Islam & Christianity

Jesus in the Qur'an

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Difference between Jesus & God

God is only ONE and has NO Partners

* DEUTERONOMY 5:6

God said, "I, am the LORD thy GOD… Thou shalt have no other gods BEFORE ME." (That means: 'Do not have any intercessor or intermediary between me and you in worship')

* ISAIAH 48:11

God said, "I will not give My Glory (i.e. divinity) to another."

* ISAIAH 44:6

I am the FIRST, and I am the LAST; and BESIDES ME there is NO (other) God (and/or deity).

* ISAIAH 43:10

God said, "Understand that I am He: Before me there was no God FORMED, neither shall there be (any god FORMED) after me."

* DEUTERONOMY 32:39

See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god WITH ME… (i.e. God has no partner in worship).

* ISAIAH 45:21-22

…There is NO god else BESIDE ME (i.e. No other god/deity by my side). A just God and a Savior; there is none beside me.

God is Unseen, Not bearing any of the Attributes of His Creation
For He is Perfect, Eternal and Unchanging

* ISAIAH 46:9

God said, "I am God, and there is none LIKE ME." (i.e. God does not resemble any of His creation. His attributes or qualities are Perfect and He doesn't share them with MAN or beast).

* JOHN 5:37

Jesus said about God, "You have never heard His voice, NOR SEEN HIS FORM (His shape- KJV)." (NIV)

* I TIMOTHY 6:15-16

…God the blessed and only Ruler… Lord of lords, who alone is immortal (Immortal= means that He cannot die) and who lives in unapproachable light, whom NO ONE HAS SEEN OR CAN SEE… (NIV)

* NUMBERS 23:19

God is NOT A MAN that he should lie; neither the 'SON OF MAN'… <(nor a Human…- NAB)

* ACTS 17:24

The God who made the world and all that is in it the Lord of heaven and earth does not dwell in sanctuaries (temples) made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything… (God is self-sufficient, without human needs, such as hunger or sleep) (NAB)

* MALACHI 3:6

I the Lord DO NOT CHANGE… (NIV) <(i.e. God's attributes are Perfect and therefore never change, remaining eternally constant)
God is the ONLY Savior

* ISAIAH 43:11

…I, am the LORD; and beside ME there is no SAVIOR.

* LUKE: 1:47

Mary, who gave birth to Jesus said, "My spirit hath rejoiced in God MY SAVIOR."

* HOSEA 13:4

God said, "…You shall acknowledge no god (or deity) but Me, NO SAVIOR except Me." (NIV)

Jesus has a GOD

* JOHN 20:17

I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to MY GOD, and your God.

* MATTHEW 26:39

And he- (Jesus) went a little farther, and fell on his face, and he prayed (to his God/Lord)…

* MARK 14:35

…He- (Jesus) fell to the ground and prayed… (NIV)

* LUKE 5:16

And he withdrew himself to the wilderness, and prayed.

* HEBREWS 5:7

During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions <(supplications- NAB) with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death (i.e. God), and HE WAS HEARD (i.e. Jesus' prayer to his God was answered) because of his reverent Submission (to God). (NIV)

* MARK 12:29

Jesus said, "…THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD."

* MATTHEW 27:46

Jesus cried with a loud voice, "MY GOD, MY GOD…"

Jesus is the Prophet of God

* MATTHEW 6:14

This is truly the PROPHET, the one who is to come into the world. (NAB)

* MATTHEW 21:11

And the multitude said, This is Jesus the PROPHET of Nazareth of Galilee.

* MATTHEW 21:46

They regarded him- (Jesus) as a PROPHET. (NAB)

* LUKE 24:19

…He was a PROPHET, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. (NIV)

* LUKE 13:33

Jesus said, "Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a PROPHET to be killed outside of Jerusalem."

Jesus is the Servant/Slave of Almighty God

* ACTS 3:13

The God of Abraham, [The God] of Isaac, [The God] of Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his SERVANT Jesus… (NAB)

* ACTS 3:26

For you first, God raised up his SERVANT and sent him to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways. (NAB)

* ACTS 4:30

Signs and wonders are performed through the name of the holy SERVANT Jesus. (NAB)

Jesus the Christ is a Mortal
100% Human Being
For he is a 'SON OF MANKIND'
As was his Chosen Title
^Jesus used "son of man" as self-designation
71 times in the New Testament

* 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.

* JOHN 8:40

Jesus said, "But now ye seek to kill me, A MAN that hath told you the truth, which I have heard from God.

* MATTHEW 26:63

… "Then the high priest said to him, "I order you to tell us under oath before the living God whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus said to him in reply, YOU have said so. But I tell you: From now on you will see the 'SON OF MAN' seated at the right hand of the Power…" (NAB).

* LUKE 4:41

And Devils <(people who intended to worship Jesus as God) also came out of many, crying, "You are the 'Son of God!' But he- (Jesus) rebuking them, and would NOT ALLOW THEM TO SPEAK (such a thing): for they knew that he was (ONLY) the CHRIST. (i.e. a MAN who has been "Anointed" by God)

* MARK 3:11-12

And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, "You are the Son of God." He warned them sternly not to make him known (as such).

* LUKE 22:69-70

Hereafter shall the SON OF MAN sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all. Art thou then the 'Son of God'? And he- (Jesus) said unto them, YOU say that I am.

Jesus' Power is Not His Own
He is limited while God is All-Powerful

* MATTHEW 19:16-17

And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, "All power is GIVEN unto me…"

* LUKE 11:20

Jesus said, "I with the FINGER OF GOD cast out devils…"

* MARK 8:22

He- (Jesus) COULD NOT (was not able- NAB) do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. (NIV)

* JOHN 5:30

Jesus said, "I can of mine own self DO NOTHING." (i.e. Jesus himself is powerless, it is God who is the source of power - just the same as with the miracles of other Prophets)

* JOHN 11:42

Jesus said to God, "I thank thee that thou hast heard me (i.e. heard my prayer). And I know that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it -(my supplication aloud), that they may believe that Thou Hast Sent Me." (i.e. they may believe that YOU DID IT, and I am only Your Messenger)

God is All-Knowing, unlike Jesus

* MATTHEW 24:36

But of that day and hour <(i.e. the Day of Judgment) NO ONE KNOWS, neither the angels of heaven, nor the son (i.e. the 'Son of Man', Jesus does not know) but the FATHER alone. (i.e. only GOD knows) (NAB)

* HEBREWS 5:8

…He- (Jesus) LEARNED obedience from what he suffered… (God already knows everything and He does not learn new things) (NIV)

* LUKE 2:52

And Jesus INCREASED <(Grew- NIV) in Wisdom… (God's knowledge/wisdom is always perfect, infinite and eternal)

* MARK 11:12-13

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves… (i.e. Jesus did not know if the tree had any fruit) (NIV)

"SALVATION" [In the time of Jesus]
1) True belief in God Alone and His Oneness
2) Belief that Jesus is the Messenger sent by God

* MATTHEW 15:24

Jesus said, "I am only SENT to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (NAB)

* JOHN 17:13

And this is eternal life, that they might know thee the ONLY true God, and Jesus the Christ whom thou (i.e. God) hast SENT (i.e. sent as a Messenger from God).

*JOHN 3:2

He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God… <(The message that Jesus taught was the Gospel)

*MATTHEW 5:24

Jesus said, "I say to you, whoever hears my word (i.e. the message of the Gospel), and believes in the ONE (i.e. God) that SENT me, has eternal life. And shall not come to condemnation; but has passed from death to life." (NAB)

Praise, Prayers, Worship and Servitude are for GOD alone

*MATTHEW 15:9

Jesus said, "BUT IN VAIN THEY DO WORSHIP ME, (i.e. 'to take me for an object of worship/a god/deity is in vain') teaching for doctrines (of) the commandments of men."

*MATTHEW 4:10

Jesus said, "WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD (alone), AND SERVE HIM ONLY." (NIV)

*I SAMUEL 12:24

ONLY fear the LORD (OUR GOD), and SERVE Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you.

*MATTHEW 19:17

Jesus said, "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but ONE, that is, GOD: (i.e. 'Don't Praise me! Only God is truly good and worthy of Praise and Worship')"but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."

*MARK 12:29

Jesus said, "The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel; The Lord OUR God is ONE Lord."

*DEUTERONOMY 6:4-9

Moses said, "The Lord is our God, the Lord (is) ALONE! (i.e. God is a Perfect Unity with No Partners) Therefore you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorpost of your houses and on your gates." (NAB)
Never in the Bible has God ever stressed a point more intensely than the previous statement, which was repeatedly confirmed by Jesus (PBUH), and remains binding upon all of humanity until the Day of Judgment.

The Unforgivable Sin

The one single most important thing that every person must know in this life is that after we die:

THE HOLY QUR'AN 4:48

God will NEVER forgive setting up partners with Him (in worship) / nor taking others (as Lords) beside Him; But he many forgive any other sin to whomever He pleases. For truly, to associate partners or take intercessors (in worship) with God is to devise The Most Heinous Sin Indeed!
Likewise, God also said to Moses (PBUH) that to take anyone as an intercessor or intermediary in the relationship between God and man is the Absolute Worst Sin, for this is the FIRST and GREATEST of all God's Commandments (EXODUS 20:3). God further instructed us that even if your brother, son, daughter, wife, or friend entice you to take anyone as God other than the God, which was known to the people at the time of Moses and before, "YOU SHOULD NOT YIELD TO HIM…" (DEUTERONOMY 13:1-9).

How was Jesus Really Formed?

THE HOLY QUR'AN 3:59

In Truth, the similitude of Jesus before God is the same as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: "BE": And he Became.
Adam (PBUH) had no Father and no Mother. Therefore, being born into this world without a human father does not make one divine.

What Did Jesus Really Say?

THE HOLY QUR'AN 5:116,117

And Behold, (on the Day of Judgment) God will say: "Oh Jesus the son of Mary! Did you say unto men, 'Worship me and my mother as gods beside God'? He- (Jesus) will say: "Glory be to You (ALONE)! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). If I had said such a thing, You would have indeed known it, for You know what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Yours. And assuredly, You know in full all that is hidden. I only said to them that which You commanded me to say: 'WORSHIP GOD ALONE, MY LORD, AND YOUR LORD'; And while I dwelt among them I was a witness over them, them when you raised me up to Yourself, You were the watcher over them, and You are the witness over all things.

The Reality of the Prophet Jesus

THE HOLY QUR'AN 4:171

Oh People of the Scriptures! <(i.e. Christians and Jews) Do not commit any excess in your religion and go not to extremes, nor say of God anything but what is the (established and clear) TRUTH. The Messiah, Christ Jesus, son of Mary was (NO MORE THAN) a Messenger of God, and His Word (i.e. God's word was "BE"), which He bestowed on (the virgin) Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: So believe in God and His Messengers (i.e. All His Messengers, for example: Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad!). SAY NOT: "Trinity" (or 'Triune god', or 'Composite unity'), Desist! Refrain! Better will it be for you. For God is only ONE GOD (A Perfect Unity)…
Belief in God and His Absolute Oneness is essential and obligatory for salvation. Likewise, to obtain sure security and peace, one must also believe in each and every one of God's Prophets and Messengers. For only when one realizes the reality of who God truly is and then believes in Him, His Messengers, and His Message (i.e. OBEDIENCE AND SUBMISSION TO HIM= "Islam" in Arabic), can one earn His favor in this life and the next. Then, and only then, will one deserve the title of being a true "Servant of God" like Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him).

References:
1. (NIV) New International Version, 1996
2. (NAB) New American Bible, 1987
3. All other verses are from the (KJV) King James Version, 2000.
4. The English meaning of THE HOLY QUR'AN

Jesus: "Son of God" or "Son of Man"

According to the Bible, What does the word "SON" mean? In the Biblical language "SON" is not just to indicate origin or lineage. It is a term used and understood in general sense to express an intimate or close relationship, association, or identification with someone or something. In fact, there are a number of various uses of the term "son" used in the non-literal sense which are found in Hebrew/Greek Bible that were omitted in the translation. Here are just a few:

GENESIS 15:3

Abraham said, "…You (i.e. God) have given me no children; so a SERVANT in my household will be my heir." (NIV)

The word "servant" ^used above in Hebrew is actually the same word as "son", but because the word is clearly not being used here in the literal sense, the translator has expressed its meaning in this context to be: (SERVANT), although Abraham's servant is not his actual son, he will be like a son, as an heir to his posterity. According to the Bible,
Who bares the title "Son of God"? When a person is labeled as a "Son" or "Daughter" or "Child" of GOD in Hebrew and Greek it is simply meant to say that they are a very close to God otherwise translated as a "Pious/Righteous Servant of God". In the Biblical reference for this word, there are many other righteous servants of God have bared the title "Son of God", "Only Son of God", or "Begotten Son of God" other that Jesus. This is merely because they had a close relationship with God and were very righteous and pious people. Some examples are:

LUKE 3:38

…Adam, which was the Son of God. (KJV)

EXODUS 4:22

God said, "…Israel- (Jacob) is My firstborn Son." (NIV)

JEREMIAH 31:9

God also said "…Ephraim is My firstborn Son." (NIV)

2 SAMUEL 7:14

God said about Solomon, "I will be his Father, and he shall be My Son." (KJV)

PSALMS 2:7

…The Lord, "You- (David) are My Son; this day I have begotten you." (NIV)

What is the linguistic meaning of "SON" in English? The dictionary defines 'son' as a male offspring, which has come into being through animal reproduction. On the other hand, the consensus of Holy Scripture attributes godhood and divinity to an Ever-Living existence (Without beginning or end). So by definition, anyone that came into existence after previously not existing cannot be divine. Likewise, by definition, to be a son means one who has received life, and to be divine means one who receives life from no one. Therefore, sonship and divinity are mutually exclusive and are completely contrary to one another. In the more recently discovered Gospels of the Gnostic Christians Jesus describes God's divinity to his deciples in the following way:

SOPHIA OF JESUS CHRIST III, 4:p. 224

For he- (God) is immortal and eternal, having no birth; for everyone who has birth will perish. He is unbegotten, having no beginning; for everyone who has a beginning has an end.

I TIMOTHY 6:15-16

…God, the blessed and only Ruler, King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is Immortal. (Immortal= means that He cannot die)

Therefore anything that was born or has died does not possessing the attributes of Divinity and Immortality. Does God have more than one "Son"?

GENESIS 6:2

That the Sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair… (KJV)

JOB 1:6

Now there was a day when the Sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord… (KJV)

MATTHEW 5:9

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Sons of God. (NIV)

HOSEA 1:10

…it shall be said unto them - (God's chosen people/ the believers). Ye are the Sons of the living God.

JOHN 1:12

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God… (KJV)

ROMANS 8:14

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God. (KJV)

II CORINTHIANS 6:18

And (I, God) will be Father unto you, and ye shall be My Sons and Daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (KJV)

PHILIPPIANS 2:15

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the Sons of God, without rebuke… (KJV)

I JOHN 3:1-2

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the Sons of God… (KJV)

In the language of the Jews it is a commonly used phase that every righteous person who followed the Will and Plan of God, was s "SON OF GOD". This is not to mean that God took a wife and through procreation had many children, for the phrase itself is never to be interpreted in the literal since, for it is entirely metaphorical or non-literal.

The Metaphor "Son of God"

REVELATION 21:7

He- (anyone) that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My Son. (KJV)

PSALMS 82:6

According the Bible God said, "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High."

Both of the above statements Ye are gods and child of the most High (i.e. God) are not literal statements. It is a metaphor. For God is not saying verbatim that He has reproduced offspring and sired children in the actual sense. What is actually means is that they are righteous servants of God the most High.

ACTS 13:10

Saul said, "…You SON OF THE DEVIL, you enemy of all righteousness…" (RSV)

The ^above usage of "son" here is clearly not to be interpreted literally. This is a linguistic expression, and it is not to be understood that Saul was speaking to the actual son of the Devil, or that Satan had a wife and spawned a child himself, but rather it is a vivid descriptive for a mischief-maker. Even to have "God as a Father", or Heavenly Father in the Greek language has always been interpreted as a metaphorical expression. According to the Bible, Jesus (PBUH) has clarified our view of this expression by highlighting his sameness of position to God with our position to God in the verse below.

JOHN 20:17

I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God.

The Christian American writer, Upton Sinclair, clearly understood this Greek metaphor well when he said in his book, A Personal Jesus: "And lest anyone think that in calling God his Father he was proclaiming himself the Son, let it be made clear that he called God Your Father, too. He said it eighteen times in the New Testament: 'Your Heavenly Father Knoweth', and so on. Meaning that we were all sons of God (metaphorically), and he was on of them."

A Deceptive Translation

The word "SON" as found in the English Bible does not express the complete meaning of its Greek equivalent. Since all English Bible versions and additions of the New Testament today are translated from Ancient Greek Manuscripts, only by knowing the original Greek meaning of a word, can the correct understanding be found. The word "SON" and "SERVANT" are the exact same word used in the Greek Bible.

Jesus is a "MAN"

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. (KJV)

JOHN 8:40

Jesus himself said, "But now ye seek to kill me, A MAN that hath told you the truth, which I have heard from God. (KJV)

Jesus is the "SON OF MAN"

What is the meaning of the title "Son of Man"?

MATTHEW 26:24

Jesus said about, "The Son of Man goeth as it is written of him…" (KJV)

MARK 26:24

Jesus called himself as the following, "For the Son of Man is as A MAN…" (KJV)

LUKE 22:48

Jesus referred to himself as, "…the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (KJV)

In the Gospels of MATTHEW, MARK and LUKE there are about 22 such references to Jesus as the "Son of God", but in all of them not once did he call himself so. Is own preference was for the title "Son of Man", which just meant a man or a son of mankind. That title is repeated about 71 times in the Bible. So, apart from JOHN where interpretive material is clearly placed upon the lips of Jesus, the Gospels invariably portray not Jesus but others as using phrases like the "Holy one of God", "Son of David", or "Son of God". Alone of all the titles, the "Son of Man" regularly appears as used by Jesus himself.

Jesus' Preferred Title

MATTHEW 26:62

… "I order you to tell us under oath before the living God whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God." Jesus said to him in reply, YOU have said so. But I tell you: From now on you will see the 'SON OF MAN' seated at the right hand of the Power…" (NAB).

LUKE 4:41

And Devils <(people who intended to worship Jesus as God) also came out of many, crying, "You are the 'Son of God!' But he- (Jesus) rebuking them, and would NOT ALLOW THEM TO SPEAK (such a thing): for they knew that he was (ONLY) the CHRIST. (i.e. a MAN who has been "Anointed" by God) (KJV)

MARK 3:11-12

And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, "You are the Son of God." He warned them sternly not to make him known (as such). (KJV)

LUKE 22:69-70

Hereafter shall the SON OF MAN sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all. Art thou then the 'Son of God'? And he- (Jesus) said unto them, YOU say that I am. (KJV)

How does the Creator Create?

When God, the creator of all life creates anything, He does it in a manner that befits His Majesty. He does not reproduce like an animal! He does not have a wife, nor is it consonant with His Self-sufficient Greatness that He would choose a mate from His creation to father a child with.

THE HOLY QUR'AN 19:35

It is not befitting (the majesty of) God that He should [waladin= procreate, reproduce, make offspring, breed, sire a child] (^i.e. beget a son) Glory be to Him! How Perfect is He! When He determines (any) matter, He only says to it, "BE", and it becomes.

It is abundantly clear that the title "son (s) of God" as used in the Holy Bible, is in metaphorical sense only. The "son of God" cannot be a literal expression because God does not breed gods! God creates, He does not procreate. The blasphemy of asserting that He has sired a child is mentioned below in the Final Testament.

A Literal "Son"?

THE HOLY QUR'AN 19:35
They say: God, The Most Gracious has Waladin- (procreated, sired, begotten a child or An Actual Son). Indeed you have put forth- (said) a thing Most Monstrous! At it (i.e. asserting that God has walada) the skies are ready to burst, the earth split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin, that they should ascribe a literal son<walada to the Most Gracious. For it is not suitable that the Most Gracious should beget/take a son. Not a single being in the heavens and on earth but must come to the Most Gracious as a SERVANT.

What we assert without knowledge, and what is accepted in ignorance justly deserves serious retribution. The sin of blasphemy against God is truly the greatest. To say that God has a "literal son" is lowering God to the level of an animal. This is the most terrible and evil thing a person could accuse God of doing.

References:
1. (NIV) New International Version, 1996
2. (NAB) New American Bible, 1987
3. (RSV) Revised Standard Version, 1952
4. (KJV) King James Version, 2000.
5. The English meaning of THE HOLY QUR'AN

The above information was compiled by Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City's "Dawah Outreach Personnel".

For further information you may please contact:

Attn: Outreach Director

3815 N St Clair Ave.
Oklahoma City OK, 73112
Tel: (405) 946-2116
Fax: (405) 946-1227
www.ISGOC.com

View of the "People of the Scripture" (i.e. Christians & Jews) in Islam

Coming Soon...

Islam as seen in the Bible

Coming Soon...

*Is the Bible God's Word? (Book by Ahmed Deedat)

^(this above link covers the question of the authenticity of the Bible)

For a great link covering modern Christianity as compared with God's religion of Submission & Obedience to Him (i.e. Islam), the below sight has a vast amount of material.

*Sultan.org