exMuslim SABIRALI

• The Bible calls Jesus God (John 20:28; Hebrews 1:8)
• People worship Jesus (Matthew 2:2, 11; 14:33; John 9:35-38; Hebrews 1:6).
• People pray to Jesus (Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 116:4 with 1 Corinthians 1:1-2).
• Jesus is the creator of everything (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17).
• Jesus exists before creation (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17).

 Jesus is Called the Word of God

In Arabic, He is called Kalimatullah, which means Word of God. John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us."

Jesus is God in Human Form

Jesus is God in a human body (John 1:1, 14; 8:58 with Exodus 3:14; Colossians 2:9; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 1:8).

 Jesus' Claim

In John 8:58, Jesus says, "Before Abraham was born, I am." This is similar to what God told Moses in Exodus 3:14, "I AM WHO I AM." Jesus uses the same name for Himself as God uses for Himself.
When Jesus said He was one with God, the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Him because they believed He claimed to be God (John 10:30-33).

 Thomas Calls Jesus God

In John 20:28, Thomas refers to Jesus as "My Lord and My God." Jesus does not correct him, which suggests that He is indeed God.
John 20:31 indicates that believing Jesus is the Son of God means understanding that He is God.
 

God Calls Jesus God

Hebrews 1:8 says God refers to Jesus as God: "Your throne, O God, is forever." If Jesus isn’t God, why would God call Him God?

 Understanding Jesus’ Claims

 The Jewish leaders accused Jesus of claiming to be God based on what He said (John 10:30-33). If you disagree that Jesus is God, you align with those who rejected Him.
Colossians 1:15-16 teaches that Jesus is the image of the invisible God and that everything was created through Him.

 Calling on Jesus

In 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul addresses those who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, calling on the name of the Lord (YHWH) was only for God. If Jesus isn’t God in human form, why is this applied to Him in the New Testament?

“He was born under the Law (Gal. 4:4) and fulfilled all of the Law of God (John 4:34; 8:29), even to the point of death (Phil. 2:8).” In His death He bore the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). Thus in the death of Christ the sins of His people were judged (Rom. 3:23-26) and forgotten (Heb. 8:12), and the result of His act of righteousness was eternal life for all who accept His death. (Rom. 5:18)..

1. Christianity is monotheistic–Only ONE God in existence

   • Christianity as a monotheistic religion with one God.
   • Reference to supporting verses.

2. Supporting Verses on Monotheism

   • Isaiah 43:10
     • Emphasis on the uniqueness of God and the absence of other gods.
   • Isaiah 44:6
     • God identifies Himself as the first and the last.
   • Isaiah 44:8
     • Affirmation of God's distinctiveness and lack of rivals.
   • Isaiah 45:5
     • Declaration of the exclusivity of God.

3. Attributes of God

   • Supreme Being
     • God as the only Supreme Being across all existence and time.
   • Holiness (Rev. 4:8)
   • Eternity (Isaiah 57:15)
   • Omnipotence (Jer. 32:17, 27)
   • Omnipresence (Psalm 119:7-12)
   • Omniscience (1 John 3:20)

4. Nature of God

   • God as Love (1 John 4:8, 16)
   • God as Light (1 John 1:5)
   • God as Spirit (John 4:24)
   • God as Truth (Psalm 117:2)
   • God as Creator (Isaiah 40:12, 22, 26)

5. Call to Worship

   • Verses indicating the necessity of worshiping God.
     • Examples: Gen. 24:26; Exodus 4:31; 2 Chron. 29:28; 1 Cor. 14:25; Rev. 7:11.

•     One God existing simultaneously in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
•     Each person is coequal, copowerful, and coeternal.
•     Distinction between the persons; all are integral to the concept of God.

•     Distinction between past, present, and future as simultaneous.
•     All share the same nature of time, emphasizing unity in diversity.

•     Comparison to the concept of "Tawhid" in Islam.
•     Absence of the word does not negate the concept's validity.

3. Biblical Foundations of the Trinity

 
A. Divine Titles

•     Father referred to as God (Phil. 1:2).
•     Son referred to as God (John 1:1, 14; Col. 2:9).
•     Holy Spirit referred to as God (Acts 5:3-4).

•     Each person has a will (Luke 22:42; 1 Cor. 12:11).
•     Each is all-knowing (1 John 3:20; John 16:30; 1 Cor. 2:10-11).
•     Each communicates (Matt. 3:17; Luke 5:20; Acts 8:29; 13:2).

•     Distinction between trinities and triads.
•     No true trinities (one God in three persons) in pagan beliefs; only separate gods.

More explanation :

The Nature of God According to the Bible:

    The Bible affirms that God is One (e.g., Deuteronomy 6:4).

Understanding the Trinity:

• Question: Does the concept of the Trinity support the claim of three gods? 
• Clarification: The Trinity is about the relationship between the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit in perfect unity. They are distinct persons but are One God.

Human Illustration:

    Human Being as Tri-Partite: We are made of three components: spirit, soul, and body.

    Example:

•         Having a spirit without a body makes one an angel or jinn.
•         Having a body without a spirit makes one an animal.
•         Only in unity of all three does one become a human being.

    Key Point: You are one person, not three separate beings, despite having three parts.

Biblical Parallel to the Tri-Partite Human:

• Divine Unity: Just as our spirit, soul, and body function as one, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit exist as one God in unity but are distinct.
• Jesus' Statement: “I and my Father are One.”
• Personal reflection: We can assert the same unity in ourselves consisting of spirit, soul, and body.

Understanding Jesus’ Divinity and Humanity:

•     Why Jesus Said “The Father is greater than I”:                
•     Acknowledges His human submission to the Father, yet as God, He is equal to the Father.
•     Clarifying Misconceptions:
•      Comparison: Your spirit is greater than your body, yet both are part of you.

Communication Within the Trinity:

    Jesus prayed to the Father, exemplifying perfect communication within the Godhead.
    Analogy: As your spirit prompts your body to act, mutual communication occurs within the Trinity.

Death of Jesus on the Cross:

•     What Died?: Only His body died; His divine nature remained eternal.
•     Resurrection: Jesus rose again; this is a power no human or prophet can claim.

Recognition of Jesus as God:

•     Thomas' Declaration: In John 20:28, Thomas calls Jesus “My Lord and my God.”
•     Worship: Throughout His life, Jesus accepted worship without rebuking those who offered it, which is reserved for God alone.

Biblical References to the Trinity:

•     Mark 1:10-11: The distinct roles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit during Jesus' baptism.
•     Genesis 1: Evidence of the Trinity - Father, Spirit, and Word (God) are present at creation.
•     Hebrews 1:8-12: The Father addresses Jesus as God, affirming His divine status.

• The Bible consists of 66 books:
  • 39 in the Old Testament (OT)
  • 27 in the New Testament (NT)
• Took about 1600 years to write
• Written in 3 languages:
  • Hebrew
  • Aramaic
  • Greek
• Authored by approximately 40 authors
• Written across 3 different continents
• Internally consistent throughout
• Notable authors of the Old Testament include:
  • Moses (Torah)
  • Joshua
  • Samuel
  • Ezra
  • Nehemiah
  • David (Psalms)
  • Solomon
  • Isaiah
  • Jeremiah
  • Ezekiel
  • Daniel
  • Hosea
  • Joel
  • Amos
  • Obadiah
  • Jonah
  • Micah
  • Nahum
  • Habakkuk
  • Haggai
  • Zechariah
  • Malachi
• Notable writers of the New Testament (in order of contribution size):
  • Luke
  • John
  • Paul
  • Matthew
  • Mark
  • Peter
  • James
  • Jude

Absence of Key Events in the Gospels

None of the gospels mention the death of Peter and Paul (A.D.ish 60-62) nor the Neronic persecution (A.D. 64) nor the destruction of the Jewish temple in A.D. 70—that Jesus prophesied would occur in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. Why would the book of Acts not contain the super-significant events of the death of Peter and Paul and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple since it is a history of the early Christian Church, persecution, and also included Peter and Paul’s accounts and travels? The logical conclusion is that it was written before these events. Furthermore, Luke was written before Acts, and most scholars agree that Matthew and Mark were written before Luke.

Theological Implications of the Gospel Timelines

Why would the book of Acts not contain the super-significant events of the death of Peter and Paul (A.D. 60?) and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (A.D. 70) since Acts is a history of the early Christian Church and included Peter and Paul’s accounts and travels? Logically, this would infer it was written prior to these dates. This is significant because Jesus had prophesied its destruction when He said, “As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down” (Luke 21:6, see also Matt. 24:1; Mark 13:1). If they were written after the A.D. 70 destruction, don’t you think they would have included the event? Matthew: The various dates most widely held as possible writing dates of the Gospel are between A.D. 40-140. But Ignatius died around A.D. 115, and he quoted Matthew. Therefore, Matthew had to be written before he died. Nevertheless, it is generally believed that Matthew was written before A.D. 70 and as early as A.D. 50. Mark: Mark (the disciple of Peter received his information from Peter) is said to be the earliest gospel with an authorship of between A.D. 55 to A.D. 70. Luke: Luke was written before the book of Acts; and Acts does not mention “Nero’s persecution of the Christians in A.D. 64 or the deaths of the apostle James (Gal. 1:19, A.D. 62), Paul (A.D. 64), and Peter (A.D. 65).” Therefore, we can conclude that Luke was written before A.D. 62. John: The John Rylands papyrus fragment 52 of John’s gospel dated in the year 125-135 contains portions of John 18, verses 31-33, 37-38. This fragment was found in Egypt. It is the last of the gospels and appears to have been written in the 80s to 90s.

The Book of Acts and Its Chronological Markers

An important note is the lack of mention of the destruction of the Jewish temple in A.D. 70. But this is understandable since John was not focusing on historical events and was most probably written 20 or so years after the destruction of the Temple. John focused on the theological aspect of the person of Christ and listed His miracles and words that affirmed Christ’s deity. Similarly, the book of Acts which was written after the gospel of Luke by Luke himself. Acts is a history of the Christian church right after Jesus’ ascension. Acts also fails to mention the incredibly significant events of A.D. 70 which would have been extremely relevant and prophetically important, yet it is not mentioned in Acts. Why? Because it was written pre A.D. 70. Acts does not include the accounts of “Nero’s persecution of the Christians in A.D. 64 or the deaths of the apostle James (Gal. 1:19, A.D. 62), Paul (A.D. 64), and Peter (A.D. 65),” and we have further evidence that it was written very early and not long after Jesus’ ascension into heaven. “At the earliest, Acts cannot have been written prior to the latest firm chronological marker recorded in the book: Festus’ appointment as procurator (Acts 24:27), which, on the basis of independent sources, appears to have occurred between A.D. 55 and 59.” “It is increasingly admitted that the Logia [Q] was very early, before A.D. 50, and Mark likewise if Luke wrote the Acts while Paul was still alive. Luke’s Gospel comes before the Acts (Acts 1:1). The date of Acts is still in dispute, but the early date (about A.D. 63) is gaining support constantly.” If what is said of Acts is true, this would mean that Luke was written at least before A.D. 63 and possibly before 55-59 since Acts is the second in the series of writings by Luke. This means that the gospel of Luke was written within 30 years of Jesus’ death.

 The Bible is not a science text book but where it mentions anything related to science, it has proven to be accurate. Here are just a few examples:

• The spherical shape of the earth (Isaiah 40:22).
• The earth is suspended in nothing (Job. 26:7).
• The stars are innumerable (Gen. 15:5).
• The existence of valleys in the seas (2 Sam. 22:16).
• The existence of springs and fountains in the sea (Gen.7:11; 8:2; Prov. 8:28).
• The existence of water paths (ocean currents) in the seas (Psalm 8:8).
• The water cycle (Job. 26:8; 36:27-28; 37:16; 38:25-27; Ps. 135:7; Ecc. 1:6-7).
• The fact that all living things reproduce after their own kind (Gen. 1:21; 6:19).
• The nature of health, sanitation, and sickness (Gen.17:9-14; Lev. 12-14).
• The concept of entropy, that energy is running down (Psalm 102:26).

The Bible and the Quran is different. A Muslim believes every word of the Qur’an was written by God and brought to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. So when you consider that the Bible is written by over 40 men including a prime minister (Daniel), fishermen (Peter), a doctor (Luke) and prisoners (Jeremiah, Paul) over a period of 1500 years, Muslims conclude it human and fallible in comparison. The Bible is a record of God’s message to man through historical records, stories, parables, psalms, eyewitness accounts, etc. So to compare the Bible with the Qur’an is therefore not to compare like with like. However, as we shall see, it is logically impossible for the Bible to have corrupted.

2. The Quran's Affirmation of the Bible

We begin with what the Qur’an says about the Bible; many verses actually confirm that it is God’s Word and has not been changed. Here are only a few for example: sura 5:43 ‘How come they to you for judgement when they have the Torah, wherein are contained the commandments of God?’; sura 5:44 ‘We [God] did reveal the Torah, wherein is guidance and light…’; sura 5:46 ‘We sent Jesus…confirming that which was revealed before him in the Torah, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and light…’; sura 5:68 ‘[Jews and Christians] have no guidance until you observe the Torah and the Injil [Gospel]‘; sura 4:136 ‘Believe in God and His messenger [Muhammad], and the Scripture which He revealed to His messenger [the Qur’an] and the Scripture which He revealed aforetime [the Bible]‘; sura 10:91 ‘If you [Muhammad] are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto you, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before you’; sura 15:9 ‘We reveal the Reminder, and Lo! We truly are its Guardian [ie the Bible is guarded against corruption by God]‘; sura 6:34 ‘There is none to alter the Words of Allah’; sura 10:64 ‘There is no changing of the Words of Allah.’

3. Questions Regarding the Bible's Corruption

 If the Bible was corrupted, was this before or after Muhammad? If before, why does God tell Muhammad to refer to a corrupted Scripture for guidance, and why does he say of the Torah and Gospel ‘wherein is guidance and light’ rather than ‘wherein there used to be before they were corrupted’? If after, why does the Muslim not accept the Bible, since current translations are all based upon manuscripts that predate Muhammad?

4. The Integrity of the New Testament

 If it was corrupted, was this by Jews or Christians? Since neither were on speaking terms with each other (sura 2:113 ‘The Jews say the Christians follow nothing (true) and the Christians say the Jews follow nothing (true), yet both are readers of the Scripture’, also see 5:82), how could they agree to change every single Bible identically? Why was there no record of this happening, and why did nobody try to stop it or hide authentic Bibles? The New Testament books were widely distributed as soon as they were written – the ‘Jesus Papyrus’ of Matthew 26, found in Magdalene College and recently dated to AD 68 was found in Egypt. Presumably Matthew was still alive when it was written – so why did he not try to correct it if it had been tampered with? Why did the Christians not remove embarrassing stories like Peter’s denial of Christ (Matt 26:69-75) or Paul and Barnabas’ disputation (Acts 15:39)?

5. The Bible's Self-Testimony and Early Muslim Views

 What is the Bible’s testimony of itself? ‘All Scripture is God-breathed…’ (2 Tim 3:16); Peter describes Paul’s writings as Scripture since some people maliciously distort his teaching ‘as they do the other Scriptures’ (2 Pet 3:16). ‘The Law was given through Moses’ (John 1:17) and Jesus said ‘Scripture cannot be broken’ (John 10:35). His words are ‘spirit and life’ (John 6:63) and He has the words of eternal life (John 6:68). How could anybody dare to add or remove portions of Scripture when faced with the warning in Rev 22:18-19 ‘If anybody adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anybody takes words away from this book of prophecy God will take away his share in the tree of life and the holy city….’

Significantly the early Muslim commentators (eg. Bukhari, al-Razi) were all agreed that the Bible could not be changed since it was God’s Word and several centuries passed before Muslims first claimed that the Bible had been changed, when they carefully read the stories in the Qur’an and noted that they were different from those in the Bible. The verses used to support corruption in the Bible have been totally misused by Muslims. For example, sura 2:42 ‘Confound truth with falsehood, nor knowingly conceal the truth’ was said to have come to Muhammad after two Jews were brought to him for judgement, having committed adultery. The other Jews wanted to test him to see if he, as a prophet of God, knew what was in the Torah. So he asked for a Torah and got a boy to read the punishments for disobedience. When the boy reached Lev 20:10 (‘if a man commits adultery with another man’s wife….both must be put to death’) the Jew accused of adultery slammed his hand over the verse so the boy could not read it (source: Abu Dawood 4449 (Arabic) or 4432 (English)). This is a far cry from corrupting the text of the Bible. Other verses say that a group of Jews used to listen to Scripture then change it – but (i) it was only a group, not all the Jewish people around the world let alone in Mecca; (ii) they must have had the original genuine copies in order to have been accused of changing it; and (iii) they did not change the written text, they simply told Muhammad that it said things which were not there, in order to mislead him.

This is a strange Question

This is a strange question for someone to ask if they believe that the Bible has been tampered with. It is said that there used to be many prophecies about the coming of Muhammad in the Bible but after he came Jews and Christians deleted as many as possible. Since our translations are based on manuscripts copies centuries before Muhammad this cannot be true but the myth persists. What about the ‘prophecies’ which were not deleted?

Prophecies in the Scriptures

Sura 61:6 says ‘Jesus, son of Mary said, “I am indeed the Messenger of God to you, confirming the Torah that is before me and giving good tidings of a messenger who shall come after me whose name shall be Ahmad.”‘ Before you reply, ‘But nowhere in the Bible does Jesus talk about such a person!’ you will be told to look at John 14:16 ‘I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you…’ The Greek word for Counsellor is parakletos (literally, one who draws alongside, as in a defence barrister in a court of law). Muslims claim that John originally wrote periklytos which apparently is Greek for ‘Praised One’. Not a single manuscript of John 14:16 or 14:26 (where parakletos is used again) has periklytos however and one wonders how such a downright lie ever came to be invented. In the context of John 14, the Parakletos is to be with the disciples for ever (v16); He is the Spirit of Truth (v17) who is neither seen nor known by the world, but who lives inside believers; and He is the Holy Spirit who reminds the Christians of all that Jesus taught them (v26). Could any of these things relate to a physical human being, Muhammad?

Claims about Historical Figures

‘The LORD came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran with tens of thousands of holy ones’ (Deut 33:2) and ‘God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran’ (Hab 3:3). Muslims claim that Moses came from Sinai, Jesus from Seir and Muhammad from Mount Paran, and the tens of thousands refers to one of his battles fought with ten thousand soldiers! Not only is the context clearly God and nobody else, but the interpretation is based upon a nineteenth-century geographer who apparently identified Paran with Mecca and Teman with Medina. That Paran is actually 1000km away from Mecca can be seen from the chronicles of the Israelites’ wanderings, eg in Deut 1:1, also see Num 13 – how could the twelve spies leave Paran (v3), go straight into Canaan and explore the whole country (v21-22), cut some grapes (v23) and bring them back to Paran fresh (v27) in a mere 40 days if they were travelling a total of 2000km?

The Identity of the Prophet

‘[The Jews] asked [John], ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.” Although Muslims reject the testimony of John 1 that Jesus was divine (v1, 2, 14, 18, 34, 49) they hold that the Prophet referred to is Muhammad. The origins of this Prophet go back to Deut 18:15 (‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your brethren’) who is clearly identified to be Jesus in Acts 3:22. Of the differences between Moses and Muhammad, not the least is that Muhammad was not Jewish and yet the Prophet will be from their own brethren (this excludes descent through Ishmael, Isaac’s half-brother, Gen 16:12 versus 17:19). Moses is far more comparable to Jesus than to Muhammad: both were born in poverty and there were plots to kill them in infancy (Ex 1:15-16, 22 v. Matt 2:13); yet both were rescued (Ex 2:2-10 v. Matt 2:13). Both were prepared for a period of forty units of time (forty being a biblical unit for preparation): Ex 7:7 v. Matt 4:1); both liberated their people from slavery (Exodus v. John 8:32-36); water was subject to them both (Red Sea Ex 14:21 v. Sea of Galilee Matt 8:26); both spoke to God face to face (Ex 33:11 v. Matt 17:3), both their faces shone (Ex 34:29 v. Matt 17:2); both died because of sin (Num 20:12 v. Is 53, John 1:29, 10:15).

The Qur’an is mistaken in its description of the Trinity as Mary and Jesus being two separate gods besides Allah: ‘O Jesus, son of Mary! Didst thou say unto mankind: Take me and my mother for two gods besides Allah?’ (sura 5:116); ‘How can He [God] have a child, when there is for Him no wife?’ (sura 6:101); ‘They indeed have disbelieved who say: Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary’ (sura 5:17); ‘Far be it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son’ (sura 4:171). This portrayal of Christians as believing that God took Mary as His wife and she and their baby Jesus became two separate gods is as offensive to Christians as it is to Muslims, although there is evidence that heretical sects banished to Arabia were teaching this at the time of Muhammad (known as the Maryamia or Choloridians).

Misunderstandings about the 'Son of God'

Unfortunately, when we say ‘Jesus is the Son of God’, although we mean ‘He is the eternal uncreated Word of God, equal in every respect and fully divine’, the Muslim hears in his mind and thinks that ‘God had sex with Mary and she gave birth to Jesus’. The phrase ‘Son of God’ has been totally misunderstood by Muslims. It is not a biological description. It is a TITLE, as we shall see below. (Think about Mother Theresa. She never married or had any children, but everyone called her Mother Theresa. Mother is her TITLE, not a biological description.)

Linguistic Pointers in Understanding Titles

Helpful pointers include sura 2:177 in which the Arabic ibni-sabili literally means ‘son of the road’ but is translated ‘wayfarer’ – just as Jesus is not literally a physical son of God, so a wayfarer is not literally fathered by a road. Sura 85:22 is held by the majority of Muslims (Sunnis) to mean that the Qur’an is uncreated, existing with God since the very beginning. If God’s word, the Qur’an, is eternal and uncreated, why is it a problem that Jesus, God’s Word, should be eternal and uncreated? Indeed, there cannot be a time when God’s Word has never existed since it is intrinsically a part of God. Interestingly, sura 4:171 says Jesus is a Word from God and His Spirit, yet elsewhere the Spirit (Arabic ruuhim minh) is identified as being the very essence of God Himself (sura 2:253 ‘We supported [Jesus] with the Holy Spirit’, 12:87, 58:22).

The Unique Attributes of Jesus in the Qur’an

In the Qur’an, Jesus has attributes that no other human being has: He was born of a virgin (sura 21:91 – who was Jesus’ father according to the Qur’an?) and was sinless (sura 19:19). As a child, He made birds out of clay and breathed life into them, yet the gift of life is something that only God can give (sura 3:49 – this story first appeared in the heretical Gospel of Thomas in the second century AD). He heals men who were born blind, cures the leper, and raises the dead; He has knowledge of what is hidden in men’s houses (sura 3:49). He has the power to intercede (sura 3:45 – ‘one of those brought near to Allah’) yet only God can intercede (sura 39:44); He can forgive sins (sura 61:12), and He alone knows the hour of Judgment (sura 43:61)!

A Muslim's Perspective on Jesus' Divinity

A Muslim will point out that in the Bible, Jesus never explicitly says that He is God – and He does not. However, evidence is presented, and He allows people to make up their own minds. The Bible categorically denies that there is more than one God (Deut 6:4 ‘The LORD your God is One’ – this verse is quoted by Jesus in Mark 12:29; see also Jam 2:19). Yet the Hebrew word echad for one implies a plurality, e.g., it is used in Gen 2:24 (‘the two shall become one flesh’). God speaks in the plural, e.g., ‘Let Us make man in Our image’ (Gen 1:26), yet there is no ‘royal we’ in Hebrew. In Gen 1:2-3, we see all three Persons of the Trinity in action, God, Word, and Spirit, and in Matt 28:19, Jesus names these three Persons.

In Islam, sins are mistakes which you do, and by saying sorry to God, He will forgive you. In addition, our good deeds take away our bad deeds (sura 11:114) – but if a man rapes a woman then builds a mosque in penitence, how can this restore honour to the woman? It is little incentive to do good. If I am convicted of driving over the speed limit, I cannot escape punishment simply because I have never had a parking ticket.

The Consequences of Dishonouring God

Sin dishonours the King of Kings, and since we are God’s slaves (sura 19:30), we must respect Him and accept punishment for dishonouring Him. It does not matter whether we have committed many or few sins – a small stone is just as likely to sink in the sea as a big one because they both share a stoney nature. In the operating theatre, it does not matter whether the scalpel has been contaminated by one germ or millions; it is no longer sterile. The penalty for sin is death (Ezk 18:4, Rom 6:23) and God cannot lie (Num 23:19, Rom 3:4). Everything on earth must perish, and flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (I Cor 15:50); only God lasts forever (sura 55:26-27). Atonement is therefore necessary because we are not good enough to earn a place in Heaven by our own merits.

The Significance of Animal Sacrifice

God has decreed that the life of an animal is in its blood (Lev 17:10), and the institution of animal sacrifices is a visual aid to understand atonement – without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22). The question remains: how can the blood of a perishable lamb redeem a human, who is also perishable (Heb 9:9, 10:1, 10:3) – perishable cannot inherit the imperishable. The only blood which truly has the power to take away sins is imperishable blood, and if God appeared in human flesh, He would have imperishable blood, which alone is sufficient to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

Clues from the Qur’an

There are two important clues in the Qur’an to this. In sura 5:27, we learn that Abel’s sacrifice (of blood, Gen 4:4) was accepted by God, whereas Cain’s sacrifice (vegetables, Gen 4:3) was not sufficient. Secondly, in 37:107, we read that Abraham’s son was ‘ransomed by a momentous sacrifice’, referring to the substitution by God of a ram instead of the boy in Gen 22:13-14. Why was it necessary for God to provide a substitute to save the boy’s life? More importantly, why was the ram described as momentous (Arabic al-Azzim – this is one of the ninety-nine Names of God in the Qur’an)? How could a ram be greater than a human being unless it was a representation of an altogether greater sacrifice to come, that of Jesus Christ? (Note: the Qur’an maintains that it was Ishmael, not Isaac, who was to be sacrificed. When discussing this story with a Muslim, do not get sidetracked onto the issue of which of Abraham’s sons was involved since this is a red herring. It is far more important to ask why the sacrifice was needed and why a ram is described by a word that is a title of God Himself.)

Denial of the Crucifixion

In denying the Crucifixion, Islam denies the very reason that Christ came to earth! This belief depends entirely on one infamous verse, sura 4:157: [The Jews said] ”We slew the Messiah Jesus son of Mary, Allah’s messenger’ – they slew him not, nor crucified, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain’. However, it begs several crucial questions, not least is how Muhammad could claim that a historical event did not happen six centuries after it was recorded by many eyewitnesses.

Biblical Evidence for the Crucifixion

That Jesus died on a cross and rose from the dead is beyond question from the Gospels (‘When they had crucified Him’ (Matt 27:35); ‘With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last’ (Mark 15:37); ‘When they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs’ (John 19:33); ‘The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you were looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here….He has risen from the dead’ (Matt 28:5- 7)). The last passage is especially important for Muslims, who pay particular attention to things that angels say to humans.

Extra-biblical Evidence

Extra-biblical evidence for the reality of the Crucifixion includes the pagan writers Tacitus (‘Christus suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius’) and Lucian the Greek (‘Christians worship the crucified sage’), the Christian apologist Justin Martyr referred to the ‘Acts of Pontius Pilate’ (now lost, but must have chronicled the death of Jesus to have been referred to), and Jewish writers Josephus (‘Pilate condemned Him to be crucified and to die….’) and Babylonian Talmud (‘He was crucified on the eve of the Passover’). Early Christians used the Lord’s Supper and the Cross as symbols of their Master’s sacrifice (I Cor 11:23) and were never in doubt about the reality of the Crucifixion.

The Substitution Theory

Conventionally Muslims have maintained that a substitute man was crucified but this opens a can of worms. Usually it was said to be Judas Iscariot (impossible since he committed suicide, Matt 27:5; Acts 1:18) or Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:21, impossible since he came from Libya and would have looked very different from Jesus). Why was it even necessary to involve an innocent substitute? Why did the crucified man not cry out that a mistake had been made? Why did Mary recognise him as her Son (John 19:26)? Why would God deceive the disciples, who, the Qur’an tells us were inspired by God and believed in Jesus (sura 5:111), into thinking that Jesus had died and risen again, since this made them realise that Jesus truly was divine (‘declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord’ (Romans 1:4-5)). If Jesus was not God, this deception would have caused the disciples to worship another god, which is the greatest sin (shirk) known to Islam. How could God deceive godly men into committing the most ghastly sin imaginable – He is not a deceiver! A further problem is that if the man only appeared like Jesus, perhaps the Qur’an was not even given to Muhammad but to a man who looked like him. Finally, if the substitution theory was correct, if I committed adultery I could escape judgement by claiming that I was actually sleeping with my wife, but she merely looked like another man’s wife, and appeal to the Qur’an for a divine precedent.

Critiques from Within Islam

The important thing about these criticisms and others is that they have been made by Muslims – particularly the medieval scholar Al-Razi, who wrote the ‘definitive’ commentary to the Qur’an and is perhaps to Islam what Luther or Aquinas are to Christianity. Since even senior Muslims have problems with sura 4:157, what can we say? The Qur’an talks about Jesus’ death in other places as a historical event, e.g. sura 3:55 ‘Allah said, ‘O Jesus! I am taking thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me’ and sura 5:117 ‘I [Jesus] was a witness of them while I dwelt among them, and when Thou tookest me Thou wast watcher over me’. The Arabic word for ‘take’ (ta-waffa) in these verses means ‘death’ in every other place in the Qur’an where it occurs, e.g. referring to the death of Muhammad in sura 10:46 (‘…or whether We cause thee to die…’). In sura 19:15 God says to John the Baptist ‘Peace on him the day he was born and the day he dies, and the day he shall be raised alive’ and in sura 19:33 Jesus says, ‘Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised to life’. Since we know that John the Baptist has died (Mk 6:14-29), surely Jesus must have done so to speak in this way.

Final Thoughts on the Crucifixion

Sura 3:169 says ‘Think not of those who are slain in the way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are living’, meaning that the intended effect of those who killed people in God’s way was not achieved, as martyrs were remembered more as a result of their death than for their life. Sura 8:17 says that ‘it was not you Muslims who slew them, but Allah did it’ referring to a battle the Muslims fought and reminding them that God was sovereignly in control of the victory. Finally, even the Qur’an admits that it is not impossible for Christ to have died – ‘Who can do anything against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary?’ (sura 5:17). The most consistent explanation of sura 4:157 in the light of all these other verses is that the Jews were unable to boast that they had killed Jesus because God was supremely in control in allowing His Son to die on a cross!

Scientific Claims in the Qur'an

Muslims maintain that there are certain scientific processes described in the Qur’an which were not known at the time of Muhammad and their presence proves that the Qur’an was divinely inspired. Verses have been taken out of context and the translations twisted to try to prove these points. In addition standard textbooks written by Western scientists have been republished in Saudia Arabia with passages from the Qur’an inserted into the text at certain points to give the impression that the Qur’an is accurately describing something which was not discovered until fairly recently. The result is that most people take these claims at face value, since they do not know enough either about the true meaning of the Arabic or about possible sources of the scientific ‘facts’ in Muhammad’s day.

Specific Examples of Misinterpretation

Examples of these claims include verses which talk about rain falling, and others which say that there is water underground – conclusion – the Qur’an is describing the water cycle. A comparison of verses in the Bible shows that the same ideas were around long before Muhammad. Another is a verse which claims that mountains are like tent-pegs and prevent the earth from moving. Geologists are quoted as saying that mountains have ‘roots’ below the ground that hold the earth in place, when in reality far from preventing earthquakes, mountains are actually built up as a result of seismic activity.

Misunderstandings of Embryological Development

Perhaps the greatest amount written by Muslims in this field concerns the development of the human embryo. Many verses describe how we originate from a drop of semen which gushes forth (sura 53:46) from ‘between the backbone and the ribs’ (sura 86:7). Muslims claim that the totally false idea that sperm is produced somewhere in the region of the backbone refers to the site of embryological development of the testes which is close to the kidneys – although there is no possibility of this interpretation in the context. In fact the Greek physician Hippocrates taught 1000 years before Muhammad that semen passes through the region of the kidneys and spine. Other verses say that we develop in four stages – a drop of semen, a blood-clot, a piece of chewed flesh and a stage in which bones are clothed with flesh (sura 22:5, sura 23:13).

Ancient Knowledge and Qur'anic Claims

In trying to identify precise points in human development that these stages relate to, Muslim scientists have totally overlooked the fact that Galen, writing at Pergamun in Turkey (Rev 2:12) in AD 150 claimed that humans go through these four stages of development. Other examples could be given from the Qur’an and the Hadith (sayings of Muhammad) which have been twisted to try to show them saying things which have only recently been discovered. In every single case it has been conclusively demonstrated that not only were these things originally taught by the ancient Greeks, but that they were actually well known to the people in Arabia at the time of Muhammad. Far from proving that the Qur’an is divinely inspired, they provide further evidence that it had human origins.

The Depravity of Society

In fact, the depravity is largely due to large numbers of people rejecting Christ, but many Muslims think that all Westerners are Christians, just as we are tempted to say that all Arabs are Muslims when there are many who are only culturally Muslim.

Problems in Societies

But why stop at Western society? One could argue (sensitively) that there are as many problems in Islamic societies as there are in Christian societies, except that these are often overlooked or hidden. For example, of the countries at war or undergoing civil unrest, almost all of them are Muslim. Corruption in Islamic countries is rife. The position of women is far more restricted than in Britain. Under Islamic law, if a woman is raped, she must bring four witnesses to testify to the crime in order to bring a case. If she claims she was raped but cannot produce four eyewitnesses, not only is the case thrown out, but she could be flogged or even stoned to death for having effectively admitted in public to committing adultery. When statistics of violent crimes in the West are compared with those in Muslim countries and found to be much higher, is it because they do not occur in Muslim countries or that they do but people cannot produce the necessary witnesses?

Perspectives on Marriage

One could argue that polygamy was never part of God’s sovereign plan and it is impossible to fully take care of more than one wife (Gen 1:27; 2:24; Deut 17:17; I Cor 7:2; I Tim 3:2). Yet the Qur’an allows up to four wives (sura 4:3), and not only did Muhammad have at least nine wives, he used to sleep with all of them in one night (Bukhari vol 7, Hadith 142). Christians are commanded to love our wives as Christ loved the Church and gave His life for her (Eph 5:25,33), whereas the Qur’an commands men to beat their wives if they do not submit to them (sura 4:34 – Arabic word literally means scourge or beat hard). One of Muhammad’s wives, Aisha, was only seven when he married her, and another, Zainab, was originally the wife of his adopted son but was forced to marry Muhammad when he fell in love with her. Many examples could be given.

False Representation of Christianity

There are also many people who call themselves “Christians” but are not walking in obedience to God. Even so-called “churches” who dishonor God. For example, when you see a gay couple getting married in a “church”, do you think this is acceptable in Christianity? The Bible clearly speaks against homosexuality. It is wrong. Just because there are people who practice it does not make it right. They do not represent Christianity. Jesus warned us that there will be many false teaching and teachers.

The Teachings of Jesus

What did Jesus teach? What would happen to society if everybody followed His priorities?

 1. Prayer : We Muslims pray 5 times a day but don't see Christian praying like us . 

 Answer: For me, prayer is a conversation I have with my Creator and Heavenly Father. I can come to Him anytime and anywhere for anything -- to ask Him to forgive me for a sin I committed, to praise Him and thank Him for His goodness, and to ask Him for wisdom or help in my daily life. He lovingly speaks back to me through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The Bible teaches me to pray without ceasing, meaning my heart and mind are always in fellowship with my Lord. I fail to do this many times but this is what I seek.

The Lord Jesus taught me in the Bible, in Matthew 6:6 that prayer is private, like a conversation between two friends. Christians also pray together. This is a way for us to have a deeper spiritual relationship with God and among each other, and to gain strength as we pray selflessly for each other and praise Him together.

2. Haram and Halal : Do you Christians have the concept of Haram and Halal?

Answer: Even though we don’t use the exact terms of halal and haram, these concepts are present throughout the entire Bible. For me, halal would be an act that honors God and others, while haram would be anything that I think or do or even say that does not reflect how the Lord Jesus Christ wants me to live my faith.

In the Old Testament, God gave specific commandments so that anyone who believed in the true God would obey and follow these commandments and be in good standing in front of Him. These commandments kept the believers, specifically the nation of Israel, pure while the world around them did as they pleased.

In the New Testament, Jesus simplifies the requirements of what “halal” would be to two things: loving God with all our being and loving our neighbor as much as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40).

I am only able to do these commandments by Jesus’ strength and the Holy Spirit who lives within me.

3. Violence in the Bible :  Why do Christians criticize violence in the Quran while it is also common in the Bible?

Answer: It’s true that the Old Testament tells about many nations, prophets, and kings taking part in violent wars and as a true Christian I do not shy away from this fact. But, in the Bible, wars that were initiated by a direct command from God were never used to advance a religion, or for personal gain of the nation that waged the war. The truth is that God used war to punish nations who were very sinful after giving them many opportunities to repent. Just as God gives us the choice as individuals to choose life or death, He gave it to nations. Those who repented lived and prospered, like the city of Nineveh (in the book of Jonah) and those who insisted on evil, such as the Canaanite city of Jericho, who sacrificed their own children to their idol gods, were destroyed.  

Ezekiel 18:21-23 tells us that God always offered grace and mercy first, and anyone who turns away from their sin would live.

4. If God simply forgives all Christians and ensures none end up in hell, what motivation would Christians have to do good when they could indulge in sin without consequence?

Answers:  I recall being posed this question by two children—one girl around twelve and a boy about ten—after one of my events . It seemed their mother had sent them to me. When they asked their question, I couldn't help but smile, as it mirrored a question I had asked Christians at a similar age, also encouraged by my parents.

In Islam, adherence to Sharia (a set of laws) promises heaven as a reward, while disobedience threatens hell. If the reward is guaranteed no matter what, why would anyone face difficult moral choices? Since Islam views law as the solution to human issues, the gospel's concept of a heart transformed by God feels foreign to many Muslims—just as it did for those children.

When the young siblings in Hong Kong approached me with their question, I sat beside them, gestured toward their mother, and posed a question in return: “Do you love your mom?”

They looked surprised but quickly replied, “Of course!” With a smile, I then asked, “When she asks you to do something, like tidy your room, what do you think would make her happier: if you cleaned it out of love for her, or out of fear of punishment?”

Without a moment's pause, the sister replied, “Out of love for her.” As she spoke, the realization crossed her face: obedience born from fear is not true obedience, but rather compulsion. What God truly desires is Christian obedience founded on love and free from fear.

I began to explain to her and her brother that when we respond to the gospel and live as God's children, our Father transforms our hearts, instilling in us a genuine desire to obey out of love. For a few more minutes, they eagerly asked me questions, clearly wanting to know more before their mother called them away.

The differences between Sharia and the gospel lead to various other questions that Muslims often pose to Christians. However, for now, let's focus on an essential question regarding Jesus and the Father..

5.  If Jesus is God, why didn't He explicitly say, “I am God”?

Answers: The Quran indicates to Muslims that Jesus never asserted his divinity; rather, the belief in his divine status emerged after his departure from the earth (Quran 5:116–117). Consequently, we believe that later Christians distorted the essence of true Christianity.

Why did Jesus not openly declare his divine nature? This poses a compelling question, but a clear answer exists: he intended to keep his identity concealed for a period. This intention is explicitly mentioned at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel (see Mark 1:34 NIV). Jesus wished to maintain a level of secrecy regarding his identity, motivated by several reasons (see Mark 1:45; 3:6). He did not desire to face death until the appropriate moment (John 7:30).

Thus, Jesus refrained from publicly announcing his identity, a phenomenon recognized by scholars as the “Messianic Secret.” As the time for his crucifixion and ascension drew near, he made his way to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), where he was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin to disclose his true identity.

As a Muslim, I only acknowledged this aspect when I discovered something intriguing. Both Muslims and Christians accept that Jesus is the Messiah, yet in the Gospels, he only publicly identified himself as the Messiah on one occasion. This took place during his trial before the Sanhedrin, the same instance in which he asserted his divinity.

To reiterate, the solitary moment in the Gospels when Jesus publicly declared himself the Messiah coincided with his assertion of being God. Since Muslims accept that Jesus is the Messiah, even though he proclaimed it only once, we cannot insist that he should have declared his divinity more frequently or emphatically. He was not focused on reiterating his identity; he opted to wait for the opportune time.

Moreover, while Jesus did not frequently announce his identity, the Gospels convey his true nature through the narrative itself (for instance, see Mark 1:1; 1:11; 3:11).

Through his Gospel, Mark prepares the reader for the revelation of the Messianic Secret, when Jesus identifies himself fully, integrating all his words and actions. This culminates in 14:62, a powerful moment of divine revelation. In this passage, Jesus identifies himself as the divine Son of Man from Daniel 7 and the One seated on God’s throne from Psalm 110:1.

Upon reading Mark with the context of Jewish scripture, the significance became unmistakable. From the introduction to the climax, Mark’s Gospel serves as an exposition of Jesus’ divinity. This first biography of Jesus is specifically designed to communicate that Jesus is indeed Yahweh.

 Download : These files related questions with details

 Articles
Do Christians Worship Three Gods?
Is Today's Bible Corrupted?
Why Do You Call Jesus the Son of God?
Is My Sin that Serious?
Was Jesus Crucified?
What is Abrogation?
A Common Word Between Muslims and Christians Letter
Abraham as a Central Figure in Islam
Did Jesus say 'I am God' in the Bible?
God of the Bible vs. Allah of the Quran
Comparing Shia and Sunni Beliefs
The Crusades 
The Night Journey 

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