However, this message will not be complete without mentioning the role of St Paul in Christendom. Jesus was not the founder of Christianity as we all know. Paul never met Jesus while on earth. He only claimed some spiritual visions and proceeded to Hellenize the teachings of Jesus (who preached a generic form of Judaism), until he created Pauline Christianity. Because there are no known writings from Jesus or from his actual Apostles, most of what Jesus really taught became controversial. The doctrines of Christianity come mostly from the teaching or influence of Paul, a Pharisee who rejected his Pharisaic Judaism. His worship was that of a Christ totally unrelated to the Jewish Messiah, a nationalist and human figure that was supposed to free the nation from foreign (Roman) rule. On the way to Damascus, Paul experienced a vision of Jesus that converted him from a persecutor to a believer. Paul joined the Christians of Damascus, but soon he had to flee Damascus to escape the officers of King Aretas. (II Corinthians 11:32-33) After his vision, according to Pauls own account (Galatians 1:17), he went into the desert of Arabia for a period, seeking no instruction. According to Acts, however, he sought instruction first from Ananias of Damascus and then from the apostles in Jerusalem. These contradictory accounts reflect a change in Pauls status: in his own view, he had received a revelation that put him far higher than the apostles, while in later Church opinion he had experienced a conversion that was only the beginning of his development as a Christian. There is much about this man, Saul who became Paul but for time constraint. But we need to ask, “Was he, Paul really a follower of Jesus? Why doesn’t he refer more to Jesus’ life and teachings? Actually he refers to Jesus all the time, and especially to his death and resurrection. But some people are worried by the fact that he refers to the death and resurrection of Jesus, but not so much to his life – particularly to his miracles, parables, the Sermon on the Mount, etc. It is sometimes claimed that Paul focuses on the death and resurrection of Jesus because he was influenced by Greek mystery religions, with their ideas of gods dying and rising. After all and as a matter of consequence, he was responsible for turning the real Jesus of Galilee into a Hellenistic god. He had a mystical experience on the Damascus Road, and created a new Hellenistic religion on the basis of it. The idea that the Bible contains prophecies about the coming of Muhammad (pboh), may surprise many people. It is not difficult to understand why, since the general perception people have of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is that of a man with no connection with the Biblical Prophets or prophecies. However, taking a closer look at Muhammad’s (pboh) life, it becomes clear that he upheld the basic tenets that the Biblical Prophets brought down. He, Muhammad (pboh) also led millions to do the same. Indeed it was because of the teachings of Muhammad (pbuh) that billions of Muslims since his time up till today have revered the persons of Jesus, Moses and Abraham (peace be upon them all). In fact, the Old and the New Testaments contain many verses which foretold the coming of a new Prophet. And several other Bible verses clearly lead us to know that Muhammad (pbuh) was that Prophet being expected. In Chapter 1, verse 19 of the Gospel of John, some Jewish priests quizzed John, the Baptist, about three people they were informed about in their scriptures. They asked him: “Who are you?” John confessed - he did not deny, but confessed - “I’m not the Christ.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” John said, “I’m not.” “Are you the Prophet?” John answered, “No.” [John 1: 19-21] So they then asked him further: “Why do you baptize if you aren’t the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” [John 1: 25] The priests were expecting three people as prophesied by their books, so they asked about Christ, Elijah and ‘the Prophet’. So who is ‘the Prophet’ they are referring to here? This cannot be a reference to Jesus because he is the Christ. ‘The prophet’ must certainly be someone else. In cross-referencing the Bible, we find that the words ‘the Prophet’ which occurs in John 1: 25 refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18: 18 in the Old Testament, which also mentions a forthcoming Prophet. According to Deuteronomy 18: 18, God speaks to Prophet Moses and tells him that He, (God) will raise up a new Prophet who has certain clearly defined characteristics akin to Moses: “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him”. (Deut.: 18: 18-19) In this prophecy, God was telling Moses that he would raise a Prophet like him, who would be from ‘among their brethren’. Since these verses were directed to Moses and the Jewish People, the ‘brethren’ mentioned here are the brethren of the Jewish people. Now Abraham, the forefather of the Jewish nation had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 21). The children of Isaac are the cousins of the children of Ishmael. The children of Isaac are the Jews and the children of Ishmael are the Arabs. ‘Brethren’ in the language of the Old Testament can refer to the Jews themselves (Numbers 32: 6), or to the ancestral cousins of the Jews such as the Arabs, Edomites and others. (see Deuteronomy 2: 4-8 for usage of the word ‘brethren’). So the Arabs are considered the brethren of the Jews – Muhammad (Arab) and Moses (Jew). Some people may claim that Jesus is the new Prophet being referred to in Deuteronomy 18:18. However ‘the Prophet’ mentioned in John 1:25 can’t be Jesus because he is described as a separate person to ‘the Christ’. In addition to this, the verse informs us that the Prophet will have the characteristic of being someone who is ‘like’ Moses. Jesus was very different to Moses, but what about Muhammad (pbuh)? There is no doubt that Moses and Muhammad (pbuh) are very similar. Many historians who have studied the lives of Moses and Muhammad (pbuh) have remarked upon the many similarities between them. The late Reverend James L. Dow (1908-1977) who authored the Collins Gem Dictionary of the Bible wrote under the entry of Moses that “the only man in history who can be compared even remotely to Moses is Mohammed, and that, all evidences so far show conclusively that Muhammad is the Prophet mentioned in John 1: 25” There are still many people who reject Muhammad (pbuh) purely because he was not Jewish, i.e. not from the Children of Isaac. But we know that Prophets such as Noah, who are also mentioned in the Bible, weren’t Jewish either. Note these: Moses and Muhammad have fathers and mothers; Both of them went into Exile – Moses to the land of Median and Muhammad to Yathrib (now Medina); Both worked as shepherds for their employers; Both were married and had children; Both were given laws, …….... and Both of them died and were buried. According to the Bible, God made a promise to Abraham about his descendants: I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (Genesis 17: 7) This covenant was fulfilled. God sent Prophets from the descendants of Isaac to the Jews (e.g. Solomon, David, Joseph, Jacob, John, the Baptist, Moses, Joshua, Aaron, Jesus etc.). But the promise that was made to Abraham was to all of his descendants. So it makes sense that Prophets would also be sent from the descendants of Abraham’s other son, Ishmael. In the Old Testament, God singled out the descendants of Ishmael (the Arabs) for a particular blessing: “And, as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation” [Genesis 17: 20] According to the verse above, God tells Abraham about a ‘Great Nation’ to come from Ishmael. This is another reason why God would send Prophet amongst the Arabs. How could God call a nation great if the inhabitants were to be unbelievers? Their greatness is defined by their belief and obedience to God. We see that Muhammad (pbuh) fits into the description of a Prophet from the descendants of Ishmael; the Prophet who called people back to the Religion of Abraham. Muhammad (pbuh) did, indeed come from that nation of rulers mentioned in Genesis 17: 20. The book of Genesis tells us that Abraham left his wife (Hagar) and Ishmael to settle in ‘Paran’ (Genesis 21: 21), which according to historians is in Arabia. Ishmael grew up and settled in Arabia and had twelve sons one of whom was called ‘Kedar’ (Genesis 25: 13). Isaiah 21: 13-17 confirms that the descendants of Kedar were in Arabia. It is well known that Muhammad (pbuh) was a direct descendant of Kedar. In the Davis Dictionary of the Bible, it is stated that Kedar is ‘…A tribe descended from Ishmael. The people of Kedar were Pliny’s Cedrai, and from their tribe Mohammed ultimately arose. There were Jewish tribes in Medina who had settled there because they were awaiting the arrival of a Prophet. In fact, Ben Shalom the Chief Rabbi of Medina embraced Muhammad (pbuh) as the Prophet whose arrival was foretold in their scriptures. Now, let’s look at some interesting verses from Isaiah 42 about a messenger from Arabia: The Old Testament prophesied the coming of a Prophet from Arabia who would be from the descendants of Kedar. The verses of Isaiah 42 describe the coming of a Prophet who God refers to as ‘my Messenger’ (Isaiah 42:19). This Messenger would be from ‘the villages that Kedar people inhabit’ (Isaiah 42:11), which means that the Messenger would emerge from Arabia since that is where the villages of the descendants of Kedar lived according to Isaiah, 21:13-17. This Messenger would give ‘judgment’, ‘light’ and ‘Law’ to the ‘Gentiles’ (Isaiah 42:1-4). Gentile is a term referring to the non-Jews. This Messenger would be a ‘man of war’ who will first be persecuted and then will fight and defeat idol worshipers (Isaiah 42:13-17). This description fits Muhammad (pbuh) exactly. Muhammad (pbuh) emerged from Arabia and was a direct descendant of Kedar. He was persecuted and then fought, in self defence, and defeated the idol worshippers. He brought about ‘judgment’ and ‘law’ to a lawless Arabian people (Arabs would be classed as ‘Gentiles’) when he became the ruler of the Arabian Peninsula. Let us examine Islam further. Islam is not just another religion. It is the same religion practised and preached by Moses, Jesus and Abraham. Islam literally means ‘Submission to the Will of God.’ It teaches us to have direct relationship with God. It reminds us that since God created us, no one else should be worshipped except Him Alone. It also makes us understand that God is not like a human-being or like any creature that we can imagine. The concept of God is summarized in the Holy Qur’an Chapter 112 Verse 1-4, thus: “Say, He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He does not give birth, norwas He born. And there is nothing like Him.” Before concluding this address, the uniqueness of the Holy Qur’an, the Scripture of the Muslims, deserves being emphatically portrayed. Unlike other scriptures, the Qur’an was authored by God Himself, Who sent it down through His Angel, in Arabic to His Messenger, Muhammad, (pboh). The text has, over the centuries, remained in its pristine purity. It is not subject to any human editing. And as a matter of fact, all attempts by enemies of Islam, corporately or individually, to vitiate the “Word of God, (Qur’an)” have always failed. This is so because its Author promised in the Book, “…We (God) will surely guard it...” Thus it cannot be corrupted. But on the other hand, the Christian scripture is a contrast. The Bible, which originally contained some words or statements credited to God, the words of early prophets and historical records of the mission of Jesus, written by individuals, including even those who never saw or met Jesus in their life, had been reviewed over and over. In the course of the series of editing by the different Christian sects or denominations, the Book eventually lost its originality and so its authenticity has become considerably doubtful. Today, the Bible has many versions and differing editions rife with numerous interpolations and omissions as many verses and chapters have deliberately expunged for reasons best known to the Christian editors and review committees. Towards harmonious living, if human-beings honestly imbibe the tenets of the scriptures on peaceful co-existence, there is no doubting the fact that there would be harmony in our society at large. But rather than adopt this, the followers of the Bible mainly concern themselves with the review of their scripture and unnecessary free mass distribution of same to non Christians in particular. They, as well engage themselves in unhealthy rivalry with the Muslims by adopting different overtures to force their religion on them. But the Muslims, in compliance with the many injunctions in their Scripture, the Holy Qur’an, have always exhibited the fear of God to ensure a harmonious living among peoples of various religions, races, tribes and colours. Rather than perpetrate conflicts, even in the event of provocation the Muslims would always exercise restraint and adhere to that Qur’anic message in Chapter 110 Verse1-6. “ ……… I worship not that which you worship. Nor will you worship that which I worship. …………………….……To you be your religion and to me my religion.” In conclusion, becoming a Muslim or converting into Islam from any other claimed religion is nothing other than adopting the original teachings or the religion of the prophets of old, particularly, Jesus. However, “Guidance” ultimately comes from God. We ask God, (swt) to continue to guide us, Muslims and those who care to embrace the religion ordained for mankind by Him, God, the Supreme-Being, the Creator of the universe and the Only Object of worship. May God’s Peace and Blessing be upon us all, for the rest of our sojourn, herein on earth and may He Graciously grant us eternal life in the Abode of Peace, Aljanat Fridaous, in the life hereafter. Ma as-salam !!!
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 08:14:36 +0000
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