincere Muslim who obeys Allaah and remains in this state of devotion until he dies, that he will definitely enter Paradise. Allaah says in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meanings):
“But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, We shall admit them to the Gardens under which rivers flow (i.e., in Paradise), to dwell therein forever. Allaah’s promise is the truth, and whose words can be truer than those of Allaah? (Of course, none).” [al-Nisa’ 4:122]

“Allaah has promised those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, that for them there is forgiveness and a great reward (i.e., Paradise).” [al-Maa’idah 5:9]

“(They will enter) ‘Adn (Eden) Paradise (everlasting Gardens), which the Most Beneficent (Allaah) has promised to His servants in the unseen: verily, His promise must come to pass.” [Maryam 19:61]

“Say: ‘Is that (torment) better, or the Paradise of Eternity promised to the muttaqeen (pious and righteous persons)? It will be theirs as a reward and final destination.” [al-Furqaan 25:15]

“But those who fear Allaah and keep their duty to their Lord (Allaah), for them are built lofty rooms, one above another, under which rivers flow (i.e., Paradise). (This is) the Promise of Allaah, and Allaah does not fail in (His) promise.” [al-Zumar 39:20]

Islam also guarantees the disbeliever who ignores the commands of Allaah that he will definitely enter Hell. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):

“Allaah has promised the hypocrites, men and women, and the disbelievers, the Fire of Hell, therein shall they abide. It will suffice them. Allaah has cursed them and for them is the lasting torment.” [al-Tawbah 9:68]

“But those who disbelieve, for them will be the Fire of Hell. Neither will it have a complete killing effect on them so that they die, nor shall its torment be lightened for them. Thus do We requite every disbeliever!” [Faatir 35:36]

Allaah will say to the disbelievers on the Day of Judgement (interpretation of the meaning):

“This is Hell which you were promised! Burn therein this Day, for that you used to disbelieve!” [Yaa-Seen 36:63-64]

Allaah will not go back on His promise to either the believers or the disbelievers. He describes how both of them will be at the end of the Day of Judgement (interpretation of the meaning):

“And the dwellers of Paradise will call out to the dwellers of the Fire (saying): ‘We have indeed found true what our Lord had promised us; have you also found true, what your Lord promised (warnings, etc.)?’ They shall say, ‘Yes.’ Then a crier will proclaim between them: ‘The Curse of Allaah is on the zaalimeen (polytheists and wrongdoers, etc.).” [al-A’raaf 7:44]

Everyone who believes and does righteous deeds, and dies in this state, will definitely enter Paradise. Everyone who disbelieves and does evil deeds, and dies in this state, will definitely enter Hell.

One of the great guiding principles of Islam is that the believer should tread a path between fear and hope. He should not take it for granted that he will enter Paradise, because this will make him complacent, and he does not know in what state he will die. Nor should he assume that he is going to Hell, because this is despairing of the mercy of Allaah, which is forbidden. So the believer does righteous deeds, and hopes that Allaah will reward him for them, and he avoids evil deeds out of fear of the punishment of Allaah. If he commits a sin, he repents in order to gain forgiveness and protect himself from the punishment of Hell. Allaah forgives all sins and accepts the repentance of those who repent. If a believer fears that the good deeds he has sent on before him are not enough, as you suggest, then he will increase his efforts, in fear and hope. No matter how many righteous deeds he has sent on before him, he cannot rely on them and take them for granted, or else he will be doomed. He keeps striving and hoping for reward, and at the same time he fears lest his deeds be contaminated with any element of showing off, self-admiration, or anything that will lead to them being rejected by Allaah. Allaah describes the believers (interpretation of the meaning):

“… those who give that (their charity) which they give (and also do other good deeds) with their hearts full of fear (whether their alms and charity, etc.) have been accepted or not), because they are sure to return to their Lord (for reckoning).” [al-Mu’minoon 23:60]

So the believer keeps on striving, fearing and hoping, until he meets his Lord, believing in Tawheed (Divine Unity) and doing righteous deeds, and earns the pleasure of his Lord and Paradise. If you think about the matter, you will realize that these are the right motives for action, and that righteousness cannot be achieved in this life in any other way.

4. As regards what you say about original sin, this matter needs to be approached from several angles.

The Islamic belief concerning human sin is: the individual bears the responsibility for his own sin; no one else should bear this burden for him, nor should he bear the burden for anyone else. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden…” [Faatir 35:18].

This refutes the idea of original sin. If the father commits a sin, what fault is that of his children and grandchildren? Why should they bear the burden of a sin that someone else committed? The Christian belief that the descendents should bear the sin of their father is the essence of injustice. How can any sane person say that the sin should be carried down the centuries by all of humanity, or that the children, grandchildren and subsequent descendants should be tainted because of their father’s sin?

Secondly, making mistakes is a part of human nature. Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
“Every son of Aadam is bound to commit sins…” (reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2423), but Allaah has not left man unable to do anything about the mistakes that he makes. He gives man the opportunity to repent, and so the hadeeth (words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) quoted above concludes:
“…and the best of those who commit sins are those who repent.”

The mercy of Allaah is clear in the teachings of Islam, as Allaah calls His servants (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [al-Zumar 39:53]

This is human nature, and this is the solution to the problem of sin. But to make this human nature, which is bound to make mistakes, a barrier between the servant and his Lord which will prevent him from ever earning the pleasure of God, and to say that the only way to reach God is through His sending His (so-called) son down to earth to be humiliated and crucified while his father looks on, so that mankind could be forgiven, is an extremely odd idea. Just describing it sounds so unlikely that there is no longer any need to refute it in detail. Once, when discussing this issue with a Christian, I said, “If you say that God sent down His son to be crucified to atone for the sins of the people alive at his time and afterwards, what about those who had come before and died as sinners before the time of Christ, and had no opportunity to know about him and believe in the Crucifixion so that their sins might be forgiven?” All he could say was: “No doubt our priests have an answer to that!” Even if they do have an answer, it is bound to be concocted. There is no real answer.

If you really examine the Christian teaching on human sin with an open mind, you will see that they say that God sacrificed His only son to atone for the sins of mankind, and that this son was a god. If it was true that he was a god who was beaten, insulted and crucified, and died, then this doctrine contains elements of blasphemy because it accuses God of weakness and helplessness. Is God really incapable of forgiving the sins of all His servants with just one word? If He is Able to do all things (and the Christians do not dispute this fact), then why would He need to sacrifice His son in order to achieve the same thing? (Glorified and exalted be He far above what the wrongdoers say about Him!)

“He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. How can He have children when He has no wife? He created all things and He is the All-Knower of everything.” [al-An’aam 6:101 – interpretation of the meaning]

An ordinary man would not accept anyone harming his child; he would come to his defence, and would never hand him over to an enemy who would insult him, let alone leave him to face the worst kind of death. If this is the attitude of a mere created being, what then of the Creator?

Thirdly, the Christian doctrine of original sin has a negative effect because, as you have mentioned, it does not require any duties of man other than to believe that God sent His son to this earth to be crucified and to die to atone for the sins of mankind. Thus a person becomes a Christian and is to earn the pleasure of God and be admitted to heaven. Moreover, the Christian believes that everything that happened to the son of God was only to atone for his sins, past present and future, so there is no need to wonder why Christian societies have seen such an increase in murder, rape, robbery, alcoholism and other problems. After all, did not Christ die to atone for their sins, and haven’t their sins been wiped out, so why should they stop doing these things? Tell me, by your Lord, why do you sometimes execute murderers, or put criminals in jail, or punish them in other ways, if you believe that the criminal’s sins have all be atoned for and forgiven through the blood of Christ? Is this not a strange contradiction?

5. You ask why, if the Muslims are the chosen people of mankind, they do not spread their religion. The fact of the matter is that sincere Muslims have always sought to do just that. How else could Islam have spread from Makkah to Indonesia, Siberia, North Africa, Bosnia, South Africa and all parts of the world, East and West? The faults in the behaviour of some modern Muslims cannot be blamed on Islam; those faults are the result of going against Islamic teachings. It is not fair to blame the religion for the faults of some of its adherents who have gone against it or gone astray. Are Muslims not being more just than Christians when they affirm that the sinner is threatened with the punishment of Allaah unless he repents, and that for some sins there is a deterrent, a punishment to be carried out in this world as an expiation for the Hereafter, as in the case of the punishments for murder, theft, fornication/adultery, etc.?

6. What you say about it be so easy to become a Christian, as compared to becoming a Muslim, is clearly mistaken. The key to Islam is no more than two simple phrases:
“Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa anna Muhammadan Rasool-Allaah (I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah).”

With these few words, a person enters Islam in a matter of seconds. There is no need for baptism or priests, or even to go to a certain place such as a mosque or anywhere else. Compare this with the ridiculous procedures of baptism which the Christians do when they want to admit someone to the Church. Then there is the fact that the Christians venerate the cross on which Jesus was tortured and crucified in great pain – as they claim. They take it as a sacred object of blessing and healing, instead of scorning it and hating it as a symbol of oppression and the worst possible way for the son of God to die!

7. Do you not see that the Muslims are closer than others to the truth, because they believe in all the Prophets and Messengers, respecting them all and recognizing that all of them taught the truth of Divine Unity (Tawheed) and that each of them was appointed by Allaah and sent to his people with laws that were appropriate to the time and place? When the fair-minded Christian sees the followers of Islam believing in Musa (Moses), ‘Eesaa (Jesus), and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and in the original Torah and Gospel, as well as the Qur’aan, and sees his own people denying the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and rejecting the Qur’aan, wouldn’t his open-mindedness make him think that the Muslims are most likely to be right?

8. You say that the Messiah said, “No one comes to the Father except through me”. We need, first of all, to be sure that these words can truly be attributed to Jesus. Secondly, this is clearly not true. How then could mankind have known God at the times of Nooh (Noah), Hood, Saalih, Yoonus (Jonah), Shu’ayb (Jethro), Ibraaheem (Abraham), Musa (Moses) and other Prophets? If you were to say that during the time of Jesus (upon whom be peace) and up to the time of the Final Prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the Children of Israel had no other way to know the religion of Allaah except through the way of Jesus, this would be correct.

9. Finally, you quote the Messiah as saying, “I and the Father are one”. This is clearly not correct. If we examine the matter objectively, without letting our own desires get in the way, it becomes clear that the conjunction “and” in the phrase “I and the Father” implies that two separate entities are involved. “I” is one entity, and “the Father” is another. If you say, “So-and-so and I”, it is obvious to any rational person that they are two separate people. The equation 1+1+1=1 makes no sense to any rational person, whether he is a mathematician or not.

Finally, I advise you (and I do not think that you will reject this advice) to think deeply about what you have read, putting aside your background, any pre-conceived ideas, your own desires and feelings of attachment to your religion or culture, and to seek guidance sincerely from Allaah. Allaah Most Generous and will never let any of His servants down. Allaah is the One Who guides to the Straight Path, and He is Sufficient for us and is the best disposer of affairs..

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

http://www.islamqa.com/index.php?ref=2690&ln=eng