There is only one religion:  ISLAM

 

The shortest way to establishing the fact that there is only one religion is for one to recognize the existence of one God, who is Allah.  The statement to this effect in the Quraan is the following:

 

" ان الدين عند الله الاسلام "

  

- “The religion with Allah is Islam. Those who were given the Scripture differed only after knowledge came unto them, through transgression among themselves.  He who disbelieves the verses of Allah - indeed Allah is Swift in reckoning.”  [3:19]

 

- “He who chooses a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.”  [3:85]

 

Besides the statement that there is only one religion and that is of Allah, the verse determines for us the reason why there are now more than one religion.  People received the scriptures through messengers of Allah, got the necessary knowledge, but then through transgression differed among themselves and denied the signs Allah sent to them.

 

The verse further insinuates to those who do not believe the Quraan that finding the right answer to the question about religion can be achieved through the simple act of going back in history to the time when there was only one or just a small number of human beings.  Then there was no problem in recognizing only one god and one religion.  The more complex life grew, the wider became division and difference between people.

 

Method for conviction

 

If people denying that religion was originally one cannot persuade themselves to follow the simple way of going back to the initial stage of the life of human beings as suggested, the Quraan directs Muslems to use with them the dialogue method:

 

Call to the Path of your Lord with wisdom and fine admonition, and dispute with them in the best manner. Your Lord is well aware of those who have gone astray from His Path and He is well aware of those who are guided.

(16:125)

 

And do not dispute with the People of the Book except in the best manner, excluding those among them who do wrong and say: 'We believe in that which was sent down to us and that which was sent down to you. Our God and your God is One, and to Him we have surrendered.'

(29:46)

 

A great deal of discussion has been going on between Muslems, and Christians and Jews (People of the Book) since the early time of Islam (Prophet Mohammad’s message).  Because there is only one God, Allah, and one religion, Islam, the Quraan provided a solution to the outstanding problem:

 

People of the Book, let us come to a common word between us and you that we will worship none except Allah, that we will associate none with Him, and that none of us take others for lords besides Allah.' If they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslems.’  (3:64)

 

The ensuing verse provides a clear example of the futility of the arguments put forth by the People of the Book:

 

People of the Book, why do you dispute about Abraham when both the Torah and the Gospel were not sent down till after him? Have you no sense?

(3:65)

 

The Quraan exposes the tendency for argument on the part of the People of the Book especially when they do not have the right knowledge:

 

Indeed, you have disputed about that which you have knowledge. Why then dispute about that of which you have no knowledge? Allah knows and you do not know.  (3:66)

 

The Quraan provides statements by various Prophets since Adam through Abraham down to Mohammad to the effect that they were Muslems, or in the same meaning, surrendered to Allah embracing His religion Islam.  Jesus was no exception to this rule as stated by his disciples who followed the steps of their spiritual messenger and surrendered to Allah as Muslems:

 

When Jesus felt their disbelief, he said: 'Who will be my supporters in the way of Allah?' The disciples replied: 'We are the supporters of Allah. We believe in Allah. Bear witness that we are Muslems.  (3:52)

 

When I revealed to the disciples to believe in Me and in My Messenger they replied: "We believe, bear witness that we submit as Muslems."  (5:111)

 

It is noteworthy that the Christian call for surrendering to Jesus originates in this.  Jesus had asked people to surrender to Allah, but this was altered to surrendering to Jesus as a god or as God.

 

While dialogue is encouraged, the question is why there are religions in the plural?  One of the misunderstandings of human beings in modern times is conducting what they call the Dialogue of Religions.  Here we have representatives from various “religions” meeting together each, under the influence of secular politics, strives to convince the others of the point of view he represents.  It is obvious that defending the interests of one’s religion against the others only helps in maintaining the distances between these religions and enforces their independent existence.  The truth remains in the conclusion provided by Allah that religion is one; it is Islam.

 

If people do not take the advice of the Quraan by recognizing only one religion, they have to think about the simple act of mentally going back to the beginning of the human race.  There they shall find the reality which they have lost through their tendency for argument without knowledge.  This is human nature:

Had your Lord willed, He would have made mankind a single nation. But they continue in their differences.  Except those on whom your Lord shows mercy. For this end He has created them. The Word of your Lord shall be perfectly completed: 'I shall fill Hell with jinn and people, all together.'

(11:118 & 119)

 

 

Opting for a dialogue

 

The case being this, Muslems should tolerate discussing this issue with the others in order to convey the message of Allah and the Prophet that the one Creator of the universe provided one religion only and that is Islam.

 

 

Muslem-Christian Dialogue

(Site: Godlovesyou)

The following is a specimen dialogue between a “Muslem” and a “Christian”.  The medium is correspondence through the exchange of email messages.  It starts with a message from the Muslem sent through a website the URL of which was exhibited on the outside margin of a message which the Muslem received from a friend.  The Muslem was innocently attracted to the website because it used reference to “Allah” in the Arabic language.  Normally, websites calling for Christianity use the word “Lord”, the equivalent of which in Arabic is “Al-Rabb”.

 

Here there is a series of messages and responses which tackled various subjects of interest to both parties.  The reader may support this side or the other as he follows the arguments raised in the correspondence.  This literature may prove to be useful for those who wish to conduct a similar dialogue in that they may decide to drop certain topics and focus on others according to the fruitfulness of the discussion.

 

Muslem MESSAGE(1)

 

Why does the literature on your site under the country Jordan show the following: 

 ولادته العجيبة: لم يكن للمسيح أب بشري، لأنه حٌبل به بقوة الروح القدس في أحشاء مريم العذراء لذلك دعي ابن الله. فقالت مريم للملاك كيف يكون هذا وأنا لست أعرف رجلاً؟ فأجاب الملاك وقال لها الروح القدس يحل عليكِ وقوة العليّ تُظللكِ، فلذلك أيضاً المولود منك يُدعى ابن الله... (لوقا24:1-25)

while the English site has ignored it. It is about the birth of Jesus under the third item of the four spiritual principles.

 

Furthermore, the top of the English site shows a message in Arabic translated into English: Jesus is not a Prophet; he is the son of God. The Arabic wording is different to the extent that: Jesus is neither a Prophet nor a Messenger, he is the son of God.

Please explain.

 

Christian RESPONSE(1) 

I do not know who put this on our web site, but I agree with you.  There is only one way---God's way. For the Qur'an also says that Jesus is the Word of God, so this is an acceptable idea and wording.  (see Women 4:171: "The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was...the Messenger of God, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him.")  Then is this from the Qur'an not also consistent with the Bible when it states in John 1: 1-2, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning."  Now what came first, God or His Word?

 

Muslem MESSAGE (2)

 

Thank you for your response and time.  The purpose of my previous message was to get an answer which helps me in understanding whether or not there is a distinction between a Christian in the East (Jordan) and a Christian in the West (where you live).  As stated earlier, the Jordanian site speaks about the miraculous birth of Jesus, while the English site dropped the mentioning of this plus in favor of Jesus.

 

The content of your message sounds like being a modest call for a discussion of the Quraan and the Bible.  I am willing to discuss this if you like and shall revert to your questions later in another message.  My objective for the time being is different.  The Quraan classifies "Christians" in three categories: First those who followed Jesus by the word and became Muslems.  Second those who say that Allah (God) is one of three.  Third are those who say that Allah is Jesus.  The second and third categories are infidels according to the Quraan.

 

When I clicked on the link to your site I found that there was a fundamental difference between the thinking of people running the sites linked to this one; at least there are two lines of thought similar to the second and third categories of Christians as described above.  I believe that there are many like me who get confused and ask the question:  Are you guiding me to Allah the One, or to God the tripartite, or to Jesus the God, or to Jesus the son of God.  It is in your interest also to be consistent and not let any sense of cheating get into the hearts of those who link to your sites.  I am not trying to criticize Christians for being divided, because also Muslems are divided, but I am trying to advise each side to cling to the basic faith they follow.  It is the right of people to get to know, not to get confused.

 

I am not clear as to how much time you can allocate to me to discuss matters with you, but sincerely hope that you will be able to continue to communicate with me as much as your time allows.
 
 

Christian RESPONSE (2)

 

I think I hear your original question clearly now.  Let me explain.  We are volunteers here who field the responses to a large network of web sites all connected into a central distribution center.  I am in the volunteer pool that handles difficult theological questions of which yours fell into.  Then your question came to me.  I am not at all involved in the web site formation so I do not know the exact details of the background of godlovesyou.  However I do know that here in the West, most all of us who are serious evangelical Christians (Christians who believe in reaching out to the rest of the non-believing in Jesus Christ as God and Savior) do follow the Westminster confession (the Apostles' Creed of faith as follows:

 

What is the Apostles' Creed?

Question: "What is the Apostles' Creed?"

Answer: The Apostles' Creed is not found in the Bible. The Apostles' Creed was not written by the apostles. Rather, it was written at least 150 years after the apostles had all died. It is called the Apostles' Creed because it is supposed to be a record of what the apostles taught. The Apostles' Creed is as follows:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

The Apostles' Creed is a good summary of Christian doctrine. However, there are two primary concerns with the Apostles' Creed. First, in regards to the phrase "He descended into hell" - please see our article on "Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?" Second, in regards to "the holy catholic church," this does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church as we know it today. The word "catholic" refers to universal. The true "catholic" church is all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Please see our article on the universal church.

Now having said that, I see that we fall into one of your categories of infidels.   I hope this answers your question.  Your point about clarity is well taken to avoid confusion. 

I do have interest in practical discussion about how your faith helps you in your everyday life.  Most of my discussions with Muslims have centered around doctrinal issues.  This cannot be totally avoided, but I would like to know how Allah is helping you in your practical everyday life.  I would like to also tell you how Jesus is helping me in my everyday practical life.  Would this kind of a discussion be of interest to you?
 
 
 
Muslem MESSAGE (3)

 

Prophet Mohammad said:  I left with you (the Muslems) two things you would not go astray as long as you firmly abide by them: the Book of Allah (Quraan) and my Sunnah (practices and sayings).  I exert my best effort to let my faith impact my life in conformity with this advice.  In practical matters, such as appearance, ways of eating, sleeping, and dressing, I have the model of the Prophet.  In doctrinal matters I refer to the Quraan for guidance as much as my comprehension allows.

 

Going back to my initial point of inquiry which was about the birth of Jesus, I now conclude that those Christians who tend to say that Jesus is God himself, do not like to talk about his birth.  I estimate that you fall in this category.  If not, I have the following question:

 

Why did people (at that time) tolerate Mary when she appeared to them with her baby, knowing that she was a version?

 
 

Christian RESPONSE (3)

 

Thank you for your answer about how your faith has practical influence in your life such as appearance, ways of eating, sleeping, and dressing.

 

Here is an example of some of the specificity with which Jesus impacts my life as a Christian...In Philippians is stated that Jesus emptied Himself out of all His self concerns to be a servant, to think only of dying for me and you on the cross.  Jesus was a God-man of 33 years of age when He did this.  Others of that age usually have everything advancing in life...his career, his marriage, usually some children have been born to him, his friends and his hobbies.  It is a fullness time of life.  Yet Jesus emptied Himself out.  Here is how that has practical implications to help me in my life.  I am a doctor in the Operating Room as an Anesthesiologist.  As such I give anesthesia medications to patients and watch over their vital signs...blood pressure, heart rate, and even brain waves while surgeons do surgery.  So during this time I ask God to have the same attitude that was in Jesus, to be emptied out of all my own self thin king thoughts so that I may have full concentration on my patients.  And I believe because of the model of Jesus, that I am a better doctor because God has given me this exacting strategy from the Bible to follow.  Now Mohammad, do you have any example in the practical doing of things in your life that can compare with that?

 

About virgin Mary.  Joseph did not abandon her you know.  In fact it was written that God told Joseph in a dream what was going on with her so that Joseph went along with it and protected her from any animosity or danger that an otherwise unscrupulous pregnancy would generate in those times.  Right?

 
 

Muslem MESSAGE (4)


The content of this message is provided in a spirit of tolerance and in good faith; hence sending this message is not by way of attacking or even criticizing anyone or for the purpose of defending a particular faith.  It is a message for understanding.

 

The question:  “Now what came first, God or His Word?” reminds of the Greek philosophers who, during the offensive against their empire, were busy discussing the matter of what was there first: The hen or the egg?  Of course the answer cannot be accepted by all the parties.

 

The question here is:  What is the objective of discussing such a matter?  A good strategy, as taught by the Quraan, is just to call to God in whom one believes.  Taking this person or that person out of their camp, may not prove to be the solution.  Jesus, the shepherd, may not willingly let any of his sheep go astray.  So is the case in the Quraan, Allah wont let any of his true subjects go astray.  A shepherd may only let ill sheep to go to the slaughterhouse; only the sheep that strays away from the herd is taken by the wolf.  In the case of believers in Allah, only the infidels are taken away by Satan.

 

There is only one way ~ God's way.  The question here is who is God:  The One, the Three, the Son? The Quraan gives the answer:

 

[29:46] And do not dispute with the People of the Book except in the best manner, except for those among them who do wrong and say: 'We believe in that which was sent down to us and that which was sent down to you. Our God and your God is One, and to Him we have surrendered.'

 

If the Christian argument is directed towards establishing consistency between the Quraan and the Bible, a biased selection of verses to support a specific argument should raise in the mind of a Muslem a serious question:  Why pick up certain verses and leave other relevant ones, and why select portions of one and the same verse so that the quoted text may mislead the reader?  It is true that the Quraan stated that Jesus is the word of God in 4:171, but this can prove to be a distorted quotation when the whole verse is quoted in its right context as follows:

 

[4:171] O’ People of the Book, do not exaggerate your religion. Do not say about Allah except the truth. Indeed, the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, is only a Messenger of Allah, and His Word which He gave to Mary, and a (created) spirit by Him. So believe in Allah and His Messengers and do not say: 'Trinity.' Refrain, it is better for you. Allah is only One God. Exaltations to Him that He should have son! To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth, it is sufficient that Allah is the Guardian.

 

It is obvious then that quoting a few words out of their context does not serve a good intention on the part of the quoting party.  Such words are misleading and are said tongue in cheek, just the same way the words God loves you are said.  It is noteworthy here to state that Jesus has a number of quotations in the Quraan of which none serves the obvious purpose of those who call to Christianity.

 

Human beings differ in understanding things; they also differ in understanding one and the same thing.  The words of John in the Bible stating that Jesus was the Word of God should not be comprehensible to a Muslem, in view of the fact that John must have said other words that are inconsistent with the Quraan.  It is up to people individually to choose to believe that the word ”Word” in the Bible and in the Quraan are the same.  However, the correct understanding from the point of view of a Muslem is that the word “Word” in the Quraan has a completely different meaning.  In the Quraan it is Allah’s decision, order, will, promise, or decree.  If John believed that God is a trinity, then stating that the Word was with God or before God or after God or within God serves his own purposes, but certainly serves no purpose of Allah, but actually opposing it.

 

The answer to the question as to who was there first is, therefore, Allah was there first and then He created, issued, decreed, or promised His words or issued his decisions, according to which not only Jesus was created, but the whole creation: Angels, universe, humans, animals, etc… Matters such as sustenance, destiny, and others were also decided and inscribed in the book in the manner Allah devised them.  Muslems believe that Allah was there and nothing else was there.  The oneness of Allah and his being the master of all things is basic in the concept of Islam, which is the religion of Allah.  This is evident throughout the Quraan, of which the following is an example:

 

[57:3] He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent: and He has full knowledge of all things.

 

A relevant question is also who will be there last?  The Quraan’s description of the scene on doomsday is as follows:

 

[40:16] The Day when they shall rise up with nothing hidden from Allah.  And who is the Owner of the Kingdom on that Day? Allah, the One, the Conqueror!

 

 

Christian RESPONSE (4)

  

Thank you for this answer.  It shows me that you believe in the sovereignty of Allah in a way somewhat similar to my faith in the sovereignty of the Creator who had the Bible written and the One Who, I believe, destined Jesus to the cross.

 

My desire to know the pragmatic way in which your faith impacts your day to day life remains.

 

 
Muslem MESSAGE (5)
 

The counterpart example with some details on how my faith impacts my life as a Muslem ... In the Quraan there is a multitude of calls to beware of Satan and his temptations of which the pleasures of life and the tendency to forget about our objective in this life is topmost.  Allah the Almighty sent me His guidance in this life and in the afterlife in the form of a book called the Quraan carried to me by a noble Messenger with the name of Mohammad.  Mohammad is a human being, flesh and blood, so that I may be able to take him for a model of practice and behavior.

 

At the age of 33, under the influence of Satan spelling on me the drug of forgetfulness, I was falsely convinced that I am a true Muslem.  At the age of 55, peak of my business life during which I was a senior executive in a well-know private company, Allah impacted my life by showing me the true and straightforward path to Him.  I devoted myself to my faith even though this ended in my departure from the office for an "unbusiness-like facial appearance" caused by a beard.

 

Now I practice my faith in the light of the guidance provided to me by Allah.  I spend much of time with my family driving the children to and fro school, I help my wife with her house work, and even sometimes cook for them.  This is a blessing they were deprived of when I was drowned in daily work routine and travels abroad.  I enjoy the plenty of time I now have in attending the five daily prayers in the mosque.  I sit with people who do not recite the Quraan properly and teach them the correct pronunciation and grammar.  I teach the Quraan and the Arabic language to four children who were born in a Spanish speaking country.  I discuss with fellow Muslems their misconceptions of the Quraan guiding them to the text of the Quraan and the Sunnah to replace statements they heard from someone.  I write down observations and comments on things I see or read for dissemination when the time allows.  I try to reach non-Muslems to convey to them the treasures which I have discovered in my faith, Islam, and to speak to them about the countless boons Allah bestowed on me.  In general, I help those who need my help financially and practically.  I charge nothing for any of my services and draw no salary from any party.  My full attention and concentration on Allah with whom I shall have a session of accountability in the afterlife.  Without the support provided to me by Allah I would indulge in secular actions and listen to Satan with the result of a possible gain in this life and a definite loss in the afterlife.

 

I hope that this compares modestly with the action you take in your life as a doctor.  However, my concern is not about how much I offer and to whom; my hope is that the effort I exert meets the satisfaction and acceptance of Allah.  Allah has become my boss ever since I left the secular boss which I had a few years ago.

 
As to Virgin Mary, here is my version of the story
in which Joseph was not apparent in the video clip.  According to my theology Zacharia was taking care of Mary.  The "crime" which Mary committed could not be possibly defended or justified before the laws of that time, especially a crowd angry at a virgin who wore the dresses of purity then jumping to the real-life stage with a baby in her hands.  If Joseph (her fiance?) was there, he could have been called the father, and action would have been taken on him.  No room would have been left for people to think that the baby was the son of a god:


 Why did people tolerate Virgin Mary and did not punish her for having a baby unlawfully? 

Stoning an adulterer to death was the penalty prevailing at the time Mary gave birth to her baby-boy Jesus.  The scene is a street or a court in the quarter where Mary lived and worshiped God in seclusion.  Mary was taken care of by One up in the skies, that is God, and one down on earth, that is Zachariah.  The latter was not an ordinary person; he was a prominent member of the clergy.


For the Mary whom people knew well for chastity, it was a dreadful situation.  A flow of questions and criticism poured on Mary.  Tolerance was not in the air.  How could you have done this?  What a horrific deed?  Would a pure person like you do it?  Weren't your parents clean?
 
At this point the crowd should have arbitrarily punished Mary for an evident crime.  However, punishment did not take place.
Confident of herself as a result of the tranquility that God filled her heart with, Mary just pointed to the baby in a gesture to mean that the answer you are looking for was with the new-borne.  The miraculous baby created by a word of God did not fail his mother.  Powered by a gust of faith blown into his lungs and tongue by his Master, Jesus said:  "I am (Abdullah) a worshipper of God, who provided me with the book and made a prophet of me".  Then the baby withdrew back to the silence of a normal baby.
The crowd, stunned as they might have been by the statement made by the miraculous baby, unconsciously dropped their brandished weapons and started to ponder about a great Creator.  Mary, or any other woman in her position, could not defend herself in a better way.  The scheme was divine.
 
This answer to the above-mentioned questions raises yet a more serious one.  Why such a miraculous deed (the speech of a baby in the cradle) was not recorded in the Bible in favor of Jesus who is best known for his miraculous deeds:  Raising the dead, curing the ill, recovering the sight of the blind, and walking on lake water (the latter is not among those attributes mentioned in the Quraan)?  It is a plus which should not have been dropped.  There is no far-fetched answer to this question.  The honest answer would simply demolish the pillars on which the notion that "God had a son" was built.  There should have been a Christian to volunteer to write a fifth gospel in which the claim could be stated that Jesus, the baby, was heard to say that he was the "Son of God" rather than the "Slave of God".  For honestly speaking God never said He begot a son, but we human beings intolerantly ascribed to Him one.

 

The full "speech" of the baby, who helped in peacefully ending the ordeal of an unjustly accused mother, is as follows:

 
"He said: 'I am the worshiper of Allah. Allah has given me the Book and made me a Prophet.  He made me to be blessed wherever I am, and He has charged me with prayer and charity for as long as I shall live.  And dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblessed.  Peace be upon me on the day I was born, and on the day I die; and on the day when I shall be raised up alive.  That is Jesus, the son of Mary.  (This is) a statement of truth in which they doubt.  It is not for Allah to take a son! Exaltation to Him! When He decrees a thing He only says: 'Be', and it is.  Indeed, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore worship Him! This is a straightforward path.'" (Maryam – 19 vs. 30-34)


 
قال اني عبد الله ءاتاني الكتاب وجعلني نبيا * وجعلني مباركا اين ما كنت واوصاني بالصلاة والزكاة ما دمت حيّا * وبرا بوالدتي ولم يجعلني جبارا شقيا * والسلام عليّ يوم ولدت ويوم أموت ويوم ابعث حيا * ذلك عيسى ابن مريم قول الحق الذي فيه يمترون * ما كان لله ان يتخذ من ولد سبحانه اذا قضى امرا فانما يقول له كن فيكون * وان الله ربي وربكم فاعبدوه هذا صراط مستقيم.

 

 

 

Christian RESPONSE (5)

 

Please tell me what happened that so dramatically changed your life ( How did Allah impact your life---can you tell me how this happened to you?)

 

This is convincing evidence that God is at work in you.  However it could be that the God of the Bible is at work in you rather than Allah.  This is to be yet seen.

 

A lot of this sounds familiar to me in terms of how I find myself going about my own life as learning more and discussing more about the God of the Bible to others.  However, my prayer time is much different, more varied, less formal, more solitary, and all over the map.

 

In our understanding of the God of the Bible and our acceptance of Him and the acceptance by Jesus of us, there is a lot more sense of contentment than I sense voiced in your comments.  You seem like you are striving for acceptance.  The New Testament is filled with a concept called grace.  Grace is being given a gift of salvation that we do not deserve.  Do you know about the difference between grace and mercy?

 

Is this what the Qur'an says happened?  Please include the text so I can read it for myself in English if you can spare the time to let me examine it.  I think that God could have protected Mary any way that God wanted to.  That the Bible and the Qur'an differ on this does not mean that the Bible is wrong.  I smell a skunk trying to use this theory as a wedge to dispel the true deity of Jesus Christ.  These types of wedges used in abundance throughout the world to try to deny the deity of Christ are so abundant that they themselves, in their abundance, prove the importance and validity of the fact that Jesus is God's only begotten Son.  Here is a list of how some other wrong religions try to attack the deity of Christ for your review:

 

The fact that other religions, cults and philosophies of the world attack the deity of Christ is another proof of Christ’s foundational Godhood. You would expect the enemy to attack the most powerful truth.

 

1. Mormonism-Jesus is the spirit brother of lucifer.              

2. Jehovah’s Witnesses-Jesus is not God. Before he lived on earth, he was Michael, the archangel. On earth he was a man who lived a perfect life. Very soon he and his angels will destroy all non-Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Approach JW’s with the question whether Jesus was really an angel. Do not confront them on the trinity because they will freak because the trinity to them is a pagan 3 headed deity. There are no verses that say Michael was Jesus or became Jesus. Direct them to Heb. 1, Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and it says here as well that the angels should worship God’s firstborn Son.)

3. Unification Church-Jesus was a perfect man, not God. His mission was to unite the Jews behind him, find a perfect bride, and begin a perfect family. The mission failed. 

4. Christian Science-Jesus was not the Christ, but a man who displayed the Christ idea. Jesus was not God and God can never become man or flesh.

5. Unity-Jesus was a man and not the Christ. Instead, he was a man who had “Christ Consciousness.” Christ is a state of perfection in every person.

6. Spiritualism (Spiritism)-Jesus was a man, not God. While on earth, he was a prophet or an advanced medium (one believed to communicate with the spirit world).

7. Scientology-Jesus was no the Creator, and not an “operating thetan” (in control of supernatural powers, cleared from mental defects).

8. Muslims-Jesus is one of the major prophets. To associate Jesus with God (for instance, to call Him the Son of God) is blasphemy. Muslims affirm the virgin birth of Jesus and the miracles that He performed.

9. Hinduism-Gandhi represented typical Hindu thinking when he said, “do not take as literally true the text that Jesus is the only begotten son of God. God cannot be the exclusive Father and I cannot ascribe exclusive divinity to Jesus. He is as divine as Krishna or Rama or Mohammed or Zoroaster”.

10. Buddhism-Founded in 525 BC and therefore it would be interesting to talk to their religious leaders to ask them current views about who Christ is. However we do know that Buddhism ignores Christ by concentrating on human goodness and rejecting the ramifications of the human sin nature.

11. Masons-Masons don’t acknowledge the unique Godhood of Jesus Christ, that He died for our sins, or that He rose from the dead. The name of God is associated with pagan fertility gods such as Ba’al.

12. New Age-Werner Erhard, a New Age authority states “How do I know I’m not the reincarnation of Jesus Christ? You wouldn’t believe the feeling I have inside of me”. Matt 24: 4-5 says Jesus said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many”.

13. Satanists-They state that Jesus Christ is only a mythological, nonhistorical figure and that historical and literary scholarship proves Jesus never existed. One satanist, LaVey states, “Say unto thine own heart, ‘I am mine own redeemer”.

14. Armstrongism-They believe that before Jesus was conceived by Mary, He was not the Son of God. God the Creator (Jesus Christ) Himself will never quantitatively equal God the Father.

15. Eastern Mysticism-In the mainstream of Yoga, Zen Buddhism, Vedanta Society, Transcendental Meditation, Divine Light Mission, and Bahaism Christ is considered to be one of a long line of “Masters” who had themselves realized divinity. All “Masters” are considered to be realized expressions of divinity and, as such, are worshiped.

16. Baha’i World Faith-They teach that Jesus is only one of many manifestations of God. All the prophets are also manifestations. Each manifestation supersedes the previous, giving new teachings about God. Jesus, who superseded Moses was superseded by Muhammad, and most recently by the greatest, Baha’u’llah (“Glory of Allah”). It is important to take this heresy through the book of John and John’s road to verification about the deity of Christ. This is the salad religion where you throw in everything from the kitchen.

17. The Way International-They state that the gospel of John established the truth of God’s word that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, but not God the Son-or God Himself.

18. Transcendental Meditation-They assert that Jesus is not uniquely God. Like all persons, Jesus had a divine essence. Christ didn’t suffer and couldn’t suffer for people’s sins.

19. Hare Krishna-They downplay the importance of Jesus and think of Jesus as an enlightened vegetarian teacher who taught meditation. They would state that Jesus is not an incarnation of God.

 

The Bible clearly reports that Jesus is God.  I think the Qur'an corroborates this somewhat.  If the Qur'an does not corroborate this, then either the Bible or the Qur'an is right.  Therefore one needs to examine the internal wiring of each side by side to determine which one has the truth.  Right?

 

 
Muslem MESSAGE (6)
 

The dramatic change and impact on my life came as a result of an enlightened reading of the Quraan for the purpose of seeking guidance culminating in a sincere application of the principles of Islam, the religion of Allah starting with Adam through Abraham, Moses, Jesus down in history to Mohammad.

 

The evidence of impact on my life is convincingly obvious.  However, the idea of ascribing the results to other than Allah is not convincing at all.  It is like stating that the collapse of communism was the result of applying capitalist ideas.  It is also not convincing to state that the capitalist world is thriving through the application of communist theories.  Is it convincing that I take a drug so that my wife gets cured?  It is like stating that what happened to me a few years ago was the result of the prayers of someone loyal to Jesus who I am now discussing the matter with (a few years after the change).  It is also like stating that Allah is responsible for your being a follower of Jesus and a believer in the Bible in your hand.

 

The idea that a subordinate of Allah is cherished by another deity is far-fetched and in my case and taking into account my loyalty to Allah, it is a mission impossible.  How can my evidence of this be convincing and decisive in favor of one side (Allah) but not the other side (Jesus)?  It is important to remember that this is my God impacting my own life, so I know better.  In other words, it is Allah, and I am a Muslem; it is the Quraan but not the Bible.  Here is the explanation from the Quraan:

 

Those who consume usury shall not rise up except as he who rises in madness that Satan has touched. That is because they say: 'Selling is like usury.' Allah has permitted trading and forbidden usury. To whomsoever an exhortation comes from his Lord then he desists, he shall have his past gains, and his matter is with Allah. But whoever reverts shall be among the people of the Fire and shall remain in it for ever. [2:275]

 

When a few years ago I read the above verse in the light of guidance provided to me by Allah, I decided to sell my house and repay the bank loan I had drawn from a local bank.  It is clear that the problem which the world is now facing can be summarized in the fact that the banking system has corrupted the lives of hundreds of millions of people through two vices:  One is the interest (an equivalent of usury), and the second is property mortgage.  Now I hear stories about people who were plagued by these two boons of our modern capitalist civilization and see how lucky I was to have been guided by Allah to take such a step.

 

Here is the ensuing verse of the Quraan giving me convincing evidence:

Allah effaces usury and nurtures charity. Allah does not love any ungrateful sinner.  [2:276]

The Quraan, Allah's speech, further directed me to a better system through which I can save myself in this life and in the afterlife:

Those who believe and do good works, establish the prayers and pay the obligatory charity, will be rewarded by their Lord and will have nothing to fear or to regret.  [2:277]

The Quraan continued its address to me as a believer in Allah and as a Muslem who fears action on the part of Allah if caught in disobedience:

Believers! Fear Allah and give up what is still due to you from usury, if you are believers; but if you do not, then take notice of war from Allah and His Messenger. Yet, if you repent, you shall have the principal of your wealth. Neither will you harm nor will you be harmed.  [2:278 and 279]

Accordingly, it is convincing evidence (at least for me but perhaps not for you) that Allah (through the Quraan and Prophet Mohammad) is behind the change in my life.  I do not expect a non-believer of Allah to appreciate the boons of Allah if that person cannot recognize Allah Himself.  To this end I say:  Like love, faith is blind and needs no argument, justification or logic.  It is not a matter of conviction.  The beautiful girl I may love and die for could be a monster in the eyes of another person.  I love Allah and believe in Him, while you may love Jesus and believe in him, period.

 

There is a concept in Islam that the reward is commensurate with the effort, not to forget that Allah is not in need of our action or the things we offer because it is all his.  If I take a job, I very much like to draw the highest salary possible.  I should always prove myself worthy of the reward.  The fact that there are other religions demanding lesser effort should not make me forget the absence of guarantee that the reward is coming; not to forget that the threat of punishment is there for the disobedient.  Man has simplified and materialized his presence on this earth to the extent that the basic religion has become a shadow if not less.

 

I believe that I know the difference between grace and mercy, at least from the point of view of Islam.  Here is one verse of the Quraan that contains both:

But ye turned back thereafter: Had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allah to you, ye had surely been among the lost.  [2:64]

If these attributes are claimed by a god other than Allah, I wait for doomsday when the truth will be known to us all.

 

The story about Mary and Jesus the child as I narrated it to you is part of my understanding of the Quraan.  The section most relevant to your request can be found in the Chapter titled Maryam.  The full text is as follows:

She came to her nation, carrying him; and they said: 'O Mary, you have committed a monstrous thing.

O sister of Aaron, your father was never an evil man, nor was your mother unchaste.'

So she pointed to him. But they replied: 'How can we speak with a baby in the cradle?'

He said: 'I am the worshiper of Allah. Allah has given me the Book and made me a Prophet.

He made me to be blessed wherever I am, and He has charged me with prayer and charity for as long as I shall live.

And dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblessed.

Peace be upon me on the day I was born, and on the day I die; and on the day when I shall be raised up alive.

That is Jesus, the son of Mary.  This is a statement of truth in which they doubt.

It is not for Allah to take a son! Exaltations to Him! When He decrees a thing He only says: 'Be', and it is.

Indeed, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore worship Him! This is a straightforward path.

(Maryam – 19 vs. 27-34)

 

The Quraan and the Bible differ on this episode.  This does not rush me to the conclusion that the Bible is wrong, but rather that it is not the Bible I believe is the authentic book which Allah revealed to Jesus.  Now I sense that I added another point which you may comment on.  I hasten to state that I am not attacking the Bible nor do I attack the deity in Jesus whom you believe to be what you believe. The reason is that you can simply attack the ones I believe in.  The Jesus I know is the worshiper of Allah as he described himself (above as a baby) and the human who declines to transcend his flesh and blood limits as in the following verses:

 

And when Allah said: 'Jesus, son of Mary, did you ever say to the people: "Take me and my mother for two gods, other than Allah?" 'Exaltations to You,' he said, 'how could I say that to which I have no right? If I had said that, You would have surely known. You know what is in my self, but I do not know what is in Yours. Indeed, You are the Knowledgeable of the unseen.

 

I spoke to them of nothing except that which You ordered me, that you worship Allah, my Lord and our Lord. I witnessed them whilst living in their midst.  Then ever since You wound me up, You have been the Watcher over them. You are the Witness of everything.  [5:116 & 117]

 

I understand that your objective is to call me to believe in Jesus as a god or even as God and to believe in the Bible as a book of God. You try and defend these two pillars of your faith.  On my part, I do not attack the conviction of others because I am totally convinced that they have the freedom of belief.  My objective, however, is not to call you to believe in Allah, but rather that I convey to you parts of His message as stated in the Quraan, especially that which is closely related to Jesus.

 

If you are happy with the god you worship, I am happy with mine.  Even if you cite the whole world as testimony of the deity of Jesus or as believers in him, I only cite to you Allah's statement to the effect that even if every person who was created and lived on this earth believed in Allah, this would not add the equivalent of a mosquito's wing to His Kingdom.  And that even if every person who was created and lived on this earth rejected the belief in Allah, this would not take away the equivalent of a mosquito's wing from Allah's Kingdom.

 

If I were to mention counter groups and books, I would mention the Unitarians (Christians living in the United States), and the Bible of Barnabas (a copy of which is allegedly in the custody of the Pope).
 

Christian RESPONSE (6)

 

Thank you so very much for all the detail about the virgin story about baby Jesus in the womb that you have taken so much time to email me.  I do appreciate all the time and energy you put into your side of our communication.   Your email is flowing with intelligent thoughtfulness and I desire to be giving you a response that will push you into studying even more about what you really believe, as you are pushing me.

I do not want you to become a "Christian" as many know the word Christian to be, but a true Muslim (doesn't Muslim mean "surrendered to God"?).

 

That you have further enlightenment to go about the true image of God, is neither here nor there, as I have so much more enlightenment about the true image of God as well.

 

It is so easy to build our own IMAGE of God in the way that we want to see God for our own use and our own bias.  But we Christians see God in a three dimensional way according to the Bible, though much of the time the image of God is spun in such a way as to our own liking and taste.   Therefore what I am going to say is much about how we should see God, not how so very many do see God. 

This is also evidence of our sin nature, the fact that we tend to invent our own image of God without consulting the Bible or the Qur'an for that matter.  And I think plenty of Muslims have this tendency also.

 

When you or I see a beautiful picture on a flat wall, you only see the one planar dimension.  But if you were able to walk into the picture and the substance of the picture could come alive to you, then you would be living in a three dimensional world.  For example if you see a picture of a ship on a sea, you will not be able to understand that the wind is blowing and the dynamics of the motion of the boat until you walk into that picture and feel the boats deck swaying under the billowing waves.  The image of God that the Bible gives us is this three dimensional construct so that we can, in the most tangible human way, get to know the full ramifications of Who God really is and how God operates.  That is why all three of the Christians subtypes, be they Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, do agree in the three dimensional image of God as clearly described in the Bible.

 

What I find interesting is that even the Qur'an presents an image of God that is more than just a flat painting on a wall.  Do you not agree with that?  For in Poets 26: 192-199 is stated, "Truly it [the Qur'an] is the revelation of the Lord of all Being, brought down by the Faithful Spirit upon thy  heart [Muhammad], that thou mayest be on of the warners, in a clear Arabic tongue...If We [the multidimensional God] had sent it down on a barbarian and had recited it to them, they would not have believed in it."  So here Mohammad, we find the living painting of God more than just a flat painting on the wall because the Qur'an says that the Spirit is part of the image of God and confims this later by stating "We" as a description of who the God of the Qur'an is.  "We" means more than one.

 

So you and I need to be careful, very very careful how we build the image of who God really is in our own minds.  I believe that Jesus is part of God, not because it is an easy idea to consider (because it is very difficult to understand), but I believe that Jesus is part of God because that is what the Bible says.  And the Bible also says the Spirit is part of God as well as the Qur'an saying this [above].

 

So why hit so hard against the image of Jesus that the Bible gives as being part of God and not hitting so hard against the image of the Spirit that the Bible gives as God?  And why pretend to claim that Allah is just "one" dimensional God.

 

Therefore it is right for you to state, "I hasten to state that I am not attacking the Bible nor do I attack the deity in Jesus whom you believe to be what you believe."  But not because I will counterattack.  But rather, you should consider if you are seeing the full three dimensional picture of the Allah that you believe in.  Certainly if you believe that this Spirit is also part of Allah, one more step is easy for you to realize that Jesus is the door to Allah in that Jesus became the sin sacrifice that Allah wanted to be humanly tangible for us to identify with.  Who else could we consider has born the brutal brunt of our most brutal sins?  I certainly do not want my sins to be punished into my own skin and bones!  Yes Jesus, I take Your substitution for my depravity any day of the week!  And forevermore!

 

Re:  I understand that your objective is to call me to believe in Jesus as

 

a god or even as God and to believe in the Bible as a book of God.------I think you are beginning to see that I may call upon you to stretch your two dimensional view of Allah to consider that Allah (the true God) may well be a three dimensional deity.  For it is only Allah ( the true God) who can activate you to believe.

 

You and I believe that the atom exists.  Neither of us has seen the atom.  Neither of us has seen God.  But we know that the atom has many subatomic parts.  We can only go by the way that science discovers these subatomic parts.  I think you know where this reasoning is heading.  What I like about you is your agile ability to consider truth and your openess to spiritual conversation.  What I am learning about the dimensions of God as we correspond strengthens my understanding of our common beliefs and our differences.  I certainly want to see a man like you in heaven some day.

 

 
Muslem MESSAGE (7)

 

I appreciate your compliments and your sincere efforts to enlighten me.  Having the simple task of delivering a message, which I have accomplished, I have no intention of pushing you in any direction.  In parallel, nobody can push me in any direction Allah does not want me to be pushed in.  I maintain my faith by seeking support from two sources only:  Allah (the Quraan), and Prophet Mohammad (the Sunnah).  Surely I go astray if I heed calls from anyone other than these two.

 

It is true that the dictionary meaning of the word Islam in Arabic is surrendering or submitting.  In the Islamic theology it means specifically surrendering to Allah the One.  No matter what name you wish to call it, but I have a Muslem (one who surrendered to Allah) label pasted on my heart.  This I did not do myself; it is Allah who did it for me.  I may not surrender to God as you propose because the god I surrender to is One.  I have tons of objections against the plurality and/or complexity of a god.  If I surrender to Satan, for instance, I preserve the meaning of a muslem and loose myself.  Where is the point in gaining the whole world while loosing oneself? (Biblical image I think).

 

If I want to get enlightened about God, I go directly to Him.  He explained how much he is in my proximity.  I may not get genuine enlightenment except form Him.  Allah created man and advised him not to disobey (gave him one instruction only) and warned him not to listen to Satan.  Weak by nature, man fell prey to the evil whispers of Satan.

 

Because the tools man uses are not perfect, images are distorted by visual deception.  The image of God as he portrayed to man is clear.  Visual deception on the stage of life is provided for by Satan, who is a perpetual enemy of man.

 

You wrote about our sin nature and our tendency to “invent” images and things.  This is what I believe happened with Christians (sorry, I do not have ill intensions) who invented a son for God.  In fact, I blame the Greek (and Roman) mythology and remind myself of the fact that the existing Bible is a translation from the Greek language.  The Greek were happy with their gods and their family-like composition and appearance.  Your advice that Muslems and Christians should consult the Quraan and the Bible respectively is well taken.  This is what I am doing regarding the Quraan.
 

I reiterate that as human beings, our tools are imperfect; misleading in many instances.  This philosophy is not from the Quraan only, but rather from well-established schools of thought in this world.  I remember when I visited a museum in Washington, DC, the spectators were provided with spectacles through which we could watch a three-dimensional clip of a space mission.  When I removed the spectacles and watched the screen, there was a normal view.  From this I learn that reality is what it is but may deceptively change through the use of tools, including the human senses and logic.  It does not cost Satan much to present to me spectacles to show me God in the manner Satan chooses.  I then become a fool because I listened to someone to whom God told me to turn deaf ears.

 

If I do not believe in the deity of Jesus, and do not believe that the Bible is God’s word, I simply reveal a conviction but do not necessarily attack them.  The image of God as depicted in the Bible is beyond my limited conception of things no matter how much it is repeatedly simplified.  If I am sure that the Bible is not the Bible, then it is impossible for me to accept any image of God that may be presented in it.  When I have accumulated knowledge through Allah’s teaching, I should not draw on the knowledge of others, especially when the source is not authentic and dependable.

 

There are many examples of similarity between the Quraan and the Bible.  The divorce takes place the moment the Bible mentions a son of God.  In the Quraan, it took Allah only ONE key word to explain His case.  Allah said that they (the infidel) SAID that Allah begot a son.  The undeniable truth remains embodied in the fact that Allah rejected this allegation, and that He did not beget a son.  Let the infidel SAY whatever they like; Allah is capable of bringing them to accountability and invoke on them the commensurate punishment they deserve.

 

I completely disagree with your evaluation of the “creativity” of the Quraan, Allah’s speech.  You judged the whole Quraan by means of erroneously quoting one verse!  This raises the question:  Why are you meticulously selective of verses and portions of verses in a manner that leads the listener or reader to INVENT images that are not depicted in the Quraan?  Excuse me for the expression, the image of a multi-dimensional god in the Quraan is your own invention resulting, no blame on you, from your ignorance of the Arabic language.

 

The pronoun referring to Allah was not in the form of “we” throughout the Quraan.  Hundreds of verses used the “I” pronoun; or even the pronoun “He”.  Not far from your quotation, that is a small number of verses below it in 26: 220, the verse reads:  “HE is the Hearer, the Knower”, not they are … .  In the following chapter just a few verses later, that is in 27:9 the verse reads:  “Moses! It is I, Allah, the Almighty, the Wise.”  Even different pronouns and names are used in reference to Allah in the same verse in some locations.  Examples are not ready but can be provided upon request.

 

Linguistically, the pronoun “we” in Arabic can be used by the singular speaker to denote greatness and luxury.  The King of Jordan issues his decrees in the “We” form … We, the King of Jordan, decree that … .  Accordingly, if a king the size of Jordan uses the pronoun “we”, it is not an extravagancy to accept the usage of “we” by a God the stature of Allah.  The meaning does not stop short of defining Him as the One He is.

 

Another weak argument (you might have come across it) that some may put forward when quoting the Quraan is that they say that the beginnings of chapters in the Quraan state:  “In the name of Allah, (1) the Gracious, (2) the Merciful (3)”.  For them, this is recognition of the existence of three in one.  I say:  No thanks!  The first part is Allah while the other two parts are merely adjectives qualifying Him. 

 

If you have a difficult case to present convincingly, mine regarding Allah is very easy and simple:

 

Say: He is Allah, the One.  Allah, on Whom all depend.  He begot not, nor was He begotten, and there was none equal to Him.  (112:1 to 4)

 

One more thing is that the Quraan did not say that the Holy Spirit is part of God neither in your quotation nor anywhere else.  You invented the image despite your wish to advise yourself and me to be very, very careful how we build images in our minds.  Therefore, it should be clear that neither the image of Jesus nor the image of the Spirit in the Bible is acceptable to me.  Neither do I accept your call to see Allah in a three-dimensional image simply because He is as He described himself above.  In this context, also the call to see Jesus as the door to Allah is strongly rejected, not even for hypothetical discussion of the subject.  The theory of Jesus dying on the cross to rid people of their sin is unacceptable to me because it condemns an innocent person to be accountable for the sins of others.  It encourages me to play the bad guy all the time on the promise that I shall be forgiven.  You may believe in that and wait to see the result.  Anyhow, in my religion I am accountable and rewardable for my deeds.  I find this to be absolute fairness.

 

Using scientific logic with me does not help you in presenting your case.  To my mind, science is secular and serves the purposes of scientists as well as people in this world; whereas religion is spiritual and serves the purposes of the pious and believers in general in the afterlife.  Scores of scientific theories have proven to be false, at the time when scientists, especially non-Muslems, have come to discover the “scientific” wonders of the Quraan.  The scientists who have been able to shatter the atom and those who have been able to travel to the Moon and to Mars, are unable to protect their environment neither from natural forces (Allah’s action), nor from the evils they created themselves.  They corrupted the pure world which Allah created, not against His will though.  The devilish corruption of some human beings has enabled them to shatter the image of the One God.  They are really incredible!  Mentioning the atom I now remember how some severely criticized the Quraan because in one verse it referred to the atom as the smallest possible entity.  When the atom was shattered, they shattered the Quraan.  However, they overlook, either ignorantly or designedly, two other verses which spoke of entities smaller than the atom.

 

I am flattered by your statement about my agile ability to consider truth and my openness to spiritual conversation.  It is evident that you and I amicably have differences.  But your conclusion that you and I have common beliefs needs to be reviewed.  You may please explain those beliefs which we have in common.

 

As to our meeting some day in heaven, our present status indicates that this is not feasible.  Our spiritual state of being is described in the following verse of the Quraan:  Say: Who provides for you from the heavens and earth? Say: Allah. Surely, either we or you are rightly guided or in clear error.  (34:24) A better idea would be for us to meet in this world during our lifetime.  You are welcome to visit me in Jordan.  Do you have other suggestions?
 
 
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Muslem Message: (Christian response 7 was not received within a few days)

 

Was the date you proposed to meet me in heaven the last offer you can make?

I sent you a message in which I responded to your message and proposed

a date for us to meet in Jordan.

Hope to hear from you soon when you get the time.

 

Christian Response to short message was received after the detailed Christian Response (7)

 

Sir, I hope the messsage I sent to you about an hour ago has arrived.  Again, I do hope we meet sometime, but I do not have the funds to fly your way now.

 

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Christian RESPONSE (7)
 
 

I enjoyed so much your response and am very taken by your personal invitation to visit you in Jordan.  Would that be wise as an evangelist for the Christian faith?

 

If you were to visit me here, I certainly would enjoy walking down a path in the nearby park and discussing family, religion and politics with you.  There is a lot we can agree on and have in common.  Both have our faith as our main interest.  Both believe in a deity.  Both have holy books.  Both pray daily, several times daily.  Both have 4 children.  Both have been to Washington D.C.  Both believe they are going to heaven.  Both are dealing with thier sins.  Both are sure of a hell for others that have not thier own faith.  Both tithe or give alms to religious purposes.  Both have been somewhat put down at their jobs for their faith (see below).  Both are interested in helping others who are poor.  Both are interested in reaching out with their faith to others.  Both attend services in religious buildings and have many friends of their own religion.  Both really deep down want the best for each other.

 

It is so ironic that two mature men with so much in common would be 180 degrees opposites before the throne of the one of the deities at the judgement.  But we both believe that with all of our hearts. 

 

Re: Anyhow, in my religion I am accountable and rewardable for my deeds.  I find this to be absolute fairness.--------This may seem like a noble and brave thing for you to say.  But the problem is our internal moral and holy book guage does not delineate an exact scoring system to determine the goodness of any work or deed.  We are not told exactly what GOOD is.  It is difficult to reconcile the notion of a good God with a system that is so unclear and seemingly unfair.  Also along with the production of good deeds is the ego that puffs up the pride and it is clear that pride is the most detestible evils that God hates in heaven.  The reason the Bible doesn't give us a list of behaviors that, if kept, will guarantee us a spot in heaven is because all forty-four authors of Scripture understood that mankind needs a savior, a Messiah, not a to-do list.  That is why Christianity shines in fairness.  Under the system of a Savior's forgivenes s, everyone is welcome, everybody get in the same way, and everybody can meet the requirement.

 

Having said this, I must relate to you that this week I was informed that my job of 17 years is no longer available to me at the end of this month.  If my responses to you are not as prompt as you like them to be, it is because I am scrambling to find work.

 

 

 
Muslem MESSAGE (8)
 

 

From the perspective of a Muslem living in Jordan, I do not see it unwise for a Christian to visit here.  As much as visible to me, the Muslem and Christian communities live in Jordan in harmony and are tolerant of each other.  I live in a quarter in Amman near the largest church in the city and have adjacent Christian neighbors.

 

Because I do not know where you are located, I guess that you are living in a place like London, where parks are around the place.  We shall see how our email discussion develops the need for a visit by either one of us.  Although we cannot separate family, politics, and religion matters, my preference would be to discuss the latter.    As I mentioned earlier, subjects other than faith are secular and should not hinder us from working for the afterlife, our destination.  There is a lot that we can agree on, but the real interest of both of us is to agree completely on the issue of faith before it is too late.

 

The points of similarity between our two persons lead me to the easy conclusion that we are the product of one factory.  If we were cars, our producer would have liked us to exhibit the best performance for the user.  Being in the form of flesh and blood, we should ensure that we know the objective of our Creator.  Once cars leave the assembly line and pass a random check, they are sent to the market and shall never return.  In our case, human beings, we are here in this world for a test session, and shall soon return to the Creator.  Up to this point, you and I are in agreement.  So let us not discuss this anymore.  I suggest that all we should talk about is:  Who is our Creator?  If we can agree on this, we shall not be sitting 180 degrees opposite two different deities.  We know that it should be One.  The Quraan explains:

 

Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) gods besides Allah, then verily both would have been ruined. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, High is He above what they attribute to Him! (21:22)

 

Say: 'If there had been other gods with Him, as they say, they would surely have sought a way to the Lord of the Throne.' (17:42)

 

Because the subject is religion, the whole system is spiritual and intangible.  The scouring system is much related to material life, such as sports, elections, gambling, etc… .  It is unfair to state that our holy books did not provide the parameters, if we believe that behind the book there is God, and that the book is actually the manual according to which a person should perform maintenance of the creation of God.  If a book fails to serve like such a manual, then it is a book in default.  A prophet is the best scourer when it comes to religious work or deed; yet Prophet Mohammad said he would not be admitted to Paradise in reward for his good deeds, without the mercy of Allah.  Therefore, the score system is not the subject we should place much worry about.

 

As explained in an earlier message, we should not overlook the role of Satan, forming an integral part of the fallible human being.  Ego and pride, the two evils which you specifically named, are the reason why Satan was dispelled and deprived of Allah’s mercy and grace, as mentioned in the Quraan.  These two evils caused Satan to look down on the creation of Allah, the first human being, and caused him to foster a perpetual enmity with the human beings whose first father caused him an elevated rank among the Angels.

 

If the Bible does not give such guidance or cannot serve as a divine manual, it is because the present Bible is not the one Allah sent down.  Even with its authentic revelation, the Bible was applicable to the age when Jesus was around; so was the Old Testament (Torah) applicable when Moses was around.  The Quraan is the latest edition of divine books of Allah (Editor-In-Chief of all holy books) suitable for the last two millennia before it is doomsday.  Jesus (Prophet) will soon return to earth to show his support of the mission of Prophet Mohammad in spreading Islam, the eternal religion of Allah.  This point is closely intertwined with the one which I suggested above for discussion, that is:  Who is the Creator? (see the attachment; it is The ONE God)*

 

Because the author of the holy books is One, He knows better than the twenty four authors of the Bible, and any other authors.  He is also the Creator and knows for what purpose people are here on this earth.  He knows that we need messengers (and prophets) to remind people of His objective of creation.  Like the concept of fatherhood, the concept of the savior must have been shifted by people from Allah to a person called Jesus.  If Jesus and God are the same, let us see if we can reconcile and reach agreement that Allah and God are or are not the same.  A clew to the answer would be the subject of whether the Quraan and the Bible are genuine, and who is the author?

 

Christianity shines because it has been taken for a sun which people make use of, but which does not require them to replenish its fuel or provide enriched uranium to its nuclear reactor.  The idea of a savior and the concept of a god who does not require much or anything at all on the part of its adherers is certainly very much appealing to the theologically lazy.  But a true god has a whole system of dos and don’ts simply because he so devised a creation and for this purpose, to worship him.   According to such a system, those who listen are rewarded, and those who reject are punished.  This is why we should not worship the sun, moon, stars, persons, cows, mice, etc., because these have never ever told us what to do and what not within a religion.  If we worship them as a means to reach the elevated god, but we do this against his wish, that is if he did not ask us to do so, then we are in default.

 

The final point in your message, about your employment status, reminds me of your comment that the change which impacted my life was the underlying action of Jesus.  My question now is:  Where is Jesus?  Perhaps we have to wait to the end of the month to know the outcome.  Had it not been for a global financial crisis, I would have thought that you are playing a trick on me.  Since you sound serious about it, I can only take it as much seriously.  You will tell me by the end of the month about your position.

 

One point about my loosing my job was more directly related to my religious status.  My boss bluntly asked me to choose between a job and a beard.  I preferred the beard (symbol of piety and attachment to faith) to the job (secular resource).  Allah rewarded me in His way.

 

If those who go unemployed around the world are subject to heavenly punishment, then they should ask themselves why their deity is deserting them.  (I read that Jesus asked his God as to why did he desert him, although this is not in my faith).  Although I sympathize with people who are plagued by some sort of catastrophe or ordeal, still I see signs in the Quraan that this world has not been created in vain:

 

Did you think that We had created you only for play, and that you would never be returned to Us?' (23:115)

 

This world has a God in action.  He is patient with those who do not listen to Him, but He is neither negligent nor forgetful.  Those who deal naively with the issue of the One God must be sure of the worse outcome.  The same applies to nations collectively like that which happened to the Pharaoh and his nation in Egypt during the time of Moses; the infidels were drowned.  Any nation denying the signs of Allah shall surely suffer the infliction of punishment.  In the Quraan:   

 

There is no population except that it shall be destroyed or that We will punish it with a stern punishment before the Day of Resurrection. That is inscribed in the Book. (17:58)

 

I wish you good luck in finding work without much scrambling.  I shall pray for your salvation.  .  Perhaps you will be coming to Jordan not as a visitor, but rather as a serving doctor.  I shall try and help you find work here.  You brothers in faith also would not let you down.  Once I was asked a significant question:  Have you ever seen a poor Christian in Jordan?

 

I hope that you will find the literature in this message interesting.  There is more to come.  Write when you have time, and keep in touch.

 

*(see the attachment; it is The ONE God):

 

THE ONE

Many believe that:

God created Adam, and fathered Jesus.”

It is also widely believed that:

“To err is HUMAN, and to forgive is DEVINE.”

Logically, honestly and truly then:

God is the Creator.

Only a man or an animal can be a father.

It does not behoove the Creator, the Almighty to father or be a father.

Mortals do NOT have the power to behave divinely.

To father, a man takes a woman for a wife.

For God, human beings and animals are a demonstration of God’s status as their Creator, as the Almighty, not as their father or that of a special one of them, who needs them for any of his own purposes.

Surely, God never had a wife; hence no son can be attached to Him.  God, the Creator of all, is absolutely the father of none.  He has no father.  There is none equal to Him. Nothing is like Him.

He is but THE ONE.

 

 

Christian RESPONSE(8)

 

I do hope you are well and that you still will communicate with me even though I feel terrible about how little time I have to be able to communicate with you.  But please know that you are on my heart and mind many many times this past week as I have been trying to fulfill certain absolute duties.

 

I've been under a mountain of changes, now that I am finishing up the last of my work days in this place I have had a job for 17 years.  You did ask me to give you a report and I am willing to share this journey of faith in Christ with you so you can see how one Christian thinks when adverse events happen to him.  I know that you have had your share of adversities too, and I do not mean to eclipse your experience by what I say, but this is fresh and the paint has not dried yet on the outcome.  No I did not loose my job because of something as black and white as violating hair style or a dress code.  But what happened is that over time I have devoted more and more of my time to spiritual things so that my time devotion to my professional studies and duties suffered enough to cause enough eyebrows to be raised and eyes to look the other way for a more dedicated worker who was not distracted from his work.

 

You ask me, "My question now is: Where is Jesus?"

 

I take hope in the forgiveness of God.  Consider all the evil the man Manasseh did, the wickedest king in Isreal's history.  He raised idols to the pagan god Baal, even in the court of the Temple.  He built altars for worshiping the sun, moon and stars.  He sacrificed his own children, casting them into fiery pits of demonic Baal idols.  He scorned the words of righteous prophets and instead sought the counsel of fortune-tellers.  He condoned witchcraft, familiar spirits and devil worship.  He was a brutal, bloodthirsty tyrant who delighted in murdering innocents.  Scripture says Manasseh sinned worse than all the heathen surrounding Israel.

 

So what happened to this wicked king?   God sent great affliction upon Manasseh, through the Assyrian army.  The dreaded Assyrians invaded Jerusalem and took the people captive, including Manasseh, binding him in chains and wrapping his body in painful thorns.  They forced the Israelites into deathly long marches, giving them little to eat or drink.  According to historians, these marches were atrocious.

 

It was during this time of awful affliction that Manasseh began to pray: "When he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly" 2 Chr 33:12.  How did God respond to Manaseeh's prayer?  He heard the king's cries and restored him to his throne.  Manasseh then became a fighter for righteousness, tearing down the idols and altars he had built in the land.

 

 And why should Randall who has grieved the Lord in terrible ways escape the light affliction which will yeild fervent prayer for deliverance?

 

You ask "where is Jesus now?"  The Bible says that Jesus is in heaven interceeding for us.  He is asking the Lord God to help Randall get the message from his light affliction through his head.  He is asking that Randall be a light to someone else who is having affliction.  Jesus is asking God that Randall represent the God of the Bible accurately.

 

And this theme segways onto "A clew to the answer would be the subject of whether the

 

Quraan and the Bible are genuine, and who is the author?"  If we were to agree on a certain topic and look into the comparison of that topic and how the author of each respective manuscript delt with the topic, we should get some information about the comparison of that given Aurhor.  I challenge you to one of three categories.  Creation, heaven or love.  Which do you choose?  I will gather information about the one you choose as it is represented by the God of the Bible.  You collect information about the chosen topic as represented by the God of the Qur'an.  Shall it not be good for us to understand what each others manuscripts say about these three important topics?

 

About question about Christians in Jordan, I ask you this...How can any Christian anywhere be "poor".

Thank you for your patience with me,

 

 

Muslem MESSAGE (9)

 

In turn, I hope that you and the family are well, and that you are heading to a settled living state so that you may communicate with me through a mind free from all worry.  In view of your employment situation, I invite myself to tolerate your delay in responding to my messages.  I also think of you, and I have been waiting to receive your reply to my offer to find you a job here in the very many private and public hospitals and clinics of Jordan.  Probably you will write about this subject later by the end of the month depending on the result of your scrambling for a new position.  You also did not tell me about your location; but I respect your privacy code, and I do not insist.  It is sufficient that you continue your correspondence with me in a psychologically secure environment.

 

The changes that you have been undergoing are but a reminder (to both of us) that one day death will call upon us.  Then, we shall not have any moment of respite.  Worldly situations are rather easy to handle because in most cases we have at least a little time to manage our way out and prepare for what is coming.  I am grateful to Allah for concealing the time of my departure from life, because knowing the time would confuse and agonize me the rest of my life, no matter how much pious I am.  Allah’s boons are indeed countless.

 

Since you and I are not deadlocked in a personal rivalry competition, neither of us is trying to eclipse the other.  Still I have to say that the difference between the two of us on this point specifically is that I was given the choice between supporting and compromising my faith.  I chose to loose a job than to compromise my faith.  And my record of dedication to my job and my boss were impeccable for 30 years, but I preferred the everlasting.

 

Your analysis of the cause of your present unemployment situation and loosing your job is very much logical, but to my mind does not answer my question as to where Jesus is.  The aim of my question is to inquire as why could not Jesus prevent or preclude the present situation from befalling you?  I say this because you ascribed the change towards peace which happened in my life to Jesus, thus denying that Allah changed my life as I believe.  In my view, it is either that Jesus deserted you, or that he is not the commander-in-chief.  There is someone else manipulating your life.  If Jesus is monitoring my life to the extent you believe he does to me (one who does not believe in him), he should pay more attention to you, being what you are of closeness to him and of your propagation of his case.

 

Why are you praying for forgiveness from God?  I understand that you have not sinned, but that you focused your attention on your religious duty to the extent that your secular boss became unsatisfied with your productivity or loyalty that he dismissed you.  Thus you have been punished for a professional mistake, and you do not need to repent or be punished for a religious shortcoming.

 

You citation of the story of Manasseh triggered two topics in my mind:  One with a political background, and the other with a religious connotation.  However, I could not comfortably apply the story to your situation and you personally.

 

First, according to the Quraan, Israel is the name of a Prophet with the name of Jacob.  I think that you used the name Israel to define a geographical location rather than a person.  According to the United Nations, Israel is a “conditionally” state established in 1948 under UN resolution (and US resolve) in a geographical area known as Palestine (British mandate and earlier).  The crowns of pillars in Oxford Circus in London exhibit the names of countries that formerly formed the British Empire.  Among these there is the political and geographical name of Palestine, but not Israel.  Reference to Israel at the time of Manasseh rather confused me.

 

Second, the religious message which I get from the Manasseh story is far more important to me than the political and geographical aspects.  The message is that God forgave the sinful and most wicked Manasseh for the most devilish acts which he committed as a result of his prayers.  Now, my questions are:

 

1.  Why did God forgive Manasseh but incriminate Adam for the “original sin” so that Jesus ought to be crucified for salvation?

 

2.  Why have you chosen a story like the Manasseh one in which there is no reference to Jesus, whereas your purpose of citation is to prove the involvement of Jesus in your life (and mine)?

 

3.  What is the relationship between Christianity and Judaism?  Manasseh was a Jew.  The Jews (or at least sects of them) claim that Ezra is the son of God.  The Jews killed prophets and messengers of God (sometimes at the rate of 3 per day).  The Jews brag about crucifying (killing) Jesus.  Contemporary Zachariah and John had the same fate.  Why cite their theology in support of yours?

 

4.  Why would it be expected of God to listen to the prayers of Manasseh and to reinstate him as a King to handle the heathen and pagans who grieved God, whereas the prayers of Abraham that Allah would send from among Abraham’s descendants a Messenger to handle the pagan Arabs who also grieved Allah by worshiping idols and statutes and sacrificed their young daughters by burying them alive?  Aren’t these in need of receiving a Messenger of Allah?  Isn’t the Messenger Mohammad a (last) ring in the long chain of Messengers? 

 

You identified yourself with Manasseh, but I fail to see the similarities.  You have not sinned whereas he did.  You have continued to be a worshiper of God whereas he did not.  You have nothing to repent whereas he had.  You have not grieved the Lord as Manasseh did, so that you may deserve affliction, and (you told me) you have already been a sincere praying person that you need no deliverance.  You simply broke your secular contract of employment and have been dismissed.  You seem to be mixing two unrelated situations.

 

In your answer to my question as to where Jesus is, you referred to the Bible, whereas you referred to 2 Chr 33:12(?) and to God in explaining your present situation.  Am I wrong in concluding that Jesus was not strategically present or was not on God’s road map during the time of Manasseh and earlier?

 

The Bible says that Jesus is now in heaven interceding for us.  Did Jesus (himself) foretell that he would be in heaven interceding for you, or is it the conception or aspiration of someone or some book that he is?  Similarly, there is a big difference between saying that God has a son, and God’s saying:  I (God) have a son, isn’t it?

 

To answer my question you portrayed Jesus as a middleman with good offices (this is what I see) knocking the door of, and asking for audience with God, whereas the extent to which you involve Jesus in your life (and once in my life) gives the impression that he is God.  This makes me conclude that Jesus was not existing according to “Christians?”, that Jesus needs to ask for audience with God, and that Jesus is God in your mind in view of his persistent presence there.

 

Then how can you aspire to be a light to someone else while temporarily having a defaulting status?  What makes you sure of being able to give something you miss, admitting that your deliverance has not passed the negotiation stage yet?  Also God seemed to need a reporter in order for him to get to know what is going on in the world of men.  I prefer Allah who is the All-Knowing and Self-Sufficient who is present everywhere.

 

Because I view you as a Christian with a church in the background, and view myself as a Muslem with a mosque in the background, I decline taking your challenge.  A challenge according to my perception would be raised in a wrestling or a boxing arena, and could present a temptation for the use of force or dirty means and tricks to secure a win situation.  This does not apply to us, you and me.  Therefore, I agree to discuss any and all of the three subjects for the purpose of enlightenment.  Remember that I am not as scholarly as you are.  I am a layman Muslem with a little exposure to complex religious issues, writing in other than my native language, whereas you are an experienced Christian prepared to handle the difficult questions of people writing speaking your mother tongue.

 

Before going far with the discussion and choice between subjects as proposed, let me tackle the topic in your answer to my question about where Jesus is.  The discussion in this respect should serve as an answer to the question:  Who is the genuine author?  On the one hand, there is the Bible explaining that Jesus is intervening with God to grant people deliverance.  On the other hand, there is the Quraan expressing that Allah Himself urged people to call Him directly (hot line) because He is in their vicinity.  Allah needs no middlemen, assistants, partners, or whosoever.  Allah claimed to be the author of His Book, the Quraan, which bears no name of humans or else.  Here we have one Author, one Book, one version, a warranty of preservation, and a challenge to all to author one chapter of His divine work, or to locate the minutest of discrepancy.

 

The three topics which you proposed are quite relevant to our discussion, and I would like to examine them when your time allows.  But having noticed that the volume of our write-ups is always on the increase, I would like to suggest a simplification:  Let us not discuss the de facto situation we have in the world today.  We are surely unable to discuss a religious heritage of thousands of years.  Why not start at the point of encounter between God and man?  I claim that there was Allah and Adam only.  By then Allah had already planned what and who to create.  What do you think?

 

Who is the poor?  Whether Christian or Muslem, the poor is a person who hardly has any possessions or even none, but still looks for nothing more to own, and expects the worse to come.  The rich, to the contrary, is a person who owns a lot of possessions, but still strives for doubling or tripling what he owns, and expects several strokes of luck so that he may be a synonym of the superlative.  Poor or rich, it could be a Christian or a Muslem evenly; both are made of the same stuff.  In fact, the opposite meaning is latent in this definition.  The poor are rich because they are satisfied with what they have; while the rich are poor because they maintain the need for more.   Anyhow, what I meant was to assure you that Jordan is a place where you, as a Christian, can live without much worrying about earning a descent living.  By this I am not just concerned about proving a theological point; I am looking for a possible chance to assist you within my reach.

 

 

Christian RESPONSE(9) 

You are very kind with your thoughtful email words.  My book on Jordan says that the Christian community there has suffered a numerical freefall from 5.5 down to 2.75% from 1970 to 2000.  Also that there is great interest in Jesus; about 35% of Jordanians would like to know more about Jesus.  Perhaps God wants me to come to Jordan!   One problem is that my wife has a big block on loving Muslim people because she is Serbian and her great grandfather in Yugoslavia went over the hill from the village and as a young boy saw a village that had been decimated by Muslims and so he fled Yugoslavia to USA where we live.  My wife at this time does not have a love for the Muslim people like I think I do.  Her ministry is to youth and to orphans.  She would not want to come to a 96% majority Muslim nation and because she is the greatest gift to me except for Jesus, I only go where she goes unless Jesus tells me very clearly otherwise.

 

I am so ready to die, but would like it to happen fast.  Yet there is so much to live for.  It is like this wonderful relationship that is opening up with you and I.  You know what this relationship is?  Relationships are divine assignments, relationships are the Holy Spirit's laboratories in which He brings together people who have the maximal opportunity for mutual growth. 

 

It is good that you are on the question of where is Jesus in all of this.  I think you are right.  My answer with Manasseh was not connected firm enough to answer that question.  The reason I brought Manasseh up was to highlight how much extent the Lord will go to forgive someone, even of such depravity.  You are wrong about me.  There was a parable Jesus told about who shall be most appreciative, the one forgiven a 5 denarii debt or the one forgiven a 50 denarii debt.  The later is obvious.  I am a 50 denarii forgiven person in the same classification with Manasseh with much depravity and cannot here itemize the amount since i do not know if my children will some day read this.  But let me tell you this, we are very different.  I live every day just knowing how much wretchedness pours out of my sinful heart.  I need a Savior.  I need to be forgiven.  I need the ocean of forgiveness that flows down crimson red f rom the open wounds of Jesus.  And so I am not at all surprised that I am going through this trial.  I deserve much worse.  Perhaps that gives you some indication why I chose Manasseh as an example of someone forgiven.  Hope.

 

About being the last in a long chain of Messengers.  Here in America the Mormons have the same pitch.  They would tell you Joseph Smith came after Mohammad and so why are you not reading the latest (the book of Mormon) and following the latest messenger?  Do you not think devil would like to trump the Bible with a little twist of his own?

 

The Bible is full of exacting descriptions of Jesus in the Old Testament and I will send you a list of them if you care to check them out.  Yes Jesus was very much on God's roadmap during the time of Manasseh and earlier.  I have 69, here are 10 of them:

 

1.      Prepare The Way Prophecy—“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me” Mal 3:1. Fulfillment—“It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”” Mk 1:2.

 

2.      The Oil of Anointing Prophecy—“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy” Ps 45:6, 7. Fulfillment—“You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet” Jn 7:46.

 

3.      Child Prophecy—“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end” Is 9:5-7. Fulfillment—Jesus came as a child and the kingdom of His followers has been increasing ever since His resurrection. “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light…” Rev 21:22-24.

 

4.      Wisdom Prophecy—“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—and he will delight in the fear of the LORD” Is 11:1, 2.  Fulfillment—Jesus was found in the temple as a boy confounding the scholars. “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Rev 7:11.

 

5.      Test Prophecy—“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone” Is 28:16. Fulfillment—“After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” Mt 4:2, 3.

 

6.      Salvation to the Gentiles Prophecy—“I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” Is 49:6. Within the very generation that Jesus lived on the message of His salvation was brought to the Gentiles. Fulfillment—“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” Lk 2:30-32.

 

7.      Good News Prophecy—“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn” Is 61:1, 2. Fulfillment—Jesus quoted this OT verse to start His years of ministry in the synagogue, “The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor…” Lk 4:17.

 

8.      Zeal Prophecy—“for zeal for your house consumes me” Ps 69:9. Fulfillment—Jesus said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me” Jn 2:16, 17.

 

9.      Healing Prophecy—“by his wounds we are healed” Is 53:5. “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows” Is 53:4. Fulfillment—“Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment” Mt 9:22.

 

10. Teacher Prophecy—“your eyes will constantly behold your Teacher” Is 30:20 (The Amplified Bible). “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths” Mic 4:2. Fulfillment—“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet” Jn 13:14.

 

About where Jesus is now.  Romans 8:34, "Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."  Then it goes on to say "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Sall trouble or hardhsip or persectution of famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:  For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

Sir, my wife has just called me to the top of the stairs for family prayers.  So I am signing off and will complete this as soon as time permits.

************************************************************************************************************** 

Hope all is whatever it will take with you for the Creator's truth to ever become crystal clear to you.  Am now trying to complete my interupted email to you of three days ago.  Nor have you left my heart or mind for long.

 

re " I think that you used the name Israel to define a

geographical location rather than a person. "---------I appologize for any misuse of the name of Israel.  I did not mean to offend you.

re "1.  Why did God forgive Manasseh but incriminate Adam for the

"original sin" so that Jesus ought to be crucified for salvation?"_____________

The Bible understanding is that there was a battle in heaven, as you know, between satan and God because satan had this pride and took a third of the angels with him against God. This was very displeasing to God. God wanted to develop a new type of being where this would never happen again and all his remaining angels would be in harmony and balance with the new created beings that would make it into heaven, called people. But the one big variable is that God has a voluntary plan for people to follow Him. And since it is voluntary, it must be clearly outlined and so God gave us the Bible.

 

So God created a system where these people would be tested in a way of many trials, hardships and even by satan and the fallen angels called demons. Satan was cast down to earth. There became many wars on earth for the development of people who would believe in God. But the sin in people caused them to be unfit for heaven and they were so sinful that God decided to shorten their days on earth since so many were defecting to satans ways and going away from obedience to God and even getting filled with the pride stuff that God hates above all else (I have had much pride in my life as a doctor, so I know about this pride stuff very well). But pride is a very stiff rebellious sort of thing and God cannot have it in heaven. He needs voluntary submission.

 

So now God sends the flood to wipe most of the people out and start over. This time people are living shorter lives, so perhaps less exposure to all the testing and to satan so they will have a better chance of learning God's anti-pride ways and being able to go to heaven. God requires at this stage obedience and sacrifices to be made for their acts of sin. Sin is defined specifically in the 10 commandments and so people can have a way to evaluate themselves. Unfortunately what this system lacked was the personal involvement with a God who was close to them and they could feel favor from. So God chose to come to earth in the form of Jesus, His son. Now the reason He did this was so that He could get close enough to man to influence them to a higher development of voluntary obedience that did not require the rigidity of a system where demands were made and that people would enjoy the presence of God so very much that they would not do wrong not be cause they would be punished, but they would not do wrong because it felt so good to be close and favored by the God, Jesus, whom they would experience among them.

 

But alas, the dreadful sin nature was so strong and the enemy satan was so strong that it would take God's mightiest gift, a sacrifice of Himself, so that the most powerful sacrifice of all could be given for the most brutal of all sins. That is why Jesus died such a brutal death, to forgive brutal sinners.

 

So now that God has given Himself in such a powerful way, no one can say "I earned heaven because I kept all the rules and sacrifices." Because if anyone could say that then there would again be the pride that God hates that would creap into the people. Remember, it was God's intent to stabilize heaven with a population of beings that were devoid of pride, since pride led to satans fall in the first place.

 

And that is why God had to die. Because it was only God who could be the sacrifice. Any other sacrifice would leave an opening for sinful pride to enter in. For example, if I would get to heaven because I was able to keep the 5 tenets of Islam, I could say I deserve it. And then pride might enter in. But I say, no way do I deserve heaven. I get there only because God died for me. He did it all, I get there only by His mercy.

 

I hope this gives a little clarity on this matter. But one of the new testement verses that states this concept is Ephesians 2: 8, 9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, Not of works, lest anyone should boast."

So it says that it is not from us that we get to be saved for heaven, so that we would not boast about it...the pride is in the works, but there can be no pride if God did it all with His death of Himself. So God gave Himself in the form of Jesus. Jesus is of the same substance as God just like my own sons have my genetic material in their genes.

 

Now about the sacrifice of Jesus in the prime of His life. That means that when Jesus died, He was the perfect substitute for our sins and could take our sins in His holy blood and then make us clean before the judgment of God. This also echoes the fact that God wanted to give the very best of Himself to us and so the prudent observer will see that there are no other major religious leaders who gave themselves as a sacrifice at the prime of their lives.

re "

 

2.  Why have you chosen a story like the Manasseh one in which there

is no reference to Jesus, whereas you purpose of citation is to prove

the involvement of Jesus in your life (and mine)?"-----------sir, I submit to your thinking about this as an accurate criticism.  But consider that I am a magna cum laude sinner myself and therefore love to hear and tell about God's forgiveness.

re "3.  What is the relationship between Christianity and Judaism?

 Why cite their theology in support of yours?" __________________ One of the things we have been taught and do believe in much of our Christian circles is that  by studying OT theology, we get a picture of how God interacted with His chosen people.  Therefore we see what God favors and what God does not favor.

re "4.  Why would it be expected of God to listen to the prayers of

Manasseh and to reinstate him as a King to handle the heathen and

pagans who grieved God, whereas the prayers of Abraham that Allah

would send from among Abraham's descendants a Messenger to handle the

pagan Arabs who also grieved Allah by worshiping idols and statutes

and sacrificed their young daughters by burying them alive?  Aren't

these in need of receiving a Messenger of Allah?  Isn't the Messenger

Mohammad a (last) ring in the long chain of Messengers?"______________Being last does not necessarily mean being best.  I doubt if our president Bush will be remembered as the greatest of presidents just because he was last.  Abe Lincoln will still be above most all of the others, even though he was in the middle of the presidents.  God is not "expected".  But by observation of God's methods, we are able to be better participators  in life with God.

 

 re "Therefore, I

agree to discuss any and all of the three subjects for the purpose of

enlightenment. "________May we start with looking at what the Bible and Qur'an have to say about the creation.   Certainly a creator would put a lot in "His" book about the creation.  May I start this?

re "We are

surely unable to discuss a religious heritage of thousands of years.

Why not start at the point of encounter between God and man?  I claim

that there was Allah and Adam only.  By then Allah had already planned

what and who to create.  What do you think?"-----the Bible says there is the devil, his legions of demons, Jesus, God the Holy Spirit, man and woman, and the youth that  God hs giving to men and worman as well as the creation...  How can you say that Adam and Allah are all there when Adam was convinced to eat of the fruit of a tree?

re "Who is the poor?  Whether Christian or Muslem, the poor is a person

who hardly have any possessions or even none, but still looks for

nothing more to own, and expects the worse to come. "    ----------------The poor are those who have sent their possesions, time and spiritual efforts on ahead to eternal storehouses.  They are poor financially, but rich in in the Lord.

 

 

Muslem MESSAGE (10) (Part One)

 

Because I did not expect a prompt reply from you, it took me 9 hours to open and read your message.  Friday is a holiday in Jordan; the boys reserved our home internet connection for long hours today.  Sorry to have held you away from your family for some time to answer my message.  I am grateful to you for the time you allocate for writing to me.

 

It is up to you to continue to believe in books, than take the advice of an honest Muslem pen-pall.  Is the book about Jordan your Bible?  Even the Bible, in my view, is not the authentic one.  Depending on books could be useful culturally, but religiously one has to follow his heart.  Remember that your quotation from the Quraan earlier revealed that you were selective in order to reach a certain conclusion through passing a certain message.  Here you have the same situation depending on a book which may not tell the truth, at least for a person like me living in Jordan.

 

Here is the statement of the CIA World Fact Book relating to Jordan:

 

“Religions:  

Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several small Shia Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)”

 

This information also could be for a specific purpose.  The truth is somewhere else among the various estimates and observations of those who have interest in this subject.  Notice that your book on Jordan stopped in the year 2000, whereas the above is an estimate of the year 2001.  I observed that the population estimate in the said book is up to date, but the percentage of Christians to the population takes years and years to be updated to reflect the real figure.  It should be known that there is a quota of seats for Christians in the Jordanian Parliament.

 

I told you that I do not know much about the Christian community statistically, but I believe that they are at least 10 percent of the population of Jordan.  This was confirmed in a Google search just by the time I first wrote to you about Jordan.  The information I got was rather confusing because I understood that there is an advantage in hiding an alarming percentage of Christian presence in Jordan, may be to avoid the electoral reaction of Muslems.  From an article produced by the search there is also some sort of rivalry among Christians themselves.  This issue is similar to the real number of Palestinians in Jordan.  Some say that they are 70 percent, but it is in the interest of the country that this be kept unpublished.

 

Because I lived separately and consecutively in four “rich” quarters of the capital (I am not rich myself), the Christian community is much visible to me than in poorer Muslem populated quarters.  Also, my wife (Muslem) spent her low school years in a Christian school, traveled to America on a student exchange program for one year, and her best friends here are Christian.  My wife’s sister (Muslem) was married to a Christian abroad.  She got a divorce, and married a second Christian, now living in America.

 

The latest rumor I heard about Christians (from a person unknown to me) is that some 2000 Christian missioners have arrived to Jordan on a campaign to get Muslems to know more about Jesus.  You now have a multiple choice coming to Jordan as a doctor, as a missioner, or just as a visitor.

 

The numerical value of Muslems is not the decisive factor.  If quantitatively 96% of the Jordanian society are Muslems, this does not make them qualitatively so.  The Prophet foresaw that the Muslems would be abundant in number, but that they would be like foam floating on running water.  Unlike the Muslems of early times, the Muslems of today love life and hate death.  The status of Muslems nowadays is really lamentable because one cannot easily differentiate between a Muslem and a Christian outwardly.  Let your wife come and see how much dreadful Muslems we have here.

 

If you were a Muslem you would have taken the advice of the Quraan not to blindly follow your wife or stay with her as she pleases.  This is because some of our wives and children are our enemies.  They would ask us to do things we would religiously refrain from; but we do them out of love or sympathy.  As a Muslem I recognize Prophet Mohammad as the most precious gift in my life.  He is the one who relayed to humanity in modern times the message through which they secure their salvation.

 

Your wife has the right to love and hate as she may like.  The truth remains in the statement:  To err is human, and to forgive is divine.  If she can forgive, she would be elevated to a godly or, at least, to an angelic status.  Most human beings cannot forgive because they wrongly believe that forgiveness on their part means weakness or defeat.  They only focus on the error or harm done by their fellow humans, but cannot see through a divine eye how much great a human forgiver is looked upon.

 

You may opt to advise your wife to refer to the attached letter of President-Elect Obama (NB: The computer dictionary suggests the word “Osama” to replace the word “Obama”!) especially to statements like: “Muslims are not to be looked upon as something strange”, “when the tragic terrorist attacks of 9-11 occurred … I did not blame all Muslims or the religion of Islam”, and “familiarity and respect … is something sorely needed”.  The tendency to generalize a description to the whole of a group is not wise, like saying All Muslems are good or bad.  These statements are tremendously valuable if you have voted for Obama.

 

If she acts like Jesus advised, your wife would turn her other cheek.  This is not being the case with most people, hatred shall persist.  Jesus, in either form of being a god or a prophet, called for tolerance, love, forgiveness, etc.  

Jesus the Prophet was sent to the world after Prophet Moses.  Both addressed the Jews but utilized a different message commensurate with the spirit of the age.  Generally speaking, the Jews grew very materialistic in their view of faith, to the extent that they would not believe in Allah unless they see Him visually, as they said to Moses.  Jesus the Prophet came to rectify their altered faith by disseminating a spiritual message full of love, tolerance, modesty, and many more refined characters.   

 

During my last few working years I came to know an Armenian Christian lawyer living in America.  He told me about atrocities committed by (Muslem) Turkish soldiers against the Armenians.  One story is about Turkish soldiers who would toss an Armenian baby in the air and receive it on their bayonets.  Although we became close acquaintances and I invited him to Jordan, he was not prepared to forget or forgive.  In vain were all my efforts to convince him to differentiate between ISLAM (the religion of Allah) and MUSLEMS (fallible human beings like me).

 

The questions for the Serb young boy who saw a village that had been decimated by Muslems, and to those who believed what he said are:  Who is the aggressor that initiated such a decimation practice?  Are you sure that the people you saw from over-hill were Muslems?  Did you check their hearts (not their identity cards) to ensure that they were Muslems?  Did they talk to you to state that they were really Muslems and that they did it in the name of Islam by a special mandate?  Did they tell you that they represent the whole Muslem community in the Balkan?  Did you check whether or not their own village had not been decimated and their sisters raped by Serb militias?  It is not fair to be selective in giving a testimony, and it is idiocy to believe an account without due verification and justification.  A full account should be provided in order to obtain heartfelt sympathy.

 

The perpetrators in the Balkan and in many other parts of the world are American politicians and secret agents.  In the Balkan they countered the communists through waging a war between foolish Muslems and foolish Christians.  Perhaps your wife should, as an American, take sides with the Muslems because America, overtly, took sides with them.  Serbs are not happy with America who is supporting a state in Kosovo.  America supported the Muslems of Afghanistan, including Osama Ben Laden, against the communists, but later turned against them and occupied their country.  America waged a war between the Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq to be able to occupy their country.  America tried to do the same in Lebanon, but failed.  Last but not least, and at the request of the Israelis, America supports one Palestinian faction against the other and encourages division among the Palestinians in order to master them.

 

I know that some American Christian missioners are doing their jobs under directions from the CIA.  But I do not generalize because I am convinced that some Christian missioners are very sincere in their love to Jesus with a status-quo.  Although they are wrong, but I understand how they feel, and I appreciate their action in good faith.

 

Similar to the Serb-Croat situation we have here the Muslem-Jew (Arab- Israeli) conflict in neighboring Palestine.  Decimation of villages and towns also took place abundantly.  The perpetrators admit it and brag about it hiding their shame by flimsy justifications of prehistory.

 

People on both sides of conflicts are not so divine as to forgive or forget.  In this tendency they maintain their human character by continued error incarnated in their misunderstanding of the reason why they are on this earth.  What are the reasons for this Muslem-Jew conflict as I perceive them?  This may sound political, but it is completely theological.  It is political to secular people, and theological to religious people.

 

Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is mentioned in the Quraan in association with the journey of the Prophet from Mecca to Jerusalem.  The Mosque falls in the third place of sacred Islamic shrines.  The Muslems in general and those in Palestine in particular forgot their Creator and headed towards secular affairs.  Allah sent the worst people on earth to Palestine and allowed them to occupy one half of it as a reminder to the Muslems.  These did not heed the reminder and overlooked the signs.  So did the Jews; they did not thank Allah for his grant, but committed atrocities ascribing to themselves the success in establishing a state as if against the will of Allah.

 

As a further reminder to the Muslems, and as a further test to the Jews, the latter later occupied the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque.  The Muslems are now looking for America to help them in freeing the Mosque and their homeland, and the Jews are, ironically, getting a full support of America to maintain their occupation.  Muslems and Jews are ridiculously forgetful of the very Creator who is administering their lives.  The Muslems vow to free Palestine and the Jews vow to secure it for themselves, as if Allah is not the God who grants and deprives.

 

Allah expects the Muslems to rectify their track and follow his straightforward path in order to qualify for the victory which Allah grants to true believers only (not to mere Muslems).  Allah expects the Jews to be thankful and do good deeds because He told them that if they acted in a benevolent manner he would reciprocate, but forewarned them if they acted sinfully that he would reciprocate by punishing them.  The Muslems who oppose the creation of a state for the Jews in Palestine are not really aware of Allah’s plan to call the Jews throughout the world to gather in Israel.  It is Allah who ordained the Jews to disperse throughout the world as a penalty for their misconduct in earlier times.  Once the Jews complete their gathering in Palestine, Allah will reveal for them a terrific surprise.  Jesus will be coming to execute the will of Allah on them.

 

You may now be overwhelmed by a feeling of satisfaction and happiness to read this.  But beware of your sweeping imagination!  I believe that the Islamic version of Jesus is coming true.  You naturally will be imagining that the Jesus of the Christian version will be coming.  If the coming Jesus kills the swine and breaks the cross, Prophet Mohammad will have said the truth and Muslems win.  I bet, do you?  The Jews who have been boasting having killed and/or crucified Jesus shall deny any such act, and Jesus will naturally agree with them that he was never crucified, except in the imagination of those who wanted a savior other than their Creator.

 

The coming Jesus will not need to use atomic bombs, nor will he be apprehended of their presence.  Miraculously the triggering buttons allover the world would be jammed, and no explosions would be heard.  It is not then time for the “big bang” yet.  Because very possibly firearms would also have been scrapped, Jesus would be armed with a simple sword, and would be mobilized by a divine turbine.  He would declare for himself a status which he uttered when he was a baby, namely Abdullah (worshipper of Allah), as “one of the Muslems”.  Coming from Damascus where he would first descend, Jesus would decline to lead the prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque of a Muslem congregation, but would rather be among them.

 

Perhaps from this perspective I can find an explanation as to why 35% of the Jordanians would like to know more about Jesus.  The above role of Jesus, even if viewed differently by some Muslems, is much awaited because this will form a psychological relief to Muslems frustrated from the occupation of Palestine by Israel and the repeated defeats in the battlefield.  The source of interest for others is the possibility that they might find a financial assistance, or even as an approach to get acquainted to feminine Christians for a friendship or as a means for migration.   Others would be interested in Jesus as a result of misunderstanding which Jesus is being offered to know.  This happens in the same way in which I visited the site “Allah yuhibbuk” which stands for “God loves you”.  It is more likely to determine a Christian literature through observing the word “Arrubb” which means the Lord.

 

The Balkan case is similar but from a different perspective.  Palestine is a holy land and has Al-Aqsa Mosque in it.  The Balkan is not a holy land but it is home for human beings who are subordinates of Allah.  Whether Muslem or otherwise, Allah forbade harming a human soul:

 

“That was why We wrote for the Children of Israel that whoever killed a soul, except against a soul slain, or for the purpose of sedition in the earth, it should be considered as though he had killed all mankind; and that whoever saved it should be regarded as though he had saved all mankind. Our Messengers brought to them proofs; then many of them thereafter commit excesses in the earth.”

 

This clearly tells that Allah does not accept the killing of a human being.  Now a Muslem is particularly dear to Allah, especially when he is a true believer.  In this case the killing of a true believer is an abominable crime:

 

“The recompense for he who kills a believer deliberately is Hell, he is eternal there. Allah will be angry with him and will curse him and prepare for him a great punishment.”

 

The Prophet said that for Allah the demolition of the Kaaba (the holy black cube construction in the Mecca Mosque) is inferior in seriousness to the demolition (killing) of a Muslem.  These statements apply to human beings anywhere on earth.  So those who kill Muslems just for the mere reason that they say that our God is Allah will be receiving the most humiliating and painful punishment.  Similarly, Allah will not forgive a Muslem in the event of being the aggressor on innocent people.  Non-believers are under the control of Allah; He is keeping an eye on them.  Here is an example:

 

A non-believer traveling through the home town of Prophet Abraham asked him for food and shelter.  When Abraham knew that the man was a non-believer, he rejected him.  The non-believer walked away.  Allah called Abraham saying:  Why did you dismiss the man with a wish unfulfilled?  Abraham said:  Because he was a non-believer.  Allah then said:   I have been providing him with sustenance and shelter for the past 40 years of his life tolerating his being a non-believer.  Why could you not tolerate his asking for a little food and shelter overnight?

 

Abraham then ran after the man and asked him to accompany him back to his home.  The non-believer wondered about the change in Abraham’s attitude, and asked him to explain.  Abraham told him about the message he received from Allah.  The non-believer then said:  If your God has questioned your deed to me, then he is indeed a God worthy of being worshiped.  He then followed the faith of Abraham (submitted to Allah).

In my view the reason of conflicts in this world originates in jealousy.  This is clear in the Quraan in the story of the two sons of Adam.  Mother Eve gave birth to twins (boy and girl), and she repeated this a second time.  The older boy should marry the younger (and less attractive) girl, but he preferred to usurp his younger brother’s lot.  Each offered a sacrifice to Allah.  One was accepted while the other was rejected.  The latter said I shall kill you.  The former explained that Allah accepts the pious.  If you wish to kill me, I would not wish to kill you.  Allah will punish you.

 

If people of any religion who are involved in conflicts think of taking the wrong measure, you and I would not be communicating with each other.  This reminds me to remind you that the best solution for this dilemma is not to discuss the de facto situation of the present world, but rather to return to point zero when the first god-man relation started.

 

The mention of death revealed to me a clever marketing tool on the part of Christian missioners such as those administering websites.  The bulk of their talk is about free deliverance, easy admission into heavens, and good offices of Jesus, but nothing about death and torture in the grave or in hell.  But perhaps the Bible is silent about this issue.  On the opposite side, honest Muslems are very blunt when they mention these matters; hence Islam does not seem to be equally attractive or appealing.  The Quraan gives a description of how a true Muslem dies, and how an infidel dies.  The Prophet also added further clarifications.

 

In my last message to a Christian American old friend of mine who wrote to me about her recent travels in south-east Asia, I told her that “Life for the Muslem is like a prison, and for the non-believer is like a garden”.  Maybe I offended her, but I said it honestly.

 

The Quraan quotes a dweller of hell as saying:  “Oh, I wish I did not have that person as a friend.  He misguided me after the truth came to me”.  The Prophet also said that a person will be resurrected with the same group as his friends, so everyone should be careful as to whom he befriends.  If you and I are planning a friendship, I must be careful as to what type of friend you are.

 

In this context, I find myself obliged to state that we human beings should know the real reason why we are here and now in this life.  Each of us should ask the Creator in which he believes to give him the correct answer.

 

Despite your fresh argument, the Manasseh story is irrelevant.  My interest in not in the example, it is in the reason why in order to support your argument you quote a book other than your Bible, tell the story of character following a different faith, and give the credit to the Lord rather than to Jesus of whom you preach all the time?  The Manasseh story adds to my conviction that the Bible is not the Bible which Allah asked me to believe in, and Jesus is not the Jesus who Allah asked me to believe in.

 

Perhaps you need a savior; I do not need one because my own deeds are my savior.  Why should I need an intermediary to intervene with a higher authority to forgive me for 50 denarii, when I have Allah who gave me the good tidings of transforming my punishable evil deeds to rewardable good deeds?  Example:  I have a minus-50 denarii balance (overdraft).  This will be downgraded to zero balance, and then changed to plus-50 dinarii balance (credit).  The gain is 100 in full.  I find this to be a better bargain; Allah is generous to all his subordinates.

 

Instead of the Manasseh story with its againsts and fors, a Muslem would answer the question (where is Allah) by telling you a story shorthanded in one word:  Test.  When narrated in full, the story is not much longer; it is the length of one verse of the Quraan:  “Every soul shall taste death. We afflict you with evil and good by way of a test. Then, to Us you shall be returned”.

 

The reason why I am not reading the book of the Mormons is that my Book, the Quraan, and the Prophet freed me from the need for another book or person.  In your quotations you use the Old Testament, the Bible, the Quraan (selectively), the Mormon Book, and others.  This exhibits Christianity as a package comprising various offers.  This is not the case with the Quraan which provided me with the full story:  Past, present, and future.

 

Similar to the case of love, religion is selected in accordance with a personal taste, hence the title of this message:  Each one adores his mistress.  It is obvious that the mistresses are unequally beautiful, and the adorers are not equally loyal.  In religion, there are gods and there are worshipers.  The formers are not equally truthful, and the latter are not equally sincere.  Therefore, it is absolutely normal for us to be Muslems, Christians, Jews, Mormons, or Buddhists as the case may be.

 

Like the Christians who claimed that God adopted a son, the Mormons may claim that Joseph Smith came after Mohammad.  This helps in logically visualizing a series of messengers rather than confining life on this earth to one person only as is the case with Christians, Jews, Buddhists, etc.  The important aspect is the link to the Creator who sends these messengers.  Joseph Smith is not the first to claim coming after Mohammad, because even in the last days of Mohammad there were at least two persons who claimed to have the status of a messenger.  Where is Smith’s sign from Allah?

 

The point here is:  Which god does each of us mean?  Perhaps there is a god who adopted a son.  Perhaps there is a god who sent a messenger after Prophet Mohammad.  On their part, Muslems may believe that there is Allah the One with no son; Allah who sent Messengers the last of whom was Mohammad.  As I said earlier, let us wait and see the winners and the losers.  Or perhaps we should not take such a risk, but agree to go back in history to examine the point of contact between god and man.  The much detail and even complexity we have today surpass our capabilities and impede our reaching a mutually agreed conclusion.

 

What is mentioned in the Old Testament relates to the coming of A MESSENGER, A TEACHER, etc.  Allah declared that He mentioned the name and description of Mohammad in the Torah and in the Bible (the genuine ones which He authored).  Christians and Jews who embraced Islam admitted that they knew Mohammad through their books even before actually seeing him.  The Quraan stated that they knew Mohammad to the same degree of acquaintance with which they knew their children.  Upon embracing Islam a prominent Rabbi said that he knew Mohammad better than knowing his own son.  This is because the description of Prophet Mohammad as given by Allah is trustworthily beyond any doubt, whereas a wife could cheat on her husband and have a son illegally.

 

Allah advised that the Books He inspired to Moses and to Jesus have been altered, modified, appended, and certain parts thereof suppressed and concealed.  Conclusion:  Each party claims that they have the correct answer as to who is the messenger or teacher to come.  It is all in the imagination of human beings.  This imagination translates into belief and conviction which one adheres to.  Advice:  Save our breath.  Wait and see the verdict on a last day which will be fifty thousand years long.

 

From the Quraan I know that Jesus is coming back to earth.  From the Prophet I know that Jesus will kill the swine and break the cross.  I do not try to suppress this in the same way the description of Prophet Mohammad suffered in the books of others.  I do not know that Jesus is at the right side of God, but I know from the Quraan some details of the encounter between Allah and Jesus in the afterlife.

 

May be Jesus is what he is to God, but he is not the same to Allah.  The Jesus I know is a Prophet and Messenger of Allah.  It is likely that there is a similarity between two Jesuses, but that the two personalities we allude to are different.  Here we are on two banks and do not know how to swim.  Still we can have some entertainment in a cross talk trying to define who is who.

 

Because the Jews lived in the same city as Prophet Mohammad (in Al-Madeenah), his friend Omar (later Caliph) once collected sheets of the Torah in order to counter-state some arguments of the Jews.  The Prophet told him:  “Had Moses lived to meet me here and now, he would have followed me”.  The Prophet thus advised Omar not to waste his time reading books other than the Quraan.  I read the four Gospels when I was a boy, but now that I have received these words of the Prophet, I do not see any point in wasting my time with quotations the reference in which is not specifically defined.  I claim to have received the truth from Allah through his Book, the Quraan.  The others are free to believe what they like.

 

The Quraan is the Book of Allah, who pledged to preserve it from alteration and suppression.  The following story is not from the Quraan or by the Prophet, but it gives an account of which book is authentic and originating from Allah according to a non-Muslem:

 

A good-looking, outspoken Jew had audience with a Muslem ruler, who promised to offer him a reward if he became a Muslem, but the Jew rejected the offer.  A year later the Jew had audience with the Muslem ruler, but this time he had become a Muslem himself.  The ruler asked him as to the reason why he became a Muslem.  The Jew (now Muslem) said:  I prepared a copy of the Torah introducing some changes to it.  I was able to sell it to the Jews in their synagogue.  Also I prepared a copy of the Bible introducing some changes to it.  I was able to sell it to the Christians in their church.  A copy of the Quraan which I prepared introducing some changes to it was checked and then rejected by the Muslems in their mosque.  I became a Muslem as a result of conviction that the Quraan is a Book preserved by its Author.  It is a book well preserved in the hearts of Muslems.

 

 

Christian CONTACT,

In our industry here it is said you cannot qualitatively know if you are making progress unless you are measureing the outcomes.  The problem with these conversations we have is that ______________________(can you fill in the blank?).

We are entering into Thanksgiving holiday here.  Even with the last days of work being a sad time of departure, my wife and I have been sitting on the floor and praising God by singing and reading aloud the Psalms to each other and rejoincing in our healthy and Christian believing children.

I eagerly wait for (Part Two) of Each one adores his mistress (although I do not believe it is true).

 

Muslem REPLY,

I appreciate your interest in receiving Part Two of my reply to your previous message.  I am in the process of completing it.

At your request I fill in the blank in your sentence as follows:

The problem with these conversations we have is that “they are slow in producing any measurable outcome”. 

I wish you and your family a very happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

Your words about the last days of work reminded me of a similar situation of mine, though not as bitter as it sounds.  I hope that you find an adequate alternative soon.

 

Muslem MESSAGE(10) Part Two

 

You also have been on my mind for the past few days as evidenced by the above long reply which I prepared for you.  Admittedly, the opening of your present message contains a keyword in our discussion:  The Creator.  This word is more acceptable to me than the word Jesus even at the level of exchanging email messages.  Our focus should be on this word in order that we both agree on who is the Creator.

 

Sorry but I do not buy your explanation of the original sin and crucifixion even for one denarius (the Arabic equivalent is denar or dinar but not the same value).  Similarly, you would not buy my following comments for even half a denarius.  Do you wonder why?  It is because this is called belief, faith, religion submission, etc.  This is again why the title of this message is comfortably appropriate for the subject.  In simple words, I believe in the Creator with the name Allah and accept his complete package of faith; whereas you believe in the Creator called God and accept his complete package of faith.  You have just opened the “God Package” and exhibited some of its content.  In turn, I shall open the “Allah Package” and see what it can offer.

 

There could not possibly be a battle in heaven.  Allah ordered “Iblis” (Satan) to bow in respect to Adam, a new race of man which has just been invented by Allah.  Short-sighted Satan looked at the object of respect, which is Adam, and overlooked Allah, his Creator who issued the order.  Satan had worshipped Allah in a manner which excelled even the Angels.  Adam for Satan (full of pride) is only a heap of soil, while Satan prided himself of being created out of fire.  The Angels come in the first place being made of light.  When Adam was in the form of hollow clay statue-like, Satan would enter from his mouth opening and get out from his anal opening, thus making a laughing stock of him.  Satan thought he would not humble himself to inferior Adam, thus disobeyed Allah out of his unjustifiable pride.

 

When I speak about Allah, I am not talking about Zeus and Hera and the rest of the gods in the Greek and Roman mythologies.  If Allah is to me the Creator, he is also the patent holder of the universe and all its trademarks and designs because Allah gave the first names of all things in this universe.  I am prepared to sue any infringers of the intellectual property of Allah, whether be it Satan or else.  In fact, Allah does not need my intervention.  He is the Almighty that nobody can challenge.  Allah is also the Wise that He may not commit human mistakes like those in science fiction:  Man invented the machine which later mastered him.  Allah is the All-knowing, the Knowledgeable that nothing can escape His vision.  Allah may not draw a plan for His creation so that a tiny creature like Satan may challenge Him, and as a result find Himself obliged to review His plan very frequently.

 

Why dare not (tiny) Satan make a quarrel with Allah?  Human beings live on the earth.  We find the earth to be really huge.  Still, our earth is a tiny part of the Solar System, which comprises the sun, moon and the rest of the planets.  The Solar System is a minute portion of the Milky Way Galaxy (a spiral galaxy which is 100,000 light years in diameter).  The Milky Way Galaxy is a little spot in the Local Group which consists of 25 elliptical galaxies, four irregular galaxies, and three spiral galaxies.  Local Galaxies are specs of sand in what scientists wrongly think it is the universe.  Scientists say that they are just now receiving the light beams of stars which were formed about 15 billion years ago, when also the earth was first formed.  In brief, there is an incredible space around us with incredible distances, and new discoveries occur at frequent intervals.

 

Because I have a more reliable source than scientists, I turn to the Quraan and to Prophet Mohammad for an explanation of the immensity of the universe.  One simple answer from Prophet Mohammad is that Allah created seven “skies” or “heavens”.  Compared to the second one, the first sky is just about a ring in the Sahara (the first sky is the one described above as the universe by scientists).  Compared to the third one, the second sky is just about a ring in the Sahara.  So is the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh skies to the ones above them consecutively.  The human mind had hard time calculating distances in the lower sky; therefore, I can imagine our inability to proceed to sky two.  The report of the Prophet goes further to indicate that compared to the Chair, the seventh sky is just about a ring in the Sahara.  Then, compared to the Throne, the Chair is just about a ring in the Sahara.

 

If this unimaginable description qualifies some pieces of the creation of Allah which we are informed about, would Allah be tinier than Satan, or perhaps the same size?  Would Allah be a little less powerful than Satan, to entice Satan to pick a fight with Allah?  It is really lamentable that some human beings with brains which enabled them to travel to the Moon and to send spaceships to Mars can believe in God whom they depict as no more than one of the gods on Mount Olympus, or the captain of a ship, on which he cannot handle a mutiny of one third of his sailors, and does not know how to navigate his ship, to the extent that he needs to review his calculations often.  Such human beings have drowned in a sea of pride, and even got paranoid to think that they are demi-gods if compared to God, and that God is not much more than they are.

 

Allah first created the “writing pen” which, by His order, inscribed Allah’s plan for His creation.  Using a language which we human beings may be able to comprehend, Allah described His colossal plan by saying:  Were the seas and oceans to turn into ink in order to inscribe the words of Allah, the seas and oceans would be depleted before completing the inscription of Allah’s words, even if we provide another set of seas and oceans.  In another verse of the Quraan, the description is as follows:  If all the trees in the earth were pens, and the sea, with seven more seas to replenish it, the Words of Allah would never be depleted. Allah is the Almighty, the Wise.

 

Allah created the seven heavens and the earth in six days inspiring to each component of His creation the mechanism through which it would exist and function, including the Angels, the Jinn, and man.  Adam was then sent down to the earth.  Time passing, and Satan (and his assistants and supporters) around every corner to seduce them, people forgot their covenant with Allah not to worship other than Him being their Creator.  Allah’s plan was to send Messengers to the human beings to remind them and guide them to the straightforward path of Allah.  Accordingly, there was a series of 124,000 Messengers and Prophets starting with Adam down in time to Mohammad.  Some Messengers of Allah were provided with miracles and some with Books such as the Torah, the Bible, and the Quraan.  The latter is a Book (system) and a miracle (signs) in one.

 

Here are some of the verses of the Quraan relating to the creation process:

 

-  Say: Do you disbelieve in Him who created the earth in two days? And do you set up equals with Him? He is the Lord of the Worlds.

 

-  He set firm mountains on top (of the earth) and He blessed it. And in four days He ordained in it many provisions, equal to those who ask.

 

-  Then He willed to the heaven when it was smoke, and to it and the earth He said: 'Come willingly, or unwillingly.' 'We come willingly,' they answered.

 

-  In two days He determined them seven heavens, and He revealed to each heaven its commands. We decorated the lowest heaven with lamps and preserve them. Such is the decree of the Almighty, the Knower.

 

-  He created the heavens without pillars that you see, and cast on the earth firm mountains lest it should sway with you. Upon it He dispersed all manner of crawling things, and He sent down water from the sky with which He caused to grow in it every generous kind.

-  Such is the creation of Allah; now show me what, other than Him, created! No, the transgressors are in clear error.

-  Say: 'Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?' Say: 'Allah.' Say: 'Why have you then chosen guardians other than Him; even though they have the power to neither benefit nor harm themselves?' Say: 'Are the blind and the seeing equal? Is darkness equal to light? Or, have they ascribed to Allah associates who create as He creates so that all creation is alike to them?" Say: 'Allah is the Creator of everything. He is the One, the Conqueror.'

 

Being the Creator of man, Allah provided each of us with the ability to instinctively choose to follow the guidance of Allah or to go astray otherwise.  Those who choose to follow His straightforward path, Allah would guide them throughout their lives.  Those who follow the steps of Satan would have their hearts sealed so that faith in Allah would not enter them, and so that infidelity would not leave them.

 

Following the scene where Satan rejected Allah’s order to bow in respect to Adam, Allah told Adam and his wife to dwell in Paradise.  Allah issued to Adam one order:  In the Garden, you may eat whatever you want, but do not eat from this specific tree.  Also, Allah provided Adam with one piece of advice:  Satan is an evident enemy of yours.  Being the first human being, Adam represented the human race in taking the test; so he and his wife were the only ones who underwent the Satan ordeal first.  Following Adam’s default and Allah’s pardoning him, the three participants were ordered to descend to the earth.  The system of life commenced on earth with everyone being answerable for his deeds, good and evil.

 

Having revenged himself on Adam, Satan requested Allah to defer him till doomsday.  It is here in the meantime that Satan would make good his promise to seduce all human beings, except those who Allah chooses as the elite of his subordinates.  Allah the Just, would not create people inherently inclined to sin.  The opposite is true.  It is Satan who just signals to a person to follow him and he follows.  Satan neither uses the power of conviction nor forces a human being to sin.  When we do it, we do it voluntarily but foolishly.  Pride is one of the many roads leading from earth to Hell.  Allah the Almighty said:  Pride is my attire; whoever tries to share it with Me, I shall destroy him.  The Prophet said:  A man with an atom of pride in his heart would not be admitted to Paradise.  If Allah ordered Satan, being the pride-in-chief, to be dispelled and lowered to earth, and to burn in Hell everlastingly, there is no fear that inferior human beings could be a problem to Allah or be a threat to His Kingdom through pride or else. 

 

When Allah created Paradise, He surrounded it with a virtual wall of everything that a human being would hate to do or have; as such, one should expect that nobody would be able to enter it.  And when He created Hell, Allah surrounded it with a virtual wall of everything that a human being would love to do or have; as such, one should expect that nobody would be able to escape it.  This reward and penalty system is applicable to human beings living on earth as an integral part of Allah’s perfect plan.  Allah with His various supreme qualifications has no apprehension of evil because He created everything and has supremacy over them all. 

 

Allah sent messengers in a series as the status of people on earth might have required.  One prominent phase in the life of humanity is the Noah era.  The Prophet Noah called his people to the straightforward path of Allah 950 long years, day and night, openly and discretely.  He asked them to submit to Allah and to worship none other than Him.  It was in response to Noah’s request that Allah flooded the earth to exterminate the infidel and save the believers aboard the Arc.  Even those who were saved from the flood gave birth to people who later forgot the incident and returned to worshiping gods other than Allah.

 

Satan has been there all the time irrespective of the length of human lifetime.  Satan had requested and he was granted a respite till doomsday.  Allah advised Adam to beware of Satan, and later Allah sent Messengers and authored Books to warn people that Satan is the most evident enemy of yours.  The plan of Allah is seamless that He needs not revise it or take emergency measures to cope with diverse situations arising here or there.  Nothing constant would move to mobility without Allah’s permission; nothing mobile would come to a standstill without the permission of Allah.  Allah gave us life on this earth to test our obedience to Him allowing us to do what we think fit for us.  On doomsday each of us will be accountable for one’s deeds during his lifetime.

 

Allah is the First and the Last, the Clear and the Hidden. He has knowledge of all things.  Allah advised that He is with us everywhere we are and sees the things we do.  Thus Allah does not need to move from one place to another.  Allah does not handle matters like we do; He only says “be” and there it is.  In fact, everything written in the plan is already existent for Allah to only order it to be revealed.  Allah needs no tricks or disguise to deal with His creation of skies, earth, or living persons or things.  Being the Almighty, Allah needs the assistance of nobody; He needs no son to help in administering His affairs.  Allah was not the son of another deity, nor has He a wife or a family.  Allah may not grow old and die so that a son may inherit His Kingdom and deal with His subordinates.

 

Allah is present with us through the abundant, countless boons He granted to us.  When Moses asked Allah to let him have a glance of Him, Allah told Moses that he could not possibly see Him, but rather to watch the mountain.  When Allah (in the manner fit for Him) revealed (a glimpse of) Himself to the mountain, it fell crumbling and turned into small particles.  Human beings are not so equipped in this life to see Allah, the Angels, or the Jinn.

 

The mere identification of Allah in shape, color, volume, place, etc., would render Him an object capable of being controlled by the human mind and senses, which are Allah’s creation.  The created cannot control the Creator in the creation plan of Allah.  So is sin a creation of Allah, and may not overpower Him, or even put His plan in disorder.

 

Sacrifices are offered to Allah; Allah the Exalted in power makes no sacrifices; nor does He make any compromises.  Allah devised no rescue plan for His creatures because something went wrong or someone slipped His attention.  Allah could have sent people, being His creation, to where He liked without the need for Him to envoy them to the earth.  He decides what to do with them; they do not dictate on Him what action to take.

 

The All-knowing, Knowledgeable Allah Has the pre-knowledge as to where would I be after this life on earth.  My deeds during my lifetime will be evidence for or against me in the hereafter.  Allah could send me to Hell without testing me on the earth because He knows what course of action I would take.  If He condemns me to Hell on the basis of His pre-knowledge, I would, when I view Hell, challenge Allah’s decision by claiming that I would have done good had Allah granted me a chance to be tested.  My evil deeds would constitute evidence as to condemn me and pave the way for me to go to Hell.

 

Allah never promised forgiveness to sinners for the mere dispatch of a Messenger.  Forgiveness on the part of Allah comes in the course of a repentance process which no other person can intervene to realize.  Each of the Messengers of Allah carried a message to his people only to deal with their shortcomings.  The exception from this rule is Prophet Mohammad, to convey the closing message, the last before doomsday.  The timing is so because within Allah’s knowledge the diseases of the last two millennia would be common and spread allover the world and need a single message:  “There is no god but Allah” because there is no Creator but Allah.  This heals all the maladies of humanity in modern times.

 

Allah is what He is, in the earth, in the heavens;  He was Allah in the past, He is Allah at this time, He will continue to be Allah forever; He blows the winds of change on His creation, but He never changes in Himself.  Allah said to people:  You may not reach the status where you could harm Me; and you could not reach the status of being able to render Me any benefit.  Indeed, He is the source of all the benefits we enjoy in this life.  Any infliction that befalls us is the result of our misconduct and evil deeds.  The Kingdom of Allah is never affected, through increase or decrease, by the life or death of any person, by faith or disbelief, or by pride or humbleness.

 

Allah has no space problem in the heavens, in Heaven, or in Hell.  As described above, the seven skies are super-spacious that they can accommodate infinite number of Angels.  Allah provided space in Paradise for all His subordinates in the event they all submit to Him.  Allah provided space in Hell for all His subordinates in the event they all disobey Him.  Everything is under control and is monitored by Allah.  It is functioning flawlessly and perfectly.  Pride could form a problem to human beings, but it does not interfere in Allah’s plan for the administration of His creation.  Satan and the like will burn in Hell everlastingly; people humble to Allah, their Creator and Sustainer, will rejoice in Paradise everlastingly.

 

Allah is the Alive.  He himself created death; hence death has no control on Him.  Allah uses death to conquer people and other living creatures.  Death itself will be slain before the gazing eyes of the dwellers of Paradise and the dwellers of Hell so that they may rest assured that they would remain there respectively everlastingly.  Allah created the system of sacrifice for His subordinates to approach Him for forgiveness or else.  He cannot be a sacrifice himself.  Allah created pride and sin; they are under His control, and may never ever pose a threat to His plan.

 

The Prophet said nobody would be admitted to Paradise by virtue of his deeds.  People asked him:  Not even you?  He said:  Not even me; except if Allah submerges me in His mercy.  Those who follow the teachings of Islam to the letter and spirit are never afflicted by pride.  When listening to the call for prayers five times a day, a Muslem hears the words “Allahu Akbar” which mean that Allah is greater than anything else; the Muslem then humbles himself under the greatness of Allah.  According to Allah’s religion, each of us is accountable for his own deeds no matter who dies for whom.  The Prophet advised his family to work hard reminding them not to rely on their relationship to him.

 

The five tenets (pillars) of Islam qualify one to become a Muslem.  But to become a believer requires additional qualifications.  The five pillars of a tent need a cover and other necessities in order to be serviceable.  The nomads of Arabia said we have become believers; the Prophet told them to say we have only submitted to Allah; belief is yet to enter into your hearts.  A Muslem may not dwell everlastingly in Hell.  To be admitted into Paradise one should be a believer.  Islam requires certain practices, but belief requires purely spiritual achievements.

 

Allah inquired the Muslems:  Do you think you would be admitted to Paradise prior to manifesting that you have practiced Jihad and were patient?  Allah’s gift in the form of forgiveness comes after that.  If Allah required His subordinates to show Him their deed, it is like a student who sits for examination and answers the questions to show that he studied the material.  If Allah advises the Muslems of the best methods for obtaining forgiveness, it is not for the subordinates to decide that they should not do any deeds for fear of pride.  Allah’s religion is based on dos and don’ts.  Allah knows, but we do not know the wisdom behind doing and not doing. 

 

There is nothing that resembles Allah.  This is what Allah said about Himself, in the same way He advised that His name is Allah.  I have no right to qualify or quantify Allah in any manner that would contradict His words.  He so created me and provided me with capabilities limited to the extent of my needs to pass the test of life.  In the afterlife, there will be adequate tools commensurate with the nature of things present there.  Since Allah does not have a son, the similitude of a person and his son to Allah is not applicable.

 

At the prime of his love to his only son Ishmael, Prophet Abraham was put to the test by his Creator.  Allah revealed to Abraham in a dream that he should sacrifice his son.  Abraham passed the test successfully by seriously showing the good intention and solemnly by exerting the effort necessary to implement the command of Allah.  Allah the Merciful freed Ishmael from being slain and substituted him by a sheep for sacrifice.

 

Allah valued the life of a human so much that the killing of one person would be equivalent to the killing of all human beings.  Accordingly, Allah does not approve of any sacrifice of a human being, and has substituted this by a material or animal sacrifice.  Allah Has means to forgive emanating from Him directly without the need for exercising brutal sacrificial deeds.  Allah is also the Rich, and to Him belong the warehouses of every boon which He grants to people.  Allah grants forgiveness in a majestic manner.

 

For Allah, religious leaders would be His Messengers.  A messenger is sent to people to convey a message, not to sacrifice himself immaturely.  Jesus who died at the age of 33 will be coming back to the earth to complete his life term.  He will marry, die like all other humans, and will be buried in Al-Madeenah in Saudi Arabia.  Examples of religious leaders who gave themselves as a sacrifice at the prime of their lives are available.  One of them is contemporary to Jesus:  Prophet Yahya (John) who paid his life (his head presented on a tray) as the dowry of a whore.  The Jews are testimony of a great number of such sacrifices because they were the perpetrators or were basically instrumental to their execution.

 

I also love to hear and tell about Allah’s forgiveness.  But my question was intended to lead to the following argument:  If Manasseh was a Jew, and the Jews allege having killed and/or crucified Jesus, then why quote anything from their literature or believe in the content of their theology to support a case of their victim?  If your intention and attention was directed to God not to Manasseh, then you believe in the God of the Jews, whose faith existed prior to Christians.  But you do not seem to want to believe in the God of the Muslems who existed after Jesus.  Allah advised that He authored their Book, the Torah, and sent to them His Messenger Moses.

 

Reading through your message, I find this point appropriate to explain that my discussion with you is plainly to convey to you the message of Allah, not to convince you otherwise.  It is neither my intention to direct criticism to you or to your faith, nor is it my objective to oblige you to submit to my thinking and to yield a confession of being unable to answer my question.

 

The fact is that my philosophy is that I learn from the others before teaching them, to advise myself before extending my advice to them.  The Prophet said that a great reward will be granted to him whose own shortcomings keep him busy as not to watch the shortcomings of the others.  The Bible says something like:  Why do you behold the straw in your brother’s eye and overlook the beam in your eye.  I direct questions to you because you tried to convey to me a message.  In order for me to accept or reject such a message, I have to study it carefully so that my acceptance or rejection of the same should be on sound grounds.  My questions then are aimed at getting answers which would assist me rather than to criticize you or your faith.

 

It could be relevant here to state that I deal with you wholeheartedly and with good intention as a brother in humanity not as an infidel.  I expect you to deal with me on the same basis because we seem to be conducting a reasonable discussion aimed at understanding each other in an atmosphere of complete tolerance.  It is important then to know that there is a difference between Islam, which is my religion, and a Muslem which I am.  There is also a difference between Islam, the religion of Allah, and your prejudgments, or what you know or have been told about Islam and Muslems.

 

I note that Allah does not resort to scrupulous means to grant forgiveness.  It is a very simple procedure not tantamount to the sacrifice of oneself or of others because we all are equal.  Here is another demonstration of the forgiveness of Allah which I quote from the book “Riyadu-Ssaliheen”:

 

-  Allah, the Almighty, says: “Whosoever does a good deed, will have (reward) ten times like it and I add more; and whosoever does an evil, will have the punishment like it or I will forgive (him); and whosoever approaches Me by one span, I will approach him by one cubit; and whosoever approaches Me by one cubit, I approach him by one fathom, and whosoever comes to Me walking, I come to him running; and whosoever meets Me with an earth-load of sins without associating anything with Me, I meet him with forgiveness like that”.

 

-  Some prisoners were brought to Messenger of Allah amongst whom there was a woman who was running (searching for her child). When she saw a child among the captives, she took hold of it, pressed it against her belly and gave it a suck. Messenger of Allah said, “Do you think this woman would ever throw her child in fire?”  Those present said, “By Allah, she would never throw the child in fire.” Thereupon Messenger of Allah said, "Allah is more kind to his slave than this woman is to her child”.

 

-  Messenger of Allah said, "Allah has divided mercy into one hundred parts.  He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent down to earth one part. Through this one part creatures deal with one another with compassion, so much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should hurt it".

 

-  Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious said: “A slave committed a sin and he said: O Allah, forgive my sin,” and Allah said: “My slave committed a sin and then he realized that he has a Rubb (Arabic word for ‘Lord’) who forgives the sins, and also punishes for the sin.” He then again committed a sin and said: “My Rubb, forgive my sin,” and Allah said: “My slave committed a sin and then realized that he has a Rubb who forgives the sins, and also punishes for the sin.” He again committed a sin and said: “My Rubb, forgive my sin,” and Allah said: “My slave has committed a sin and then realized that he has a Rubb who forgives the sins, and also punishes for the sin. I have granted forgiveness to my slave. Let him do whatever he likes".

 

-  Messenger of Allah said, "By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, were you not to commit sins, Allah would replace you with people who would commit sins and then seek forgiveness from Allah; and Allah would forgive them".

 

-  The Prophet recited the Words of Allah, the Exalted and the Glorious, about Ibrahim (Abraham) who said: "O my Rubb! They (the idols) have led astray many among mankind. But whosoever follows me, he verily, is of me". (14:36) and those of Essa (Jesus) who said: "If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily, You, only You, are the Almighty, the All-Wise". (5:118). Then the Prophet raised up his hands and said, "O Allah! My Ummah (nation of followers), my Ummah,'' and wept; Allah, the Exalted, said: "O Jibril (Gabriel)! Go to Muhammad and ask him what makes you weep? So Jibril came to Muhammad and asked him about the reason of his weeping; and the Messenger of Allah informed him what he had said (though Allah knew it well). Upon this Allah said: "Jibril, go to Muhammad and say: “Verily, We will satisfy you with regard to your Ummah and will never sadden you".

 

-  The Prophet said, "Allah, the Exalted, stretches His Hand during the night so that those who commit sins by day may repent; and He stretches His Hand in the day so that those who commit sins by night may repent. He keeps doing so until the sun rises from the West".

 

-  Allah, the Exalted, said: “O son of Adam, as long as you beseech me and beg me, I forgive you for whatever sins you have committed, and I do not mind.  O son of Adam, even if your sins reached the height of the sky, then you asked for my forgiveness, I would forgive you, and I do not mind.  O son of Adam, if you came to Me with an earth-full of sins, and then you met Me associating nothing with Me, I would bring to you an earth-full of forgiveness.”

 

According to the religion of Islam, Allah the Creator authored Books and sent Messengers to people bearing His message which, in the case of some nations, was included in the relevant Book specifically designed for them.  The major three Books are the Torah given to Moses and sent to people who later became the Jews; the Bible taught to Jesus and sent to the Jews of whom some later became Christians, and the Quraan inspired to Mohammad and sent to pagan Arabs who mostly became Muslems later.

 

It is part of the tenet of a Muslem to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers without any discrimination.  The dispatch of a Messenger, with or without a Book, was necessitated by the circumstances in which the respective people lived.  It was Allah’s plan that one Book was appropriate for one nation only; hence the teachings in the Bible abrogated the content of the Torah.  Similarly, the teachings of the Quraan abrogated the content of the Bible and were meant to remain in force till doomsday.

 

Although Muslems respect the Torah and the Bible as Books authored by Allah, the People of the Book do not respect the Quraan but consider it as a book good to represent the faith of the Muslems.  In taking such a step, the Christians and the Jews do not honor the Muslems who pay respect to the Torah and the Bible.  This disrespect casts a shadow of theological racism and apartheid.  In this respect, one observes that while the Jews and the Christians mistrust each other, they stand together against Islam.  The following two verses of the Quraan support this view:

 

”The Jews say the Nazarenes are not on anything, and the Nazarenes say it is the Jews who are not on anything. Yet they both read the Book. And those who do not know say like their saying. Allah will judge between them their disputes on the Day of Resurrection.”

 

“You will please neither the Jews nor the Nazarenes unless you follow their creed. Say: 'The guidance of Allah is the guidance.' And if you yield to their desires, after all the knowledge you have been given, you shall not have other than Allah as a guide or a helper.”

 

It is not unlikely that OT Theology is subject to oriented study, whereas the Quraan is studied and quoted for disorientation.  The truth is that the Quraan is a perfectly complete recital of the theological history of the various nations who lived on this earth since creation.  The circumstance dictates a quotation from the Bible:  Never cast thy pearls (or jewels) before swine.

 

As explained above, it is the plan of Allah for this world that His “BEST” Messenger should come last, just one step away from doomsday.  This is a matter on which only Allah the Creator can decide and evaluate.  Presidents and kings earn titles in this world from people and can decide on matters relating to them.  Even Mormon Smith can claim to be the last or the best, but he has to support his claim before joining the cue.  Theologically accredited firsts, lasts or bests in Allah’s plan are able to produce authorization received from Allah.

 

Sure, we may start with looking at what the Bible and the Quraan have to say about the subject of creation.  You may start this.

 

Although you disagreed that Adam was the only human being with his Creator, still you did not point out any human that was present.  It is true though that the ones you named were present later at the time of the eating fro the tree incident.  I am talking about the moment the first human was being created.  However, your answer replied to my first question to you about the difference between East and West in looking upon Jesus as God or only as a son of God.  Muslems do have differences in their view of certain minor issues of their religion, but the differences between the two types of Christians are obviously at the zenith of their faith.  Accordingly, I can safely conclude that whatever the Quraan told me about Christianity is correct beyond any doubt.

 

Christian RESPONSE(10)

 

You are on my heart this morning early.  I know you are in your holiday season there and very busy.  We are also entering into the Christmas season here.  On the 2nd of this month was my last day at work.  The next day I was looking for jobs and trying to apply.  That thing about "the Lord never closes one door without opening another" kept my ear to the ground.  But I was in Hebrews and my snail pace one chapter a day was into ch. 4 where "enter My [God's] rest"  was repeated many times.  I kept wanting to know if the Lord was speaking this to me.  My mind was so scattered that nothing was making sense.  I was tying up loose ends at the hospital.  This morning the Lord had me turn to Psalms where David is on the run, 18; 34; 52.  I really wept my way through them.  Was God telling me that I am done with being a doc?  He seemed to be saying that it is ok to be just a regular person.   But I don't know how to be one!  I guess my kids will have to teach me again.

 

On the mission front a friend wrote this:  Some of the relatives showed up from other places and secretly pirated food in the folds of their garments!?!  Perhaps I need to sign up for the pirating food plan :)  Just kidding.  Do you like to joke?

 

In thinking about you Mohammad, the Lord wanted me to share this from Hebrews 5:5-8  "So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high prist.  But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father.  And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.  During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.  Alsthough he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and onece made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek."

 

Perhaps God wanted me to email you this because a lot of Muslims have asked me where in the Bible did God make Jesus His Son (thinking that Jesus designated himself as God's son.  So here you have the place.  God designated Jesus as His son.

 

About creation sources in the Bible:.  Here is a sample of what is in the Bible for your review.  Please note that if a Creator wrote a document (or had it written by men) , He would have included much deltailed information about creation to His created beings.  And so there is much more confidence I have that the Bible is the real Word of the Creator because of the massive amount of material about the creation that the Creator has placed in the Bible as follows:

1. One would expect certain topics be covered in any reasonable book that came from God. 2. One would also expect that the internal wiring of a book from God be specific, that exacting emphasis on important themes would course through it and surface in ways that would draw attention to what God wanted to highlight. 3. In addition, one would expect that God would show special favor to the protection of the book down through the ages in that it was maintained in a way that demonstrated preservation, immutability and resilience.

 

1. The topics that one would expect be covered would include information about the creation that man finds himself living in. The Bible starts out by addressing this in Genesis:

 

1: 1 In the beginning 1  God 2  created 3  the heavens and the earth. 4

 

In a book from God, one would expect that any dwelling that God would live in would be adorned with favorite symbols and pictures on the surface that He is proud of. So it is not surprising that we find His temple saturated with lavish displays of His creation as described in 2 Chronicles 3 & 4 as follows:

 

3: 3 Solomon laid the foundation for God’s temple; 4  its length (determined according to the old standard of measure) was 90 feet, and its width 30 feet. 5  3:

4: 19 Solomon also made these items for God’s temple: the gold altar, the tables on which the Bread of the Presence 21  was kept, 4:20

Also another temple described in Ezekiel is abundantly stocked with aquatic life, as follows:

 

47: 1 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple.

 

Before leaving Ezekiel, it is important to mention that the infrastructure of human anatomy is highlighted by the Lord in two passages, one about the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel and one about human development in Psalms as follows:

 

Ezekiel-The Valley of Dry Bones

37: 1 The hand 1  of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and placed 2  me in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones. 37:2

 

Psalms

139: 13 Certainly 19  you made my mind and heart; 20

you wove me together 21  in my mother’s womb.

In addition to beginning the Bible with this documentation about the important subject of the creation, the Author of the Bible continues to lay down large tracts of space in the Bible to weaving facts about His creation of the universe and how He interacts with people dwelling in His creation. A great example of this is found in the book of Job where God wants to emphasize to Job the magnitude of the Creator and what it took to create the world that Job finds himself in as follows from the book of Job:

 

38: 2 “Who is this 3  who darkens counsel 4

with words without knowledge?

One cannot read the Bible without seeing that many other passages echo Job-like passages as the Creator repetitively emphasizes that He wants man to respect what He has made. Some of these Job-like passages are found in Isaiah and Proverbs as follows:

 

Isaiah:

40: 10 Look, the sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior; 19

his military power establishes his rule. 20

Proverbs:

8: 23 From eternity I was appointed, 42

from the beginning, from before the world existed. 43

Other huge tracks of ground are given to the splendor of creation in many other parts of the Bible. For example fantastic descriptions of the creation are throughout Psalms and Proverbs. A favorite is the following from Psalms:

104: 1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, you are magnificent. 2

In Proverbs God seems to want to WOW us with the physiology of His creation as follows: 

 

30: 18 There are three things that are too wonderful for me, 51

four that I do not understand:

30: 19 the way 52  of an eagle in the sky,

the way of a snake on a rock,

the way of a ship in the sea,

and the way of a man with a woman. 53

 

The thread of creation continues to surface in the New Testament showing the consistency of God to want to put the spotlight on creation through the life of His Son Jesus because Jesus emphasized creation in many of his teaching sessions including the Sermon on the Mount and parables such as the following from Matthew:

 

6: 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry 33  about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 6:26

And here in Luke a parable Jesus taught highlights creation:

8: 5 “A sower went out to sow 17  his seed. 18  And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds 19  devoured it. 8:6

We see God continuing to highlight His creation through the writings of Paul as this apostle of Christ writes about the theme of branches being grafted in, a theme about growing the olive root, referring to the body of Christ that runs throughout the Bible and is found surfacing here again in Romans as follows 11: 16 If the first portion 11  of the dough offered is holy, then the whole batch is holy, and if the root is holy, so too are the branches. 12

Through James, the half brother of Jesus, God chooses to use some of creation as a learning tool of how tame the tongue as follows in the book of James:

 3: 2 For we all stumble 3  in many ways. If someone does not stumble 4  in what he says, 5  he is a perfect individual, 6  able to control the entire body as well. 3:3

God has even chosen to adorn His throne with His creation as recorded in the Book of Revelation as follows:

4: 1 After these things I looked, and there was 1  a door standing open in heaven! 2  And the first voice I had heard speaking to me 3  like a trumpet 4  said: “Come up here so that 5  I can show you what must happen after these things.”

The value of the sister passage in Ezekiel that highlights many of the same elements of the Creators splendor as those mentioned above in Revelation should not be ignored. The prophetic throne room of God is depicted in Ezekiel millennia before Revelation was written as follows:

1: 4 As I watched, I noticed 10  a windstorm 11  coming from the north – an enormous cloud, with lightning flashing, 12  such that bright light 13  rimmed it and came from 14  it like glowing amber 15  from the middle of a fire. 1:5 In the fire 16  were what looked like.

My point is that you and I have a bias because of our investment and it is good for us to take note of our own bias since we are evaluating each others text. 

There is much more, but I am running out of time now.  Best wishes as always.

 

 

 

Muslem MESSAGE (11)

 

If I am on your heart, then I intend to write to you from my heart.

 

Today, four years ago, was my last day in the office.  Although unjustified pride is not a good character, I take pride in having resigned my job with a six-month notice for the sake of Allah.

 

You and I are without a job.  We are now regular persons.  I choose to work for Allah for the rest of my life.  May the Creator and Lord listen to you and provide you with the job you are looking for.  Allah said “With every difficulty there is relief”.

 

Because the Quraan is a cure, reading it relieves me of my pains and worries and charges me with spiritual energy.  During my last days in the office I used to repeat this particular verse:  “You will remember what I say to you. To Allah I commit my affair, surely, Allah sees His worshipers.”

 

You said you were reading in Hebrews, Psalms, Genesis, Old Testament, etc.  I looked up these terms mentioned in your message and thanked Allah verbally and practically for His boons in general, and for the boon of the Quraan in particular. Allah preserved His Book intact and made it available to me in one homogeneous volume excellently presented in such an articulate and enlightening manner in a language which I understand rather perfectly.  “Falsehood does not come to it from before it or from behind it.  It is sent down by One Full of Wisdom, Worthy of all Praise”.

 

Hebrews: is truly a literary and theological masterpiece, full of subtle rhetoric, sophisticated language, and evocative imagery. Whoever the author of Hebrews was, it is clear that he or she was trained rhetorically, familiar with GREEK philosophy, and very knowledgeable in the study of JEWISH scriptures.  The author accepted Jesus as the Messiah, though he or she was not an eyewitness to Jesus' ministry.

 

As early as the second century, this treatise, which is of great rhetorical power and force in its admonition to faithful pilgrimage under Christ's leadership, bore the title "To the Hebrews." It was assumed to be directed to JEWISH Christians.  Usually Hebrews was attached in GREEK manuscripts to the collection of letters by PAUL. Although no author is mentioned, a reference to Timothy suggested connections to the circle of PAUL and his assistants. Yet the exact audience, the author, and even whether Hebrews is a letter have long been DISPUTED.

 

Psalms: The word psalms is derived from the GREEK: Psalmoi, originally meaning "songs sung to a harp", from psallein "play on a stringed instrument".  David as I know is part of the JEWISH theology.

 

The Old Testament: is a collection of selected writings composed and edited by members of the Hebrew-JEWISH community between the twelfth century B.C. and the beginning of the Christian era. It includes such diverse materials as prophetic oracles, teachings of wise men, instructions of priests and ancient records of the royal courts. Some material is historical, some is legendary; some is legalistic, some is didactic.

 

The term "Old Testament," or more properly "Old Covenant," is a Christian designation, reflecting the belief of the early Christian Church that the "new covenant" was fulfilled in Jesus and that the Christian scriptures set forth the "new covenant," just as the Jewish scriptures set forth the "old covenant".

 

For the Christian, the Old Testament is that part of Holy Scripture known and quoted by Jesus and the New Testament writers. Often, it is viewed as the prologue to the New Testament, as a document which, pointing forward to Jesus, is to be interpreted in the light of the New Testament, where Old Testament promises find fulfillment.

 

The Bible, as we know it today: is the end product of a long process of writing, editing and selecting of literature primarily concerned with JEWISH religious concepts, and, as such, it has a long literary history.  It cannot be assumed that a group of men composed writings echoing what they thought God was dictating. The Bible reflects historical situations, human events, men's reactions to these happenings, and the belief that God was also involved in events.

 

Having read this, a number of questions invaded my mind, but I suppressed them lest I sound too critical of your faith.  Then I recited to myself the following verse from the Quraan:  “And remember Jesus, the son of Mary, said: ‘O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah to you, to confirm the Torah that was sent before me, and to give Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.’ But when he came to them with Clear Signs, they said, ‘This is evident sorcery!’”

 

There is no need for anyone to pirate food or else.  Allah divided His sustenance among all His creatures.  Even those who steel an article or a sum of money were destined to get the same either way.  Steeling the article would be punishable; whereas being patient and believer would drive the article to the person through Allah’s grant.  In the ideal Muslem society and under the Zakat (obligatory charity) system, the poor is keenly looked for by the rich in order to be able to comply with the tenet.

 

Joking is a tendency which Islam preaches against.  Prophet Mohammad warned of excessive laughter since it is a means which renders the heart dead.  The Prophet also said:  Had you known what I know; you would have laughed only a little, but would have wept so much.  Therefore, I do not joke or like to listen to jokes; although I might have a serene sense of humor at times.

 

A Muslem’s question about where in the BIBLE did God make Jesus His son is a negative one.  A similar question would be:  Why do not Christians believe in Prophet Mohammad although his name is mentioned in the Bible?  This is a naive question based on theological illiteracy on the part of a Muslem.  Your subtle answer to the former question came from “Hebrews” though.  For the Muslem in the first instance, the Bible does not cover the Old Testament (if he ever knew what it is).  In the second instance, the Muslem must have overlooked the emphatic words of Allah that the Torah and the Injil (Bible) which He authored have been manipulated, altered and distorted.  Moreover, the question is intended to drag the Christian to saying a statement against his own faith.  For a true believer, the Quraan provided the minutest detail so as to preclude questioning.    

 

One thing can be safely said in this respect.  God made Jesus His son and authored the present Bible (the above definitions contradict).  And Allah is the One with neither family members nor partners authored the Injil (Bible) which He chose to raise with Essa (Jesus) leaving ample space for people to subject the telltale of the book to a long process of writing, editing and selection of literature, especially Jewish (under the guidance of Paul).

 

Because you quote Genesis which is part of the Old Testament (to a Muslem it is the Torah), it is for you, if you want to be fair, to either quote the Quraan and recognize it as one of the Books authored by Allah, or you accept the fact that the Bible “as we know it today” lacks immense details about a number of subjects, one of which is creation, in view of its dependence on the Torah.  Of course I do not insist; you are free to believe what you want.

 

There is a big difference between a Creator writing a document and having it written by men.  There is also a bigger difference between a Creator deciding for himself on the fashion in which he wishes to have a document written and the claim by a person that the Creator chose to have a document written in a certain fashion.

 

May I disagree with the view that a Creator would include much detailed information about his creation?  Again, this is tantamount to deciding on behalf of the Creator.  In my opinion, quality is much more important than quantity as seen in the following example:

 

When Zachariah prayed to Allah to grant him a son, the Angels informed him that Allah had granted his request.  Zachariah then wondered how a frail, old man like him would father a son, while his wife is barren and never gave birth to any baby.  The Angels responded by delivering Zachariah a message that Allah DOES whatever He wished.

 

When Mary was advised that she would give birth to a baby, she wondered how she could be a mother while she was never touched by a man and never was a bad woman.  The Angel appeased her by stating that Allah CREATES whatever He wished.

 

The difference between the utilization of the two verbs (does and creates) in the above two situations is indeed indicative of the stature of Allah as the Creator and as the Author of the Quraan.  Only Allah knows how to utilize one verb to categorically decide  a case.

 

In my previous message I quoted to you a number of verses of which the following was the epilogue:  “Such is the creation of Allah; now show me what, other than Him, created! No, the transgressors are in clear error”.

 

The point here is that you may (through citations from the “Bible”) come up with the conclusion that the Creator is God.  Similarly, I may (through citations from the Quraan) come to the conclusion that Allah is the Creator.  The question is:  How would both of us agree on one and the same Creator?  It takes a whole heart to be achieved.

 

Having defined the various terms which you used in your message, I fail to see how did God show special favor to the protection of the “Bible” down through the ages and maintain it in a way that demonstrates preservation, immutability and resilience.  You indicated how the “Bible” started the subject of creation in Genesis 1.  But it happened that I read the end of Genesis 50 as follows:

 

4: And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, …

 

Historically speaking, the ruler during the Joseph era was a King.  The Pharaohs ruled Egypt during the Moses era.  This is how it is stated in the Quraan.  It is proven beyond any doubt that the Quraan is authored by Allah, the Creator, and that the author of Genesis is as poor in history as a pupil in grade one.

 

 

Christian RESPONSE (11) 

 

To my Muslim friend from half way around the world; here is how a dear cousin comforts me in my distresses about joblessness:

 

"Thank you for your letter of sharing your heart with us.  I am so priviledged to be a burden bearer of your trials, and thank God that He has put you on my heart and caused me to pray for you and whatever He has for your future.  I know this, God is calling you to a close, deep and intimate place with Him, and in that place of His Spirit, you will hear His voice and direction that you are desperate to know.  He loves you both and He sees your hearts cry for Him.  He said that He will lead and guide us, and will never forsake us.  He will see you through beloved ones.

 

To share a victory report, my son ... is doing very well since his release from prison.  He married his long time girlfriend, ... who has remained faithful to him with her letters of encouragement and love during his time in prison.  They were married on the 3rd and live next door to my other son, James who rents the house to them.  We feel that even though we haven't found a job yet, have no home, and at times wondering "what's going on Lord?", we are on the mission field and God will meet our needs. 

 

We are hoping to leave on the 14th for a two week visit to ... and spend the holidays with Mom, Dad and family there.  Mom had another close call two nights ago with a rush to the emergency room with chest pain. Her blood pressure had soared to 325/170. They brought it down, and want her to go back to her heart doctor and be checked out again.  Her heart was strong, no damage, but she has efilb?, and it has been out of sync for quite awhile, and she has been exhausted.  They really need someone at their house, taking care of them until she can get some strength back.  We are praying for some finances, in hope to go back and be of some help to them and get a break ourselves.  It's so hard to know my parents are hurting.  Mom was so happy to hear that you and I have been in touch.  She is just starting to read "The Heavenly Man", and I am anxious to hear of what she will gain in her heart by reading it.

 

Dear sweet cousin, may you be richly rewarded with the joys of being in His presence as you seek Him for guidance in the next days and weeks.  I anticipate what He is going to do in you and through you.  He has much ahead for you.

 

This past 9 days I have been sick with some kind of flu virus that pretty much wiped me out of strength and energy of any kind, but through it all I found God speaking to me and desperate for Him.  When you shared about your physical problem, my heart hurt for you, as I have had so much illness in my life, especially with my GI tract, that whenever I hear of someone suffering similar symptoms, I cry out to God for their healing.  I know what you have been going through, and hope that a new life will bring you new health to your body, soul and spirit.

 

Forgive my not writing sooner, as this was my first opportunity to the computer.

 

Love always, in the name of Jesus,"

 

So you can see Mohammad, I am surrounded by angels here on the Christian front.  My cousin and I are both jobless and ill at the same time.  We want you to see how we cling onto the hope that is in Christ as a guidepost for your future.  I take no comfort in anything from Allah or from the Koran, so you need not quote it as hope to me, even though I take it that you are trying to encourage me.  The Bible, as my cousin has angelically written, has more comfort per square inch than any other text in the universe.

 

The Bible addresses both kings and Pharaohs in Josephs time as follows:

Pharaoh

   the official title borne by the Egyptian kings down to the time

   when that country was conquered by the Greeks. (See EGYPT.) The name is a compound, as some think, of the words

   Ra, the "sun" or "sun-god," and the article phe, "the,"

   prefixed; hence phera, "the sun," or "the sun-god." But others,

   perhaps more correctly, think the name derived from Perao, "the

   great house" = his majesty = in Turkish, "the Sublime Porte."

  

     (1.) The Pharaoh who was on the throne when Abram went down

   into Egypt (Gen. 12:10-20) was probably one of the Hyksos, or

   "shepherd kings." The Egyptians called the nomad tribes of Syria

   Shasu, "plunderers," their king or chief Hyk, and hence the name

   of those invaders who conquered the native kings and established

   a strong government, with Zoan or Tanis as their capital. They

   were of Semitic origin, and of kindred blood accordingly with

   Abram. They were probably driven forward by the pressure of the

   Hittites. The name they bear on the monuments is "Mentiu."

  

     (2.) The Pharaoh of Joseph's days (Gen. 41) was probably

   Apopi, or Apopis, the last of the Hyksos kings. To the old

   native Egyptians, who were an African race, shepherds were "an

   abomination;" but to the Hyksos kings these Asiatic shepherds

   who now appeared with Jacob at their head were congenial, and

   being akin to their own race, had a warm welcome (Gen. 47:5, 6).

   Some argue that Joseph came to Egypt in the reign of Thothmes

   III., long after the expulsion of the Hyksos, and that his

   influence is to be seen in the rise and progress of the

   religious revolution in the direction of monotheism which

   characterized the middle of the Eighteenth Dynasty. The wife of

   Amenophis III., of that dynasty, was a Semite. Is this singular

   fact to be explained from the presence of some of Joseph's

   kindred at the Egyptian court? Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Thy

   father and thy brethren are come unto thee: the land of Egypt is

   before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and

   brethren to dwell" (Gen. 47:5, 6).

  

     (3.) The "new king who knew not Joseph" (Ex. 1:8-22) has been

   generally supposed to have been Aahmes I., or Amosis, as he is

   called by Josephus. Recent discoveries, however, have led to the

   conclusion that Seti was the "new king."

 

What you fail to have observed by not dissecting the Bible in its entirety, or taking even the time to read it, is that when you look at the thematic wires that connect the books of the Bible with regard to the themes that run through it, there is massive evidence its writing was guided by One Author...the Creator.  That is one of the reasons I quoted some contents about the writing of creation from several books, so that you could examine that continuous wire that runs throughout its length.  I did not extract but a mere tenth to twentieth of the enormous writings the Bible contains about creation.  If you want to compare quality, give me your best passage from the Koran about creation, and I will match it with 3 from the Bible that will reveal the lacks Koran thereof.

 

Verification of little or no change in texts of the OT other than the Torah were verified by the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery and "Isaiah" was recovered intact without any meaningful changes in text from 1000 BC.  No other ancient manuscript in history was found so immutable and intact.

 

That Isaiah and Psalms and a host of other OT and NT books of the Bible are saturated with high octane, state of the art pictures of creation wrecks your arguments.  The Koran cannot compete in the category of documentations about creation.

 

I stake my future on the fact that when you look at the internal wiring of both the Bible and Koran, the Bible has more hard core wired evidence that a Creator directed its writing because of the fact that it contains a more complete, accurate, immutable and laser image of the Creators creation wired in it and running throughout its length, just like the Creator wanted his created people to understand.  The Koran has no such wired evidence about creation running the course of its length.

 

There are other evidences when we dissect the wiring  of eacnh text to press on to see, and we should move next to the comparisons that each text has about heaven.  My statement is this, that one should rest their faith on the manuscript with more quality, quantity and multi-perspective viewpoints and clarity...and expecially with the evidence of the wire of continuity running through it.  Thematic wires, thats what were talking about here.  Lets dissect!!!!!  Would you agree?

 

 

 

 

Muslem MESSAGE (12)

 

In addition to mine, there is some more comfort about your state of joblessness:  Obama will make 2.5 million jobs available over two years; and some economical analysts give the unemployed the advice that they join the army during recession.

 

It is rather perplexing for me to realize that you are trying to provide me with (Christ as) a guidepost for my future.  This makes of me in your view no more than a lost creature.  This one-sided view is annoying in view of your rejection of anything that comes from Allah and the Quraan.  You are free to believe that Christ is God and that the Bible is the finest book, this is your faith.  Freedom is also mine.

 

Your extended argument about the words “Pharaoh” and “King” falls under the quantity column of our discussion.  There are people who embraced Islam on the basis of their understanding of the quality of the Quraan which contained these two words in the proper context.  This is not because they could not provide the scholarly historic research which you have cited, but because they knew that neither Prophet Mohammad nor any of the Arabs (by the year 600 AD) had the knowledge of such a matter.

 

If you are interested in learning about the comfort embedded in the Quraan, look for research on some (non-Arab and non-Muslem) ill people in the United States and Canada whose status improved upon listening to recitals from the Quraan.  Perhaps it is all psychological; so forget it.  If I believe that the Quraan is a cure, it is simply because Allah said that, not because doctors researched the fact.  It is true that the Quraan to the believers is guidance and a healing.  Those who do not believe, there is heaviness in their ears, and the Quraan to them is blindness.

 

You ascribed my failure to observe your point to my not having dissected the (whole) Bible.  On your part, you failed to want to understand one (single) verse in which I explained to you how the Quraan magnificently used two verbs (“does” and “creates”) situationally.  You failed to accept the argument about the two words “Pharaoh” and “King” of Egypt.  You also failed to wish to understand another single verse in which Essa (Jesus) reported to the Descendants of Israel (the Jews), that he was sent to them by Allah to confirm the Torah, and to advise them that a Messenger of Allah with the name of Ahmad would follow.

 

By quoting the Torah you are confirming your unconscious implication that the Quraan is correct on Essa’s mission.  The Gospels alone do not support the whole story.  The reason why the Injeel was given to Essa is to rectify the materialistic aspect of the life of predominant Jews.  Therefore, it did not contain the whole story, a part of which is creation.  It only focused on spiritual aspects of life.  This is why Allah authored Books and sent Messengers.  Nonetheless, you are not compelled to believe it.

 

Not only you burdened me with the dissection of the (entire) Bible, but also suggested that I take the time to read (the whole of) it.  This comes simultaneously in the same message where you reject the least of the Quraan.  Is this fair play?  In fact, I achieve more enjoyment in reading the Greek mythology or even Shakespeare than reading the Bible.  Why should I be looking for wires in the Bible when the Quraan provided me with an optic fiber cable which connects me to all destinations?

 

Why do you think you do not want to read the Quraan?  The answer is because you will find there the full truth about your disillusion; and you will discover that the same wires are running there to indicate that authentic Books have the same divine Author, the Creator.  Why would Allah render a Muslem’s faith incomplete if he did not accept all the Books sent down to the various nations?  Why does (your) God limit His authorship to the Bible only?  Why would He allow the other Books to issue?  Following the example of Satan who led a mutiny against God, are these rebellious books?

 

I insist that your quotations regarding the subject of creation were concerned with the quantity with a view to pushing the other party to succumb to a supposed deficient argument.  This is not the case in the Quraan, the Arabic language, and the Arabs who received the Quraan as a linguistic miracle of the type of industry in which they excelled.  A single word in the Quraan would preclude the need for a whole encyclopedia.

 

Your argument in support of such Biblical quotation is aimed at asserting a pre-judgment that the author of the Bible is the only author who could put so much material in the subject.  Accordingly, inflation becomes the god of modern times; and a balloon is more valuable than an elephant.  Since this is a biased view, I decline further quantitative argument. 

 

When you say you could give from the Bible three times the material I produce from the Quraan, you resort to establishing your arguments on the concept of challenge.  According to your standards I must have failed the Creation argument test.  Then what can I present in the subject of love when I can produce only two verses?  What can I offer in the subject of tolerance where I can produce zero verses?

 

Now I understand how you can compel a Muslem to convert to Christianity.  It is the concept of challenge, obligation and defeat.  Now I can rest assured that you only win the defeated Muslems who do not know their faith intuitively.  This does not apply to me because I indulge in a discussion with you on the basis of a disclaimer that I do not represent Islam.  In the instanced where I cannot produce evidence in support of an issue relating to Islam, this does not mean that Islam is defeated.  I am the defeated.

 

The truth which I know is that the authentic books which Allah authored and sent prior to the Quraan had been raised to where they belong on the Preserved Board in the seventh heaven.  Satan replenished the vacuum created as such by the books now present, just in the same way Satan tendered his advice to Adam to fill a vacuum created by forgetfulness.

 

Allah sent down Books suitable for their respective eras.  This is a test to the human being so that Allah may establish evidence against those who disbelieve.  The results of the test will be posted on the Day of Judgment.  Then the verdicts will be irreversible.

 

You mentioned the Dead Sea scrolls (which I used to show to my guests at the Amman Museum) and hailed their immutability and intactness.  Are you going to tell the world when the scrolls of the Barnabas Bible are unearthed from Saint Peter’s floor?  You do not know that the Quraan has been inscribed in its divine scrolls ever since Allah initiated His plan for creation.  You do not believe that the last should necessarily be the best, but you do not know that the Quraan is the very first, and that Allah is the very First.

 

As to antiquities, the Quraan mentioned the first worship place on earth which is the Antique House in Mecca, Noah’s Arc, the remnants of which are now in Turkey, the sacrifice of Abraham which Muslems observe these very days (the pretenders do not), The Maareb Dam in Yemen, the preserved body of the Pharaoh who drowned in the pursuit of Moses and his nation, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Dead Sea, Petra and similar sites in Arabia, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ascension Rock in Jerusalem.  The scrolls which you are talking about are man-made; whereas the Quraan relates to divine content.  The Quraan’s habitat is in the hearts of men, not on papyrus paper or copper scrolls.

 

By the way, Jordan claims to have the new site of baptism.  Traditionally the site is on the west bank of River Jordan, but now it is said that the site should actually be on the east bank of the river.  Everything is possible these days, especially if the claim can be supported by text from scrolls.  Just like there is an Old Testament and a New Testament, there is an old site of baptism and a new site of baptism.

 

We have a proverb in colloquial Arabic which says:  The alopeciatic (bald, hairless through a disease) woman brags about here niece’s hair.  This is your case when you quote other than the Gospels.  To be objective and convincing, you have to stick to the literature directly relating to your faith.  Quoting another Book means accrediting its author.  Who do you think is the Author of the Torah?  You cannot accept part of the Book and reject another, or accept one Book and reject the other.  You cannot accept one Book and reject another.

 

The example of your quantitative challenge is like a challenge between a world champion marathon runner and a world champion heavyweight lifter.  Both are world champions but they cannot compete with each other.  Similarly, each of the three Books which Allah authored has its own objective.  The Torah was directed to the Descendants of Israel to deal with their materialistic approach to religious aspects.  The Injeel was directed to the Jews to provide them with a spiritual dose through Essa who accepted the Torah and foretold about the coming Messenger of Allah.  The Quraan is the closing Book which incorporated all previous Books and affirmed Allah’s message to the world:  There is no god but Allah.

 

In order for me to prove that your challenge is quantity-oriented, I tell you that the Quraan claims that Allah is the “Inventor” of the heavens and the earth.  Allah created them without a prior model.  This invention which has been patented to Allah since creation means that no party could claim proprietorship of the same.  Can your God create something else to prove a competitive capability?  The Quraan claims that Allah is the Ultra-Creator and the Supreme Creator; can your Bible demonstrate a similar quality of your God?

 

The Quraan confirms that Allah is capable of creating yet another set of the heavens and the earth.  Can your God create a different set outside the Allah’s Kingdom?  Allah brings the sun out from the east; can your God bring the sun out from the West?  The Quraan claims that Allah created Essa without a father, that He made him speak in the cradle, raised him to the second heaven, and will send him back to the earth to mark the proximity of doomsday.  Where in the Bible is a demonstration that your God is capable of such creation?

 

You are the opponent and the judge together.  This does not work in a fair world of Allah, but may work in a democratic world.  You issued your verdict against the Quraan stating that it cannot compete in the category of documentations about creation.  You are thus comparing your human manuscripts with a divine word from Allah.  This is what Christians have done in the case of Jesus; you subjected a human being to your human senses ending up with transforming him into a deity.  The Quraan is not a book on the history of a country or a people; it is an inspiration made available to human beings in the form of a modern medium called a book.

 

Not having read the Quraan, how do you know that the Quraan cannot compete with “human” manuscripts?  How do you know that the Quraan has no such wired evidence about creation?  Or you have read the Quraan but you ask questions selectively in bad faith to insinuate that the Quraan is not worth the paper it is written on.  Why do you pretend to know better than the Author of the Quraan by stating what you think His book lacks?

 

What I tell you about the Torah and the Bible is the word of Allah as inscribed in the Quraan, not as I evaluate them.  Tell me what has your God said in the Bible about the Quraan?

 

You may stake your future on whatever you like.  I may stake my future on the belief in Allah.  You do not buy anything in the Quraan for a penny.  I do not buy anything in the Bible for a penny.  Why should you bother me with the task of looking at the internal wiring of the Bible?  Faith does not need examination, cross-examination, and re-examination.  You believe in the Bible, period.  I believe in the Quraan, period.

 

I reiterate that I prefer to read Shakespear or even Chausser than reading the Bible.  Relying on the dissection or intactness of human manuscripts only produces scholars in history and archaeology, whereas listening to divine inspiration and revelation produces believers.  The former are suitable for this life on earth; the latter are best for heavens in the afterlife.

 

My objective from this discussion is neither to criticize people’s faith nor to impose on them to accept my faith.  It is neither to dissect their theological books and manuscripts nor to ask for their opinion as to the style or diction of my book.  My objective is only to straightforwardly and honestly relay a message received from Allah to those who will stand before Him for accountability in the hereafter.  Consequently, let him believe whoever wishes to; and let him disbelieve whoever wishes to.

 

 

Christian RESPONSE (12)

 

re: Why should I be looking for wires in the Bible

when the Quraan provided me with an optic fiber cable which connects

me to all destinations?----------because you are a man who wants to know the truth.

 

re: Faith does not need examination, cross-examination, and

re-examination. ----------------this is not true and you know it.

 

re: Why should

you bother me with the task of looking at the internal wiring of the

Bible? ---------------because you are an intelligent man and if you are wrong, you want to know it.

 

re: How do you know that the Quraan has

no such wired evidence about creation?--------------because you cannot show me the wire.

 

Your message is very defensive.

Please do tell me what you think about this man:

 

 

 

 

Muslem MESSAGE (13)

 

 

You say that I am a man who wants to know the truth.

 

Did I tell you that I am a man who wants to know the truth?  This is a wrong assumption that I do not know the truth.  This is misleadingly laudatory of your version of the truth.  The answer is a big no.  You made a guess and then believed yourself, then projected your guess on me.  This is originated in the fact that there are some people who say Allah has a son.  Has He said that He has a son?  These people volunteered to render Allah a service and think on His behalf.  This is a parasitic tendency.

 

You say that it is not true that faith does not need examination, cross-examination, and re-examination and that I know it.

 

Again you are volunteering to put your words into my mouth, your ideas into my mind, and your faith into my heart.  Without my request you are prosecuting me and are issuing unjust verdicts on me.

 

In Arabic the word is "Aqeedah", something is knotted like a thread or a wire since you are talking about wires.  It comes from the stem "Aqada" to make a knot.  The issue is first passed on the mind for decision.  Once a decision is made it is knotted in the heart and becomes Aqeedah.  If any issue is retrieved from the heart and is exposed to the logic of the mind, then this is not Aqeedah; it becomes absurdity.

 

You say you would like to bother me with the task of looking at the internal wiring of the Bible because I am an intelligent man and that if I am wrong I want to know it.

 

Again it is anesthetization, hypnotism, or maybe asphyxia.  Why is the shift from the subject of discussion to the person of the participant in the discussion?

 

When you say I am an intelligent man; is this a compliment or an insult?  The answer is that either I am intelligent and know that I am correct or that you mean to direct an insult to my person.  This is clear in your volunteering to teach me how to know it.    

 

 

You say that you know that I do not know that the Quraan has such wired evidence about creation because I cannot show you the wire.

 

You are accusing me of lying to you, whereas I explained to you my view on the subject in extensive detail.  Suppose that I do not know the wire in the Quraan.  Suppose that I am a lousy Muslem who lost a controversy to a Christian.  Congratulations, you win.  Good for you.

 

You say that my message is very defensive.

 

Your message is very illusive.  You have shifted to the classical approach of a Muslem-Christian dialogue.  I asked you to declare your objective relating to this discussion as I did in my previous message.  You chose to ignore my request and resorted to dissection; this time of my person to which you have no legitimate right.

 

You request that I do tell you what I think about that man.

 

My response regarding Botros will be in a separate message.  Or should I not bother?

 

 

Christian RESPONSE (13)

 

Please do not be irritated at me or knock me out of your computer banks. 

I am not engaging in psychological warfare.

 

re: In Arabic the word is "Aqeedah", something is knotted like a thread or a

 

wire since you are talking about wires.  It comes from the stem "Aqada" to

make a knot.  The issue is first passed on the mind for decision.  Once a

decision is made it is knotted in the heart and becomes Aqeedah.  If any

issue is retrieved from the heart and is exposed to the logic of the mind,

 

then this is not Aqeedah; it becomes absurdity.----Today was my birthday and it was like a gift to me that you would email, because I really do enjoy comunicating with you and what you have to say, including the excellent above quote and its application to our discussions. 

 

For my birthday celebration, my daughter and son-in-law gave me a new book.    In this book I ran across a quote that is also pertinent to our contemplations, from Victor Hugo and LES MISE'RABLES.  "The greatest blunders, like the thickest ropes, are often compounded of a multitude of strands, Take the rope apart, separate it into the small threads that compose it, and you can break them one by one."

 

If the thread or wire of the Creators creation is weak in my argument for the Bible being from the Creator, I just would like you to show me where the weakness lies.  I am not targeting the Koran in a direct way, like the master Botros does.  My plan and intent is to show the strength of the Bible to you and to others who are willing to open their eyes to it. Of course this means that there will be an ultimate comparison with the Koran necessary.   If after looking more deeply at the wires (threads) of the Bible than anyone I know has, including most theologians, although this is not true of all the wires that have been examined by others, why not it be me to discuss my passion? 

 

"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for."--March 11, SAILORS' WISDOM.  Shall we harden like petriphied rock dry-docked in our harbors, or set sail upon uncharted life-giving waters?

 

If we sail, then we must look at the next wire, heaven, together.

  

 

Muslem MESSAGE (14)

 

I would not knock you out of my contacts list arbitrarily.  This would happen only when your irritation knocks my patience out of my chest.  Addressing me as a lost or an ill person who is desperate for someone to jump to his rescue is irritating and comes in the context of a psychological warfare.  It is not what you see of me that is important to me, but rather what I see of myself.  Reciprocity is indeed applicable.

 

Happy birthday Randall!  Yesterday was the birthday of my wife.  She celebrated the occasion with the boys at her parents'.  I stayed alone at home for part of the evening.  It is not that celebrating is not allowed in Islam, but rather not finding such an activity in the life of Prophet Mohammad.  A birthday celebration is a Western practice which a Muslem should not ape.  My birth, life and death are totally in the hands of Allah.  Celebrating may add to my forgetfulness of the real reason why I am here in this life.

 

If you find enjoyment in communicating with me, it is because I am sincere and honest in my discussions.  It is not my intention to impose anything on you, but rather to render you any advice you may ask for, or answer your questions with a view to establishing a better understanding between equal two human beings.

 

You qualified the quotation on faith (Aqeedah) as excellent.  The secret behind this is that I honestly communicate to you my understanding of things, rather than what is stiffly contained in books.  In other words, I convey to you my personal experience controlled by enlightened guidance emanating from my faith, whether you believe it or reject it.  As you said, relevance is very important; hence I try to discuss matters that contribute to our mutual understanding rather than separate us.

 

According to my understanding of my faith, Allah entrusted me with my children so that I may guide them to His straightforward path.  The Quraan warned me that some of my spouses and children would be enemies to me, in the sense that in my endeavor to care for them I may commit deeds which would incriminate me spiritually.  Children and welfare are boons overlying a test by Allah so that I do not forget Him as the Bestower of such boons.

 

The above paragraph is intended to be introductory to my statement that I would not celebrate a birthday, and would not accept a book other than the Quraan, and would not listen to any wisdom apart from that presented to me by Prophet Mohammad.  I learned French as my third language but later regretted that I did not spend the time (which I spent on learning French) on memorizing the Quraan.  This does not apply to English because I learned it in school, whereas I learned French, German, and Spanish leisurely.  I might have read Les Miserables and the Hunchback of Notre Dame in Arabic when I was a young boy.

 

The fact is that I should not be looking for the wisdom of fellow human beings while boycotting the hand extended to me by the One who created me and envoyed me to this life.  I do not have the time to do so.  I find the verse which commands me to hold fast to the "rope" of Allah more relevant.  The many dos and don'ts of Allah are threads compounded in one rope to which I should hold tightly.  If Satan entices me to hold to threads independently, even on the pretext that they are still from Allah, I would be breaking them in disobedience of Allah's advice to hold tightly to the rope rather than to DISSECT threads separately.

 

In my particular case, the weakness in your argument about the Creator is that you hurled on me a volume of reading which I am not prepared to assume voluntarily.  Also, you were satisfied with copying and pasting passages from the Bible, whereas I communicated to you my own words and commentary into which a personal effort has been exerted.  The difference lies in the fact that a birthday cake prepared by a loved one should taste more delicious than a cake purchased from the nearby patisserie.  You also did not show any sign that you identify with whatever arguments I present, no matter how much they are relevant.  You showed sheer one-sidedness equivalent to dictatorship.

 

We say in Arabic:  If you want to be obeyed (or listened to), then you have to ask (the other party) for what is possible.  You should not have asked me to go through the whole Bible, especially because I unmistakably expressed the wish not to do so.  It is important for the salesman to know the need of his customer.  There is a difference between knocking at the door of someone to sell him something, and the fact that the customer is himself coming to the salesman at his store.  In my case, I have no interest in any book other than the Quraan.  It is impossible to sell me another book because the fire of curiosity in me is extinct.  The light of truth is guiding me.

 

The Creator would be an excellent topic for discussion in the course of a comparison between two creators or two books.  But knowing the objective is more important.  You can lead a horse to the water, but you cannot make it drink.  In my case, I made a long story short by telling you that you would win the creation contest, but that it would not bring us closer to agreeing on who is the mutual Creator.

 

You believe in the Creator who authored the Bible; I believe in the Creator who authored the Quraan.  Your winning a contest would not force a change on me because it does not mean to me that you are right or that I am wrong.    Your faith is not what you win or loose; it is what it really is.  As one who lost the contest, my faith is not what I can defend; it is what it really is.

 

Remember that God loves you; whereas Allah loves me.

 

This is an exposure of your weaknesses on the discussion aspect of the Creator topic.  From my perspective as a Muslem who reads the Quraan, I find your argument to be weak for reasons beyond your control.  Here I am not criticizing or faultfinding, but I do not believe that the Bible is the word of the Creator.  Your approach could be right but should fail with me since this is a matter of faith.  When I comment on the Bible it is like when I examine an article offered to me for sale.  I evaluate the suitability and utility of the article for my own life rather than judge the personality of the salesman or the producer.

 

Targeting the Quraan by non-Muslems is a boon of Allah.  Some of them might be guided to a sign which leads them to know Allah.  For the believer, it kindles the desire for perfecting one's learning of this divine book.  This is an obligatory duty for those who believe.  The enlightenment which results from learning the Quraan inspires in the believer the confidence and ability to explain to others the magnificent signs in the Quraan rather than "to fight fire with fire".  This is a spiritual exercise where there is no room for fighting.  Bodies do fight because they belong to an evanescent world, but spirits do not fight because they belong to a sublime heavenly world.

 

I am still in the process of writing my comments on the Botros article and shall send the write-up to you when I complete it.

 

It is essential in your endeavor to show the strength of the Bible that you distinguish between those who are willing to open their eyes to it and those who just have eyes but lack the will to open them.  It is important to realize that while you may be able to open eyes, you are unable to open hearts.  These are in the hands of Allah who administers them the way He likes.

 

It is not enough for you to believe in the Bible that you force it on others who do not wish to believe in it or even hear about it.  In this case, take the advice of the Bible in not casting your pearls before the swine.  If I do not appreciate your pearls, they remain pearls in your eyes but they are simple gravel in my view.  No matter how much sincere you are, I would not buy gravel for pearls.

 

In my case, the present Bible is not from the Creator whom I know.  This does not contain any obligation on you to believe that the Quraan is from the Creator.  I worked in the intellectual property field for thirty years and know matters such as genuine, fake, copyright, plagiarism, counterfeiting, and violation of rights.

 

The Prophet asked Omar as to why he was consulting sheets of the Torah.  Omar said that he thought that it would help him argue with the Jews.  The Prophet said to Omar that Moses himself would have accepted my message had he lived until today.

 

The exercise of comparing the Bible with the Quraan has been done exhaustively by people more specialized than you and I.  Islam and Christianity were subject to a controversy between Prophet Mohammad and a delegation from the Christians of Najran (a geographical region in the Arabian Peninsula).  The issue as well as its preamble and outcome are exhibited in a couple of verses in the Quraan.  So why reinvent the wheel?

 

The matter for you and me is to either believe or reject.  A comparison between the two books devoid of the fact that each book has it own particularities and circumstances is a waste of time.  I am not prepared to waste my time or yours.  I had a question or two which I asked you about.  If you have questions about Islam even though like those by Botros (and company), I would be pleased to answer them.   I would not consider them as targeting the Quraan.  A torch may not overwhelm the sun.  So is the Quraan.  I understand that there is no commitment on either part to believe in what the other is offering.

 

If you think that you have been looking at the Bible more deeply than others, you are in a position as to offer your findings to whoever asks you for them.  You may publish a book or a website.  I think that you are sincere in your offer to enlighten people, and that you have the right to express your passion, but it is not me.  I have a similar feeling about the Quraan and would be prepared to answer such questions as might have sent people away from Islam as a result of misconception.

 

Whatever sailors say, I say that a ship safe in harbor is more advantageous than a ship which sets sailing into unknown perils.  Water is not only life-giving; it can be killing.  Water was the same medium for the escape of Moses and his people, and the drowning of the Pharaoh and his nation.   Sailors' wisdom to me is not proper replacement of Allah's wisdom.  Sailors and ships are good for nice cruising in this scenic world.  My ship is docked at Allah's harbor; He is the Captain.

 

If you sail, then you must look at the wires and sails.  I stay here holding tightly to the one rope of Allah the One.  To remain petrified for my 60-70-year lifetime is preferable to dwelling petrified in Hell everlastingly.

 

Christian RESPONSE (14)

 

Thank you for the birthday greeting.  Is it true your wife's birthday is the 14th of December? 

 

I do appreciate the manner in which you express yourself and have indicated my desire to keep our communications open.  I sense our emails have bogged down. 

 

I was appointed to this web site to help others in the ways of Jesus Christ.  You should expect a man at a site like this to challenge you to read the Bible and to give you long passages to read yourself, not to feed you a bunch of homemade yarn.  You should expect a man at this site to expound upon the majesty of the Bible and the virtues thereof. 

 

One of the resonable ways I expect you to communicate is by showing me the virtues in your own text in the way in which you want to show me them.  You have stated that you wanted to discuss your faith.   And I will try to express back to you what I feel is truth and what is not.  I expect you to challenge me to read your passages.  But please do not expect to handcuff me from expressing, in the way in which I desire to, the core of my confidence in the text of my choice, as this is my designated responsibility from those above me in this organization to do so.  

 

I will go back and work on the creation thread and try to condense it for you.

 

 

 

 

Muslem MESSAGE (15)

 

I sent you birthday greetings as a gesture of friendship although I do not believe in celebrating or commemorating personal aspects of the life of a human being.  It is true that my wife's birthday is the 14th of December.  This is sheer coincidence which I did not use for ill intention.  If you need further confirmation, I shall provide it to you.

 

It should be clear to you that I went into your web-site through the ask-a-question door; hence I was not charged with a spirit of challenge.  It would be stupid of me to challenge an "organization" as you have correctly quantified it.  Challenge is not my objective, even at the level of a person to person.  I already explained this to you.  If I am to adopt a challenging objective, it would be a challenge to me to gain you and your organization as brothers in humanity.  This is a motto which I have in common with Botros, but I doubt his sincerity and I do not use his fighting means since I am not engaged in any kind of warfare with anybody.

 

Since my entry into your web-site was a peace-oriented one, you should not have used with me your conventional weapons or fit-all-sizes programs.  One of these weapons is EXPECTATION.  You expected that I came for a fight or for a challenge, or for guidance to the way of Jesus Christ.  In this manner you dressed me in the robe of your expectation and looked at me through your eyes of expectation.  In a moment I shall tell you about my understanding of Christianity, and I invite you to tell me about your understanding of Islam.  This evaluation should be by way of advice rather than criticism.  Christianity in my opinion is based on a misunderstanding.  Allah sent you (your ancestors) a sign for contemplation and appreciation of His status as the Almighty.  Through a wrong interpretation you (your ancestors) EXPECTED that the purpose was to … So far you have been dealing with me on the basis of your expectation and expectation of my expectation, hence collision of interests at times.

 

Some time ago I sent you an invitation to use "gmail" for a private correspondence between the two of us.  I understand the obligations dictated on you as a result of your appointment to the web-site.  I know that I am in a more advantageous position since I can express my views without any apprehension of control by a superior.  Perhaps you should make good use of this opportunity to obtain answers to questions in your mind about my faith.  It is important for you to know the objective of the people you are addressing, and to know the extent to which you may be able to go along with them.  If you care about the continuation of our communication, it would be advisable that you have an independent email utility.

 

Even if you attain a private communication medium, you still have to report progress to the organization which appointed you.  Here I am dealing with Randall the institution rather than the human being.  It is inevitable for me then to move to the defensive because in so doing I am revolting against a pre-programmed scheme which ignores the human elements in me.  The scheme has certain objectives one of which is to convert me rather than to listen to me.  This is evident in the "quantity" challenge which I confronted with the "quality" shield.  If I deal with Randall the human being, I would travel with him on a paved road.  In summary, your report to your superiors should alert them to the fact that you are dealing with an exceptional person with whom the conventional methods would not work and expectation would be foiled.

 

The main reason why I quit my job was the conviction that I would not be able to make any decision without paying due consideration to the requirements and responsibilities of the job I was doing.  The question I asked myself was the following:  Should I work for my employer or for my Creator?  I am not suggesting that you leave your appointment to the web-site, but estimate that the expression of your personal views may not be totally liberal.  It is essential for a healthy dialogue to be free from any restrictions, obligations or limitations.

 

The reason why I continued to communicate with you is that I had hoped for a discussion which did not fall under the rigid classical dialogue.  Criticizing one another and comparing books would only fuel rivalry and bias between the two parties.  The conventional ways of discussing Muslem-Christian relations always led to disagreement and to each side trying to impose on the other a way of thinking that is not acceptable to him.  We are living in a period of time which does not permit this kind of approach to the subject.  This is why I rejected the concept of challenge since I knew beforehand that it would only entail disagreement.  The discussions in this way would be tarnished by defensiveness and illusiveness.

 

The classical dialogue is the reason behind your considering the exhibition of the virtues of our books to be a reasonable way for our discussion.  In my view, the classical dialogue is a failure which I should not support by following it myself.  Because I do not wish to follow the classical method, I revert to the other alternative suggested by the Quraan.  The idea is just to deliver the message of Allah which can be summarized in a few words:  There is no god but Allah.  The Quraan explains this also in a few words:  You (Mohammad and the Muslems) have to deliver the message; and I (Allah) shall summon people to accountability.  In this regard, I do not remember having stated that I wanted to discuss my faith (as a whole).  You must have EXPECTED that I wanted to do so.

 

Another reason is that the Quraan stresses the fact that it is Allah who grants guidance, not human beings.  Even Prophet Mohammad could not guide the closest relative of him, his uncle, to become a Muslem because it is the will of Allah that the uncle should die as an infidel.  Furthermore, I should not think that I represent the faith of Islam or consider my understanding of the faith to be a perfect one.  I should not get involved in challenges or even mere demonstrations which I am not authorized to undertake.  This is because what I claim to know about the faith of Islam is not what the real Islam is.  Also, it is extremely wise that I would pass to the others such information and knowledge as only they might ask me for and upon their request.  Accordingly, it is not my intention to challenge you to read passages from my book.  I only gave you the example of one verse which may, in my view, preclude the need for a marathon comparisons and challenges.

 

Telling the truth on your part or mine is a relative matter because each one of us has his own truth, which is to the other the untrue.  The absolute truth is somewhere else.  This is what both of us should be looking for, a universal truth.  For you the Bible is the truth; whereas for me the Quraan is the truth.  If you or I sit in the judge's chair and issue verdicts, these will not be acceptable to the other party.  Such verdicts will be detrimental to the cause of the authors of the books.  So, there is no point in just communicating one's feelings to the other; and worse is for one to exert an effort to impose his views on the other on the basis of EXPECTATIONS.

 

To the same extent you cannot deviate from the responsibility designated to you by those above you in the organization, I cannot deviate from the guidelines drawn to me by my Creator.  Allah created me and bestowed on me the boon of freedom.  I can offer my status of servitude to none other than Him.  It is not true that I can use handcuffs to detain you or your freedom of expression because I am a slave myself.  If you have noticed any handcuffs, then these are protection means brandished by Allah against you lest you think of injuring my faith in Him.  In turn, I may not in approaching you resort to any means not approved by Allah lest He might incriminate me for transcending the boundaries of the call to His straightforward path.  As a subordinate of Allah, I cannot possibly change his destiny on you; neither can you.

 

By going back and working on the creation thread to try and condense it for me you will be consciously neglecting the many other reasons why I did not wish to take the creation challenge.  When you asked me to quote the Quraan to tell you the story of Mary coming home with a baby in her hands, I read the equivalent part in Luke and found out that the story stops short from telling everything, especially the epilogue in which Essa spoke in the cradle in an indirect defense of his innocent mother and in propagation of the cause of Allah.  Therefore, I expect that your creation story will stop short of telling the full truth as in the Quraan that Allah alone is the Creator.

 

To my clear understanding, Allah the Creator never divided, multiplied, transformed, disguised or adopted sons or partners before or after creation.  So, the difference between the basics in our two theologies should make it impossible for us to meet.  You may explain the creation in due detail to one who does not believe that there is a god who created the universe, or to one who believes that nature created the whole thing.  Even if I accept something from you, ultimately there will be things that I cannot compromise.  There is nothing that you can offer which is not in contravention of my conviction that Allah is One and that He neither begot nor was begotten.

 

Supposing that you condensed the Bible quotations on creation to a reasonable volume of say one page or even one paragraph, would not one sentence suffice?  God created the creation to manifest His capability of so doing:

 

Is it for the same purpose that God created man?

 

I ask you this question as if I have read your summary on creation.  To give you a clew to the answer, I refer you to your quotation in the previous message when you stated that a ship is safe in harbor but that is not what a ship is for.  Naturally, it is there for people to use it in navigation on water to move from one shore to another.  Life is easy to enjoy by man, but this is not what man is here for.  What do you expect?

 

 

Christian RESPONSE (15) 

 

Wow!  You have outdone yourself again in delivering to me a most remarkable email.  Thoughts of the many ways to respond have been circling around my head in this most busy time of the year for me.  I am spending a lot of time trying to soak up the family at our home here during the holidays because of the obvious...   So please forgive me if my transmissions to you are shorter.

 

That your wife has a birthday on the 14th is of importance to me.  Two of my greatest associations on this planet have been with families in whom special people have my birthdays.  My sister-in-law who lives nearby and has recently adopted a newborn from Ethiopia.  And my best friend from youth who lives in Spain.  This may mean that you and I will become very close life-long friends.  I am willing.

 

I do regret that you and Allah have placed handcuffs on the subject of creation.  I am a Biology major from college years.  Even more, when given opportunity to soak in conversation at leasier, it will be steered to spiritual things and inevitably the question about "when and where have you felt closest to God?" will come up.  In the many who have answered, a majority will say when they have been out in nature, by a rambling stream, in the mountains, along the seashore....

 

It is inconcievable to me that an intelligent man will follow a manuscript from a deity that has somehow neglected to place within it vast commentary on the creation we find ourselves in.  Does a Master painter not hang his paintings in the Louvre?  Does a architect hide his favored buildings from the world?  No, he will place a flag or a helicopter pad or a penthouse or a transmission tower on the very top for all to see.

 

In my youth I was a ironworker and worked on what was then the 4th tallest buiding in the world, the Standard Oil Building in Chicago.  Its pillars are lined with white marbled quartz all the way from 88 stories up.  It is like a shining white cathedral reaching thousands of feet upward.  Along with the Sears tower and John Hancock buidlings, the three are the pride of Chicago, perhaps the most architurally endowed city in America. 

 

But I will abide by your handcuffs for the most part, and go on...  This does not mean that at times I will not remind you of the fact that the Quraan has within it, a huge gaping hole of incompetence.  The incompetence of a deity who has forgotten to highlight his creation.

 

We go on.   Now YOU are taking control of the conversation and have asked a very high quality question for which I will endeavor, turning away from my passion about pursuing the inner wiring of our juxtapositioned texts of choice, to answer.  Please let me serve you by answering the best I can. 

 

Before I get to the core of my answer, which will take at least three parts, of which this is the introduction, I am sending you my very favorite poem as a into lead.  We wise that it benefits us both.

 

THE REFINER

 

He sat by a furnace of seven fold heat

As he watched by the precious ore,

And closer He bent with a searching gaze

As He heated it more and more.

 

He knew He had ore that could stand the test,

And He wanted the finest gold,

To mold as a crown for the King to wear,

Set with gems of price untold.

 

So He laid our gold in the burning fire,

Tho' we fain would say Him, "Nay"!

And watched the dross that we had not seen

As it melted and passed away.

 

And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright,

But our eyes were dim with tears;

We saw but the fire, not the Master's hand,

And questioned with anxious fears.

 

Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow

As it mirrored a Form above,

That bent o'er the fire, tho' unseen by us,

With a look of ineffable love.

 

Can we think it pleases His loving heart

To cause us a moment's pain?

Ah, no! but He sees through the present cross

The bliss of eternal gain.

 

So He waited there with a watchful eye,

With a love that is strong and sure,

And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat

Than was needed to make it pure. 

 

 

EPILOGUE 

 

It is regrettable that the thoughts of the many ways to respond to my message had been circling around your head that you responded in the manner you did.  Paradoxically, you offered maintaining a life-long friendship between the two of us.

 

What is really regrettable is your insistence on your method of administering the discussion and on your interpretation of the outcome of the creation contest.  As I told you earlier you made of yourself the opponent and the judge simultaneously.  The handcuffs dimension is your own creation.  You have even put brain-cuffs on my suggestions as to how we can make our discussion of the subject of creation a qualitative rather than a quantitative one.

 

I remind you that I have no power to influence you and/or to protect myself; it is all Allah's action.  Since handcuffs are a police phenomenon, I stress that in this particular respect Allah manipulates the hearts rather than the hands by sealing the hearts.  According to the free choice of faith of each of us, Allah seals our hearts so that the selected faith does not go out of the heart, and the other faith outside the heart does not enter it.  This clearly explains to you why I want to continue to have faith in Allah.

 

Biology and biologists serve the physical aspects of our life in this world, while theology and theologists serve the spiritual continuity of our life in the hereafter.  I do not heed the findings of humans for my afterlife, but rather take what has been offered to me by my Creator.  The answers which were received to what you described as the inevitable question: "When and where have you felt closest to God?" sound poetic, romantic and/or naturalistic to my ear.

 

If I were asked the same inevitable question, my answer would be from the Quraan using the words of Allah my Creator.  Here is a translation of the meanings thereof:

 

"It is He who conveys you through land and sea; till when you are in the ships and they sail with people through a favorable wind, and they rejoice thereat; there comes a strong wind and waves come upon them from every side, and they think they are encompassed, they supplicate to Allah, making their faith pure for Him alone:  If You deliver us from this, we shall truly be of the grateful".

 

You seem to have swiftly forgotten the Manasseh story and your own story when you gave me examples of fervent supplication at the time of utmost difficulty and distress.

 

The above verse clearly points out the instinctive thrust of a human being to Allah who created him in the first instance.  The verse also supports the truthfulness of Prophet Mohammad who delivered the message of Allah to the world.  Being illiterate, how could Prophet Mohammad describe the feeling of a human being in a perilous situation aboard a ship in the sea, taking into account that the Prophet never traveled by sea.  The verse did not elaborate on travel by land because this is the obvious at that time.  The Quraan should then be the word of Allah.

 

No matter how much intelligent man you want to think I am, you and I have equal conceivability and inconceivability.  It is inconceivable to me also that you will follow a manuscript that was written down by human beings some (+ -) 250 years after the person who preached some of the meanings contained therein.  It is also inconceivable to me that you should criticize the inspiration of a deity at a time when you are discussing religion.

 

That Allah has somehow neglected to place in the Quraan vast commentary on the creation is to me an unfair verdict, unjustified jumping to conclusions, and unjustified jumping on the shoulders of the Creator and Author to direct Him as to what He should and should not place in His Book.  Repeating this statement of yours indicates that you either do not read what I write to you, or that you do not wish to respect my freedom of choice, but rather to impose on me to follow your theological taste.  Because you are not concerned about the integrity of the Quraan, you must be motivated by delight in blasphemy.

 

Your ascribing negligence to Allah is sheer blasphemy unnecessarily introduced into a tolerant, friendly and peaceful discussion.  You have no right to call Allah names especially in this particular situation because I explained to you that I do not wish to take your challenge of comparing the texts on creation in the Bible and the Quraan.  I even declared you the winner of the contest and expected that you should close the discussion on this subject.  I conclude that you only want to hurt me.

 

I can only reiterate that my wish not to read the Bible is the reason why I declined to participate in the creation contest to the quantitative extent proposed by you.  The Quraan is full of details about creation, and Allah, the All-Knowing has not neglected anything.  There is no justification for your jumping to the conclusion that the Quraan is deficient or that Allah is not the capable Creator.

 

Deficiency and incapability are other two qualifications you have unjustly and unnecessarily added to your blasphemous statements.  It is wrong that you want me to examine the components of your faith and leave your person alone, at the same time when you want to examine me personally and discard the components of my faith.  Worse is that you reflect your findings from studying me as a person on the components of my faith.

 

Painters, paintings, Le Louvre, architects, architecture, flags, helicopters, penthouses, and transmission towers belong to this world.  I have no advantage in promoting the interests of the world and its people simply because they did not create me.  I listen to my Creator and decline to accept any advice as to how Allah should improve His authorship or ameliorate its propagation methods.

 

When you tell me about the tallest buildings in Chicago, I sense that an element of "pride" has crept into your heart.  I estimate that this is dangerous to your integral being.  Since your pride is focused on man's achievements, I remind you that the tallest building nowadays is in Dubai, which is a Muslem and an Arab country.  I also remind you that without the oil and rubber in the Muslem countries such as Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, etc., you would not have been able to mention the Standard Oil Company, The Sears Tower, and The John Hancock (Rubber & Tire) Company.  If you are that proud about man's achievements, Allah advises you that the world is evanescent and that to Him is man's return.

 

In brief, one man can excel another man no matter where his location is.  Still the substances man uses for his achievements are borrowed from The Creator.  Man decorates his achievements with pride borrowed from Satan.  It would be preferable to me if you talked about The Creator.  Instead of mentioning the pillars of the Standard Oil Building and how they are lined with white marbled quartz, you should remember how Allah created the sky WITHOUT pillars that you can see, and how He has adorned the sky with the Sun, and the Moon and the twinkling stars by night.  Why do not you compare the text of this statement from the Quraan?

 

"Allah created the sky without pillars that you can see".

There is no need for me to write a doctorate thesis so that you may reach the conclusion that the Quraan is deficient and that the Author is incompetent.

 

Here is another suggestion.  Compare the following text:

 

"Allah creates what He will".

 

The full text is in verses like the following:

 

"To Allah belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He will. He gives females to whom He will and males to whom He will.  Or, He couples them, both males and females, and to others, if He will, He makes them barren. Surely, He is the Knower, the Powerful".

 

In the same context, remember that Allah created Adam without a father and without a mother.  Also, Allah created Essa without a father through a mother only.  Is there in the Bible a comparable reference to the creation of these four types of human beings, namely:

 

- Without a father and without a mother.

- Without a father with a mother.

- With a father and a mother.

- With a father and a mother but no children (barren)?

 

The creation case was ruled out in favor of Allah ever since He created the first thing:

 

"O mankind! A similitude was coined.  Listen to it!  Those, whom you call upon, other than Allah, could never create a fly, even though they banded together for it. And if a fly robs them of anything, they could never rescue the thing from it. The seeker and the sought are alike in their weakness".

 

Allah retorted anyone who ever commented that He neglected anything:

 

"There is neither a crawling creature on the earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but they are nations like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book. They shall all be gathered before their Lord".

 

So that you do not have to state that the Quraan has a huge gaping hole of incompetence, I offer to assist you in reading the Quraan or at least quotations there from.  I am prepared to assist you to the utmost.  But I know beforehand that you will insist on your pre-programmed method that I read the Bible in parallel.  I tell you that the Quraan is the only book I recognize and wish to read.

 

For your information, the stem of the word "create" in Arabic has 76 occurrences in the Quraan.  The total number of words resulting from the various conjugations of the stem is 261 words (such as creation, creator, creative, created …).  This means that in order for you to cover the subject of creation as tackled in the Quraan you have to read about 250 verses of various lengths.  I can do this upon your specific request.

 

You may work it on your own by visiting the following site at:

 

http://quran.al-islam.com/Subject/Tree.asp?l=eng&p=0-546-547-

 

While you are not obliged to abide by anything from me, be it handcuffs or tongue-cuffs, you are obliged to abide by a minimum courtesy as not to attack my deity and qualify him as incompetent.  This is a language that is most blasphemous and provocative.  I find it absolutely contradictory that your same message should combine the offer for a life-long friendship with a heinous, blasphemous attack on my deity.  Did I start this approach so that you respond to me in this manner?   You may think of repenting having said these statements by withdrawing them.  In that case Allah may forgive you.  If not, and before you opt to go and take a challenge, remember that Allah is Forgiving as well as Severe in Punishment.

 

Do you think that Allah merits receiving from you this unrequited blasphemy?  Here is a translation of the meaning of the words of Allah instructing the Muslems not to blaspheme as you have done:

 

"Do not revile those who call upon other than Allah, lest they revile Allah in revenge without knowledge. As such we have made the actions of each nation seem pleasing. To their Lord they shall return, and He will inform them of that they were doing".

 

If you have done it without knowledge, you have to ask Allah for forgiveness.  If you have done it with knowledge and you insist on it, you will be rewarded by Him.

 

So that I do not give you a pretext for placing blame on me, I leave the decision to continue or discontinue the discussion to you.  I also yield the control of our conversation to you.  It is enough for me that you have qualified my question regarding the objective of our life on earth as a "quality" one.  Therefore, you may choose to go back to leading the discussion by tackling the quantity question on creation.  I do not wish to take you away from your passion, without which you have proven to become unnecessarily blasphemous.

 

As you know, there is in the Quraan a chapter on Poets.  Poetry in the pre-Islamic era was a full-fledged industry; hence the language of the Quraan retorted the Arabs through its eloquence and style.  Because I could not understand the specific purpose for which you presented the poem to me, I choose to quote a verse from that chapter of the Quraan:

 

"And the Poets, it is those straying in evil who follow them".

 

 

Christian RESPONSE to Epilogue 

 

I hope you are well.  I understand your last email...you made things very clear.  If I offended you, it was not because I desire to offend you, but only because I feel very strongly about what I said and want to make sure you know the truth as I have seen it unfold during our conversations.  It is my duty as taken from 1 Peter 3:15, "Allways be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak malicioulsy against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."  Perhaps I was not as gentle as I could have been, but calling me a dictator is not exactly gentile either.  I did not call you any bigoted name.  I just told you the truth about one major deficit your text of choice has.  There are many others and because you have closed your ears to the rest of them, I am gentle with you in going on with your plan of choice.  Now, in interest of going on to something more positive, please allow me to answer your previous question, the one about the purpose God had in creating man.  I have edited this composit from gotquestions.org and then at the end I will give my summary.

 

Here is a small sample of what the Bible says from gotquestions.org:

 

Solomon: "Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Solomon says that life is all about honoring God with our thoughts and lives and thus keeping His commandments, for one day we shall stand before Him in judgment.

 

David: Unlike those whose portion is in this life, David looked for His satisfaction in the time to come. He said, "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness" (Psalm 17:15). To David, his full satisfaction would come on the day when he awoke (in the next life) both beholding God's face (fellowship with Him) and having His likeness (1 John 3:2).

 

Asaph: In Psalm 73, Asaph talks about how he was tempted to envy the wicked who seemed to have no cares and built their fortunes upon the backs of those they took advantage of, but then he considered their ultimate end. Then in contrast to what they sought after in their lives, he states in verse 25 what mattered to him: "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You." To him, a relationship with God is what mattered above all else in life.

 

Paul: The apostle Paul talked about all that he had achieved before being confronted by the risen Christ and how all that he once had or achieved (especially religiously) was like a pile of garbage to him now compared to the excellence of knowing Christ Jesus, even when that included suffering the loss of all things. In Philippians 3:9-10, he says that what he wanted was to "gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Again, for Paul what mattered most was knowing Christ and being found having a righteousness from Him obtained through faith in Christ, and living in fellowship with Him even when that brought on suffering (2 Timothy 3:12). Ulti mately he looked for the time when he would be a part of the "resurrection from the dead."

 

Purpose of life as declared in Revelation:

 

The last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation discusses what will happen in the end of time as we know it. After Christ returns and His 1,000 year reign upon the earth comes to an end, the unsaved are resurrected and judged by their deeds and sent to their eternal state in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20). The earth and heavens as we know it are destroyed and a new heaven and new earth are created, and the eternal state is ushered in. Once again, as in the Garden of Eden in Genesis, man again will dwell with God and He with them (Revelation 21:3); all remnants of the curse (upon the earth because of mankind's sin) will be removed (sorrow, sickness, death, pain) (Revelation 21:4). God says that those who overcome shall inherit all things, He will be their God and they will be His sons. Thus, as it started in Genesis, redeemed mankind will live in fellowship with God free from sin (both internally and externally) and its curse in a perfect world, having perfect hearts like Christ's own (1 John 3:2-3).

 

Purpose of life as described by Jesus Christ:

 

God created man in the beginning to enjoy (1) fellowship with Him, (2) relationships with others, (3) work, and (4) exercising dominion over the earth. But with man's fall into sin, fellowship with God was broken, relationships with others are often "rough," work seems to always have its bad points, and man struggles to maintain a semblance of dominion over nature whether it be over the weather or over the weeds in a field or garden. In the new heavens and new earth, man will be involved in all of these once again in a restored state of perfection. But how does one become one of the group who makes it to the new heaven and earth? And what are we to do for now? Is there only meaning in the next life when the curse of sin is removed? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, left His home in heaven, became fully human while still retaining the fullness of deity, and came to earth TO PAY THE PRICE FOR OUR ETERNAL LIFE as well as meaning in this life. Because it was our sinfulness that separated mankind from God and brought upon us the curse, Matthew 1:21 says that Jesus came to "save his people from their sins."

 

Purpose in life depends on mankind’s origin:

 

If we are the result of cosmic chance (evolution), then we are simply sophisticated biological life forms that have managed to achieve self-consciousness. We despair at there being no greater purpose in life than to survive and carry on the species until the next cosmic accident takes our life form one notch higher. BUT, we are NOT the result of a cosmic accident. True science substantiates the fact that macro-evolution (the transformation from one species to a different species) is a farce. Evolution is falsely called “science” when in fact it is not repeatable nor observable but must be accepted by faith just as much as creation is.

 

As we continue to learn more about microbiology, we have learned that the probability of forming even the simplest of protein molecules necessary for life is a complete improbability even if given TRILLIONS of years for the chance combination of the correct order of amino acids to form. Nor do the fossil records support the evolutionary theory. In evolutionists' own words, there should be multiple numbers of transitional life forms that simply have not been found. What the fossil record does corroborate is what Genesis chapter one of the Bible declares: vast numbers of different species appeared at the same time and those species are for the most part the same as those still in existence today. Changes in birds or moths observed in the past century and cited as support for evolution involve change within a species (micro-evolution), something the Bible does not argue against nor do creationists argue against. Also, as we learn more about the so-called simple cell we are findi ng again what Genesis chapter one has declared all along: that life is the result of an incredibly knowledgeable Designer and Creator. Because we are not a cosmic accident but are instead created by God, if there is a purpose for life, God has told us what that purpose is.

 

Now my brief commentary.  Taking from the above and incorporating my own study of the Bible and life experience into this, my statement about the purpose of life is "to get to know our Creator and how to follow Him step by step, day by day, moment by moment through the many obstacles and trials He purposefully places in our lives to build the mutual confidence...confidence that He can trust us to keep on following Him and confidence that we have in Him that He will always provide for us no matter what happens to us...and it all begins with coming to the realization that we are sinful humans, separated by the sin nature from God and need the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Creator's designated method of erasing the sinful human condition, so that we can start to enter into the step by step opportunity that the Creator wants us to learn to follow."

 

Perhaps it would be appropriate to ask you Mohammad about what the Creators purpose is from your manuscript of choice and how you interpret what is in it. 

 

Have a wonderful day.

 

MUSLEM MESSAGE (16)

 

What is the Creator's purpose as stated in the Quraan, and how do I interpret it? 

 

My Creator's answer is:

 

"I have not created the Jinn and Mankind except to worship Me".

 

My interpretation of this is embodied in my faith in Allah.  I believe that I am here in this world for the only purpose of worshiping Allah solely.  Please note that I did not mean a textual comparison.

 

This present message would have ended here.

 

However, although it was your proposition, you declined to compare the texts I provided in my last message.  Therefore, I take the liberty of declaring myself winner of the quality creation contest because:

 

1.  The creation case had been ruled out prior to our discussion even before the creation process started:

 

"O mankind! A similitude was coined.  Listen to it!  Those, whom you call upon, other than Allah, could never create a fly, even though they banded together for it. And if a fly robs them of anything, they could never rescue the thing from it. The seeker and the sought are alike in their weakness".

 

2.  Allah had neglected absolutely nothing in the Book.  If something is not known to a person, this does not mean that it is non-existent:

 

"There is neither a crawling creature on the earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but they are nations like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book. They shall all be gathered before their Lord".

 

So that you understand me clearly, I hereby stress my conviction and my objective.  It is all qualitatively stated in one verse:

 

"And to you We sent down the Book with the truth confirming the Book that was revealed before it, and overruling it. Therefore, give judgment among them in accordance to what Allah has sent down and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that has come to you. We have ordained a law and a Path for each of you. Had Allah willed, He could have made you one nation but that He might test you by that which He has bestowed upon you. Race with one another in good deeds, to Allah you shall all return and He will inform you about that in which you used to differ".

 

In my words, I believe that Allah revealed the truth in the Quraan, which is the last of a series of Books of the same Author, and that the Quraan is now the dominant, overruling, and final one (so wishes the Author).  I have no interest in following the desires and fancies of others because this is a diversion from the straightforward path of Allah, my Creator.  Allah sent down books to guide people in the respective ages during which they lived.  Following a book other than the Quraan, or a religion other than Islam shall mean failing the test planned by Allah for men during their life on this earth.  Righteousness is one way of translating worship of Allah, who offered to reward the righteous.  Allah shall give us the final word about our differences.

 

In the light of the above, I cannot help but to declare that I have no interest whatsoever in knowing a truth different from what I have already known in Islam.  I have no interest whatsoever in reading, discussing or understanding a book other than the Quraan.  I have no interest whatsoever in any advantages a deity may offer other than my faith in Allah, my Creator.

 

Having said the above, it is only out of courtesy (emphatically not criticism or else) that I wish to comment on your last message.

 

I claim having a stronger feeling of what I said to you based on a more firmly grounded truth (my perspective).  Still, I do not desire to bestow on you any of my personal boons because I have none, and I request that you reciprocate, despite your striving to show me your sincere motives (your perspective).

 

If we have a common interest in a clean (non-blasphemous) discussion, I can accept one that is limited to the model question stated at the beginning of this message.  The subject could be any of the other "major deficits in my text" provided that the style of interrogation is not injurious to my deity.

 

Here I observe that you cannot even bear hearing the mere mention of Allah, Quraan, or Islam, and that you do not condescend to write them literally in your text.  You refer to Allah as a "deity" (small d) and to the Quraan as a "manuscript" (insinuating that I should believe that it is written by men rather than being an inspiration from Allah to His Messenger).  Being the case, you may relieve yourself of this burden and call our discussion to an end.  It is clear from all your messages, especially your last message, that you want to highlight Jesus, and the Bible, not even bothering to relate to a religion (your business).  The correctness (faultiness) of one's faith ends when the correctness (faultiness) of the other's faith begins.

 

I do not feel like wasting my time reading a material that I am not interested in.  Similarly, if you do not wish to waste your time reading what I write about my deity, book and faith, you are free to opt for that.  Peter has justly said it:  You have to answer to everyone WHO ASKS YOU.  I hope that you listen to Peter at least in my case.  I confirm Peter by stating that I am prepared to answer you IF YOU ASK ME.

 

You and I not only have two completely different ideologies by also two completely different mentalities.  We also use two completely different sets of tools for communication and argument.  If I called you a dictator, then it is not in the same sense in which George Bush called Saddam Hussein a dictator.  I certainly do not intend to incriminate you to that extent so that I may invade your country and get you hanged by the neck.  George Bush now admits that the invasion of Iraq was decided on the basis of unfounded intelligence reports!

 

The word dictator in my dictionary conjugates from the verb to "dictate" which means: to influence something or make it necessary.  In the context used in our discussion, it means that you tried to influence an idea on me and made it necessary that I accept the manner in which we might discuss the creation subject.  You also dictated on me the verdict in a contest which I declined to get qualitatively involved in.

 

It is true that you did not call me bigoted names, but worse is that you qualified my deity with incapability, negligence, and deficiency.  I may accept being called bigoted names, if I merit that, but I store no tolerance when the point becomes blasphemy against Allah.  You do not have to believe in Allah, but you may not call Allah names.  You may choose to call Allah names (which is not more serious than denying His existence), but you have to do it directly to Him, not through me.

 

I did not close my ears to the "deficiencies" of the Quraan.  I was bombed by a blasphemous language qualifying Allah and His Book as negligent, incapable, and deficient.  I closed my ears and eyes to a quantitative contest which I thought could be replaced by a qualitative one.  I reiterate that I welcome honorable questions pointing out the deficiencies, if any, of the Quraan.  I choose to close my ears and eyes to books other than the Quraan.  You may choose to close your ears and eyes to what I have to offer you and close our discussion.  It is a matter of faith for both of us.  The claim by either one of us - to be in possession of the truth and the genuine - remains to be proven.

 

The statements of (in the correct historical order) David (father), Solomon (son), and Asaph has clear reference to God, while the statement of Paul refers to (Jesus) Christ.  I am not trying to voice anything critical about your faith, but I say that to me (I repeat to me) these statements are a glaring evidence that what Allah stated in the Quraan is absolutely correct.  I mentioned it earlier and you know it.  I cannot stop you from believing in what you believe; you cannot stop me either.  It is a question of faith.

 

Your statement that the purpose of life is "to get to know our Creator …" suggests that it applies to you and me individually and independently, that each of us should do it on his own.  I suggest a modified statement that the purpose of life is "to first get to know who our Creator is?"

 

From the window of my bedroom I have come to notice a change in the view.  Besides the huge church that has been there for a number of years, there is now a new small (office?) building (about a hundred meters away from the older church) the entrance of which is bearing a sign on which the following is inscribed:  The Free Evangelical Church.  If the view from the window of your bedroom does not reveal two churches, I win a quantitative contest against you. 

 

 

CHRISTIAN RESPONSE (16) 

 

In your last few words you said, " I win a quantitative contest against you."  Are you mixing your terms up again?  In fact, most of your message is like mashed potatoes.   You state you dont want the discussions to go on.  Then you say you do.  Then you try to egg me into a response.  Mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs.  Nowhere is any quality about creation noted from your summaries or from your quotes from the Quraan.

 

Now about the second part of the three part answer to the question you asked me about God's purpose:  the core of God's plan is to rescue us from our own sin.  Yes, Jesus did that back on the Cross.  But with this whole sanctification thing, He's got a long way to go with us, and the Father is Heaven-bent on conforming us-conforming you- to the image of Jesus Christ.

 

That is why these raging emotions and thoughts are pilaging your mind about all I am saying to you as the wild wolves of the devil react when I tell you the truth about you know who and what.  That is why you get mixed up and can't keep your adjectives straight.  The problems are bothering you.

 

God is concerned about your back pain.  He's concerned about your joblessness.  He is concerned about your emotions.  But those things are not His ultimate focus.  He cares about them, but those things are merely symptoms of the root and real problem. God cares most, not about making you and me comfortable, but about teaching us to hate our transgression and to grow up spiritually to love Him.  That's the purpose behind the toothbrush.  That's the purpose behind the refinging and the chipping and the polishing.

 

One mentor of mine would say to me, you are a good man Charlie Brown.   Hang in there.  Jesus will do something special to let you know that He is God's only Son, the Savior of the world, according to His will.  Just be open to the ultimate purpose of God--finding Jesus Christ as the answer to the core problems of our sin.

 

 

 

 

 

MUSLEM MESSAGE (17)

 

 

So that you may enjoy the remainder of the holiday and New Year, I shall make this message a short one:  A brief comment, and a concise question.

 

Brief comment:

 

If you think that I am mixed-up and confused, then:

-  I do not understand why do you ask me to continue to write to you.

-  I am useless in assimilating your line of thought and arguments.

 

-  You gain nothing from what I write to you, and do not need it.

 

Concise question:

 

Where in the Gospels does Jesus say he is God?

 

 

CHRISTIAN RESPONSE (17) 

 

I hope 2009 is a wonderful year for you and your family.

 

Most of the time, Mohammad, you answer in an intelligent way, not so confused as your last communication.  I am instructed by the Bible to correspond with and to answer others without the regard for their level of certainty.  And in fact, I do find it enjoyable, especially with you.  You have given me many remarkable and clear communications with which my life has been enhanced by fidelity. 

 

Answer to the wonderful question:

 

Why would Jesus ever say in the gospel "I am God"?  When there is a Father, a Son and a Holy Spirit all holding the office of divine authority as presented by the gospels, why should Jesus pridefully claim full ownership of all God's glory?

 

Imagine if there was a three way tie for the gold medal, all three victors would stand shoulder to shoulder and hold up their gold on the victor's stand.  One would not shove the others off and claim it for his own.  Neither did Jesus boast a sole ownership to the title of being God. 

 

However it is clear that Jesus advocated a claim to divinity in the gospels.  It is recorded that when Peter said that "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God", that Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."  Jesus replied in the affirmative, blessing Peter's response thus wisely, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."  The rock Jesus speaks of is not Peter, but Peter's answer, that Jesus is the Son of the Living God".

 

Jesus used the word Yahweh to refer to Himself in John 8:58, where He says, “Before Abraham was, I am”.  This statement claims not only existence before Abraham, but equality with the “I AM” of Exodus 3:14 when God said “I Am WHO I AM” from the burning bush to Moses.  Many say this is the strongest proof for the deity of Christ in the Bible.  That when Jesus said, “Before Abraham was born, I am”, he was implicitly and uniquely ascribing the divine name Yahweh to Himself.  The Jews around him picked up stones to throw at Him because He was claiming to be God, the Messiah they had been waiting for to release them from the Roman occupation of Israel.  In fact a good way to notice the times that Jesus claimed to be God in front of Jewish authorities is to find the times in scripture where the Jews reached for the stones.

 

In fact, there were three times that Jesus intimated He was God where the Jews were incited to pick up stones to kill him for blasphemy. 

 

In fact He was killed because Jesus claimed to be God's Son, in John 19:7 the Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."  So these Jews had heard Jesus claim to be the Son of God, and when Pilot heard this, verse 8 infers that Pilot was shaken and tried to get Jesus released (verse 10).

 

To tell you the very truth Mohammad, the title Jesus embraces in the context of the gospels, the "Son of God" is, in my mind, His way of saying, I am part of the Godhead". That large cloud picture we spoke of before, the one with three outpouchings, and any of the three (the Father with creativity and directorship, the Son with the forgiveness and constant intercession for believers now, and the Holy Spirit, the comforting Spirit here among believers) can be where the majority of the power is directed at any time.  Mohammad, if you believe in what Jesus said, that He is the Son of God, and that Jesus died to take away your sins from you Mohammad, then you will be set free from your sins and be given eternal life by the exclusive merits of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God and made of the same substance as God the Father.

 

 

 

 

MUSLEM MESSAGE (18)

 

I wish you and your family a Very Happy Year 2009.

 

Yesterday CNN reported that a Russian analyst believes that the United States would disintegrate in the year 2010!

 

Confused or not, I have a good memory.  In an earlier message you apologized for misusing the name "Israel".  You stated the following:

 

"-----I appologize for any misuse of the name of Israel.  I did not mean to offend you."

 

You seem to have forgotten your statement.  In your last message you stated that:

 

"The Jews around him … to release them from the Roman occupation of Israel."

 

This incident to which you referred dates back to time around the year 0033 AD.  The name Israel, with reference to a political state or geography, was first used internationally in 1948.  The geographical name of the land where Jesus lived and preached is called "Palestine" and the people are called the "Palestinians".  This name has a GREEK origin because the "Philistines" came originally from ancient Greece.

 

Not only did Greece send people who changed the name of the Holy Land, but also sent the Bible (accredited text in the Greek language) and changed the faith of the people in Palestine and others across the world.  Prior to this and that the Greek exported their mythology in which the gods behaved like social human beings, but with a superman's power.

 

It is not difficult for a person with a normal mental power to notice how human beings can change the truth.  The Holy Land – PalestineIsrael.  Hebrew or Aramaic – Latin – Greek.  Messenger of Allah – Son of Allah – Allah!

 

It is rather intriguing to me, in the midst of my confusion, to accommodate your statements that the Bible is your source of knowledge and instructions to "correspond" with me.  Then there is your complimenting my remarkable contribution to enhancing your life by fidelity.  I understand this as an indirect call to me to stop guiding you to the wrong way.

 

My confusion has immensely increased when I read your answer to the question in my previous message.  You started by asking:  "Why would Jesus ever say in the gospel 'I am God'?"  Then you established his deity by others:  "Many say this is the strongest proof for the deity of Christ in the Bible."  Then you stated that:  "In fact He was killed because Jesus claimed to be God's Son".  Then there is reference to what is in your mind:  "'Son of God' is, in my mind, His way of saying, I am part of the Godhead."  Between the lines, the truth is that he himself did NOT say he was God. 

 

As in the gold medal example and in many others, I see an oversimplification of the notion of godhood to the extent of infidelity.  In my view, a god with the stature of the Creator should not be dragged into human similitude.  Had it not been for the Greek mythology and the Greek language, the position of God would have been preserved for humanity as a one-block integral deity.

 

If I may recover and step out of my confusion, I would say that my question had the purpose of getting from you an answer to which I give you the Quraanic counterpart.  I should not miss to mention that my question is based on the statement in the Quraan:

 

"They said that Allah adopted a son".  And

"In blasphemy indeed are those who said that Allah is Christ the son of Mary".

 

It is only "they" who said.  And it is only "those who said".  It is NOT that he said he was God or the son of God.

 

In the Quraan and in history there is a clear-cut hierarchy in the lives of personalities and a definite sequence of events.  Ibraheem was before Moussa and Eissa consecutively; therefore Ibraheem was neither a Jew nor a Christian.  Reference to the burning bush is an integral part of the scene in which Allah spoke directly to Moses, who came before Eissa.  To the Jews who were addressed by Eissa, the name Yahweh referred to an evil and wicked character.  What Eissa actually told them was to:  "Worship Allah who is my God and your God".  Eissa told the Jews that he came to them to affirm the Torah and to give glad tidings of a closing messenger of Allah to come after him.  Confrontation on the part of the Jews originated in their endeavor to maintain their secular powers which they estimated to have been endangered through the arrival of Eissa, not by his blasphemy.

 

In an earlier message, I asked you as to why did the Jews tolerate Mary's sinful behavior although their law dictated otherwise?  Their law stipulated that she should be stoned to death.  The following quotation of yours reminds me of the situation of Mary.  The Jews said:

 

"We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God." 

 

So, why was the law absented in the case of Mary?

 

I respect that the truth as you explained it in your message is certainly the truth in your view.  I expect that you respect the truth in my view that there is Allah who sent to the Jews a Messenger with the name of Eissa provided with a Book called the Injeel to confirm His earlier Book, the Torah, and to foretell the coming of a closing Messenger provided with a Book called the Quraan.  Ibraheem, Moussa, Eissa, and Mohammad never said anything that Allah had not authorized them to say.  We shall remain in two separate camps until Doomsday when our case will be heard and a verdict will be issued and implemented.

 

You miss no opportunity to remind me of my sins, and the need for me to look for a savior.  I request that you point out these sins so that I may prepare a defense.

 

  

CHRISTIAN RESPONSE (18)

 

Thank you for the your well wishes for our 2009.  If this is the last year in America, then the whole world should become ready for the return of Jesus Christ.  And you should accept Jesus as your God and Savior so that your sins will be covered under the powerful blood of Christ.  How powerful is the blood of Christ?  More powerful than any other substance.

 

About your sins.  I am not a judge on another man.  You will have to read the Bible, be convicted of the contents of your sins when your conscience is pricked by the reading of the Bible.  Here are some questions from what Jesus said....have you ever lied?  Have you ever become angry at another?  Have you ever looked on another woman besides your wife with lust in your eyes?  Have you ever tried to hurt someones feelings intentionally?  You did call me a name once, but I have forgotten what it was.  Did you call me that to hurt my feelings?  Hve you an element of pride?  Have you ever stolen or cheated anyone?  Have you ever said a word of gossip?  Have you ever taken the name of the God of the Bible or Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit in vain?  These are a few of the major questions that start the process of tabulating our sin count.  But there is more...have you ever failed to give to the poor?  Have you ever failed to praise someone or to thank someone?  Hve you ever made a wrong decision?  Have you constantly encouraged your wife?  Hve you ever complained or raised your voice ?

 

You state in your email that......,<Then there is reference to what is in *your mind*: "'Son of God' is, in my mind, His way of saying, I am part of the Godhead.">    Hear me Mohammad...you said this better than I could have.  I agree wholeheartily with your interpretation and wish I had said it first.  Good job!

 

About the confusion....water under the 2008 bridge.  One of the things that is ever flowing from the Living Jesus Christ is forgiveness.  This is the hallmark from Jesus.  We forgive and go on.  In fact the fidelity of Christ is thus, forgiveness with a core of grace to it.  Jesus asked God to forgive His persecuters from the cross as He was dying.  That is enough for me!  I want to absorb the forgivenesses of Jesus and for this forgiveness to become my trademark, my core identity.  I love you Mohammad Doofesh.

 

About <So, why was the law absented in the case of Mary?>  People put spins on laws and use them as the politic of the moment.  Right?  In the same way one police officer can give a speeding ticket to one, and a warning to the other.  (Was it a pretty girl?)

 

The sending of a later messanger to assert or interpret a former book is twisted just like the Mormons twist in the same way.  This is one of the devils major ploys to discredit the New Testament.

 

About sins, I have them too and am trying to deal with them.

 

 

 

 

MUSLEM MESSAGE (19)

 

The statement about the disintegration of the United States was made by a Russian analyst and was broadcast by American CNN.  You interpreted it as the last year in America, and threatened the world with the return of Jesus.  As you wish.  But why turn your gun towards my chest?  The aforesaid statement was not mine, and the interpretation is yours.  You know better than me about Jesus and what he would be doing upon his return.  What I know is that there is a Prophet and Messenger of Allah with the name of Eissa who would return a short time before Doomsday.  Eissa will be breaking the cross and killing the swine.

 

So why "should" "I" accept Jesus?  This is not a logical conclusion; it is only dictatorship.  You unconsciously reminded me of the character in you which you tend to forget.  So the name which you think I called you and you said you forgot is "dictator".  What word do you suggest that I use to describe your imposition?  I remind you that I explained this matter to you as follows:

 

"You and I not only have two completely different ideologies by also two completely different mentalities.  We also use two completely different sets of tools for communication and argument.  If I called you a dictator, then it is not in the same sense in which George Bush called Saddam Hussein a dictator.  I certainly do not intend to incriminate you to that extent so that I may invade your country and get you hanged by the neck.  George Bush now admits that the invasion of Iraq was decided on the basis of unfounded intelligence reports!  The word dictator in my dictionary conjugates from the verb to "dictate" which means: to influence something or make it necessary.  In the context used in our discussion, it means that you tried to influence an idea on me and made it necessary that I accept the manner in which we might discuss the creation subject.  You also dictated on me the verdict in a contest which I declined to get qualitatively involved in."

 

Blood is blood, and Jesus is what he is.  Racism is the source of distinction between one blood and another.  My blood and yours are different only to the extent we are affected by nutritional facts, so that your blood is O-/16, while my blood is A+/14.  In my view, a god is not composed of human constituents, of which blood is one.  A god is not of the same substance as I am.  He is not subject to nutritional effects because he does not to eat, marry, or walk through the marketplace.  I guess I do not understand you when you talk about a "powerful blood".

 

When you moved to the subject of my sins, you stated that you were not a judge on another man.  This is quite sensible and plausible.  Why not try to abstain from dictating on another man?  I have no intention to read the Bible.  Also, I do not wish to answer the questions of Jesus simply because he is not my god.  Thanks Jesus, whoever you are, but I do not need your offer as a savior or else.  The morals on which the questions revolve could be claimed by any descent religion. In my case, I am answerable to Allah, the God who created me and will summon me on Doomsday for reward or for punishment.  The point here is that I do not accept a judgment against my religion as a result of my being a sinner.  And I do not accept a religion because its followers have good manners and are refined people.

 

There are several reasons which shall keep your love (towards me) unrequited.  One of them is that gay marriages have been authorized and legalized in your country.  Another is that even gay bishops are around.  Then homosexuality has been dressed with the robes of civilization (Allah buried Sodomists under the Dead Sea here in Jordan).  Most important here is the fact that the origin of the word love is again … GREEK:  Eros, which combines two elements – lust and love (intercourse is not far from them).  I do not trust anything GREEK, and cannot guarantee that the two words remain mutually exclusive, as they may also combine with the word intercourse, and they might turn into a tripartite expression – lust, love, and intercourse.

 

Nowadays, I do not trust AMERICAN love either.  I give you the following example:

 

"(Jan. 5) - India, the first cat, has died just weeks before her family is due to vacate the White House, Laura Bush's office said Monday. She was 18.  The black American domestic shorthair died Sunday at home in the Executive Mansion, according to the first lady's office.  India was also known affectionately as "Willie" and "Kitty."  Although India was overshadowed in the public eye by the Bushes' dogs, Barney and Miss Beazley, the Bushes were very attached to her. She was recently seen in the first family’s holiday video, along with the feisty Scottish terriers.  India was a beloved member of the Bush family for almost two decades. She will be greatly missed, said the first lady's press secretary, Sally McDonough."

 

I wonder how many cats and dogs Bush's American soldiers killed in Iraq.  I know that the Crusader Bush reserved burdens of hatred to Islam and Muslems because all his love and affection were bestowed on his cats and dogs.  Out of American love, the equivalent of a few atomic bombs in explosives was dropped on Iraq.  Out of American love some one million Iraqi children died as a result of the American embargo on the Iraqi territory.

 

And a more relevant and contemporary example:

 

"Pentagon denies arms shipment to Israel linked to Gaza fighting (By Reuters) 

 

The U.S. military has sought to hire a merchant ship to deliver ammunition to Israel this month, tender documents show, but the Pentagon said the shipment was not linked to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.  A Pentagon spokesman said the ammunition was for a U.S. stockpile in Israel. The U.S. military pre-positions stockpiles in some countries in case it needs supplies at short notice."

 

It is not just Bush; it is also the Congress who approved shipment of ammunition to Israel.  If you Americans have any genuine love for human beings, watch television to see how out of love you provide insecticides which exterminate tiny creatures without any pain.  Also watch American aircraft provided only to Israel spill on Muslem Gaza universally-prohibited cluster bombs and fireworks-like white phosphor bombs on human beings to inflict on them the worst types of wounds and burns.  Also watch how your "powerful" ammunition shed the "blood" of belligerent infants.  Listen to your Secretary of State incriminating civilians because they happen to be citizens living among terrorists demanding freedom for their country.

 

I would be grateful if you amended your statement to:  I hate you Muhammad; without a family name, so that you may cover the Muhammad gender.  

 

Now I comment on the following paragraph of your last message.  I stet it in full lest you erroneously take parts of it for my words:

 

The sending of a later messanger to assert or interpret a former book is twisted just like the Mormons twist in the same way.  This is one of the devils major ploys to discredit the New Testament.

 

You insinuate but this is not the way I put the fact to you.  Also, there is a judgment despite your claim that you do not tend to judge.  Perhaps you want to be polite with persons but not with their god.  Because I talk about a "Closing Messenger of Allah" and a "Prophet", and because the Mormons talk about a "prophet", I shall try to explore the meaning of the word in a dictionary:

 

"Prophet:

A person who is believed to have a special power which allows them to say what a god wishes to tell people, especially about things that will happen in the future:

 

An Old Testament prophet

Let us hear the words of the prophet Isaiah on the coming of the Prince of Peace."

 

It is clear here that the Mormons are talking about a prophet speaking for a god, not a Messenger of Allah.

 

The Old Testament in my view is the Torah.  I claim that Allah authored the genuine Torah and included in it lessons relating to some of His selected Prophets.  This is the meaning I am talking about when I use the word.  Accordingly, there is a world of difference between the Mormon theology and mine.  In fact, the Mormons, as I have just read about them, are more Christians than anything else.  You have an argument with them, but I do not.

 

I understand from what I have read about the Mormons, that they have belief in modern prophets, BEGINNING with Joseph Smith, Jr., and CONTINUING today with Gordon B. Hinckley.  You may please rectify your records on the above two points.  There can be no similarity between Islam and Mormonism.

 

Because you tend to bring up certain arguments repeatedly, how about agreement on the following sort of code of ethics:

 

- Mutual recognition of the principle of sincerity in worship.  This requires that you and I admit to each other that the other party is sincere in worshiping his own deity.

 

- Accreditation of the principle of no fault-finding in the other party.  This requires that you and I consider what either of us does should not necessarily be correct from the other's point of view.

 

This suggestion is made in good faith with a view to a more constructive discussion.

 

  

CHRISTIAN RESPONSE (19) 

 

It is good to finally be able to get an email to you after such a long time.  I have been doing an interview for a job and much study to sharpen myself in that direction.  I hope your job search is going well.

 

You emailed two emails ago that you were going to defend yourself against the concept of personal sin.  I do not find that you have done that.  In fact, during my personal times of Bible study the God of the Bible has given me a verse to give to you about your sin.  Here it is:

 

1 John 2:1-6   "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense---Jesus Christ, the Rioghteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."

 

I hope you can get out of this what the God of the Bible wants you to. 

 

About the spears and spins you throw at the Bush family and American people, hostile Islamics have perpetrated much more venom within just one country toward Christians: Sudan.

 

About this issue:

 

Mutual recognition of the principle of sincerity in worship.  This

requires that you and I admit to each other that the other party is sincere

in worshiping his own deity.

 

Sincere is nice gesture, but to be sincere that a truck is not coming that will run you over and going out into the middle of the street anyway, just because you "sincerely" think the truck is not coming, will not allow you to escape the results of the direction of your feet.  You are going to get smashed by the truck no matter how sincerely you thought the truck was not on its way.  That you Mohammad Doofesh are committed to a way that will take you over the edge of the abyss to hell, and I am the designated spokeperson from Jesus to rescue you, no I will not let you step in front of that truck.  Not on my watch!  You need to be informed that your sincerity of worship, as sincere as it is, is sincerely not the Creators desire for you.

About this:

- Accreditation of the principle of no fault-finding in the other party.  This

requires that you and I consider what either of us does should not

necessarily be correct from the other's point of view.

 

Proverbs 12:15 says, "the way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice."  I wish to prompt you to the stirrings of the conscious that God has imbedded within your brain, that you would be pricked to the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit to know Christ as your personal Savior.  I hope that is clear.  Also I admit, that it was only the fact that God sent other agents into my life that did likewise, or else I would be flame bound myself.  My point of view is irrelivant, but the Creator's point of view from the Bible is all important and that is what I am trying to give you as a guidepost.  If you will not read it, what does that say about your polarity in terms of fault-finding?

 

With all my regards for the greatness of the mind God has given you.

 

 

 

MUSLEM MESSAGE (20)

 

In view of your delay in responding to my message, I thought that you have decided not to write to me anymore.  Therefore, I contacted another site which is apparently related to yours – as I can tell from their response message.  Since they have not responded as promised, and you were busy during the past days, I guess that your site and the other one are a "one-man show"; the man being you.  Are you Mr. John Beckett?  I have not had the chance to compare your ideas and writing styles.  I shall send you (Randall) copies because you would be the one to answer my question and reply to my message.

 

Remember that I am employed and have a heavenly job.  I am not searching for a secular one.  Sustenance, if that is what worries you, is provided by Allah, my Creator, not by my worldly employer.

 

Because you always try to sell me the Jesus concept on the basis of trying to convince me of the assumption that I am a sinner, I wanted to state to you that I am not a sinner, and that I need no savior under the premises you give or else.  I hope that you have now received my clear message:  Whether I am a sinner or not, I need no savior, particularly Jesus.  You may use his services.

 

The verse you provided from John and the ensuing comments from you only confirm my offer to you to recognize the two concepts of sincerity and no-fault finding.

 

Who is John to me?  Who is Jesus to me?  Who is God to me?  The answer is in the two concepts proposed to you.  These are parties whom you recognize and you are sincere in associating yourself with them.  Under the no-fault finding concept, I should not tell you that these are fakes.  I have my own set of things and expect that you do not tell me that they are fakes.

 

Who is John to tell me anything at all?  Why should I believe what John said about anything?  John wrote to his children the sinners; it is good for them.  What do I have to do with John and his sinning children?  If you have a Bible, I have my Book.  If you have a righteous Jesus, I have my Prophet.  If you have God, I have Allah.  I accept that you worship them sincerely.  Would you accept that that I worship mine sincerely?  You are trying to find-fault with me and my faith, would you accept my offer that I do not try and find-fault with you, and that you reciprocate by not finding-fault with me?

 

I hope you can get out of this what Allah of the Quraan wants you to do.

 

The spears and spins which you claim I threw at the Bush family were quotations from the (American) media.  Anyhow, these spears and spins do not compare with the weapons which your country has been providing to Israel since its conception.  Watch and follow up on the war on Gaza to see for yourself.  Earlier CNN could not report on the war because of Israel's ban on journalists, but now they are reporting.

 

The differences between the two of us emanate from the fact that we have two different religions.  Hostility between religions should necessarily be the result of politics.  Were the politicians to disappear, you and I would be quietly worshiping the same deity.  Names such as Sudan, Somalia, Bosnia, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and Palestine are perspective governed.  You find the fault in me and I find the fault in you because we are educated by politicians.  My proposal puts an end to this negative approach to our lives.

 

In the Sudan, as in many other countries of the world, it is the United States who wishes to dominate.  In the example of Afghanistan, the United States helped the Muslems (Bin Laden allegedly included) to fight the Soviet Union.  Then because the Muslems said no to the United States, the latter invaded Afghanistan and is fighting the Muslems.  A couple of days ago Russia announced it was ready to help the United States in Afghanistan!  It is crystal clear that politicians are pushing us towards fighting a dirty war, either in the battlefield, or on cyberspace.  You and I are fighting each other; but instead of using bombs, we are using sugar coated words and trying to apply a gentleman's language.

 

In Palestine, the United States did an extraordinary job to impose a democratic illusion through elections.  The United States testified as clean the elections which produced Hamas as the leading popular power in Palestine.  The United States afterwards did not respect its democratic motto and worked to the physical elimination of Hamas from the scene.

 

Here is a quotation about the US outgoing president Bush:

 

"On the war in Iraq, Bush said the biggest regret of his presidency was the "intelligence failure" regarding the extent of the Saddam Hussein threat to the United States. With the support of Congress, Bush ordered the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 — a decision largely justified on grounds — later proved false — that Saddam was building weapons of mass destruction.

 

Asked if he would have ordered the U.S.-led invasion if intelligence reports had accurately indicated that Saddam did not have the weapons, Bush replied: "You know, that's an interesting question. That is a do-over that I can't do. It's hard for me to speculate."

 

During a discussion about what Americans should know about what it is like to be president, Bush was asked what he was most unprepared for going into the office.

 

"I think I was unprepared for war," he said. "In other words, I didn't campaign and say, 'Please vote for me, I'll be able to handle an attack.' In other words, I didn't anticipate war. Presidents — one of the things about the modern presidency is that the unexpected will happen.""

 

Not only politicians change their minds, although I agree with the following change of mind:

 

"Pope outrages Jews over Holocaust denier

 

Jewish officials in Israel and abroad are outraged that Pope Benedict XVI has decided to lift the excommunication of a British bishop who denies that Jews were killed in Nazi gas chambers. The pope's decree brings back into the Catholic Church's fold Bishop Richard Williamson and three others who belong to the Society of Saint Pius X."

 

Having seen the massacres of the Israeli army in Gaza, the Pope should have realized that the Jews could not complain about a holocaust and yet commit it.  Anything which might have occurred to them must have been incomparably peanuts to what crimes they committed.

 

So, the facts are what they really are, not what your politicians tell you.

 

Why do you laud your arguments and make a brainless idiot of me?  If you can view that a truck is going to run me over, I can view that you will be crushed by a train because you are walking on the wrong track of life.  I am indeed sure that every human shall cross the bridge extended over Hell, you and me included.  But why do you see me on the abyss of Hell or falling in Hell and still reject my view of your being in Hell?  Is it pride?  My proposal not to find-fault with each other might be the solution.  I think you should accept my offer for a mutual recognition of sincerity so that we attain a way out of this vicious circle.  Thereafter, the two of us can live peacefully in this world.

 

I do not care if you are designated from Jesus to be his spokesperson, but I care much that you listen to my plea not to sell me any Jesus stuff.  I try my best not to sell you any of my stuff, and make every possible effort to innovate and find solutions; still you continue to play the same old, shattered record annoyingly!   

 

When you quote Proverbs, it is foolish to think that I am the fool who is addressed by that statement.  If I am too courteous to push anything on you, you should deal with me on the same basis.  If I were a fool, why should you call me that name?  It is human nature to accept oneself but to resist venomous attacks by others.  I do not wish to find-fault with you; would you reciprocate?

 

God has not given me my mind, to start with, and has not embedded anything within my mind.  I never prostrated on the assembly line of his factory.  I am the creation of Allah; He created me the way He wished; I accept it the way it is and refuse any change.  If I do not push on you the point of view of Allah, the Creator, to provide you with a guidepost, this should trigger in you the desire to seek it, or at least not to push on me your Creator's point of view.

 

You must have noticed that I am not quoting to you anything from the Quraan because I respect your request not to.  Why the hell you do not respect my request not to ask me to read the Bible?  Is it pride again?  If you think that you are right and that I am wrong, the only solution is to accept or reject my offer of the no fault-finding concept.  This will help us move to a more constructive dialogue.

 

Dear Mohammad,  

May the real Creator please dominate in both of our lives.  I will not be handcuffed from sharing with you the words of the Bible. My words may not be from God because of the sinful nature within my frame.  But the Words from God are sure from the Bible and I will not be able to handcuff the Bible in my emails.  I do not remember ever asking you not to send me any Quraan quotes.  

Randall

 

Dear Randall,

Here is my evidence:

"So you can see Mohammad, I am surrounded by angels here on the Christian front.  My cousin and I are both jobless and ill at the same time.  We want you to see how we cling onto the hope that is in Christ as a guidepost for your future.  I take no comfort in anything from Allah or from the Koran, so you need not quote it as hope to me, even though I take it that you are trying to encourage me.  The Bible, as my cousin has angelically written, has more comfort per square inch than any other text in the universe."

Are not these your words?

Regards,

Mohammad

Dear Mohammad,

 

May the Lord Jesus have his way in you this and every day.   As it is written in the Bible, "I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe."  Jude 1:5

 

Which words do you prefer?

 

Randall

 

                                                

Dear Randall,

 

I guess that you are sincere in wishing the good for me; but I know for sure that you are mistaken in your effort to impact my life through the wrong tools.  I cannot stop you from praying for me (your own way), although you stopped me from praying for you (my own way).  The fact is that I know that Jesus can do absolutely nothing for me (and for you); and that I cannot change the destiny Allah ordained for you (and for me) unless we change what is inside ourselves.

 

While I view the Bible as a "history" book, I see the grandeur of the Quraan as a "book of religion" when it referred to the same account (which you quoted in your message) as a testimony on Allah's capability to DELIVER a people and to DESTROY another people through the SAME means, that is "WATER".

 

Of course I prefer the words of the Quraan.

 

In my view, the whole thing can be shorthanded in one word, which is "Faith".  You see the Lord and the Bible, while I see Allah and the Quraan.  Your far-fetched imagination insinuates that I am the Pharaoh who disbelieves and will be destroyed.  I see that you turned deaf-ears and blind-eyes to the guidance offered to you by Allah with the result that you have gone astray.

 

I suggest an appointment on doomsday when you will try to blame me for not insisting on you to follow the straightforward path of Allah.

 

The attached file is my belated reply to the report which you sent to me earlier on Botros of Egypt.

 

Best regards,

 

Mohammad

  

 

Dear Mohammad,

 

Wow!  You did a great service to answer the Botros challenge.  I am grateful for your effort Mohammad.  I do love you and wish you the best.  I do agree with you that the numbers ingressing and egressing from our perspecitve faith choices are not quantifiable.  And that likewise there is no model Christian nation, just as you speak for your own models.

 

But I do find Muslem scripture that promotes fondling Muslem women and promoting child abuse and female discrimination problematic.  And I do not buy that Muslems have always used nonviolent means to spread their religion.

 

Instead, please meditate on what Jesus Christ, son of God offers us:

 

I am accepted In Christ:

 

I am God’s child. Jn 1:12

...

 

I am secure In Christ:

 

I am free from condemnation. Rom 8:1-2

...

 

I am significant In Christ:

 

I am the salt and light of the earth. Mtt 5:13-14

...

 

I do hope you will make the right choice,

 

Randall

 

 

Dear Randall,

 

Speaking of models, you will find below the body of my reply in this message the impressive story of a person who, in my view, can be taken for a model.

 

Please be specific by giving a complete list, or just one, or a few examples as to your statement that you do find Muslem scripture that promotes fondling Muslem women and promoting child abuse and female discrimination.

 

However, please do not bother about examples from other than the Quraan.  If you fail to produce such list or examples, the conclusion would be that Muslems can be defective, but that Islam is the perfect religion.  Accordingly, why should one judge Allah by the behavior of Satan?

 

Please remember that you may be reading "a translation of the meanings of the Quraan" not the Quraan in the Arabic language.  Furthermore, native speakers of the Arabic language comprehend the Quraan differently for no default in the Quraan itself.  Even the same person may understand the same text differently depending on one's physical or psychological state.

 

Whatever you say about Muslems might come to be true or contain a degree of the truth.  Beyond any doubt are Allah, the Quraan, and Prophet Muhammad.

 

You do hope that I will make the right choice.  If I were to choose between the divine and the human, I would choose the divine.  What is the criterion?

 

John 3:16 said: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son …".

 

Did Jesus HIMSELF say and order the inscription in the Gospels of a statement like: I am God's son or child? Even if he did, the question is:

 

Where in the Gospels there is a DIRECT SPEECH of God uttering a similar statement?

 

Since there is no such direct speech of God in the Gospels, my choice remains with the direct divine word, the Quraan, in which I find many literal and situational instances where Allah speaks directly.  Please meditate on a few examples, such as:

 

- "It is I Allah …",

 

or statements such as:

 

- These are My words, or

- You are My messenger, or

- All human beings shall be accountable before Me, or

- I created everything and to me all shall return, or

- I shall reward the believers, or

- Worship no other deity along with Me.

 

Regards,

 

Mohammad

 

How did I become Muslim?

By: Ruba Qewar

 

...

 

 

Dear Mohammad,

 

Jesus died over 2000 years ago. Nobody has ever referred to him as late Jesus , not even the heathens. No where in History. No where! He is the Living God! 97% OF U WONT POST THIS!!!! When Jesus died on the cross he was thinking of you! If you are one of the 3% who will stand up for him repost tis, your success is approaching if u wish me the same. Send it to everybody in your group you will receive your miracle before tomorrow. My prayer for u my dear friend, Things that will happen to u this coming week: (1) You will find favor with someone u don't expect (2) You will become too relevant to be ignored (3) You will encounter God in a new dimension and u will never remain the same, AmenJesus died over 2000 years ago. Nobody has ever referred to him as late Jesus , not even the heathens. No

 

Randall

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

"وَمَا هُم بِضَآرِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ"

2:102

"قُل لَّن يُصِيبَنَا إِلاَّ مَا كَتَبَ اللّهُ لَنَا هُوَ مَوْلاَنَا ۚ

 وَعَلَى اللّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ"

9:51

"أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ ۖ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِالَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِ ۚ

 وَمَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ"

39:36

 

Dear Mohammad,

 

It looks like you were having a difficult day.

 

Decisions are very difficult.  I am trying to make some difficult ones myself.  Today I was trying to investigate and go ahead with the decisions and then there was a difficulty encountered.  But we must take set-backs and keep trying to understand the Lord's will.

 

Trying to understand the Lord's will is often the most difficult thing we will ever do.   Some people advocate that they hear clearly His directions.  And some advocate going directly based on wisdom.  And there are Bible examples of each.   Whatever method God chooses to use in our life to get us to do something, whether we feel led or act because it makes good common sense to do what God wants us to do, I think we do best if we draw as close to the Lord while making the difficult decision as possible.  Dont you agree?

 

In this advent of Lent, I thought to go to soak for a while in Isaiah 53.  "Root out of dry ground" speaks of Christ's humble beginnings.  A carpenters laborer.  I was a laborer, carrying different pieces of wood and tools for the carpenters, holding the wood in place so they could pound in a couple of holding nails.  It was a good job-a go fetch it kind of service that kept my limbs active and out in the fresh air.  I would like to return to it some day. 

 

Then there is the "no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him" concept that is repeated twice.  Is that not indicating that Jesus came as a plain, ordinary looking and physically bland sort?  For sure not movie star attractive. 

 

And I am being ministered to by the "despised" portion of Is. 53.  That He was despised is stated twice and I do think that when concepts are repeated in the Bible, they are for a reason.  How was Jesus despised and rejected?

1. by the devil who tempted Jesus & told Him to throw Himself down from the temple.

2. by Herod who wanted to kill Him as a baby

3. by His home town when Jesus gave His first message in the temple where He said that He was the fulfillment of the scripture and that they were all full of leprosy-like sin & were not cleansed, but the Syrian Naaman was cleansed by the Lord.

4. by Pharisees

5. by one of His own disciples Judas.

6. Denial by Peter was a form of rejection.  But betrayal by Judas was the lowest type rejection ever.

7. Rejected by His parents? No, Mary treasured up these things Jesus was telling her in her heart.

8. by 9 out of 10 of the lepers who Jesus healed because only one came back to say thanks (is thanklessness a form of rejection?).

9. By His half brother James.

10 By all the disciples who abandoned Him as He was arrested, brutally beaten and crucified.

 

Do you find it good to meditate on the Lord Jesus during this time of life for you?

 

God bless,

Randall

 

 

  

Dear Randall,

 

It looks like the concept of projection is an offspring of pride and is the first step towards one's fall.  Your volunteering to analyze the status of my day prompts me to enforce my self-confidence and assure myself through verses of the Quraan that I am in the best of conditions by Allah's multitude of boons.  When Allah instructed Satan to bow to Adam in respect, Satan looked in the wrong direction and ended in making the wrong decision.

 

If you try to judge my daily status by scaling it against yours, you should come out with the wrong conclusions.  If you are now among the 5 million unemployed Americans (record high in 25 years), I do not consider myself among the unemployed in the world, because I am here to worship Allah, not to work, having received undeniable evidence that Allah invited me to this life and provided for my sustenance.  If you are confronted with set-backs, it is because you have your own schemes and vision, especially your effort exerted vainly towards diverting people from the straightforward path of Allah.  In my case, I do not revolt against the will of Allah; hence I am not disturbed by set-backs.

 

In my personal faith as I understand it from the Quraan, work is for people who have interest in this evanescent world; while worshiping is for people who have interest in the everlasting world.  I cannot be so shortsighted as to sacrifice my everlasting life for an evanescent life.

 

Your efforts to understand the "Lord's" will are often very difficult because you repeat the same mistake with him.  You use projection in looking at me, and you use it in looking at the Lord.  You try to see things tailored to your vision not as they really are or should be.  I do not know about the Bible (and do not want to know), but I know about the Quraan (and perhaps you should have to know) that Allah guides to His straightforward path and warns people of following various misleading, treacherous paths lest they go astray.  In my view, the genuine book, by the genuine deity, produces genuine results; and vice versa.

 

According to my faith, it is not Allah who chooses for me, but rather He provides me with the choice between rejecting or accepting Him as my Creator and Lord.  Once I make the decision, Allah helps me to reach my destination.  The freedom of choice is either rewarded or punished commensurately.  It is evident throughout the process of life that the status of Allah is not impacted by my (and by everyone's) choice to go in either direction.  Whatever I do is for my own benefit or detriment.  It is also evident that nobody can do anything in Allah's Kingdom without His permission (and eternal plan).

 

If you are still musing on making a decision to go back to your humble beginnings, I have already done so.  As a young boy I assisted my father, the butcher, in his shop, and now have tremendous pleasure in doing this type of work for my family.  This is the way Prophet Muhammad advised Muslems to do:  To be busy with the same occupation as their families.  But work in itself should not be my ultimate goal, because sustenance is provided by Allah.

 

Your vision of Jesus reminds me of the Quraan's portrayal of all Messengers of Allah to their peoples, including Eissa son of Mary.  They were "brothers" of their folks or came from among their ranks and spoke their own language for comprehension.  These Messengers of Allah addressed people by affirming that they needed nothing secular or material from them, but rather that people believe in the oneness of their Creator.

 

If you think that Jesus was despised and rejected in his capacity, the Quraan tells that clearly about all the Messengers of Allah, including Eissa son of Mary.  For this reason I cannot imagine that a deity can be subjected to any reaction by people, but I can easily understand the unthankful reaction of people towards the Messengers of Allah who tried to guide them on the secure path.

 

Just yesterday I came across an impressive site http://www.usislam.org/index.htm on which I read the following article relating to the writer's vision of Jesus:

 

I opened my heart to Jesus

 

I get many emails advising me to open my heart to Jesus. These are sincere friendly Christians that want to save me from hellfire. I also get emails accusing me of twisting the words of God, and I am doomed to hell.

 

I embarked on a journey of more than 10 years searching for God and Religions. It was not easy. I wanted to be absolutely sure of my conclusion. My search was comprehensive, systematic and spiritual. I put this experience in my first book "History of Truth, The Truth about God and religions".

 

Part of this search concerned Jesus. I love him. I love his teachings and his parables. I imagine him very handsome with long white dress and a beard. I also love Maryam (Mary), his mother. This great lady that saw what no other woman before or after her saw. I imagine Mary with an angle face, long dress and headscarf.

 

Please note: The following is just a thought process. No claim of vision, like Paul, or even Oral Roberts, is implied here.

 

My heart is opened to Jesus and Mary many times. One day I was thinking about his alleged crucifixion, then I had the feeling that Jesus tells me:

 

Do you believe that I was on the cross and then I said ""Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani?" My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" as in Matthew 27:46, or I said, it is "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?" My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  As in Mark 15:34. How can anyone believe that God has abandoned me? I knew my mission in life, so how can that be called abandonment? This statement is absolutely not true. God never abandon me. It was not me on the cross. You know that the same sentence, word for word, exists in the songs of David, Psalm 22.1. It was a Jew asking God for help from the Old Testament.

 

Next, how can anyone delete from modern Gospels or add to classic Gospels about 50 verses from the Gospels?

 

Then I asked Jesus, Are you the son of Man or the son of God. I had the feeling that he said" I stated in the Gospels that I am the Son of Man 84 times, and Paul and people called me Son of God" 63 times.

 

John 9:35

 

The King James Version “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?”

 

 The New Revised Standard Version “Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

 

FOOTNOTES: Other ancient authorities read [the Son of God]

 

Acts 3:13

 

The New Revised Standard Version "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus"

 

The King James Version "The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus;"

 

So I thought: who are you Sir?

 

He said "Read the Gospel, I called myself "son of man" 84 times; people called me "son of god" 63 times in the Revised Standard version of the Bible. I spoke Aramaic. I said Abba in Aramaic, which means father in English. Abba in Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, and Greek (pater) means father or a title of honor. I meant it to be a title of honor for God, not what the writers of the Gospel translated as father.

 

Then he said "I am indeed a servant of Allah. He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet. And He hath made me blessed where so ever I be, and hath enjoined on me prayer and Zakat (charity) as long as I live. (He hath made me) kind to my mother, and not overbearing or unblest. So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)". Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth about which they (vainly) dispute. It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, he only says to it "Be", and it is." (Quran 19:30-35)

 

 

Finally I have strong evidence from the Bible, Please check the verses above. George Bush was ordered by God to invade and destroy Iraq, and he does not have any evidence for that. But I have evidence from The Bible.

END OF QUOTE

 

The only meditation I can have at this time is that the Jesus concept is used by many as a scarecrow.  A good example is your previous message.  I attain the most peaceful and merciful meanings when I meditate on the situations in which Eissa, son of Mary and Messenger of Allah, is involved in throughout the Quraan.  I also meditate on Prophet Muhammad's description of his brother Eissa son of Mary on two occasions:  One upon his meeting with him in the heavens during the Prophet's ascension, and the second upon the prophesied descent of Eissa son of Mary in Damascus towards the end of this world.  I see no point in seeking other literature to meditate on.

 

Regards,

 

Mohammad

 

 

Dear Mohammad,

 

Hi, how are you.  I am reading more about all the trials of different characters in the Bible and what these characters overcame.  I wonder if the characters in the Quraan are detailed about the trials they encountered and details given in the Quraan about how the characters in the Quraan overcame their trials.  Input?

 

Randall

 

Quraanic characters in trial situations

 

Dear Randall,

 

You asked a question about some content of the Quraan to which my answer is provided hereinafter. But what does the Author of the Quraan state about those who believe in it and those who do not?

 

[Q.41:44] Had We made the Quraan in non-Arabic (language) they would have said: 'If only its verses were distinguished! Why is it in (a) non-Arabic (language, when the Prophet is) an Arab?' Say: 'It is to the believers a guidance and a healing. But to those who do not believe, it is heaviness in their ears, and to them it is blindness. They are those called from afar.'

 

Trials of different characters in the Quraan

(under the verb "try")

 

Q.v e r s e:  89:15 and 16

Character:  Man (any human being)

Trial         :  Allah honored man and favored him.

                    Allah restricted man's provisions.

Result       :  Man said Allah honored me.

                    Man said Allah humiliated me.

                    Allah said: "No!"  Man failed the trial.

 

Q.v e r s e:  2:124 

Character:  Ibraheem

Trial         :  Allah issued dos and don'ts to Ibraheem.

Result       :  Ibraheem successfully accomplished his mission.

 

 

Q.v e r s e:  33:11

Character:  Muslems in Madeenah

Trial         :  Allah allowed the allied enemies to besiege the

                     Muslems in Madeenah under tough conditions

Result      :  The hypocrites and those sick in the heart failed.

                    The true believers said this is what Allah and His

                     Prophet promised us; and Allah and His

                     Prophet told us the truth.

 

Q.v e r s e:  37:106

Character:  Ibraheem (and his son Ismaeel)

Trial         :  Allah instructed Ibraheem to slay his son.

Result       :  Ibraheem abided by Allah's wish and proceeded

                     to implementation.

 

Q.v e r s e:  8:17

Character:  Prophet Muhammad and the Muslems

Trial         :  Allah guided them to fight their first battle with

                     the non-believers.

Result       :  Allah sent Angels who fought with them.

 

Q.v e r s e:  2:49

Character:  Children of Israel (in Egypt)

Trial         :  The Pharaoh tortured them: slaughtered their

                     sons, but retained their females.

Result      :  They maintained patience till mission of Moussa.

 

Q.v e r s e:  44:33

Character:  Children of Israel

Trial         :  Allah provided them with signs through which

                     They emerged victorious against the Pharaoh.

Result       :  They did not observe the signs later.

 

Q.v e r s e:  68:17

Character:  Meccans (non-believers)

Trial         :  Allah tried the Meccans in the same manner in

                     which he tried the owners of the orchard.

Result       :  The Meccans were inflicted by draught and loss

                     of crops.  The orchard was plighted so that

                     it was turned into ashes.  Both failed the trial.

 

Q.v e r s e:  10:30

Character:  The infidel

Trial         :  Allah sent Messengers to guide people to the His

                     path.  Many rejected the message.

Result       :  They face the consequences on doomsday.

 

Q.v e r s e:  86:9

Character:  Man (human beings)

Trial         :  The inner-self of everyone will be under trial.

Result       :  Nothing can be hidden from Allah.

 

Q.v e r s e:  3:186

Character:  Believers

Trial         :  Allah is to subject those who believe to ordeals.

                     Infliction will be on their being and possession.

                     They shall hear from the People of the Book and

                      the infidel a lot of harm.

Result       :  Conditional:  If you be patient and fear Allah,

                     This action shall be the best of deeds.

 

Q.v e r s e:  23:30

Character:  Prophet Noah and his people.

Trial         :  Allah provided for their rescue on the arc.

Result      :  The believers escaped the flood; others drowned.

 

Q.v e r s e:  5:94

Character:  Muslems on pilgrimage

Trial         :  Allah is to bring hunt to their vicinity.

Result       :  If they resist the temptation of hunting the

                     animals or catching the birds (thus observe

                     the instructions of Allah), then they succeed.

                     If they fail the trial through transgression, they

                     shall receive a painful torture.

 

Q.v e r s e:  18:7

Character:  Man (human beings)

Trial         :  Allah made all worldly things on this earth an

                    Adornment therefore.

Result       :  Hard workers shall be distinguished.

 

Q.v e r s e:  3:152

Character:  Muslems in the second battle

Trial         :  Allah defeated the infidel, but put the Muslems

                     to trial by exposing the spoils.  Some archers

                     disobeyed the Prophet's instruction by deserting

                     the position assigned to them.

Result       :  Loss of victory.  A great lesson learned.

 

Q.v e r s e:  47:4

Character:  Muslems

Trial         :  Fight the enemy and capture some of them.

Result       :  Allah could deal with the enemy, but wished to

                     distinguish between those who obey and others.

 

Q.v e r s e:  5:48

Character:  People of the Book

Trial         :  Allah directed the Prophet to issue judgments

                     (in the cases referred to him by the People of the

                     Book) in accordance with the Quraan which

                     thence became dominant on the other books.

Result       :  The People of the Book should submit to the

                    Quraan.  Allah could have made all human

                     generations follow one legislation, but they were

                     being tested for scrutiny.

 

Q.v e r s e:  6:165

Character:  Man (human beings)

Trial         :  Allah allowed man to dwell on earth in

                    successive generations, and in various social and

                    wealth rankings.

Result   :  Disobedience punished; obedience rewarded.

 

Q.v e r s e: 11:7

Character:  Man (human beings)

Trial         :  Allah created the heavens and the earth with the

                    Objective of distinguishing those who excel in

                    their performance of good deeds.

Result       :  The infidel would not believe; they shall be

                     resurrected after being dead.

 

Q.v e r s e:  67:2

Character:  Man (human beings)

Trial         :  Allah created the death and the life with the

                    Objective of distinguishing those who excel in

                    their performance of good deeds.

Result       :  Allah is the Almighty, the Forgiving.

 

Q.v e r s e:  27:40

Character:  Prophet cum King Suleyman

Trial        :  Allah provided Prophet Suleyman with the

                    means which enabled him to bring the throne of

                    the Queen of Yemen to his custody within the

                    twinkling of an eye.

                   Then when Suleyman saw the throne placed

                   firmly before him, he said: "This is by the grace

                   of my Lord!- to test me whether I am grateful or

                   ungrateful!"

Result     : If anyone is grateful, truly his gratitude is a gain

                  for his own soul; but if ungrateful, truly

                  my Lord is Free of all Needs, Supreme in Honor.

 

Q.v e r s e:  2:249

Character:  Children of Israel fighting with Talout

Trial         :  Allah tried them by ordering them not to drink

                     from the river Jordan prior to crossing to the

                     Holy Land for battle with Jalout.

Result       :  They failed; as most of them drank water and

                     could not fight the enemy.

 

 

Q.v e r s e:  76:2

Character:  Man (human beings)

Trial         :  Allah created man and provided him with

                    senses such as those used for vision and hearing.

Result       :  Man will be brought to accountability before

                     Allah on doomsday.  Senses will be witnesses.

 

Q.v e r s e:  7:163

Character:  Children of Israel

Trial         :  Allah would make available plenty of fish on the

                    day of holiday (Saturday) but not on other days.

Result       :  They cheated through using treacherous fishing

                     techniques.

 

Q.v e r s e:  4:6

Character:  Orphans

Trial         :  Muslems to test orphans before giving them

                     their moneys back to them upon becoming

                     mature.

Result       :  Witnesses should be present upon delivery.

 

Q.v e r s e:  7:168

Character:  Children of Israel

Trial         :  Dispersion in the various countries of the world;

                    and subjecting them to good and evil for trial.

Result       :  Some turned to be thankful but many did not.

 

Q.v e r s e:  2:155

Character:  Muslems

Trial      :  Allah shall test the Muslems with a certain degree

                 of fear and hunger, and decrease of goods, life

                 and crops.

Result       :  Give glad tidings to the patient.

 

Q.v e r s e:  47:31

Character:  Muslems

Trial         :  Imposition of Jihad and other religious duties.

Result       :  Those who are patient shall be distinguished.

 

Q.v e r s e:  3:154

Character:  Muslems

Trial       :  Fighting their first battle under tough conditions.

Result     :  True believers shall be distinguished from others.

 

Q.v e r s e:  21:35

Character:  Man (human beings)

Trial        :  Every soul shall taste death. We will try you with

                   a trial of both evil and good.

Result       :  Then, to Us you shall be returned.

 

*****

 

Other stories about trial in the Quraan may fall under the verb "test" of which the following verse is an example:

 

"Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, "We believe", and that they will not be tested?"

 

Other trial situations in the Quraan do not fall under verbs directly related to the theme.  In the creation of Adam situation, Allah tried the Angels, Satan, and Adam.  The Angels succeeded by obeying the order.  Satan failed the trial through arrogance and pride.  Adam failed the trial under the misguidance of Satan, but then was pardoned.

In other stories of Prophets the trial factor may go unnoticed linguistically as the situation becomes dominant.  This applies particularly to Prophets Muhammad, Ibraheem, Moussa, Eissa, Yahya, Zakariyya, Noah, Dawoud, Youness, Houd, Yousuf and others. A complete inventory of the trial situations in the Quraan may require quoting as much as one half of its text.

 

One of the most outstanding trial characters in the Quraan is Prophet Ayyoub who began his life as a rich man with a large family.  Under the trial theme he lost his wealth and all members of his family, except his wife.  The climax of trial is apparent in Ayyoub's becoming seriously ill that parts of his skin would fall to the ground.  Here the theme of PATIENCE is the objective of trial because Ayyoub endured for quite a long time without asking to be healed.  Prophet Ayyoub succeeded in the trial and was reinstated into a better status than the one he was in before the trial.

 

In conclusion, the Quraan is more about our life on this earth which is in itself a trial period preceding our passage to the afterlife when and where the results will be known.

 

Regards,

Mohammad

 

 

Dear Mohammad,

 

This is a most exceptional list.  I want to respond to you as I have been taking an inventory of the OT myself with over 50 entries in the past 3 weeks.  But I do not have time to type them to you tonight.  But I will over time if you want them.  I liked the way you organized your work, the quoting of the exact verses and listing the specific trial and result.  I will be trying to track them down in the English version of the Quraan that I own.

 

In one of the last paragraph you listed some names as follows: "Prophets Muhammad, Ibraheem, Moussa, Eissa, Yahya, Zakariyya, Noah, Dawoud, Youness, Houd, Yousuf and others."  Would you be able to tell me more about these characters, the trials they had and the results of them?   Although your list was long, not many of the entries were of specific people.  And the few people you specified, Ibraheem, Ismaeel, Noah, and King Suleyman are also in the Bible recorded in much greater details about their given trials and results.  The reference to Muhammad was muddied by group characterizations of the passage you quoted. 

 

I would really like to know if the Quraan has any specific passage that talks about more of the individual characters.  Like that one Ayyoub you mentioned.  Where is that one located?  Can you tell me more or list a few more of specific characters in the Quraan who had real life trials?  Anyone go through political turmoil such as Daniel did?  How about shipwreck like Paul?  How about famine?  Betrayal by an unfaithful wife like Hosea?  Or abandonment of a close friend (David)?  Or castaway on an island like Patmos? (John)

 

I would appreciate knowing more of the entire scope of trials that the people in the Quraan face.

 

Best wishes,

 

Randall

 

Back to square (minus) One

 

Dear Randall,

 

The fifty entries of the OT are of no use to me, so please do not bother to type them and send them to me.  Honestly, I do not need them.  You may track the list of verses which I sent you in your own English version of the Quraan.

 

If the trials of some characters have been given in much greater detail in the Bible than in the Quraan, then I suggest that you read the trial of Yousuf (the whole Surah No. 12).  This Surah talks more about the individual characters.  Again, if much greater detail to you means the stuff is better, then I should say that I have better read the books of Homer, Shakespeare, and Agatha Christie rather than read the Bible as you suggest.

 

The much smaller detail in the Quraan should not be construed to be a deficiency because Allah knows the shortcomings of the human beings which He created.  If the GATT Agreement was written a truck-load of paper, the words of Allah are as follows:  (Q18:109), and (Q31:27).

 

The trial of Ayyoub in the Quraan is mentioned "briefly" in the following locations:  (Q4:163), (Q6:84), (Q21:83), and (Q38:41).  The details have come to us from Prophet Muhammad's further explanations and those of other accredited scholars of the Muslem nation.

 

Because my objective is not writing a doctorate thesis about the trials of the Quraan, I wish to be content with the suggestion that you read the trial of Yousuf only (the whole passage).  Another reason is that once I exhausted the subject, you would certainly say that there is much greater detail in the Bible.  I do not tell Allah in which style He should have written His Book.  Remember that I told you that my "exceptional" list tackled the words originating from ONE stem only (that is the verb to "try").

 

Best regards,

 

Mohammad

 

 

new DIALOGUE

 (Site:  GreatestQuestion)

 

 

Dear Mr. Beckett,

 

Your site might be linked to the site addressed "godlovesyou".  I wrote to them and they wrote to me extensively.  The reason why I fell into their net is the same why I am writing to you today.  It is the word "Allah" in Arabic.

 

Your site uses the word "God" which is fine for me.  The Arabic equivalent of this site, addressed "ahamsual" does not sensibly use the word "Lord" which is "Arrubb" in Arabic.  In the East, people are familiar with the "Lord" expression to denote Jesus.  The use of "Allah" creates confusion, hence my writing to you.

 

I believe that the basic site is the one in English; otherwise I shall (reluctantly) write to your Arabic site.  My argument is in the form of a question as follows:

 

Do you wish to use the word "Allah" in your (Arabic) literature?

 

If your answer is in the affirmative, then you should accept the word of Allah when He describes you as "infidel".  The statement that the word God translates into Allah in Arabic is not justifiable in my theological sense.

 

One thing to add is that I am not worried about those who get confused and accept Jesus for their Lord as a result of their understanding the words Allah and God interchangeably.  I am not worried either about those who fall prey to the decoy site www.adhkar.4t.com thinking that this is a "purely" Muslem site.  And it is not my intention to try and prohibit you from using any words or methods in your mission.

 

Allah is capable of defending His religion and His subordinates in this life and the hereafter.  He is also capable of handling those who deceive people and cause them to go astray from the straightforward path and the truth.

 

Regards,

 

Mohammad

 

 

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Dear Mr. Beckett, Your site might be linked to the site addressed "godlovesyou"...

  

 

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