Understanding Islam

Islam made easy

Muslims Believe:

That Jesus (pbuh) is a prophet of God.  That he was born of a virgin did many miracles and came with the Gospel. 

Muslims believe in Adam and Eve, that they sinned, and that God accepted their repentance, therefore, original sin is not a true doctrine of God.  Simply repent and God will forgive you if you are sincere.

Muslims believe that Jesus (pbuh) came to confirm the scriptures before him, as many earlier prophets did before his time.  After a Prophet passed, his followers would make changes to the commands they were taught for various reasons, such as giving themselves more power.  Before long, the teachings of men would mix with those of God, and people would steer away from the true teachings, which would be lost by then.  God would choose a new Prophet to confirm what is truth.  The Bible itself teaches of such alterations in Jeremiah 8:8, which states:

How can you say, ‘We are wise,
   and the law of the Lord is with us’,
when, in fact, the false pen of the scribes
   has made it into a lie? (NRSV)

The Jews received many prophets in the span of thousands of years.  Why is it that no Jew believes in the trinity, original sin, atonement, son of God doctrines?  You would think teachings that are so imperative to ones salvation would have been taught to them, but in fact, the complete opposite was.  Take these verses found in the Old Testament for example, clearly contradicting original sin:

Deut 24:¹⁶The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

2Chron 25: ⁴But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.

2Kings 14:⁶But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

Ezek. 18:19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. (20) "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bearthe iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. (21) But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. (22) All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. "

Ezek.33:²⁰Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

Ezek. 18:⁴Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Jer. 31:29-30 "In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge."

As for atonement, these too are contradicted in the Old Testament:

Micah 7:¹⁸Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

Psalms 78:³⁸But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.  ³⁹For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Isaiah 43: ²⁵I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Jeremiah 36: ³It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.

Isaiah 55: ⁷Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Psalm 32:⁵I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

2 Chronicles 7:¹⁴If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Ezekiel 18: ²¹But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.  ²²All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. ²³Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? ²⁴But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. ²⁵Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?  ²⁶When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.  ²⁷Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. ²⁸Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.  ²⁹Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the LORD is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? ³⁰Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

Proverbs 21:³To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Hosea 6: ⁶For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Micah 6: ⁶Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?  ⁷Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?   ⁸He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Isaiah 1:¹¹To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.  ¹²When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? ¹³Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. ¹⁴Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. ¹⁵And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. ¹⁶Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; ¹⁷Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.  ¹⁸Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

God does reveal himself in the Old Testament.  He does so often.  Does he reveal himself as a triune God?  Let us see:

Deut 4: ³⁵Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.

Deut 4: ³⁹Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

Deut 6: ⁴Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD

1 Sam 2:²There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

2 Sam 7:²²Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

1 Kings 8:⁶⁰That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.

1 Chron 17:²⁰O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

Isa 45:⁵I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: ⁶That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.

Isa 46: ⁹Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

Mark 12:²⁹And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

The Bible does not teach the Trinity doctrine, or the divinity of Jesus (pbuh).  In fact, these verses clearly contradict such teachings:

John 14:28  "The father is greater than I"

Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

Matthew 26:39 "And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Matthew 27:46 "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why   hast thou forsaken me?"

Mark 10:18 "And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God."

Mark 12:29 "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord"

Luke 2:52 "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."

Luke 5:16 "And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed."

Luke 6:12 "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."

Luke 18:19 "And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God."

Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."

John 5:30 "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."

John 5:36 "But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. (37) And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. (38) And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. "

John 8:28 "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things."

John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me."

John 14:28 "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I."

John 20:17 "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. "

Acts 2:22 "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:"

Hebrews 5:7 "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared"

And these are just a few of many.  Finally, as for the Son of God title.  Is Jesus (pbuh) the only Son of God in the Bible?  Let us read:

Luke 3:³⁸Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

1 Chronicles 28:⁶And he (God) said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

Exodus 4:²²And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn

Jeremiah 31:⁹They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. 

Psalms 2:⁷I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me (David), Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Deuteronomy 14:¹Ye are the children of the LORD your God

Romans 8:¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

John 1: ¹²But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Genesis 6:²That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

See also:  Genesis 6:4, Philippians 2:15, Job 38:7, Philippians 2:15, Job 1:6,Job 2:1.

He’s not even the only Begotten son as you can see by reading Psalms 2:7 (KJV).  Son of God is merely a title given to one that is righteous.  The word Begotten was actually a mistranslation and most newer translations have removed the word.  Jesus (pbuh) constantly referred to himself as the Son of Man, which is a translation of the Hebrew phrase Ben Adam.  Ben Adam means “human being.”  In Arabic, the word for human being is very similar, “Beni Adam”. 

Muslims believe that once again people veered from Gods true message by elevating Jesus (pbuh) status, and ascribing partners to God.  Muslims believe that the Torah, Psalms, and Gospels are revelations from God, but they can’t be followed since there are many problems with these, including the fact that nobody is 100% certain (or anywhere near 100% for that matter) that the authors ascribed to each gospel or letter is in fact the writer, the errors and contradictions found in them, scientific errors, mathematical errors, historical errors, dozens upon dozens of later insertions that have been documented by scholars through the years…

So God once again sent a messenger, Muhammad (pbuh) with the final revelation, the Qur’an.  The Qur’an confirms what is true.  The Qur’an has never been changed, and there is still a copy from the first century A.H. (After Hijra) in existence.  The Qur’an can only be in Arabic in order to protect it from error.  Translations are not considered to be the Qur’an, but merely a translation of it.  While one may find errors in translations, they have been documented to be because of faulty translations and do not exist in the true Arabic version.  Once again, the Qur’an, much as Jesus (pbuh) taught, and all of the Jews before believed, God teaches that he is one, with no partners, no sons nor parents.  He teaches, as believed by Jesus (pbuh) and all before him that one is responsible for their own sins only, and they are forgiven simply by truly repenting to God.  The Qur’an teaches that Jesus (pbuh) was never crucified, but that God lifted him to heaven and made it appear as if he was crucified (Google the apocryphal writing:  "Apocalypse of Peter").  Allah translated in English is “The God”.  Arabic translations of the Bible use the word “Allah” for God.  Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Noah, and the rest of the biblical Prophets (pbut) are greatly respected in Islam.  Muhammad (pbuh) is viewed strictly as a messenger and is not to be prayed to, for that would be a great sin against God.