What LOVE?
By Brian J. Lucero
1-05-04
To download in Word, right click on link and do a ‘save link as’: What_LOVE.htm
“Say, if ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love and forgive you your sins.”
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. We love him, because he first loved us.
The goal of this paper is to compare the Love of God expressed in the Qur’an with the Love of God expressed in the Bible, in hopes to make clear the foundations upon which each book stands. I pray that in due course this investigation will convince the open reader of the same conclusion I have come to, namely, that the God of the Qur’an cannot be the same as the God of the Bible. If this is the case, then it follows that the counterfeit has succeeded in dragging with him to hell hundreds of millions of people. This is no small matter, so I would charge that the reader would approach this investigation with pure motive and impartiality. The conclusion of the matter is a choice of LIFE or DEATH, eternally. Note: If you believe that this investigation may be biased, may you take comfort that every single verse where “love” is used in the Qur’an is taken into account in this paper; the opinions of some of greatest theologians of Islamic history are in accordance; and the material presented has given sources to allow the skeptic to cross-check the validity and contextual consistency of the same in question.
I believe that whether I give my own conclusions and statements after each verse in comparison matters not. For the verses are so solemnly clear that they need not a commentator to point out the consequences of their declarations. Don’t worry about what I say here. I am convinced that if you just look up the verses on love in both the Qur’an and Bible by yourself, you will be so sure of the differences in their messages that my paper will not change your opinion. You will also cringe in such great contrast seen.
What most differentiates the God of Islam (Allah) from the God of Christianity (Yahweh) is the basic virtue LOVE. According to the verses above: Allah will love you only if you love him first; on the other hand, you are only able to love because Yahweh first loved you. Is God the god who loved first or second? Given these two irreconcilable options, we must decide which god is the counterfeit and which is the Supreme – which holy book is the greatest scam in history, and which one is the key to eternal life. The menu of options forces us to throw out ALL of one of the two holy books. God could not have written them both. (For Muslims to get out of the fix by defaulting to the third option, namely that one book has been changed but used to be authentic, that they both originally came from the same God, is futile, for manuscript corruptibility isn’t the prime item in judgment, but the very immutable nature and character of the One Creator God is) Either God is the initiator of love or the responder of love. In deciding the conclusion, whether the book has been changed matters not, because the character of the God of that book still remains abundantly clear. If one compares the character of the two Gods of the holy books, he must conclude either that one is counterfeit or both are wrong, but never can they be reconciled. Take a look at the evidence below:
The Bible contains 409 different uses of love between its covers. The Qur’an on the other hand contains love (hubb) in its various grammatical forms only 69 times, a great many (22) being used in the negative sense, i.e. Allah loveth not transgressors (la uhibb al-mua’tadeen), as in Surah 2:190. This should cock a curious eyebrow. Farid Mahally (www.answering-islam.org.uk/Quran/Themes/love.htm) organizes the Qur’an’s use of love into the five categories listed below along with its popularity:
The first category love can be summed by being a compelling desire to associate with the world. In note, we can compare the Qur’an’s rightful warning to that of the Bible’s exhortation in 1 John 2:15: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” Mahally rightfully emphasized: “Here again is reference to loving wealth and things, but that righteousness is attained by giving or spending [nafuq] for what one loves.” As you read the 15 uses of this type of love, you will see a merit and reward type of system employed by Allah. Doing good works and attaining righteousness is obviously the emphasis in the Qur’an.
The second category includes the mutual love that exists between relationships in friends and family, which is expected in the talk of such things. Not much exhortation or command is intended, therefore it has not much bearing on our discussion.
The third category has only one verse of interest, for the others are mostly historical accounts or interpretive inserts by the translator Yusuf Ali. Remember, only 7 verses are contained in this category. The verse of interest: 2:165 – “Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah, as equal (with Allah): They love them as they should love Allah, but those of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah. If only the unrighteous could see, behold, they would see the Penalty: that to “Allah belongs all power, and Allah will strongly enforce Penalty.”
This verse has the same word love being used by the idolaters and the believers, which makes it clear that the unbelievers have the potential to employ the exact type of love as the believers. This fully backs up the assertion that Allah does not teach believers to love through his love, but rather, that everyone has the same type of self-engendered, imperfect love - the only difference between the believers and unbelievers being that some misdirect it towards other gods. They don’t need Allah to be able to love, but they are expected to engender this mysterious attribute on their own. It is a personal responsibility, expecting the person to rely on his own ability rather than on God’s help and example. We all know how unreliable we humans are by ourselves. No wonder many don’t have the revelation of love.
Another note on this verse is that Allah emphasizes a penalty. One needs to love Allah, not because he desires to know Allah, but because he is in dread of him, trying to escape the penalty. Fear compels the followers of Allah; the example of God’s unfailing love compels the Christian.
The fourth category, the expression of love in a negative sense, contains the greatest usage. A few examples will suffice to show the general feeling emphasized:
2:190 – Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors.
3:32 – Say: “Obey Allah and His Apostle”: But if they turn back, Allah loveth not those who reject faith.
3:140 – Allah loveth not those who do wrong.
Again, it is abundantly clear here that Allah does not have unconditional love for humans; only, the love he holds for us is bought through pleasing him. It is a prize for completing his expectations, as will be further shown in this next section.
Category five, the love that Allah has for man, is used 20 different times in the Qur’an. This love is given on account of personal merit. As Mahally puts it, “One would think these positive statements of God’s love would bring us a revelation of the personal and infinite love of God to mankind. What we find are statements of conditional love based on human activity.”
To make my point clear I will not quote only a few verses which I think will sufficiently convince the reader; rather, I will give every single instance that pertains to this most important category and focus of our discussion. This, I hope, will exhaust the skeptic’s objection that ‘he is only showing those verses that will advance his argument but is leaving out the perfectly valid verses which obviously show how much Allah loves us’. Remember, I do not deny that Allah loves; I only contend that his love is like a toy in a baby’s hand, who will only give it when enticed by something else. Good deeds are like the candy for the baby, as the following verses will make all too plain. I will default to quoting the source of which I could not have done better in presenting (www.answering-islam.org.uk/Quran/Themes/love.htm):
God loves those who do good.
The muhasneen or those who do good deeds [hasanats]. In some contexts,
it implies giving of one's money or goods for Allah's cause.
2:195 And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah,
and make not your own hands contribute
to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loveth
[hubb] those who do good. [al-muhasneen]
3:134 Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity, or
in adversity; who restrain anger, and
pardon (all) men; -- for Allah loves [hubb] those who do
good; -- [al-muhasaneen]
3:148 And Allah gave them a reward in this world, and the
excellent reward of the Hereafter. For
Allah loveth [hubb] those who do good. [al-muhasaneen]
5:14 But because of their breach of their Covenant, We
cursed them, and made their hearts grow
hard: They change the words from their (right) places and
forget a good part of the Message that
was sent them, nor wilt thou cease to find them --
barring a few -- ever bent on [new] deceits: But
forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds): For Allah
loveth [hubb] those who are kind.
[al-muhasaneen]
5:96 On those who believe and do deeds of righteousness
there is no blame for what they ate (in
the past), when they guard themselves from evil, and
believe, and do deeds of righteousness, --
(or) again, guard themselves from evil and believe, --
(or) again, guard themselves from evil and do
good. For Allah loveth [hubb] those who do good.
[al-muhasaneen]
God loves the pure and clean:
2:222 They ask thee concerning women's courses. Say: They
are a hurt and a pollution: So keep
away from women in
their courses, and do not approach them until they are clean. But when they
have purified themselves, ye may approach them in any
manner, time, or place ordained for you by
Allah. For Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly
and He loves [hubb] those who keep
themselves pure and clean. [al-mutdhreen]
9:108 Never stand thou forth therein. There is a mosque
whose foundation was laid from the first
day on piety; it is more worthy of thy standing forth
[for prayer] therein. In it are men who love to
be purified; and Allah loveth [hubb] those who make
themselves pure. [al-mutadhreen]
God loves those who are righteous:
3:76 Nay. -- Those that keep their plighted faith and act
aright, -- verily Allah loves [hubb] those
who act aright. [al-mutaqeen]
9:4 (But the treaties are) not dissolved with those
Pagans with whom ye have entered into alliance
and who have not subsequently failed you in aught, nor
aided any one against you. So fulfill your
engagements with them to the end of their term: For Allah
loveth [hubb] the righteous. [al-mutaqeen]
9:7 How can there be a league, before Allah and His
Apostle, with the Pagans, except those with
whom ye made a treaty near the Sacred Mosque? As long as
these stand true to you, stand ye true
to them: For Allah doth love [hubb] the righteous.
[al-mutaqeen]
19:96 On those who believe and work deeds of
righteousness, will (Allah) Most Gracious bestow
love. [arrahman wdan] [Interpretive insert, the thought
is that God will bestow benevolence]
God loves those who are just and judge rightly:
5:45 (They are fond of) listening to falsehood, of
devouring anything forbidden. If they do come to
thee, either judge between them, or decline to interfere.
If thou decline, they cannot hurt thee in the
least. If thou judge, judge in equity between them. For Allah
loveth [hubb] those who judge in
equity. [al-muqasiteen]
49:9 If two parties among the Believers fall into a
quarrel, make ye peace between them: But if one
of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other,
then fight ye (all) against the one that
transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah;
but if it complies, then make peace
between them with justice, and be fair: For Allah loves
[hubb] those who are fair (and just).
[al-muqasiteen]
60:8 Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who
fight you not for [your] Faith nor drive you
out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with
them: For Allah loveth [hubb] those who are
just [al-muqasiteen]
God loves those who trust Him:
3:159 It is part of the Mercy of Allah that thou dost
deal gently with them. Wert thou severe or
harsh hearted, they would have broken away from about
thee: So pass over (their faults), and ask
for (Allah's) forgiveness for them; and consult them in
affairs (of moment). Then, when thou hast
taken a decision, put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves
[hubb] those who put their trust (in Him).
[al-mutawakileen]
God loves the
persevering or patient:
3:146 How many of the Prophets fought (in Allah's way),
and with them [fought] large bands of
godly men? But they never lost heart if they met with
disaster in Allah's way, nor did they weaken
[in will] nor give
in. And Allah loves [hubb] those who are firm and steadfast. [as-sabreen]
7. God loves those who love
Him and follow the Prophet:
3:31
Say: "If ye do love [hubb] Allah, follow me: Allah will love [ihbbikum] you
and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
8. God Himself will produce a
people He will love:
5:57 O ye who believe! If any from among you turn back
from his Faith, soon will Allah produce a
people whom He will love [hubb] as they will love [hubb]
Him, -- Lowly with the Believers, Mighty
against the Rejecters, Fighting in the Way of Allah, and
never afraid of the reproaches of such as
find fault. That is the Grace of Allah, which He will
bestow on whom He pleaseth. And Allah
encompasseth all, and He knoweth all things.
9. God loved Moses:
20:39 "Throw (the child) into the chest, and throw
(the chest) into the river: The river will cast him
up on the bank, and he will be taken up by one who is an
enemy to Me and an enemy to him': But I
cast (the garment of) love over thee [muhiba minahu] from
Me: And (this) in order that thou mayest
be reared under Mine eye. (This passage relates the
placing of Moses in the bulrushes and his
subsequent adoption by Pharaoh's daughter and God's care
of him.)
10. God loves those who fight
in His cause:
61:4 Truly Allah loves [hubb] those who fight in His
Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid
cemented structure.
Yes, surely Allah does love; but it is a love none the better than that of a man’s who before an arranged marriage says, “I will love you, but only if you have a large enough dowry.”
The interesting thing is that the most well-known and respected Islamic theologians throughout history, such as Al-Ghazzali, do not contest the conclusions made in this paper. They say, “Of course, Allah cannot be known, and he certainly does not stoop so low to the level of the human emotion of love. He is above love.” However, as we have seen, it seems Allah is the one guilty of complying with the capricious, conditional, man-pleasing, and finite love that so perfectly and infamously defines the pathetic love of human nature. It seems that he is nowhere near above human-like love, but is as every other human being, wallowing in its variableness and unsure conditionality. If emotions are known for their instability, then is Allah a role model to help refrain from being emotional?
Mahally concludes, “So now we come to the crux of why we deemed it important to investigate the Qur'anic teaching on the love of God. What we have observed is that while the Qur'an tells of the love of God, in most cases it is expressed in a negative fashion, "God loves not ..." or it is based upon human conditions for its exercise. God loves the one who does good, the pure, the just, the trusting, the patient and persevering, the one who takes up arms to fight in God's cause. But where is there room for a God who initiates love in order to win over the lost and erring? Where is He who loved us while we were yet sinners? Where is there room for the one who was rich, yet for our sakes became poor so that we might be made rich? The contrast is too great to overlook. Could we not also reply that, yes, we too love those who do good and are just and demonstrate good qualities. But that would mean that God only expresses a human love if His love is based on conditions. A revelation of infinite love demands something of the extraordinary, something commiserate with the nature and character of God Himself. The cross is the only historical expression of that love.”
The famous ‘99 names of God’ strengthen yet again what we seem to be fearing. The Muslim objects, “Allah need not explicitly say he is love, for it is obvious that he loves abundantly – for before every surah he assures us that he is the merciful one.” Yes, but how fickle that mercy is:
“As mentioned previously in the introduction, Allahu Muhibba or "God is love" is not found among the 99 names of God given in Islam. There is however, the name Al-Wadud or "the Loving One," which is found in Surah 11:90 as well as Surah 85:14. In each case the translator translates "full of loving kindness." This is interesting in itself since it indicates that this quality lies imbedded in the nature of God himself and of course would then be infinite. However, Islam is careful in stating that we cannot in any way know the nature of God. We can only know His will. The Arabic word "wadud" is related more to the area of friendship and affection. It is applied to one devoted in a relationship and expresses fondness. The word "hubb" carries a much more intense meaning and is used in its other grammatical forms for "beloved," "sweetheart," "courtship," "lover," and "mutual affection." It is also elastic, as our use of love in English, where one might express his love for sports, movies, food or other common day interests. However, any attribute when applied to God Himself then takes on an infinite value and meaning.” (Mahally)
Gilchrist affirms: “God is indeed called the "Loving
One" (al- Wadud) in the Qur'an but only on two occasions (Surahs 11.90,
85.14). This statement, however, does not imply the depth of love in the nature
of God such as is found in the Biblical declaration "God is love" (1
John 4:8). Instead one of the great
theologians in Islamic history,) al-Ghazzali, is at pains to inform us that the
expresssion "the Loving One" means far less than the title would seem
to indicate. In his work on the names of God in the Qur'an entitled Al-Maqsad
Al-Asna he states that this this title in the Qur'an is a lesser one, for
example, than "the Merciful" (ar-Rahim) - an opinion with which we
find ourselves compelled to agree, for God is called "the Merciful"
over two hundred times in the Qur'an but "the loving One" only twice.
Al-Ghazzali explains this love as consisting solely of objective acts of
kindness and expressions of approval. He denies that there is any subjectivity
in the love of God, that is, that God feels any love in his own heart towards
mankind.” (Gilchrist, http://answering-islam.org.uk/Gilchrist/love.html)
Al-Ghazzali justifies our above conclusions:
"He remains above the feeling
of love". (Al-Maqsad Al-Asna,
p.91)
And he further clarifies:
"Love and mercy are desired in
respect of their objects ONLY for the sake of their fruit and benefit and NOT
because of empathy or feeling". (Al-Maqsad Al-Asna, p.91 –emphasis mine)
The difference between Allah and Yahweh is clear when comparing the above with Jeremiah 31:3 – “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
Now that we have defined the difference between the love of the Qur’an’s Allah (conditional, finite, buyable), and the Bible’s Yahweh (unconditional, infinite, without price), we may ask which one would induce the purest of results, as expected from the authentic religion? What motives would follow from each? What hopes?
“The Qur'an does not give the believer any total assurance of the forgiveness of all his sins this side of the grave. Accordingly it is hardly surprising that it sets the prospect of forgiveness at the end of life as the reward of service to God. Even then there is no complete assurance that the believer will be forgiven and the believer can only die in the hope of God's mercy (Surah 17:57). It must again be stressed, however, that such service is done purely out of love towards oneself with the welfare of the self at heart. Only when the believer begins with the total knowledge of God's forgiveness can he serve God freely out of genuine love. As long as he fears God's wrath he cannot possibly exercise real love towards God with the glory of God as the principal concern of his heart.” (Gilchrist)
Seemingly-genuine love may really have unstable and illegitimate roots – it may be imitation love. One love comes from fear, the other from perfect exemplified love. The fruit of these differences in origin are exposed when viewing the respective commandments from the Qur’an and Bible. One of the most enlightening exercises is to compare the founders of Islam and Christianity, Muhammad and Jesus.
The last words of the leaders speak volumes:
Jesus: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” -Luke 23:34
He said this about those who crucified him without justification while dying on the cross.
Muhammad: “May Allah curse the Jews and Christians for they built the places of worship at the graves of the prophets." -Bukhari, Vol. 1, #427
The most attested Hadith, Bukhari, recounts some of Muhammad’s last words while dying in Aisha’s arms from poison administered by a Jewish woman widowed by Muslims years before.
Which person would you rather have pray for you in trying times? Which one would you say emanates the revelation of God’s love? I need not help you. The dying words of a man truly reveal the inner motives of his heart. What motivated Jesus? What motivated Muhammad?
Let’s compare more scriptures that show that this type of spirit truly permeated each respective leader’s life, and that it was not just coincidence taken out of context:
Law of equality and recompense:
Surah 2:194
The prohibited month for the
prohibited month, - and so for all things prohibited, - there is the law of
equality. If then any one transgresses the prohibition against you, Transgress
ye likewise against him. But fear Allah, and know that Allah is with those
who restrain themselves.
Does Jesus believe in this law of equality? It is hard to think that after Jesus pronounced the following, that Muhammad’s revelation is a step forward from that. Muhammad commands evil for evil, while Jesus commands blessing for evil:
Matthew 5:38-42
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: [39] But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. [40] And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. [41] And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. [42] Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
1 Thes. 5:15
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
1 Peter 3:9-12
Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. [10] For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: [11] Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. [12] For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
Romans 12:17
Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Romans 12:21
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Cursing and prayer:
The Allah of the Qur’an teaches believers to not pray for forgiveness for the unbelievers. Instead, it teaches to whole-heartedly invoke curses on them for rejecting Muhammad. Either somebody has a real bad self-esteem problem and has a hard time dealing with rejection, or the god of his authority is specifically commanding a contravention of Jesus’ command. The authority that Muhammad appeals to cannot possibly be the same as that of whom does Jesus:
Surah 9:113
It is not for the Prophet, and those who believe, to pray
for the forgiveness of idolaters even though they may be near of kin (to
them) after it hath become clear that they are people of hell-fire.
Surah 3:62
And whoso disputeth with thee concerning him, after the knowledge which hath come unto thee, say (unto him): Come! We will summon our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, then we will pray humbly (to our Lord) and (solemnly) invoke the curse of Allah upon those who lie.
However, what does Jesus say?:
Matthew 5:43-44
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. [44] But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Which command should we follow; which God shall we submit to? With which God’s submission would the world be a better place?
Loving:
This section, to me, makes the greatest expose of the difference between the two Gods and how their followers differ. Allah says that a true believer will not love an unbelieving brother. If you are a Muslim who has a Christian relative, and you love him, then according to the Qur’an, you are not a true believer:
Surah 58:22
Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, loving those who resist Allah and His Apostle, even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred.
However, the Bible says the exact opposite:
1 John 3:10
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
The author of the Bible emphatically rebukes the author of the Qur’an here. Allah says to not love those who reject Islam, even though they were your brethren. Yet, Yahweh says that he who does not love his brother is NOT OF GOD. In fact He says that he is of the devil. In this light, how could Islam be the next revelation that extends the revelation of the Bible? The Bible has a safeguard on it, defining who is not of God – what is it implying about Muhammad?
Further, the Bible shows that Yahweh commands love towards those who are sinners, because Yahweh is the example to follow, who loved Israel even though they rejected Him and followed after other gods:
Hosea 3:1
Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.
Note how the next verse defines Allah’s love as being the product of you first loving him. And then, if you reject faith, Allah won’t love you anymore. Allah only loves those who love him. Take note of whom Jesus rebukes in the following verses:
Surah 3:31
“Say, if ye love Allah, follow me; (then) Allah will love and forgive you your sins.”
Surah 3:32
Say: "Obey Allah and His Apostle": But if they turn back, Allah loveth not those who reject Faith.
Matthew 5:46-48
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? [47] And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? [48] Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Jesus is outright rebuking the Allah of the Qur’an! warning that if these are your attributes, then you better change and become like God, because you are not acting how God would act! Jesus says that if you only love them which love you, what difference is there between you and the sinners? He says but to be perfect, love those despite if they love you, just as God in heaven does! How can the Allah of the Qur’an be God if he is not perfect as Jesus claims he would only be if he loves everyone?
The Bible further explains that he who does not love, does not know God. What does this say about Allah, who does not love all?
1 John 4:7-8
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. [8] He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:20
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
Consequential fruit:
What are the fruits of following a god who does not know love unconditionally? If Allah says the following, then this explains how his followers would act just as he would act:
Surah 3:32
Say: "Obey Allah and His Apostle": But if they turn back, Allah loveth not those who reject Faith.
In following Allah’s example, they would act partial towards certain people, loving those who accept Muhammad but loving not those who do not adhere to his teachings. They would befriend some and reject others, just as the ayahs command:
Surah 5:51
O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.
Surah 48:29
Muhammad is the apostle of Allah; and
those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate
amongst each other.
Surah 3:28
Let not the believers Take for friends or helpers Unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah: except by way of precaution, that ye may Guard yourselves from them.
Common objections would be that these previous verses were only for a specified period, specifically in times of danger such as war, or in times of persecution. However, if one does his research, he will see that these verses were not part of the early Meccan revelations, but rather, part of the later Medinan revelations. In consequence, the above verses were never abrogated, but they were, in fact, the later verses that abrogated the “nice” early verses (the verses that Muhammad revealed earlier when Muslims were the minority, so that they wouldn’t be wiped out). Isn’t it funny how when Muslims gained the power, Allah suddenly changed his opinion about how to treat Jews and Christians?
How does the God of the Bible exemplify this differently? He shows love even to those who cannot help themselves, and who reject Him over and over again. While we were still sinners, He reached out to us:
Romans 5:8-10
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. [10] For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Because God is the example, Christians will follow it and love one another with unconditional love, even our enemies, just as God does (opposite to what Allah’s followers are commanded, as you read above):
1 John 4:10-11
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
Deut. 10:17-19
For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: [18] He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. [19] Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Matthew 5:43-44
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. [44] But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Romans 13:8
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Knowing the love of God allows us to love one another, for we realize that no one deserved His love - so there is no reason to withhold our love from anyone else either (totally converse to Qur’anic injunction to love only those who deserve it):
2 Cor. 5:14
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to follow this example of love that God has laid out. If this is the greatest commandment, why is it not once mentioned in the Qur’an? How can Allah’s followers be expected to love if Allah cannot even fulfill this commandment?
Mark 12:30-31
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. [31] And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Jesus stresses to not pass over the greatest of deeds, the love of God:
Luke 11:42
But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
What defines a true believer is his capacity to love – but this cannot be done, as Jesus says, but by first knowing God’s love for us. But how do Muslims know Allah’s love if they never know if Allah approves of them (for love is the byproduct of works approval)? This is why fear of not being accepted does not allow true love to form:
John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. [35] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
1 John 4:17-19
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. [18] There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. [19] We love him, because he first loved us.
1 John 3:16
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
If Christians were of the world, then they would be loved by the world. If Muslims are commanded to not love Christians, then whom is Jesus calling the world? And who really are the ones not following God? Read Surah 58:22 again:
Surah 58:22
Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, loving those who resist Allah and His Apostle, even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred.
But because Christians know that the love of God is impartial, they too will be impartial towards all men, loving all.
Goal of believer:
The goal of the believer in Islam is to win the acceptance of God by doing good works, to earn eternal paradise (I will not go into it now, but the Qur’an appeals to the believer by enticing him to get to heaven, because there are 70 naked, dark haired, beautiful big eyed, virgins there for each believer who will serve him wine for eternity. Why does it never appeal to God being his pleasure or his joy?) In contrast, the goal of the believer in Christ is to know God, to know His love, and be filled with all the fullness of God’s love in intimacy with Him (though heaven is still the goal, Christians are not motivated to get there because there are millions of young naked virgins waiting, rather, because God is there with all His glory and unconditional love). Christians are not trying to earn acceptance; they are already accepted. Knowing God’s love is the eternal bliss, not perpetual sex:
Ephes. 3:17-19
[17] That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, [18] May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; [19] And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Bought or free?
Song of Solomon 8:7
"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned".
God does not want your good deeds, your pilgrimages, your alms, your fasts; He wants YOU! He wants your love. The love of the God of the Bible cannot be bought or bribed by your good works – your effort will be scorned. It is an insult to think that infinite love can be bought through finite, imperfect works. You are not rich enough in works to buy it. Instead, the God of the Bible has given His love for free:
Hosea 14:4
I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely.
1 John 5:11
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
Romans 3:24
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rev. 21:6; 3:20
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart because you are still trying to buy your own redemption. You still think that God can be bought. Jesus wants to sup with you. He wants to give you freely of His water that will quench your thirst for acceptance by God.
John 4:13-14
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: [14] But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
In contrast, the Muslim must have a heavy weight of good works to earn his place in God’s kingdom. The Muslim by necessity believes God can be bought.
Surah 7:8
The weighing on that day is the true (weighing). As for those whose scale is heavy, they are the successful.
What we see here is a stark contrast between the Gods of the Bible and the Qur’an. They cannot possibly be one in the same. The Love that separates them is like the difference between the day and night. The greatness of the implications are revealed when contemplating the claims made by the Qur’an – the claim that the same God that brought the Bible also brought the Qur’an. This claim obviously is not true when contemplating the character of God, and therefore invalidating the truthfulness of the Qur’an as a whole.
This is no small matter. It is key to first realize to how great of an extent the Qur’an is allowing itself to be vulnerable in the face of scrutiny when claiming that its revelation is sourced from the same God as that of the Taraut, Zabur, and Injil. It is an outrageous claim that will, when fairly weighted, either destroy the testimony and reputation of its author’s claims or validate its truthfulness in the strongest manner. Claiming that the Qur’an is an extension to the completed redeeming plan of God for man is the Qur’an’s own fatal litmus test that has been administered by itself.
It is clear that the Qur’an has failed the test that it has created for itself. The god of the Qur’an is not the God of the Bible.
“Say, if ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love and forgive you your sins.”
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. We love him, because he first loved us.
Who would you rather believe is the true God? Who would you rather be in relationship with: the God of the Qur’an, or the God of the Bible; the God who will love you no greater than according to your capacity to please him, or the God who is the example of unconditional love that you could never have been on your own?
Let’s just say that the Bible, yes, has been changed. It would take not only every verse dealing with God’s unconditional love to be counterfeit, but also the message has to be changed too. It is one thing to go in and change a few verses to suit the bidder’s desire. But in the process, the whole message of the Bible, the plan of salvation, would not be in accordance without those changed verses. The Muslim would have to believe not that only a little bit of the Bible has been changed, but that the majority of its content was ransacked while keeping the unimportant but original verses in contact. It would take more energy to do this that to just write a whole new fake Bible! Does this make sense? The character of the God of the Bible and the Allah of the Qur’an remains the same whether we allow for a little change of the scriptures to happen. They cannot be the same God.
The thing is that the Qur’an claims the same authorship as that of the God of the Bible. The Qur’an does not claim to be some new religion, but the same religion as that of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. So, for the book of Muhammad to be validated, he has to agree that his book is from Yahweh of the Bible. If somebody says, “I’d rather believe in the Allah of the Qur’an than the God of the Bible,” then he is admitting that the Qur’an is a fake right then and there. Admitting that the source is different is admitting that the source is counterfeit. You can follow the Allah of the Qur’an if you want, but you will have to admit that you are not following the One True God of the universe, the same God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.
This is a good point made. There are certain seasons in peoples’ lives as is clearly evident when one looks at the many ways parents might act differently towards their children. Sometimes they act harsh, and at other times they may act with extreme care. There are two answers to this. First, the love that a mother has for her child will never change. Her expression of that love may take different forms, but inside, this love is still one of the greatest loves on earth. When the child is deserving of a punishment, the mother all along has in her mind that this punishment is for that child’s good – only because the mother loves the child is she punishing him. There are many virtues and opinions humans have that may change over time. But true love is very concrete. It is rare that one will find a mother that used to love her child, but now does not love him. If God is perfect, and morally constant, then how can His love change? If Allah loves you at one point, and then does not love you at another, then it seems that his love has not even attained the magnitude and maturity of that of a simple human mother. If God’s virtues are ‘above’ human, then wouldn’t His love not be variable upon human condition? 1 Corinthians 13 of the holy Injil states that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never fails. If God is perfect, His love is perfect. And perfect love does not change.
Second, in the Old Testament, whatever God served out, whatever wrath God released upon man, that man deserved it. It was a recompense of dew reward. Since Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins, the wrath of God was then released upon him in his death on the cross. Our punishment was paid for, so we do not have to bear the wrath anymore. This is how the change was able to happen between the old and new testaments.
I invite you to review this discussion between a Christian and a Muslim to better understand God’s method of mercy upon mankind:
<http://www.answering-islam.org/Intro/discussion.pdf>
God had a message throughout the Taurat, throughout the Zabur, and completed within the Injil. There is no need for the Qur’an after this plan of redemption was complete. It makes no sense to send another revelation in the context of the message of the whole after Jesus Christ. To God be the glory.
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