Muslim Q And A

[Selah]

I thought it would be easier if we all made one big thread to ask our dear guests questions

I have one. Can any of you tell me about the Buraq? Apparently, it's a horse with the head of a woman that carried Mohammed to heaven.

Thanks!

Selah

[extempers]

SubhanAllah, I've never heard anyone claim it was a head of a woman.

But thanks for the question. Here you go:

After the Prophet performed the Evening Prayer (^Isha'), Jibril came to him with a white animal, slightly larger than a donkey yet smaller than a mule. This animal was the buraq,--one of the animals of Paradise. Jibril held the buraq by his ear and told the Prophet to mount it. When the buraq was mounted, the Prophet set forth.

The buraq is a very fast animal; the length of the buraq's stride is the farthest distance it's eye can see.

from sunna.info
I can get a lot more, God willing, if you are interested

[Selah]

It's always facinated me Thank you for answering (Jibril is Gabriel, right?)

[mortify]

Note that the face of Muhammad is hidden:

http://zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/islamic_mo_face_hidden/nizami_detail.jpg

Edited December 13, 2009 by homeschoolmom
Out of respect for our guests

[Selah]

Very interesting.

Fatima is his daughter, correct? Is it true that she is considered one of the purest women to live? Can you tell me anything else about her?

[extempers]

Still disgusting, extremely offensive and something of similar nature we would not do when discussing Christianity with Christians, but you do as you wish.

I will not respond to a painting. The painting is in itself unlawful so it's not exactly a source of authority regarding the buraq.

[mortify]

[quote name='extempers' date='12 December 2009 - 06:01 PM' timestamp='1260658880' post='2019342']
Still disgusting, extremely offensive and something of similar nature we would not do when discussing Christianity with Christians, but you do as you wish.

I will not respond to a painting. The painting is in itself unlawful so it's not exactly a source of authority regarding the buraq.
[/quote]

The painting was made by Persian Muslims, what do you find disgusting and extremely offensive about it?

[Selah]

Mohammed isn't to be depicted, as I recall. He may not like the fact that he is painted there.

Now then...about Fatima. Tell me a bit about her

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+
selah, I had made a thread already

[Selah]

Oh. Sorry

[extempers]

[quote name='mortify' date='12 December 2009 - 06:37 PM' timestamp='1260661057' post='2019378']
The painting was made by Persian Muslims, what do you find disgusting and extremely offensive about it?
[/quote]

And there are "christians" who have depicted Jesus (as) in a horrible light, that doesn't make it right.

[Lounge Daddy]

[quote name='extempers' date='12 December 2009 - 10:50 PM' timestamp='1260676241' post='2019502']
And there are "christians" who have depicted Jesus (as) in a horrible light, that doesn't make it right.
[/quote]

That's a good point. And I didn't know that depicting the Prophet is unlawful. So I learned something already in this thread.

[OraProMe]

If Muslims accept Jesus as a prophet then why not his claims to divinity and the establishment of his Church that he is recorded as having said ("I am the way, the truth..." "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I shall build MY Church")? What is the Muslim position on the Gospels?

[extempers]

[b]1. Do Muslims believe he was a Messenger of One God? YES[/b]

Belief in all of the Prophets and Messengers of God is a fundamental article of faith in Islam. Thus, believing in Prophets Adam, Jesus, Moses, and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them) is a requirement for anyone who calls him or herself a Muslim. A person claiming to be a Muslim who, for instance, denies the Messengership of Jesus, is not considered a Muslim.

The Quran says in reference to the status of Jesus as a Messenger:

"The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger before whom many Messengers have passed away; and his mother adhered wholly to truthfulness, and they both ate food (as other mortals do). See how We make Our signs clear to them; and see where they are turning away!" (Quran 5:75).


[b]2. Do Muslims believe he was born of a Virgin Mother? YES[/b]

Like Christians, Muslims believe Mary, Maria in Spanish, or Maryam as she is called in Arabic, was a chaste, virgin woman, who miraculously gave birth to Jesus.

"Relate in the Book the story of Mary, when she withdrew from her family, to a place in the East. She screened herself from them; then We sent to her Our spirit (angel Gabriel) and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. She said: I seek refuge from you in God Most Gracious (come not near) if you do fear God. He said: Nay, I am only a Messenger from your Lord, to announce to you the gift of a pure son. She said: How shall I have a son, when no man has ever touched me, and I am not unchaste? He said: So it will be, your Lord says: ‘That is easy for Me; and We wish to appoint him as a sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': It was a matter so decreed" (Quran 19:16-21).

[b]
3. Do Muslims believe Jesus had a miraculous birth? YES[/b]

The Quran says:

"She (Mary) said: ‘O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me.' He (God) said: ‘So (it will be) for God creates what He wills. When He has decreed something, He says to it only: ‘Be!'- and it is" (3:47).

It should also be noted about his birth that:

"Verily, the likeness of Jesus in God's Sight is the likeness of Adam. He (God) created him from dust, then (He) said to him: ‘Be!'-and he was" (Quran 3:59).

[b]
4. Do Muslims believe Jesus spoke in the cradle? YES[/b]

"Then she (Mary) pointed to him. They said: ‘How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?' He (Jesus) said: ‘Verily! I am a slave of God, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet; " (19:29-30).

[b]5. Do Muslims believe he performed miracles? YES[/b]

Muslims, like Christians believe Jesus performed miracles. But these were performed by the will and permission of God, Who has power and control over all things.

"Then will God say: ‘O Jesus the son of Mary! recount My favor to you and to your mother. Behold! I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit (the angel Gabriel) so that you did speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold: you make out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and you breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by My leave, and you heal those born blind, and the lepers by My leave. And behold! you bring forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the children of Israel from (violence to you) when you did show them the Clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but evident magic' (5:110).


[b]6. Do Muslims believe in the Trinity? NO[/b]

Muslims believe in the Absolute Oneness of God, Who is a Supreme Being free of human limitations, needs and wants. He has no partners in His Divinity. He is the Creator of everything and is completely separate from His creation.

God says in the Quran regarding the Trinity:

"People of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and attribute to God nothing except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God, and His command that He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and in His Messengers, and do not say: ‘God is a Trinity.' Give up this assertion; it would be better for you. God is indeed just One God. Far be it from His glory that He should have a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. God is sufficient for a guardian" (Quran 4:171).


[b]7. Do Muslims believe that Jesus was the son of God? NO[/b]

"Say: "God is Unique! God, the Source [of everything]. He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered, and there is nothing comparable to Him!" (Quran 112:1-4).

The Quran also states:

"Such was Jesus, the son of Mary; it is a statement of truth, about which they vainly dispute. It is not befitting to the majesty of God, that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be' and it is" (Quran 19:34-35).


[b]8. Do Muslims believe Jesus was killed on the cross then resurrected? NO[/b]

"“They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they thought they did.” (Quran 4:156) “God lifted him up to His presence. God is Almighty, All-Wise” (Quran 4:157) .

soundvision

[extempers]

[b]The role of Paul of Tarsus in shaping this belief and the belief in Trinity
[/b]
The notion of Jesus as son of God is something that was established under the influence of Paul of Tarsus (originally named Saul), who had been an enemy of Jesus, but later changed course and joined the disciples after the departure of Jesus.

Later, however, he initiated a number of changes into early Christian teachings, in contradiction, for instance, to disciples like Barnabas, who believed in the Oneness of God and who had actually lived and met with Jesus.

Paul is considered by a number of Christian scholars to be the father of Christianity due to his additions of the following ideas:

that Jesus is the son of God,

the concept of Atonement,

the renunciation of the Law of the Torah.

Paul did these things in hopes of winning over the Gentiles (non-Jewish people). His letters are another of the primary sources of information on Jesus according to the Christian tradition.

The original followers of Prophet Jesus opposed these blatant misrepresentations of the message of Jesus. They struggled to reject the notion of the Divinity of Jesus for close to 200 years.

One person who was an original follower of Jesus was Barnabas. He was a Jew born in Cyrus and a successful preacher of the teachings of Jesus. Because of his closeness to Jesus, he was an important member of the small group of disciples in Jerusalem who had had gathered together following the disappearance of Jesus.

The question of Jesus's nature, origin and relationship with God was not raised amongst Barnabas and the small group of disciples. Jesus was considered a man miraculously endowed by God. Nothing in the words of Jesus or the events in his life led them to modify this view.

The Gospel of Barnabas was accepted as a Canonical Gospel in the Churches of Alexandria till 325 CE Iranaeus (130-200) wrote in support of pure monotheism and opposed Paul for injecting into Christianity doctrines of the pagan Roman religion and Platonic philosophy. He quoted extensively from the Gospel of Barnabas in support of his views. This indicates that the Gospel of Barnabas was in circulation in the first and second centuries of Christianity.

In 325 (CE), a council of Christian leaders met at Nicaea and made Paul's beliefs officially part of Christian doctrine. It also ordered that all original Gospels in Hebrew script which contradicted Paul's beliefs should be destroyed. An edict was issued that anyone in possession of these Gospels would be put to death.

The Gospel of Barnabas has miraculously survived though.

http://www.soundvision.com/Info/Jesus/inIslam.asp

[extempers]

I'm not a big fan of quoting Biblical scripture because I believe it to be fabricated, but here's one view.


Bible:

We believe that the Gospels that are in people’s hands today, in which the Christians believe, have been tampered with and changed, and are still being tampered with from time to time, so that there is nothing left in the form in which the Gospel was revealed from Allaah. Here we would point out that the Gospel which speaks most of the belief in the trinity and the divinity of the Messiah (peace be upon him), so that it has become a reference-point for the Christians in their arguments in support of this falsehood, is the Gospel of John. This Gospel is subject to doubts about its authorship even among some Christian scholars themselves, as is not the case with the other Gospels in which they believe. This is an ancient doubt which goes back to the second century CE according to their own history.


Regardless of the doubts about the authorship of the Gospels in general, and of the Gospel of John in particular, the phrases that they quote from these Gospels do not support the point they are trying to make, rather it is a spider’s web to which they are clinging, as Allaah says of them and others like them (interpretation of the meaning):

“The likeness of those who take (false deities as) Awliya’ (protectors, helpers) other than Allaah is the likeness of a spider who builds (for itself) a house; but verily, the frailest (weakest) of houses is the spider’s house if they but knew”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:41]

The Bible in which it says that the Messiah is the son of God is the same Bible in which the lineage of the Messiah ends with Adam (peace be upon him), and he too is described as a son of God.

“Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli … the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God”

[Luke 3:23-38]

This is the same Bible that describes Israel in the same terms:

“Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son”

[Exodus 4:22]

Something similar appears in the Book of Hosea:

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son”

[Hosea 11:1]

The same is said of Soloman (peace be upon him):

“He said to me: 'Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father”

[I Chronicles 28:6]

Were Adam, Israel and Soloman all other sons of God, before the Messiah (peace be upon him)? Exalted be Allaah far above what they say!

Indeed, in the Gospel of John itself there is an explanation of what is meant by this being a son; it includes all the righteous servants of God, so there is nothing unique about Jesus or any other Prophet in this regard.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”

[John 1:3]

Something similar appears in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God”

[Matthew 5:8-9]

This usage of the word “son” in the language of the Bible is a metaphor for the righteous servant of God, without it implying anything special or unique about the way in which he is created, or describing him literally as the offspring of God. Hence John says:

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”

[1 John 3:1]

For the same reason Adam is also called a son of God – exalted be Allaah far above that.

There remains the issue of Eesa (peace be upon him) being described as a son of God, and what they fabricated about the Lord of the Worlds, saying that He was the father of the Messiah (peace be upon him). This too is not unique in the language of the Gospels:

“Jesus said, Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, '[b]I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”[/b]

[John 20:17]




Islamqa

[extempers]

One final point:

“Verily, the likeness of ‘Eesa (Jesus) before Allaah is the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: ‘Be!’ — and he was”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:59]

This is the belief concerning the creation of the Prophet of Allaah ‘Eesa, which was a miracle for all the people to see.

But the miracle of Adam’s creation is greater. For ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) was created without a father, but Adam was created without a father or a mother, and this is more expressive of the power of Allaah to create; it is more miraculous than the creation of ‘Eesa (peace be upon him). For all these reasons and others, it was essential to explain the issue of ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) and put matters straight.

Islamqa

[mortify]

[quote name='extempers' date='13 December 2009 - 06:28 PM' timestamp='1260746927' post='2019911']
The Gospel of Barnabas has miraculously survived though.
[/quote]

It amazes me that Muslims will consider this 17th century forgery a genuine Gospel when they reject writings written decades after Jesus' resurrection.

[Selah]

Very interesting, Extempers. Thank you

[mortify]

[quote name='extempers' date='13 December 2009 - 06:28 PM' timestamp='1260746927' post='2019911']
The notion of Jesus as son of God is something that was established under the influence of Paul of Tarsus (originally named Saul), who had been an enemy of Jesus, but later changed course and joined the disciples after the departure of Jesus.[/quote]

St Paul is like the Umar of Christianity, originally an enemy but then a devoted convert, and in St Paul's case it was a miraculous conversion. Anyone who has read St Paul's writings knows that he recognized the authority of the Apostles in Jerusalem, in fact when an issue over practice arose St Paul took the issues to the Apostles who settled it, and then he followed through with their decision (hardly the behavior of a rebel.) This man endured many a hardship for the Gospel and ultimately gave up his life for it. Anyone who wants want to make this man into a rebel doesn't know who he really was.
[quote]
Later, however, he initiated a number of changes into early Christian teachings, in contradiction, for instance, to disciples like Barnabas, who believed in the Oneness of God and who had actually lived and met with Jesus.[/quote]

If St Paul was a rebel teaching false doctrines he would have been rejected by the Apostles, instead, they accepted him as an apostle.


[quote]
The original followers of Prophet Jesus opposed these blatant misrepresentations of the message of Jesus. They struggled to reject the notion of the Divinity of Jesus for close to 200 years.[/quote]

Please name these "original" followers of Jesus.

[quote]The Gospel of Barnabas was accepted as a Canonical Gospel in the Churches of Alexandria till 325 CE Iranaeus (130-200) wrote in support of pure monotheism and opposed Paul for injecting into Christianity doctrines of the pagan Roman religion and Platonic philosophy. He quoted extensively from the Gospel of Barnabas in support of his views. This indicates that the Gospel of Barnabas was in circulation in the first and second centuries of Christianity. [/quote]

In all probability St Barnabas did write a gospel but it has been lost to antiquity. The 17th century forgery labeled "Gospel of Barnabas" and proclaimed by Muslims to be the real gospel is just that, a forgery.

And if you think St Ireneus rejected the Divinity of Christ you surely never read any of his writings.


The Muslim attitude to the "Gospel of Barnabas" reveals how poor their methodology is.