The Prophet Isaiah – Islam’s Nightmare Pt. 2

We continue from where we previously left off https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/the-prophet-isaiah-islams-nightmare-pt-1/.

The Servant that Isaiah 53 said would suffer and offer his soul as a sacrifice for sins is the same One spoken of in the following passages:

“Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one, in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth justice to the nations. He shall not cry out, nor lift up his voice, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and the smoking flax he shall not quench; he shall bring forth justice faithfully. He shall not be disheartened nor be discouraged, until he has set justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for his law. Thus says God the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and that which comes out of it, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk in it: I the Lord have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand, and will keep You and appoint You for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison house.” Isaiah 42:1-7

“Listen to me, O coastlands, and pay attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He named me. He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden me and made me a select arrow; in His quiver He has hidden me. He said to me, ‘You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity, yet surely the justice due to me is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.’ Now says the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (yet I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God is my strength), He says, ‘It is a light thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make you a light to the nations so that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:1-6

Here we are expressly told that the Servant is Yahweh’s beloved upon whom Yahweh’s Spirit rests, and who is even named Israel. At the same time, this Servant who is called Israel is sent to save the nation of Israel and to be the Light for the nations so as to bring God’s own salvation to the ends of earth.

The reason that this is rather astonishing is that elsewhere we are told that it is God who saves the ends of the earth, and that he shall be the One to justify his people Israel, which is why the whole earth is to turn to him if they want to be saved and made righteous:

“Declare and set forth your case; let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient times? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no God besides Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is no other besides Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other… Surely, one shall say, ‘ONLY in the Lord are righteousness and strength’. Men shall come to him, and all who are incensed at Him shall be ashamed. IN THE Lord SHALL all the seed of Israel BE JUSTIFIED and shall glory.” Isaiah 45:21-22, 24-25

We thus have the Servant doing what only Yahweh can and is supposed to do!

Now let us again see who the Suffering Servant happens to be:

“Who has believed our report? And to whom has THE ARM OF THE Lord been revealed? For HE grew up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. HE has no form or majesty that we should look upon HIM nor appearance that we should desire HIM… He shall see of the anguish of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge MY RIGHTEOUS SERVANT SHALL JUSTIFY THE MANY, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, thus he bore the sin of many and MADE INTERCESSION for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:1-2, 11-12

Here we have the Servant described as the very Arm of Yahweh who grew up before Yahweh. The significance of this can be seen from the following passages, all of which identify Yahweh’s Arm as his own strength or power that Yahweh employs whenever he chooses to personally accomplish a specific task:

“The Lord has bared HIS HOLY ARM in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” Isaiah 52:10

“He saw that there was NO MAN and was astonished that there was NO INTERCESSOR; therefore, HIS OWN ARM brought salvation to Him, and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS sustained” Isaiah 59:16

“I looked and there was NO ONE to help, and I was astonished, and there was NO ONE to uphold; therefore, MY OWN ARM brought salvation to Me; and My fury upheld Me.” Isaiah 63:5

Yahweh’s Arm clearly refers to God’s own power that he uses to bring about his purposes, whether for salvation or judgment, without enlisting the aid of any human agent or creature. As such, for the Servant to be described as the very Arm of Yahweh who brings about God’s salvation to the ends of the earth,

“He says, ‘It is a light thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make you a light to the nations so that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:6

And who justifies sinners, he cannot be a mere human creature; he must necessarily be God Almighty in the flesh. There is simply no way around this fact.

This isn’t the only passage that connects Yahweh’s Arm with Yahweh’s Servant:

“The voice of him who cries out, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low, and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rough places a plain; then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.’… O Zion, bearer of good news, get yourself up onto a high mountain; O Jerusalem, bearer of good news, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ See, the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and HIS ARM shall rule for Him; see, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” Isaiah 40:3-5, 9-11

Here we are told that Yahweh will come so as to have his own Arm rule for him as he shepherds his flock, and repays every person for what s/he has earned.(1)

Now compare this with what is said about the Servant:

“Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be HIGH AND LIFTED UP (yarum wa’nissa) and GREATLY exalted.” Isaiah 52:13 NASB

The prophet speaks of the Servant’s exaltation in the same exact way in which he describes Yahweh’s exalted status as the sovereign King of all creation:

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, HIGH AND LIFTED UP (ram wa’nissa), and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. One cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.’ The posts of the door moved at the voice of him who cried, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.’” Isaiah 6:1-5

“For thus says the High and Lofty One (ram wa’nissa) who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high (marom) and holy place and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15 – cf. 33:5, 10

The words of exaltation that Isaiah employs in the foregoing texts basically indicate that the Servant shall be raised to fully share in Yahweh’s exclusive rule over all creation after first offering his life as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

What makes this all the more amazing is that Isaiah proclaims that Yahweh has set a day in which he will humble all those who in their arrogance and pride have lifted themselves up, since he alone shall be exalted above all:

“The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord ALONE shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon everything that is proud and lofty, and upon everything that is lifted up, and it shall be brought low; and it will be upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, 15 and upon all the high towers, and upon every fenced wall, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant sloops. The loftiness of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; the Lord ALONE will be exalted in that day;” Isaiah 2:11-17

This again confirms that the Servant must be God in the flesh, even while being personally distinct from Yahweh; otherwise he would not be permitted to participate in Yahweh’s reign over all creation.

This then brings me back to my initial point. The reason why Isaiah could say that both Yahweh’s Arm and the Servant will reign for Yahweh is because they are one and the same Figure, i.e., the Servant is the Arm of Yahweh that brings God’s salvation to the ends of the earth and who shall rule as the King of all creation.

Therefore, the one God whom Isaiah says saves for his own sake is not the sterile monad worshiped by this Muslim greenhorn. Rather, that God is the Triune God revealed in the God-breathed Scriptures, particular in the Incarnation of the blessed Son and the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit.

Unless noted otherwise, all Scriptural citations taken from the Modern English Version (MEV) of the Holy Bible.

Endnotes 

(1) The NT applies the prophecy of Isaiah 40 to the advent of John the Baptist who was sent to prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus:

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Caesar Tiberius, Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Traconitis, and Lysanias was the tetrarch of Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He came into the region surrounding the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”’… As the people were in expectation, and everyone reflected in their hearts upon John, whether he might be the Christ or not, John answered them all, ‘I indeed baptize you with water. But One mightier than I is coming, the strings of whose shoes I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly cleanse His threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into His granary. But He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.’” Luke 3:1-6, 15-17

“Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’ They asked him, ‘Who then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ They said to him then, ‘Who are you? Tell us so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say concerning yourself?’ John said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,” just as the prophet Isaiah said.’ Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. They asked him, ‘Why do you baptize then, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptize with water, but One stands among you, whom you do not know. This is He who comes after me, who is preferred before me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’ These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is He of whom I said, “After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.” I did not know Him, but for this reason I came baptizing with water: so that He might be revealed to Israel.’ Then John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “The One on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” I have seen and have borne witness that He is the Son of God.’ Again, the next day John was standing with two of his disciples. Looking upon Jesus as He walked, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’” John 1:19-36 – cf. Mark 1:1-8; Matthew 3:11-17; Acts 19:4

This means that Jesus Christ is the Lord God Almighty who comes to shepherd his flock and repay each person for what they have earned:

“For the Son of Man shall come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay every man according to his works.” Matthew 16:27

“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come, except to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. But he who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and runs away. So the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and am known by My own. Even as the Father knows Me, so I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep who are not of this fold. I must also bring them, and they will hear My voice. There will be one flock and one shepherd.’” John 10:7-16

This explains why Christ is even identified as the Arm of Yahweh spoken of in Isaiah 53:1:

“Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: ‘Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.’ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.” John 12:37-41 New International Version (NIV)

Lord willing, we will have more to say concerning this issue in an upcoming post.

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/the-prophet-isaiah-islams-nightmare-pt-2/ 

IHS

Ihe Prophet Isaiah – Islam’s Nightmare Pt. 1

In this post I am again going to be tackling some other aspects of the following article https://bloggingtheology.net/2017/04/15/does-christianity-really-necessitate-ransom-for-salvation/.

The greenhorn who goes by the name question mark writes:

There is even more in the Bible. Trinitarian Apologists like Sam Shamoun who use the book of Isaiah to somehow establish vicarious atonement, conveniently ignores, if not outright discard, the following important passage from it:

“Turn to the LORD and pray to him, now that he is near. Let the wicked leave their way of life and change their way of thinking. Let them turn to the LORD, our God; He is merciful and quick to forgive. “My thoughts.” says the LORD, “are not like yours, and my ways are different from yours. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways and thoughts above yours.

“My word is like the snow and the rain that come down from the sky to water the earth. They make the crops grow and provide seed for sowing and food to eat. So also will be the word that I speak – it will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do. “You will leave Babylon with joy; you will be led out of the city in peace. The mountains and hills will burst into singing, and the trees will grow where now there are briars; myrtle-trees will come up in place of thorns. This will be a sign that will last for ever, a reminder of what I, the LORD, have done.” (Isaiah 55:6-13)

This is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black! As we shall see, it is this neophyte who not only has completely ignored and discarded what Isaiah says concerning the necessity of the vicarious atoning death of the Messiah, but has also chosen to attack strawman by shamelessly misrepresenting what Christians actually teach regarding salvation.

The greenhorn further wrote:

Not just Israelites but even Egyptians, a non-Semitic civilization with no expectation of Messiah, would also be healed or in other words forgiven, if they repent:

“The LORD will punish the Egyptians, but then he will heal them. They will turn to him, and he will hear their prayers and heal them. (Isaiah 19:22)

Notice yet again that Jesus’ alleged crucifixion was not required for the forgiveness of sins and subsequent “healing”. All that Egyptians needed to do is to “turn back”, that is to repent through “prayers”, not belief in alleged would-be sacrifice of Christ (peace be upon him), and then God will forgive them.

And:

The book of Isaiah is far from over. We quote yet another passage from it:

“Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” (Isa 43: 24-25, King James Version, e-Sword version.)

Unlike Christian theology where sins are forgiven because of Christ’s alleged death’s sake, in the above passage, God emphatically asserts that He forgives sins of HIS OWN SAKE!

To begin with, let’s see what this Muhammadan shamelessly left out from the context of Isaiah 19:22:

“In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. It shall be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of Hosts in the land of Egypt. For they shall cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a Savior and a Champion. And He shall deliver them. The Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall worship with sacrifice and offering, they shall make a vow to the Lord and perform it. The Lord shall strike Egypt. He shall strike and heal it. Then they shall return to the Lord, and He shall be entreated by them and shall heal them.” Isaiah 19:19-22

Note the following part again:

“And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior (Moshia) and a Mighty One (Rab), and He will deliver them.” Isaiah 19:20 New King James Version (NKJV)

The very context of the passage speaks of God sending the Egyptians a Savior and Mighty One/Champion to deliver them from their oppression and sickness!

The prophet Isaiah also spoke of God sending a Redeemer to Zion in order to turn Israel away from ungodliness:

“Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was NO MAN and was astonished that there was NO INTERCESSOR; therefore, HIS OWN ARM brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay: fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; to the islands He will make recompense. So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. The Redeemer shall come to Zion and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob, says the Lord. As for Me, this is My covenant with them, says the Lord: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your descendants, nor out of the mouth of your descendants’ descendants, says the Lord, from this time forth and forever.” Isaiah 59:15b-21

What makes this passage rather interesting is that God says that the Redeemer will come to Israel in the same context where he says that he was appalled that he couldn’t find anyone to help, which is why he was left with no choice but to use his own Arm to bring about salvation and judgment. Isaiah emphasizes this point by repeating it elsewhere in his inspired writing:

“‘Who is this who comes from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah? This one who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?’ ‘It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.’ ‘Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like him who treads in the wine vat?’ ‘I have trodden the winepress ALONE; and from the peoples there was NO ONE with Me. For I will tread them in My anger, and trample them in My fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and My year of redemption has come. I looked and there was NO ONE to help, and I was astonished, and there was NO ONE to uphold; therefore, MY OWN ARM brought salvation to Me; and My fury upheld Me. I will tread down the peoples in My anger and make them drunk in My fury, and I will pour out their lifeblood on the earth.’” Isaiah 63:1-6

This means that this Redeemer cannot be some mere creature, but must be an essential and intrinsic aspect of God’s own nature, being the very Arm or Power of God himself.

The reason why we know that this specific Redeemer is personally distinct from Yahweh is because he is the same One whom Isaiah says will save the nations by offering up his life as a sacrifice for the sins of world:

“See, My servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men; so he shall sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall consider. Who has believed our report? And to whom has THE ARM OF THE Lord BEEN REVEALED? For HE grew up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. He has no form or majesty that we should look upon him nor appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, he was bruised FOR OUR INIQUITIES; the chastisement of our peace was UPON HIM, and by HIS STRIPES we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way, but the Lord has laid ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living; FOR THE TRANSGRESSION OF MY PEOPLE HE WAS STRUCK. His grave was assigned with the wicked, yet with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; He has put him to grief. If he made himself AS AN OFFERING FOR SIN (asham), he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days, and the good pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the anguish of his soul and be satisfied. By HIS KNOWLEDGE My righteous servant shall justify the many, FOR HE SHALL BEAR THEIR INIQUITIES. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, THUS HE BORE THE SIN OF MANY AND MADE INTERCESSION FOR THE TRANSGRESSORS.” Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Compare how the following versions render v. 11:

“After a life of suffering, he will again have joy; he will know that he did not suffer in vain. My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased, will bear the punishment of many and for his sake I will forgive them.” Isaiah 53:11 Good News Translation (GNT)

“… My righteous Ebed will acquit many people because of what he has learned through suffering. He will carry their sins as a burden. Names of God (NOG)

The foregoing makes it abundantly clear that it is the Servant who is doing the actual saving. And note also that this Servant is expressly identified as the Arm of Yahweh sent to atone and intercede for sinners.

Thus, the Servant is both personally distinct from and yet identical with Yahweh God Almighty.

We will have more to say about this blessed and glorious Servant, and the role he plays in saving the world in our next installment https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/the-prophet-isaiah-islams-nightmare-pt-2/.

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/30/the-prophet-isaiah-islams-nightmare-pt-1/

IHS

Muhammad the Necrophiliac

There are specific narrations that claim that Muhammad slept with the corpse of his uncle’s deceased wife, the mother of Ali bin Abu Talib.

The following was sent and translated by my good friend and brother in Christ named Demetrius. It is taken from a book called Kanz Al Umal (“The Treasure of the Workers”), in the chapter of “The issues of women”, authored by Ali Ibn Husam Aldin, commonly known as Al-Mutaki Al-Hindi. He based his book on the hadiths and sayings listed in Al-Jami Al-Saghir, written by Jalal ul-Din Al-Suyuti.

Narrated by Ibn Abbas: “I (Muhammad) put on her my shirt that she may wear the clothes of heaven, and I SLEPT with her in her coffin (grave) that I may lessen the pressure of the grave. She was the best of Allah’s creatures to me after Abu Talib.” The prophet was referring to Fatima, the mother of Ali.

Demetrius explains:

The Arabic word used here for “slept” is Id’tajat, and literally means “lay down” with her. It is often used to mean, “lay down to have sex.” Muhammad is understood as saying that because he slept with her she has become like a wife to him so she will be considered like the “mother of the believers.” This will supposedly prevent her from being tormented in the grave, since Muslims believe that as people wait for the Judgment Day they will be tormented in the grave. “Reduce the pressure” here means that the torment won’t be as much because she is now a “mother of the believers” after Muhammad slept with her and “consummated” the union.

The next set of narrations was also sent to me by a Christian brother and basically confirm Demetrius’ claims. All bold emphasis mine.

Kanz Al-Ummal (“The treasure of deeds”)

By Ali Bin Husam Ad-Din Al-Mufqi Al-Hindi

Published by Mu’assasa Ar-Risala. Beirut 1989.

Volume 13, Pages 609-610

Hadith Numbers 37609-37611

Shirazi said: Abu Al-Abbas Ahmad bin Sa’id bin Ma’dan at Merv said he remembered Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Amr that my father and my paternal uncle said and my grandfather Amr bin Mus’ab told me Sa’id bin Muslim bin Qutayba heard that Bin Musa took an oath saying he heard Abu Al-Abbas the commander of the believers said he heard Abu Muhammad bin Ali said he heard Abu Hashim bin Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiya report from Al-Hudays Ibn Ali from his father Ali bin Abu Talib and Muhammad bin Ali from his father from Ibn Abbas said:

When Fatima bin Asad bin Hashim the mother of Ali bin Abu Talib died, she had protected the prophet, and raised him after the death of ‘Abd Al-Muttalib. The prophet raised her up in his shirt and prayed upon her and sought repentance for her and sought the good in what she did, and had marital relations with her whilst she was in her grave at that time she (lay) in it. It was said to him: O Prophet! What you are doing is something that nobody does! He said: Verily I have wrapped her in my shirt that Allah the merciful might have her enter (paradise) and forgive her (sins). I had marital relations with her in her grave that Allah would take away such (punishment in the grave) from her.

37609 – { قال الشيرازي في الألقاب } أنا أبو العباس أحمد بن سعيد بن معدان بمرو قال ذكر أحمد بن محمد بن عمرو أنا أبي وعمي قال وأنا جدي عمرو بن مصعب حدثني سعيد بن مسلم بن قتيبة سمعت علي بن موسى ولي العهد قال سمعت أبا العباس أمير المؤمنين قال سمعت أبي محمد بن علي قال سمعت أبا هاشم بن محمد بن الحنفية يحدث عن الحسين ابن علي عن أبيه علي بن أبي طالب ومحمد بن علي عن أبيه عن ابن عباس قال : لما ماتت أم علي بن أبي طالب فاطمة بنت أسد بن هاشم وكانت ممن كفل النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم وربته بعد موت عبد المطلب كفنها النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم في قميصه وصلى عليها واستغفر لها وجزاها الخير بما وليته منه واضطجع معها في قبرها حين وضعت فقيل له : صنعت يا رسول الله بها صنعا لم تصنع بأحد قال : إنما كفنتها في قميصي ليدخلها الله الرحمة ويغفر لها واضطجعت في قبرها ليخفف الله عنها بذلك ( ترجم لها ابن حجر ترجمة ممتعة

Ali Said: When Fatima bin Asad bin Hashim who raised the prophet died, he prayed upon her in his shirt, and he praised Allah upon her 70 times, and he went into her in her grave. He did this at (her) grave by day and by night. As such he widened and evened (the grave) out, and he went out from it. He eyes flowed into her grave when he went. Umar bin Al-Khattab said to him: O Allah’s messenger! I see you doing in this woman something that nobody has done before. He said: O Umar! This woman was my mother after my mother who bore me. If there was a banquet made for the learned Abu Talib, there was food gathered and prepared by her. As such this woman did (her) all for him.  I turn to Gabriel in what he told me from my lord, that she was from the people of Heaven and Gabriel told me that Allah the all-knowing commanded that 7000 praises from the angels prayed upon her.

37610 – عن علي قال : لما ماتت فاطمة بنت أسد بن هاشم كفنها النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم في قميصه وصلى عليها فكبر عليها سبعين تكبيرة ونزل في قبرها فجعل يومي في نواحي القبر كأنه يوسعه ويسوي عليها وخرج من قبرها وعيناه تذرفان وحثا في قبرها فلما ذهب قال له عمر بن الخطاب : يا رسول الله رأيتك فعلت في هذه المرأة شيئا لم تفعله على أحد فقال : يا عمر هذه المرأة كانت أمي بعد أمي التي ولدتني إن أبا طالب كان يصنع الصنيع وتكون له المأدبة وكان يجمعنا على طعامه فكانت هذه المرأة تفضل منه كله نصيبا فأعود فيه وإن جبريل أخبرني عن ربي أنها من أهل الجنة وأخبرني جبريل أن الله تعالى أمر سبعين ألفا من الملائكة يصلون عليها
المستدرك للحاكم : 3 / 108

(13/610)

Ibn  Abbas said: When Fatima the mother of Ali died, Allah’s messenger cast off his shirt and wrapped his hands and had marital relations with her in her grave when the grave’s dirt was even. Some of them said: O Allah’s messenger! We see you doing something that nobody has done before. He said: Verily I have dressed her in my shirt that she would be dressed in the robes of heaven. I have had marital relations with her in her grave to lessen her from the pressure of (the punishment of) the grave. She was the first of Allah’s creation made after Abu Talib.

37611 – عن ابن عباس قال : لما ماتت فاطمة أم علي خلع رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قميصه وألبسها إياه واضطجع في قبرها فلما سوى عليها التراب قال بعضهم : يا رسول الله رأيناك صنعت شيئا لم تصنعه بأحد ؟ قال : إني ألبستها قميصي لتلبس من ثياب الجنة واضطجعت معها في قبرها لأخفف عنها من ضغطة القبر إنها كانت أحسن خلق الله صنيعا إلى بعد أبي طالب
أبو نعيم في المعرفة والديلمي وسنده حسن

We report and you decide!

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/14/muhammad-the-necrophiliac/ 

IHS