Allah is not the only true God and the only true God is not Allah

Muslim Dawagandist Sami Zaatari once again proves that Allah is not God!

Sam Shamoun

On a number of occasions we observed how the arguments and objections of Muslim apologists do more damage to the cause of Islam than good. We have further stated that these same propagandists do not realize that they are actually serving our cause since some of their arguments pretty much end up confirming the truth of Christianity. One such dawagandist who is regularly helping to confirm Christianity while debunking the claims of Islam is Sami Zaatari. On more than one occasion he has raised objections against the Deity of Christ that actually ended up proving that Allah is a false god (1, 2, 3)!

Zaatari has done it again! Zaatari just recently published an article where he quotes Jesus to prove that the Father is the only true God. Zaatari writes,

Now the Bible does identify God, and what makes this interesting is that God is not identified as Jesus, rather Jesus is excluded from the identification! We read from Jesus himself:

And after quoting John 17:1-3 Zaatari says: So in the above Jesus identifies who the ONLY TRUE GOD is, and this God is identified as being the Father. Jesus cannot make himself any clearer; he refers to the Father as the only true God, which obviously excludes anyone else.

He then concludes:

So in conclusion, if one is an honest truth seeker, and not brainwashed by the Trinity, one will have to conclude that Jesus is not God, rather there is only one true God, and that is the Father.

It is rather unfortunate for Zaatari that in his haste to refute the doctrine of the Trinity and the Deity of the Lord Jesus he couldn’t see how Christ’s words prove that Allah is a false god and that Muhammad is a false prophet. Notice what Jesus said in context:

“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the time has come. Glorify YOUR Son, that YOUR Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.’” John 17:1-3

According to Jesus the only true God is the Father who glorifies his Son, i.e. Jesus Christ. However, according to Muhammad Allah is not Jesus’ father and is, in fact, not a father to anyone. Here is what Muhammad said in his Quran:

And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away! S. 9:30

And the Jews and the Christians say: We are the sons of Allah and His beloved ones. Say: Why does He then chastise you for your faults? Nay, you are mortals from among those whom He has created, He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases; and Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and to Him is the eventual coming. S. 5:18

And they say: The Beneficent has taken (to Himself) a son. Certainly you have made an abominable assertion The heavens may almost be rent thereat, and the earth cleave asunder, and the mountains fall down in pieces, That they ascribe a son to the Beneficent. And it is not worthy of the Beneficent that He should take (to Himself) a son. There is no one in the heavens and the earth but will come to the Beneficent God as a servant. S. 19:88-93

Thus, since Zaatari has argued that Jesus himself identified the Father as the only true God and since the god of Muhammad is not a father to anyone, especially to Jesus, then he must accept the fact that his Allah is a false god. Notice the logic behind this:

According to Jesus the Father is the only true God.
- Muhammad taught that Allah is not the Father.
- Therefore, Muhammad’s Allah is not the only true God according to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is simply no way around this since Zaatari affirms that these are the actual words of the Lord Jesus, e.g., “We read from Jesus himself,” and “Jesus cannot make himself any clearer.” Zaatari cannot then turn around and attack the veracity of these very same Biblical verses which he himself used to prove his position.

Now if we were to add the witness of 1 John 2:22-23 which says,
 
“Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 2:22-23

Then Muhammad’s god is clearly the spirit of antichrist which makes Muhammad an antichrist! This simply further proves that Zaatari’s god is not the only true God that Jesus spoke of and who is revealed in the Holy Bible.

In conclusion we want to say that we absolutely agree with Zaatari that Jesus couldn’t have made himself any clearer that the Father is the only true God which proves that Muhammad’s Allah must be a false god. Therefore, any God-honoring truth seeker must reject Muhammad as a deceiver and the Quran as a book of deceptions and lies which perverts the truth of God’s revelation. In light of this, the readers should take Zaatari’s advise and not allow Muslim dawagandists to brainwash them into thinking that Jesus was a Muslim who taught tauhid (Islamic monotheism) since the only one true God according to Jesus is his Father, a fact which the Quran rejects.

Now Zaatari obviously didn’t realize that he was helping to confirm that Muhammad is a false prophet who preached a false god according to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, he is stuck with the mess that he has created for himself and must accept that Jesus’s teachings and Islamic doctrine are simply incompatible.

With that said we want to end by again thanking Zaatari for helping us prove that the God that Jesus preached is not the same god worshiped by Muslims.

To read our rebuttal to his blatant distortion of the meaning of John 17:3 and how it relates to the Deity of the Lord Jesus please go here.

Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/zaatari/allah_not_god.html

IHS

Islam’s Divine Insurance Scam

By Sam Shamoun & Jochen Katz¹

Bassam Zawadi has produced a short article (*) where he tries to show why Dr. William Lane Craig’s defense (*) of penal substitution is unsatisfactory.

We recommend reading both articles first since this will make it easier to understand the context of Zawadi’s “reply” and our refutation of it. After presenting Dr. Craig’s story about a person who worked in the insurance business to illustrate the concept of imputation Zawadi responds:

Dr. Craig's analogy is flawed on more than one level:

1) There are several factors that determine if an insurance claim is successful or not. For example in the event of 'death by dangerous driving', there is no escape by an insured (or uninsured) driver from an almost certain jail term. The insurance company will not assume any liability for the driver's negligence and can do nothing to save the policy holder from being locked up. In this instance, the driver incurs liability for his crime. Any negligence in the operation of the automobile is thus imputed to the policy holder (driver). The insurance company only imputes certain negligence as outlined in the type of cover (agreement) signed by the policy holder. The insured driver will be held accountable by the court of law for any prohibited act (crime) he committed e.g. driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs etc. This is in no way similar to the example of the Christian faith, where ALL sin is (allegedly) imputed to Christ during his Crucifixion! There are no premiums or excess to be paid and no limits to the types of sins/negligence. It's ALL forgiven in Christian theology.

2) There is no guarantee that an insurance claim will be successful. Even if the claim is successful and the driver's negligence is imputed, e.g. in a minor accident, the insurance company still benefited from the periodic premium fees (and in some cases a compulsory excess) paid by the policy holder. In short, no insurance company will assume liability for your actions for free! The only reason why the insurance company is willing to have some of the policy holder's negligence imputed to them is because they are benefiting out of it more than the policy holder most of the time. Hence, it becomes understandable why they would agree to such a thing in the first place.

He then mentions Dr. Craig’s court analogy and says:

Do Christians really believe that if the murderer genuinely repented and then someone volunteered to incur his punishment on his behalf then that means that justice has been served? That's very revealing of how disastrous Christian theology could influence one's way of thinking. I really have nothing to say to such absurdity except that I pity those who believe such a thing and that I thank God for being a Muslim.

Here it is where Zawadi shows that he is deceptive and has little respect for truth. Notice his assertion carefully since this will expose that he is a fraud who doesn’t care much for honesty or acting with integrity. It is absurd and pitiful to believe that justice has been served if a murderer sincerely repents and someone else volunteers to incur his punishment on his belief. In saying this Zawadi has basically condemned his own god and prophet for being both absurd and pitiful.

The conclusion that Zawadi’s argument is dishonest and not merely ignorant is justified because most of the below following arguments about “Islamic substitution” were already published on Answering Islam some years ago, for example in these two articles: (1) Islam's Doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement and the Ransoming of Sinners [2004], (2) The (In)Justice of Allah Examined [2006]. Morever, Zawadi has even tried to refute the second one of these articles (1, 2), so that he can hardly claim ignorance of these traditions.

For instance, Muhammad taught that a cold blooded murderer who had murdered a hundred people was forgiven solely because he journeyed to a village where he sought for repentance.

Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: The Prophet said, “Amongst the men of Bani Israel there was a man who had murdered ninety-nine persons. Then he set out asking (whether his repentance could be accepted or not). He came upon a monk and asked him if his repentance could be accepted. The monk replied in the negative and so the man killed him. He kept on asking till a man advised to go to such and such village. (So he left for it) but death overtook him on the way. While dying, he turned his chest towards that village (where he had hoped his repentance would be accepted), and so the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment quarreled amongst themselves regarding him. Allah ordered the village (towards which he was going) to come closer to him, and ordered the village (whence he had come), to go far away, and then He ordered the angels to measure the distances between his body and the two villages. So he was found to be one span closer to the village (he was going to). So he was forgiven.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 676)

This belittles sin. There is no punishment at all, so just repent and that is sufficient. Where is the justice?

Moreover, note that this man’s “repentance” is hardly sincere. When he doesn’t get a free pass from the monk, i.e. this monk denies that repentance is possible for him, he simply murders the monk, thus adding to his sin. A man who would be truly sorry and genuinely seeking to better his life and live on the basis of God’s commandments would not murder yet another person simply because this person doesn’t give him what he desired. With this act, he showed his full wickedness and that he was not really repentant.

Still, Allah has no problem to wink at his sin and simply forget about his murders.

Thus, if we should believe this tradition, in Islam one does not even need genuine repentance, it is apparently enough to pretend to repent.

After Zawadi judged the Christian concept to be absurd and pitiful, we are anxious to hear his evaluation of the above story.

The prophet Muhammad further taught that a person who had done absolutely no good deed will still enter paradise solely because he was afraid to meet Allah in judgment:

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “A MAN USED TO DO SINFUL DEEDS, and when death came to him, he said to his sons, 'After my death, burn me and then crush me, and scatter the powder in the air, for by Allah, if Allah has control over me, He will give me such a punishment as He has never given to anyone else.' When he died, his sons did accordingly. Allah ordered the earth saying, 'Collect what you hold of his particles.' It did so, and behold! There he was (the man) standing. Allah asked him, 'What made you do what you did?' He replied, 'O my Lord! I was afraid of you.' SO ALLAH FORGAVE HIM.” Another narrator said "The man said, Fear of You, O Lord!” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 688)

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "A MAN WHO NEVER DID ANY GOOD DEED, said that if he died, his family should burn him and throw half the ashes of his burnt body in the earth and the other half in the sea, for by Allah, if Allah should get hold of him, He would inflict such punishment on him as He would not inflict on anybody among the people. But Allah ordered the sea to collect what was in it (of his ashes) and similarly ordered the earth to collect what was in it (of his ashes). Then Allah said (to the recreated man), 'Why did you do so?' The man replied, 'For being afraid of you, and you know it (very well).' SO ALLAH FORGAVE HIM." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 597)

Again, this man did not even show any signs of repentance. He merely was afraid of Allah, but he did not say he regretted his actions or tried to repent and restitute anything to those whom he had harmed. Without even being asked for forgiveness, Allah simply forgives him? Is that Islam’s superior justice when compared with the biblical concept?

To top it off, Muhammad even said that a person who committed sexual immorality and theft would still go to paradise if s/he died believing in the Islamic creed!

Narrated Abu Dharr: I came to the Prophet while he was wearing white clothes and sleeping. Then I went back to him again after he had got up from his sleep. He said, "Nobody says: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah’ and then later on he dies while believing in that, except that he will enter Paradise." I said, "Even It he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and theft." I said, "Even if he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and theft? He said. "Even If he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and theft." I said, "Even it he had committed illegal sexual intercourse and thefts." He said, "Even If he had committed Illegal sexual intercourse and theft, in spite of Abu Dharr’s dislikeness." Abu ‘Abdullah said, "This is at the time of death or before it if one repents and regrets and says ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah’, he will be forgiven his sins." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 72, Number 717)

Narrated Abu Dharr: The Prophet said, Gabriel came to me and gave me the glad tidings that anyone who died without worshipping anything besides Allah, would enter Paradise. I asked (Gabriel), ‘Even if he committed theft, and even if he committed illegal sexual intercourse?’ He said, ‘(Yes), even if he committed theft, and even if he committed illegal sexual intercourse." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 579)

412. 'Ubada ibn as-Samit reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah alone with no partner and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger and that 'Isa is the slave of Allah and His Messenger and a word which He cast into Maryam and a spirit from Him and that the Garden is real and the Fire is real will enter the Garden WHATEVER HIS ACTIONS." [Agreed upon] (Al-Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya bin Sharaf An-Nawawi Ad-Dimashqi, Riyad as-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous), 51. Chapter: On Hope; bold and underline emphasis ours)

In fact, Allah even told a person that he could whatever he wished since his sins were forgiven, thereby encouraging the individual to engage in sinful behavior!

Abu Huraira reported from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) that his Lord, the Exalted and Glorious, thus said: A servant committed a sin and he said: O Allah, forgive me my sins, and Allah (the Exalted and Glorious) said: My servant committed a sin and then he came to realise that he has a Lord Who forgives the sins and takes to account (the sinner) for the sin. He then again committed a sin and said: My Lord, forgive me my sin, and Allah, the Exalted and High, said: My servant committed a sin and then came to realise that he has a Lord Who would forgive his sin or would take (him) to account for the sin. He again committed a sin and said: My Lord, forgive me for my sin, and Allah (the Exalted and High) said: My servant has committed a sin and then came to realise that he has a Lord Who forgives the sins or takes (him) to account for sin. O servant, do what you like. I have granted you forgiveness. 'Abd al-A'la said: I do not know whether he said thrice or four times to do, "what you desire". The hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'Abd al-A'la b. Hammad with the same chain of transmitters. (Sahih Muslim, Book 037, Number 6642)

Muhammad further said that on the Day of Judgment Allah will take out people from hell and admit them into Paradise despite the fact that they hadn’t performed any good deeds:

“… The Prophet added, ‘Then the prophets and Angels and the believers will intercede, and (last of all) the Almighty (Allah) will say, “Now remains My Intercession.” He will then hold a handful of the Fire from which He will take out some people whose bodies have been burnt, and they will be thrown into a river at the entrance of Paradise, called the water of life. “‘They will grow on its banks, as a seed carried by the torrent grows. You have noticed how it grows beside a rock or beside a tree, and how the side facing the sun is usually green while the side facing the shade is white. Those people will come out (of the River of Life) like pearls, and they will have (golden) necklaces, and then they will enter Paradise whereupon the people of Paradise will say, “These are the people emancipated by the Beneficent. He has admitted them into Paradise without them having done any good deeds and without sending forth any good (for themselves).” Then it will be said to them, “For you is what you have seen and its equivalent as well.”’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 532s)

To make matters worse Allah will actually give these people who have done no good for a reward for every sin they have committed!

2594. Anas narrated that the Prophet said: "Allah will say: ‘Remove from the Fire whoever remembered Me one day, or feared Me while in a state of sinning.’" (Hasan)

[Abu ‘Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Gharib Sahih.

Comments: Remembering Allah and fearing Him is the sign of one’s faith. The Hadith confirms that even those persons who have no good in their Register of Deeds expect the weakest form of faith (iman) will ultimately get deliverance from Fire through Allah’s benevolence and mercy. (English Translation of Jami‘ At-Tirmidhi, Compiled by Imam Hafiz ‘Eisa Mohammad Ibn ‘Eisa At-Tirmidhi, From Hadith no. 1897 to 2605, translated by Abu Khalil (USA), Ahadith edited and referenced by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair ‘Ali Za’i, final review by Islamic Research Section Darussalam [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, First Edition: November 2007], Volume 4, Chapter 9. What Has Been Related About ‘The Fire Has Two Breaths,’ And What Has Been Mentioned About Those Who Will Exit The Fire From The People of Tawhid, p. 572; underline emphasis ours)

And:

2596. Abu Dharr narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: "I know that the last of the people of the Fire depart from the Fire and the last of the people of Paradise to enter Paradise. A man will be brought forth and He will say: ‘Ask about his small sins and hide his large sins.’ So it will be said to him: ‘Did you do this and that on such and such a day, did you do this and that on such-and-such a day?’" He said: "Then it will be said to him: ‘FOR EACH OF YOUR SINS YOU SHALL HAVE A REWARD.’" He said: "So he will say: ‘O Lord! I have done things that I do not see here.’" He (Abu Dharr) said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah laugh until his molars were visible." (Sahih)

Abu ‘Eisa said: This Hadith is Hasan Sahih.

Comments: Allah’s benevolence and mercy are boundless. NO RULES OR LAWS CAN BIND HIM, since He is for Whom it is said in the Qur’an: He cannot be questioned as to what He does. (21:23) HE WILL, THEREFORE, CHANGE THE SINS INTO VIRTUOUS DEEDS FOR WHOMEVER HE WILLS. (Ibid., Chapter 10. Something Else Regarding The Story Of The Last Of The People Of The Fire To Leave it, pp. 573-574; capital and underline emphasis ours)

Talk about a travesty of justice! Allah not only doesn’t punish the wicked he actually rewards them for their wickedness! As the commentator stated, Allah is not bound by anything and is therefore a capricious being who can pervert justice. Clearly, Muhammad’s god is not simply an amoral being, one who is morally neutral, he is actually immoral and unholy who is actually promoting wickedness and the outright perversion of justice by such teachings (or at the very least Muhammad is since he is the one that is alleged to have made these statements).

Moreover, hadiths such as the one stating that Allah gave license to a person to sin as much as he wants simply because Allah forgave him for repenting actually promote and encourage individuals to commit heinous and evil acts. This makes the Islamic god complicit in all the vile, immoral actions that Muslims commit around the world, including the gross sins and sexual immorality that Muhammad himself and his companions engaged in.

Contrast the teachings of Muhammad with that of a true inspired servant of God, namely the blessed Apostle Paul:

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin — because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey — whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:1-23

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God… Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 18-20

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Galatians 5:13-26

“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:17-32

“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.” 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Titus 2:11-14

What a stark contrast! The instructions of Muhammad and his god encourage murder, sexual immorality and wickedness whereas Paul’s inspired teachings promote sexual purity, holiness, self-sacrifice, unconditional love etc. Muhammad, to use the words of John the Baptist, was not worthy to untie Paul’s sandal straps, let alone that of the Lord Jesus who was the One responsible for transforming the Apostle and empowering him to become a holy and righteous vessel whom he used to accomplish his sovereign purposes.

Returning to the issue at hand, it seems that the reason why Muhammad believed that Allah could simply forgive people and allow them to enter into paradise despite having committed heinous crimes and having never performed any good deeds is because Muhammad actually thought that Allah would punish the Jews and Christians in hell for all the crimes committed by Muslims!

Chapter 8: THROWING OF NON-BELIEVERS IN HELL-FIRE FOR BELIEVERS AS DIVINE GRACE AND MERCY

Abu Musa' reported that Allah's Messenger said: When it will be the Day of Resurrection Allah would deliver to every Muslim a Jew or a Christian and say: That is your RESCUE from Hell-Fire. (Sahih Muslim, Book 037, Number 6665)

Abu Burda reported on the authority of his father that Allah's Apostle said: No Muslim would die but Allah would admit IN HIS STEAD a Jew or a Christian in Hell-Fire. 'Umar b. Abd al-'Aziz took an oath: By One besides Whom there is no god but He, thrice that his father had narrated that to him from Allah's Messenger. (Sahih Muslim, Book 037, Number 6666)

Abu Burda reported Allah's Messenger as saying: There would come people amongst the Muslims on the Day of Resurrection with AS HEAVY SINS AS A MOUNTAIN, and Allah would FORGIVE THEM and He would PLACE IN THEIR STEAD the Jews and the Christians. (As far as I think), Abu Raub said: I do not know as to who is in doubt. Abu Burda said: I narrated it to 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz, whereupon he said: Was it your father who narrated it to you from Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him)? I said: Yes. (Sahih Muslim, Book 037, Number 6668)

These hadiths indicate that Muhammad actually believed and affirmed penal substitution, albeit a rather perverted form of it!

What makes Muhammad’s (per)version of penal substitution so unjust is that these Jews and Christians obviously did not volunteer to take the place of Muslims in hell, which means that Allah is actually forcing them to enter there against their will!

Now if Zawadi thinks that a person who volunteers to incur the punishment of a murderer is absurd and pitiful then what does he do with the teachings of his false prophet who has people being sent to hell in the place of wicked and vile Muslims against their will?

And since Zawadi attacked the Christian doctrine of penal substitution as being unjust he is going to have to condemn Muhammad and his god for teaching something similar. Zawadi has to admit that Muhammad must have been absurd for claiming that Allah would ransom Muslims from the fire by having Jews and Christians take their place of punishment in hell. He needs to acknowledge that Muhammad must have been rather pitiful for actually believing that Allah would punish Jews and Christians for the sins of believers so that murderers and rapists like Muhammad and his companions could be forgiven and enter paradise!

More importantly, in light of his condemnation of penal substitution Zawadi needs to stop being a Muslim. He must abandon the false prophet Muhammad for teaching such a perverted and corrupt version of penal substitution. Otherwise if Zawadi refuses to do so then he will simply be exposing himself as a liar and deceiver who is not interested in truth but only in attacking Christianity.

Hopefully, Zawadi will be a man of integrity and do the right thing by abandoning the false prophet Muhammad and embrace Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Once he does he will then be thankful and praise his risen Lord and Savior for delivering him from the lies and deception of Allah and his messenger.

I praise the risen Lord Jesus that I am not a Muslim who blindly follows the false prophet Muhammad and his corrupt teachings!

Some final remarks
We need to clearly distinguish between EARTHLY penalty for criminal deeds (decided and executed by the state) and the ultimate DIVINE penalty at the last judgment for breaking the law of God.

No Christian would claim that a murderer or a defrauder who genuinely repents and accepts Jesus as his Savior from sin and Lord over his life should not be punished (here on earth) because God also forgives him.

The authority of the state was instituted by God and must judge according to justice, based on the law of the country.

Thus a Christian understanding does not make light of sins and crimes. We stand for justice in this life, within the justice system, and thus the Christian message does not encourage people to lead lawless and sinful lives since "we are forgiven anyway."

The topic of the above article was ONLY the eternal punishment when God judges our lives.

And in this eternal punishment, we are ALL guilty. Every Christian, every Muslim, everyone.

Nobody would make it to heaven based on his own merits. And even Islam acknowledges that.

If Allah should take men to task for their evildoing, He would not leave on the earth one creature that crawls; but He is deferring them to a term stated; and when their term is come they shall not put it back by a single hour nor put it forward.” S. 16:61

O believers, follow not the steps of Satan; for whosoever follows the steps of Satan, assuredly he bids to indecency and dishonour. But for Allah's bounty to you and His mercy not one of you would have been pure ever; but Allah purifies whom He will; and Allah is All-hearing, All-knowing. S. 24:21

Without the mercy of Allah, ALL deserve punishment and would go to Hell.

Against this background, the question that needs to be asked when comparing Christianity and Islam is this:

What is more a reflection of truly divine justice?

- That the biblical God takes the punishment for sin on HIMSELF – making sure that everyone still knows: Sin is incredibly serious. The penalty for sin must be paid. Or,

- That the Islamic god simply forgets about punishing certain sins altogether and let's Muslims into paradise for merely saying the Shahada? Or, as pointed out by certain hadiths, who punishes and tortures Jews and Christians for the sins of the Muslims. To make matters even worse, according to Muhammad there will actually be certain individuals who have not performed any good deeds that will receive a reward for every single sin they have committed! This means that Allah is not simply amoral, but immoral and unholy, a being who perverts justice and promotes wickedness and sin!

Further reading:
Does Goodness live in You?

Postscript
Bassam Zawadi has just come out with an addendum to his original article seeking to explain away the teachings of his prophet which not only condone and promote immoral behavior but also undermine and attack the holy and righteous character of God. What makes Zawadi’s “reply” rather intriguing is that he doesn’t see just how blatantly inconsistent he truly is. He will jump at every chance to attack the message of the Holy Bible based on what he perceives to be its unjust and immoral teachings, even though this is nothing more than a reflection of his gross misunderstanding and misreading of the inspired Scriptures. Yet whenever his religion teaches similar concepts to those that he himself criticizes he will not hesitate to defend them! Nor does he have a problem coming up with excuses to justify the rather wicked and perverted instructions of Muhammad!

To make matters worse, Zawadi repeats the same arguments to defend the justice of Allah sending Jews and Christians to hell in place of Muslims, and raises the same objection against Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 5:17-20, despite the fact that he knows that we have already refuted and addressed his desperate defense and criticism in these articles (1, 2).

To put it mildly, I am not impressed to see Zawadi simply repeating his assertions without responding to our answers. Lord willing, I will answer the rest of Zawadi’s “rebuttal”, i.e. the points which have not already been covered in the earlier articles, in the not so distant future.

If Zawadi really loves Muhammad then he should find another line of work, that is, unless his intention is to expose and discredit his god and prophet. If so then we encourage Zawadi to continue writing articles and “rebuttals” since he is doing an excellent of job of proving that Islam is intellectually and morally bankrupt, and that Muhammad is a false prophet whom every seeker of truth should condemn for deceiving and misleading people away from the true God.

Footnotes
¹ This article was written mostly by Sam Shamoun but Jochen Katz contributed the "final remarks" and a couple of comments on the hadiths quoted in the main text.

Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/zawadi/substitution.html

IHS

The Word Became a Book – The Inlibration of Allah’s Word

Responding to a Muslim’s Explanation of the Quran’s Dual Natures

Sam Shamoun

As I had promised at the end of the following rebuttal (*) I continue my reply (*) to Muslim dawagandist Bassam Zawadi’s “response” (*) to my refutation (1, 2) to his failed attempt (*) of trying to prove that the Trinity is logically inconsistent with the Lord Jesus’ teaching in John 17:3 that the Father is the only true God.

I had compared the Christian belief in the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus to the Islamic view concerning the nature of the Quran in order to show Zawadi (and Muslims in general) that there is nothing logically inconsistent with the Christian position. After all, Sunni Muslims believe that the Quran is the uncreated speech or word of Allah which means that the Sunni view actually posits two natures to the Muslim scripture since the book which contains it is part of creation, not eternal. Thus, one aspect of the Quran is uncreated whereas another aspect of it is created.

I further quoted various sources that readily acknowledged that the Islamic view of the Quran is similar to the Christian understanding of the Incarnation. The difference is that Christians believe that God’s eternal, uncreated Word became flesh (Incarnation, from incarnatio [“in flesh”]) whereas Sunni Islam teaches that the uncreated speech of Allah became a book, what is sometimes called “inlibration” (“having been turned into a book” [inscripturation], from in libro [“in book”]).

I then argued that Zawadi is being inconsistent for attacking the Christian understanding of the Incarnation of Christ when he himself holds to a similar a view of the Quran.

Here is how Zawadi replied:

As I said before, the Qur'an in essence is uncreated and communicated to us through created means. It did not become a creation. It is not a creation. Christians don't merely say that God remained in His essence and simply communicated to us through the image of a man. No, they say that He became a man. Since Muslims do not say that Allah's divine attribute of speech became paper, ink, etc. and that it is only communicated through those means, the analogy becomes fallacious at best.

Christians believe that God's divine essence was in the man of Jesus Christ himself. But no where do Muslims believe that the divine attribute of God is in the book itself. It is only its message and information content that it is there. Anyone can write up the Qur'an on a piece of paper. That doesn't mean that he can transform an ordinary piece of paper into a divine piece of paper at any time. Sure, the paper could become holy in the sense that it contains the words of the divine, but not that it has actually become divine in and of itself. If that were the case then the Prophet (peace be upon him) would have taught us to worship the Qur'an or seek blessings from it by wiping it over our faces, etc" (Source)

Zawadi’s comments confirm what I have repeatedly said about his inability to understand the issues and why he isn’t qualified to address them. His statements exemplify why he needs to stop engaging in apologetics (unless his intention is to discredit Islam) since he has repeatedly shown that he is simply incapable of doing any serious critical thinking into these matters.

For instance, his assertion that the Quran did not become a creation shows that he either hasn’t pondered over the implications of what his sources say concerning the nature of the Quran, or if he has then he is simply being dishonest. Wanting to give him the benefit of doubt we will say that he hasn’t taken the time to seriously reflect on what Sunni Islam has claimed for the Quran.

With that said it seems that this is going to be another instance where we will need to bring out the implications of the traditional Sunni view of the Muslim scripture in order for Zawadi to see why there is an essential aspect of the Quran that is created.

First, the Quran cannot be what it is without it being inscripturated or written down. After all, the word Quran itself speaks to the issue of its inscripturation since it means reading/recitation. Thus, its inscripturation is an essential and necessary component of its makeup, otherwise why even bother calling it the Quran? Why not simply call it the Word of Allah? The reason is obvious unless you happen to be Zawadi … it is called the Quran because it is a book that believers are required to read and recite, which leads us to our second point.

The Quran testifies to it being a book which was sent down to Muhammad to read and recite:

They ask thy instruction concerning the women say: God doth instruct you about them: And (remember) what hath been rehearsed unto you in the Book (al-kitabi), concerning the orphans of women to whom ye give not the portions prescribed, and yet whom ye desire to marry, as also concerning the children who are weak and oppressed: that ye stand firm for justice to orphans. There is not a good deed which ye do, but God is well-acquainted therewith. S. 4:127 Y. Ali

Read that which hath been revealed unto thee, of the book (kitabi) of thy Lord, [without presuming to make any change therein]: There is none who hath power to change his words; and thou shalt not find any to fly to, besides him, [if thou attempt it]. S. 18:27 Sale

These are verses of the Book (al-kitabi) that makes (things) clear. S. 26:2 Y. Ali

These are verses of the Qur'an,-a book that makes (things) clear (al-qurani wa-kitabin mubeenin); A guide: and glad tidings for the believers,- S. 27:1-2 Y. Ali

And they say: Why are not portents sent down upon him from his Lord? Say: Portents are with Allah only, and I am but a plain warner. Is it not enough for them that We have sent down unto thee the Scripture (al-kitaba) which is read unto them? Lo! herein verily is mercy, and a reminder for folk who believe. S. 29:50-51 Pickthall

Notice that this passage clearly says that the book was sent down, i.e. it was a book before it was sent down. Thus, the message was not merely put into a book AFTER it was sent down, but the book was sent down (and then written up by men as well).

These are Verses of the Wise Book (al-kitabi al-hakeemi),- A Guide and a Mercy to the Doers of Good,- S. 31:2-3

The revelation of the Book (al-kitabi), there is no doubt in it, is from the Lord of the worlds. Or do they say: He has forged it? Nay! it is the truth from your Lord that you may warn a people to whom no warner has come before you, that they may follow the right direction. S. 32:2-3 Shakir

The revelation of the Book (al-kitabi) is from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise. Surely We have revealed to you the Book (al-kitaba) with the truth, therefore serve Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience. S. 39:1-2 Shakir

Lo! Those who read the Scripture of Allah (kitaba Allahi), and establish worship, and spend of that which We have bestowed on them secretly and openly, they look forward to imperishable gain, S. 35:29 Pickthall

He is the One who sent to the gentiles a messenger from among them, to recite to them His revelations, purify them, and teach them the scripture (al-kitaba) and wisdom. Before this, they had gone far astray. S. 62:2

The Quran further says that Muhammad was sent to recite and read purified pages:

A messenger from Allah, reading purified pages (yatlu suhufan mutahharatan) S. 98:1-2 Pickthall

The Quran is also supposed to be a book which confirms the previous revealed books in the Arabic language so that Arabs could know the revelations of Allah (we say supposed since the Islamic scripture contradicts the previous Scriptures):

And when there came to them a Book (kitabun) from Allah verifying that which they have, and aforetime they used to pray for victory against those who disbelieve, but when there came to them (Prophet) that which they did not recognize, they disbelieved in him; so Allah's curse is on the unbelievers. S. 2:89 Shakir

It is He Who has sent down the Book (al-kitaba) to you with truth, confirming what is between his hands. And he sent down the Torah and the Gospel. Aforetime, as a guidance to mankind, And He sent down the criterion. Truly, those who disbelieve in the revelations of Allah, for them there is a severe torment; and Allah is All-Mighty, All-Able of Retribution. S. 3:3-4

And We have sent down to you the Book (al-kitaba) in truth, confirming the Book that is between his hands and witnessing to their veracity. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that has come to you. S. 5:48

And this is a Book (kitabun) We have revealed, blessed, verifying that which is before it, and that you may warn the metropolis and those around her; and those who believe in the hereafter believe in it, and they attend to their prayers constantly. S. 6:92 Shakir

Moreover, We gave Moses the Book, completing (Our favour) to those who would do right, and explaining all things in detail, - and a guide and a mercy, that they might believe in the meeting with their Lord. And this is a Book (kitabun) which We have revealed as a blessing: so follow it and be righteous, that ye may receive mercy: Lest ye should say: "The Book was sent down to two Peoples before us, and for our part, we remained unacquainted with all that they learned by assiduous study." Or lest ye should say: "If the Book had only been sent down to us, we should have followed its guidance better than they." Now then hath come unto you a clear (sign) from your Lord, - and a guide and a mercy: then who could do more wrong than one who rejecteth God's signs, and turneth away therefrom? In good time shall We requite those who turn away from Our signs, with a dreadful penalty, for their turning away. S. 6:154-157

These are revelations of the Scripture (al-kitabi) that maketh plain.… But when there came unto them the Truth from Our presence, they said: Why is he not given the like of what was given unto Moses? Did they not disbelieve in that which was given unto Moses of old? They say: Two magics that support each other; and they say: Lo! in BOTH we are disbelievers. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Then bring A SCRIPTURE (kitabin) from the presence of Allah that giveth clearer guidance than THESE TWO (that) I may follow it, if ye are truthful. S. 28:2, 48-49 Pickthall

And that We have revealed to thee of the Book (al-kitabi) is the truth, confirming what is before it; God is aware of and sees His servants. S. 35:31

And before this, was the Book of Moses as a guide and a mercy: And this Book (kitabun) confirms (it) in the Arabic tongue; to admonish the unjust, and as Glad Tidings to those who do right. S. 46:12 Y. Ali

They said: O our people! we have listened to a Book (kitaban) revealed after Musa verifying that which is before it, guiding to the truth and to a right path: S. 46:30 Shakir

These passages show that the Quran must be a book like all of those books which it is supposed to confirm.

Third, the Quran is said to be in the mother of the book and that it is inscribed in a preserved tablet:

We verily, have made it a Qur'an in Arabic, that you may be able to understand (its meanings and its admonitions). And Verily, it (this Qur'an) is in the Mother of the Book (i.e. Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz), before Us, indeed Exalted, full of Wisdom. S. 43:3-4

Nay! This is a Glorious Qur'an, (Inscribed) in Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz (The Preserved Tablet)! S. 85:21-22

Here is how the Muslim expositors interpreted these specific passages:

means, the Qur'an…

meaning, Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz (the Preserved Tablet). This was the view of Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid…

means, in Our presence. This was the view of Qatadah and others. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 43:4)

And it is indeed, fixed, in the Mother Book, the source of all the scriptures, namely, the Preserved Tablet, [which is] with Us (ladaynā substitutes [for fī ummi’l-kitābi, ‘in the Mother Book’]) [and it is] indeed exalted, above [all] the scriptures [that came] before it, wise, containing excellent wisdoms. (Tafsir Al-Jalalayn, Q. 43:4; bold and underline emphasis ours)

Nay, but it is a glorious, a magnificent, Qur’ān, in a tablet, suspended above the seventh heaven, preserved (read mahfūzin), from all devils and from having any of its contents altered; it is a high as the distance between the earth and the heaven, and as wide as the distance between the east and the west, made of white pearls — as stated by Ibn ‘Abbās… (Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Q. 85:21-22; bold and underline emphasis ours)

(And lo! in the Source of Decrees) in the Guarded Tablet, (which We possess) where it is written, (it) i.e. the Qur'an (is indeed sublime) exalted, noble and glorious, (decisive) in explaining the lawful and the unlawful, (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs, Q. 43:4; bold and underline emphasis ours)

(Nay, but it) i.e. the Qur'an which Muhammad recites to you (is a glorious Qur'an) is a noble and honoured Qur'an (On a guarded tablet) He says: it is written on a tablet that is protected from the devils'. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs, Q. 85:21-22; bold and underline emphasis ours)

Even the so-called authentic ahadith mention that Allah wrote a book before creation:

LV. The words of Allah Almighty, "It is indeed a Glorious Qur'an preserved on a Tablet." (85:21-22)

"By the Mount and an Inscribed Book" (52:1-2): Qatada said that "mastur" means "written". "Yasturun" (68:1) means "they inscribe", and the Umm al-Kitab (43:4) is the whole of the Qur'an and its source. [He said that] "ma talfizu" (50:18) means: "He does not say anything but that it is written against him." Ibn 'Abbas said, "Both good and evil are recorded," and "yuharrufuna" (4:46) means "they remove". No one removes the words of one of the Books of Allah Almighty, but they twist them, interpreting them improperly. "Dirasatihim: (6:156) means "their recitation" "Wa'iyya" (69:12) is preserving, "ta'iha" (69:12) means to "preserve it". "This Qur'an has been revealed to me by inspiration that I may warn you," meaning the people of Makka, "and all whom it reaches" (6:19) meaning this Qur'an, so he is its warner.

7114. Abu Rafi' related from Abu Hurayra that the Prophet said, "When Allah finished creation, He wrote a book with Him (which said), 'My mercy overpowered (or preceded) My anger.' It is with Him above the Throne." (Aisha Bewley, The Sahih Collection of al-Bukhari, 100. Book of Tawhid (the belief that Allah is One in His Essence, Attributes and Actions); sources 1, 2)

This narration introduces an additional problem. How can the mother of the book be the source of the Quran when the Quran is supposed to be eternal whereas the tablet/book is created? If this means that the heavenly book is the source of the earthly Quran then this only further confirms my point. It proves that the written aspect of the Quran is an essential part of its nature since it originated not from Allah, but from the heavenly book which Allah wrote. This is precisely what the following Muslim authorities say concerning the “descent” of the Quran to Muhammad:

(The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an.) (2:185) Ibn `Abbas and others have said, “Allah sent the Qur'an down all at one time FROM the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz) to the House of Might (Baytul-`Izzah), which is in the heaven of this world. Then it came down in parts to the Messenger of Allah based upon the incidents that occurred over a period of twenty-three years.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 97:1; bold and capital emphasis ours)

Lo! We revealed it, that is, the Qur’an, in its entirety, [sending it down] from the Preserved Tablet to the heaven of this world, on the Night of Ordainment, that is, [the Night] of great eminence. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Q. 97:1; bold underline emphasis ours)

According to Allaah’s statements in His Book, there were two distinct revelations of the Qur’aan which took place. It is important that these two revelations be understood in order to clear up the apparent contradictions [sic] in the various terms used in the Qur’aan and Sunnah to describe the Qur’aan’s revelation. On one hand, the Qur’aan is referred to as having been revealed in its totality in Ramadaan or on Laylatul-Qadr, the Night of Decree; while on the other hand, it is referred to as having been continuously revealed in segments up until the death of the Prophet.

The First Revelation
Allaah caused the Qur’aan to descend FROM the Protected Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfooth) on which it was written to the lowest heaven. In this revelation all of the Qur’aan was sent down at one time to a station in the lowest heaven referred to as "Bayt al-‘Izzah" (The House of Honor or Power). The blessed night on which this descent took place is called "Laylatul-Qadr" (The Night of Decree), one of the odd-numbered nights in the last ten days of the month of Ramadaan. Allaah referred to this initial revelation as follows [quotes Q. 44:1-3; 97:1; 2:185]…

These verses have [sic] to refer to the initial revelation because it is a known fact [sic] that the whole Qur’aan was not revealed to Prophet Muhammad on a single night on Ramadaan.

Ibn ‘Abbaas stated that the Qur’aan was first separated from its station in the upper heavens and placed in Bayt al-‘Izzah in the lowest heaven. One version states that this took place on the Night of Decree in Ramadaan. Had it been Allaah’s wish, the Qur’aan could then have been revealed as a whole to the Prophet in a single revelation. This was the method by which all of the earlier books of revelation were sent down. But, Allah chose to divide the revelation into two parts [sic]. The first revelation within the heavens represented an announcement to the inhabitants of the heavens that the final book of revelation was being sent down upon the last of the prophets. (Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Usool at-Tafseer, 6. The Revelations of the Qur’aan, pp. 94-96; sources 1, 2; capital and underline emphasis ours)

In light of the foregoing one wonders why Allah bothered to create a heavenly tablet in which he wrote down the Quran if its inscripturation wasn’t an essential part of its makeup?(1)

The answer is rather obvious but since it isn’t obvious to Zawadi we are going to have to break it down for him. What all of the preceding verses and references demonstrate is that the inscripturation of the Quran is a crucial and necessary element of its makeup. These citations prove that Allah intended from the very beginning for the Quran to be inlibrated, which means that the Quran cannot be what it is unless it is a book.

But this leads us back to what I had stated in my rebuttal concerning the Quran having two natures. Unless Zawadi wants to argue that the heavenly tablet and all of the books which contain the Quran are eternal he is going to have to admit that there is a necessary part of the Muslim scripture which is definitely created.

As the word Quran itself testifies, the so-called revelation which Allah supposedly gave to Muhammad was meant to be written down or inlibrated so that Muslims could read and recite it. In light of this Zawadi is going to have to accept the fact that the Islamic scripture does consist of two necessary components or essences: The Quran is the speech of Allah, and therefore uncreated, but it is also a book, and therefore created since its inscripturation occurred at a point in time. As such, that essential aspect which makes the Quran what it is, namely its written component, cannot be eternal.(1)

Thus, contrary to Zawadi’s assertion, it is not simply the case of the Quran being communicated through created means. Rather, the Muslim scripture itself became part of creation the moment Allah wrote it down in the heavenly tablet/book and sent it to Muhammad so that the faithful could also write it down in books. Without this essential created component the Quran cannot be what it is.

In light of this I am going to repeat what I had said to Zawadi. Since Zawadi has no problem affirming that Allah is absolutely one and that the Quran is also his uncreated speech that became a book he therefore has no logical basis to argue that the Christian belief in the glorious Incarnation of the eternal Divine Word is irrational. However, if he continues to claim that it is irrational then he is going to have to reject his belief in the Quran if he is going to be consistent and honest.

Lord Jesus willing, there will be more rebuttals to Zawadi’s “replies” in the near future.


Related Articles
The descent of the Quran: Piecemeal or all at once?
Is half the Qur'an already fully detailed?
Revisiting the issue of the Quran’s "Descent" – All at once or one piece at a time?
Haste Makes Waste
Is half the Qur’an already fully detailed? Further thoughts by a former Muslim

Endnotes
(1) According to the following narrative Muhammad may have actually believed that the heavenly tablet was eternal:

7115. Abu Rafi' related that he heard Abu Hurayra say that he heard the Messenger of Allah say, "Allah wrote a book before He created creation: 'My mercy preceded My anger.' It is written with Him above the Throne," (Bewley, The Sahih Collection of al-Bukhari, 100. Book of Tawhid (the belief that Allah is One in His Essence, Attributes and Actions); sources 1, 2)

Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, “BEFORE Allah created the creations, He wrote a Book (wherein He has written): ‘My Mercy has preceded my Anger.’ And that (Book) is written with Him over the Throne.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 643)

If Allah wrote a book before creation then this implies that the book itself is eternal since it existed before creation came into being. In that case Zawadi can argue that it is only the earthly replica of that contained in the mother of the book which has a created component to it.

However, this narration raises two problems which Zawadi needs to address. First, although the heavenly book/tablet may be eternal this doesn’t mean that the Quran was always a part of it. The very fact that the hadith says that Allah wrote a book suggests that the Quran was added to it later on. Moreover, the act of writing presupposes time and change which means that the written part of the Quran is not eternal since its inscripturation took place at a moment in time.

The second problem with Muhammad’s reported view is that an eternal book presupposes space and place since it must be composed of some material aspect, and matter requires space/place. But we know that time, matter and space/place were created. In light of this fact how can there be a book that existed before creation when its very existence requires matter and space/place? Should we assume that Muhammad actually believed that not all matter or space/place is created?

If so then that means that Allah is not the creator of all things and that he is not the only eternal being! His book is also eternal and since the book is not identical to Allah this means that we have two distinct eternal beings or entities! But if two eternal entities exist then this violates Islamic monotheism since this means that Allah is not the only uncreated being!

Whatever answer Zawadi may come up with he is left with huge problems and major difficulties that are not easily resolved or explained away.

For more on this issue and to see other problems with what the hadiths say concerning the existence of other eternal objects besides Allah we recommend the article: Allah – the creator of all things?

Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/zawadi/quran_inlibration.html

IHS