Believers--who are they?

[Amica]

Peace/shalom/salaam to all of you--

Who are the believers? All three religious groups claim that they are on the True Path. All three preach that their religion is the way. But, is it really true?
After reading my Holy Book, one sentence/ayat really stuck out:

"Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians -- whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor shall they grieve" (2:62, 5:69, and many other verses).

Pretty self explanatory. The preconditions for one to be considered a believer are: belief in One God, in the Last Day and that he/she does good.
Everything else (our religious laws and practices) come in secondary. Each religious group was given the Same Message with slightly different instructions in terms of how we implement the Message. So why continually accuse each other: "Oh, yeah? You are a believer? Well you're not if you are not a Jew/Muslim/Christian?"

I think what it boils down to is mutual respect. Who am I to call a Jewish person unbeliever? I don't know what his/her heart carries (what love for God, the strenght of his/her belief). Who am I to call a Muslim a fake if she does not wear a hijab? I don't know how humble she might be when she prostrates in sajda. Who am I to call a Christian unbeliever? I don't know how much he gives in the Name of the Lord Almighty to help others.
We do not have to recognize each others' religions, but isn't it enough if one says that he/she believes in One God and meets the other preconditions?

 

[wil]

All three religious groups claim that they are on the True Path. All three preach that their religion is the way. But, is it really true?

I believe this to be true, your path is true for you, your path is the way for you. (but it may change and that will also be the way)

I don't however limit my belief to the three religions or just religion.

 

[citizenzen]

All three religious groups claim that they are on the True Path. All three preach that their religion is the way. But, is it really true?

Amica, Buddhism claims to be a way... not the way.

So maybe you should become a Buddhist. That way you can achieve enlightenment and accept the validity of other religions as well.

And don't worry... the shaved head is totally optional.

 

[GlorytoGod]

So why continually accuse each other: "Oh, yeah? You are a believer? Well you're not if you are not a Jew/Muslim/Christian?"

it is because many people really have no spiritual knowledge whatsoever, they may have an intellectual understanding of scripture but that in itself is poisonous we cant understand God intellectually it must with our hearts.

 

[babamcrib]

People kill each other over the name they have assigned to That Which Forbids Such Killing

 

[shawn]

Anyone who will kill, harm or oppress another for religious reasons does not understand, nor have they ever understood, the religion they follow.
Technically they are mentally ill and are a danger to others .

 

[Abdullah]

Peace/shalom/salaam to all of you--

Who are the believers? All three religious groups claim that they are on the True Path. All three preach that their religion is the way. But, is it really true?
After reading my Holy Book, one sentence/ayat really stuck out:

"Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians -- whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor shall they grieve" (2:62, 5:69, and many other verses).

Pretty self explanatory.

rather sister, pretty misleading if not understood in it's correct context

tafsir ibn kathir explains:

`Ali bin Abi Talhah narrated from Ibn `Abbas, about,


(Verily, those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day) that Allah revealed the following Ayah afterwards,


(And whoever seeks religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers) (3:85).

This statement by Ibn `Abbas indicates that Allah does not accept any deed or work from anyone, unless it conforms to the Law of Muhammad that is, after Allah sent Muhammad . Before that, every person who followed the guidance of his own Prophet was on the correct path, following the correct guidance and was saved.

Tafsir.com Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And Tafsir of imam Suyuti...:

Surely those who believe, [who believed] before, in the prophets, and those of Jewry, the Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabaeans, a Christian or Jewish sect, whoever, from among them, believes in God and the Last Day, in the time of our Prophet, and performs righteous deeds, according to the Law given to him — their wage, that is, the reward for their deeds, is with their Lord, and no fear shall befall them, neither shall they grieve (the [singular] person of the verbs āmana, ‘believes’, and ‘amila, ‘performs’, takes account of the [singular] form of man, ‘whoever’, but in what comes afterwards [of the plural pronouns] its [plural] meaning [is taken into account]).

Altafsir.com - The Tafsirs - ÇáÊÝÇÓíÑ

it says there, '...and performs righteous deeds, according to the Law given to him' — i.e, to Muhammad [saw], thus the past tense of the validity of previous shariahs becomes clear here

And shaykh nuh, drums home the definitvive view of the entire Muslim ummah:

Allah sent mankind and jinn His prophetic messengers (upon whom be peace), who were trustworthy, intelligent, truthful, and fully conveyed their messages. He protected them from sin, and from every physical trait unbecoming to them, though as human beings, they ate, drank, slept, and married. They were the best of all created beings; and the highest of them was him whom Allah chose to be the final seal of prophethood, our prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).


Though the Sacred Law of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) superseded all previously valid religious laws, it was identical with them in beliefs, such as tawhid or "oneness of God", and so on, a fact that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) emphasized by saying, "Let none of you say I am superior to [the prophet] Jonah," (Bukhari, 4.193: 3412), for the illumination of Jonah's tawhid (upon him be peace)--under the darkness of the storm, the darkness of the sea, and the darkness of the belly of the fish--was not less than the illumination of the Prophet's tawhid at the zenith of his success as the spiritual leader of all Arabia (Allah bless him and give him peace). The light of their message was one, in which sense the Qur'an says, "We do not differentiate between any of His messengers" (Qur'an 2:285), showing that previous religions were the same in beliefs, and though differing in provisions of works, and now abrogated by the final religion, were valid in their own times.

As for today, only Islam is valid or acceptable now that Allah has sent it to all men, for the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said,

"By Him in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, any person of this Community, any Jew, or any Christian who hears of me and dies without believing in what I have been sent with will be an inhabitant of hell" (al-Baghawi: Sharh al-sunna 1.104).​

This hadith was also reported by Muslim in his Sahih by `Abd al-Razzaq in his Musannaf, and others. It is a rigorously authenticated (sahih) evidence that clarifies the word of Allah in surat Al 'Imran

"Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam will never have it accepted from him, and shall be of those who have truly failed in the next life" (Qur'an 3:85)​

and many other verses and hadiths. That Islam is the only remaining valid or acceptable religion is necessarily known as part of our religion, and to believe anything other than this is unbelief (kufr) that places a person outside of Islam, as Imam Nawawi notes:

"Someone who does not believe that whoever follows another religion besides Islam is an unbeliever (like Christians), or doubts that such a person is an unbeliever, or considers their sect to be valid, is himself an unbeliever (kafir) even if he manifests Islam and believes in it" (Rawda al-talibin, 10.70).​

This is not only the position of the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence represented by Nawawi, but is also the recorded position of all three other Sunni schools: Hanafi (Ibn 'Abidin: Radd al-muhtar 3.287), Maliki (al-Dardir: al-Sharh al-saghir, 4.435), and Hanbali (al-Bahuti: Kashshaf al-qina', 6.170). Those who know fiqh literature will note that each of these works is the foremost fatwa resource in its school. The scholars of Sacred Law are unanimous about the abrogation of all other religions by Islam because it is the position of Islam itself. It only remains for the sincere Muslim to submit to

Universal Validity of Religions

 

[Joedjr]

As for today, only Islam is valid or acceptable now that Allah has sent it to all men, for the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said,

"By Him in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, any person of this Community, any Jew, or any Christian who hears of me and dies without believing in what I have been sent with will be an inhabitant of hell" (al-Baghawi: Sharh al-sunna 1.104).​

This hadith was also reported by Muslim in his Sahih by `Abd al-Razzaq in his Musannaf, and others. It is a rigorously authenticated (sahih) evidence that clarifies the word of Allah in surat Al 'Imran

"Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam will never have it accepted from him, and shall be of those who have truly failed in the next life" (Qur'an 3:85)​

and many other verses and hadiths. That Islam is the only remaining valid or acceptable religion is necessarily known as part of our religion, and to believe anything other than this is unbelief (kufr) that places a person outside of Islam, as Imam Nawawi notes:

"Someone who does not believe that whoever follows another religion besides Islam is an unbeliever (like Christians), or doubts that such a person is an unbeliever, or considers their sect to be valid, is himself an unbeliever (kafir) even if he manifests Islam and believes in it" (Rawda al-talibin, 10.70).​

This is not only the position of the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence represented by Nawawi, but is also the recorded position of all three other Sunni schools: Hanafi (Ibn 'Abidin: Radd al-muhtar 3.287), Maliki (al-Dardir: al-Sharh al-saghir, 4.435), and Hanbali (al-Bahuti: Kashshaf al-qina', 6.170). Those who know fiqh literature will note that each of these works is the foremost fatwa resource in its school. The scholars of Sacred Law are unanimous about the abrogation of all other religions by Islam because it is the position of Islam itself. It only remains for the sincere Muslim to submit to

This seems to come strictly from the imagination of men. How can you or I be truly sure that G-d posits that Islam and only Islam is the valid religion?

 

[Abdullah]

This seems to come strictly from the imagination of men. How can you or I be truly sure that G-d posits that Islam and only Islam is the valid religion?

Hi joedir; verry good question, for certainty is indeed needed for such an important view with far reaching implications

Basically, it has been overwhelmingly and decicively established from the Quran that only Islam is valid now, thus therefore I suppose, if you want to be sure about it, then really you'd have to look at the evidences of how the Quran is a true revelation from God; we can go into that if you want, but for the meantime, here is basically the evidences from the Quran for the former:

Well shaykh nuh in his article mentioned that unequivical verse, with a rigorously authenticated hadith [saying of the prophet muhammad [saw], and here is a verse where Allah curses the Jews for rejecting the Quran and the prophet Muhammad [saw] and calls them kaafirs [rejectors of the true faith]:

2-89: And when there came to them a Book from Allah, which confirms what was with them,__ while earlier, they used to seek help against those who disbelieved, __ yet when there came to them that which they did recognize, they denied it. So the curse of Allah is upon the disbelievers

Thus, if 'Judaism' was valid, then... they should remain as believers and not be the cursed desbeleivers now should they?

And a simple glance through the pages of the Quran shows that it is replete with verses saying that a kaafirs [desbelievers/rejector of faith] fate will be an eternity in the fire

Basically my dear friend, an essentiality of faith is to accept all Messengers of God and the new guidance that is revealed to the Messenger for the people he is sent to, hence as Muhammad [saw] was sent to all mankind, abrogating all other previous divine dispensations [with the advent of new Messengers, the provisions of works have changed somewhat, but the core principles of faith, such as God is one, etc, remains the same] then belief in him and his guidance is essential, thus all people have to believe in him and his message [i.e they have to become muslims] once they hear of him, if they iether want to become or remain believers:

“Those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers, and wish to make division between Allah and His Messengers, and say: ‘We believe in some and disbelieve in others,’ wishing to take a midway course. Those indeed are the unbelievers, and We have prepared for the unbelievers a humiliating punishment”(4:150-51).

hope this helps

Peace

ps: the description of the Prophet Muhammad [saw] was/is also in the Torah and Injeel [the original divine Book revealed to Jesus [pbuh], thus according to their own books, the christians and Jews should be following Muhammad [saw] now;

many? jews infact recognised the prophet Muhammad [saw] as the Messenger that was foretold in their Torah; the following hadiths of Abdullah bin Salaam and saffiyah, both Jews [only by decent after they converted] elucidates this point:

Narrated Anas:

When 'Abdullah bin Salam heard the arrival of the Prophet at Medina, he came to him and said, "I am going to ask you about three things which nobody knows except a prophet: What is the first portent of the Hour? What will be the first meal taken by the people of Paradise? Why does a child resemble its father, and why does it resemble its maternal uncle" Allah's Apostle said, "Gabriel has just now told me of their answers."

'Abdullah said, "He (i.e. Gabriel), from amongst all the angels, is the enemy of the Jews." Allah's Apostle said, "The first portent of the Hour will be a fire that will bring together the people from the east to the west; the first meal of the people of Paradise will be Extra-lobe (caudate lobe) of fish-liver. As for the resemblance of the child to its parents: If a man has sexual intercourse with his wife and gets discharge first, the child will resemble the father, and if the woman gets discharge first, the child will resemble her." On that 'Abdullah bin Salam said, "I testify that you are the Apostle of Allah."

'Abdullah bin Salam further said, "O Allah's Apostle! The Jews are liars, and if they should come to know about my conversion to Islam before you ask them (about me), they would tell a lie about me."


The Jews came to Allah's Apostle and 'Abdullah went inside the house. Allah's Apostle asked (the Jews), "What kind of man is 'Abdullah bin Salam amongst you?" They replied, "He is the most learned person amongst us, and the best amongst us, and the son of the best amongst us." Allah's Apostle said, "What do you think if he embraces Islam (will you do as he does)?" The Jews said, "May Allah save him from it."

Then 'Abdullah bin Salam came out in front of them saying, "I testify that None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah." Thereupon they said, "He is the evilest among us, and the son of the evilest amongst us," and continued talking badly of him. [Bukhari]
................

Saffiyah [ra] was the daughter of a Jewish chieftan, who got captured as a prisoner of war after the muslims defeated the jews in the battle of khyber; she later got married to the Prophet [saw] and she narrated the following story:

"I was my father's favorite and also a favorite with my uncle Yasir. They could never see me with one of their children without picking me up. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to Medina, my father and my uncle went to see him. It was very early in the morning and between dawn and sunrise. They did not return until the sun was setting. They came back worn out and depressed, walking with slow, heavy steps. I smiled to them as I always did, but neither of them took any notice of me because they were so miserable. I head Abu Yasir ask my father, 'Is it him?' 'Yes, it is.' 'Can you recognize him? Can you verify it?' 'Yes, I can recognize him too well.' 'What do you feel towards him?' 'Enmity, enmity as long as I live.'
...................

Ibn Kathir comments on this saying:

The significance of this conversation is evident when we recall that in the Torah of the Jews, it was written that a Prophet would come who would lead those who followed him to victory.

Indeed before the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to Medina, the Jews used to threaten the idol worshippers of Yathrib, as it was then called, that when the next Prophet came to the believers were going to exterminate them, just as the Jews had exterminated other tribes who refused to worship God in the past. As in any case, of the Prophet Jesus, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who had been clearly described in the Torah - but rejected by many of the Jews when he actually came - the next and last Prophet was accurately described in the Torah, which also contained signs by which the Jews could easily recognize him.

Thus Ka'b al-Ahbar, one of the Jews of that time who embraced Islam, relates that this Prophet is described in the Torah as follows:

'My slave, Ahmad, the Chosen, born in Mecca, who will emigrate to Medina (or he said Tayyiba - another name given to Yathrib); his community will be those who praise Allah in every state.'

And 'Amr ibn al-'As said that it also says in the Torah:

'O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of good news and a warner and a refuge for the illiterate. You are My slave and My messenger. I have called you the one on whom people rely, one who is neither coarse nor vulgar, and who neither shouts in the markets nor repays evil with evil, but rather pardons and forgives. Allah will not take him back to Himself until the crooked community has been straightened out by him and they say, "There is no god but Allah." Through him, blind eyes, deaf ears and covered hearts will be opened.'

It was thanks to these descriptions in the Torah, that the most learned rabbi of the Jews, 'Abdullah ibn Salam, had embraced Islam on seeing Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and it was because of these descriptions that Huyayy ibn Akhtab was also able to recognize him.

However Huyayy, like most of the other Jews, was deeply disappointed that the last Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was a descendant of Isma'il and not of Ishaq, (the two sons of the Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon them), since the Jews of that time claimed exclusive descent from Ishaq, through the twelve sons of his son Ya'qub (who was also known as Israel), from whom the twelve tribes of Israel had originated. Not only did Huyayy resent the fact that the last Prophet had appeared amongst the Arabs, but also he did not want to lose his position of power and leadership over his people.​

Ibn Kathir: Wives of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

 

[wil]

Basically, it has been overwhelmingly and decicively established from the Quran that only Islam is valid now, thus therefore I suppose, if you want to be sure about it, then really you'd have to look at the evidences of how the Quran is a true revelation from God; we can go into that if you want, but for the meantime, here is basically the evidences from the Quran for the former:)

Namaste Abdullah,

It is so nice to see that Christianity does not have any corner against circular reasoning. Mohamed (pbuh) saying he's the last prophet or Using to Quran to prove that the Quran is right is just as awkward as saynng G!d wrote the bible because it says so in the bible.

Now of course we have the later prophet the Bahaulla who you regect because Mohamed was the last prophet who Christians regject because Jesus came for them who Jews reject because he doesn't meet their messianic qualifications....and none of us can see that it never ends??

 

[Dream]

Any two people who listen to prophets have these points of view no matter which prophets they listen to. Either they feel that it is important God is fair in a human sense, or believe that God defines what fair means and therefore cannot be held to a human meaning for the word 'Fair'. In the second case if I say 'Sam is a fair guy' it means one thing, but if I say 'God is fair' it means that whatever God does is, by definition, fair without human comment. The first point of view seeks to believe with justification and the second seeks to avoid justifications for believing. The two always disagree about which is better.

The difficulty is that throughout, both are upholding the burdens of belief. They must carry the practice of obedience along with some measure of doubt. It can be hard when there is no assurance and the costs of obedience are adding up over time. The burden is heavier depending upon the person, and sometimes they die trying to carry it. It depends upon the religious group. A faith burden could be as lightweight as going to a meeting or as heavy as donating 50% of everything you make. Sometimes it means circumcision or going without any friends, doing weird stuff or almost anything you can imagine. I think that such a burden ought to be justified to the person involved rather than just something they're expected to do.

 

[Saltmeister]

Amica, Buddhism claims to be a way... not the way.

So maybe you should become a Buddhist. That way you can achieve enlightenment and accept the validity of other religions as well.

It that case maybe you could also become a postmodernist.

Postmodernism is the moderating philosophy where you believe that the existence of cultural, religious, social and political differences are not only inevitable, but that each of these distinct perspectives can be an equally rational and morally/ethically acceptable and justifiable view of life and the universe in which we live.

But then . . . how about also becoming a subjectivist, individualist, nihilist and anarchist?

You see, you don't have to be only one of these things. You can be many.

When you become a postmodernist, you can start accepting that maybe, because your beliefs are just a perspective, others can also be right. It also liberates you from the need to have to be absolutely right with what you believe. Relieve yourself of the pressure. Is there really an absolute? Perish the thought. The human race will be arguing and debating for eternity. Nobody is ever going to win. It's a vicious cycle that goes on and on and on and never ends.

It's the same with being a subjectivist, individualist, nihilist and anarchist.

 

[Joedjr]

Basically, it has been overwhelmingly and decicively established from the Quran that only Islam is valid now, thus therefore I suppose, if you want to be sure about it, then really you'd have to look at the evidences of how the Quran is a true revelation from God;

an essentiality of faith is to accept all Messengers of God and the new guidance that is revealed to the Messenger for the people he is sent to, hence as Muhammad [saw] was sent to all mankind, abrogating all other previous divine dispensations ......... thus all people have to believe in him and his message

Hi Abdullah, thank you for your detailed response.
.......So for the moment, lets say that I've looked out over my garden wall and noticed there are quite a few religions out there. About a handful. I've heard your response from these others also, very similar, some of the words used are of course different but the idea is the same. Each claims to have the valid religion and their G-d tells them this is true. I have an interest to learn about the different traditions and so I ask each: Can you show me the thing you have that gives you the truth that your religion is the only valid one and how it can be shown, to these other traditions, that you are with out a doubt, correct?
This is what I wonder about.
Joe

 

[Saltmeister]

Each claims to have the valid religion and their G-d tells them this is true. I have an interest to learn about the different traditions and so I ask each: Can you show me the thing you have that gives you the truth that your religion is the only valid one and how it can be shown, to these other traditions, that you are with out a doubt, correct?

People who think they have "a valid religion" don't necessarily think that everybody else is wrong. My religion is a matter between me and God so it hardly matters what someone else thinks. Jews, in particular, only claim a particular relationship with God. Those who think they have the one true religion only think they are right in the ways they think are important. Very often, what people regard as "truth" is really just a value system. They believe that it is important to have particular values and think that their set of values is "the truth" because it seems like the "perfect value system." However, they have no interest in reconciling their version of "truth" (ie. their value system) to the value system of their opponents.

Personally, I think that if you can't appreciate someone else's value system and think only your value system is the right, or the best there can possibly ever be, it's a pretty arrogant attitude. It's pretty selfish. You think your value system is better than someone else's value system. You are only interested in seeing merit in your own beliefs, not someone else's beliefs.

It is perfectly ok for you to claim you have experienced God or have a relationship with God, but for someone else to do it, they are deluded if they don't have the same beliefs as you.

Thinking and believing that you are right is ok and fine with me. The problem is when you think everybody else is wrong just because you're right.

Does it have to be a zero-sum game? If I win does it mean that someone else loses? Does it make me a loser if someone else wins? Perish the thought. We can all win if we get our thinking right. I think everybody can be right if their sentiments are socially and politically constructive. That is my value system.

 

[Abdullah]

Hi Abdullah, thank you for your detailed response.
.......So for the moment, lets say that I've looked out over my garden wall and noticed there are quite a few religions out there. About a handful. I've heard your response from these others also, very similar, some of the words used are of course different but the idea is the same. Each claims to have the valid religion and their G-d tells them this is true. I have an interest to learn about the different traditions and so I ask each: Can you show me the thing you have that gives you the truth that your religion is the only valid one and how it can be shown, to these other traditions, that you are with out a doubt, correct?
This is what I wonder about.
Joe

Hi Joe,

wow, what a question!; this question is really the crux of the matter isn't it? , for if this one can be answered and verified, then voila!, we have the truth

Well my friend I'll try and answer the islamic response best as possible

Allah has given all mankind an intellect; the power to discern with the qualities of common sense, logic, and also our innate nature and intuition, for all mankind has been created with an innate nature inclined towards recognising the truth

Hence my dear freind, we have to investigate these religions and compare the evidences and be sincere and objective about what conclusions we reach; at the same time we should ask God for guidance which will illuminate our understanding inshAllah

Lets jsut focus for now on the three Abrahimic faith, for the others are a lot more obviously [with all due respect] fantasies and myths

Well first i'll point out the contradictions in the old and new testaments; these contradictions are even attested to by Bible Scholars:

Dr. W Graham Scroggie of the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, a prestigious Christian evangelical mission, says:

"..Yes, the Bible is human, although some out of zeal which is not according to knowledge, have denied this. Those books have passed through the minds of men, are written in the language of men, were penned by the hands of men and bear in their style the characteristics of men....It is Human

this establishes that the bible is not the book revealed to Jesus [pbuh] by God, for it is human thoughts on what God is believed to have revealed to Jesus [pbuh]...

Another Christian scholar, Kenneth Cragg, the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, says:

"...Not so the New Testament...There is condensation and editing; there is choice reproduction and witness. The Gospels have come through the mind of the church behind the authors. They represent experience and history..."
[2]

"It is well known that the primitive Christian Gospel was initially transmitted by word of mouth and that this oral tradition resulted in variant reporting of word and deed. It is equally true that when the Christian record was committed to writing it continued to be the subject of verbal variation. Involuntary and intentional, at the hands of scribes and editors."[3]

"Yet, as a matter of fact, every book of the New Testament with the exception of the four great Epistles of St. Paul is at present more or less the subject of controversy, and interpolations are asserted even in these."[4]

Dr. Lobegott Friedrich Konstantin Von Tischendorf, one of the most adamant conservative Christian defenders of the Trinity was himself driven to admit that:

"[the New Testament had] in many passages undergone such serious modification of meaning as to leave us in painful uncertainty as to what the Apostles had actually written"[5]

After listing many examples of contradictory statements in the Bible, Dr. Frederic Kenyon says:

"Besides the larger discrepancies, such as these, there is scarcely a verse in which there is not some variation of phrase in some copies [of the ancient manuscripts from which the Bible has been collected]. No one can say that these additions or omissions or alterations are matters of mere indifference"[6]

Let us see what these thirty two Christian scholars of the highest eminence backed by fifty cooperating Christian denominations have to say about the Authorized Version (AV), or as it is better known, the King James Version (KJV). In the preface of the RSV 1971 we find the following:

"...Yet the King James Version has GRAVE DEFECTS.."

They go on to caution us that:

"...That these defects are SO MANY AND SO SERIOUS as to call for revision"

The Jehovah's Witnesses in their "AWAKE" Magazine dated 8th September 1957 published the following headline: "50,000 Errors in the Bible" wherein they say "..there are probably 50,000 errors in the Bible...errors which have crept into the Bible text...50,000 such serious errors..."

more in link:

www.islamreligion.com/articles/584/

101 Contradictions Old Testament

so now, given that the two testaments are so obviously distorted and full of contradictions; man-made interpolations, we really cannot be sure of whether it's teachings that go against the final revelation, Al-Quran, is true or not, for whats to say they are not the fake man-made stuff?

Also my friend I'll bring your attention to the fact that the concept of monothiesm in Christianity is so obviously severely distorted to the point where to our common sense, it is more in accordance with polythiesm, and also in the Jewish scriptures there is a lot of anthroporphormism there, allthough technically the jews say that God is one; see shaykh hamza mention this in the following vid [from 0:16]:

YouTube - Jews and Muslims

thus this concept too is contradictory is it not?, for if God is One in the sense that nothing at all is associated in His divinity, and then if we say that He is like man, then in this idea do we not bring God down to the level of man [in certain aspects, thus contradicting His infinite transcendence] and likening man to God too, in other words, associating manly attributes [which are part of the creation] to God?

Now lets discuss of what evidence there is in the Bible or Torah that God will not send another Messenger, or that a Messenger will not be sent for all-mankind, abrogating all other religions; there simple isn't any, and a few verses which the christians refer to, can easliy be interpreted a different way for they do not clearly or decicively mean that Jesus [pbuh] is the last Messenger by a far stretch; also lets bear in mind the fact that whatever these books may say..., they cannot be trusted to be correct due to the proof of them being distorted, hence we really need to look at what type of evidences there are that the prophet Muhammad [saw] is indeed a true messenger of God and for the Quran being a true revelation of God

Basically, there is nothing at all from the former two religions, or from a scientific, logical, intellecutal point of view that can refute or even cast a reasonable doubt that they are indeed what they claim to be, but rather there is lots of evidence that indicates their veracity

Here are some of them, encapsulated in a post from my archives that explains why the Prophet muhammad [saw] couldn't have been suffering from a psycological condition [mental ilness] called TLE, that is said to induces hyper religiousity and spontaneous outbursts of 'spiritual' poetry:


The Quran is consistent from start to finish; it has no contradiction in it, it is every bit like what God would reveal; it's message is consistent to the extent where it even points out the errors of the past heavenly revealed religions [and not just agrees with them] and corrects the doctrine of the Prophet Jesus [pbuh]. It has many scientific miracles in it, It has a complete code of a way of life that cannot be refuted and which is in total accordance with justice and all the attribute of God mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah. The Prophecie/s of the Quran have come true and some may be pending.

The above are just some signs indicating that the Quran cannot be the halucinations or the 'inspirations' of person suffering from mental illnesses.

There is further proof indicating the objective truth of Islam in the Sunnah; all the Prophecies of the Prophet Muhammad [saw] have come true so far; the interpretation of the Quran, that is the Sunnah, fits the verses of the Quran without any contradiction whatsoever and it harmonises intellecutally any seemingly contradcitions in the Quran. Basically, the Quran and the Sunnah is a hundred percent according to logic; the 'supernatural' stuff in the Quran and Sunnah is in accordance with Gods powers and attributes. The Sunnah contains some 'medical miracles' too.

All of the above is, in my opinion, enough to know that the Quran [or the Sunnah] cannot be the result of TLE; surely TLE dont inspire people to automatically come out with scienctific facts that havn't been 'discovered' yet?, and surely it cannot inspire or instinctively induce such a perfect, comprehensive, vollumous, miraculous, and an ocean of knowledge that the Quran is?

cont.

 

[Abdullah]

As well as all the miraculous aspects of the Quran mentioned above [see link for confirmation of scientists themselves of the sceintific miralces of the Quran: YouTube - * [Holy] Quran : Top Scientists Comments on Scientific Miracles in the Quran * # Faith and Science # ], the Prophet muhammed [saw] performed other miracles too, which have all been verified; here are some of them...:

Volume 6, Book 60, Number 388:

Narrated Abdullah:

The moon was cleft asunder while we were in the company of the Prophet, and it became two parts. The Prophet said, Witness, witness (this miracle)."

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 780:

Narrated Jabir:

My father had died in debt. So I came to the Prophet and said, "My father (died) leaving unpaid debts, and I have nothing except the yield of his date palms; and their yield for many years will not cover his debts. So please come with me, so that the creditors may not misbehave with me." The Prophet went round one of the heaps of dates and invoked (Allah), and then did the same with another heap and sat on it and said, "Measure (for them)." He paid them their rights and what remained was as much as had been paid to them.

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 779:

Narrated 'Abdullah:

We used to consider miracles as Allah's Blessings, but you people consider them to be a warning. Once we were with Allah's Apostle on a journey, and we ran short of water. He said, "Bring the water remaining with you." The people brought a utensil containing a little water. He placed his hand in it and said, "Come to the blessed water, and the Blessing is from Allah." I saw the water flowing from among the fingers of Allah's Apostle , and no doubt, we heard the meal glorifying Allah, when it was being eaten (by him).

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 777:

Narrated Al-Bara:

We were one-thousand-and-four-hundred persons on the day of Al-Hudaibiya (Treaty), and (at) Al-Hudaibiya (there) was a well. We drew out its water not leaving even a single drop. The Prophet sat at the edge of the well and asked for some water with which he rinsed his mouth and then he threw it out into the well. We stayed for a short while and then drew water from the well and quenched our thirst, and even our riding animals drank water to their satisfaction.

Volume 8, Book 73, Number 115:

Narrated Anas:

A man came to the Prophet on a Friday while he (the Prophet) was delivering a sermon at Medina, and said, "There is lack of rain, so please invoke your Lord to bless us with the rain." The Prophet looked at the sky when no cloud could be detected. Then he invoked Allah for rain. Clouds started gathering together and it rained till the Medina valleys started flowing with water. It continued raining till the next Friday. Then that man (or some other man) stood up while the Prophet was delivering the Friday sermon, and said, "We are drowned; Please invoke your Lord to withhold it (rain) from us" The Prophet smiled and said twice or thrice, "O Allah! Please let it rain round about us and not upon us." The clouds started dispersing over Medina to the right and to the left, and it rained round about Medina and not upon Medina. Allah showed them (the people) the miracle of His Prophet and His response to his invocation.

Volume 1, Book 8, Number 454:

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

Two of the companions of the Prophet departed from him on a dark night and were led by two lights like lamps (going in front of them from Allah as a miracle) lighting the way in front of them, and when they parted, each of them was accompanied by one of these lights till he reached their (respective) houses.

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 783:

Narrated Ibn Umar:

The Prophet used to deliver his sermons while standing beside a trunk of a datepalm. When he had the pulpit made, he used it instead. The trunk started crying and the Prophet went to it, rubbing his hand over it (to stop its crying).

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 779:

Narrated 'Abdullah:

We used to consider miracles as Allah's Blessings, but you people consider them to be a warning. Once we were with Allah's Apostle on a journey, and we ran short of water. He said, "Bring the water remaining with you." The people brought a utensil containing a little water. He placed his hand in it and said, "Come to the blessed water, and the Blessing is from Allah." I saw the water flowing from among the fingers of Allah's Apostle, and no doubt, we heard the meal glorifying Allah, when it was being eaten (by him).

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 814:

Narrated Anas:

There was a Christian who embraced Islam and read Surat-al-Baqara and Al-Imran, and he used to write (the revelations) for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again and he used to say: "Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him." Then Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him, but in the morning they saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, "This is the act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and took his body out of it because he had run away from them." They again dug the grave deeply for him, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, "This is an act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and threw his body outside it, for he had run away from them." They dug the grave for him as deep as they could, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. So they believed that what had befallen him was not done by human beings and had to leave him thrown (on the ground).

Volume 3, Book 39, Number 517:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "While a man was riding a cow, it turned towards him and said, 'I have not been created for this purpose (i.e. carrying), I have been created for sloughing.l" The Prophet added, "I, Abu Bakr and 'Umar believe in the story." The Prophet went on, "A wolf caught a sheep, and when the shepherd chased it, the wolf said, 'Who will be its guard on the day of wild beasts, when there will be no shepherd for it except me?' "After narrating it, the Prophet said, "I, Abu Bakr and 'Umar too believe it." Abu Salama (a sub-narrator) said, "Abu Bakr and 'Umar were not present then."

It has been written that a wolf also spoke to one of the companions of the Prophet near Medina as narrated in Fath-al-Bari:Narrated Unais bin 'Amr: Ahban bin Aus said, "I was amongst my sheep. Suddenly a wolf caught a sheep and I shouted at it. The wolf sat on its tail and addressed me, saying, 'Who will look after it (i.e. the sheep) when you will be busy and not able to look after it? Do you forbid me the provision which Allah has provided me?' " Ahban added, "I clapped my hands and said, 'By Allah, I have never seen anything more curious and wonderful than this!' On that the wolf said, 'There is something (more curious) and wonderful than this; that is, Allah's Apostle in those palm trees, inviting people to Allah (i.e. Islam).' "Unais bin 'Amr further said, "Then Ahban went to Allah's Apostle and informed him what happened and embraced Islam.)" palm trees or other trees and share the fruits with me."

now the proof that all these miracles did happen is that, they are all Sahih [rigorously authenticated] Bukhari hadiths which is the most authentic and reliable hadith compilation

But my dear friend, allthough there is tons of intellectual evidence for the veracity of the Quran being divine, yet ultimately, absolute certainty regarding the truth of it comes from Allah alone in the form of a light that He puts in the hearts of those who do not reject the signs of ALlah; here is yet another post from my archives [yes I know, i'm absolutely full of em ] that sheds light on what i mean; it was originally meant for a sister having 'doubts':

Islam is not all about the intellect sis, and there has to be a point where one has to try and see/hear from the eyes/ears of the heart [the spiritual heart] and if a person dont reject or dont deny what his heart and soul tells him to be true, then that is when Allah instills faith in his heart...; Shaykh Hamza Yusuf said that the arabic/Islamic word 'aql' [intellect] differs in it's definition from the western definition; the word 'aql' is litterally a light that Allah puts in the heart, via which a person can see the true nature of things; that is why for those who are firm in their belief of Islam, it is not just a matter of intellect and they can see the truth from the eyes of their heart; try to let all the Islamic logic, and signs of Allah seep in your heart and see if you can look at the Quran and Sunnah via the same light; beg Allah for guidance at the same time.

The most 'lenient' interpretation of kufr [desbelief] that I have heard, was from Shaykh Hamza too, and he said that there will allways be critical voices regarding Islam, and when a person chooses the critical voices over the overwhelming evidence, that is kufr; now dont get alarmed sis, I'm not making takfir [anthemetising] here, but am just saying that what this definition of kufr indicates is that, once a person is faced with overwhelming evidence, then that is enough for his soul to consciously or subconciously know that that is true, but yet, although the persons common sense [and fitrah] will tell him that the overwhelming evidence is true, if he wants to be too 'intellectual' about it at this stage and dont let go of the idea of the '1 in a million chance' of the 'critical voices' being true, then 'aql' wont enter his heart.

So my two cents to you sis will be, dont work your intellect too hard, and just give in to the eyes and ears of your heart when it is appropriate, rather than stick to the critical voices. and above all. beg and cry to Allah for guidance, for if He dont save you, nothing can or will.

This is a statement from Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali:

Whoever assumes that faith is realised through speculative theology, abstract proofs or academic divisions is an innovator. To the contrary, faith is a light that Allah [swt] casts in the hearts of his servants with bounty and grace from His presence. Sometimes faith is evidenced internally and it is impossible to express; sometimes, through a vision while asleep, other times, by witnessing the state of a pious man and recieving the emanation of his light as a result of his companionship and presence; and there are times when faith comes by the concurrence of circumstances. Indeed a beduin came to the Prophet [saw] denying and rejecting him, But when his eyes fell upon his radiant aspect - May Allah increase it's dignity and nobility - he saw in it the light of Prophethood and exclaimed, "By Allah!, This is not the face of a lier!" He then beseeched the Prophet [saw] to tell him about Islam and immediately embraced it.

[ref: The Creed of Imam Tahawi, translated by Hamza Yusuf]

Thus the way we know that it is the absolute truth, is due to this light of faith in the heart, but as shown, the physical evidence backs it up overwhelmingly


my apologies for giving you so much to read; hope this helps and if you have any further queries, fire away at will!


Peace