What does Islam Teach About Allah [God]?
Islam teaches that the true God is the Muslim deity, Allah. All other views of God are false because the Qur'an teaches, "The true religion with God is Islam."~18.A. J. Arberry, The Qur'an Interpreted [New York: Macmillan, 1976], p. 15.~ Thus the Qur'an emphasizes of Allah, "There is no God but he, the living, the everlasting."~19.Ibid., p.65.~
But who is Allah? Is he similar to the God of the Christian faith? first, the Qur'an stresses that Allah is one person only:
They are unbelievers who say, "God is the Third of Three." No God is there but one God. If they refrain not from what they say, there shall afflict those of them that disbelieve a painful chastisement."~20. Ibid., p. 140~
Here, the Qur'an emphasizes that Christians are considered unbeliever because they except the historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity.~21.Ibid., pp.139-140~ However, the Bible unmistakably teaches that God has revealed Himself as a triune Being, as One God eternally existing in three Persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit~Matthew 28:19; John 1:1,14; Acts 5:3-4~. Although many Muslims think otherwise, Christians do not believe in three Gods. Christians are not polytheists, but monotheists who believe in one God.
Allah also has a different character than the biblical God. It is significant, that of the "99 names for Allah," which ," which Muslims memorize and use for worship, not one of these names is "love" or "loving." The Qur'an stresses that Allah only loves those who do do, and that he does not love those who are bad. Allah does not love the sinner.`~23.For example, Arberry, pp 81, 90,142, 178, 204.~ Allah is primarily a God of transcendence and power, not a God of love. Thus, the love of Allah and the love of the God of the Bible are distinct from each other.
The biblical God does love the sinner-in fact, He loves all sinners. God does not love the sin, but He does love the sinner:
But the Bible declares, "God is love"~1 John 4:8~.
Christ died for the ungodly...God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us....If, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!~Romans 5:6, 8, 10.
WHAT DOES ISLAM TEACH ABOUT JESUS CHRIST?
Muslims maintain that they believe in the Jesus Christ. They will praise Jesus as a prophet of God, as sinless, as "the Messiah," as "illustrious in this world and the next," as "the Word of Allah," and as "the Spirit of God."26 Islam believes that Jesus was merely one of God's many prophets or messengers, not God's only Son. Muslims cite the Quran in confirmation of their belief in Jesus, for example, "And we gave Jesus, Son of Mary, the clear signs, and confirmed Him with the Holy Spirit."27
Islam accepts what is taught about Jesus in the Qur'an, rather that what is taught about Jesus in the Bible, because they believe that the quran is the pure Word of God and that the Bible is corrupted and is therefore wrong in its teachings about Jesus.
The Quran teaches:
They say, "God has taken to Him a son", ,,,,Say: "Those who forge against God falsehood shall not prosper."~28.N.J.Dawood, The Qur'an[Baltimore:Penguin Books,1972],p.233.~
Warn those who say, "God has taken to Himself a son";...a monstrous word it is, issuing out of their mouths; they say nothing but a lie.~29.Ibid.,p.316.~
But who does greater evil than he who forges against God a lie?~30.Ibid.p.317.~
They are unbelievers who say, "God is the Messiah, Mary's Son."~31.Ibid.,130.~
They consider the Christian view of Jesus Christ as God's Son is blasphemous to the Muslim.~32.A. Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an [Washington, D.C.: The Islamic Center, 1978], p. 33.~ Sure 5:72, 75 reads, They do blaspheme who say: 'God is Christ the son of Mary'...Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle."~33.Maulana Muhammad Ali, The Holy Qur'an, Arabic Text, english translation and Commentary [Columbus, OH: Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Ish'at Islam, 1996], reads "disbelieve" for "blasphemy"; and for "God is Christ", "Allah is Messiah" [Allah is the third of three," v.73].
This is so because the Qur'an emphasizes that Jesus was only a man. Sura 43:59 assert: "Jesus was no more than a mortal whom [Allah] favored and made an example to the Israelites."
Obviously, then, Muslims deny that Jesus Christ was God incarnate [see John 5:18; 19:7]. A Muslim who believes that Jesus Christ is God has committed an unforgivable sin called shirk-the association of another god with Allah, a sin that will send the Muslim to hell forever, as the Qur'an emphasizes: "His abode is the Fire" [Sura 5:5:72].~34.Tawhid is the doctrine of the singularity of Allah; shirk is its opposite, the greatest of all sins, and refers to assigning partners or companion to Allah.~ The Qur'an teaches, "Muhammad...is the last prophet and messenger of Allah. His mission was for the whole world and for all times"[4:35]. In essence, Muslims must look only to Muhammad's revelation for spiritual guidance, not to Jesus.
What Does The bible Say About Jesus
The Bible, of course, teaches that Jesus'/Yeshua' is God's one and only Son. He Himself taught this, for example, "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believed in Him shall not perish but have eternal life....Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he's not believed in the Name of God's one and only Son"~John 3:16, 18; Matthew 11:27; 26:64~.God the Father declared this of Jesus at His baptism. "A voice from heaven said, "This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased'"~Matthew 3:17; 17:5~. The apostles Paul and John also declared that Jesus is God's Son,~Romans 1:3; 1 John 5:9-12~. In fact, virtually every book in the New Testament either declares or assumes that Jesus is God's unique Son.Biblically , Jesus Christ is far more than one of God's messengers or prophets. Jesus Himself claimed He was God on many different occasions. He is the second Person of the Trinity, God incarnate-Deity Himself~John 1:1,14; 5:18~. Jesus claimed to be both the "LORD" and "God": "You call Me "Teacher' and 'LORD', and rightly so, for that is what I am"~John 13:13~. "Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father [God]"~John 14:9~. "I and the Father [God] are one"~John 10:30~.The Qur'an rejects this and has Jesus denying His own Deity. When Allah asks Jesus if He is God, Jesus replies, "It is not mine to say what I have no right to." In fact, even as a baby, Jesus allegedly claimed He was only a servant of Allah. According to Sura 19:20, 34, Jesus praised His birth and then said, "I am the servant of Allah."
Islam teaches that the true God is the Muslim deity, Allah. All other views of God are false because the Qur'an teaches, "The true religion with God is Islam."~18.A. J. Arberry, The Qur'an Interpreted [New York: Macmillan, 1976], p. 15.~ Thus the Qur'an emphasizes of Allah, "There is no God but he, the living, the everlasting."~19.Ibid., p.65.~
But who is Allah? Is he similar to the God of the Christian faith? first, the Qur'an stresses that Allah is one person only:
They are unbelievers who say, "God is the Third of Three." No God is there but one God. If they refrain not from what they say, there shall afflict those of them that disbelieve a painful chastisement."~20. Ibid., p. 140~
Here, the Qur'an emphasizes that Christians are considered unbeliever because they except the historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity.~21.Ibid., pp.139-140~ However, the Bible unmistakably teaches that God has revealed Himself as a triune Being, as One God eternally existing in three Persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit~Matthew 28:19; John 1:1,14; Acts 5:3-4~. Although many Muslims think otherwise, Christians do not believe in three Gods. Christians are not polytheists, but monotheists who believe in one God.
Allah also has a different character than the biblical God. It is significant, that of the "99 names for Allah," which ," which Muslims memorize and use for worship, not one of these names is "love" or "loving." The Qur'an stresses that Allah only loves those who do do, and that he does not love those who are bad. Allah does not love the sinner.`~23.For example, Arberry, pp 81, 90,142, 178, 204.~ Allah is primarily a God of transcendence and power, not a God of love. Thus, the love of Allah and the love of the God of the Bible are distinct from each other.
The biblical God does love the sinner-in fact, He loves all sinners. God does not love the sin, but He does love the sinner:
But the Bible declares, "God is love"~1 John 4:8~.
Christ died for the ungodly...God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us....If, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!~Romans 5:6, 8, 10.
WHAT DOES ISLAM TEACH ABOUT JESUS CHRIST?
Muslims maintain that they believe in the Jesus Christ. They will praise Jesus as a prophet of God, as sinless, as "the Messiah," as "illustrious in this world and the next," as "the Word of Allah," and as "the Spirit of God."26 Islam believes that Jesus was merely one of God's many prophets or messengers, not God's only Son. Muslims cite the Quran in confirmation of their belief in Jesus, for example, "And we gave Jesus, Son of Mary, the clear signs, and confirmed Him with the Holy Spirit."27
Islam accepts what is taught about Jesus in the Qur'an, rather that what is taught about Jesus in the Bible, because they believe that the quran is the pure Word of God and that the Bible is corrupted and is therefore wrong in its teachings about Jesus.
The Quran teaches:
They say, "God has taken to Him a son", ,,,,Say: "Those who forge against God falsehood shall not prosper."~28.N.J.Dawood, The Qur'an[Baltimore:Penguin Books,1972],p.233.~
Warn those who say, "God has taken to Himself a son";...a monstrous word it is, issuing out of their mouths; they say nothing but a lie.~29.Ibid.,p.316.~
But who does greater evil than he who forges against God a lie?~30.Ibid.p.317.~
They are unbelievers who say, "God is the Messiah, Mary's Son."~31.Ibid.,130.~
They consider the Christian view of Jesus Christ as God's Son is blasphemous to the Muslim.~32.A. Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an [Washington, D.C.: The Islamic Center, 1978], p. 33.~ Sure 5:72, 75 reads, They do blaspheme who say: 'God is Christ the son of Mary'...Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle."~33.Maulana Muhammad Ali, The Holy Qur'an, Arabic Text, english translation and Commentary [Columbus, OH: Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Ish'at Islam, 1996], reads "disbelieve" for "blasphemy"; and for "God is Christ", "Allah is Messiah" [Allah is the third of three," v.73].
This is so because the Qur'an emphasizes that Jesus was only a man. Sura 43:59 assert: "Jesus was no more than a mortal whom [Allah] favored and made an example to the Israelites."
Obviously, then, Muslims deny that Jesus Christ was God incarnate [see John 5:18; 19:7]. A Muslim who believes that Jesus Christ is God has committed an unforgivable sin called shirk-the association of another god with Allah, a sin that will send the Muslim to hell forever, as the Qur'an emphasizes: "His abode is the Fire" [Sura 5:5:72].~34.Tawhid is the doctrine of the singularity of Allah; shirk is its opposite, the greatest of all sins, and refers to assigning partners or companion to Allah.~ The Qur'an teaches, "Muhammad...is the last prophet and messenger of Allah. His mission was for the whole world and for all times"[4:35]. In essence, Muslims must look only to Muhammad's revelation for spiritual guidance, not to Jesus.
What Does The bible Say About Jesus
The Bible, of course, teaches that Jesus'/Yeshua' is God's one and only Son. He Himself taught this, for example, "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believed in Him shall not perish but have eternal life....Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he's not believed in the Name of God's one and only Son"~John 3:16, 18; Matthew 11:27; 26:64~.God the Father declared this of Jesus at His baptism. "A voice from heaven said, "This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased'"~Matthew 3:17; 17:5~. The apostles Paul and John also declared that Jesus is God's Son,~Romans 1:3; 1 John 5:9-12~. In fact, virtually every book in the New Testament either declares or assumes that Jesus is God's unique Son.Biblically , Jesus Christ is far more than one of God's messengers or prophets. Jesus Himself claimed He was God on many different occasions. He is the second Person of the Trinity, God incarnate-Deity Himself~John 1:1,14; 5:18~. Jesus claimed to be both the "LORD" and "God": "You call Me "Teacher' and 'LORD', and rightly so, for that is what I am"~John 13:13~. "Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father [God]"~John 14:9~. "I and the Father [God] are one"~John 10:30~.The Qur'an rejects this and has Jesus denying His own Deity. When Allah asks Jesus if He is God, Jesus replies, "It is not mine to say what I have no right to." In fact, even as a baby, Jesus allegedly claimed He was only a servant of Allah. According to Sura 19:20, 34, Jesus praised His birth and then said, "I am the servant of Allah."
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