Does this
verse teach that Jesus never died?
Keith Thompson
Around 30 A.D. Jesus Christ was crucified on the
cross. He died for our sin appeasing the wrath of God and taking it upon
himself. He lived a perfect sinless life of obedience to the
Father; a life that we could not live. Because of that as well as the fact that
Jesus is God in the flesh; Jesus’ crucifixion was of infinite value or worth.
God has infinite value and worth. Since Jesus is God, Jesus’ crucifixion is of
infinite value and worth and thus his atoning death as a sacrifice is
sufficient to pay for the sins of humanity. This is the good news
(gospel) that has come down from heaven for humanity. This is what the
first-century scriptures teach. This is the earliest view of Christians. There
are early secular sources outside of the Bible that speak about the crucifixion
of Christ as a historical event which gives validity to Christian belief.1
However, 600 years after Jesus died on the cross for our sins a false
prophet named Muhammad started receiving revelations or messages from a being
that he believed to be the angel Gabriel. Many theologians recognize that this
was a demonic encounter, perhaps even Satan himself appearing as an angel to
Muhammad to deceive him so that he will create a false religion which denies
the real truth about Jesus and Christianity – including Jesus’ death on the
cross for our sins. Muhammad received a message
about Jesus’ crucifixion which was put into the Islamic (un) holy book – the
Quran. It states:
because of their saying: We slew the
Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger - they slew him not nor crucified
him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are
in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture;
they slew him not for certain (Quran 4:157, Pickthall Translation)
It is because of this one verse in the Quran that
was written 600 years after Jesus was alive, in another language and culture
that Muslims deny that Jesus died for the sins of the world. Contrary to the testimony of first-century scriptures, early
first-century extra-biblical Christian testimony from Polycarp, 1 Clement, and
Ignatius,2 as well as the early
non-biblical secular attestation, we are led to believe that this one verse in
the Quran is enough to overthrow this evidence. To the outsider looking at this from a purely historical perspective
it’s clear that the Muslim proposition is obviously absurd. Even critical
atheist, agnostic and liberal scholars agree that Jesus’ death on the cross is
a historical fact.3
Because of this dilemma Muslims will try to prove that the Bible
doesn’t actually teach that Jesus died on the cross for our sins but instead
was raised up by God prior to the event and that someone else (Judas?) was put
in his place to go on the cross and made to look like Jesus. Therefore
according to Islam there is no atonement for our sin on the cross at all
because Jesus never died for us. The Muslim apologist will isolate certain
biblical texts that, when removed of their immediate context, may appear give
the impression that Jesus didn’t actually die. One such abused text is Hebrews
5:7 and this is what we will be examining to see if it teaches that Jesus never
died for our sin, as various Muslims contend, or if these Muslims are guilty of
misusing this text. Hebrews 5:7 states:
In the days of his flesh, Jesus
offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who
was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
(Hebrews 5:7, ESV)
When Muslims look at this verse many of them incorrectly understand the
words “him who was able to save him from
death” as affirming the Islamic position that Jesus was raised into heaven
before the crucifixion could take place and that someone else was put on the
cross to look like Jesus. One can find hundreds of Muslim articles on the web
that appeal to this verse as evidence that Jesus was not crucified. But is this
what the author of the book of Hebrews is telling us? This verse can be
understood in two ways. 1.) Jesus was saved from dying – thus he never died
at all. 2.) Jesus did die and was saved from death by being raised from the
dead – the resurrection from the dead. When one reads the book of Hebrews
cover to cover they will see that this author held the position of
interpretation 2. If we can demonstrate that the context of the book of
Hebrews is that Jesus died for our sins as a sacrifice then we have to
understand Hebrews 5:7 as Jesus dying and then being saved from death by rising
from the dead – the way Christians have always believed.
So does the book of Hebrews teach that Jesus died for our sins? All throughout this book it either indicates
crucifixion for the propitiation of sin or explicitly makes reference to Jesus’
death on the cross. For example, right in the first chapter we read:
…After making purification for
sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high … (Hebrews
1:3)
Christians hold that Jesus made purification for
sins by dying on the cross as a sacrifice so that whoever believes in Jesus
will be regenerated by God and will be saved. Moving further, we read in
Hebrews 2:
But we see him who for a little while
was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because
of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste
death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in
bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation
perfect through suffering.” “Since therefore the children share in flesh
and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through
death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong
slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring
of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so
that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God,
to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:9-10, 14-17)
Then, in Hebrews 6 we receive a warning passage about those who learn the
truth but live in sin with no fruit:
For it is impossible, in the case of
those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and
have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God
and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them
again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God
to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. (Hebrews 6:4-6, ESV)
Notice the phrase “they are crucifying once again the Son of God.” This necessitates
Jesus already having died for our sin the past. The only way he can be
crucified again is if he was already crucified once. This proves that the
author believed that Jesus died on the cross. In Hebrews chapter 7 Jesus’
priestly role is discussed as being final and absolute in that his own sacrifice
perfectly atones for our sin as opposed to the previous priestly sacrifices to
God for the sins of the people of Israel being temporary sacrifices. It was
always the high priest who first offered a sacrifice for his own sin and then
one for the people so as to pay for their sin. However, Jesus is the high
priest for all of humanity as well as the sacrifice itself. This sacrifice
would atone for all sin forever.
For it was indeed
fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated
from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high
priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those
of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. (Hebrews 7:26-27, ESV)
Notice this verse affirms that he offered himself
up as a sacrifice for our sin. How did he achieve this? He achieved this by
being crucified on our behalf. In Hebrews chapter 9 we see more passages which
support the crucifixion of Jesus:
But when Christ appeared as a high
priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more
perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered
once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves
butby means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For
if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the
ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more
will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the
living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who
are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has
occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the
first covenant … But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the
ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is
appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ,
having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second
time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
(Hebrews 9:11-15, 25-28, ESV)
In the next chapter we read:
And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service,
offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all
time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God … Therefore, brothers, since we
have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the
new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through
his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw
near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled
clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water …For if we
go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no
longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of
judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has
set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three
witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one
who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant
by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:10-12, 19-22, 26-29, ESV)
In chapter 12 we read:
looking to Jesus, the founder and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne
of God. (Hebrews 12:2, ESV)
And finally the last chapter of Hebrews states:
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people
through his own blood. (Hebrews
13:12, ESV)
Notice in the next verse it states that the Father brought Jesus from the
dead:
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great
shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with
everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing
in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21,
ESV)
The book of Hebrews clearly teaches that Jesus died on the cross for our
sins. We see this before and after Hebrews 5:7, the verse in question. We also
see in Hebrews 13:20 that God brought Jesus from the dead. Therefore when
deciding between interpretation 1 (that Jesus was saved from dying and thus
didn’t die), and interpretation 2 (that Jesus was saved from death after dying
by resurrecting from the dead), we must go with interpretation 2. In light of
the context of the book of Hebrews we should understand the words “Him who was
able to save him from death” in Hebrews 5:7 as a reference to the Father
raising Jesus from the dead after he was crucified on our behalf as the worthy
and willing substitute.
Christ has risen, He is Lord, Amen.
Footnotes
1 Early
non-Christian non-biblical sources for Jesus’ crucifixion include Stoic
philosopher Mara Bar-Serapion who wrote: “What advantage did the Jews gain from
executing their wise king? It was just after that that their
kingdom was abolished.” (Mara
Bar-Serapion, cited from F.F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They
Reliable? [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1981], p. 114). In his
historical work Annals XV.44 written around 117 A.D. the early second-century
Roman historian Tacitus wrote: “Christus, the founder of the name, was put to
death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius.” The
second-century satirist Lucian of Samosata wrote: “The Christians, you know,
worship a man to this day — the distinguished personage who introduced their
novel rites, and was crucified on that account … You see, these misguided
creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all
time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which
are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original
lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted,
and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his
laws. (Lucian, The Death of Peregrine, 11–13 inThe Works of Lucian of
Samosata, translated by H. W. Fowler (Oxford: Clarendon, 1949) vol. 4). The
Babylonian Talmud reports: “It is taught: On the eve of Passover they hung
Yeshu and the crier went forth for forty days beforehand declaring that
"[Yeshu] is going to be stoned for practicing witchcraft, for enticing and
leading Israel astray. Anyone who knows something to clear him
should come forth and exonerate him." But no one had anything exonerating
for him and they hung him on the eve of Passover.” (Babylonian Talmud,
Sanhedrin 43a. 70-200 A.D.).
2 Early non-biblical Christian
testimony of the crucifixion includes 1 Clement: “On account of the love He
bore us, Jesus Christ our Lord gave His blood for us by the will of God; His
flesh for our flesh, and His soul for our souls.” (1 Clement, Letter to the
Corinthians, Ch. 49, 95-97 A.D.) Ignatius of Antioch in his epistle to Smyrna
states: “I glorify Jesus Christ as God, who has made you so wise. For I have
observed that you are perfected in an immoveable faith, just as if you were
nailed on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, both in the flesh and in the
spirit, and are established in love in the blood of Christ, being fully
persuaded unto our Lord that he was truly from the seed of David according to
the flesh, son of God according to the will and power, truly born from a
virgin, baptized by John in order that all justice might be fulfilled by him.”
(Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans 1.1, 107 A.D.). Student of the Apostle John,
Polycarp of Smyrna wrote: “For whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh, is antichrist; and whosoever does not confess the testimony
of the cross, is of the devil …” (Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, Ch.
7, 110-135 A.D.)
3 Atheist, Agnostic and liberal
scholars who affirm that Jesus died on the cross include Gert Lüdemann who
stated: “The fact of the death of Jesus as a consequence of crucifixion is
indisputable, despite hypotheses of a pseudo-death or a deception which are
sometimes put forward.” (Gert Lüdemann, What Really Happened to Jesus: A
Historical Approach to the Resurrection, p. 17). Agnostic scholar Bart
Ehrman states: “In any event, Tacitus's report confirms what we know from other
sources, that Jesus was executed by order of the Roman governor of Judea,
Pontius Pilate.” (Bart Ehrman, The New
Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings,
Oxford University Press, 2000], p. 197). Liberal scholar John Dominic Crossan
states: “That he was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be.” (John Dominic Crossan, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, p.
145).
Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/thompson/hebrews5_7.html
IHS
Sam Shamoun
We continue with our refutation to Zawadi’s “reply.”
This is what Zawadi has to say about the hadith
where the man who murdered 100 people was forgiven.
First of all, justice does not necessarily
denote punishment. If a person is genuinely sincere (something God could only
judge, for humans cannot only rely on outward actions) and the victims were to
be recompensed in the afterlife and possibly even forgive their murderer, then
why can't we say that justice has been served?
This is where Zawadi tries to wax eloquent in
order to impress the readers without actually addressing anything. In the first
place, justice wasn’t met in any sense whatsoever since there was no
retaliation, no recompense demanded from the guilty party, nor reparation made
to the victims’ families.
Secondly, it is the Quran that prescribes either
death as the just punishment for the unlawful murdering of individuals or a sum
payment to the victim’s family:
O you who believe! Al-Qisas (the Law of Equality in punishment) is
prescribed for you in case of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the
slave, and the female for the female. But if the killer is forgiven by the
brother (or the relatives, etc.) of the killed against blood money, then adhering to it with fairness and payment of
the blood money, to the heir should be made in fairness. This is
an alleviation and a mercy from your Lord. So after this whoever transgresses the limits
(i.e. kills the killer after taking the blood money), he shall have a painful
torment. S. 2:178 Hilali-Khan
It is not for a believer to kill
a believer except (that it be) by mistake, and whosoever kills a believer by mistake,
(it is ordained that) he must set free a believing slave and a compensation
(blood money, i.e. Diya) be given to the deceased's family, unless they remit
it. If the deceased belonged to a people at war with you and he was
a believer; the freeing of a believing slave (is prescribed), and if he
belonged to a people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance, compensation
(blood money - Diya) must be paid to his family, and a believing
slave must be freed. And whoso finds this (the penance of freeing a slave)
beyond his means, he must fast for two consecutive months in order to seek
repentance from Allah. And Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise. S. 4:92
Hilali-Khan
Say: Come, I will recite unto you
that which your Lord hath made a sacred duty for you: That ye ascribe no thing
as partner unto Him and that ye do good to parents, and that ye slay not your
children because of penury - We provide for you and for them - and that ye draw
not nigh to lewd things whether open or concealed. And
that ye slay not the life which Allah hath made sacred, save in the course of
justice. This He hath command you, in order that ye may discern.
S. 6:151 Pickthall
And come not near unto adultery.
Lo! it is an abomination and an evil way. And slay not the life which Allah
hath forbidden save with right.Whoso
is slain wrongfully, We have given power unto his heir, but let him not commit
excess in slaying. Lo! he will be helped. S. 17:32-33
However, leaving aside for the moment whether some of those
requirements are actually just – specifically the difference in payment for the
death of a man or woman, free or slave, or whether a Muslim can be killed in
recompense for killing an infidel woman etc. – Allah simply
forgave the man without demanding any satisfaction whatsoever to the victims’
families thereby violating his own requirements of justice.
Now Zawadi may argue that these Quranic injunctions were not in force
when the man committed these murderous acts and therefore cannot come under the
punishment prescribed by Islamic law.
The problem here is that death has been the
prescribed punishment for murder from the very beginning and is found in the
ordinances and legislation which God gave to previous prophets such as Noah and
Moses:
“But you must not eat meat that
has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an
accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man,
too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. Whoever
sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the
image of God has God made man.’” Genesis 9:4-6
“Whoever strikes a man so that he
dies shall be put to death.” Exodus 21:12
“Whoever
takes a human life shall surely be put to death.” Leviticus 24:17
“Moreover, you shall accept
no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put
to death. And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his
city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the
high priest. You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood
pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that
is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.”
Numbers 35:31-33
Verily, We did send down the Taurat (Torah) [to Musa (Moses)], therein was
guidance and light, by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves to Allah's
Will, judged the Jews. And the rabbis and the priests [too judged the Jews by
the Taurat (Torah) after those Prophets]
for to them was entrusted the protection of Allah's Book, and they were
witnesses thereto. Therefore fear not men but fear Me (O Jews) and sell not My
Verses for a miserable price. And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has
revealed, such are the Kafirun (i.e. disbelievers - of a lesser degree as
they do not act on Allah's Laws). And We ordained therein for them: "Life
for life eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds
equal for equal." But if anyone remits the retaliation by way
of charity, it shall be for him an expiation. And whosoever does not judge by
that which Allah has revealed, such are the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers - of a lesser
degree). S. 5:44-45
And since the man in the story was said to be an Israelite he was to be
put to death according to the Law that God gave to Moses.
Zawadi continues:
Shamoun and Katz say that the outward actions of the man illustrate
that his repentance wasn't sincere, since he killed someone who made him lose
hope in God's mercy. Well, firstly we
can't always judge something to be sincere or not strictly based on one's
outward actions. For all we know the man was so eager and sincere to repent
that he probably temporarily "flipped" and killed the guy who made
him lose hope in God's mercy since he felt like there was no more purpose to
living and that he was already doomed. However, once he realized that there was
hope for repentance he struggled the best he could with sincerity to repent to
God.
First, assuming that Zawadi’s explanation is
correct the problem still remains that losing one’s temper because he despaired
of Allah’s mercy is not a valid reason to unlawfully kill anyone and we thereby
challenge Zawadi to quote a Quranic verse to support his rather desperate
attempt of justifying these immoral and unethical actions.
Secondly, Zawadi misses the entire point of the
hadith which is to show how Allah’s mercy extends to even the most heinous of
criminals. It is apparent that Muhammad wanted to convey the notion that Allah
is willing to forgive the most evil and wicked sinners imaginable, even
individuals who commit premeditated murders, despite the fact that they had
done nothing good or made no reparation for their heinous crimes. To therefore
say that the person “flipped” out is to lessen the impact of the story and
undermines the point that it seeks to make. It shows that the person really
wasn’t as evil as Muhammad made him out to be since he was not in control of
his actions and therefore not really accountable for his crimes.
Moreover, Zawadi is rather clever in a cunning
and deceptive way since he clearly sees the problem with Muhammad’s focus on
the mercy of Allah at the expense of his justice but still seeks to justify
(pun intended) it nonetheless. Muhammad’s view of
mercy basically sabotages the justice and holiness of his god. In the story Allah’s mercy pretty much trumps his holiness and
righteousness. Muhammad’s tale basically turns Allah into a rather unjust and
unholy deity who is willing to pervert his own demands of justice in order to
show mercy.
To put it another way so that Zawadi starts to
finally get it, Muhammad’s fable essentially means that his deity is not
completely holy or just since he is willing to forgive the most evil acts
without demanding justice. This inevitably turns Allah into an imperfect
and capricious being who is indirectly responsible for and complicit in all
such evil acts because he is willing to simply overlook these heinous
offenses.
I may identify with Shamoun and Katz on the fact
that outwardly this man's repentance could possibly be viewed as insincere, but
at the end of the day we must read all Islamic literature together. Once we
read a verse like Surah 66:8, which states that repentance must be sincere, we
automatically understand by reading the hadith on the murderer of one hundred
people that Allah understood this man's repentance to be sincere.
The problem with this skewed interpretation is
that the Quran itself insists that righteous deeds and obedience are the
necessary signs of sincere repentance and faith:
Verily, those who conceal the
clear proofs, evidences and the guidance, which We have sent down, after We
have made it clear for the people in the Book, they are the ones cursed by
Allah and cursed by the cursers. Except those who repent AND DO RIGHTEOUS
DEEDS, and openly declare (the truth which they concealed). THESE, I WILL ACCEPT THEIR REPENTANCE. And I am the One Who accepts repentance, the
Most Merciful. S. 2:159-160 Hilali-Khan
Truly those who believe, and
do deeds of righteousness, and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat),
and give Zakat, they will have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no
fear, nor shall they grieve. S. 2:277
Hilali-Khan
Allah has promised those who
believe AND DO DEEDS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, that for them there is
forgiveness and a great reward. S. 5:9
Cut off (from the wrist joint) the
(right) hand of the thief, male or female, as a recompense for that which they
committed, a punishment by way of example from Allah. And Allah is
All-Powerful, All-Wise. But whosoever repents after his crime AND
DOES RIGHTEOUS GOOD DEEDS (by obeying Allah), then verily, Allah
will pardon him (accept his repentance). Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful. S. 5:38-39 Hilali-Khan
But those who believed, and
worked righteousness - We
tax not any person beyond his scope, such are the dwellers of Paradise. They
will abide therein. S. 7:42
Those who turn to ALLAH in
repentance, who worship HIM, who praise HIM, who go about in the land serving
HIM, who bow down to HIM, who prostrate themselves in Prayer, who enjoin good
and forbid evil, and who observe the limits set by ALLAH. And give glad tidings
to those who believe. S. 9:112 Sher Ali
Verily! As for those who believe and do righteous deeds,
certainly! We shall not suffer to be lost the reward of anyone who does his
(righteous) deeds in the most perfect manner. S. 18:30
Then, there has succeeded them a
posterity who have given up As-Salat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salat (prayers) to be lost, either by not
offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in
their proper fixed times, etc.] and have followed lusts. So they will be
thrown in Hell. Except those who repent and believe (in the
Oneness of Allah and His Messenger Muhammad), AND WORK RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Such will enter Paradise and they will not be wronged in aught. (They will
enter) 'Adn (Eden) Paradise
(everlasting Gardens), which the Most Beneficent (Allah) has promised to His
slaves in the unseen: Verily! His Promise must come to pass. S. 19:59-61 Hilali-Khan
The doom will be doubled for him
on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein disdained for ever; Save
him who repenteth and believeth AND DOTH RIGHTEOUS WORK; as for
such, Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds. Allah is ever
Forgiving, Merciful. And whosoever repenteth AND DOETH GOOD, he
verily repenteth toward Allah with true repentance - And those who will not witness
vanity, but when they pass near senseless play, pass by with dignity. And those
who, when they are reminded of the revelations of their Lord, fall not deaf and
blind thereat. And who say: Our Lord! Vouchsafe us comfort of our wives and of
our offspring, and make us patterns for (all) those who ward off (evil). They
will be awarded the high place forasmuch as they were steadfast, and they will
meet therein with welcome and the ward of peace, Abiding there for ever. Happy
is it as abode and station! S. 25:69-76 Pickthall
This is similar to what the Holy Bible teaches:
“Bear fruit in keeping with
repentance.” Matthew 3:8
“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was
not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in
Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to
the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing
deeds in keeping with their repentance.” Acts 26:19-20
The Quran further says that Allah will only accept the repentance of a
person who has committed evil in ignorance and foolishness:
Allah accepts ONLY the repentance of
those who do evil in ignorance and foolishness and repent soon afterwards; it is they to whom Allah will forgive and
Allah is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise. And of no effect is the repentance of those
who continue to do evil deeds until
death faces one of them and he says: "Now I repent;" nor of those who
die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful torment. S. 4:17-18
When those who believe in Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs,
revelations, etc.) come to you, say: "Salamun 'Alaikum" (peace be on you); your Lord has written
Mercy for Himself, so that, if any of you does evil IN
IGNORANCE, and thereafter repents AND DOES RIGHTEOUS GOOD DEEDS (by obeying
Allah), then surely, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. S. 6:54
Hilali-Khan
Since the man in Muhammad’s story was neither ignorant nor foolish, but
was very calculated and knew exactly what he was doing, and continued to do
evil by murdering his 100th victim
even after seeking repentance, this means that his repentance should
have been unacceptable to Allah.
What makes this rather ironic is that Zawadi
quotes a particular hadith which further confirms that this man’s repentance
was unacceptable according to Islam and therefore the indvidual should have
been thrown into the fire!
Saheeh Muslim Book 032, Number 6251: Abu Huraira. reported Allah's Messenger as saying: Do you know who is
poor? They (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) said: A poor man amongst us is
one who has neither dirham with him nor wealth. He (the Holy Prophet) said: The
poor of my Umma would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with
prayers and fasts and Zakat but (he would find himself bankrupt on that day as
he would have exhausted his funds of virtues) since he hurled abuses upon
others, brought calumny against others and unlawfully consumed the wealth of
others AND SHED THE BLOOD OF OTHERS
and beat others, and his virtues would be credited to the account of one (who
suffered at his hand). And if his good deeds
FALL SHORT TO CLEAR THE ACCOUNT, then his sins would be entered in (his
account) and he would be thrown in the Hell-Fire.
According to this specific narrative the murderer in Muhammad’s
fairy-tale should have been thrown into hell since he shed the blood of others
and didn’t have any good deeds to efface all the evil he had done. And even if
he had performed any virtuous acts they would not have been reckoned to him but
credited to his victims’ account who suffered at his hands.
However, since Allah is a capricious god who can choose to act
deceptively and pervert his own justice it is not surprising that Muhammad
taught that he actually accepted the man’s insincere repentance.
Zawadi proceeds to attack a straw man by raising
the following false comparison.
Shamoun and Katz after presenting hadiths
showing that a man was forgiven for his fear of Allah stated:
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?
It's ironic that Shamoun and Katz are saying
what they are saying. They are objecting to someone being forgiven for a sin
that he did not repent for, yet they as Protestants believe the same exact
thing regarding their faith. Shamoun and Katz don't believe that a Christian is
required to repent for every single sin that he commits in order to avoid hell.
Rather, the Protestant Christian is to believe and accept Jesus's sacrificial
death and he is pretty much Scot free! Yes sure, the Christian from time to
time is said to repent in order to "restore his relationship back with God
continuously" (whatever that means), however Protestant Christians don't
believe that if a Christian committed a sin and didn't repent for it then he
would go to hell for it or be punished for it, since Jesus already took care of
that for them according to them. For them they think
that it is justice.
Talk about attacking a straw man and chasing red herrings! As anyone
reading what we actually wrote can testify, our point wasn’t that a person must
necessarily repent and ask forgiveness for every single sin s/he has committed
otherwise s/he will not be forgiven. Our point in context was that here was a
man who clearly knew he had sinned and instead of showing genuine signs of
repentance and asking for forgiveness he chose to be cremated so as to escape
Allah’s judgment! The man actually thought that by being cremated he would
manage to avoid punishment for his sins.
This, again, is hardly the signs of a genuine believer since the Quran
says that a person must turn to Allah and seek his forgiveness as opposed to
running away from him in order to avoid him:
Will they not rather turn unto
Allah and seek forgiveness of Him? For Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. S.
5:74
The man’s actions showed that he didn’t truly believe that Allah was
merciful enough to forgive his wickedness. This individual despaired of the
mercy of Allah:
Say: O my servants! who have
acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of
Allah; surely Allah forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the Forgiving
the Merciful. S. 39:53
However, only the wicked despair of Allah’s mercy:
He said: And who despaireth of
the mercy of his Lord save those who are astray? S. 15:56
Therefore, this person was of those who stray and deserving of hell.
That was our point which Zawadi obviously didn’t understand or comprehend.
The fact is that we all commit innumerable sins each day, sometimes
without even realizing that we have done so. We believe and trust that God in
his mercy will wipe away these sins that we have failed to repent and ask
forgiveness for or were unaware of because of the perfect righteousness of our
Lord Jesus Christ and his vicarious sacrifice.
Moreover, Biblical Christianity commands that those who have turned to
Christ in faith seeking his forgiveness must strive to live holy lives to the
best of their ability. They cannot continue in willful sin:
“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
“Nevertheless, God's solid
foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who
are his,’ and, ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must
turn away from wickedness.” 2 Timothy 2:19
“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
It is actually the teachings of Muhammad and his false god that
justifies all sorts of evil, vile acts and immoral behavior.
Zawadi raises more red herrings and strawman arguments by referencing
scholars to prove that when the hadiths say that the man didn’t perform any
good deeds whatsoever it doesn’t mean that. It really means something else,
i.e. he didn’t do them perfectly or completely! This, however, IS NOT WHAT THE
HADITHS SAY! Zawadi is simply reading into the narratives his own
interpretation since he cannot accept the implications of the plain and literal
reading of the texts. These hadiths prove that Zawadi’s god is a wicked and
unjust being who has no problems whatsoever in perverting justice.
However, it seems that Zawadi himself doesn’t buy his own explanation
since he quotes a Shaykh who offers a different explanation:
Shaykh Safar Al Hawali states regarding this hadith…
This person has not done any good, even though he used
to pray and worship, however he had no good deeds on his account. Why did he
not do any good? That is because his good deeds went away with the accumulation
of the bad deeds and the marks of prostration remained with him. (Source)
What Shaykh Safar is saying is that this hadith
shows a man who as an end result has done no good because of the outweighing
bad deeds he has done, nevertheless he still actually did do some good deeds in
his life.
Notice that the Shaykh does not say that the man’s good deeds were
imperfect or incomplete. Rather, the Shaykh interprets the phrase to mean that
his good deeds were nullified by his bad deeds which obviously means that the
bad greatly outnumbered all the good he had done.
Again, not only is this NOT the plain reading of the hadiths but this
explanation actually provides further evidence that Allah is unjust and wicked
because he should have sent the man to hell according to the following Quranic
verses:
The balance that day will be true (to a nicety): those whose scale (of good) will be heavy, will prosper: Those
whose scale will be light, will find their souls in perdition, for
that they wrongfully treated Our Signs. S. 7:8-9
We shall set up scales of justice
for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with
unjustly in the least, and if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard
seed, We will bring it (to account): and enough are We to take account. S. 21:47
Then when the Trumpet is blown,
there will be no more relationships between them that Day, nor will one ask
after another! Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy,- they will be
successful: But those whose balance is light, will be those who have lost their
souls, in Hell will they abide. S. 23:101-103
According to these verses Allah will weigh a person’s good and bad
deeds on scales and if his/her good deeds are light, meaning less than his/her
bad actions, then s/he will end up in hell.
Since the man’s good deeds in Muhammad’s story were outweighed by his
bad actions this means that Allah was obligated to send him to hell, that is if
he were truly just and consistent with his own "revelation." However,
seeing that Allah is an unjust deceiver
it doesn’t surprise us that he again contradicted his statements in the
Quran and acted unjustly.
Zawadi thinks that William Lane Craig’s court analogy somehow refutes
our assertion that 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 s/he has been forgiven by
God. Here is what Craig said:
The more accurate analogy is that the murderer in the story has
genuinely repented of his crime and that you, having once been in his place
yourself, want the judge to forgive him. But the judge is obligated to see that justice's demands are met. So the judge himself volunteers to have the responsibility of the crime
imputed to him, so that he will die in the murderer's place. I think you'll
agree that if such imputation is possible, then justice will be served, even if
vengeance is not wrought. The real issue, therefore, is imputation.
This only provides further evidence that Zawadi
doesn’t understand the objections and statements of those whom he seeks to
refute. Craig said absolutely nothing about the courts letting a murderer or
defrauder go on the grounds that s/he received forgiveness for his/her sins by
turning to Christ in repentance and faith. Craig was using the analogy of a
human judge volunteering to take the punishment of a criminal in order to
demonstrate that the Christian understanding of Divine forgiveness and
imputation is thoroughly just.
What makes all of this rather amazing and ironic is that Zawadi has the
audacity to attack the Christian doctrine of God volunteering to take the punishment
of sinners upon himself in order to satisfy his perfect justice and
righteousness while also demonstrating perfect love and mercy to all who would
turn to him in faith and repentance. And yet he has absolutely no shame
justifying and even defending the perverted and corrupt justice of his god and
false prophet!
Zawadi has the temerity to think that there are no problems with
Muhammad’s teaching that Allah simply forgives anyone who says the shahadah, despite the fact that
these individuals have done no good or have lived very evil, perverted, and
outright immoral lives! He truly believes that there is absolutely nothing
unjust with Allah ransoming vile, wicked Muslims by punishing Jews and
Christians in hell for the sins committed by Muhammad’s umma!
Islamic Concept of god
This wicked and capricious god fails to hold people accountable for
their sins. Allah has absolutely no shame in perverting justice and
contradicting his own commandments in the book which he supposedly sent down to
his messenger. Allah’s decision to forgive
is not based on justice or righteousness but upon his own arbitrary desires and
whims. These individuals could have wronged others,
murdered people, raped young girls and women, and enslaved young boys and it
wouldn’t matter in the least. All they would have to do is profess the shahadah and Allah could choose to forgive them
without demanding justice for their wicked crimes or for their victims.
Clearly, Muhammad’s god resembles Satan more than he does the all-holy,
all-just, all-merciful and all-loving God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Protestant Christian Concept of God
The true God of the Holy Bible doesn’t simply
wink at sin or arbitrarily forgives whomever he wills like Muhammad’s false
god. Rather, the true God demands that all sins be
justly punished and that righteousness be observed. However, seeing that
God is perfectly loving and merciful he also desires to forgive all those
who truly repent and seek his forgiveness. This is why God chose to take
the punishment that sinners deserved in order to maintain his perfect
justice and righteousness while also exhibiting the greatest display of love
and affection that mankind has ever seen. God then sends his Holy Spirit upon
all true believers in order to transform them so as to live holy and godly
lives, turning away from their wickedness and sin. This is unlike Muhammad’s
deity who allows his followers to commit sexual immorality, rape, adultery,
murder and theft as long as they profess that he is god and that Muhammad is his
messenger!
Once again we want to praise the Triune God that we are not Muslims and
do not follow a deceptive, unjust, amoral god or his murdering, lying, immoral
prophet. We are truly grateful and eternally thankfully that we worship, serve,
and love the infinitely just, holy, righteous, merciful, gracious and loving God
of the Holy Bible, namely Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/zawadi/perverted_justice2.html
IHS
Sam Shamoun
As promised we continue with our refutation of Bassam
Zawadi’s rather weak defense of Islam’s
gross perversion of Divine justice and mercy.
Here is what Zawadi had to say in response to the hadiths we cited to
prove that Muslims will enter hell despite what they do:
Shamoun and Katz then cite hadiths that state that Muslims will enter
paradise regardless of what happens. Yes this is true; the Muslim will
eventually enter paradise. However, that in no way means that they can
guarantee for themselves an escape from punishment. There are Muslims who could
enter into hell for their sins just as this hadith illustrates:
Saheeh
Bukhari Volume 9, Book 93, Number 542: Narrated Anas: The Prophet said, "Some people who will be scorched
by Hell (Fire) as a punishment for sins they have committed, and then Allah
will admit them into Paradise by the grant of His Mercy. These people will be
called, 'Al-JahannamiyyLin' (the people of Hell)."
So justice will still prevail. Muslims would get punished for their
heinous unforgiving sins, yet due to their belief in Allah they wouldn't
deserve eternal punishment just like the disbelievers. There are also other
hadith which state that Muslims who have committed sins will be 'cleansed' by
having a more painful death experience or having a punishment in the grave and
therefore not go to hell, but the point is that they will be punished for sins
they weren't forgiven for and justice would prevail.
Zawadi then writes:
Shamoun and Katz then argue that Allah rewards people for committing
sins. Actually, this is not the case. The hadith actually shows that they were
punished for their sins:
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."
The hadith is stating that AFTER the person leaves hell for the
sins he committed, he would be rewarded with paradise (i.e. for his faith) and
Allah out of His mercy would convert each sin (which the man was already
punished for) into a good deed and then Allah will reward him accordingly for
the good deeds he has.
Zawadi conveniently ignores the fact that the hadith clearly says
that Allah will reward EVERY SPECIFIC SIN that the Muslims have committed.
… He said: "Then it will be
said to him: 'for each of your sins
you shall have a reward.'…
To say that this is a gross perversion of God’s holiness and justice
would be a wild understatement!
Apart from his desperate attempt to brush aside this gross perversion
of justice Zawadi failed to see how his response introduces a whole host of
additional problems for his views.
For instance, as we had mentioned in our initial rebuttal there are
specific narratives which say that Allah will save or ransom Muslims from hell
by sending Jews and Christians there to suffer in their place:
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? I said: Yes.
(Sahih Muslim, Book 037, Number 6668)
432. Abu Musa al-Ash'ari reported
that the Messenger of Allah said, "On the Day of Rising, Allah will hand over a Jew or a Christian to
every Muslim and say, ‘Here is your redemption from the Fire’."
[Muslim]
In another variant from him is
that the Prophet said, "Some of the Muslims will be brought on the Day of
Rising with sins the size of
mountains and Allah will forgive them." (Al-Imam Abu
Zakariya Yahya bin Sharaf An-Nawawi Ad-Dimashqi, Riyad as-Salihin (The
Meadows of the Righteous), 51. Chapter:
On Hope; emphasis ours)
If these Jews and Christians are being punished for the sins
committed by the Muslims then why were the Muslims suffering in hell? What
kind of ransom can this be if Muslims are still required to undergo torment in
hell for their crimes and evil deeds?
Secondly, the Quran clearly
says that no person will bear the sins of another:
Say: 'Shall I seek after a Lord
other than God, who is the Lord of all things?' Every soul earns only to its own account, no soul laden bears the load
of another. Then to your Lord shall you return, and He will tell you
of that whereon you were at variance. S. 6:164 Arberry
And every man's work have WE
fasten to his neck; and on the Day of Resurrection WE shall bring out for him a
book which he will find wide open. It will be said to him, ‘Read thy book. Sufficient is
thy own soul as a reckoner against thee this day.’ He who follows the right way follows it only for the good of his own
soul; and he who goes astray, goes astray only to his own loss. And no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another. And WE shall never punish until WE
have sent a Messenger. S. 17:13-15 Sher Ali
That no bearer of burden shall
bear the burden of another, And that man will have nothing but what
he strives for; And that the result of his striving shall soon be known; Then
will he be rewarded for it with the fullest reward; And that with thy Lord is
the final judgment; S. 53:38-42 Sher Ali
With that being the case why will the Jews and Christians go to hell in
order to bear the burden of the sins of the Muslims? Where is the justice in
that?
But it gets worse for Zawadi. Recall the hadith from
al-Bukhari that Zawadi referenced to show that Muslims will be punished in hell
for their sins before they are allowed to enter paradise. This isn’t an
isolated report since this is repeated throughout the hadith literature:
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The
Prophet said, "Some people will come out of the Fire after they have received a touch of the
Fire, changing their color, and they will enter Paradise, and the
people of Paradise will name them 'Al-Jahannamiyin' the (Hell) Fire people."
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 76, Number 564)
Abu Huraira reported: The people
said to the Messenger of Allah: Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on
the Day of Resurrection? The Messenger of Allah said … They would say: Thou art
our Lord. And they would follow Him, and a bridge would be set over the Hell;
and I (the Holy Prophet) and my Ummah would be the first to pass over it; and
none but the messengers would speak on that day, and the prayer of the
messengers on that day would be: O Allah! Grant safety, grant safety. In Hell,
there would be long spits like the thorns of Sa'dan. He (the Holy Prophet)
said: Have you seen Sa'dan? They replied: Yes, Messenger of Allah. He said:
Verily those (hooks) would be like the thorns of Sa'dan, but no one knows their
size except Allah. These would seize people for their misdeeds. Some of them
would escape for their (good) deeds, and some would be rewarded for their deeds
till they get salvation. When Allah would finish judging His bondsmen and because of His mercy decide to take out
of Hell such people as He pleases. He would command the angels to bring out those
who had not associated anything with Allah; to whom Allah decided to show
mercy, those who would say: There is no god but Allah. They
(the angels) would recognise them in the Fire by the marks of prostration, for Hell-fire will devour everything (limb)
of the sons of Adam except the marks of prostration. Allah has
forbidden the Fire to consume the marks of prostration. They will be taken out of the Fire HAVING
BEEN BURNT, and the water of life would be poured over them, and
they will sprout as seed does in the silt carried by flood.
Then Allah would finish judging
amongst His bondsmen; but a man who will be the last to enter Paradise will
remain facing Hell and will say: O my Lord I turn my face away from Hell, for its air has poisoned me and its blaze
has burnt me… He would then say: O my Lord, admit me to Paradise.
Allah. Blessed and Exalted, would say: Did you not give covenants and
agreements that you would not ask for anything more than what I had granted
you? Woe to you! son of Adam, how treacherous you are! And he would say: O my
Lord, I do not wish to be the most miserable of Thy creatures. He would
continue calling upon Allah till Allah, Blessed and Exalted, would laugh. When Allah would laugh at him, He would
say: Enter the Paradise… (Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0349)
These narratives clearly affirm that some of the Muslims will only
leave hell after being burned and harmed by its fire.
However, this contradicts other
particular narratives which claim that Allah will not allow any Muslim who
sincerely proclaims the shahadah to enter hell!
Zawadi himself is aware of these reports since this is what he writes
later on:
… As for believers "merely proclaiming the Shahada", well
this just exposes the ignorance of Shamoun and Katz. It is not a "mere" proclamation; it must be a sincere one:
Saheeh Bukhari Volume 1, Book 3, Number 130: Narrated Anas bin Malik: "Once Mu'adh
was along with Allah's Apostle as a companion rider. Allah's Apostle said, "O Mu'adh
bin Jabal." Mu'adh replied, "Labbaik and Sa'daik. O Allah's
Apostle!" Again the Prophet said, "O Mu'adh!" Mu'adh said
thrice, "Labbaik and Sa'daik, O Allah's Apostle!" Allah's Apostle
said, "There is none who testifies sincerely that none has the
right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is his Apostle, except that
Allah, will save him from the Hell-fire." Mu'adh said, "O Allah's
Apostle ! Should I not inform the people about it so that they may have glad
tidings?" He replied, "When the people hear about it, they will
solely depend on it." Then Mu'adh narrated the above-mentioned Hadith just
before his death, being afraid of committing sin (by not telling the
knowledge).
The testimony has to be sincere. This would save him from abiding in the
hellfire for eternity. Just merely saying the testimony and not meaning it does
not save someone from the hellfire. Even the hypocrites used to say the
Shahadah and not mean it:
Surah
63:1 When the hypocrites come to you, they say: We bear witness that you are
most surely Allah's Apostle; and Allah knows that you are most surely His
Apostle, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are surely liars.
What this actually does is expose not our ignorance but Zawadi’s and further
documents his gross inability to carefully follow and understand the hadiths
which he quotes to prove his position.
For instance, we are expressly told in what Zawadi quotes above that
Allah will save any Muslim who sincerely proclaims the shahadah from
hell-fire. In fact, both the Quran and certain hadiths explain this to mean
that Allah will not allow any sincere Muslim to suffer torment in hell:
Surely you (O mushrikin) and your deities that
you worship besides Allah shall be
the fuel of hell; therein you shall all enter. If those deities
would have been true gods, they would not have gotten there; but there they
shall abide forever. In there, sobbing will be their lot, and they will not be
able to hear anything else. Certainly
those for whom the good reward from Us has preceded them will be kept far away
from it. They shall not hear even its slightest sound, and they
shall dwell forever in the midst of whatever their souls desire. The time of
Great Terror (Day of Judgement) will not grieve them, and the angels will
receive them with greetings: "This is your Day that you were promised."
S. 21:98-103 F. Malik
Narrated 'Utban bin Malik
Al-Ansari: who was one of the men of the tribe of Bani Salim: Allah's Apostle
came to me and said, "If anybody comes on the Day of Resurrection who has
said: La ilaha illallah, sincerely, with the intention to win Allah's Pleasure,
Allah will make the Hell-Fire
forbidden for him." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 8,
Book 76, Number 431)
It is narrated on the authority
of Sunabihi that he went to Ubada b. Samit when he was about to die. I burst into
tears. Upon this he said to me: Allow me some time (so that I may talk with
you). Why do you weep? By Allah, if I am asked to bear witness, I would
certainly testify for you (that you are a believer). Should I be asked to
intercede, I would certainly intercede for you, and if I have the power, I
would certainly do good to you, and then observed: By Allah, never did I hear
anything from the Messenger of Allah which could have been a source of benefit
to you and then not conveyed it to you except this single hadith that I intend
to narrate to you today, since I am going to breathe my last. I heard the
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: He who testifies that there is
no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, Allah would prohibit the fire of Hell for
him. (Sahih Muslim,
Book 001, Number 0045)
Note carefully what is being said. Hell-fire is strictly forbidden
for every Muslim who dies affirming the Islamic confession of faith sincerely
which contradicts the hadiths that expressly say that Allah will actually take
out of hell specific Muslims who will be burning in the fire!
So Zawadi is now confronted with some major
problems and contradictions. Certain
hadiths promise that Muslims who profess genuine faith in Islamic monotheism
will not be touched by fire since Allah has forbidden hell for them. Other
narrations contradict this claim by asserting that a host of Muslims will end
up in hell, and even experience torment while there, despite the fact that they
genuinely believed that there is no god besides Muhammad’s deity.
But this introduces another problem. The
fact that these Muslims ended up in the fire suggests that their profession of
faith was not genuine since if it were then they would have never gone to hell
in the first place. This means that these Muslims must have been hypocrites,
otherwise why did they end up in hell if they were sincere?
However, this contradicts the following Quranic verses which say that
such hypocrites will never be taken out from hell since Allah will not accept
anyone’s help or intercession on their behalf!
And it has already been revealed
to you in the Book (this Qur'an) that when you hear the Verses of Allah being
denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other
than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be
like them. Surely, Allah will
collect the hypocrites and disbelievers all together in Hell, Those
(hypocrites) who wait and watch about you; if you gain a victory from Allah,
they say: "Were we not with you," but if the disbelievers gain a success,
they say (to them): "Did we not gain mastery over you and did we not
protect you from the believers?" Allah will judge between you (all) on the
Day of Resurrection. And never will Allah grant to the disbelievers a way (to
triumph) over the believers. Verily,
the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He Who deceives them. And when
they stand up for As-Salat (the prayer), they stand with laziness and to be
seen of men, and they do not remember Allah but little. (They are)
swaying between this and that, belonging neither to these nor to those, and he
whom Allah sends astray, you will not find for him a way (to the truth -
Islam). O you who believe! Take not for Auliya'
(protectors or helpers or friends) disbelievers instead of believers. Do you wish
to offer Allah a manifest proof against yourselves? Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths (grade) of the
Fire; NO HELPER WILL YOU FIND FOR THEM. S. 4:140-145 Hilali-Khan
And they swear by Allah that they are
in truth of you, when they are not of you, but they are folk who are afraid. Had they but found a refuge, or caverns, or a place
to enter, they surely had resorted thither swift as runaways… And of them is he who defameth thee in
the matter of the alms. If they are given thereof they are content, and if they
are not given thereof, behold! they are enraged. (How much more seemly) had
they been content with that which Allah and His messenger had given them and
had said: Allah sufficeth us. Allah will give us of His bounty, and (also) His
messenger. Unto Allah we are suppliants. And of them are those who vex the
Prophet and say: He is only a hearer. Say: A hearer of good for you, who
believeth in Allah and is true to the believers, and a mercy for such of you as
believe. Those who vex the messenger of Allah, for them there is a painful
doom. They swear by Allah to you
(Muslims) to please you, but Allah, with His messenger, hath more right that
they should please Him if they are believers. Know they not that whoso opposeth
Allah and His messenger, his verily is fire of hell, to abide therein?
That is the extreme abasement. The
hypocrites fear lest a surah should be revealed concerning them, proclaiming
what is in their hearts. Say: Scoff (your fill)! Lo! Allah is disclosing
what ye fear. And if thou ask them (O Muhammad) they will say: We did but talk
and jest. Say: Was it at Allah
and His revelations and His messenger that ye did scoff? Make no excuse. Ye have disbelieved after
your (confession of) belief. If We forgive a party of you, a party
of you We shall punish because they have been guilty. The hypocrites, both men
and women, proceed one from another. They enjoin the wrong, and they forbid the
right, and they withhold their hands (from spending for the cause of Allah).
They forget Allah, so He hath forgotten them. Lo! the hypocrites, they are the transgressors. Allah promiseth the
hypocrites, both men and women, and the disbelievers fire of hell for their
abode. It will suffice them. Allah curseth them, and theirs is lasting torment. S. 9:56-59, 61-68 Pickthall
O Prophet! Strive against the
disbelievers AND THE HYPOCRITES! Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is
hell, a hapless journey's end. They swear by Allah that they said nothing
(wrong), yet they did say the word of disbelief, and did disbelieve after their
Surrender (to Allah). And
they purposed that which they could not attain, and they sought revenge only
that Allah by His messenger should enrich them of His bounty. If they repent it
will be better for them; and if
they turn away, Allah will afflict them with a painful doom in the world and
the Hereafter, and they have no protecting friend nor helper in the earth.
And of them is he who made a covenant with Allah (saying): If He give us of His
bounty we will give alms and become of the righteous. Yet when He gave them of
His bounty, they hoarded it and turned away, averse; So He hath made the consequence (to be) hypocrisy in their hearts until
the day when they shall meet Him, because they broke their word to Allah that
they promised Him, and because they lied. Know they not that Allah
knoweth both their secret and the thought that they confide, and that Allah is
the Knower of Things Hidden? Those who point at such of the believers as give
the alms willingly and such as can find naught to give but their endeavours,
and deride them - Allah (Himself) derideth them. Theirs will be a painful doom.
Ask forgiveness for them (O Muhammad), or ask not forgiveness for them; though
thou ask forgiveness for them seventy times Allah will not forgive them. That
is because they disbelieved in Allah and His messenger, and Allah guideth not
wrongdoing folk. Those who were left behind rejoiced at sitting still behind
the messenger of Allah, and were averse to striving with their wealth and their
lives in Allah's way. And they said: Go not forth in the heat! Say: The fire of
hell is more intense of heat, if they but understood. Then let them laugh a little: they will weep
much, as the reward of what they used to earn. If Allah bring thee
back (from the campaign) unto a party of them and they ask of thee leave to go
out (to fight), then say unto them: Ye shall never more go out with me nor
fight with me against a foe. Ye were content with sitting still the first time.
So sit still, with the useless. And
never (O Muhammad) pray for one of them who dieth, nor stand by his grave.
Lo! they disbelieved in Allah and His messenger, and they died while they were
evil-doers. Let not their wealth nor their children please thee! Allah
purposeth only to punish them thereby in the world, and that their souls shall
pass away while they are disbelievers. And when a surah is revealed (which
saith): Believe in Allah and strive along with His messenger, the men of wealth
among them still ask leave of thee and say: Suffer us to be with those who sit
(at home). They are content that they should be with the useless and their
hearts are sealed, so that they apprehend not. And those among the wandering
Arabs who had an excuse came in order that permission might be granted them. And
those who lied to Allah and His messenger sat at home.A painful doom will fall on those of them
who disbelieve. The road (of blame) is only against those who ask
for leave of thee (to stay at home) when they are rich. They are content to be
with the useless. Allah hath sealed their hearts so that they know not. They
will make excuse to you (Muslims) when ye return unto them. Say: Make no
excuse, for we shall not believe you. Allah hath told us tidings of you. Allah
and His messenger will see your conduct, and then ye will be brought back unto
Him Who knoweth the Invisible as well as the Visible, and He will tell you what
ye used to do. They will swear by Allah unto you, when ye return unto them,
that ye may let them be. Let them
be, for lo! they are unclean, and their abode is hell as the reward for what
they used to earn. They swear unto you, that ye may accept them.
Though ye accept them. Allah verily
accepteth not wrongdoing folk. The wandering Arabs are more hard in
disbelief and hypocrisy, and more likely to be ignorant of the limits which
Allah hath revealed unto His messenger. And Allah is Knower, Wise. And among those around you of the wandering
Arabs there are hypocrites, and among the townspeople of Al-Madinah (there are
some who) persist in hypocrisy whom thou (O Muhammad) knowest not. We, We know
them, and We shall chastise them twice; then they will be relegated to a
painful doom. S. 9:73-101 Pickthall
And among those around you of the
wandering Arabs there are hypocrites, and among the townspeople of Al-Madinah
(there are some who) persist in hypocrisy whom thou (O Muhammad) knowest not.
We, We know them, and We shall chastise them twice; then they will be relegated
to a painful doom. And as
for those who chose a place of worship out of opposition and disbelief, and in
order to cause dissent among the believers, and as an outpost for those who
warred against Allah and His messenger aforetime, they will surely swear: We purposed naught save good. Allah
beareth witness that they verily are liars. Never stand (to pray) there. A
place of worship which was found upon duty (to Allah) from the first day is
more worthy that thou shouldst stand (to pray) therein, wherein are men who
love to purify themselves. Allah loveth the purifiers. Is he who founded his
building upon duty to Allah and His good pleasure better; or he who founded his
building on the brink of a crumbling, overhanging precipice so that it toppled with him into the fire of
hell? Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk. The building which they built
will never cease to be a misgiving in their hearts unless their hearts be torn
to pieces. Allah is Knower, Wise. S. 9:101-110 Pickthall
These passages are clear and unambiguous. The hypocrites are those who
profess faith in Allah and Muhammad but whose actions testify that their belief
is nothing more than lip service. It is these individuals that the Quran says
will be punished in hell with no one to help them. The true Muslims, on the
other hand, will never be tormented in hell.
In light of this, how could the hadiths say that Muhammad will
deliver Muslims from hell when sincere Muslims will never suffer the pain and
torment of hell-fire? Does this mean that Muhammad is actually delivering the
hypocrites from the punishment of the fire even though the Quran says that such
individuals will have absolutely no one to save or help them?
And if he is in fact saving the hypocrites then this contradicts the
following Quranic passage which says that Muhammad’s prayer for them is of no use:
When the hypocrites come unto
thee (O Muhammad), they say: We bear witness that thou art indeed Allah's
messenger. And Allah knoweth that thou art indeed His messenger, and Allah
beareth witness that the hypocrites indeed are speaking falsely. They make
their faith a pretext so that they may turn (men) from the way of Allah. Verily
evil is that which they are wont to do, That is because they believed, then
disbelieved, therefore their hearts are sealed so that they understand not. And
when thou seest them their figures please thee; and if they speak thou givest
ear unto their speech. (They are) as though they were blocks of wood in striped
cloaks. They deem every shout to be against them. They are the enemy, so beware
of them. Allah confound them! How they are perverted! And when it is said unto
them: Come! The messenger of Allah will ask forgiveness for you! they avert
their faces and thou seest them turning away, disdainful. Whether thou ask forgiveness for them or ask
not forgiveness for them is all one for them; Allah will not forgive them.
Lo! Allah guideth not the evil-living folk. They it is who say: Spend not on
behalf of those (who dwell) with Allah's messenger that they may disperse (and
go away from you); when Allah's are the treasures of the heavens and the earth;
but the hypocrites comprehend not. They say: Surely, if we return to Al-Madinah
the mightier will soon drive out the weaker; when might belongeth to Allah and
to His messenger and to the believers; but the hypocrites know not. S.
63:1-8 Pickthall
The Quran further claims that Muhammad cannot save any individual
from hell:
Is, then one against whom the
Word of punishment justified (equal to the one who avoids evil). Will you (O Muhammad) rescue him who is in
the Fire? S. 39:19 Hilali-Khan
How, then, can the so-called sound hadiths claim that Muhammad will
save individuals from hell when Allah has destined them to suffer there?
To make matters worse, the Quran clearly says that a person can only
merit good or evil for himself:
Say: 'Shall I seek after a Lord
other than God, who is the Lord of all things?' Every soul earns only to its own account, no soul laden bears the load
of another. Then to your Lord shall you return, and He will tell you
of that whereon you were at variance. S. 6:164 Arberry
In light of this, how can Muhammad intercede for anyone at all when
his actions can only benefit him and not another?
More importantly, since Muhammad is said to save Muslims by his
intercession why then does Allah send Jews and Christians into hell in the
place of Muslims? Why ransom Muslims from hell by sending Jews and Christians
in their place if Muhammad’s intercession is sufficient to save his followers
from punishment and judgement? Does this make any sense at all?
Finally, does Zawadi really want us to believe that this perversion and
mass confusion make more
sense and are a lot more just and merciful than the Christian view of
salvation?
In conclusion here is a summary of all the massive problems with
Islam’s perverted system of justice:
- Allah will punish Muslims in hell for their sins for a period of
time.
- Allah will then ransom Muslims from hell by sending Jews and
Christians there to suffer for the sins which these Muslims have committed.
- This is clearly a perversion of justice since Allah is not only
punishing Muslims for their personal sins but he is also punishing Jews and
Christians for transgressions which they have not committed.
- To make matters worse, the Jews and Christians will also be punished
for their own evil deeds and disbelief!
- Thus, Allah is going to punish Muslims, Jews and Christians for the
wicked acts that these Muslims have committed and then punish the Jews and
Christians for their own transgressions!
- Punishing Jews and Christians for the crimes of others contradicts
the Quran which says that no person will bear another’s burden or sins.
- Muslims entering hell to suffer for a period of time also contradicts
the express teaching of the Quran along with certain hadiths that say that
Allah will not allow any sincere Muslim to be harmed by the fires of hell.
- According to the Quran only the hypocrites or those who professed
faith in Allah and Muhammad but did not truly obey their teachings will enter
hell to suffer.
- This seems to suggest that the ahadith may actually be referring to
these so-called Muslims, e.g. Allah will save these hypocritical Muslims from
hell since true believers will not be allowed to enter there.
- However, this leads to more problems since the Quran clearly says
that the hypocrites will remain in hell and have no helper to save or intercede
for them.
- The Quran further says that Muhammad’s intercession for the
hypocrites is of no use since Allah will not forgive them no matter how many
times Muhammad prays for him.
- Moreover, according to the Muslim scripture a person’s deeds can only
benefit the individual and not someone else.
- However, the ahadith claim that Muhammad will be able to save Muslims
from hell by his intercession thereby contradicting the Islamic scripture.
- But this then leads to another contradiction. If Muhammad’s
intercession can actually save anyone then why does Allah need to punish Jews
and Christians in order to save Muslims from hell?
Hence, instead of clarifying the issues Zawadi’s reply actually created
a bigger mess by giving us the
opportunity to highlight some of the major problems and gross contradictions
with his god’s perverted system of justice!
There are other problems that we could have mentioned but which will
have to wait for the second
part of our rebuttal.
Related Articles
http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/qi029.html
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/muslims_in_hell.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/muslims_in_hell2.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/muslims_in_hell_ahadith.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/suffer_for_sin.html
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/consequences_of_sin.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/astray.html
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/karim_in_hell.htm
Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/zawadi/perverted_justice1.html
IHS
