Islam’s View of God and His Revelation

[Lady Vizsla]

by Rich Wendling and Daniel Shayesteh

How hard is it to share the gospel with a Muslim? By observing a few basic pointers, any believer can begin effectively sharing the good news of his Creator God.

Encountering a Muslim is no longer limited to a handful of Western tourists who happen to visit Egypt, Turkey, or some other popular Middle Eastern destination. Nearly 3.3 million Muslims now call the United States home, another 3 million reside in the United Kingdom, and similar numbers inhabit every other major English-speaking country.

So more than ever, Christians in the West need to understand the unique challenges of sharing the gospel with Muslims. Every believer’s heartbeat should be to lovingly share Christ’s gracious work in a way that any precious soul can understand—regardless of his or her religion.

This task may sound intimidating, but if you have already studied the basics of defending your faith, you are well on your way. In fact, apologetics (a well-reasoned, Bible-based explanation of your Christian beliefs) is a powerful tool in any kind of evangelism. Whenever you bring up deep topics, such as the purpose of life and eternity, people are easily drawn into fruitful conversations that they find very relevant to their lives.

With an apologetics approach, you are able not only to defend your faith but also to lovingly challenge them to reconsider their own beliefs.

Before you begin a conversation with Muslims, remember that each person evaluates all “evidence” in light of presuppositions. Presuppositions are those underlying beliefs that drive how we think and interpret the world around us. A Muslim’s presuppositions, usually ingrained in him since childhood, will color the way he interprets everything you say.

This article will examine the Islamic presuppositions about God and His revelation. By bringing these presuppositions to the surface, you can demonstrate the fundamental flaws in Islam and then graciously point to the truth of the Bible. As the Holy Spirit pulls down “spiritual strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5), He can also open the heart and mind of the Muslim to hear the gospel.

The next article in this series will examine two other critical issues: the Muslim view of man’s sinful nature and salvation. By the time you finish both articles, you should be ready to converse profitably with any Muslim.

The Quran’s description of Allah, Islam’s supreme being, creates two insoluble contradictions: he is unknowable but we can know him; and he is merciful, but he has no just cause for his mercy. The Bible, in contrast, gives logical reasons we can know God and find consolation in His mercy.

We will examine each in turn.

An unknowable, impersonal god. Absolute monotheism is the core presupposition of Islam. The doctrine of tawhid (oneness) in Islam states that Allah is utterly transcendent (Quran 112:1–4). In other words, He is not just monotheistic but a wholly distinct, unique, indivisible, and completely separate (impersonal) being who is unknowable by “personal” beings like us. Allah exists without a place, independent of creation, with no resemblance to his creations. Nothing in all of creation can be compared to Allah.

This central doctrine of tawhid creates an interesting logical challenge. How can one know anything about something that is unknowable?

The Hadith, or tradition attributed to Muhammad, also teaches that Allah has ninety-nine names that describe various aspects of Allah’s nature and personalities. If Allah is unknowable, then how can we attribute ninety-nine names to him and make him known?

The Bible, in contrast, reveals that God is personal, and He has revealed Himself in the Bible so that He can be known. In fact, the Bible teaches that God created mankind for the express purpose of knowing Him personally.

A just but merciful god. Islam calls Allah just (Quran 4:40), and to be perfectly just, Allah must punish all sin. Yet the Quran also teaches that Allah is merciful, forgiving those whom he chooses to forgive (Quran 4:110; 73:20). This creates a logical contradiction, which prevents Allah from being either just or merciful.

If he is truly merciful, why isn’t he saving people during their life on earth rather than leaving their destiny uncertain until the afterlife, as the Quran teaches? To withhold salvation until the afterlife means that Allah ignores people’s daily cry for freedom from sin and Satan. In other words, he is uninterested in establishing heavenly justice while his followers live on earth, thus liberating them from Satan’s present dominion.

Unlike Islam, Christianity offers an answer to the apparent dilemma of a just but merciful God: the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ satisfied God’s justice while enabling Him to show mercy. Unlike Allah, the God of the Bible extends His justice to people while they live here on earth, allowing them to trust Him and be saved now (Matthew 12:18–21; Isaiah 42:1–4). So God’s approach to people, as revealed in the Bible, is both just and merciful.

Islam teaches that the Torah was Allah’s first revelation and the gospel was second. But both became corrupted, so Allah gave the Quran to Muhammad to put people back on the right path. Muslims believe the Quran is Allah’s third and final revelation, his perfect, unchanged words.

This brings up another contradiction in the Quran. The Quran teaches that Allah’s words cannot be changed (Quran 6:115; 18:27), yet it also teaches that the Torah and Gospels were changed and became corrupted.

In contrast, the Bible recognizes no other writings as Scripture, and in fact it warns against adding to or taking away from its teachings (Proverbs 30:6; Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32; Revelation 22:18–19). There is no evidence from Bible manuscripts or history that the Bible was ever changed. (Indeed, all the surviving manuscript evidence points to the opposite conclusion.)

But the Quran itself teaches that Muhammad changed some of its verses and that his followers shredded the Quran (Quran 2:106; 16:101; 15:90–91). For this reason, it will be eye-opening for Muslims if you encourage them to compare the Quran and the Bible and they discover that the Bible is absolutely trustworthy while the Quran is not. Since Islam teaches that the Bible—especially the first five books of the Old Testament and the Gospels—is God’s Word, it is extremely appropriate to refer to the Bible when you show how Christian and Islamic beliefs differ.

Muhammad claimed that the Bible predicted his name and that he would come after Jesus to complete His unfinished mission. After the death of Muhammad, his followers searched the Bible but did not find the name Muhammad. So they announced that the Bible was corrupted. The Christian should challenge the Muslim to consider the possibility that Muhammad was wrong and the Bible is correct.

Muhammad gave a second reason that the Bible must be corrupted: Christians and Jews believe that God has children but God does not have sexual desires and cannot have children. Muhammad did not know that God is called a spiritual Father of His people (John 4:23–24) but He was never a “father” of any human as a result of a sexual relationship. The Christian should show the Gospel passages that describe Jesus’s conception and show that no sexual relation was involved (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:29–38; John 1:12–13).

The third reason for claiming the Bible’s corruption is the trinity.

The Quran incorrectly teaches that the Christian doctrine of the trinity is that there are three gods: God the father, Mary his wife, and Jesus their son (Quran 5:116). Muhammad taught his followers that Christians called Jesus God and made Mary equal to God, so they believe in three gods.

He did not know that the Gospels never call Mary God and that Jesus was the personal revelation of the One true God who, in His desire to build a personal relationship with His people, took on human form (John 1:14) to die for their sins (Matthew 20:2 cool . It is important to correct these mistaken views, which are among the main reasons Muslims have rejected Christianity for centuries.

The doctrine of the Trinity deserves special care when you talk to Muslims. Since the oneness of God is central to their thinking, the trinity is a very difficult concept and must be introduced with care. It is usually wise to delay this discussion until the appropriate time, such as when you are explaining Christ’s loving role as Savior.

Allah is described as a god of love (Quran 11:90; 85:14). But this is problematic for tawhid, which describes him as impersonal. Love requires a personal nature that searches for another personal object on which to express love. (In other words, love exists only between two persons.) Love cannot be attributed to an impersonal being.

Also, since Allah is impersonal, he is without multiple persons in his own being on which to show love before creating the world and teaching love to his creatures. If Allah did not have the attribute of love before creation, how could he create beings with this attribute? A nonloving God cannot create loving creatures.

Unlike in Allah, the very nature of the triune God of the Bible is love (1 John 4: cool . Each person of the Trinity— Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has loved each of the others from eternity. The triune God has always had an object for His love.

Indeed, God’s desire to reveal His loving nature in each Person is the very reason He expressed His love to humanity. As the Father, He loved to save people; as the Son, He put that love into practice; and as the Holy Spirit, He carries His love through to the end. We will examine this important topic in more detail in the next part of this series.

God created all human beings, including Muslims, with freedom of choice and the capacity to listen, read, and understand. By God’s grace the barriers that separate anyone from Him can be overcome. Unless the barriers and misconceptions are pointed out and corrected, they cannot be removed. The Christians’ challenge is to understand the basic presuppositions, practices, and shortcomings of Islam so that they can give well-reasoned arguments for the Bible’s truth, which God can use to reach the Muslim.

Though the Quran claims to confirm the Torah and the Gospels, it actually contradicts them in many key areas. For example,

The Torah states that God created man in His own image and good (Genesis 1:26); the Quran states that Allah created man in toil and trouble (Quran 90:4).
The Torah states that people have a right to inquire about the prophet’s words and deeds (Deuteronomy 18:20–21); the Quran states that people have no right to question the prophet and his successors at all (Quran 33:36; 59:7).
The Gospels state that lies come from the devil in whom is no truth (John 8:44); the Quran states that lying is legitimate under certain circumstances (Quran 2:225; 3:28; 16:106).
The Gospels state that Jesus died, was buried, and rose on the third day; the Quran states that Jesus did not die but was raised alive into heaven (Quran 4:157–15 cool .
The Gospels declare Jesus to be the Son of God; the Quran declares Jesus to be a mere man—albeit a prophet—but not the Son of God (Quran 9:30).
Jesus said, “"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me"” (John 14:6); Islam rejects this concept and teaches that Jesus was a prophet but Muhammad was a greater prophet.

The Quran contradicts the Torah and Gospels in hundreds of other ways, too. The Quran cannot be true if it confirms the Torah and Gospels and yet contradicts most of their key doctrines.  

[Garland-Green]

The way that Muslim apologists get around the contradictions between the Torah and the Quran is that they say that the Torah was corrupted and that Allah had to give the world the Quran because of this. They don't consider what this says about the nature of Allah and His willingness/ability to preserve His word. In a way they make Him less and rob Him of some of His glory in making these claims.  

[Lady Vizsla]

Garland-Green

The way that Muslim apologists get around the contradictions between the Torah and the Quran is that they say that the Torah was corrupted and that Allah had to give the world the Quran because of this. They don't consider what this says about the nature of Allah and His willingness/ability to preserve His word. In a way they make Him less and rob Him of some of His glory in making these claims.

That's true. Then it becomes possible to claim that the Quran is also corrupted and makes Allah inconsistent.  

[cristobela]

Fact-checking these verses in the Quran, I have to call this out: it's not just the Muslim apologists (and Quran translators while we're at it—especially the translator Muhsin Khan who injects his own thoughts into the text [thus heavy dynamic equivalence in his translating]) that are “getting around” the contradictions in a less-than-honest manner. So are the Christian apologists. I'd say about 20% of the article was an accurate representation of how the Quran is incompatible with the Bible (for example, the Quran saying that the crucifixion never happened [Surah 4:157]; whereas, the Bible says the crucifixion of Jesus did happen, and it was Jesus of Nazareth, not anybody else hanging in His place [Matthew 16:21; 27:34-37; John 20:24-29, 1 John 2:1-2]).

show spoilerhide spoiler

Quran: (no matter which English translation of Surah 4:157 you read, out of the six English translations available on quran.com, they communicate the same idea)

• SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah ." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.
  
  
• PICKTHALL
  
  And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger - they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain.
  
  
• DR. GHALI
  
  And for their saying, "Surely we killed the Masih, Isa son of Maryam, (The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary) the Messenger of Allah." And in no way did they kill him, and in no way did they crucify him, but a resemblance of him was presented to them (i.e. the matter was made obscure for them through mutual resemblance). And surely the ones who differed about him are indeed in doubt about him. (Or: it, "that") In no way do they have any knowledge about him except the close following of surmise, and in no way did they kill him of a certainty.
  
  
• YUSUF ALI
  
  That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-
  
  
• SHAKIR
  
  And their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Marium, the messenger of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for sure.
  
  
• MUHSIN KHAN
  
  And because of their saying (in boast), "We killed Messiah 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allah," - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of 'Iesa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e. 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)]:

An idea that cannot simultaneously be true alongside:

Bible:

• Matthew 16:21 (NIV)
  
  21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
  
  
• Matthew 27:34-37 (NIV)
  
  34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
  
  
• John 20:24-29 (NIV)
  
  24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
  
  But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
  
  26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
  
  28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
  
  29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. John 20:24 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin.
  
  
• 1 John 2:1-2 (NIV)
  
  2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

The Bible is not in doubt at all about who it was (regardless of translation: click here to look up the verses in your preferred Bible version), nor is Jesus (who suffered the crucifixion) in doubt at all of who was crucified, nor His disciples who witnessed and touched Jesus' crucified body after He died (and raised back to life), in doubt at all about Jesus being the one crucified, who had died and raised back to life on the third day.

However, the other 80% of the article, fell into dishonest handling of the Quranic text, and we can't stand for that if justice and truth (and thus, truthful witness) is what we walk in and stand for. Certain allegations made against the Quran were either (A) not a contradiction but an idea that is plainly echoed in Scripture elsewhere (in the Old Testament and New Testament) or (B) a dishonest way to summarize what is said in the Quran (whether it was a case of being intentionally dishonest [if they had read the Surah and summarized it that way themselves], or misguided, [had they merely copied and pasted some theologians erroneous commentary on a cited verse]—regardless, whether it's a case of being intentionally dishonest or ignorantly misguided [and misguiding whoever listens in turn] neither are good. People are going to walk away with a skewed perspective, a lie, and not the truth.

Before I get into the verses in detail and demonstrate how they did either “a” or “b”, I just want to say: if we don't accurately allow the Quran to say what it is saying, then we invalidate whatever argument we were trying to make. And we lose credibility, because in the eyes of whomever bothers to fact check, or in the eyes of anyone who reads the Quran habitually, we are quickly exposed for the mishandling that has been done. We also come across as, “ignorant people just sticking to prejudices” (prejudging something without genuinely investigating it—thus commit injustice, by passing on false testimony and false witness, which is outright sin). And if we don't accurately communicate what the Quran is saying, then we fail to do what we intend to do: equip the Christian with a sound argument.

Having said that, I'll be drawing a light on the problematic areas of the article in individual replies below this one (about 10 individual replies after this), the first one after this being the most important.

(I'll be reserving replies then editing them later)

 

[cristobela]

#1

edited to correct grammar in two areas [meaning unchanged]

Quote:

The doctrine of tawhid (oneness) in Islam states that Allah is utterly transcendent (Quran 112:1–4). In other words, He is not just monotheistic but a wholly distinct, unique, indivisible, and completely separate (impersonal) being who is unknowable by “personal” beings like us. Allah exists without a place, independent of creation, with no resemblance to his creations. Nothing in all of creation can be compared to Allah.

This first quotation I'll have to break into two parts because of a presupposition that is running afoot (subconsciously, I think we all know this, but it needs to be said, explicitly, for clarity's sake, and for the pagan's sake [who is unfamiliar with any of these religions], also to demonstrate how the Bible and the Quran are not necessarily always equivalent to “theologians opinions and interpretations of them”):


1a. The Presupposition

First of all, and I'm not nitpicking on words, this is important: God is not monotheistic. Beliefs about Him are.

Quote:

Monotheism, belief in the existence of one god, or in the oneness of God. As such, it is distinguished from polytheism, the belief in the existence of many gods, and from atheism, the belief that there is no god. Monotheism characterizes the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and elements of the belief are discernible in numerous other religions.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/monotheism

And even then, despite how the religions “self-identify” (e.g. monotheistic), the reality of what comprises them, the totality of their statements, as demonstrated in the text—both in the Bible and in the Quran—can be more accurately described as monolatry (and I'll quote verses from both to illustrate this, but first a definition of monolatry, and henotheism too in contrast).

Quote:

Monolatry or monolatrism (Greek: μόνος (monos) = single, and λατρεία (latreia) = worship) is belief in the existence of many gods but with the consistent worship of only one deity.[1] The term "monolatry" was perhaps first used by Julius Wellhausen.[2]

Monolatry is distinguished from monotheism, which asserts the existence of only one god, and henotheism, a religious system in which the believer worships one god without denying that others may worship different gods with equal validity.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monolatrism

Interpreting this through Biblical lenses, we only worship One God, though there are other spirits in existence (which idolatrous people call “gods”), in addition to other “things” the idolaters (and both the Bible and the Quran) call gods—which Biblically we assert they should not be worshiping.

Their “gods” being:

[1] other spirits—clean or unclean, holy or profane, an angel or a demon,
[2] a mere human being, living or dead, (e.g. ancestor worship, worshiping celebrities, or a person's philosophy/deviant thoughts guiding their life in place of God's truth and in contradiction to God's truth)
[3] or their “god” is an inanimate object(s), a lying image, that lies about the true nature and the true appearance of God, be it carved out of wood, molded out of clay or melted down and casted out of gold, silver, bronze, [or created out of paint, wax, etc]; some confide in them to grant them wishes, bring good fortune or misfortune, protection, or disaster (whether a demon later inhabits said object or not) or just to remind them of qualities of the spirit or thing they worship.

For those reading along, the verses in the Bible that define all of the above can be found in an organized, in-depth fashion in the [Idolatry] topic.

—none of these (re-read the underlined terms) are YHWH/YHWH-incarnate. He condemns people for worshiping such things as god, yet identified them as gods (plural) that idolatrous people worship; ergo, more than one “god” exists in Scripture (because people worship many things, and many spirits). Both the Bible and the Quran do describe this, so they share this description of monolatry. Other spirits and things are called gods in their writings, ergo more than one god exists, besides the Creator who is also a spirit/God—of course we capitalize the “G” because we identify Him as the Most High, the Creator, and Father of spirits:

Bible:

• Hebrews 12:9 (NIV)
  
  9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!
  
  
• John 4:24 (NIV)
  
  24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
  
  
• Hebrews 1:7 (NIV)
  
  7 In speaking of the angels he says,
  “He makes his angels spirits,
      and his servants flames of fire.”[a]
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Hebrews 1:7 Psalm 104:4
  
  
• Hebrews 1:14 (NIV)
  
  14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
  
  
• Colossians 2:18 (NIV)
  
  18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.
  
  
• Exodus 23:24 (NIV)
  
  24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.
  
  
• Deuteronomy 32:17 (KJV)
  
  17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
  
  
• Leviticus 17:7 (NIV)
  
  7 They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols[a] to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.’
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Leviticus 17:7 Or the demons
  
  
• 1 Corinthians 10:19-21 (NIV)
  
  19 Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.
  
  
• Acts 12:21-23 (NIV)
  
  21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
  
  
• Leviticus 20:6 (NIV)
  
  6 “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.
  
  
• 1 Corinthians 8:5-6 (NIV)
  
  5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

Other spirits (and so-called gods) exist. But we cannot (and do not) worship them because they are not YHWH. Nor do we honor their idols, images, nor the customs that honor them. Nor do we worship mere people as gods—be they dead people [thus neither their disembodied spirits nor disembodied souls], or living people [still in a body, thus with both the breath of God and their soul still in their body] as god. We worship YHWH alone (be it in His “Father/beyond-this-realm/out-of-this-world, source-of-all-things” form [considering He created the world, the whole universe, ergo is not of it because He's not created], His Spirit form, or His incarnate form, Jesus/the Son/bodily manifestation). We have only one God, YHWH, the Lord our God is one, and there is no other spirit like Him.

Likewise, the Quran describes monolatry in its totality (instead of “monotheism” as is traditionally thought of—only one god in existence); the Quran, like the Bible, describes other spirits in existence besides the Creator whom people (disobediently) worship—idols, “gods”, angels, and jinn (the latter even described as having been created out of fire, like the angels were described in the Bible, albeit jinn and angels seem to be different types of creatures in the Quran). Thus other spirits in existence, besides the Creator, and idolaters worshiping said spirits and things as gods:

Quran:

• Surah 2:98 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael - then indeed, Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers.
  
  
• Surah 15:27 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And the jinn We created before from scorching fire.
  
  
• Surah 55:15 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire.
  
  
• Surah 34:40-41 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  40. And [mention] the Day when He will gather them all and then say to the angels, "Did these [people] used to worship you?"
  
  41. They will say, "Exalted are You! You, [O Allah ], are our benefactor not them. Rather, they used to worship the jinn; most of them were believers in them."
  
  
• Surah 21:36 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And when those who disbelieve see you, [O Muhammad], they take you not except in ridicule, [saying], "Is this the one who insults your gods?" And they are, at the mention of the Most Merciful, disbelievers.
  
  
• Surah 4:117 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  They call upon instead of Him none but female [deities], and they [actually] call upon none but a rebellious Satan.

So, "monotheism" (only one god exists) isn't the most accurate term to describe the Bible's nor the Quran's statements, but “monolatry” (the existence of many gods, but we worship only One). Let's get that presupposition straightened out and out of the way. Both the Bible and the Quran call many things gods, because people deify many things, and worship many other spirits as god. But we only worship One, the Creator Spirit. And there's only one Creator.

All of that to establish this very important principle: we need to actually address the text, and the totality of it, honestly, not merely argue theological positions, because those “theological positions” may not be 100% accurate reflections of what the text documents in its entirety. So if Christianity is arguing “A” and Islam is arguing “B” but both the Bible and the Quran are describing something else—“C”—then everyone defending either A or B is wasting their time, misleading themselves and others, and missing what's actually being said.

---

1b. “tawhid”

Secondly, here is the tricky thing about referring to “tawhid” in one generalized stroke of a brush (and why I hate generalizations): after googling it, and reading up on tawhid (oneness), it sounds like the shema in the Bible (and if it sounds like it to me, then how much more to someone totally unfamiliar with the religions?). Considering the shema is shared by Christianity, even Trinitarians, this is obviously not a problem. The problem lies with their theologians, and their opinions, for how to read the verses, thus what they read into it. We agree with the oneness of God, clearly:

Bible:

• Deuteronomy 6:4 (NIV)
  
  4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a]
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Deuteronomy 6:4 Or The Lord our God is one Lord; or The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone
  
  
• Mark 12:29 (NIV)
  
  29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a]
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Mark 12:29 Or The Lord our God is one Lord
  
  
• Isaiah 45:18 (NIV)
  
  18 For this is what the Lord says—
  he who created the heavens,
      he is God;
  he who fashioned and made the earth,
      he founded it;
  he did not create it to be empty,
      but formed it to be inhabited—
  he says:
  “I am the Lord,
      and there is no other.
  
  
• Job 33:4 (NIV)
  
  4 The Spirit of God has made me;
      the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
  
  
• Genesis 32:24-30 (NIV)
  
  24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
  
  But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
  
  27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
  
  “Jacob,” he answered.
  
  28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[a] because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
  
  29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
  
  But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
  
  30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[b] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Genesis 32:28 Israel probably means he struggles with God.
  b. Genesis 32:30 Peniel means face of God.

We only worship the Creator; and there is only one Creator, He formed us and everything in creation (whether He is manifesting in the beyond outside of His created universe, or is manifesting inside of His created universe, either as a Spirit [without a body] or in bodily form [with a body] in human appearance, and doing all of the above simultaneously).

The latter (visible, bodily manifestation) is what the Muslims and Muslim theologians don't recognize because they (A) don't fully read, or refuse to acknowledge the Old and New Testaments in their entirety or (B) don't acknowledge everything in the Quran [Allah as a Man in the Quran].

Just pause right there and read through that.

We, in turn, cannot depict the Quran as the only one who contains verses which, if isolated and read alone, away from all other verses that touch on the same subject, describe a God that is transcendent in the beyond somewhere unreachable, untouchable, never knowable (because if we isolate verses and don't keep it in context of everything the Bible says, we would come away with the same erroneous conclusions [so why are we doing that to the Quran?])...

Bible:

• 1 Timothy 6:15-16 (NIV)
  
  15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
  
  
• 1 Timothy 1:17 (NIV)
  
  17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

So, how dare we say He has visible, bodily manifestations, right? He is invisible! What can we see? And no one has seen Him! Oh right, because we do not, and cannot, build up doctrines by only looking at SOME of the evidence, while ignoring the other pieces of evidence in the text, verses that describe bodily manifestations of YHWH, the God of Israel, throughout the Old and New Testaments—and to demonstrate a couple of them from each Testament:

Bible:

• Exodus 24:9-11 (NIV)
  
  9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.
  
  
• Ezekiel 1:26-28 (NIV)
  
  26 Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
  
  This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
  
  
• John 1:18 (NIV)
  
  18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[a] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. John 1:18 Some manuscripts but the only Son, who
  
  
• Colossians 1:15 (NIV)
  
  15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

And if we ignore that, and just read those isolated verses in Timothy, we would come away with twisted conclusions, just like how Muslims who don't consider everything in the Bible (nor everything in the Quran), fail to see the corporeal descriptions of the Most High God, and said God on a throne (yes, even in the Quran—check the aforementioned link, if you haven't done so already).

Having said that, however, another issue: of the verses in the Quran that Muslims gather to demonstrate “tawhid” ([source]), I'll show a few that are compatible with both the Old and New Testament unquestionably (so we can't speak against the term “tawhid”, in and of itself, because “tawhid” appeals to verses that are shema-identical). The reader, unfamiliar and undiscerning, upon fact-checking, looking up the term “tawhid”, in google or what have you, could come away with the wrong conclusion because of how shema-identical it reads; on a related note, and to illustrate this using other words and another example, this is why I hate it when people pose the argument as “evolution vs. creationism” as if the latter (creationism) doesn't acknowledge evolution (it does, such as speciation—which is evolution on a small scale within the created kinds to create species), thus mischaracterizing the nature of the creationist position, and what exactly is the difference in the argument (it should be abiogenesis/naturalism vs creationism [when talking about origins]; or macroevolution vs. microevolution [when talking about the processes after the beginning]—never evolution vs. creationism; otherwise, to someone who is totally ignorant, they think creationism is against any and every kind of evolution). Likewise, the Bible is not against any and every thing related to the term “tawhid”—yet that is the impression given off for putting the term “tawhid” in one hand and the Bible in the other—when in reality they agree and the only time they disagree is when someone is passing off a false, unfounded assumption as truth and not taking into account all of the physical evidence available [in both the Bible and in the Quran]; so the term itself cannot be argued against, but instead show the specific details of the theological position, the assumptions/beliefs, that are not compatible with what is written in the Bible (and in the Quran)—which the article failed to do by how it “summarized/paraphrased” what the Quran is teaching, when actually, it is not teaching that [neither a different flavor of monotheism, nor that God is unknowable—and I have more to say on the latter in a different reply] even if their theologians and apologists teach that Allah/YHWH is unknowable, the text in the Quran and in the Bible does not; thus why I'm bothering to reply).

Now to demonstrate the agreement:

Quran:

• Surah 2:163 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
  
  
• Surah 3:6 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  It is He who forms you in the wombs however He wills. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
  
  
• Surah 23:116 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  So exalted is Allah , the Sovereign, the Truth; there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Noble Throne.

Identical thoughts. One Creator, no other deity worthy of worship but Him.

The “no deity except Him” thing (like “no other gods but Him”), as addressed in the “Presupposition” section, cannot be taken alone and forced to mean, “no other deity exists besides Him” because it would fail to represent the full Biblical (and Quranic) idea: how elsewhere in their text they describe how there are a lot of things deified, who/that people worship as gods—be they angels or demons [literal spirits] or even inanimate objects, which both the Bible and the Quran call and identify as the “gods” of idolaters, things they deify and submit to as deity that are not the Creator and Most High Spirit. So He is not the only god/deity/spirit in existence. The point is that there's only one Creator Spirit, and we worship only Him. He's the only Spirit worth worshiping; He is unique, and the only one of His kind.

How people interpret YHWH's "oneness"—whether they err or don't see the complete picture [that YHWH manifests in more than one way, both bodily and without body, visibly and invisibly, even simultaneously]—depends on how familiar they are with the rest of the verses in Scripture (and in the Quran), even strictly operating off of the Old Testament of the Bible alone; you can arrive at the idea of the Trinity just by reading the Old Testament. The Trinity is not a New Testament idea. A comprehensive study on this topic is Dr. Michael Heiser's lecture(s) on [The Jewish Trinity], detailing how Jews—before the New Testament period—saw the plurality of YHWH's divinity in the Tanakh (the entirety of the Old Testament—the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings [the Torah, the Nebi'im, and the Ketuvim]) while fully accepting the shema (thus that YHWH is one). (I linked to the videos I uploaded on my YouTube channel because the audio on the last one is kind of low; that inspired me to add subtitles to all of them [including in Spanish, though the audio is only in English], and thus help those hard of hearing or deaf as well in both languages).

---

Having said that, yes, under the same “tawhid” term, as the doctrine is taught, there could be “problematic” verses of the Quran we would not agree with (but I place the word “problematic” in quotation marks because, as I'm seeing, upon fact-checking, it depends on the translation). I'll show you an example of how, depending on their translation, the verses may or may not be describing a contradiction—ergo why I said Muslim translators for that matter, not just Muslim apologists. They are ambivalent and vague verses (just one of the reasons I didn't, and still don't, like reading and meditating on the Quran—I do it because the Holy Spirit tells me to fact-check when Christians talk about it—but I prefer the detailed clarity of Scripture, which is the only way to make sense of some of the Quran's vague statements at times):

An ambivalent and vague verse, for instance, Surah 5:73 (which the website I linked to earlier [source] included when gathering verses to illustrate “tawhid”).

I looked up the verse on quran.com to check on the different translations; they translated a term in this verse as “Trinity” in two translations out of the six English translations available on quran.com, and the term gets translated as “third person” in one of the six English translations, the other three, however, can be interpreted in the ways that Christians defend the Trinity:

• Surah 5:73 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  They have certainly disbelieved who say, " Allah is the third of three." And there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment.
  
  
• DR. GHALI
  
  Indeed they have already disbelieved, the ones who have said, "Surely Allah is the third of three." And in no way is there any god except One God. And in case they do not refrain from what they say, indeed there will definitely touch the ones of them that have disbelieved a painful torment.
  
  
• PICKTHALL
  
  They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of three; when there is no Allah save the One Allah. If they desist not from so saying a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve.
  
  
• YUSUF ALI
  
  They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One Allah. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them.
  
  
• MUHSIN KHAN
  
  Surely, disbelievers are those who said: "Allah is the third of the three (in a Trinity)." But there is no ilah (god) (none who has the right to be worshiped) but One Ilah (God -Allah). And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them.
  
  
• SHAKIR
  
  Certainly they disbelieve who say: Surely Allah is the third (person) of the three; and there is no god but the one Allah, and if they desist not from what they say, a painful chastisement shall befall those among them who disbelieve.

So, I say “problematic” depending on the translation because we, Trinitarians, also are not saying that there are three different gods that we worship, nor three different Creators, but only one. We don't worship a pantheon of three gods. So whether there's an actual contradiction or not, it depends on how the verse gets translated (and thus the meaning that was actually meant). So, it's dishonest to just point to the term “tawhid” as an outright contradiction in light of this.

Also drawing from the above website, which gathered verses to illustrate “tawhid”, there are verses like Surah 23:91, which suffers a similar translation discrepancy, but this verse, in and of itself, I would say could negate the Old and New Testaments—unless it's trying to describe an altogether different aspect of YHWH than how the Bible uses the term (which could be the case and I'll explain why after showing them to you):

Surah 23:91 contains a term which, in two (out of the six) English translations available on quran.com, has been translated as “beget”:

• Surah 23:91 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  Allah has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity. [If there had been], then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them would have sought to overcome others. Exalted is Allah above what they describe [concerning Him].
  
  
• YUSUF ALI
  
  No son did Allah beget, nor is there any god along with Him: (if there were many gods), behold, each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have lorded it over others! Glory to Allah! (He is free) from the (sort of) things they attribute to Him!
  
  
• MUHSIN KHAN
  
  No son (or offspring or children) did Allah beget, nor is there any ilah (god) along with Him; (if there had been many gods), behold, each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have tried to overcome others! Glorified be Allah above all that they attribute to Him!
  
  
• DR. GHALI
  
  In no way has Allah taken to Him any child, and in no way has there been with Him any god. Lo, for that each god would indeed have gone away with whatever he created, and some of them would indeed have exalted themselves over others. (Literally: over some (others) All Extolment be to Allah over whatever they describe.
  
  
• PICKTHALL
  
  Allah hath not chosen any son, nor is there any god along with Him; else would each god have assuredly championed that which he created, and some of them would assuredly have overcome others. Glorified be Allah above all that they allege.
  
  
• SHAKIR
  
  Never did Allah take to Himself a son, and never was there with him any (other) god-- in that case would each god have certainly taken away what he created, and some of them would certainly have overpowered others; glory be to Allah above what they describe!

Depending on the actual meaning, we could be agreeing: first of all, and the most important concept, yes there's only one Creator (we've already established that, despite His different ways of manifesting simultaneously, in invisible or visible form, without a body or with a body—as evidenced in both the Bible and in the Quran; He's just one Creator); but also, there is no “Queen of Heaven”, a goddess, by God's side, that YHWH is having sexual relations with to make the “sons of God”—whether the phrase “sons of God” in the Bible is referring to the angels (which, when found in the plural form in the Old Testament, is always referring to heavenly beings), or in singular form, son of God, which despite His own incarnation into the world (Jesus/YHWH-incarnate/the “Son” [bodily, visible] manifestation of the invisible “Father” [the sentience in the beyond outside of creation]), is also a phrase that can be found in the Bible symbolically referring to mere humans like the king of Israel as “my son” (i.e. Solomon, 1 Chronicles 17:12-13) or the whole nation of Israel as “my son” (when calling them out of Egypt i.e. Exodus 4:22-23), ergo they are a “son of God” [singular], in the Old Testament (but whether angels, YHWH's bodily manifestation, or mere humans, they're not “sons of God” as a result of physical sex with human women, nor sex with a goddess/goddesses), and then, in the New Testament, whoever shares in God's nature is a son of God too (Galatians 4:6; Hebrews 2:10) as opposed to the son of the Devil, or having Satan as your father (John 8:44), and even with Jesus, there is no physical sex with Mary nor sex with a goddess to conceive His body (but I'll get to more on that below). In contrast to Mormonism, which literally thinks Satan and Jesus are brothers, or like the concept of the Greek gods, physical sex between gods and goddesses, in addition to physical sex between gods and human women [clearly, if there is any truth to the Greek legends, with respect to the latter, these are fallen angels having sex with human women, not the Most High God having physical sex with human women]; there's a verse in the Quran that seems to condemn both this type of Mormon thought and these Greek thoughts as well concerning the Most High.

• Surah 6:100 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  But they have attributed to Allah partners - the jinn, while He has created them - and have fabricated for Him sons and daughters without knowledge. Exalted is He and high above what they describe.

None of these “sons of God” examples in the Bible are of God physically having sex with people nor with a goddess (which is what the Quran could be talking against in its description of not begetting). Similar to Surah 72:3...

• Surah 72:3 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And [it teaches] that exalted is the nobleness of our Lord; He has not taken a wife or a son

Even though symbolically we know that YHWH also refers to the nation of Israel as a wife i.e. Jeremiah 3:8 (or at other times, calls the nation of Israel my son i.e. Exodus 4:22-23). Yet, no, YHWH does not have physical sex with goddesses nor physical sex with humans.

So, none of that, “YHWH has a consort, a goddess, and her name is Asherah” either, which the Bible clearly does not support...contrary to some “biblical scholars” [Exhibit A][Exhibit B] digging up idols of Asherah in the desert and claiming that this, which is henotheism, was obedient and legitimate worship of YHWH.

Nevertheless, despite the Muslim apologist's traditional way of interpreting those begotten/begetting verses (to deny the Judeo-Christian Scripture), the Quran says things in support of how Mary conceived as recorded in Scripture, exactly how we think of it—by God. I'll provide two examples I came across (on [answering-Islam.org]):

• Surah 3:47 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  She said, "My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?" [The angel] said, "Such is Allah ; He creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is.

It's not uncommon to hear a Muslim say, “Jesus had a miraculous birth; we believe that”. They know He wasn't begotten by man (what they have a problem with, is the Biblical phrasing, “begotten by God”, because, even though the Quran describes the identical idea [just using other words], it's due to the existence of verses in the Quran merely describing that He doesn't beget that they have a mental block; however, it is clear to me, the idea is to communicate that He doesn't beget (bring forth into the world) like humans do and has no consort/goddess wife, not that those verses in the Quran deny that Jesus was begotten by the Most High Spirit, thus miraculous birth).

Which leads me into the second example: the Quran, and here depending on the translation, says something interesting about the specifics of how God made Mary conceive—that she conceived by “Our Spirit”, or “Our Ruh,” in four of the six English translations (one of those translators identifies “Our Ruh” as Gabriel, but that is not what's written really; he [and this is the aforementioned Muhsin Khan that I said was doing some heavy dynamic equivalence] is inserting his theology into the verse), the other translations saying, “Our inspiration”, the remaining one “Our angel”... and that is Surah 66:12.

• DR. GHALI
  
  And Maryam (Mary) daughter of Imran, who kept safe her private parts, (i.e., safeguarded) so We breathed in it of Our Spirit, and she sincerely (believed) in the Words of her Lord, and His Books; and she was one of the devout.
  
  
• MUHSIN KHAN
  
  And Maryam (Mary), the daughter of 'Imran who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (the sleeve of her shirt or her garment) through Our Ruh [i.e. Jibrael (Gabriel)], and she testified to the truth of the Words of her Lord [i.e. believed in the Words of Allah: "Be!" and he was; that is 'Iesa (Jesus) - son of Maryam (Mary); as a Messenger of Allah], and (also believed in) His Scriptures, and she was of the Qanitin (i.e. obedient to Allah).
  
  
• PICKTHALL
  
  And Mary, daughter of 'Imran, whose body was chaste, therefor We breathed therein something of Our Spirit. And she put faith in the words of her Lord and His scriptures, and was of the obedient.
  
  
• SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel, and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.
  
  
• SHAKIR
  
  And Marium, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her of Our inspiration and she accepted the truth of the words of her Lord and His books, and she was of, the obedient ones.
  
  
• YUSUF ALI
  
  And Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants).

So, clearly, this is a case of the theologian's thoughts and traditional ways of interpreting a verse taking precedence over what is actually written in the Quran. She conceived by the Spirit; just like the Gospels say; Jesus was begotten (brought forth) by the Spirit of God.

• Luke 1:35 (NIV)
  
  35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God.
  
  Footnotes:
  
  A. Luke 1:35 Or So the child to be born will be called holy,
  
  
• Matthew 1:18 (NIV)
  
  18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Matthew 1:18 Or The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this

And aside from not begetting like humans do, neither physical copulation (nor having sex with goddesses to create sons), it is true that God is not begotten either (neither in those human ways, physical sex, nor being birthed by a goddess mother; He is the origin of all things, has no father, no mother Himself. He has always been, is, and always will be, so the Father manifestation never gets begotten at all—same could be said of Jesus, only His body was begotten through a woman's womb. But He was never created and always existed since before the world began, before Abraham was, He was).

• John 8:57-59 (NIV)
  
  57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
  
  58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
  
  
• John 17:5 (NIV)
  
  5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

My mind also goes to Melchizedek (King of Righteousness) that appears in the Old Testament. And mentioned again in the New. Who is he?

• Hebrews 7:1-3 (NIV)
  
  7 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

The phrasing...he is priest of God Most High (so he is not exactly God Most High Himself), and yet he has no father and no mother (I think we can safely say he wasn't begotten like humans usually are after Adam and Eve). The first one I think of when I think “not begotten” is Adam. Yet he's not Adam, considering Adam has long since died by the time we get to Abraham, but this one met Abraham (safe to say Melchizedek is not the first Adam). Is he human? Melchizedek isn't human if he has no father and no mother. Who is he then? Because he had no beginning and has no end. How are we suppose to wrap our heads around that? Is that not God? Who else has no beginning and no end? and yet he isn't God, he is priest of God. At this point, I'm tempted to say Melchizedek is Jesus or the Son manifestation of the Father.

However, is it safe to say that he is Jesus? because Melchizedek resembles (or is like, or in the likeness of) the Son of God (thus, is like the bodily manifestation of the Father of Spirits), not that he is, and Jesus seems to be replacing him...? functioning in the order of Melchizedek, not that He is Melchizedek? Ergo Jesus isn't exactly Melchizedek either. Yet why do we need Jesus to replace Melchizedek if Melchizedek has no beginning and no end of days? Did Melchizedek retire? What is happening? Unless Jesus, pre-womb-incarnation, Son of God, bodily manifestation of God, was Melchizedek? Temporarily stepping down from a position to carry out a task? Honestly, I cannot answer these questions definitively.

But I bring all this up because, in certain areas of the Quran that have been traditionally interpreted by Christian apologists (and Muslim apologists) to contradict the Scriptures, the Quran doesn't necessarily have to be contradicting Scripture. YHWH doesn't beget like humans do, nor does He have sex with goddesses, ergo, He doesn't beget “sons” in that sense, although the angels, the nation of Israel, the King of Israel, YHWH's incarnate form (bodily manifestation), and those whom obey God as well are all called “son(s) of God”. Ergo, aren't the theologians and the apologists the ones who are making the Bible and the Quran contradict in these vague areas (not the outright contradictory areas, like denying Jesus' crucifixion to death ever happened, but these other vague areas)? Because of their pride? And wanting to hold on to what the prestigious theologians before them said even if they were wrong? When someone goes to fact check, and sincerely reads both sacred texts, they too will come across these truths—so, we can't settle for this kind of incomplete reasoning, and non-engagement with the text, just copying and pasting what erring theologians have said in the past. That is leaven of the Pharisees, leaven of the Sadducees, and leaven of Herod—ignoring what the totality of the text says in preference of what is traditionally taught and not wanting to admit they were wrong (as covered more thoroughly in the [The Tragedy of Rejecting Christ (Zechariah 11:1-17)] topic).

We cannot continue passing off thoughts where theologians have erred and think it will help in the long run; we have to alert people of the real possibility that both could be communicating the same idea/meaning if viewed through the lens of Judeo-Christian Scripture. So far, of what has been presented, I see agreement in all but two areas (the crucifixion and Jesus' identity)—so, I'm arriving at similar conclusions that I've been arriving at in the other topics we've touched on concerning Islam in the past: [Loving Your Muslim Neighbor], [Pray for Nabeel], and [Christian Colleges that “Burn” God’s Word?].

I'll be the first one to say, I was leaning towards the interpretations of theologians concerning Surah 112:1-4, thinking Surah 112:1-4 contradicted Scripture. But upon reading these other verses, in the Quran, describing Mary's conception by “Our Spirit”, and that Jesus had a miraculous birth because of God, not begotten by man, but by “Our Spirit”, I'm leaning away from the Christian apologist position on those Surahs (God not begetting could be referring to not having physical sex with humans or with “goddesses”, to create creatures, which the Bible would agree with; He doesn't do that to create. Nor would God get begotten in the sense of being born of a goddess, nor “not having ever been present”. He is the “I am”. God. Thus not in disagreement with the Quran, and the Quran not in disagreement with the Bible, in that area; they agree that YHWH just Commands something to be and it is. The Spirit came upon Mary, and voila, God's incarnation via woman's womb, was conceived; no sex involved).

Hence, why I bother to specify all of this: because referring to a concept, like “tawhid”, encompasses both the verses that agree with the Scriptures and those that so-called and seemingly “disagree”. We have to take a good, honest, hard look, in context of everything the Quran says and everything the Bible does say, to say there is disagreement on God's oneness in this matter. After meditating on this, and cross-referencing verses, I don't see how they necessarily do contradict in this area—again, the Quran is a bit vague at times (and just like the Bible makes paradoxical statements within itself, “we're freed yet enslaved”, how can both be true at the same time? [Just read other verses that specify: free from sin, enslaved to God/righteousness], so why wouldn't there be paradoxical statements in the Judeo-Christian thoughts being expressed/explained elsewhere, making the rounds in other places, further removed from the apostles. God “begets” yet doesn't beget; how can both be true? He creates, and relates to His creation as a Father does to a son [and His incarnation into the world, in relation to His "outside-of-creation" manifestation in the invisible, is like a “son” brought forth by a father, into the world] but He doesn't have physical sex with humans nor goddesses to create; there are no goddesses).

That, in addition to the monotheism presupposition taken out of the way, knowing that both the Bible and the Quran describe monolatry [we worship only One, though other things exist and are worshiped as gods/deity. They're mostly jinns, angels, [actual spirits] and/or physical idols, but they're so-called “gods” to the idolaters and the Quran and the Bible call them gods], then the theologians or apologists have no grounds, based on the Quran itself [not what Muslim theologians and apologists say which is different], to say the “monotheism” of the Bible contradicts the “monotheism” of the Quran; plus, more accurately, both the Bible and the Quran described monolatry because the text identifies and calls other things and other spirits “gods”, that/who are not the Creator—the Most High God who created the earth, the heavens, the sea and all that inhabits them]).

The Quran does share Judeo-Christian thought. As we should, and would, expect to find in the Quran, if for no other reason than Paul saying as much (that he himself went to Arabia, the very first place he ever went) and preached—and you know how easy it is to misinterpret what Paul says. Sometimes he [like others] uses human examples for the sake of making a point).

• Galatians 1:15-17 (NIV)
  
  15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
  
  
• 2 Peter 3:15-17 (NIV)
  
  15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
  
  17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.
  
  
• Romans 6:19 (NIV)
  
  19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.

Note: for the record, just so no one ever violently distorts what I am saying, I'm not saying that the apostle Paul is the “prophet” Muhammad, because again, the very crux (pun intended) of Paul's writings is incompatible with what Muhammad conveys (as their article did actually go on to accurately describe—like I said, the article wasn't entirely wrong—and as I provided before in the post prior to this reply, Muhammad denies the crucifixion of Jesus and suggests that someone else was hanging there; Paul preaches the opposite).

Bible:

• 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 (NIV)
  
  15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
  
  3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve.
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. 1 Corinthians 15:3 Or you at the first
  b. 1 Corinthians 15:5 That is, Peter
  
  
• 1 Corinthians 1:23 (NIV)
  
  23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

In agreement with what the gospels document Jesus to have prophesied:

• Matthew 16:21 (NIV)
  
  21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Again, in contrast:

Quran: (no matter which English translation of Surah 4:157 you read, out of the six English translations available on quran.com, they communicate the same idea)

• SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah ." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.
  
  
• PICKTHALL
  
  And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger - they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain.
  
  
• DR. GHALI
  
  And for their saying, "Surely we killed the Masih, Isa son of Maryam, (The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary) the Messenger of Allah." And in no way did they kill him, and in no way did they crucify him, but a resemblance of him was presented to them (i.e. the matter was made obscure for them through mutual resemblance). And surely the ones who differed about him are indeed in doubt about him. (Or: it, "that") In no way do they have any knowledge about him except the close following of surmise, and in no way did they kill him of a certainty.
  
  
• YUSUF ALI
  
  That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-
  
  
• SHAKIR
  
  And their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Marium, the messenger of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for sure.
  
  
• MUHSIN KHAN
  
  And because of their saying (in boast), "We killed Messiah 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allah," - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of 'Iesa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e. 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)]:

Not to lose the train of thought however and to summarize:

• monolatry (many "gods" exist, but we worship only One)——is the more accurate description, not monotheism (only one god exists), because there are many spirits, of which God is one, the Highest in authority, Father of spirits, and the only Creator, both the Bible and the Quran describe this. They do not paint different flavors of monotheism, if that's the label people want to use.
  
  
• we can find descriptions of bodily manifestation of the “invisible” Most High God in both the Bible and in the Quran (the ones disagreeing are the theologians, both Muslims and Christians, who are mischaracterizing what the Quran describes, not taking the totality of what it describes into account [and Muslims doing the same with the Bible]. The Most High and invisible God, does have a visible, bodily manifestation at the same time that He is manifesting/existing elsewhere invisibly).
  
  
• we should expect Judeo-Christian thought to have found it's way to Arabia, at the very least because Paul himself went there and preached.

 

[cristobela]

#2

Having said that, it is just flat out dishonest to cite Surah 112:1-4 and accuse those verses of communicating that God is “unknowable to created beings like us”. The theologians and apologists are reading “unknowable to created beings” into the verse because it's not there.

• SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  1. Say, "He is Allah , [who is] One,
  2. Allah , the Eternal Refuge.
  3. He neither begets nor is born,
  4. Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
  
  
• YUSUF ALI
  
  1. Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;
  2. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
  3. He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;
  4. And there is none like unto Him.
  
  
• DR. GHALI
  
  1. Say, "He is Allah, The Only One,
  2. Allah, The Everlasting Sovereign (The Arabic word is sometimes taken to mean all that is mentioned in verses 3 and 4).
  3. He has not begotten and has not been begotten,
  4. And to Him none could be co-equal."
  
  
• PICKTHALL
  
  1. Say: He is Allah, the One!
  2. Allah, the eternally Besought of all!
  3. He begetteth not nor was begotten.
  4. And there is none comparable unto Him.
  
  
• MUHSIN KHAN
  
  1. Say (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)): "He is Allah, (the) One.
  2. "Allah-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks).
  3. "He begets not, nor was He begotten;
  4. "And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him."
  
  
• SHAKIR
  
  1. Say: He, Allah, is One.
  2. Allah is He on Whom all depend.
  3. He begets not, nor is He begotten.
  4. And none is like Him.

Two things:

(1) What the verse means in light all the context provided in previous replies (and what we know of the Bible): He is the Creator who has always been present (does not need to be birthed by a goddess to come into existence nor by human women to come into existence; He has always been the I am before the world began). Ergo, YHWH is not begotten. Nor does He “beget” in the sense of having physical sex with anyone—neither with other goddesses (or gods), nor physical sex with human women—to make His creations. He Commands it; the Holy Spirit creates. No other Spirit is like Him. He is Creator and Sustainer of all.

(2) I've drawn attention to this in a previous conversation i.e. [Trusting the Bible], to how these same kind of "unknowable God" ideas are found as statements in the Bible—so it's merely a matter of theologians' interpretations that are conflicting, not what is actually written. And in that conversation, I didn't even appeal to Timothy like I did above, so I'll include an excerpt of that here as well to offer other examples of verses that, if read by themselves, without knowledge of the other verses speaking about God's nature, could convey an incomplete idea (that He is unknowable):

cristobela WROTE:

Using the very example you brought up, that God can't be known? If we take these Old and New Testament verses to an extreme, you'll get the same idea:


• Job 11:7-8 (NIV)
  
  7 “Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
  Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
  8 They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?
  They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?
  
  
• Romans 11:33 (NIV)
  
  33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[a] knowledge of God!
  How unsearchable his judgments,
  and his paths beyond tracing out!
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Romans 11:33 Or riches and the wisdom and the


...what can we know? Nothing! That is the erroneous interpretation of God's nature we would get if the bible was only made up of just these three verses or if i'm being unstable with these verses, refusing to acknowledge other parts of scripture.

What Islamists do is repeat that watered-down concept ad naseum in the commentaries ABOUT the Quran. Emphasis on commentaries about the Quran because I've yet to see someone quote a Surah in the Quran that explicitly states that he is unknowable. Let alone produce a similar verse in the Quran to the passages I quoted above from the Old Testament and New Testament. And if one exists, then who is to say that it should be interpreted any other way than we do the biblical ones? Is it not their theologians (their teachers of the law) passing this idea off as if it were scripture (that he is unknowable, never personal)? Leaven of the Pharisees. This is just like the Jews: elevating the Talmud—though it contains scriptural sayings, is just the opinions of Rabbi's—and they're elevating it up to the level of scripture / the Tanakh. Just like the Catholics: elevating the words of the pope, early church fathers, and traditional songs, to the level of the Word of God to the point of nullifying what the rest of the New Testament has to say.

Note: whatever I said in previous topics concerning Surah 112:1-4, that it rejects the gospels for its begetting statements, dismiss it for what I discussed in area #1 and summarized here in the beginning of area #2 (this reply).

On a related note: in case this isn't obvious already, I'm not defending Islam (the religion and its theology) by defending what the Quran states in these verses. They (Islam and the Quran) are clearly at odds, like many a Christian denomination is at odds with the totality of what the Bible says. And ultimately, I'm defending the Bible; I submit all things to the Word of God.  

[cristobela]

#3

Quote:

A just but merciful god. Islam calls Allah just (Quran 4:40), and to be perfectly just, Allah must punish all sin. Yet the Quran also teaches that Allah is merciful, forgiving those whom he chooses to forgive (Quran 4:110; 73:20). This creates a logical contradiction, which prevents Allah from being either just or merciful.

[...]

Unlike Islam, Christianity offers an answer to the apparent dilemma of a just but merciful God: the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ satisfied God’s justice while enabling Him to show mercy. Unlike Allah, the God of the Bible extends His justice to people while they live here on earth, allowing them to trust Him and be saved now (Matthew 12:18–21; Isaiah 42:1–4). So God’s approach to people, as revealed in the Bible, is both just and merciful.

There are two misleading things about this area.

First of all, as long as “sacrifice” is a theme preserved by the Quran, they too provide the answer of how a perfectly just God punishes all sin yet spares the sinner (showing them mercy); someone innocent dies in their place. The Quran is just vague on the Sacrificial system commanded by YHWH and documented by Moses. Thus their need to read the Torah and the Injeel (Gospels) because the Quran doesn't provide sufficient “how” of the process nor “why”. It just contains vague references like:

Quran:

• Surah 22:33 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  For you the animals marked for sacrifice are benefits for a specified term; then their place of sacrifice is at the ancient House.
  
  
• Surah 22:34 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And for all religion We have appointed a rite [of sacrifice] that they may mention the name of Allah over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. For your god is one God, so to Him submit. And, [O Muhammad], give good tidings to the humble [before their Lord]

The following article from Answering-Islam.org goes on to show more details from the Quran and how Islam makes use of sacrifices [Atonement by Blood Sacrifice in Islam]. So, it's not that the Quran (and Islam) is totally devoid of the answer. There just isn't enough specificity in the Quran itself to explain the concept; they do, however, have enough rituals to demonstrate, “its blood for his blood, its flesh for his flesh” like the aqiqa sacrificial prayer says.

And, as this other article, written to show Muslims the importance of shed blood for the forgiveness of sin, goes on to say, the Old Testament is full of vicarious atonement [I Desire Mercy Not Sacrifice? What The OT Really Teaches Concerning Vicarious Sacrifices]. So the article written by AiG doesn't accurately convey the problem. They do have sacrifices (ergo, they do convey the answer of how a perfectly just God punishes all sin, while showing mercy: a sacrifice taking your place). The problem is that they don't see how it prophesies Christ (due to the severely limited detail in the Quran of the sacrificial system that was given through Moses) in addition to the Quran itself denying the crucifixion of Christ.  

[cristobela]

#4

Zooming in...

Quote:

A just but merciful god. Islam calls Allah just (Quran 4:40), and to be perfectly just, Allah must punish all sin. Yet the Quran also teaches that Allah is merciful, forgiving those whom he chooses to forgive (Quran 4:110; 73:20). This creates a logical contradiction, which prevents Allah from being either just or merciful.

I debated whether or not to bring this up, but I will in case this statement, “[...] which prevents Allah from being either just or merciful” misleads people about Old Testament truth (thus Biblical truth)—though I kind of hinted at this already. God hadn't ceased being merciful or just in the Old Testament just because He hadn't incarnated to be atonement sacrifice for our sins yet (plus the concept of atonement sacrifice was already there).

I know they're operating off of this concept:

Bible:

• Romans 3:25 (NIV)
  
  25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[a] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Romans 3:25 The Greek for sacrifice of atonement refers to the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant (see Lev. 16:15,16).

However, if they're using the idea, as expressed in Romans 3:25 and other verses in the Bible, to dismiss what those verses in the Quran (4:40, 4:110; 73:20) say, as if it were a concept not demonstrated in the Bible, and as if the Quran were making false statements by those verses, that is unjust, because the Bible makes the same claims

What the verses in the Quran, that they cited above (4:40; 4:110; 73:20), say (and their Biblical equivalents, because the Bible expresses the same concepts):

Quran:

• Surah 4:40 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom's weight; while if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward.

Bible:

• Deuteronomy 32:4 (NIV)
  
  4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
      and all his ways are just.
  A faithful God who does no wrong,
      upright and just is he.
  
  
• Luke 6:38 (NIV)
  
  38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Quran:

• Surah 4:110 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
  
  
• Surah 73:20 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  Indeed, your Lord knows, [O Muhammad], that you stand [in prayer] almost two thirds of the night or half of it or a third of it, and [so do] a group of those with you. And Allah determines [the extent of] the night and the day. He has known that you [Muslims] will not be able to do it and has turned to you in forgiveness, so recite what is easy [for you] of the Qur'an. He has known that there will be among you those who are ill and others traveling throughout the land seeking [something] of the bounty of Allah and others fighting for the cause of Allah. So recite what is easy from it and establish prayer and give zakah and loan Allah a goodly loan. And whatever good you put forward for yourselves - you will find it with Allah . It is better and greater in reward. And seek forgiveness of Allah . Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

(note: “zakah” is alms-giving, giving to the poor)

Bible:

• Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)
  
  17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
      and he will reward them for what they have done.
  
  
• 2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)
  
  6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
  
  
• Daniel 9:2-19 (NIV)
  
  2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
  
  4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:
  
  “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
  
  7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
  
  “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.
  
  15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
  
  17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
  
  
• Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
  
  13 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
        but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
  
  
• Psalm 32:5 (NIV)
  
  5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
      and did not cover up my iniquity.
  I said, “I will confess
      my transgressions to the Lord.”
  And you forgave
      the guilt of my sin.

So,
(1) God is perfectly just in everything He does, no injustice.
(2) If you lend to God, by lending to the poor, then He rewards you back for the deed.
(3) You guys sinned? Then confess it, and renounce the evil, and God will show you mercy (He will withhold the punishment, relent, you will find mercy).

Total agreement here. The Quran is not conveying a different concept than the Bible on the topic of YHWH's punishment and mercy. And God has been punishing people and showing mercy to them since the beginning (He doesn't need to fully reveal His manifestation as Jesus to already be acting justly and merciful; as long as the sacrifice concept [which He initiated since Adam and Eve fell] was around, there is sufficient logic there to account for His mercy [someone innocent will stand in your place]). Don't get me wrong, people should accept the Bible because of the full detail its scrolls offer and the text preserved by the Jews gives a more satisfying, complete explanation (thus why I love it), but it's incorrect to say that the Quran is offering illogical (or differing) descriptions of God's nature with those verses from the Quran.  

[cristobela]

#5

Quote:

If he is truly merciful, why isn’t he saving people during their life on earth rather than leaving their destiny uncertain until the afterlife, as the Quran teaches? To withhold salvation until the afterlife means that Allah ignores people’s daily cry for freedom from sin and Satan. In other words, he is uninterested in establishing heavenly justice while his followers live on earth, thus liberating them from Satan’s present dominion.

Those Surahs (4:40, 110; 73:20), which I quoted out in the previous reply, and which they cited in relation to this paragraph, did not describe any of the above allegations (salvation only in the afterlife? No heavenly justice while we live on earth? Not being saved from sin and Satan?). You just read the verses (in #4 above) and those Quranic verses don't touch on those subjects at all. So where are they getting this idea of "leaving their destiny uncertain until the afterlife, as the Quran teaches"? ...as the Quran teaches? where in the Quran? They didn't cite them. And of what they did cite, those verses do not describe any of what they're describing—Allah withholding "salvation" until the afterlife (by the way, how are they defining "salvation" based on the Quran...? They didn't bother to define that either).

The concept they seem to be shooting down is the resurrection of the dead (not that they quoted it from the Quran, but I am familiar with it) and "attaining salvation" on judgment day (which does not take place in death, but at the resurrection of the dead).

Quran:

• Surah 4:87 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  Allah - there is no deity except Him. He will surely assemble you for [account on] the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. And who is more truthful than Allah in statement.
  
  
• Surah 21:47 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant.
  
  
• Surah 23:102 YUSUF ALI
  
  Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy,- they will attain salvation:
  
  
• Surah 28:67 YUSUF ALI
  
  But any that (in this life) had repented, believed, and worked righteousness, will have hopes to be among those who achieve salvation.

(note: the only English translation of the Quran that I see using the term "salvation" is the YUSUF ALI translation, thus why I'm NOT quoting from the SAHIH INTERNATIONAL in the latter two quotations. Most of the English translations of the Quran tend to use “successful” not “salvation”. Similar to the Bible's use of “victorious”...

Bible

• Revelation 2:11 (NIV)
  
  11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
  
  
• Revelation 21:7-8 (NIV)
  
  7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Slight tangent aside however...)

Quran:

• Surah 7:14- SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  
  14. [Satan] said, "Reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected."
  15. Allah ] said, "Indeed, you are of those reprieved."
  16. [Satan] said, "Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path.
  17. Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You]."
  18. [ Allah ] said, "Get out of Paradise, reproached and expelled. Whoever follows you among them - I will surely fill Hell with you, all together."

The verses in the Quran describing judgment day and attaining salvation at the resurrection from the dead (salvation from sin, Satan, death, and whatever else we're being saved from) are not in contradiction to the Bible:

Bible:

• John 5:28-29 (NIV)
  
  28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.
  
  
• Daniel 12:2 (NIV)
  
  2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
  
  
• Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV)
  
  36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
  
  
• 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)
  
  10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
  
  
• 1 Corinthians 4:5 (NIV)
  
  5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
  
  
• Romans 2:6-7 (NIV)
  
  6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”[a] 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Romans 2:6 Psalm 62:12; Prov. 24:12
  
  
• 1 John 3:7 (NIV)
  
  7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

Resurrection. Judgment day. Judged by deeds, words, and secret thoughts—condemned or acquitted by them.

If the aforementioned verses from the Quran (about resurrection and judgment day) are the verses that they have in mind by saying “withholding salvation until the afterlife”, then they're accusing the Bible of the same thing. Are they going to accuse YHWH of "withholding" salvation because He has scheduled the resurrections and judgment day (and their rewards) for sometime in the future?

Bible:

• Hebrews 10:36 (NIV)
  
  36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Is God withholding "salvation" from sin because all of creation is still suffering under the consequences of sin (decay, including our own bodies, ultimately culminating in death) until the time of the restoration of all things (promised long ago through His prophets)?

Bible:

show spoilerhide spoiler

• Romans 8:19-23 (NIV)
  
  19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
  
  22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Romans 8:21 Or subjected it in hope. 21 For
  
  
• Acts 3:21 (NIV)
  
  21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

Is God withholding "salvation" from sin during this earthly life because Paul says his flesh is still a slave to sin (even though his mind is not, thanks to Christ), but as a result has sinned after having been saved from his unregenerate mind?

Bible:

• Romans 7:15-25 (NIV)
  
  15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
  
  21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
  
  So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[b] a slave to the law of sin.
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Romans 7:18 Or my flesh
  b. Romans 7:25 Or in the flesh

Is God uninterested in saving us from Satan's dominion (which apparently are all the kingdoms of the earth, which he tempted Jesus with) by leaving us on a planet with Satan, being attacked by Satan, and those empowered by him? and not just leaving us on a planet with Satan (and those influenced by him), but allowing us to be conquered by him and his servants?

Bible:

• Revelation 13:7 (NIV)
  
  7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
  
  
• Revelation 6:9-11 (NIV)
  
  9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,[a] were killed just as they had been.
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Revelation 6:11 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 12:10; 19:10.

And not getting rid of Satan until judgment day?

Bible:

• Matthew 25:31-33 (NIV)
  
  31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
  
  
• Matthew 25:41 (NIV)
  
  41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Their dishonest summarizing can be twisted back onto the Bible because the Bible makes statements that fit under their same condemnatory paraphrase. We can take verses in the Quran out of context, and make it seem like there's no Biblical equivalent, but that's not right. Why are they making it seem like those verses are to be interpreted differently than we do ours?

Likewise, we cannot allege that Allah (which, by the way, is just the Arabic term for “God”, vague title) ignores people’s daily cry for freedom from sin and Satan's temptation—that is untrue. Just like the Bible, the Quran communicates the idea that God IS willing to save people from sin and Satan's temptation:

Quran:

• Surah 29:45 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do.

Bible:

• Matthew 26:41 (NIV)
  
  41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

I hate, hate, hate, when people make up baseless accusations against anyone, but all the more when it's indirectly attacking the truth statements of Scripture.

They have to be careful of the reasoning they adopt and the allegations that they lift up against the Quran because if it is NOT an area where it actually deviates from the Bible, then they're attacking the truth. Do Jehovah's Witnesses deviate on everything? (no, but they deny that Jesus is YHWH's incarnation, and falsely think the soul is not aware in death despite Scripture supporting both notions i.e. Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-8; Isaiah 14:9; Revelation 6:9-10. We can only attack the actual points of contradiction, even when dealing with Jehovah's Witnesses, otherwise, we will be attacking the truth in the process—we don't dismiss everything they say, the whole denomination/cult, just what contradicts the Word of God. Satan would like nothing better than to throw out the truth along with the lie so people are prejudiced against what is actually of God). Do Mormons deviate on everything? (no, but they err on the details, like suggesting that marriage continues beyond death [i.e. Celestial Marriage, which was “special revelation” given to Joseph Smith] but Scripture does not agree with that notion but outright speaks against marriage surviving death i.e. Luke 20:27-36; Romans 7:2-3, amongst other things.) Do Seventh-Day Adventists deviate on everything? (no, but they're the same as JW's with "soul sleep doctrine"). Etc, etc...Muslims are no different. Overwhelming amount of truth, and yet tiny nuggets of false, extra-Biblical statements mixed in that deny the Old Testament and the New Testament as preserved for us and passed on by the Jews.

Bible:

• Romans 11:1 (NIV)
  
  11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
  
  
• Romans 3:1-2 (NIV)
  
  3 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.
  
  
• John 4:22 (NIV)
  
  22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
  
  
• Micah 4:2 (NIV)
  
  2 Many nations will come and say,
  
  “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
      to the temple of the God of Jacob.
  He will teach us his ways,
      so that we may walk in his paths.”
  The law will go out from Zion,
      the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
  
  
• Zechariah 8:23 (NIV)
  
  23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”

Not as preserved by the Ishmaelites, not as preserved by the JW's, SDA's, LDS's, but the Jews who actually keep Torah as it is written, denying nothing that is read from Moses' seat and that is written in the Prophets (unlike the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians).

Bible:

• Acts 24:14-15 (NIV)
  
  14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
  

 

[cristobela]

#6

Quote:

This brings up another contradiction in the Quran. The Quran teaches that Allah’s words cannot be changed (Quran 6:115; 18:27), yet it also teaches that the Torah and Gospels were changed and became corrupted.

Not surprised they didn't cite which verses teach that, because they're not there. In actuality, “that the Torah and Gospels were changed and became corrupted” is a popularly-held belief in Islam, by Muslims, but the Quran itself does not make that claim (what the Quran itself actually does state is the erroneous, and anti-Christ claim, that Jesus was never crucified to death, thus negating that He ever resurrected on the third day, but the Quran does not state that the Torah and the Biblical Gospels are corrupt). Just like it is a popularly-held belief amongst Christians, and taught in mainstream Christianity, that Jesus came to teach lawlessness, even though what's written in the Bible supports no such notion. For more on that, to whomsoever's reading and hasn't brushed shoulders with this: [Details in the New Testament that Get Ignored].

But as far as these alleged verses in the Quran (that teach the Torah and Biblical Gospels were corrupted, or rather, that are forced fitted into supporting this popular idea that Torah and the Biblical Gospels were corrupted): ignore the Muslim interpretation that often accompanies the quotations of these verses (Muslim commentary) and just read what the verses say as they are written (which the Christian authors of this article didn't quote, nor even cite—I had to look them up myself). These verses in the Quran are about misinterpreting and distorting the meaning of the Torah, by what the people say about the Torah, not that the written text itself was corrupted.

Quran:

• Surah 2:75 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  Do you covet [the hope, O believers], that they would believe for you while a party of them used to hear the words of Allah and then distort the Torah after they had understood it while they were knowing?
  
  
• Surah 3:78 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And indeed, there is among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, "This is from Allah ," but it is not from Allah. And they speak untruth about Allah while they know.
  
  
• Surah 4:46 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  Among the Jews are those who distort words from their [proper] usages and say, "We hear and disobey" and "Hear but be not heard" and "Ra'ina," twisting their tongues and defaming the religion. And if they had said [instead], "We hear and obey" and "Wait for us [to understand]," it would have been better for them and more suitable. But Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not, except for a few.
  
  
• Surah 5:15 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking much. There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book.
  
  
• Surah 5:46-47 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  46. And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as guidance and instruction for the righteous.
  
  47. And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient.

People misinterpreting, sometimes on purpose, what the text says, by how they speak about it, not shedding light on what is actually written therein, but concealing what can be found written in it, not that what is written was changed.

What the Muslims read into the text of these verses, and these are actual presuppositions they hold:

(1) that Jesus was given a Book (no, He came with the gospel, a message, the good news, a message which His followers wrote down).

(2) They also assume that people who speak distorted interpretations of the text, thus in their speaking and thinking concerning what is written, distort the meaning of what is written, to be equivalent to saying that the people physically re-wrote what is written down in the sacred texts themselves (although that is happening today, with the Jehovah's Witnesses' dishonest translation of the Greek in their “New World Translations” to deny the deity of Christ, and the Queen James version trying to gloss over all references to homosexuality [thus trying to conceal that the very lusts are being called shameful not just the act] being a sin, or even the "secret" gnostic gospels which are no gospels at all, that the early church had to combat—despite this, that's not what Muhammad was referring to in those verses [he, nor the angel(s) talking to him; they were referring to distorted interpretations of the Torah and distorted applications of what is written in the Torah]) .

Those two are legitimate presuppositions Muslims have on this topic, which this article failed to expose, and instead alleged that the Quran itself said the Torah and Gospel were corrupted, when it doesn't (unless they're aware of a verse that directly says that, as opposed to such an idea being read into the verse, and is a verse that I didn't include above?).

On that note: I've come across Muslims who try to support this popularly-held belief (that the Torah and Biblical Gospels are corrupted) by twisting the Bible (just like they do with the Quran) to allege the very same thing, but Scripture is making no such claims. The Bible as well exposes misinterpretation being made by the believers (the scribes, the teachers of the Law), some deliberately doing so despite knowing the truth of what is written, and even able to read it correctly from Moses' seat, but not putting it into practice themselves, instead violating it and teaching against what is written.

• Jeremiah 8:8 (NIV)
  
  8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
      for we have the law of the Lord,”
  when actually the lying pen of the scribes
      has handled it falsely?
  
  
• Zephaniah 3:4 (NIV)
  
  4 Her prophets are unprincipled;
      they are treacherous people.
  Her priests profane the sanctuary
      and do violence to the law.
  
  
• Matthew 15:1-9 (NIV)
  
  15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
  
  3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a] and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b] 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
  
  8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
      but their hearts are far from me.
  9 They worship me in vain;
      their teachings are merely human rules.’[c]”
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Matthew 15:4 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16
  b. Matthew 15:4 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9
  c. Matthew 15:9 Isaiah 29:13
  
  
• Matthew 23:1-3 (NIV)
  
  3 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

So, no, neither the Torah nor the Gospels [Injeel] are corrupt. People's interpretations of what is written is what deviates. (But while we're on the subject of corrupt texts, the Quran contains corruption for denying the crucifixion of Jesus).  

[cristobela]

#7

Quote:

But the Quran itself teaches that Muhammad changed some of its verses and that his followers shredded the Quran (Quran 2:106; 16:101; 15:90–91)

They mistook what was being said in those verses: those verses are not referring to humans—neither to Muhammad nor to followers of Muhammad—but the angels who have been speaking in “We” pronouns throughout the whole Quran (which becomes clear if you open up the Surah and read around the cited verses). Thus the ones in Surah 15:90 identifying themselves as the ones revealing scriptures to people...

Quran:

• Surah 15:90 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  Just as We had revealed [scriptures] to the separators

But yes, the angels are saying that they inspire better phrased verses to communicate the same idea.

Quran:

• Surah 2:106 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent?
  
  
• Surah 16:101 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And when We substitute a verse in place of a verse - and Allah is most knowing of what He sends down - they say, "You, [O Muhammad], are but an inventor [of lies]." But most of them do not know.

However, this is so vague, it could equally be describing the same kind of thing that happened to Jeremiah's writings (or Jeremiah's dictations which Baruch wrote down), bringing forth similar sayings, after the former had been destroyed (thus God and the angels allowing the verses to be destroyed; is our Sovereign God not in control of what a king can do with holy writ / divinely inspired words written down?).

Bible:

• Jeremiah 36:27-28 (NIV)
  
  27 After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up.
  
  
• Jeremiah 36:32 (NIV)
  
  32 So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

And yes, the first scroll contained divinely inspired words:

• Jeremiah 36:1-3 (NIV)
  
  36 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. 3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.”

Second edition wasn't verbatim. It contained similar words. God allowed the king to burn it, but the message was not lost. A second scroll, communicating the same message, albeit using similar (not identical) words, was penned.

That said, here is where I would say the Quran raises a red flag that conflicts with Scripture: yes, the angels can reveal other information, but you're not suppose to follow it if/when it nullifies what was previously revealed (so the Quran nullifying the crucifixion of Jesus to death and thus, by extension, denying the resurrection from the dead on the third day, is non-negotiable, and indefensible).

Bible:

• Galatians 1:8-9 (NIV)
  
  8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
  
  
• Isaiah 8:20 (KJV)
  
  20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
  
  
• 1 John 4:1 (NIV)
  
  4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

And yet all cults teach that, “this new revelation replaces the Old” (and they even try to make the New Testament say that when in actuality it doesn't; again, [Details in the New Testament that Get Ignored]).  

[cristobela]

#8

Quote:

The Torah states that God created man in His own image and good (Genesis 1:26); the Quran states that Allah created man in toil and trouble (Quran 90:4).

It's dishonest to pair that verse in the Quran (90:4) with Genesis 1:26; that is not its equivalent.

Quran:

• Surah 90:4 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  We have certainly created man into hardship.

Bible:

• Job 14:1 (NIV)
  
  14 “Mortals, born of woman,
      are of few days and full of trouble.
  
  
• Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
  
  5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you,
      before you were born I set you apart;
      I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Jeremiah 1:5 Or chose

Question: when YHWH created Jeremiah, was Jeremiah created good, born into a world without sin? Or was Jeremiah born sinful/with a sinful nature into a world full of sin and thus into trouble (into hardship)? The latter. Likewise, Surah 90:4 is not talking about “in the beginning” if the creation of the man named Jeremiah is also not in the beginning—and it's not.  

[cristobela]

#9

Quote:

The Torah states that people have a right to inquire about the prophet’s words and deeds (Deuteronomy 18:20–21); the Quran states that people have no right to question the prophet and his successors at all (Quran 33:36; 59:7).

They didn't offer the complete Biblical data...when the prophet is actually speaking the truth of YHWH, yes, you are not allowed to go against what the prophet said. They didn't sufficiently cite from Deuteronomy because three verses before v. 20 is what contains the vital context expressing agreement with Surah 33:36 & 59:7.

Bible:

• Deuteronomy 18:17-20 (NIV)
  
  17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”

The verses in the Quran that they allege speak contrary to the Bible:

Quran:

• Surah 33:36 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error.
  
  
• Surah 59:7 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  And what Allah restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns - it is for Allah and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and orphans and the [stranded] traveler - so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you. And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.

On top of that, the latter, quite frankly, sounds like obedience to the tithing Commands...

• Deuteronomy 26:12 (NIV)
  
  2 When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.

No contradiction here.

Same with the angel who led them out of Egypt (and no this is not Moses):

• Exodus 23:20-21 (NIV)
  
  20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.
  
  
• Exodus 14:19-20 (NIV)
  
  19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

When someone or some being is coming in YHWH's Name, for real, legitimately, we are not allowed to rebel.  

[cristobela]

#10

Quote:

The Gospels state that lies come from the devil in whom is no truth (John 8:44); the Quran states that lying is legitimate under certain circumstances (Quran 2:225; 3:28; 16:106).

The lengths they go to here, to force a contradiction, is incredible. I have so much to say on this, but first to address the Surahs they are citing (because two out of the three don't present a problem).

1. Surah 2:225 has nothing to do with lying, but giving into your carnal appetites after you swore to abstain from sex with your spouse, for a while, to devote yourself to God, thus not living up to your oath, but God is merciful and will forgive that weakness of the flesh if you couldn't abstain.

Quran:

• Surah 2:225 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  225. Allah does not impose blame upon you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He imposes blame upon you for what your hearts have earned. And Allah is Forgiving and Forbearing.
  
  226. For those who swear not to have sexual relations with their wives is a waiting time of four months, but if they return [to normal relations] - then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

It's not talking about intentional lying.

Yes, we should keep a promise even if it hurts (i.e. Psalms 15:4; Joshua 9). But at the same time, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not honoring their father and mother just because they swore in oath to God to dedicate something to Him and thus can't honor their father or mother with it (Matthew 15:1-9). One is self-imposed, voluntary offering, the other is actually a Commandment of God. Jesus said they were nullifying obedience to what is actually of God just to follow their self-imposed tradition.

Similarly, considering that marriage is suppose to be the only solution to lust (if you burn in it) and the married husband and wife not deprive each other for long to avoid temptation from the devil, and that this 4-month fast from sexual relations described in the Surah is a self-imposed tradition, not a Command of YHWH, breaking the self-imposed tradition, to have sex with your spouse, is not the sin here. What would be sin is acting out in sexually immoral ways because of denying yourself your spouse, in an attempt to keep a self-imposed fast.

• 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 (NIV)
  
  7 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
  
  8 Now to the unmarried[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. 1 Corinthians 7:8 Or widowers

I don't think the Surah is encouraging people to make false oaths, but communicating that if you broke a fast, there is mercy available.

2. Surah 3:28 was dissected in the [Jihad, Jizya, and Just War Theory] topic.

Quran:

• Surah 3:28
  
  SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  Let not believers take disbelievers as allies rather than believers. And whoever [of you] does that has nothing with Allah, except when taking precaution against them in prudence. And Allah warns you of Himself, and to Allah is the [final] destination.
  
  DR. GHALI
  
  The believers should not take to themselves the disbelievers for constant patrons, apart from (i.e. rather than) the believers; and he who performs that, (then) he has nothing (to look to) from Allah, excepting that you may protect yourselves against them (in manner) of protection. And Allah bids you beware Himself; and to Allah is the Destiny.

The verse echoes the concept of not yoking yourself to unbelievers (whether through alliance, marriage, or people you habitually hang out with “for fun”), and in other cases staying on alert but in “non-aggressive” terms with them for the sake of safety and strategy. Depending on the translation, Dr. Ghali's in particular, it seems to imply in times of war to defend yourselves. We can find examples of both in the Bible as God-approved behaviors.

Bible:

• 2 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV)
  
  14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
  
  
• Exodus 23:32-33 (NIV)
  
  32 Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you.”
  
  
• Exodus 23:29-30 (NIV)
  
  29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.
  
  
• Joshua 17:13 (NIV)
  
  However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.

Are they hiding their intentions from the Canaanites as they're growing in number? or being open about their actual attitude towards them: once we get stronger we're taking over and driving you and your paganism out (if not killing you)? Had Israel done that, those people, who outnumbered them, would have had motive to off them right then and there (assuming they believed the threat? Maybe the Israelites told the truth, but the Canaanites did nothing of it?). That doesn't seem prudent though to be inciting attack on yourself while your numbers are small; so in the mean time, it looks like they're living side-by-side in peace, not really as allies, but non-hostile until the Israelites grow in numbers to be hostile. Staying non-hostile / non-attacking is not their intent and ultimate goal at all. If we're being honest, that verse in the Quran is approving of what the Israelites did during this time leading up to their attack on the Canaanites (however, where the Israelites failed was in their decision to subject the Canaanites into forced labor, disobediently, instead of totally annihilating them in the way that YHWH had Commanded [Deuteronomy 20:17]).

Again, I brought this to light, in the [Jihad, Jizya, and Just War Theory] topic.

3. This, Surah 16:106, I would say presents an outright conflict with the Gospels however:

Quran:

• Surah 16:106 SAHIH INTERNATIONAL
  
  Whoever disbelieves in Allah after his belief... except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion] while his heart is secure in faith. But those who [willingly] open their breasts to disbelief, upon them is wrath from Allah , and for them is a great punishment;

In contrast:

Bible:

• Matthew 10:32-33 (NIV)
  
  32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
  
  
• Luke 9:26 (NIV)
  
  26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

We're not suppose to renounce our faith in cowardice, because we fear the violent consequences at the hands of our enemies, nor for being ashamed of God and His Word. However, is the Quran taking inspiration from King David? Lying for survival's sake? These are the gray areas of the Bible where YHWH neither condemns nor applauds the behavior outright in the immediate text/account of what happened:

• 1 Samuel 21:11-15 (NIV)
  
  11 But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances:
  
      “‘Saul has slain his thousands,
        and David his tens of thousands’?”
  
  12 David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13 So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.
  
  14 Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? 15 Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?”

However, considering David was acting to preserve himself (selfish) and acting cowardly, I don't think YHWH approves.

• Revelation 21:8 (NIV)
  
  8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Perhaps if he was acting to defend someone else, I'd view this differently, because, on a related note: there are examples of outright lying or deceiving spoken of approvingly in Scripture. They lied/deceived to benefit God's people, and facilitate justice against the actual guilty party (like undercover, sting operations, spy missions, and outright acts of war); they get described as a righteous act.

Three examples:

1. Rahab and the spies of Israel. She lied to the servants of the king of Jericho (“yes, the men came to me, but those Israelites aren't here, they left at dusk when it was time to close the city gates, and I didn't see which way they went”. That was a lie: she hid them in her house, and they were there the whole time during this conversation with the king's servants (Joshua 2). Rahab is considered righteous for what she did, and YHWH allowed her to be spared of Jericho's destruction because of it (ergo, she was rewarded for her lying that was done to save His people and help His people carry out His purposes).

• Joshua 2:1-6 (NIV)
  
  Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
  
  2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”
  
  4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)
  
  
• Joshua 6:17 (NIV)
  
  17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted[a] to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.
  
  Footnotes:
  
  a. Joshua 6:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 18 and 21.
  
  
• James 2:25 (NIV)
  
  25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

Considered righteous for that deception.

2. Same for the Egyptian midwives who lied to Pharaoh about why they weren't killing the Hebrew infants (“those Hebrew women are just too strong; they give birth before the midwives get there”). Lie. And yet, God honored them for their life-saving deception, even blessed their wombs because of it (Exodus 1:17-21).

• Exodus 1:17-21 (NIV)
  
  17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
  
  19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
  
  20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

3. Or those deceptive tactics of war that Joshua employed against the Gentiles (Joshua 8:3-7). Unlike other times when YHWH would send plague in the camp for unrighteous behavior (e.g. prostituting with the Moabite women and their idols? Got sent plague i.e. Numbers 25; King David allowing Satan to entice him into taking a census of the people, confiding in his own strength, abilities and numbers, instead of giving God the glory for the victory? Got sent plague i.e. 1 Chronicles 21), we never find YHWH punishing or rebuking these deceptive war tactics they utilized in battle (make the enemy think we're fleeing in cowardice, but really we're luring them to come after us, while we attack with another group from behind and, at that point, attack them from both the back and the front, ambushed, as is found in Joshua 8).

• Joshua 8:3-8 (NIV)
  
  3 So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night 4 with these orders: “Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. 5 I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. 6 They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are running away from us as they did before.’ So when we flee from them, 7 you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give it into your hand. 8 When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the Lord has commanded. See to it; you have my orders.”

And YHWH did give them success, He even gave the Command to ambush.

• Joshua 8:18-19 (NIV)
  
  18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand. 19 As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire.

In those three cases (Rahab, Egyptian midwives, and Joshua), the lie/deception was told/done to save the lives of others, not self.

I'm not saying that lying is ideal, however, because whenever a lie is told, the safety of an innocent one is put at risk, especially when the lying is selfish (like when David lied to Ahimelek the priest, when David ran away from King Saul and Ahimelek questioned why David was alone. This lying caused not only Ahimelek, but Ahimelek's whole family, to be killed by the sword i.e. 1 Samuel 22:9-19 because David made it look like they were helping him escape, totally unaware that this is what they were aiding David to do [1 Samuel 21]).

Further example of selfish lying endangering another's life: Ahab, the king of Israel, to save himself, enlisted the help of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, to help him wage battle, incite battle really, against Ramoth Gilead (the Arameans). The King of Aram gave out specific orders to his soldiers to only attack the King of Israel (Ahab). But because Ahab, the King of Israel, did not go into the war wearing his royal robes [yet Jehoshapat, King of Judah did go in dressed up in royal robes], these soldiers come after innocent, righteous Jehoshaphat; ergo, Ahab's deceptive attempts to pass off as a commoner put Jehoshaphat's life at risk (though Jehoshaphat lived because he called out to God in the midst of it—however, yoking himself to his unbelieving “brother in the faith” is what put Jehoshaphat in jeopardy in the first place; inciting Ahab to go fight the Arameans was judgment YHWH was orchestrating against Ahab on purpose, inciting him to go into battle to kill him off. For full context read the whole of 2nd Chronicles 18, but a short excerpt describing the deceptions and its consequences).

• 2 Chronicles 18:28-34 (NIV)
  
  28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
  
  30 Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.” 31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him, 32 for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.
  
  33 But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor. The king told the chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” 34 All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, deception in the Bible is a tricky thing. Sometimes it's righteous (Rahab, Egyptian midwives, Joshua), sometimes, most of the time, it's not, it's cowardly, sinful, and endangers the lives of innocents (David, Ahab, the Devil).

On top of that, even God is the one who sends the deception at times (like against king Ahab, to incite him into war, albeit He seems to be sending an evil spirit to do it, as at other times).

• 2 Chronicles 18:18-22 (NIV)
  
  18 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’
  
  “One suggested this, and another that. 20 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’
  
  “‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.
  
  21 “‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.
  
  “‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’
  
  22 “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”
  
  
• 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 (NIV)
  
  9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie

So, God sends a deceiving spirit (who volunteered), and God sends the powerful delusion. And the only reason people fall for the lie is because they refused to love the truth that God had already revealed (Ahab should have known—had he read the Torah—that God would not lend His favor to a king defiantly walking in idolatry, to result in said king's good in the long run; so any prophet telling him otherwise, that he would succeed with God's favor, was a liar).

But not just that, God in war uses deceptive tactics as well and is purposely misleading (making people hear things, and see things, that aren't really there) to save His people, and thus luring the enemy into danger, into the hands of the Israelites (as was the case with the Moabites), or luring the enemy away from the Israelites (as was the case with the Arameans).

• 2 Kings 3:14-24 (NIV)
  
  14 Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you. 15 But now bring me a harpist.”
  
  While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha 16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. 17 For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. 18 This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands. 19 You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones.”
  
  20 The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.
  
  21 Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to fight against them; so every man, young and old, who could bear arms was called up and stationed on the border. 22 When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red—like blood. 23 “That’s blood!” they said. “Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!”
  
  24 But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites.
  
  
• 2 Kings 7:5-7 (NIV)
  
  5 At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, no one was there, 6 for the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” 7 So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.

God knows what people will wrongfully assume if they see or hear something. So He tricks them to help whomever is in His favor.

In short: there are examples of righteous lying/deception in Scripture too, even sent from God.  

[cristobela]

If I read carefully enough, I think the rest of their article was okay and accurate, but the above 10 points were not. AiG's discernment on this topic is not the best. Unless they correct themselves and start reading more sincerely into the Quran (to fact-check the paraphrasing of theologians and apologists, instead of just copying and pasting what the theologians and apologists have said), it would not be wise to persist in posting more of their articles on the subject until then. Again, they're falling into the same kind of false allegations I exposed in these topics: [Loving Your Muslim Neighbor], [Pray for Nabeel], and [Christian Colleges that “Burn” God’s Word?].