Why Do Muslims Convert to Christianity?
There's a lot of talk about Muslims becoming Christians all of a sudden due to Magdi Allam's baptism but I'm also seeing some quite misleading connections being made by people who have little or no knowledge of the subject.
I have done a number of substantive posts on the subject over the past year which could provide a lot of helpful and solid background now that MBB's are suddenly fashionable.
I'd like to start with an extraordinary bit of research undertaken by Dr. Dudley Woodbury, Professor of Islamics, Fulbright Scholar, expert in medieval Arabic literature, consultant to governments, and one of my former teachers.
"So what attracts Muslims to follow Jesus? Between 1991 and 2007, about 750 Muslims who have decided to follow Christ filled out an extensive questionnaire on that basic question. The respondents—from 30 countries and 50 ethnic groups—represent every major region of the Muslim world. (Copies of the questionnaire are available from dudley@fuller.edu.) The participants ranked the relative importance of different influences and whether they occurred before, at the time of, or after their decision to follow Christ. While the survey, prepared at Fuller Theological Seminary's School of Intercultural Studies, does not claim scientific precision, it provides a glimpse into some of the key means the Spirit of God is using to open Muslim hearts to the gospel."
Woodbury's summary of the five most frequently mentioned reasons:
I have done a number of substantive posts on the subject over the past year which could provide a lot of helpful and solid background now that MBB's are suddenly fashionable.
I'd like to start with an extraordinary bit of research undertaken by Dr. Dudley Woodbury, Professor of Islamics, Fulbright Scholar, expert in medieval Arabic literature, consultant to governments, and one of my former teachers.
"So what attracts Muslims to follow Jesus? Between 1991 and 2007, about 750 Muslims who have decided to follow Christ filled out an extensive questionnaire on that basic question. The respondents—from 30 countries and 50 ethnic groups—represent every major region of the Muslim world. (Copies of the questionnaire are available from dudley@fuller.edu.) The participants ranked the relative importance of different influences and whether they occurred before, at the time of, or after their decision to follow Christ. While the survey, prepared at Fuller Theological Seminary's School of Intercultural Studies, does not claim scientific precision, it provides a glimpse into some of the key means the Spirit of God is using to open Muslim hearts to the gospel."
Woodbury's summary of the five most frequently mentioned reasons:
1) The lifestyle of Christians. Former Muslims cited the love that Christians exhibited in their relationships with non-Christians and their treatment of women as equals.
2) The power of God in answered prayers and healing. Experiences of God's supernatural work—especially important to folk Muslims who have a characteristic concern for power and blessings—increased after their conversions, according to the survey. Often dreams about Jesus were reported.
3) Dissatisfaction with the type of Islam they had experienced. Many expressed dissatisfaction with the Qur'an, emphasizing God's punishment over his love. Others cited Islamic militancy and the failure of Islamic law to transform society.
4) The spiritual truth in the Bible. Muslims are generally taught that the Torah, Psalms, and the Gospels are from God, but that they became corrupted. These Christian converts said, however, that the truth of God found in Scripture became compelling for them and key to their understanding of God's character.
5) Biblical teachings about the love of God. In the Qur'an, God's love is conditional, but God's love for all people was especially eye-opening for Muslims. These converts were moved by the love expressed through the life and teachings of Jesus. The next step for many Muslims was to become part of a fellowship of loving Christians.
That's the summary. Now the details. i will bold the reasons these real MBBs give for their conversion.
Since a reader had posted a query as to why Roman Catholics were not participating in a meeting on evangelization of Muslims, I thought it would be good to print the bulk of this article. It demonstrates the variety of ways in which Muslims are being drawn to Christ. The same means are also true for other non-Christians who seek baptism.
Seeing a lived faith
First, we can look at the experiences that most influenced Muslims. For example, respondents ranked the lifestyle of Christians as the most important influence in their decision to follow Christ. A North African former Sufi mystic noted with approval that there was no gap between the moral profession and the practice of Christians he saw. An Egyptian contrasted the love of a Christian group at an American university with the unloving treatment of Muslim students and faculty he encountered at a university in Medina. An Omani woman explained that Christians treat women as equals. Others noted loving Christian marriages. Some poor people said the expatriate Christian workers they knew had adopted, contrary to their expectations, a simple lifestyle, wearing local clothes and observing local customs of not eating pork, drinking alcohol, or touching those of the opposite sex. A Moroccan was even welcomed by his former Christian in-laws after he underwent a difficult divorce.
Many Muslims who faced violence at the hands of other Muslims did not see it in the Christians they knew (regrettably, of course, Christians have been guilty of interethnic strife elsewhere). Muslim-on-Muslim violence has led to considerable disillusionment for many Muslims, from those who survived the 1971 war between the Bengalis of East Pakistan and the Pathans, Sindis, and Punjabis of West Pakistan, to Arab and Berber tensions in North Africa, and to Arab herdsmen fighting black African farmers in Darfur.
The next most important influence was the power of God in answered prayers and healing. Like most of the factors that former Muslims list, experiences of God's supernatural intervention often increase after Muslims decide to follow Christ.
In North Africa, Muslim neighbors asked Christians to pray for a very sick daughter who then was healed. In Senegal, a Muslim marabout (spiritual leader) referred a patient to Christians when he was not able to bring healing. In Pakistan, after a pilgrimage to Mecca did not cure a disabled Shiite girl, she was healed following Christian prayer.
Closely related was the finding that some noted deliverance from demonic power as another reason they were attracted to Jesus. After all, he is the healing prophet in the Qur'an and has power over demons in the Gospels. In northern Nigeria, a malam (what some might call a witchdoctor) used sorcery against a man who was considering following Jesus. The seeker became insane, and his extended family left him. But then he prayed that Christ would free him, and he was healed.
It helps to note that a third of the 750-person sample were folk Muslims, with a characteristic concern for power and blessings. It is also worth noting that the Jesus portrayed in the Qur'an is a prophet who heals lepers and the blind and raises the dead. Not surprisingly, many Muslims find him attractive. Of course, power and blessings do not constitute the final word for Muslims. The Bible also offers a theology of suffering, and many Muslims who follow Christ find that their faith is strengthened through trials.
The third biggest influence listed by respondents was dissatisfaction with the type of Islam they had experienced. They expressed unhappiness with the Qur'an, which they perceive as emphasizing God's punishment more than his love (although the Qur'an says he loves those who love him [3:31]). As for Islam's requirement that liturgical prayer should be in Arabic, a Javanese man asked, "Doesn't an all-knowing God know Indonesian?" Others criticized folk Islam's use of amulets and praying at the graves of dead saints.
Some respondents decried Islamic militancy and the imposition of Islamic law, which they said is not able to transform hearts and society. This disillusionment is broad in the Muslim world. Many Iranians became interested in the gospel after the Khomeini revolution of 1979 brought in rule by clergy. Pakistanis became more receptive after President Zia ul-Haq (1977-1988) tried to implement Islamic law. And Afghans became more open after Islamist Taliban conquest and rule (1994-2001).
As with Paul and Cornelius in Acts, visions and dreams played a role in the conversion of many. More than one in four respondents, 27 percent, noted dreams and visions before their decision for Christ, 40 percent at the time of conversion, and 45 percent afterward. Many Muslims view dreams as links between the seen and unseen worlds, and pre-conversion visions and dreams often lead Muslims to consult a Christian or the Bible.
Frequently a person in the vision, understood to be Jesus, radiates light or wears white (one respondent, though, said Jesus appeared in green, a color sometimes associated with Islamic holy persons). An Algerian woman had a vision that her Muslim grandmother came into her room and said, "Jesus is not dead; he is here." In Israel, an Arab dreamed that his deceased father said, "Follow the pastor. He will show you the right way." Other dreams and visions occurred later and provided encouragement during persecution. A Turkish woman in jail because of her conversion had a vision that she would be released, and she was. A vision of thousands of believers in the streets proclaiming their faith encouraged a young man in North Africa to persevere.
The message is the medium
Next in attraction for Muslims is the spiritual truth in the Bible. The Qur'an attests that the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel (commonly understood as the New Testament) are from God. Even though Muslims are generally taught that these writings became corrupted, they often find them compelling reading and discover truth that they conclude must be from God. The Bible helped one Egyptian understand "the true character of God." The Sermon on the Mount helped convinced a Lebanese Muslim that he should follow the one who taught and exemplified these values.
Respondents were also attracted by the Bible's teaching about the love of God. In the Qur'an, although God loves those who love him, his love is conditional. He does not love those who reject faith (3:31-32). There is nothing in the Qur'an like, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10), or, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).
A West African was surprised by God's love for all people, even enemies. Likewise, although the Qur'an denies that God is a father (37:152), many Muslims find this a comforting concept. Particularly attractive to Muslims is the love expressed through the life and teachings of Jesus. The Qur'an already calls him faultless (19:19). Many Muslims are attracted to him by his depiction in the Qur'an and then go to the Gospels to find out more. A Saudi was first drawn to him at a Christmas Eve service in Germany—even before he knew German. Like many, an Iranian Shiite was attracted to Christ before he was attracted to Christianity. A North African Sufi found Jesus' portrayal as the Good Shepherd particularly meaningful. When Christ's love transforms committed Christians into a loving community, many Muslims listed a desire to join such a fellowship as next in importance.
Subconscious influences
For the most part, respondents did not say that political or economic circumstances influenced their decisions. But it's hard not to notice that Iranians, Pakistanis, Afghans, Bangladeshis, and Algerians became more responsive after enduring Muslim political turmoil or attempts to impose Islamic law. Christian relief and development agencies try hard to guard against spiritually misusing their position as providers of desperately needed goods and services. But natural disasters in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Sahel region inevitably put Muslims in contact with Christians trying to follow Jesus. It is no surprise that some of these Muslims also choose to follow Christ.
In many places, apostasy [from Islam] is tantamount to rejecting family, religion, culture, ethnicity, and nationality. Thus, many Muslim converts face persecution from family, police, or militants. Two friends were unable to fill out the questionnaire—one because he was apparently poisoned by his own family, the other because the government imprisoned him and later his tongue was cut out by a warlord so that he could no longer say the name of Jesus.
But Muslim converts to Christ know that such persecution can, in a mysterious way, be part of the best of times. Jesus, in fact, said it was a blessing. That's because with or without persecution, Muslims are discovering an experiential truth unknown to them before. As a Zambian Muslim exclaimed, 'God loves me just as I am.'"
posted by Sherry W @ 3:31 PM 25 Comments 
LOADING
25 Comments:
Akther:
Thanks for providing such an eloquent example of the very dynamic I've been trying to describe:
If we want to bear fruit as evangelists, building relationship and trust must come before proclamation and apologetics. You gotta build a bridge of trust that can hold a load of truth.
Your check is in the mail.
Sherry W.
P.S.
A sense of humor and proportion goes a long way too.
I get stuff like this at my blog on a fairly regular basis too.
While I am usually overjoyed at conversions to Christianity, one thing that bothers me in re. to converted Muslims is the possibility that they are endangering members of their family -- possibly people of good will, though themselves remaining Muslims -- due to the circumstances regarding apostacy in various Muslim countries.
Obviously, it's right to be concerned. But these folks' families have always been in danger. Living under Islamic law is living under intolerable slavery, even for Muslims, and especially for Muslim women. Family life is warped by the assumptions of their societies; self respect is constantly under attack. They aren't allowed to choose their own religion if they're born into Islam, and that's a slavery of the mind and soul. And of course, their souls are in constant jeopardy.
God does what He can to work through these circumstances, and surely Muslims can receive great graces. But still, they are in trouble. We should be very happy and proud of these brave converts.
I was Anonymous on March 27 at 6:32.
I must respectfully disagee with the anonymous poster directly following my comment (3/28 @10:52). Plenty of Muslims in Islamic countries are happy with the status quo, even the women.
Islamic Law provides are fairly safe environment for the majority of people living there. What appeals to one is what one is usually accustomed to. Not knowing any better alternative, they are primarily happy with their lot. I fear that the presence of competing Christian sects could potentially be a bad witness to Muslims and possibly damage the fragile bulwark against infidelity that Islam has been. Would we prefer Arab atheism to Islam?
Mark R
Geez Ahkter, Your wearing out the scroll wheel on my mouse here.
Hello, Ahkter,
You are obviously an aggressively passionate Muslim.
I would like to understand more about why Muslims approach the Bible as they do - but I find your attack on Christianity and Judaism fails to grasp the Jewish-Christian perspective.
I think you have missed the heart and mind of our competing religion - and until you understand the heart of it, you will not be able to argue against us effectively.
I invite you to seek out a much more comprehensive grasp of why we Christians believe what we do, as I know I will need to seek out greater understanding of Islam, that we might both contribute in the future to a more valuable two-way dialogue between Christianity and Islam.
A few points of response, for now, however: we Christians believe in the resurrection because we believe that this is the historical eyewitness account that was passed down. We believe the gospels are authentic historical documents written/dictated by those who knew Christ.
Presumably (from my point of view) other experts in the field far more qualified than I am have already discounted other documents you are claiming to be in conflict with the gospels. Certainly it is impossible for me to critique them myself, just at it would be impossible for you to critique the historicity of the Bible without outside help.
And your treatment of the Old Testament seems self-contradictory. On the one hand you say it says it is fundamentally flawed, and on the other hand you say it predicts Mohammed. It seems strange to me that you would work to utterly discredit a document, and, for that matter, insult it, and then use it to support your own faith - but I am new to this element of Islam also.
Your comment about Paul's depiction of God's 'stupidity' fails to grasp what Paul is saying: he is being metaphorical. Paul is not saying that God is stupid - rather, he is saying that Man's reasoning is stupid next to God.
I do not have the time to address all your points here - but there are answers to them all. I suggest you take them up more personally with a Christian who is accustomed to the debate.
Have a good day.
A few more comments to Akhter, if I may:
I can see why you would seek to discredit the Old and New Testaments, because they are, from what I understand, in direct conflict with the Quran. If the Quran is the authority then the OT and NT are flawed - but, on the other hand, if the OT and NT are the authority then the Quran is flawed.
Likewise, I think I understand your drive to demonstrate the crucifixion is a lie: because, in the view of Islam, God could never surrender his true prophet to such a fate. However, if this was the historical reality of Christ then this would, again, reveal a flaw in Mohammed, would it not?
You speak of abrogations by God as if they are an impossibility - but through our Christian lens they are to be fully expected. If a man speaks against God he may incur God's wrath - however, if he changes his ways and submits to God then he incurs God's mercy. The purpose of the prophets was to bring about this repentence. The perception of conflict in God's choices has to do with his love and holiness - holiness may lead to judgment, whilst love may lead to prolonged patience. So the abrogations are innate in our picture of who God is.
Whether the crucifixion and resurrection were clearly prophesied in the OT doesn't alter my faith much: certainly there are scriptures that appear to describe them, and Jesus himself prophesied about his own death and resurrection.
Some of your comments are very unbelievable from the Christian perspective - you would need to provide more evidence for them. The mention of Mohammed in the OT is likely to be a generic concept rather than a specific one - and given the context of the entire OT and NT could hardly be seen to be a referance to Islam carrying the authority of God, from our perspective.
It is interesting that you give authority to documents that are said to be from the family of Christ but not to those other documents that are said to be from the followers and family of Christ which are contrary to your view. From a neutral perspective this does not seem consistent - and it seems to be those documents that agree with the Quran that are being favoured, rather than those that have been demonstrated to be historically most authoritative.
Likewise Barnabas and Paul, who were colleagues - you depict the 'Gospel of Barnabas' as being truth, but Paul's writings as being apostate, when both men were imparting the same gospel message while they were in partnership: Christ's death, burial and resurrection. Evidently the 'Gospel of Barnabas', if it is authentic and the same Barnabas, ties in with the Quran more - otherwise, if Paul and Barnabas conflicted, how would one know which one to take as being truth? But this reasoning always, always goes back to the authority of the Quran over the authority of the Bible - which I do not accept.
Many of your comments show a very real lack of understanding of the Chrisian perspective on the topic you are debating - and this discredits those parts of your argument which I know less about to the extent that I am content not to follow them up for now. Undoubtedly I will encounter them again in the future.
The differences between different versions of the Bible today really are minimal. Have you looked into them for yourself? It is also difficult to accept a wide sweeping comment like 'Jesus never got crucified according to Islam and the early Christians' doctrines' given the existence of the NT, it being saturated with historical accounts of this event.
The issue of contradiction is often limited by the lens one uses in understanding the Bible. Obviously the lens you are using is quite different from the one I use. Deuteronomy 4:2 certainly says nothing about the Bible being corrupt in the NIV version. Perhaps the differences you are picking up are actually between the Muslim version and the general versions of the Bible.
It's a shame you assume all Christians are lying, also: this is untrue.
Your use of Jeremiah 8:8 is interesting - but undone by Christ's confidence in the retaining of the true Law in his time, after Jeremiah. 'Not one letter of the Law will be undone.' There have often been false prophets - but evidently Christ considered the Torah to be intact at his time.
Again, you speak of Paul's lies: but why would he lie? Why is Paul the complete lier and Barnabas the complete bearer of truth? The NIV does not depict the gospel writers as 'mysterious and unknown people, in unknown places and unknown dates,' either - it gives an historical estimate, and as such seems more authentic then the approach you are suggesting.
The existence of 24000 books, if this is accurate (how many were copies?), at the time of the compilation of the Bible, also need not be a thing of great concern. How many references to Mohammed will there be on the net this moment - and how many would Islam claim as their own? Which references would be accurate, and which less accurate, in the view of Islam? A similar process led to the establishment of the Bible.
And, after all, the Quran is another document written substantially later than the other documents we have regarding what happened to Christ.
You say that famous theologians and historians believe that Paul was not truthful - based on what? In some cases, perhaps on their own atheism and agnosticism. And, of course, other famous theologians and historians believe that Paul was truthful.
Many of the contradictions you cite are actually not contradictions at all - they are simply evidence that you have not looked deeply enough into the Christian/Jewish side of the topic.
Isaiah 42:54, you say, predicts Islam: this verse doesn't exist in my NIV Bible. The view that Isaiah 7:14 refers to Mohammed also seems to take it well out of context. Isaiah 42, of course, is taken by Jews and Christians as refering to the Jewish Messiah, and chapters 43 and 44 reaffirm God's love for Israel and commitment to save Israel and remain as Israel's God.
And, to use your point backwards, if you consider Barnabas to be a prophet then you should also consider Paul, John and Matthew to be followers of Christ too: followers who were much closer to Christ than we are.
Much of this debate rests on the question of the authority of the Quran vs the authority of the Bible. Why do you believe the Quran to be of highest authority?
I'll finish there.
Again, I hope you have a good day.
As to copyists errors, the Kuran was in an oral tradition, not written until a hundred or so years after Mohammids death. It is full of copy errors. Scholars indicate much in the Quran can be traced to earlier oral traditions. Much in the Kuran reflects the psychology of Mohammed, not something divine.
Who wrote the Qur'an
What makes Muslims believe that the Quran is not written by Prophet Muhammad? Does the Quran claim that it is from God? Could the Prophet have copied some portions of the Bible? Are there scientific facts in the Quran?
Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad is not the author of the Quran. God is its Author. The following points bear the fact:
*First of all, the Quran itself, at a number of places and in different ways, says that it is from God. One of the claims runs thus: "This is indeed a Quran most honourable, a Book well-guarded...a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds." (Quran 56:77-80)
(Here, one ought to know the features of the Quran to understand the claim better. For instance, if the Quran had consisted of a number of books, and each book was made up of a number of chapters, then each of the books had to claim that it was from God in order to render the WHOLE volume as coming from God. But, this is fortunately not so with the Quran. The Quran is just ONE Book made up of 114 chapters. So, if the Quran claims, in any of its chapters, that the Book is from God, then the WHOLE Quran is from God. Yet, the Quran does not make the divine claim only once, but several times in different phrases and in different chapters.)
*If the Prophet had written the Quran _ a Book par excellence _ surely he would have claimed credit for it, but he did not. He could not claim what was not his. Indeed God says: "This Quran is not such as can be produced by anyone other than God." (10:37)
*The Prophet was unlettered. However, even if he was educated and had written the Quran, how could he be bold enough to make this statement: "Do they not consider (ponder over) the Quran (with care)? Had it been from other than God, they would surely have found therein discrepancies". (4:82)
Abdullah Yusuf Ali, commenting on this verse (verse 4:82) in his English translation of the Quran, says: "From a mere human point of view, we should have expected much discrepancy, because (1) Prophet Muhammad who promulgated it was not a learned man or philosopher, (2) it was promulgated at various times and in various circumstances, and (3) it is addressed to all grades of mankind. Yet, when properly understood, its various pieces fit together better than a jigsaw puzzle even when arranged without any regard to chronological order. There was just the One Inspirer and one inspired."
*The Quran took 23 years to complete. Had the verses of the Quran (which contains 6,666 verses) been written by the Prophet, he would have needed a number of drafts and the work would have needed editing, updating, etc. But this did not happen, yet the information is consistent throughout the Quran. The verses were taken down as dictated by the Prophet only once and no redrafting, editing or updating took place after that.
*At a number of stages during the 23-year period, challenges to reproduce, even a chapter of the Quran, were made. If the Prophet had written the Quran, he would not have made the challenges, for fear that the learned
Arabs and eminent poets of his time would have taken up his challenges and shamed him. One of the challenges goes thus: "And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed (from time to time) to Our servant (Muhammad), then produce a chapter like thereunto..." (2:23)
*The Quran says that the Prophet was not learned.
So, if the Prophet was educated in some institution but mentioned in the Quran that he wasn't, he would have been accused of being a liar and his mission would have fallen through.
*Even if the Prophet was learned, how could he have written such an inimitable Book of Information and Wisdom without resorting to consultation with prominent scholars and the best books from the best libraries in the world?! If he did this, it would surely have been known, since every move he made was known to people. The Prophet was a historical figure, not a mythological figure.
*The Prophet was the busiest and most active person in history. So, how could he have found the time to write (even if he were educated) such a comprehensive and extensive Book of Guidance which would have needed years of seclusion and concentration to complete?
*In the Quran, in Chapter 111, it is mentioned that Abu Lahab, one of the Prophet's uncles who was always against Islam, would never accept Islam. This Revelation came some ten years before the death of Abu Lahab. How could the Prophet have dared to write this chapter because all he (Abu Lahab) needed to do to prove that the Quran was not the Words of God, was to accept Islam dishonestly?
*The Prophet was mentioned by name in the Quran only five times whereas Jesus Christ's name was (honourably) mentioned 25 times. Could the Prophet go to such an extent of honouring someone more than himself if he had written the Quran?
*There is a chapter in the Quran entitled and dedicated to "Mary", the mother of Jesus Christ, while there is no chapter called, or dedicated to, the Prophet's own mother, Aminah, or daughter, Fatimah, nor were their names mentioned in the Quran. Could this have happened if the Prophet was the author of the Quran?
*Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, is glorified in the Quran as a "woman of all nations". Why would the Prophet glorify a woman he had never seen and one from another race, saying that she was chosen (by God) above all women unless the formulation of the verses had nothing to do with the Prophet's own authorship but that he only repeated what was inspired to him by God?
*In the Quran, God is called "Allah" (in Arabic). He is also referred to by His Attributes, like the Cherisher, the Merciful, the Almighty. There are 99 such Attributes but none of these is "Abba" (Father) by which the Arab Christians of the Prophet's time (and even today) refer to God. If the Prophet was the writer of the Quran, he would surely have used "Abba" as one of the names for God because of its familiarity and also because it was easier to say "Abba" than many of the Attributes.
*Although the Quran's objective is basically religious, it does touch on certain principles and laws governing the universe. A French scientist, Maurice Bucaille, in his book, "The Bible, the Quran and Science", says: "What initially strikes the reader confronted for the first time with a text of this kind (the Quran) is the sheer abundance of subjects discussed: the Creation, astronomy, the explanation of certain matters concerning the earth, and the animal and vegetable kingdoms, human reproduction ...I could not find a single error in the Quran. I had to stop and ask myself: if a man was the author of the Quran, how could he have written facts in the 7th Century AD that today are shown to be in keeping with modern scientific knowledge?''
*The Quran mentions a number of scientific facts which were unknown to the world then. Some of them are:
-The moon has no light of its own and that what we see is the reflected light of the sun. (91:1-2),
-The universe came about by a "big bang" or disintegration billions of years ago. (21:30),
-Every living thing began in water. (continuation of 21:30),
-Stages of reproduction of a life in the womb.(22:5),
-Every living thing, including vegetable matter, is created in pairs (male and female). (36:36),
-All celestial body (namely, moon and planets) have their own course of orbit. (7:54 and 21:33),
-Space travel is possible. (55:33), and
-There is also life (in whatever form) in other parts of the universe. (42:29).
-All these scientific facts were discovered only in the last couple of centuries whereas the Quran mentions them 14 centuries ago. How could the Prophet, even if he were educated, have known these fact centuries ahead of recent times?
*Learned Arabs and other experts in the Arabic language acknowledge that the style, diction and rendering in the Quran far excels those in the Hadith. Those in the Quran are inimitable, proving that the Quran is authored by God.
*Umar, later to become Caliph, had wanted to kill the Prophet because of his (Islamic) teachings. One day, Umar heard his sister reading something _ the sound, diction and meaning of which made him halt to listen. His sister, who had secretly converted to Islam, was reading (part of) the Quran. Umar realised that the Words he was listening to could not be the words of man. He submitted to Islam soon after.
*The Quran says: "If the whole of mankind and jinns (spirits) were to come together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof even if backed up by each other with help and support." (17:88) This is a bold statement indeed. If the Prophet had written the Quran, would he as a human being, dare make such an explosive statement? Would this statement go unchallenged by the learned Arabs of his time?
Prophet Muhammad, being an unlettered person, could not have written the Quran, a Book full of wisdom and one dealing with varied subject matters. The Quran categorically states: "This Quran is not such as can be produced by anyone other than God. (It is a Book) from the Lord of the Worlds." (10:37)
Why do Muslims refer to the Quran as a living miracle?
Many of God's Prophets in the past had performed miracles either to prove that they were sent by God or to help people to achieve certain goals. However, as these miracles were for certain people of the time of the respective Prophets, they are neither tangible nor available today as a living proof. But the Quran is. It is a miracle by itself. When people asked Prophet Muhammad what miracle he had performed, the Prophet pointed to the Quran.
Muslims regard the Quran as a living miracle because, among other reasons, it:
*Is a Book par excellence in the provision of complete guidance for this life and the Hereafter,
*Is available in the language (Arabic) as revealed to the Prophet,
*Is inimitable in diction, sound and rendering,
*Is accurate in its presentation of facts,
*Has remained pure (without interpolation),
*Has no contradiction or inconsistencies,
*Has influenced the lives of people, and
*Is responsible for the speedy spread of Islam, even now.
With regard to the Quran being a miracle from the point of view of its influence on people, Maulana Muhammad Ali in his book, "The Religion of Islam", says: "The Quran is a miracle because it brought about the greatest transformation that the world has ever witnessed _ a transformation of the individual, of the family, of the society, of the nation, of the country, an awakening material as well as moral, intellectual and spiritual. It produced an effect, a hundred thousand times greater than that of any other miracle recorded of any Prophet; hence, its claim to be the greatest of all miracles is uncontestable and uncontested."
Researches on the Quran have been made throughout these 14 centuries. More particularly, in recent years, in the wake of religious enquiries, Quranic scholars, scientists and mathematicians have each, in their own way and knowledge, discovered that the factual contents of the Quran as well as the arrangement of its Words and text point to the fact that the Quran is indeed the living miracle of Islam.
----------------------------
"Every honest Jew who knows the history of his people cannot but feel a deep sense of gratitude to Islam, which has protected the Jews for fifty generations, while the Christian world persecuted the Jews and tried many times 'by the sword' to get them to abandon their faith." (Uri Avnery, a Jewish Journalist)
Deut 18:18 is answered in
Acts 3:17 - which refers to Yeshua being the prophet like Moses.
To understand the context of Deut 17:15 where clearly we see that a ruler over the Israelites must be from among the Israelites themselves. All the Prophets and Kings from the Old Testament through to the New Testament were Israelites. Exodus 3:15 - The name of the Lord forever is YHWH in Hebrew.
Thank you, Akhter, for your explanation regarding the Muslim perspective of the Quran.
I read somewhere that Mohammed had a spiritual experience of a visitation: and at first he was uncertain as to whether it was an angel or a demon. Preceeding this, from what I understand, he was monotheistic and had approached both Judaism and Christianity, but had received a cool reception from both - and so then had followed his visitation.
Personally, I am quite open to the possibility that a greater mind than that of Mohammed was behind the Quran: but whose mind? That to me is the key question.
It seems clear that Mohammed himself believed the Quran to be from God - but was his belief correct? The Quran may not be solely human in origin - it may also be angelic in orgin. But an angel in submission to God, or rebelling against him? This is the question.
Mohammed may not have been educated in an institution, but it seems he was familiar with Judaism and Christianity - and so I would suggest he was still strongly influenced by these, though his final thrust, naturally, was that God now was choosing Ishmael over Isaac. With this certainty he then conquered much of the world for Allah.
You say the Quran is a miracle which has produced an effect one hundred thousand times greater than any other documented miracle: uncontested and uncontestable? This is untrue: I am contesting it now, and it is indeed contestable.
We Christians, of course, experience the physical resurrection of Christ as the greatest and most influential miracle of all time in its impact on our society and on our souls.
Much of what you have written about the Quran is actually my experience of the Bible - but the important difference to me is that Christ himself, being a Jew, endorsed the Old Testament as being the Word of God. The New Testament, of course, is about Christ, and gives the eye-witness testimony of his physical resurrection. It is this miracle that is the greatest in my mind: because it clearly supports Christ's assertion that he is 'the way, the truth and the life'.
Regarding the Jews: we Christians have indeed made some serious mistakes, contrary to the desire of Christ, over the last two thousand years, in our treatment of them, this is correct. Alongside this reality, though, I also wonder: what is your Islamic approach to the fundamentalist Muslims attacking Israel today? Why is Islam not protecting Israel from these extremists, if the extremists do not represent Islam? And, in many cases, why are Muslim countries declaring Israel to be their enemy, if this is not the inherent stance of the Quran?
And what of the conquest of much of the world by Mohammed for Allah? Was not Islam built upon efforts 'by the sword to get them to abandon their faith'? Is this approach not happening in some parts of Islam today?
I have heard that the Quran actually directly incites war against Jews and Christians - is this correct? Perhaps the Jews were preserved in the past by Muslims because they held no power over Israel - indeed, the fight for the Holy Land for many years was between Christians and Muslims, not Jews and Muslims. But now that the Jews have been returned to their land, after our appalling human failure of the Holocaust, Palestinians are fighting them in the name of Islam, are they not?
I must end it there - but I would be very interested in your response,
Might I suggest a book called "The Case for Christ" written by an atheist. There is a lot of good research in the book that will cover nearly every question about the resurrection.
Great article-however the respondents in the survey may have all come to Christ in the traditional way-extraction, and therefore were of those open to traditional missionary approaches. How would MB's respond to the same questions? probably differently! Maybe someone can research this. Rico
Akther:
Your never ending rants are not contributing to the conversation here. They are far too long for anyone to read them. Hence, I am deleting them as I want readers to be to actually read the comments and maybe contribute. Not given up after 5 minutes of scrolling through your endless comments.
Keep em short or I will simply keep deleting them.
Rico:
The point was - that many of the them didn't come the traditional route - and no one is more aware of the "extraction" issue than someone like Dudley Woodbury.
I'm not sure what you mean by "MB's" Something different from MBB (Muslim background believer)?
who needs islam read the prophets life you leave islam immediatelly a former muslim
who needs islam read the prophets life you leave islam immediatelly a former muslim
Why has God sent prophets?: Islam teaches that God has sent prophets to humanity, in different times and places, to communicate His message. Since the beginning of time, God has sent His guidance through these chosen people. They were human beings who taught the people around them about faith in One Almighty God, and how to walk on the path of righteousness. Some prophets also revealed God's Word through books of revelation.
What message have the prophets brought?: Muslims believe that all prophets gave guidance and instruction to their people about how to properly worship God and live their lives. Since God is One, His message has been one and the same throughout time. In essence, all prophets taught the message of Islam - to find peace in your life through submission to the One Almighty Creator; to believe in God and to follow His guidance.
What does the Qur'an say about the prophets?: "The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one of them believes in God, His angels, His books, and His Messengers. They say: 'We make no distinction between one and another of His Messengers.' And they say: 'We hear, and we obey. We seek Thy forgiveness, Our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.'" (Al-Baqarah, 2:285)
What prophets are named in the Qur'an?: There are 25 prophets mentioned by name in the Qur'an, although Muslims believe that there were many more in different times and places. Among the prophets that Muslims honor are:
* Adam
* Idris (Enoch)
* Nuh (Noah)
* Hud
* Saleh
* Ibrahim (Abraham)
* Isma'il (Ishmael)
* Ishaq (Isaac)
* Lut (Lot)
* Ya'qub (Jacob)
* Yousef (Joseph)
* Shu'aib
* Ayyub (Job)
* Musa (Moses)
* Harun (Aaron)
* Dhu'l-kifl (Ezekiel)
* Dawud (David)
* Sulaiman (Solomon)
* Ilias (Elias)
* Al-Yasa (Elisha)
* Yunus (Jonah)
* Zakariyya (Zechariah)
* Yahya (John)
* 'Isa (Jesus)
* Muhammad
How do Muslims honor the prophets?: Muslims read about, learn from, and respect all of the prophets. In addition, when mentioning the name of any one of them, a Muslim adds these words of blessing and respect: "upon him be peace" (alayhi salaam in Arabic).
It is surprising that you know nothing about the holy book of Quran and still you talk about it. You must understand Arabic first to know why it was a miracle not to read it through translation. In the holy Quran, Allah Challenged all human beings and all Genii to be able to imitate just one verse of it. At that time people at The Arabian Peninsula Were great poets and still up till this moment. When they read it or heard it they believed in it although it was against their interests. So for thousands of years no-body could imitate only one verse of The holy book of Quran. The mentioning of Mohammed (Pbuh)came only twice in the Quran. In some verses of Quran Allah blames Mohammed (Pbuh)for a certain incident. Do you think Mohammed (Pbuh) blames himself if he is the one who wrote it, Allah forbids. All scholars, academics of Arabic language said that this could never be written by a human being. If you want to read more about the mircales of Islam and Prophet Mohammed (Pbuh) you can visit http://www.islam-guide.com/ site that's if you are really seeking the truth.
Many miracles were performed by the Prophet Muhammad by God’s permission. These miracles were witnessed by many people. For example:
n When the unbelievers in Makkah asked the Prophet Muhammad to show them a miracle, he showed them the splitting of the moon.1
n Another miracle was the flowing of water through Muhammad’s fingers when his companions got thirsty and had no water except a little in a vessel. They came to him and told him that they had no water to make ablution nor to drink except for what was in the vessel. So, Muhammad put his hand in the vessel, and the water started gushing out between his fingers. So, they drank and made ablution. They were one thousand five hundred companions.2
There were also many other miracles that were performed by him or which happened to him.
Next: The Simple Life of Muhammad
_____________________________
Footnotes:
(1) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3637, and Saheeh Muslim, #2802.
(2) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3576, and Saheeh Muslim, #1856.
Previous
Contents
Next
Home Page: http://www.islam-guide.com/
Anonymous: not that I expect you to read this because I sense that you expect people to listen to you while you will not listen to them.
But I do speak Arabic.
So there! Ha! :-)
Hard to understand the greatness of Allah when he cannot (or will not) communicate in any other language.
The whole story is fake. Why you have not revealed the name of the muslims who converted to christanity. That itself shows the ungenuinness of whole story. Go to www.muslimconverts.org you will find the name of christians who converted to Islam. We don't hide the names because this is the truth and truth will prevail come what may you guys are just a resistance to the change which is taking place around the world. You ageing christians your youth are more intelligent who are becoming muslims.
The whole story is fake. Why you have not revealed the name of the muslims who converted to christanity. That itself shows the ungenuinness of whole story. Go to www.muslimconverts.org you will find the name of christians who converted to Islam. We don't hide the names because this is the truth and truth will prevail come what may you guys are just a resistance to the change which is taking place around the world. You ageing christians your youth are more intelligent who are becoming muslims.
If God cannot or will not communicate with man other then thru Arabic which you've stated earlier,how did he communicate with Prophets prior to Islam who were not or did not speak Arabic?
How do you explain it when God answers prayers of Christians and Jews who do not speak Arabic? I'm Christian and God has answered my prayers in the past and I do not speak Arabic. I approach him in prayer with sincere humility and total Love.Striving to live a life pleasing to him not praying for anyone's demise.You are incorrect my friend and need to search and open your heart to Gods true Love. I'll pray for you.
Post a Comment