ISLAMIC STUDIES / MODULE 6 / SECTION 2
SECTION 2 - COMPARISON OF MUHAMMAD WITH JESUS
CHRIST
COMPARISON
OF MUHAMMAD WITH JESUS CHRIST
If "allah" sent BOTH
Muhammad and Jesus Christ as prophets, as orthodox Muslims believe,
one would - or could - assume that their life principles and messages
would be in agreement. However, not only is this NOT the case, but
their principles and messages are contradictory.
Muslims
counter, and attempt to defend themselves against this apparent
weakness, by claiming that Jesus of the New Testament is not the
Jesus of the Quran, and that the New Testament is unreliable and
erroneous. But this argument presents an insurmountable problem for
them because the Quran sources the New Testament Gospels for
information on Jesus, such as His virgin birth. If the New Testament
is a compilation of corrupt writings, then so is the Quran.
Most
modern Muslims (at least those in the West) don't really know what
the Quran says in entirety. [Once again, this is impossible to know,
in terms of organic progression, due to its illogical organization.]
There is NO systematic purpose in its literary sense.
A
Muslim who is really open, or who will honestly debate, is best
reached by using the source documents: the Quran and the New
Testament. The Quran being the source for information about the life
of Muhammad and the New Testament being the source for information
about Jesus Christ. This way, no arguments appear on the surface, or
immediately, about which is true or which is the divine record. You
are on a level playing field, using the source documents for each.
The coming of Christ was predicted precisely by many prophecies while the coming of Muhammad was NOT predicted at all.
Micah 5:2
gives, written about 700 years before Christ, gives the name of the
town where Messiah would be born.
Jesus fulfilled 33
prophecies on the day He died.
John the Baptist, who preached
in the spirit and power of Elijah, prepared the way for the coming of
Messiah, and this was prophesied in Isaiah 49 and Malachi 4.
NOTE:
Some Muslims try to claim that when Jesus mentioned the coming of the
Comforter He was referring to Muhammad. This is foolish, because in
John 14:26, Jesus make it clear that the Comforter was the Holy
Spirit; and, Muhammad never claimed to be the Holy Spirit. His life
was definitely NOT like a peaceful dove!
Jesus Christ lived a sinless life [2 Corinthians 5:21]; even His enemies could not charge him with anything without manufacturing lies.
Of the
thousands of validated and historically trusted manuscripts, none
mention Jesus committing sin.
However, Muhammad said that
"allah" commanded him: "Say I am but a man like
yourselves." [Sura 18:110] The Quran never says anywhere the
Muhammad is sinless.
Sura 40:55 translated by Muhammad
Pickthal says: "Ask forgiveness of thy sins."
Sura
48:1-2 mentions "allah" referring to Muhammad's past and
future sins and his need for forgiveness. If Muhammad was sinless,
then "allah" was a deceived!
Jesus did many real MIRACLES. Muhammad did none!
Jesus healed the sick, cast out
demons, raised the dead, commanded the wind and sea.
The Quran
in many places mentions that Muhammad NEVER performed a miracle. One
such reference is Sura 17:91-95. Muhammad could only point to his so
called "revelations" which are titled "Suras."
There are at least 20 passages in th Quran that tell when Muhammad
was asked by people to perform a miracle he either remained silent or
said he didn't want to because he was a human being like any other .
. ." He said he just wanted to be a bringer of good news and a
warner.
Jesus was God: He was divine and human. Muhammad was not divine.
Many scriptures speak of Jesus as God: John
1:1,18 and 20:28; Acts 20:28; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8-10,
2 Peter 1:1.
Muhammad was only a man.
Islam has NO focal point of the love of God, whereas Christianity reveals the love of God.
There is NO record of Muhammad ever teaching,
preaching, or writing about the love of God. The Quran never mentions
the love of God, neither is their any emphasis in Islam, the Quran,
or the teachings of Muhammad about God's love for man or vice
versa.
Both Jesus' life and the scriptures reveal to man that
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal
life." [John 3:16]
Ask Muslims WHERE the Quran tells them
that "allah" loves them . . . and HOW "allah"
proves it. Ask Muslims WHERE Muhammad tells them that "allah"
loves them . . . and HOW "allah" proves it.
The lifestyles of Jesus and Muhammad are diametrically opposite.
Muhammad was involved in many actions that show he
was immoral and unjust. The Quran tells that Muhammad killed and
robbed people in the name of "allah." He frequently used
violence to force people to convert to Islam. Muhammad taught - by
actions and words - his disciples to kill and rob in "allah's"
name and coerce people to convert to Islam.
Jesus lived a
moral life. No man could honestly accuse him of sin. He loved sinful
people so much that He was willing to die for them. He never killed,
robbed, or taught people to do such things. He even taught people to
go the "second mile" with those who tried to take advantage
of them. He never forced people to turn to God. He showed them the
way by both example and precept. He taught that physical violence was
NOT part of His Kingdom.
Jesus taught against adultery, fornication, and sex outside of marriage. Muhammad did just the opposite.
Muhammad married an eight year old girl who was
still playing with her dolls. He also took away the wife of his
adopted son, Zaid. [Sura 33:36-38]
Death and resurrection
Jesus willingly died for the sins of all mankind
of all ages and specifically fulfilled prophecies in the Bible while
doing so. Neither did He take anyone's life [kill them] when he died
for us. Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day and was seen
by many witnesses.
Muhammad did not die for anyone; neither
was he resurrected. Jesus is alive. Muhammad is dead!
The
disciples personally witnessed Jesus ascend from earth to go back to
the Father in Heaven. Jesus is in Heaven where He makes intercession
for us with the Father. The Quran never says Muhammad ascended. The
Quran teaches there is NO intercessor or savior. [Sura 6:51, 70;
10:3]
Worship and personal relationship.
Jesus was
worshiped by His followers, and still is today. Many scriptures teach
that Jesus is God and the Messiah. He never denied this. Even after
Jesus was raised from the dead, Thomas worshiped Him.
"And
Thomas answered and said unto him, 'My Lord and my God.' Jesus said
unto him, 'Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed:
blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed'."
[John 20:28-29]
When a person is born again he has a personal
relationship with Jesus as a result of the Holy Spirit living inside
them.
Muslims acknowledge that Muhammad should NOT be
worshiped because he was only a man. The Quran does NOT speak of
worship of Muhammad as it would be blasphemy. Muslims do NOT talk
about Muhammad's love for them. He is dead.
The return of Christ to earth is sure, whereas neither Muhammad nor the Quran ever mention Muhammad returning. He is dead!
Fabrications by Moslems to make the life of Muhammad similar to Jesus' life.
Moslem
scholars, in later years, have attempted to historically reconstruct
the life of Muhammad so it would appear comparable to the life of
Jesus. As Muslims began to debate Christian scholars they realized
that Muhammad was far inferior to Jesus and could NOT be even closely
compared to Jesus. When Muhammad's boring life was compared to the
supernatural miracle works of Christ Muslim apologists needed to
"invent" material to make him look better.
Alfred
Guillayme, in his book The Traditions of Islam (Clarendon Press,
London, 1924, p.133) says, "Muslim theologians . . . borrowed
also events from the life of Jesus, attributing them to their [so
called] prophet." [Brackets added by Prince Handley.] They
added a supernatural element to Muhammad's birth, tell of him
performing miracles, claim sinless perfection, and that he ascended
into heaven. However, the Quran does NOT mentions such things . . .
neither do early Muslim legends.
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