Common
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Muslims
and Christians have many things in common. We believe in the One
Creator Who had sent many Prophets and in Jesus as the Messiah
as well as the Word of God which had been denied by the Jews. We
Muslims believe that Jesus was one of the mightiest messengers
of God, that he was the Christ, the chosen Messiah, that he was
born miraculously - without any male intervention (which many
modern-day Christians do not believe today), that he gave life
to the dead by God's permission, and that he healed those born
blind and the lepers by God's permission. In fact NO MUSLIM
IS A MUSLIM IF HE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST. Islam is
the only non-Christian religion which makes it an article of
faith to believe in Jesus Christ.
Our
Holy Qur'an mentions in sura 3:45:
"[Remember
when] the angles said, "O Mary! Verily Allah gives you the
glad tidings of a Word from Him, his name will be Messiah
Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and in
the hereafter, and of those who are near to Allah..." [Holy
Qur'an 3:45]
We
Muslims feel closer to the Christians than to the Jews and
disbelievers, as the Qur'an prophesised in sura 5:82:
"Strongest
among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and
Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt
thou find those who say: "We are Christians:" because
amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have
renounced the world and they are not arrogant." [Holy
Qur'an 5:82]
Some
Christian denominations are making tremendous progress now by
acknowledging for the first time in history that Muhammad (pbuh)
descended from Ishmael through the second son Kedar. The David
Dictionary of the Bible, 1980, sponsored by the Board of
Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church in the USA,
writes under the word Kedar: "...A
tribe descended from Ishmael (Gen. 25:13)...The people of Kedar
were Pliny's Cedrai, and from their tribe Muhammad ultimately
arose."
The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia quotes the
following from A.S. Fulton: "...Of
the Ishmaelite tribe, Kedar must have been one of the most
important, and thus in later times the name came to be applied
to all the wild tribes of the desert. It is through Kedar (Arab.
Keidar) that Muslim genealogists trace the descent of Muhammad
from Ishmael."
Also
Smith's Bible Dictionary will not stay behind and prints the
following: "Kedar
(black). Second son of Ishmael (Gen. 25:13) ...Muhammad traces
his lineage to Abraham through the celebrated Koreish tribe,
which sprang from Kedar. The Arabs in the Hejaz are called Beni
Harb (men of war), and are Ishmaelites as of old, from their
beginning. Palgrave says their language is as pure now as when
the Koran was written (A.D. 610), having remained unchanged more
than 1200 years; a fine proof of the permanency of Eastern
Institutions."
All
Prophets were sent with the same message
All
prophets from Adam to Muhammad (pbuh) were sent with the same
message: that is, the total submission of mankind to Allah. This
submission in Arabic is called Islam; Islam also means Peace,
peace between the Creator and His creation. Unlike the name
Judaism and Christianity, this name Islam has been given by
Allah, the Creator Himself, as mentioned in surah 5:3
"This
day I have perfected your religion for you and completed My
favour on you, and have chosen for you as the way of life
Al-Islam as your religion." [Holy Qur'an 5:3]
Neither
the name Judaism nor Christianity is found in the Bible, not
even in a Bible dictionary. No Israelite prophet mentioned the
word Judaism. Jesus never claimed to establish Christianity on
earth and never called himself a Christian. The word Christian
is mentioned only three times in the New Testament and first by
pagans and Jews in Antioch about 43 A.D., long after Jesus had
left this earth. Read in Acts 11:26 "...And
the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
Later
by King Agrippa II to Paul in Acts 26:28 "Then
Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a
Christian."
So
the name Christian was first given by foes rather than friends.
And finally by Peter in his letter to comfort the faithful in I
Peter 4:16 "Yet
if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be
ashamed..."
Why dispute about Abraham?
Abraham
is common to all three religions, Judaism, Christianity and
Islam. The Jews and the Christians are wrong in saying that
Abraham was a Jew. Genesis 11:31 reads "And
Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's
son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and
they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into
the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt
there."
So Abraham who was born in Ur of Chaldees could not have been a
Jew. First because Ur of Chaldees was in Mesopotamia, which is
now a part of Iraq. He was therefore more an Arab than a Jew.
Secondly the name Jew came after the existence of Judah, the
great-grandson of Abraham. Moses was not a Jew either because he
did not descend from Judah but a Levite (Exodus 6:16-20).
"O
people of the Book! why dispute ye about Abraham when the Law
and the Gospel were not revealed till after him? Have ye then no
sense?
Ah! ye are those who fell to disputing (even) in matters of
which ye had some knowledge! but why dispute ye in matters of
which ye have no knowledge?
It is Allah Who knows and ye who know not! Abraham was not a Jew
nor yet a Christian but he was true in faith and bowed his will
to Allah's (which is Islam) and he joined not gods with Allah.
Without doubt among men the nearest of kin to Abraham are those
who follow him as are also this Apostle (Muhammad) and those who
believe; and Allah is the Protector of those who have
faith." [Holy Qur'an 3:65-68]
"Or do you
say that Abraham Isma`il Isaac Jacob and the Tribes were Jews or
Christians? Say (O Muhammad): Do you know better or does Allah
(know better)? Ah! who is more unjust than those who conceal the
testimony they have from Allah? But Allah is not unaware of what
you do!" [Holy Qur'an 2:140]
Of
course they were not Jews or Christians as the name Jew came
after Judah and the name Christian came long after Jesus had
left. All prophets submitted their will to the Will of Allah,
and the one who does this is known as a Muslim.
e-mail: prince_zedz@hotmail.com
© 2001 (Zed).
All rights reserved.
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