Post by Sister Abigail (Admin) on Jul 17, 2014 0:10:27 GMT -5
Reconciling
the
Bible and Qur'an
104
Reconciling the Bible and Qur'an
The previous chapter gave testimony through scripture that Islam agrees
with the Bible on the issue of peace. To remove enmity and promote healing
between peoples, this chapter resolves thorny theology issues separating
Christianity and Islam. Reconciling the Bible and Qur'an necessarily challenges
traditional theology of both religions. The Way of Holiness differs from standard
Christian theology regarding Islam in two ways: the Way of Holiness acknowledges
the Qur'an came from God. It also acknowledges Muhammad is the Prophet
Moses prophesied of in Deuteronomy 18:18-19 and who John the Baptist alluded
to in John 1:21. The Way of Holiness doesn't try to make Muhammad superior
to Jesus, or even his equal. It simply accepts Muhammad's word as true;
Sura 3:144; Muhammad is no more than an apostle;…"
An apostle carries the Message of God. As Jesus said;
John 13:20, Jesus; I [Jesus Christ-Jibreel-Gabriel] tell you the truth,
whoever accepts anyone I send [including Muhammad] accepts me;
and whoever accepts me accepts the one [the Father-Allãh] who sent me."
Jibreel (Jesus Christ-Gabriel) sent Muhammad the Qur'an, so John 13:20
requires all believers in Christ to accept Muhammad as the Prophet. Muhammad
never competed with Jesus or claimed to be the Messiah. Muhammad corrected
wayward Christian and polytheistic theology of his time. The Way of Holiness
views both the Bible and Qur'an as integral parts of God's sacred Message to
mankind. Parts of the Message are meant for specific peoples and other parts
globally, other parts are meant for specific times and yet others eternally.
We start with a foundation of faith that God loves all His children. Accordingly,
we interpret both Messages in a way in which they reconcile with each other,
as though they come from the same impartial, loving Source. Along the Narrow
Path where they meet, we find God, peace and Jesus Christ-Jibreel-Gabriel.
Like Islam, the Way of Holiness acknowledges the Bible's sacred origin.
Unlike standard Islamic theology, The Way of Holiness believes Almighty God
(Allãh-Father) protected the sanctity of the Bible, just as He did with the
Qur'an, so all peoples are tested fairly in this life. Each group got valid parts
of a continuing sacred Message. The Bible sets the context for subsequent
interpretation of the Qur'an. The Qur'an clarifies the meaning and intent of
the earlier part of God's Message (i.e., the Bible), just like we clarify earlier
things we've said with what we say later. We build upon the earlier Message,
just as the New Testament is built upon the Old Testament. As Jesus said… 105
Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus;
17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear,
not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen,
will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
And as Muhammad said; Sura 5:68;
SAY: "O people of the Book!
Ye have no [theological] ground to stand on,
Until ye observe the Law [Old Testament]
and the Evangel,"… [The Gospels, which Jesus extended
to include theNewTestament, delegating authority to the apostles]
68 cont.; …"And that which hath been sent down to you [Muslims, theQur’an]
from your Lord."
It's important the reader understand the prophecies of both religions state
that mainstream forms of both religions will go astray. Spiritual teachers are
fallible, even those we learned from. Sometimes false teaching is deliberate
and meant to advance the agenda of an evil group of people. As it is written;
CHRISTIAN HERESY PROPHESIED
2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Paul;
13 For such men [as Pat Robertson] are false apostles,
deceitful workmen [who misquote the Qur'an],
masquerading as apostles of Christ [while stirring up hatred and war].
14 And no wonder,
for Satan [George W.Bush] himself masquerades as an angel of light [Christian].
15 It is not surprising, then,
if his [Religious "Right"] servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.
Their end will be what their actions deserve."
2 Peter 2:1-2;
1 But there were also false prophets among the people,
just as there will be false teachers among you.
They will secretly introduce destructive heresies [against other religions],
even denying [the words of]
the sovereign Lord [Gabriel-Jesus Christ] who bought them
--bringing swift destruction on themselves.
2 Many [mainstream Christian denominations]
will follow their shameful ways [condemning God's other Messages]
and will bring the way of truth [through the sacred books] into disrepute." 106
The Bible says Christians should expect heresies. Once a heresy takes root
it can persist for centuries as dogma, causing incalculable harm. Followers are
led astray to blindly repeat the same errors of the Pharisees of Jesus' time.
Muhammad and Imam Ali both prophesied that Islam would be subjected to
heresies. Here's a sampling;
MUSLIM HERESY PROPHESIED
"The Approach of Armageddon?" Foreword, Page XIX
Bukhari 1:33, “Kitãb al-‘ilm.” Muslim #157, “Kitãb al-‘ilm.”;
"Among the Signs of [the] Last Days,
‘Abd Allãh bin ‘Amr Ibn al-‘Ãs related that the Prophet (saw) said:
"Allah will not take knowledge from the hearts of the scholars
but he takes the scholars (they die)*.
There will be no more scholars to take their place
so people will take extremely ignorant leaders.
They will be asked questions and will give fatwahs (legal rulings)* without knowledge.
They are misguided and they misguide others."
Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 146 (page 304),
Imam Ali;
Certainly, a time will come upon you after me
when nothing will be more concealed than rightfulness,
nothing more apparent than wrongfulness —
and nothing more current than untruth against Allah and His Prophet…"
"…The holders of the book will throw it away
and its memorizers would forget it."…
[The violence associated with virtually all Muslim sects is un-Muslim,
The Wahhabi sect of "Islam" is especially noteworthy in this regard.]
…"In these days the Qur’an and its people will be exiled and expelled.
They will be companions keeping together on one path,
but no one will offer them asylum…"
[Un-Muslim terrorism advocated by so-called "Muslim" imams leads to expulsions.]
"…The people will have united on division
and will therefore have cut away from the community,
as though they were the leaders of the Qur’an and not the Qur’an their leader."…
[Sunni and Shia and Kurd have united on division in Iraq, against the Qur'an.]
…"Nothing of it will be left with them except its name,
and they will know nothing save its writings and its words."
* The translator added descriptions in parentheses. 107
From "The Signs Before The Day Of Judgement" p.14, citing Ibn-I-Majah, #3991,
Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said,
"The Prophet said,
'Islam will become worn out like clothes are,
until there will be no-one who knows what [true] fasting, [true] prayer,
[true] charity, and [true] rituals are.
The Qur'an['s full message] will disappear
in one [long, 1400 year] night [of spiritual darkness],
and no [understanding of] Ayah [scripture] will be left on earth.
Some groups of old people will be left who will say,
We heard our fathers saying La ilaha illa Allah, so we repeated it.' "
"La ilaha illa Allah" means "there is no God but Allah" (a.k.a. G-d & Father).
So this hadith indicates Islam is practiced ritually without true understanding.
That "one night" may be fairly interpreted to be a time span of 1400 years
is proven by the example of another variable "day" in the Qur'an;
Sura 70:4; …the angels and the Spirit ascend to him in a day,
whose length is fifty thousand years."
Hudhayfah's hadith (and many more) indicates Islam has gone astray, just as
Bible prophecies say Christianity would go astray. The Way of Holiness corrects
that by respecting all God's sacred Messages and reading scripture in the spirit
God gave us these Messages--love.
Matthew 7:9-11, 13-14, Jesus-Jibreel;
9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread,
will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 If you, then, though you are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts
to those [people of all races, cultures, and places] who ask him!
13 "Enter through the narrow gate [the Way of Holiness].
For wide is the gate and broad is the road [of traditional theology
that condemns God's word in other sacred Messages] that leads to destruction,
and many [mainstream religion believers] enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it."
If we trust God's word and have faith He loves us all, previously "unsolvable"
issues melt away into nothing. Next, are three knotty theology issues that
need to be resolved between Christianity and Islam… 108
Issue of Jesus as "Son of God"
John 1:32, 34; 32 Then John gave this testimony:
34 I have seen and I testify that [Jesus Christ] is the Son of God."
Sura 25:2; His the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth!
No son hath He begotten! No partner hath He in his empire!"
Issue of Jesus as "Lord"
1 Corinthians 15:56-57, Paul;
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Sura 3:64; SAY: "O people of the Book!
come ye to a just judgment between us and you—
That we worship aught but God, and that we join no other god with Him,
and that the one of us take not the other for lords, beside God."
Issue of Trinity (Joining Gods with God)
Matthew 28:18-19, Jesus;
18 "…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,…"
Sura 4:171; O ye people of the Book!
overstep not bounds in your religion; and of God,
speak only the truth
…Believe…in God and His apostles, and say not, "Three:"(there is a Trinity)—
Forbear—it will be better for you. God is only one God!…"
Sura 5:72; Infidels now are they who say,
"God is Messiah, son of Mary;" for the Messiah said,
"O children of Israel! worship God, my Lord and your Lord."
Whoever shall join other gods with God, God shall forbid him the Garden…"
While there appears to be near unsolvable disagreement at first glance,
remember, Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things
are possible." (Matthew 19:26) Resolving the issues of Jesus being "Son of God",
"Lord", and the "Trinity" between the Bible and Qur'an requires a step-by-step
approach taking us back to the beginning of time. Let's start at the beginning,
if one can have a beginning of forever. Call it the precursor of the dimensions
of Time and Space, call it pure consciousness… 109
Consciousness—The Precursor…
From the Apochrpha, Sirach 1:4,
1 All wisdom comes from the LORD and with him it remains forever.
4 Before all things else wisdom was created; and prudent understanding, from eternity."
God is composed of Spirit, which takes form in an energy called "Love".
John 4:24, Jesus; God is spirit,…"
"Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary";
"spir•it…n.
1 : an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms "
3 cap : HOLY SPIRIT 6 : the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person
15 cap, Christian Science :
2
GOD "
1 John 4:16; …God is love."
Sura 85:14; …He is the Indulgent, the Loving;"
1 Corinthians 13:4-8; 4 Love is patient, love is kind…
5 …it is not self-seeking…it keeps no record of wrongs
6…does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8…never fails…"
God is Omnipresent
Ephesians 4:4,6;
4 There is one body and one Spirit…6…one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all."
Jeremiah 23:24, God; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?"
Sura 4:126; "…and God encompasseth all things!"
Wisdom 1:7; For the spirit of the LORD fills the world, is all-embracing…"
Bhagavad-Gita 7:7 (Easwaran) Krishna;
…The entire universe is suspended from me as my necklace of jewels."
God [the Father-Allãh] is conscious and omnipresent (spans all creation).
"Spirit" is the "animating or vital principle held to give life,…immaterial,…2
GOD ".
God is Holy. God spans all, so He is present in his "spirit" which fills the Void
(Space). The Father is a central, yet universal Mind, and the Holy Spirit is a
vibration or energy we call "Love", in which God is present. We have separate
names for two aspects that describe the same Being. In the Qur'an, Allãh is
described with multiple divine characteristics, or names, such as, "the seen
and the hidden" (Sura 57:3) and "the Almighty, the All-knowing," (Sura 40:2).
Any of these "names" refers to Allãh Himself. Therefore, the Way of Holiness
complies with the Qur'an's law not to "join other gods with God" (Sura 5:72).
We have two thirds of the Trinity complete and the Bible and Qur'an are in
harmony. Where is the "Son"? 110
The Son
The disagreement between Islam and Christianity about Jesus Christ being
the "Son of God" is rooted in misunderstanding what the term "Son" means.
Many Christians are taught Jesus is "God" and "Lord" in a manner virtually
indistinguishable from the Father, based at least partly on the following
two passages from John…
John 10:30 Jesus;
I and the Father are one."
John 14:7,9, Jesus;
7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.
From now on, you do know him and have seen him.
9 Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."
If this belief were expressed mathematically, it would look like this;
Jesus Christ = Lord = God = the Father
Islam requires this; Jesus Christ ‹ the Father-Allãh
and
the Father-Allãh › Jesus Christ
Jesus said; "the Father is greater than I." (John 14:28) In John 10:35,
Jesus said, "the Scripture cannot be broken…" This means all Bible passages
must agree with one another. When we find the path where they agtee, we've
found the meaning God intended. In this instance, John 10:30 and 14:7,9,
which say "[Jesus] and the Father are one", must be read in a way that agrees
with John 14:28, where Jesus said "the Father is greater than I." Here's how
they reconcile; Christ was the first localized point of consciousness within the
vastness of the universal God [Father-Allãh] and accompanying Holy Spirit.
John 1:1-2;
1 In the beginning was the Word [Christ],
and the Word was with God [the Father-Allãh],
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God [the Father-Allãh] in the beginning."
Christ, an intelligence, was the point of origin of the "Big Bang". From and
through that point of origin, the rest of the universe was created.
As it is written… John 1:2-3;
2 [Christ] was with God [the Father-Allãh] in the beginning."
3 Through him [Christ] all things were made;
without him [Christ] nothing was made that has been made." 111
Trinity
"Christ" is the first localized consciousness existing within the Father,
a consciousness so vast it spans the void and is in all things. In the beginning
a point of consciousness popped into being (i.e., was "born", "begotten") through
which all things, including the physical universe, proceeded. The Big Bang also
starts at a single point from which all else ensues. Hinduism has a Christ figure,
too—"…the self-born creator, Brahma." (Ramayana 1:3:34) At the moment an
individualized, initial spirit was "born", or "created", there were three holy
"personages"; the Father-Allãh, the Holy Spirit, and now, Christ. That's the
"Trinity". Christ is not equal to the Father-Allãh, he was an image of the
Father projected into the physical universe…
2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul;
...Christ, who is the [first localized spirit] image of God."
John 14:28,10,11, Jesus;
28 …the Father is greater than I."
10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?
The words I say to you are not just my own.
Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;
or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves."
Christ was never separate from the Father. He always physically resided
within the Father. We all do. Paul described our situation well…
Acts 17:24-25,28, Paul;
24 "The God who made the world and everything in it
is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
25 And he is not served by human hands,
as if he needed anything,
because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.'
As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' "
John 14:20, Jesus;
On that day you will realize that I [Jesus] am [with]in my Father,"…
[Christ, the first localized, spirit image of God, exists within the Father,
so "the Father is greater than I [Christ]". Yet, "I [Christ] and the Father are one."
They are one and inseparable, a man and his right arm are one and inseparable…]
John 14:20, cont; …"and you are in me"…
[We exist within the expanded body of Christ—the physical Universe.]
John 14:20, cont; …"and I am in you."
Ramayana 1:6:68; "…the indwelling Lord in everyone’s heart…" 112
John 1:1-2,14,18; 1 In the beginning was the Word [Christ],
and the Word was with God [the Father-Allãh],
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God [the Father-Allãh] in the beginning.
14 The Word became flesh [Jesus Christ] and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
18 No one has ever seen [all of the limitless] God,
but [the part of] God [which is called Jesus Christ]
the One and Only [first localized spirit through which all else was created],
who is at the Father’s side, has made him known."
"Son of God"
It's time to clarify the "Son of God" issue. The issue is really whether
Christianity will continue to teach a theology created by the Roman emperor
Constantine in 325 A.D. or teach a gospel fully in accordance with the Bible.
Christ’s gospel was distorted and exploited by Constantine for his political gain.
There's a more detailed account on Appendix, pp. 138-142. Constantine
converted to Christianity on his deathbed, not before. At the time Constantine
convened the Council of Nicaea he wasn't a Christian believer. He transformed
the Father, Jesus, and Mary into members of a neo-Roman pantheon of lesser
gods, in which the Father had a "wife", Mary, and a "son", Jesus. He exploited
the religion, and what John the Baptist said next…
John 1:32,34; 32 Then John [the Baptist] gave this testimony:…
34 "I have seen and I testify that [Jesus] is the Son of God."
John the Baptist didn't mean a lesser "superman" god-father descended
from heaven and mated with a virgin mother goddess to have a baby god.
Constantine denied God His universal presence and the Creation was stripped
of sacredness. Constantine's theology divided God from the People, leaving
them prey for conquest by the next "god"-emperor. That was the error of
theology Muhammad was trying to correct when he said…
Sura 25:2;
…No son hath He begotten! No partner hath He in his empire!"
Sura 6:102; …how when He hath no consort, should he have a son?"
In John 10:36 Jesus said;
…Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God’s Son' ?"
While this appears to contradict Muhammad, it doesn't. Jesus' statement
must be read in context with the rest of John 10. Two verses preceding
verse 36 indicate the rest of humanity are "gods", too. 113
John 10:34-36,;
34 Jesus answered them,
"Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods' ?
35 If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came
--and the Scripture cannot be broken--
36 what about the one whom the Father
set apart as his very own [at the beginning of Creation]
and [later] sent into the world [as Jesus Christ]?
Since we humans are born of human parents, the only way for us to be "gods"
is through the process described on the preceding pages. Just as Christ was
made in the image of God, so too, were we…
Genesis 1:27;
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
Acts 17:28, Paul;
… As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' "
Romans 8: 16-17, Paul;
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
17 Now if we are children,
then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,…"
The difference between us and Christ is that he was the first part of God
to take on a localized, individual self. After that, we were made in God's
image through Christ. John 1:2-3;
2 [Christ] was with God [the Father-Allãh] in the beginning."
3 Through him [Christ] all things were made;
without him [Christ] nothing was made that has been made."
While we're on the subject of God's "children", let's resolve an apparent
difference between the Bible and the Qur'an regarding that topic…
Sura 10:69;
They say, "God hath begotten children."
No! by His glory! He is self sufficient.
All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth is His!”
Sura 23:91; God hath not begotten offspring;
neither is there any other God with him:.."
As in the earlier example concerning the "Son of God", the question is
whether "offspring" means "godlets" separate from a bigger, Big God, or whether
God is "over all and through all and in all" as Paul stated in Ephesians 4:6.
The Qur'an agrees with Paul. It's only when God's presence in all things is
denied that we have a situation of "join[ing] other gods with God". 114
Next, the issue of Jesus being "Lord" is addressed…
Who is "Lord" ?
1 Corinthians 15:56-57, Paul;
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God!
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Sura 3:64;
SAY: "O people of the Book!
come ye to a just judgment between us and you—
That we worship aught but God, and that we join no other god with Him,
and that the one of us take not the other for lords, beside God."
This issue of whether or not Jesus is "Lord" can be resolved like the earlier
issues were, with a little detective work and getting our definitions straight.
From "Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary";
lord ...1 : one having power and authority over others
a : a ruler by hereditary right... d obs : the male head of a household 2 cap a: GOD "
When the Prophet said, "take not the other for lords, beside God", he meant
that no God exists outside of God. He objected to the use of "Lord" as indicating
a deity on a par with God, not "Lord" as one may address the head of a household.
Because Christ was the first "person" and because all else was created through
him, he qualifies as being "Lord" in that sense. He doesn't qualify as a "Lord"
equal to the Father-Allãh. One last piece of evidence… From Introducing Islam,
page 28, a passage describing the Prophet's farewell sermon.
Muhammad;
" 'Be my witness, O Allãh, that I have conveyed your message to your people.'
'My lord, you surely have,' resounded the valley [full of people]. "
The Muslims gathered together to hear Muhammad's final sermon weren't
being disobedient. "Lord" was a term of respect for the earthly head of the
Muslim community. Used in that sense or any way that doesn't compete with
God, it is permissible for Muslims to use the word "Lord" in conjunction with
another person. As eldest of individual spirits Christ is head of the household,
or "lord", of all Creation, second only to the Father. For his spiritual leadership
and his sacrifice through the Crucifixion (see next page), Jesus also earned
the respectful title of "lord". However, the Father-Allãh is "Lord" over all.
There are several lesser issues between Christianity and Islam remaining
that will be addressed in future books, God willing. The most critical issues
are now resolved, with one exception; the crucifixion of Jesus… 115
The Crucifixion
Virtually all Muslims deny Jesus was crucified. The crucifixion is a central
aspect of Christian faith and clearly mentioned in the Bible. To den the
crucifixion is denying the Bible's sacredness and de-legitimizes Christianity.
Muslims base their belief on a faulty interpretation of the following passage…
Sura 4:156;
"And for their [the Pharisees] saying,
"Verily we have slain the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, an apostle of God."
Yet they slew him not, and crucified him not,
But they had only his likeness.
And they who differed about him were in doubt concerning him:
No sure knowledge had they about him, but followed only an opinion,
and they did not really slay him, but God took him up to Himself.
And God is mighty, wise!"
Acts 2:22-24, Peter;
22 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth…
23…was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge;
and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross."
24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death,
because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."
At first glance, it appears reconciling the Bible and Qur'an is impossible.
But again, in Matthew 19:26, Jesus said,
"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
According to the Way of Holiness, for an interpretation of a passage in the
Qur'an to be correct, it must agree with the Bible.
Sura 4:82;
Can they not consider the Koran? Were it from any other than God,
they would surely have found in it many contradictions."
A correct interpretation must also agree with the rest of the Qur'an.
This being so, Sura 4:156 must reconcile with this next verse…
Sura 3:48;
"…[Allãh] said, "O Jesus! verily I will cause thee to die,…"
Other translations don't use the specific word "die", but the context and
words are consistent with that use. For the solution to this issue, let's turn to an
eminent modern Sufi (a sect of Islam) scholar named Martin Lings. Before
doing so, I'd like to say I agree with what he wrote, and will add commentary
at the end of his explanation. Here's Sura 4:156, again…
116
Sura 4:156;
"And for their saying,
"Verily we have slain the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, an apostle of God."
Yet they slew him not, and crucified him not,
But they had only his likeness.
And they who differed about him were in doubt concerning him:
No sure knowledge had they about him, but followed only an opinion,
and they did not really slay him, but God took him up to Himself."
"Do the Religions Contradict One Another?" - Chapter Two
of "A Return to the Spirit: Questions and Answers by Martin Lings";
" Let us now pass on to an apparent contradiction which cannot be dismissed
so easily. If the religion of Islam depended on the beliefs of the average Muslim,
then there would indeed be a contradiction; but Islam depends on the Qur’ân,
not on human opinion that is based on Quranic verses taken out of their context.
It is a fact that most Muslims believe that Christ was not crucified, whereas
Christians consider the Crucifixion to be as it were the foundation stone of their
religion. Many aspects of their religion have been questioned and rejected by
certain Christians: already in very early Christianity a number of differing schools
of thought were hurling anathema at each other; but I have never heard of any
Christian that denies the Crucifixion and rejects the sign of the Cross. The Muslim
denial of the Crucifixion is based on a Quranic statement isolated from its setting,
combined perhaps with a natural readiness to accept what appears to be good news.
The idea that God would allow one of His Messengers to be crucified is hard
to accept, nor is the Christian doctrine of the Redemption easy to understand.
I have heard it asked: "Are we not all included in God’s redemption of Adam?"
As to the whole of the Quranic passage in question (II, 37-8), having been
blamed for their calumny of Mary and their denial of the Virgin birth of Christ,
the Jews are then blamed for having said: “Verily we have slain the Messiah Jesus
the Son of Mary, the Messenger of God” (IV, 156-7). The Qur’ân then adds the
words: “And they did not slay him and they did not crucify him, but it seemed to
them that they had done so."
Now we must bear in mind that when the Prophet Muhammad was once asked:
"When [did] you become a Prophet?" he answered: "I was a Prophet when Adam
was between water and clay." In other words, Prophethood is not of this world,
but transcends time and space. As we have seen, every Messenger has two natures,
one which is transcendent and one which is human. There is never any question
in Christianity of the Divine Nature of Christ having been crucified. As for the
Jews, they looked on him as a man who falsely claimed to be the Messiah. … 117
But instead of saying "We have slain this usurper," they said, with…sarcasm:
"We have slain the Messiah." The Qur’ân denies this possibility, and then adds what
are, in our context, the all important words: "But it seemed to them that they had
done so." Why did it seem to them that they had done so? Precisely because they
had seen the dead body of Christ’s human nature before them on the Cross.
There is therefore no mutual contradiction here between Christianity and Islam."
There is another powerful argument that the Crucifixion belongs in Islam.
Jesus said, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing." (John 6:63)
He also said a form of martyrdom is righteous…John 15:13, Jesus;
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
Muhammad took Jesus' teaching to heart in the following hadith…
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol 4, page 52, #2797;
Abu Hureira: I heard Allãh’s Messenger saying,
"By Him in Whose Hands my soul is!
I would love to be martyred in Allãh’s cause and then come back to life
and then get martyred, and then come back to life again
and then get martyred and then come back to life and then get martyred."
Jesus said sacrificing one’s life for others is the highest form of love.
He knew someone else would have to die in his place if he chose the path of the
non-martyr, which would make him a hypocrite. Since Muhammad said he was
willing to be martyred over and over, Jesus can appear cowardly when viewed
from the perspective of traditional Muslim theology. Such a view is totally absurd
when one considers Muhammad's prophecies state Allãh will send Jesus to rule
the Muslim Ummah at the Last Hour. Allãh would never send a cowardly
hypocrite to lead the Muslim Ummah!
The Way of Holiness uses the "narrow path" where the Bible and Qur'an
reconcile with several divisive theology issues. The "narrow path" is compatible
with "scientific" theories regarding the origin of the universe (i.e., the "Big Bang").
The major difference between the "Big Bang" theory and the Way of Holiness is
"Intelligence", i.e., which came first, intelligence or physical matter? It may be
impossible to provide physical evidence for something that preceded the physical
universe. What proof is available is logic and the law of probability. The presence
of a central Source, i.e., God, is evidenced by the "astounding" precision with
which the Bible, Qur'an, and Bhagavad-Gita fit together as one ongoing Message.
The Way of Holiness is compatible with logic and scientific evidence and theory.
This being so, since the sacred sources indicate God and consciousness existed
prior to the physical universe, the odds strongly favor this possibility. 118
the
Bible and Qur'an
104
Reconciling the Bible and Qur'an
The previous chapter gave testimony through scripture that Islam agrees
with the Bible on the issue of peace. To remove enmity and promote healing
between peoples, this chapter resolves thorny theology issues separating
Christianity and Islam. Reconciling the Bible and Qur'an necessarily challenges
traditional theology of both religions. The Way of Holiness differs from standard
Christian theology regarding Islam in two ways: the Way of Holiness acknowledges
the Qur'an came from God. It also acknowledges Muhammad is the Prophet
Moses prophesied of in Deuteronomy 18:18-19 and who John the Baptist alluded
to in John 1:21. The Way of Holiness doesn't try to make Muhammad superior
to Jesus, or even his equal. It simply accepts Muhammad's word as true;
Sura 3:144; Muhammad is no more than an apostle;…"
An apostle carries the Message of God. As Jesus said;
John 13:20, Jesus; I [Jesus Christ-Jibreel-Gabriel] tell you the truth,
whoever accepts anyone I send [including Muhammad] accepts me;
and whoever accepts me accepts the one [the Father-Allãh] who sent me."
Jibreel (Jesus Christ-Gabriel) sent Muhammad the Qur'an, so John 13:20
requires all believers in Christ to accept Muhammad as the Prophet. Muhammad
never competed with Jesus or claimed to be the Messiah. Muhammad corrected
wayward Christian and polytheistic theology of his time. The Way of Holiness
views both the Bible and Qur'an as integral parts of God's sacred Message to
mankind. Parts of the Message are meant for specific peoples and other parts
globally, other parts are meant for specific times and yet others eternally.
We start with a foundation of faith that God loves all His children. Accordingly,
we interpret both Messages in a way in which they reconcile with each other,
as though they come from the same impartial, loving Source. Along the Narrow
Path where they meet, we find God, peace and Jesus Christ-Jibreel-Gabriel.
Like Islam, the Way of Holiness acknowledges the Bible's sacred origin.
Unlike standard Islamic theology, The Way of Holiness believes Almighty God
(Allãh-Father) protected the sanctity of the Bible, just as He did with the
Qur'an, so all peoples are tested fairly in this life. Each group got valid parts
of a continuing sacred Message. The Bible sets the context for subsequent
interpretation of the Qur'an. The Qur'an clarifies the meaning and intent of
the earlier part of God's Message (i.e., the Bible), just like we clarify earlier
things we've said with what we say later. We build upon the earlier Message,
just as the New Testament is built upon the Old Testament. As Jesus said… 105
Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus;
17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear,
not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen,
will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
And as Muhammad said; Sura 5:68;
SAY: "O people of the Book!
Ye have no [theological] ground to stand on,
Until ye observe the Law [Old Testament]
and the Evangel,"… [The Gospels, which Jesus extended
to include theNewTestament, delegating authority to the apostles]
68 cont.; …"And that which hath been sent down to you [Muslims, theQur’an]
from your Lord."
It's important the reader understand the prophecies of both religions state
that mainstream forms of both religions will go astray. Spiritual teachers are
fallible, even those we learned from. Sometimes false teaching is deliberate
and meant to advance the agenda of an evil group of people. As it is written;
CHRISTIAN HERESY PROPHESIED
2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Paul;
13 For such men [as Pat Robertson] are false apostles,
deceitful workmen [who misquote the Qur'an],
masquerading as apostles of Christ [while stirring up hatred and war].
14 And no wonder,
for Satan [George W.Bush] himself masquerades as an angel of light [Christian].
15 It is not surprising, then,
if his [Religious "Right"] servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.
Their end will be what their actions deserve."
2 Peter 2:1-2;
1 But there were also false prophets among the people,
just as there will be false teachers among you.
They will secretly introduce destructive heresies [against other religions],
even denying [the words of]
the sovereign Lord [Gabriel-Jesus Christ] who bought them
--bringing swift destruction on themselves.
2 Many [mainstream Christian denominations]
will follow their shameful ways [condemning God's other Messages]
and will bring the way of truth [through the sacred books] into disrepute." 106
The Bible says Christians should expect heresies. Once a heresy takes root
it can persist for centuries as dogma, causing incalculable harm. Followers are
led astray to blindly repeat the same errors of the Pharisees of Jesus' time.
Muhammad and Imam Ali both prophesied that Islam would be subjected to
heresies. Here's a sampling;
MUSLIM HERESY PROPHESIED
"The Approach of Armageddon?" Foreword, Page XIX
Bukhari 1:33, “Kitãb al-‘ilm.” Muslim #157, “Kitãb al-‘ilm.”;
"Among the Signs of [the] Last Days,
‘Abd Allãh bin ‘Amr Ibn al-‘Ãs related that the Prophet (saw) said:
"Allah will not take knowledge from the hearts of the scholars
but he takes the scholars (they die)*.
There will be no more scholars to take their place
so people will take extremely ignorant leaders.
They will be asked questions and will give fatwahs (legal rulings)* without knowledge.
They are misguided and they misguide others."
Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 146 (page 304),
Imam Ali;
Certainly, a time will come upon you after me
when nothing will be more concealed than rightfulness,
nothing more apparent than wrongfulness —
and nothing more current than untruth against Allah and His Prophet…"
"…The holders of the book will throw it away
and its memorizers would forget it."…
[The violence associated with virtually all Muslim sects is un-Muslim,
The Wahhabi sect of "Islam" is especially noteworthy in this regard.]
…"In these days the Qur’an and its people will be exiled and expelled.
They will be companions keeping together on one path,
but no one will offer them asylum…"
[Un-Muslim terrorism advocated by so-called "Muslim" imams leads to expulsions.]
"…The people will have united on division
and will therefore have cut away from the community,
as though they were the leaders of the Qur’an and not the Qur’an their leader."…
[Sunni and Shia and Kurd have united on division in Iraq, against the Qur'an.]
…"Nothing of it will be left with them except its name,
and they will know nothing save its writings and its words."
* The translator added descriptions in parentheses. 107
From "The Signs Before The Day Of Judgement" p.14, citing Ibn-I-Majah, #3991,
Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said,
"The Prophet said,
'Islam will become worn out like clothes are,
until there will be no-one who knows what [true] fasting, [true] prayer,
[true] charity, and [true] rituals are.
The Qur'an['s full message] will disappear
in one [long, 1400 year] night [of spiritual darkness],
and no [understanding of] Ayah [scripture] will be left on earth.
Some groups of old people will be left who will say,
We heard our fathers saying La ilaha illa Allah, so we repeated it.' "
"La ilaha illa Allah" means "there is no God but Allah" (a.k.a. G-d & Father).
So this hadith indicates Islam is practiced ritually without true understanding.
That "one night" may be fairly interpreted to be a time span of 1400 years
is proven by the example of another variable "day" in the Qur'an;
Sura 70:4; …the angels and the Spirit ascend to him in a day,
whose length is fifty thousand years."
Hudhayfah's hadith (and many more) indicates Islam has gone astray, just as
Bible prophecies say Christianity would go astray. The Way of Holiness corrects
that by respecting all God's sacred Messages and reading scripture in the spirit
God gave us these Messages--love.
Matthew 7:9-11, 13-14, Jesus-Jibreel;
9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread,
will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 If you, then, though you are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts
to those [people of all races, cultures, and places] who ask him!
13 "Enter through the narrow gate [the Way of Holiness].
For wide is the gate and broad is the road [of traditional theology
that condemns God's word in other sacred Messages] that leads to destruction,
and many [mainstream religion believers] enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it."
If we trust God's word and have faith He loves us all, previously "unsolvable"
issues melt away into nothing. Next, are three knotty theology issues that
need to be resolved between Christianity and Islam… 108
Issue of Jesus as "Son of God"
John 1:32, 34; 32 Then John gave this testimony:
34 I have seen and I testify that [Jesus Christ] is the Son of God."
Sura 25:2; His the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth!
No son hath He begotten! No partner hath He in his empire!"
Issue of Jesus as "Lord"
1 Corinthians 15:56-57, Paul;
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Sura 3:64; SAY: "O people of the Book!
come ye to a just judgment between us and you—
That we worship aught but God, and that we join no other god with Him,
and that the one of us take not the other for lords, beside God."
Issue of Trinity (Joining Gods with God)
Matthew 28:18-19, Jesus;
18 "…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,…"
Sura 4:171; O ye people of the Book!
overstep not bounds in your religion; and of God,
speak only the truth
…Believe…in God and His apostles, and say not, "Three:"(there is a Trinity)—
Forbear—it will be better for you. God is only one God!…"
Sura 5:72; Infidels now are they who say,
"God is Messiah, son of Mary;" for the Messiah said,
"O children of Israel! worship God, my Lord and your Lord."
Whoever shall join other gods with God, God shall forbid him the Garden…"
While there appears to be near unsolvable disagreement at first glance,
remember, Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things
are possible." (Matthew 19:26) Resolving the issues of Jesus being "Son of God",
"Lord", and the "Trinity" between the Bible and Qur'an requires a step-by-step
approach taking us back to the beginning of time. Let's start at the beginning,
if one can have a beginning of forever. Call it the precursor of the dimensions
of Time and Space, call it pure consciousness… 109
Consciousness—The Precursor…
From the Apochrpha, Sirach 1:4,
1 All wisdom comes from the LORD and with him it remains forever.
4 Before all things else wisdom was created; and prudent understanding, from eternity."
God is composed of Spirit, which takes form in an energy called "Love".
John 4:24, Jesus; God is spirit,…"
"Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary";
"spir•it…n.
1 : an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms "
3 cap : HOLY SPIRIT 6 : the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person
15 cap, Christian Science :
2
GOD "
1 John 4:16; …God is love."
Sura 85:14; …He is the Indulgent, the Loving;"
1 Corinthians 13:4-8; 4 Love is patient, love is kind…
5 …it is not self-seeking…it keeps no record of wrongs
6…does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8…never fails…"
God is Omnipresent
Ephesians 4:4,6;
4 There is one body and one Spirit…6…one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all."
Jeremiah 23:24, God; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?"
Sura 4:126; "…and God encompasseth all things!"
Wisdom 1:7; For the spirit of the LORD fills the world, is all-embracing…"
Bhagavad-Gita 7:7 (Easwaran) Krishna;
…The entire universe is suspended from me as my necklace of jewels."
God [the Father-Allãh] is conscious and omnipresent (spans all creation).
"Spirit" is the "animating or vital principle held to give life,…immaterial,…2
GOD ".
God is Holy. God spans all, so He is present in his "spirit" which fills the Void
(Space). The Father is a central, yet universal Mind, and the Holy Spirit is a
vibration or energy we call "Love", in which God is present. We have separate
names for two aspects that describe the same Being. In the Qur'an, Allãh is
described with multiple divine characteristics, or names, such as, "the seen
and the hidden" (Sura 57:3) and "the Almighty, the All-knowing," (Sura 40:2).
Any of these "names" refers to Allãh Himself. Therefore, the Way of Holiness
complies with the Qur'an's law not to "join other gods with God" (Sura 5:72).
We have two thirds of the Trinity complete and the Bible and Qur'an are in
harmony. Where is the "Son"? 110
The Son
The disagreement between Islam and Christianity about Jesus Christ being
the "Son of God" is rooted in misunderstanding what the term "Son" means.
Many Christians are taught Jesus is "God" and "Lord" in a manner virtually
indistinguishable from the Father, based at least partly on the following
two passages from John…
John 10:30 Jesus;
I and the Father are one."
John 14:7,9, Jesus;
7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.
From now on, you do know him and have seen him.
9 Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."
If this belief were expressed mathematically, it would look like this;
Jesus Christ = Lord = God = the Father
Islam requires this; Jesus Christ ‹ the Father-Allãh
and
the Father-Allãh › Jesus Christ
Jesus said; "the Father is greater than I." (John 14:28) In John 10:35,
Jesus said, "the Scripture cannot be broken…" This means all Bible passages
must agree with one another. When we find the path where they agtee, we've
found the meaning God intended. In this instance, John 10:30 and 14:7,9,
which say "[Jesus] and the Father are one", must be read in a way that agrees
with John 14:28, where Jesus said "the Father is greater than I." Here's how
they reconcile; Christ was the first localized point of consciousness within the
vastness of the universal God [Father-Allãh] and accompanying Holy Spirit.
John 1:1-2;
1 In the beginning was the Word [Christ],
and the Word was with God [the Father-Allãh],
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God [the Father-Allãh] in the beginning."
Christ, an intelligence, was the point of origin of the "Big Bang". From and
through that point of origin, the rest of the universe was created.
As it is written… John 1:2-3;
2 [Christ] was with God [the Father-Allãh] in the beginning."
3 Through him [Christ] all things were made;
without him [Christ] nothing was made that has been made." 111
Trinity
"Christ" is the first localized consciousness existing within the Father,
a consciousness so vast it spans the void and is in all things. In the beginning
a point of consciousness popped into being (i.e., was "born", "begotten") through
which all things, including the physical universe, proceeded. The Big Bang also
starts at a single point from which all else ensues. Hinduism has a Christ figure,
too—"…the self-born creator, Brahma." (Ramayana 1:3:34) At the moment an
individualized, initial spirit was "born", or "created", there were three holy
"personages"; the Father-Allãh, the Holy Spirit, and now, Christ. That's the
"Trinity". Christ is not equal to the Father-Allãh, he was an image of the
Father projected into the physical universe…
2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul;
...Christ, who is the [first localized spirit] image of God."
John 14:28,10,11, Jesus;
28 …the Father is greater than I."
10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?
The words I say to you are not just my own.
Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;
or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves."
Christ was never separate from the Father. He always physically resided
within the Father. We all do. Paul described our situation well…
Acts 17:24-25,28, Paul;
24 "The God who made the world and everything in it
is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
25 And he is not served by human hands,
as if he needed anything,
because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.'
As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' "
John 14:20, Jesus;
On that day you will realize that I [Jesus] am [with]in my Father,"…
[Christ, the first localized, spirit image of God, exists within the Father,
so "the Father is greater than I [Christ]". Yet, "I [Christ] and the Father are one."
They are one and inseparable, a man and his right arm are one and inseparable…]
John 14:20, cont; …"and you are in me"…
[We exist within the expanded body of Christ—the physical Universe.]
John 14:20, cont; …"and I am in you."
Ramayana 1:6:68; "…the indwelling Lord in everyone’s heart…" 112
John 1:1-2,14,18; 1 In the beginning was the Word [Christ],
and the Word was with God [the Father-Allãh],
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God [the Father-Allãh] in the beginning.
14 The Word became flesh [Jesus Christ] and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
18 No one has ever seen [all of the limitless] God,
but [the part of] God [which is called Jesus Christ]
the One and Only [first localized spirit through which all else was created],
who is at the Father’s side, has made him known."
"Son of God"
It's time to clarify the "Son of God" issue. The issue is really whether
Christianity will continue to teach a theology created by the Roman emperor
Constantine in 325 A.D. or teach a gospel fully in accordance with the Bible.
Christ’s gospel was distorted and exploited by Constantine for his political gain.
There's a more detailed account on Appendix, pp. 138-142. Constantine
converted to Christianity on his deathbed, not before. At the time Constantine
convened the Council of Nicaea he wasn't a Christian believer. He transformed
the Father, Jesus, and Mary into members of a neo-Roman pantheon of lesser
gods, in which the Father had a "wife", Mary, and a "son", Jesus. He exploited
the religion, and what John the Baptist said next…
John 1:32,34; 32 Then John [the Baptist] gave this testimony:…
34 "I have seen and I testify that [Jesus] is the Son of God."
John the Baptist didn't mean a lesser "superman" god-father descended
from heaven and mated with a virgin mother goddess to have a baby god.
Constantine denied God His universal presence and the Creation was stripped
of sacredness. Constantine's theology divided God from the People, leaving
them prey for conquest by the next "god"-emperor. That was the error of
theology Muhammad was trying to correct when he said…
Sura 25:2;
…No son hath He begotten! No partner hath He in his empire!"
Sura 6:102; …how when He hath no consort, should he have a son?"
In John 10:36 Jesus said;
…Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God’s Son' ?"
While this appears to contradict Muhammad, it doesn't. Jesus' statement
must be read in context with the rest of John 10. Two verses preceding
verse 36 indicate the rest of humanity are "gods", too. 113
John 10:34-36,;
34 Jesus answered them,
"Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods' ?
35 If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came
--and the Scripture cannot be broken--
36 what about the one whom the Father
set apart as his very own [at the beginning of Creation]
and [later] sent into the world [as Jesus Christ]?
Since we humans are born of human parents, the only way for us to be "gods"
is through the process described on the preceding pages. Just as Christ was
made in the image of God, so too, were we…
Genesis 1:27;
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
Acts 17:28, Paul;
… As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' "
Romans 8: 16-17, Paul;
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
17 Now if we are children,
then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,…"
The difference between us and Christ is that he was the first part of God
to take on a localized, individual self. After that, we were made in God's
image through Christ. John 1:2-3;
2 [Christ] was with God [the Father-Allãh] in the beginning."
3 Through him [Christ] all things were made;
without him [Christ] nothing was made that has been made."
While we're on the subject of God's "children", let's resolve an apparent
difference between the Bible and the Qur'an regarding that topic…
Sura 10:69;
They say, "God hath begotten children."
No! by His glory! He is self sufficient.
All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth is His!”
Sura 23:91; God hath not begotten offspring;
neither is there any other God with him:.."
As in the earlier example concerning the "Son of God", the question is
whether "offspring" means "godlets" separate from a bigger, Big God, or whether
God is "over all and through all and in all" as Paul stated in Ephesians 4:6.
The Qur'an agrees with Paul. It's only when God's presence in all things is
denied that we have a situation of "join[ing] other gods with God". 114
Next, the issue of Jesus being "Lord" is addressed…
Who is "Lord" ?
1 Corinthians 15:56-57, Paul;
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God!
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Sura 3:64;
SAY: "O people of the Book!
come ye to a just judgment between us and you—
That we worship aught but God, and that we join no other god with Him,
and that the one of us take not the other for lords, beside God."
This issue of whether or not Jesus is "Lord" can be resolved like the earlier
issues were, with a little detective work and getting our definitions straight.
From "Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary";
lord ...1 : one having power and authority over others
a : a ruler by hereditary right... d obs : the male head of a household 2 cap a: GOD "
When the Prophet said, "take not the other for lords, beside God", he meant
that no God exists outside of God. He objected to the use of "Lord" as indicating
a deity on a par with God, not "Lord" as one may address the head of a household.
Because Christ was the first "person" and because all else was created through
him, he qualifies as being "Lord" in that sense. He doesn't qualify as a "Lord"
equal to the Father-Allãh. One last piece of evidence… From Introducing Islam,
page 28, a passage describing the Prophet's farewell sermon.
Muhammad;
" 'Be my witness, O Allãh, that I have conveyed your message to your people.'
'My lord, you surely have,' resounded the valley [full of people]. "
The Muslims gathered together to hear Muhammad's final sermon weren't
being disobedient. "Lord" was a term of respect for the earthly head of the
Muslim community. Used in that sense or any way that doesn't compete with
God, it is permissible for Muslims to use the word "Lord" in conjunction with
another person. As eldest of individual spirits Christ is head of the household,
or "lord", of all Creation, second only to the Father. For his spiritual leadership
and his sacrifice through the Crucifixion (see next page), Jesus also earned
the respectful title of "lord". However, the Father-Allãh is "Lord" over all.
There are several lesser issues between Christianity and Islam remaining
that will be addressed in future books, God willing. The most critical issues
are now resolved, with one exception; the crucifixion of Jesus… 115
The Crucifixion
Virtually all Muslims deny Jesus was crucified. The crucifixion is a central
aspect of Christian faith and clearly mentioned in the Bible. To den the
crucifixion is denying the Bible's sacredness and de-legitimizes Christianity.
Muslims base their belief on a faulty interpretation of the following passage…
Sura 4:156;
"And for their [the Pharisees] saying,
"Verily we have slain the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, an apostle of God."
Yet they slew him not, and crucified him not,
But they had only his likeness.
And they who differed about him were in doubt concerning him:
No sure knowledge had they about him, but followed only an opinion,
and they did not really slay him, but God took him up to Himself.
And God is mighty, wise!"
Acts 2:22-24, Peter;
22 "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth…
23…was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge;
and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross."
24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death,
because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."
At first glance, it appears reconciling the Bible and Qur'an is impossible.
But again, in Matthew 19:26, Jesus said,
"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
According to the Way of Holiness, for an interpretation of a passage in the
Qur'an to be correct, it must agree with the Bible.
Sura 4:82;
Can they not consider the Koran? Were it from any other than God,
they would surely have found in it many contradictions."
A correct interpretation must also agree with the rest of the Qur'an.
This being so, Sura 4:156 must reconcile with this next verse…
Sura 3:48;
"…[Allãh] said, "O Jesus! verily I will cause thee to die,…"
Other translations don't use the specific word "die", but the context and
words are consistent with that use. For the solution to this issue, let's turn to an
eminent modern Sufi (a sect of Islam) scholar named Martin Lings. Before
doing so, I'd like to say I agree with what he wrote, and will add commentary
at the end of his explanation. Here's Sura 4:156, again…
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Sura 4:156;
"And for their saying,
"Verily we have slain the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, an apostle of God."
Yet they slew him not, and crucified him not,
But they had only his likeness.
And they who differed about him were in doubt concerning him:
No sure knowledge had they about him, but followed only an opinion,
and they did not really slay him, but God took him up to Himself."
"Do the Religions Contradict One Another?" - Chapter Two
of "A Return to the Spirit: Questions and Answers by Martin Lings";
" Let us now pass on to an apparent contradiction which cannot be dismissed
so easily. If the religion of Islam depended on the beliefs of the average Muslim,
then there would indeed be a contradiction; but Islam depends on the Qur’ân,
not on human opinion that is based on Quranic verses taken out of their context.
It is a fact that most Muslims believe that Christ was not crucified, whereas
Christians consider the Crucifixion to be as it were the foundation stone of their
religion. Many aspects of their religion have been questioned and rejected by
certain Christians: already in very early Christianity a number of differing schools
of thought were hurling anathema at each other; but I have never heard of any
Christian that denies the Crucifixion and rejects the sign of the Cross. The Muslim
denial of the Crucifixion is based on a Quranic statement isolated from its setting,
combined perhaps with a natural readiness to accept what appears to be good news.
The idea that God would allow one of His Messengers to be crucified is hard
to accept, nor is the Christian doctrine of the Redemption easy to understand.
I have heard it asked: "Are we not all included in God’s redemption of Adam?"
As to the whole of the Quranic passage in question (II, 37-8), having been
blamed for their calumny of Mary and their denial of the Virgin birth of Christ,
the Jews are then blamed for having said: “Verily we have slain the Messiah Jesus
the Son of Mary, the Messenger of God” (IV, 156-7). The Qur’ân then adds the
words: “And they did not slay him and they did not crucify him, but it seemed to
them that they had done so."
Now we must bear in mind that when the Prophet Muhammad was once asked:
"When [did] you become a Prophet?" he answered: "I was a Prophet when Adam
was between water and clay." In other words, Prophethood is not of this world,
but transcends time and space. As we have seen, every Messenger has two natures,
one which is transcendent and one which is human. There is never any question
in Christianity of the Divine Nature of Christ having been crucified. As for the
Jews, they looked on him as a man who falsely claimed to be the Messiah. … 117
But instead of saying "We have slain this usurper," they said, with…sarcasm:
"We have slain the Messiah." The Qur’ân denies this possibility, and then adds what
are, in our context, the all important words: "But it seemed to them that they had
done so." Why did it seem to them that they had done so? Precisely because they
had seen the dead body of Christ’s human nature before them on the Cross.
There is therefore no mutual contradiction here between Christianity and Islam."
There is another powerful argument that the Crucifixion belongs in Islam.
Jesus said, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing." (John 6:63)
He also said a form of martyrdom is righteous…John 15:13, Jesus;
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
Muhammad took Jesus' teaching to heart in the following hadith…
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol 4, page 52, #2797;
Abu Hureira: I heard Allãh’s Messenger saying,
"By Him in Whose Hands my soul is!
I would love to be martyred in Allãh’s cause and then come back to life
and then get martyred, and then come back to life again
and then get martyred and then come back to life and then get martyred."
Jesus said sacrificing one’s life for others is the highest form of love.
He knew someone else would have to die in his place if he chose the path of the
non-martyr, which would make him a hypocrite. Since Muhammad said he was
willing to be martyred over and over, Jesus can appear cowardly when viewed
from the perspective of traditional Muslim theology. Such a view is totally absurd
when one considers Muhammad's prophecies state Allãh will send Jesus to rule
the Muslim Ummah at the Last Hour. Allãh would never send a cowardly
hypocrite to lead the Muslim Ummah!
The Way of Holiness uses the "narrow path" where the Bible and Qur'an
reconcile with several divisive theology issues. The "narrow path" is compatible
with "scientific" theories regarding the origin of the universe (i.e., the "Big Bang").
The major difference between the "Big Bang" theory and the Way of Holiness is
"Intelligence", i.e., which came first, intelligence or physical matter? It may be
impossible to provide physical evidence for something that preceded the physical
universe. What proof is available is logic and the law of probability. The presence
of a central Source, i.e., God, is evidenced by the "astounding" precision with
which the Bible, Qur'an, and Bhagavad-Gita fit together as one ongoing Message.
The Way of Holiness is compatible with logic and scientific evidence and theory.
This being so, since the sacred sources indicate God and consciousness existed
prior to the physical universe, the odds strongly favor this possibility. 118